Content ... content ... content!

The focus continues to shift to quality content folks: Penguin will give page rank based on how often content is updated, how long a visitor spends on a site reading it and how many times it is shared across social.

How Google's 'Penguin' Update Will Change [Content] Publishing for the Better 
by AdAge Digital October, 2012

What does this mean?  Thankfully less about stuffed search words and more about content enrichment and amplification.

Reason simply, content will no longer be a mechanism to convert clicks but a tool to boost awareness, increase overall engagement and offer opportunities to connect with a quality audience.

And the customer that content is tailored for will no longer be SEO bots as the New SEO favors the true end-user: the reader who consumes, shares and engages with your content.

A definite dream-come-true for content strategists!

Enjoy!

Denice MacDonald

For more learning, connect with Denice on Google+.

Google Panda is a change to Google's search results ranking algorithm resulting in a lower rank of low-quality sites while returning higher-quality sites near the top of search results. And, this is not a one time thing - Google continues to do updates and refreshes.

To some, this has played havoc with their website's analytics - but for me, it has been a welcome change. Reason simply, good search engine results begin with solid content built on solid websites.

What counts as a high-quality site?

Google has done a good job of providing insight on how to validate a high-quality website. For me, it is simply creating relevant content that resonates with your website buyers. Here is a very easy litmus test to see if your content measures up:

•Would you trust the information presented in this article?

•Is this article written by an expert or enthusiast who knows the topic well, or is it more shallow in nature?

•Does the site have duplicate, overlapping, or redundant articles on the same or similar topics with slightly different keyword variations?

•Would you be comfortable giving your credit card information to this site?

•Does this article have spelling, stylistic, or factual errors?

•Are the topics driven by genuine interests of readers of the site, or does the site generate content by attempting to guess what might rank well in search engines?

•Does the article provide original content or information, original reporting, original research, or original analysis?

•Does the page provide substantial value when compared to other pages in search results?

•How much quality control is done on content?

•Does the article describe both sides of a story?

•Is the site a recognized authority on its topic?

•Is the content mass-produced by or outsourced to a large number of creators, or spread across a large network of sites, so that individual pages or sites don’t get as much attention or care?

•Was the article edited well, or does it appear sloppy or hastily produced?

•For a health related query, would you trust information from this site?

•Would you recognize this site as an authoritative source when mentioned by name?

•Does this article provide a complete or comprehensive description of the topic?

•Does this article contain insightful analysis or interesting information that is beyond obvious?

•Is this the sort of page you’d want to bookmark, share with a friend, or recommend?

•Does this article have an excessive amount of ads that distract from or interfere with the main content?

•Would you expect to see this article in a printed magazine, encyclopedia or book?

•Are the articles short, unsubstantial, or otherwise lacking in helpful specifics?

•Are the pages produced with great care and attention to detail vs. less attention to detail?

•Would users complain when they see pages from this site?

MORE RESOURCES:

Google Panda Refresh July, 2012 by Barry Schwartz

http://searchenginewatch.com/article/2194006/Google-Panda-Alert-Data-Refresh-Starts-Tonight

Google Panda: 5 Tips You Should Know by Jen Thames

http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/google-panda-tips/

10 Old SEO Methods You Need to Stop by Greg Habermann

http://searchenginewatch.com/article/2197044/10-Old-SEO-Methods-You-Need-to-Stop

Best

Denice MacDonald

[Photo courtesy of unrealstudio.com]

Marketing in the Age of Google is a practical guide to harnessing the full power of online search for your business.

Written by former Google employee Vanessa Fox, who created Google's official portal for explaining online search to businesses, this clear, non-technical book demystifies search marketing and explains proven methods you can implement at your business today.  

Not another book on AdWords campaigns, Marketing in the Age of Google instead focuses on making your business stand out in the "organic" searches that attract 86 percent of user clicks.

Fox shows you where companies get hung up with rankings, and lays out a comprehensive approach for achieving the search goal that matters most: connecting with the people who want to find you.   

Get it for your Kindle or at these websites:

1. Amazon
2. Borders 
3. Barnes and Noble 

A special thank you to my colleague, Melissa Powell for sharing this
great resource. 

Best

Denice MacDonald

You cannot simply build a website and wait for visitors to come. You need to market your website online – meaning you need to take action to make your site highly visible to search engines so it gets found by potential customers.

Here are some quick ideas on maximizing your web site through simple optimization.

Keyword research – where to begin? – There are a number of inexpensive keyword research tools that will help you find the keywords and keyword strings for a specific product or service.  My favorite tool has always been Google Keyword Tool - but, Wordtracker is also very popular and very effective. 

Aligning with competitors – Determine how many other sites will be vying for similar keywords or keyword strings. To validate findings, simply type the words into Google and review the number of results. That’s your competition. The higher the position within the result page, the more difficult it will be to rank on that keyword. If you are still having difficulty determining keywords, you can open your competitor’s web site and view their keywords by selecting “View” and then “Source” from the menu. The third line in the source code typically says “Keyword Content” and then lists the keywords used for that page.

Start small – If you are new to the game, it is always advisable to start with 1-2 keywords per page on your website. Reason simply, you want to find the right balance in search volume, review how you’re faring against the competition and grow your program based on sound statistics. Likewise, insure that the content that is written for the site contains an appropriate usage of the keywords.

Site structure – In order for any search engine optimization program to work and track, you’ll need to insure that the site structure is conducive for optimization. To rank higher in search results for your target audience, you must identify the most effective keywords and then place them in the right areas of your site’s content and HTML code including page titles, headers, meta-tags, links and page content.

Site updates – ‘Content is king’ philosophy still rings true for optimization success. Keep your site updated regularly. What is the rule of thumb?  Minimally, weekly!

Linking – I still believe that linking can effectively, and quickly, increase page rankings. If you have a lot of other web sites linking to your site, the search engine spiders will visit your site more frequently and find new content quickly. You can find out who links to you already by typing “Link: yourdomainname.com” in any major search engine.

Measure – It’s all about effectiveness and ongoing metrics. Let your initial search engine optimization initiative run for about 2-3 months. Track how your rankings change week-over-week or month-over-month, and then decide whether more words need to be added or eliminated. Use tools like Google Analytics for web site metrics and SeoDigger for wordtracking performance.

Best,

Denice MacDonald 

KeywordSpy^TM - a powerful web-based keyword intelligence system - has announced the unveiling of KeywordSpy Version 3.0. 

What’s so great about this upgrade? Version 3.0 is a compilation of user feedback – elevating the product version to an all new level based on customer interaction and use. 

New features include:

1. Daily scans of over 127 million keywords in our database.
2. Advanced searching options including destination url and ad copy searches.
3. ROI Indicator to easily pinpoint profitable keywords and ad copy combination.
4. Competitor sub-domains related & misspelled keyword results.
5. Support over 80 major affiliate networks for a high-end affiliate research.

 If you are interested in learning more about this great product, sign up now for a free trial.

About KeywordSpy

KeywordSpy currently operates in USA, United Kingdom, Australia and Canada. Through this keyword tool and keyword software, you can perform advanced keyword research and keyword tracking to study what your competitors have been advertising in their Adwords campaigns and Other PPC campaigns. You can now get complete in-depth analysis, stats, budget, affiliates & ad copies of your competitors. 

Best

Denice MacDonald

How are you really going to fare during this tough recession? Simply by measuring everything you do on the web. So to help you out, I'm providing all the great tools that will accelerate conversion rates and increase web ROI -- not to mention tools to help you keep an eye on your competition! 

Once you start diving into a few of these, you will get the gist on which ones will meet your needs.

1 -- Rankings, Demographics and Usage

• http://www.quantcast.com/

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2 -- Key Organic Words and Adwords Traffic

• http://www.semrush.com/

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3 -- How Your Site Fares Against Your Competition

• http://www.compete.com/

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4 -- Reciprocal Links/Keyword Ads and Variations

• http://www.alexa.com/

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5 -- Paid Words

• http://www.keywordspy.com/

.     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .  

6 -- SEO Competitive Analysis/Benchmarking

• http://siteexplorer.search.yahoo.com/

.     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     . 

7 -- Sign up for Website Grader

• http://website.grader.com/

.     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     . 

8 -- Web Analyzer (analyzes customer web logs – this one is free)

• http://www.quest.com/funnel-web-analyzer/

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9 -- All types of SEO Tools for Free

• http://www.seomoz.org/

.     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     . 

10 -- Web Analytic Thought Leaders

• http://www.webanalyticsdemystified.com/

Best

Denice MacDonald

When search engines visit your web site, they take into consideration the number AND type of web sites that link to and from your site. A higher quality backlink will have more weight than a lower quality link. 

Backlinking with reputable web sites 

Backlinks from highly reputable sites on a given topic are highly valuable. If both sites have content around keyword topics, the backlink is considered relevant and believed to have a stronger influence on search engine rankings. Careful, though, you don't want to just backlink with anyone. The key to backlinking is assuring that you are in the right neighborhood; that is, you are attracting top notch visitors from comparably valued web sites.  

Double the SEO bang by including keywords in anchor text 

A high quality backlink will include one or more of your web site keywords in the anchor text (the anchor text of a link is the actual part of the link that is clicked and takes the person doing the clicking to your web site). The reason a link with the keyword in the anchor text is given more weight than links without your keywords in the anchor text is that it appears that the links are coming from sites with related information when the keywords are found within the anchor text. 

Where to start 

Step One:  Research! 

Determine how your links are working now (see tools below). Take some time to unearth keywords on your current web site and those of your competitors. 

Step Two:  Existing web content, relationships or campaigns 

Begin linking with existing channels including social networking sites such as mySpace and Facebook, blogs or company press releases. Include links to trade shows, reputable vendors, and even web sites that the company may have given donations. Be very selective about directories though - they need to be scrutinized and directly related to your products or services.  

Step Three: Niche site links 

Begin looking for those valuable web sites that mirror topics or keywords. Take the time to get to know the link owner - call or email. Lastly, don't forget to take advantage of RSS feeds.  

Tools for keyword search and backlink analysis: 

• WebCEO (Free! Download)
• Wordtracker (Free Seven Day Free Trial)
• Backlink Analysis Tool (Membership required)
• Track Your Rivals and Eat Their Lunch! (By Compete.com) 

Best,

Denice MacDonald

Does your Web site deserve to succeed? According to Sarah at OneUpWeb, it doesn't if you're not constantly testing to make sure that it is easy to navigate, delivers the right kinds of information and snags conversions (be they subscriptions, lead generations or actual sales).

Hours of SEO work and carefully researched pay-per-click campaigns are practically worthless if the landing page doesn't convert users -- or they get lost in the process somewhere else on the Web site. Sarah suggests testing factors like your site's checkout process (if there is one), conversion click paths, as well as multiple image and text layouts to KNOW which features are working -- not just assume. She also offers a strategy for determining which site factors are most important for you to test, from products, to presentation to channel factors. 

In summary:

Test your site post launch to insure the user is getting to where they need to go (click paths, conversion etc. – including checkout if e-commerce enabled) 

Supplement highly interactive ads with contextual ads (measure both)

Two Word Searches: Nearly 32% of all searchers around the globe use two-word search queries, according to research from Amsterdam-based OneStat

Search engine ‘boxes’ can have both word search and ‘suggested’ search for optimum user interaction to sites 

Read Full Article Here

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Need help - try out these guys:

Charlie Sweet, Web Technology Manager at Aloha Inc. (specialty: full service)

Eric Herzberg, Owner, Linkage Internet Consulting (specialty: pay-per-click)

Denice MacDonald, President, MacDonald Consulting (specialty: link building and search engine marketing)