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By Neptune Moon, May 19, 2011 10:04 am

So Bing upped the ante this week in its continual bid to gain marketshare from Google by beginning to include information about Facebook, particularly Likes, in their search results. To see this type of search result, a user would, of course, need to be logged in to Facebook when performing a search. And, you will have to grant Bing access to your Facebook profile. My question is does this really make search better?

I’m not sure it does. Perhaps for some types of searches – like restaurants in the area or entertainment type queries, but for informational searches, I am not sure that prioritizing things that people in my Facebook network have liked improves my search experience or gets me to the best results. A Like has a pretty low threshold for participating – one simple click. Does it really carry enough weight to start filtering search engine results?

Some people, particularly the Facebook obsessed (and you know who you are!) will probably love this new feature. But what does this mean for businesses and search engine optimization? I am a firm believer in solid SEO practices for any site and I don’t think that will change, even with the integration of more and more social aspects into search results. It does give me some pause though, as popularity via social networks may eventually supercede or at least equal quality, objective web sites and content.

Do we really want the web to turn into a Facebook popularity contest? Think about who’s in your Facebook network – how much influence do you want them to have over the search results you see? Recommendations from trusted friends will always be a very powerful commodity and motivator – I’m just not sure that a Facebook Like should be given that much weight…

AdAge has a great article about Bing’s new feature – you can read it here.

We will definitely be keeping an eye on this and will report back on what we’re seeing in the search space and how it is impacting our clients and others in our networks.

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By Neptune Moon, March 31, 2011 10:43 am

Why can’t Google just stick to search? I would rather see Google invest their massive funds and brainpower making search better and better rather than trying to integrate social media into its results. With the announcement this week of its new +1 feature, Google is once again wading into the search and social waters.

What is +1 and how will it work? Essentially, +1 will function a lot like the “Like” feature on Facebook and external web sites that include Facebook’s “Like” buttons. The feature is being slowly rolled out, but eventually, we will all start seeing +1 impact our search results. Mashable has a great write up on how the feature will work:

“Google defines this action as a “public stamp of approval,” and it is exactly that. When you +1 something, your name becomes associated with that link “in search, on ads, and across the web,” according to the company. It also shows up in a feed on your Google Profile, which is required to use the product.”

You can read the full story at Mashable.

Google seems to really be trying to become a social hub and not just a search destination. I don’t know about you, but I really don’t want my search results junked up with sites people in my network “like”. I spend a lot of time online and search is a big part of what I do every day. Having to wade through this type of stuff will not improve my search experience. To use the service, you’ll need to have a Google account, be logged in and if you want to start adding your +1 endorsements to sites, you will need to complete your public Google Profile. So, there are some barriers to this becoming the de facto state of search. I have a Google account, but I do not have a Google Profile and I generally do not perform the majority of searches while logged in to Google.

Maybe I’m a little old fashioned, but I like my search to be search and my social media to be social. I wonder if we will start seeing less relevant results in search as marketers figure out ways to game this system by incentivizing +1 activity. Google has already been including more and more social content in its results sets – read more here.

Doing the amount of search I do for clients when working on competitive intelligence and SEO, I am very aware of what the results include. Sadly, the quality of results returned for the average search has not improved in the past 2 years. In fact, in many cases, the results returned on the first page of Google are pretty crappy. It has gotten a little better since their most recent two algorithm updates, but the nature of what you see on the first page for a lot of search terms is markedly different from the landscape of even 18 months ago. Is this a good or bad thing? Who knows. It is what it is and we’ll all be working to do our best for clients with whatever the current landscape and technology requires!

It certainly has implications for not only SEO strategy, but also for your social media and reputation management strategies.

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By Neptune Moon, February 25, 2011 10:27 am

Search engines are going social – at least in the results you might see. Both Google and Bing have recently announced changes to their search results algorithms that will start to include “social” results. What are social results and what does this mean for you SEO and social media strategy?

Both sites describe social results as including links that have been publicly liked, shared or commented on by people in your social networks. What does this mean in a practical sense? For some searches, it won’t impact your results at all and for others, you will start to see links endorsed by friends throughout the search results for your queries. Both Google and Bing are banking on the idea that knowing what your friends like is valuable data in your decision-making process. Looking for a restaurant for dinner this weekend? Now you can see more links from your friends. Need a plumber or contractor? Now you can see who your friends like (and dislike) right in the search results.

I tried several searches myself and did not see any social results. I expect that this will change over time though.

So, what does this mean for your SEO and Social Media strategy? It is not completely clear at this point, but what does seem clear is that the convergence of your brand controlled web properties and social media activity will likely become even more intense as this type of search matures. We will be following this story as it develops so we can keep you up to date on the ever-changing social and search landscapes!

Have you noticed a difference in your search results? Let us know, we’d love to hear about your experiences.

Here are the announcements about this from:
Bing
Google

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By Neptune Moon, November 22, 2010 3:58 pm

If you pay close attention to Google – and most people probably don’t like I do – you may have noticed some changes in the way Google displays search results. The map has moved! It used to be in the main area of the page, right below the first three sponsored listings. Now, it is in the right column, above the column of paid listings and the locations on the map? They are now mixed in with the organic results in the main area of the page:

Google's new search results screenshot

What, if anything does this mean? It means different things to different users. For instance, for the average Google searcher, it probably doesn’t necessarily mean a whole lot. You’ll still see a combination of paid/sponsored results, Google Places results (the map) and organic results. But for businesses and marketers, the change in how Google displays results is more significant.

Google is clearly trying to make its Places more important by taking up more space on the first results page. By making each Places listing it’s own quasi-organic search result, Google’s Places listings now account for a lot more of the results on page one of a Google search. The many local/review sites have been taking over the first page of Google’s results for the past couple of years – Yelp, InsiderPages, MerchantCircle, DexKnows, YellowPages, etc. and it seems that Google really wants a piece of that action.

What should you do for your business? Making sure you have created and/or claimed your Google Places page is great place to start. As these results are served more often and as search becomes more local every day, you’ll want to make sure you’re listed. How will this impact traditional SEO – the jury’s still out. It is definitely a topic we will be monitoring in the coming months! Stay tuned…

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By Neptune Moon, September 13, 2010 3:20 pm

Google rolled out its new “Google Instant” search this week and it’s got the the online world buzzing. The main chatter is about what it means for PPC (pay-per-click) or AdWords advertisers… but before we dive into that, what is Google Instant anyway?

We’re all familiar with search engines guessing what we’re searching for as we type in our search queries… start typing phila and you’ll have philadelphia in there in no time – along with popular recent search terms beginning with philadelphia! Whether you search directly in your browser’s toolbar or if you go to a search site like Google, Yahoo, or Bing, you’ve likely already experienced the drop down list of search term choices the search engine shows you based on what you’ve typed. It’s usually pretty handy!

How does the Instant service differ from this search term completion/suggestion function? It starts to populate the search screen with results even as you’re still typing, whereas the old way waited until you’d chosen your term and clicked search/pressed enter. Seems like a minor change, right?

For the end user, it probably is. Google claims that this new service saves 2 to 5 seconds off of a typical search, which they estimates takes an average of 25 seconds to execute. But, for AdWords advertisers, it raises a whole lot of new questions…

1. How will the Instant service impact keyword diversity? If the autofill function is pre-selecting options, how will this impact Search Engine Optimization and choice of keywords?
2. Will long tail keywords become less relevant as this technology builds more and more of our searches?
3. How will this technology impact impressions rates in AdWords campaigns?
4. Will we need to rethink our benchmarks for impressions vs. clickthroughs for PPC ads?
5. How will PPC and AdWords strategies need to be adjusted to maximize return with this new search dynamic?

Lots of questions… stay tuned in the coming weeks and months as we work with our clients to figure out the answers and create effective strategies to work with this new search dynamic!

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By Neptune Moon, July 28, 2010 4:19 pm

Google Maps are great right? Just type “tapas restaurant, philadelphia” into Google and in a split second you’ve got results before you, along with a handy map! Click on the links and you can visit the restaurant web sites or click on the More Info link and you can see the Google Places Page summary for the business.

Google Maps and the Places Pages they link to are great for consumers. They are not so great for businesses. Why not? If you claim your listing, you’ll show up in the Maps list for your target area and people can find you – what’s not to like?

Well, in addition to the information your provide them directly, Google pulls information from a variety of outside sources and aggregates it into your business’ Places Page. This can be problematic on multiple fronts:

1. It is often hard to tell exactly where a particular piece of information on the Google Places Page is actually coming from, making it hard to correct errors
2. Review and comments are prominently displayed within the Google Places Pages, but there is no mechanism for you, the business owner, to respond to a review within the Google system
3. It has been widely reported that Google’s Places Pages are often quite slow in having reviews fall off their pages that have been removed from the source web site
4. ANYONE can post a review about your business, including competitors, former employees or people who just don’t like you – there is no verification process that the reviewer was an actual customer of the business being reviewed

The effects of having a very negative review so prominently placed within a Google branded result can be devastating.

So what can you do? Start by claiming your listings. You’d be amazed at just how many places there are on the web where your business is probably listed. You can’t monitor something you’re not aware of…

Don’t have the time to claim and/or manage online listings? Consider hiring a professional to manage it for you – you’ll be glad you did! We’ve been doing a lot of work in this type of reputation management lately and would love to help you too!

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By Neptune Moon, June 21, 2010 10:51 am

It used to be that you only had to worry about your own web site(s) when it came to your online reputation… not so any more! Try doing a search for your business specifically or search for your type of business in your geographic area. You’ll likely be surprised by the results.

These days, search results returned include not only your web site and blog, but will often include a link to entities such as: Google Maps, Yelp.com, SuperPages.com, as well as many other locally or industry focused sites. Did you even know such things existed? Do you know if your business is listed?

These sites take it one step further too. They let people post reviews about your business, often with no verification that they are or were an actual customer of yours. To make matters even more complicated, people often wait weeks or months before posting a nasty review about your business. Good luck finding them to even try to rectify the issue!

So what is a business owner to do? Don’t we all have a million other things we’re already managing on a daily, weekly and monthly basis? How can you possibly get a grip on this brave new world? You can start by claiming your business on some of the major local web sites. If you have not claimed your business on Google, do it now! If you advertise in any of the yellow pages, make sure your online information is correct. If you serve the public, I’d recommend checking out Yelp and InsiderPages and see what, if anything people are saying.

Managing your online reputation is incredibly important. Especially today when more and more people are sharing their views and reviews via local web sites and social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter. Getting control starts with knowledge – find out where you’re already listed and claim your listings.

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By Neptune Moon, April 16, 2010 3:00 pm

Spring always seems to inspire the urge to purge – at least it does at my house! Why not use the spring as a time to take a critical look at your web presence and strategy? This notion makes sense this year, even more so than in the past, as many of our target markets have undergone significant changes.

It is time to ask yourself:

1. What parts of our web strategy are working well? What parts are not working so well?
2. Who is our target market today? Are they the same demographic that they were 2 years ago?
3. How can we adjust our web strategy to gain traction in the new economy?
4. What can we learn from our competitors?

It is an important practice to critically review your web strategy annually – why not do it now and put your business in the position to have a strong 2010? There is a lot of opportunity out there – smart organizations realize it and know they can no longer sit on the sidelines and expect to be around in 2011.

Not sure how to get started or how to analyze your web strategy? Don’t really have a web strategy? Spend some time and money with a professional web consultant and get on your way to a stronger business and better bottom line!

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By Neptune Moon, April 2, 2010 3:43 pm

Working on the web is an interesting journey. You never have the same day twice. It’s part of what I like most! There are as many ideas about SEO and Web Design as there are humans on the planet. So how do you make sure you’re in sync with your provider?

The first and most obvious step is to review a potential consultant’s work and/or portfolio. I know, this sound ridiculously obvious, but you’d be amazed at how many people just don’t bother to do this. If you’re not drawn to and/or impressed by the consultant’s work, why bother even starting a conversation with them?

Next, see who recommends them. A referral from a trusted source should go a long way in jump starting a relationship with a new provider. Positive comments and an offer to let you call their references is also a good sign.

Spend time getting clear about what you need and why you are bringing in an outside consultant to reach that goal.

Once you’ve done your homework and feel comfortable with the consultant’s skills and customer service, it’s time to have a meeting. Not just a phone call either, if at all possible. In this time of instantaneous communication, there is still often no substitute for a face to face meeting. See what your gut is telling you after you meet with the provider. It is critically important that you are able to connect with a consultant – you’ll be partners in this project and will need to be able to communicate effectively and work together smoothly.

Finding a great consultant takes some effort, but the payoff when you find the right fit is definitely worth the work!

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By Neptune Moon, January 12, 2010 10:13 am

With the start of the new year, it is a natural time to take a look at your web site(s) and see what’s working and what’s not.

How can you figure out what’s working? Some items are no-brainers – if you sell products directly via your web site, you can track your sales figures from the web site. If you use unique telephone numbers or emails, you can track how many prospects contacted you after being on your web site. And, if you have the time and inclination, your web site host probably has some rudimentary statistics about your site available to you.

How do you know what’s not working then? The answers to this question can be a lot less obvious. This is where real analytics vs. simple reporting really makes a difference. Simple reporting will tell you your total traffic numbers, the top keywords searchers used who reached your site, the top referrers and entry and exit pages too. All of these baseline stats are important, but they are really only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to information your web site can provide that will help you make better business decisions.

How can you make your site’s data work harder? It starts with a plan and even more obviously, a goal or set of specific goals for your site. How do you define a successful visit to your site? What methods are you using and what types of reports have you created (or had created for you by a pro) to help you track, adapt and refine your web offerings? If you use you web site for anything more than simple credibility, you should seriously consider some more in depth reporting for your site. Today’s more advanced web analytics and traffic reporting tools offer virtually unlimited reporting capabilities that can help you to put time, energy and money into the parts of your business that are resonating with customers and decrease focus on those that are less attractive to them as well.

No time the the present. It is never too late to start using your web site more effectively. Add web traffic analysis to your 2010 goals. A little time and money invested in monitoring your site traffic and user behavior on your site can produce great results.

What are you waiting for?