What’s the score - Online Marketing Update

If you’re involved in online marketing you’ll know that the way things work changes on an almost continual basis. Google continues to dominate the search engine market, with Google Panda and Penguin both making a big impact on the way websites are ranked.  Then there was Hummingbird that was slipped in last year, and that's not likely to be the end of it. So we thought it would be useful to look at the latest trends and expert thinking.

Why Content continues to be King
When all is said and done, there is no getting away from the fact Google has to generate the most relevant results in order to maintain its high ranking position in the search engine industry. For this reason Google rewards websites with high quality content. Generating high quality content continues to be a major challenge for any business or organisation looking to increase visitors to their website and when you read what Google says counts as a high value site, you’ll understand that content isn’t just about the occasional update to your website.

 It’s been reported that Google has started to boost the rankings of web pages that provide the most accurate and thorough answers to people’s questions. The Hummingbird algorithm means that Google now looks at the context of search enquiries, rather than specific keywords, so you need to research and understand the search terms that are being used and address them in articles if you want to achieve higher page rankings.

So what’s our advice:

• Research the questions being asked and select those that fall in line with your objectives
• Produce targeted content on a regular basis
• Broadcast content across a range of digital media: social media networks, blogs and video websites

Relevance on Social Media
The link between your website content and social media platforms will continue to become stronger and even more relevant:

While Twitter and Facebook are likely to continue holding the top slot as the most popular social media platforms, the likes of Google+, LinkedIn and Pinterest are also growing.

Talking about what Google+ is all about, Google’s UK Head of Agency, Matt Bush, has said that Google+ is not about “connecting you with your friends” but is about “trying to offer people the information they want at the right time and searching for information or people that you care about or take information from, when you want it most. That's the overarching strategy.”

Our advice:

• Research if your market (buyers and influencers) are using social media platforms and which ones are their preferred choice
• To avoid disillusionment, make sure you set objectives and measurement values to monitor results on a regular basis
• Use the social media platforms that your market is using

Optimising for Mobile
It’s no secret that the growth of smart phones, tablets and other mobile devices giving access to the internet is growing – and fast. Making sure your website is created for mobile use and visibility is now not only a given but essential, as search engines such as Google include this as part of its website ranking criteria.

Our advice:

• Ensure your website is responsive to mobile technology. It may be more appropriate to design a separate site for mobile visitors
• Research how mobile users are interacting with your site. Is it different to desktop visitors? Google Analytics can help you identify how visitors are arriving and using your website.
• Mobile users are used to interacting, so make sure your website provides plenty of relevant opportunities to be engaged and interact
• Don’t forget email and text messages, both of which high on the list of mobile users activities. Emails should also be optimised for viewing on mobile devices

Local Search – What it is and why it’s important for SEO

Google Places is the tool that allows businesses to list and manage their business details that appear in Google’s search results and is linked to Google Maps.

Being listed with Google Places is a key SEO opportunity, particularly if your business has a local angle and your customers are likely to search using local terms e.g. city/county name, then the free listing can help.

Google is bringing in some changes to the way the Google Places Dashboard. At the time of writing this article, the new Dashboard is only available to new users of Google Places but current users are in the process of being migrated over. The new Dashboard will fall in line with the current Google style and design across it’s products and include improved features, such as easier editing, integration with your Google+ Page (if you have one) and insights to help track your performance on Google.

It’s worth pointing out that if you use Google+ as a social media tool you can also access your Google Places account through the ‘Local’ tab within your Google+ account

Setting up Google Places is relatively easy to do.

1. If you don’t already have one, you need to set up a free Google Account. The easiest one to set up is Gmail. You can then sign into Google Places using your free Gmail account.
2. Complete your business details on the Places online form, bearing in mind that you must have a physical address and be a business that operates with face-to-face interactions with customers. Include keywords in your company description so that Google will automatically allocate your listing to appropriate search terms.
3. Once your listing is completed, you’ll need to verify that you are the business manager, either by phone or waiting for a postcard to arrive with a verification PIN; this normally takes two weeks.

Once set up, you can add information that will help your SEO results

1. Make sure you listing is complete, accurate and that you choose the most appropriate categories and key words to describe your business
2. Get links and mentions in high ranking local directories
3. Optimise the local information on your own website
4. Ask customers and contacts for reviews on your Google Place listing. Having reviews will help your Google Places listing.

Google provides plenty of advice if you’re not already listed in Google Places.  The sooner you set up your listing, the sooner your website will be found