Google’s Penguin 2.0 Update is Now Live

May 22, 2013 by Leave a Comment

google penguin 2.0 updateLess than 12 hours after I posted the Google SEO article about the upcoming Penguin 2.0 Google algorithm update, it arrived!  When I wrote the article, I didn’t expect changes to come this quickly.

Today I was checking out some of the trusted forums that I follow and started to notice marketers mentioning or complaining about a sudden change in their rankings – for the worse.  I immediately knew what had happened, but was still surprised.

There was a common theme among the marketers who had suffered a drop in rankings.  Most were good marketers who only did white-hat marketing strategies.  They were helping their clients in niches with big authority competitors.  None had instituted any new tactics recently or made major changes to their site.  None had used automated software for syndicating spun content or used linking bots.

The Penguin 2.0 update is the biggest one that Google has added since Penguin first came out just over a year ago on April 24, 2012.  This new update in the algorithm is expected to impact ~2.3% of search queries.

One factor that may be having the most weight is “Authority.”  If you read my Google SEO article and watched Matt Cutts’ video, you will recall that he mentioned giving more weight towards sites with Authority.  This is important for so many reasons.  We have been focused on “authority” for many years now.  There has not been a conversation we have had with a prospect, client or colleague when we didn’t talk about authority.

Over the upcoming months we are going to discuss this concept of Authority in more detail.  For now, what does it really mean?

In some of the forums, people were chiming in that Authority meant that it was a big company with a big marketing budget and a big following.  I would beg to differ.  That has nothing to do with authority by itself.  It certainly makes it more possible as long as those companies are smart, but it does not hurt a smaller company’s ability to play in that sandbox.

Here are a few things that I believe affect Authority signals:

  • Current sites, frequently updated with high value content that people want to share
  • A natural sharing pattern with all content (not fabricated ‘likes’ or fake facebook views, etc)
  • Produce content about current topics within the field (think trending phrases)
  • Have other authorities referencing or mentioning them (not just linking, but co-citations and co-occurences)
  • Business mentions and citations (even for national and global brands – it’s not just for local SEO anymore)
  • Etc., etc., etc. (we will dive deeper over time)

For now, we recommend you just keep an eye on things.  Don’t panic.  See what happens and see how other companies and marketers react.  It is about to get interesting…

If you would like more information, please check out our Google SEO article from yesterday and watch Matt Cutts’ video.  Also, check out Search Engine Land’s article by Barry Schwartz from today.

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    Google SEO and the Upcoming Algorithm Changes

    May 21, 2013 by Leave a Comment

    Google SEO is about to change again is preparing businesses and marketers for their upcoming algorithm changes – we will call them “improvements.”  Matt Cutts, from Google’s Search Quality team released a video describing what we can expect from this update that they will be rolling out.  They are calling it Penguin 2.0.

    So what can you expect to happen to your website?

    As always, there will be a significant number of websites that are affected negatively (lose rank), as well as a significant number that benefit (improve rank).  Over the past couple years, there have been some significant updates, including Panda and Penguin 1.0, as well as hundreds of smaller tweaks along the way.  One thing expected to happen is that sites using automated backlinking tools (AKA black hat methods) will be the ones most affected negatively by the update.

    In general, we always support these algorithm changes as they typically improve our experience online when we are searching for things.  Google’s goal is to make sure their search engine is as effective as it can be at presenting searchers with the very best results for their queries.

    As a local SEO company, we especially appreciate how these algorithm changes help remove spam sites from the top of the search engine results pages.

    Why does everyone freak out about their Google SEO every time they hear of an algorithm change?

    SEO, search engine optimization, can be done in a right way and a wrong way.  The wrong way is when someone tries to artificially manipulate the search results by using tactics that violate search engine policies and guidelines.  Using robots and automated software to pollute the internet with low quality, spammy content that nobody wants to read is the best way to do SEO incorrectly.  Using high quality content that people love and want to share is the right way to do SEO.  The in-between is where the biggest stress mounts during a new algorithm changes, as people playing in the gray areas don’t know whether their sites are going to get punished or not.

    google seo matt cuttsWhat Penguin 2.0 will do:

    If you watched the video above, you will note several things that Matt said we could expect.  Here are a handful:

    1. It is going to find more web spam and spam links, especially from automated tools and robots, and sites that use them will drop in rank

    2. It is going to find backlinks from Advertorials that violate their quality guidelines and this will be a negative factor for sites that utilize this tactic.

    3. Improved hacked site detection and mlaware site detection

    4. Sites with high quality content that people are engaged with and sharing will be rewarded

    5. Authority websites will get a boost in ranks

    6. Domain clusters (multiple listings for the same domain) will be moved from the first page in order to add more choices for searchers.

    We look forward to seeing how these updates affect all of the sites we manage online.  The last 2 years have been great for Poobah Marketing since we have always focused on more high quality, high value content in our strategies.  Penguin 2.0 should be no different.

    Good luck!

     

     

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      The History of Marketing for Business

      January 2, 2013 by 2 Comments

      The History of MarketingThe History of Marketing for Business from 1450 through 2013

      Ever wonder what we would do without technology?  How would you market your business without the internet, or even television?  Well, thanks to the our friends at Hubspot we now can catch a glimpse of how marketing has progressed since the 15th century.  The infographic below provides a visual of the whole story.  Enjoy!

      History of Marketing Infographic

      History of Marketing Infographic

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        Finally Social Media Marketing Giant Google+ Offers Vanity URLs

        August 14, 2012 by 1 Comment

        social media marketing with google plus vanity urlsFinally Social Media Marketing Giant Google+ Offers Vanity URLs

        Wohoo! Social Media Marketing companies and consultants across the country are surely standing on their desk chairs fist pumping a big YES!

        As reported by Marketing Land yesterday, Google+ has finally decided to begin its rollout of vanity URLs.

        Here’s the top three things you need to know.

        First, your current ugly url, which looks something similar to ours with the big ugly number – https://plus.google.com/u/0/117317463626781887442/ will eventually become a branded looking (vanity) URL.

        Poobah Marketing’s vanity URL will eventually look like this: https://plus.google.com/+poobahmarketing

        You can see the obvious difference. From a marketing standpoint this will make your Google+ business page more branded, professional and of course most importantly easier for your prospects, customers and patients to remember.

        When it’s memorable it’s also easier to share, which is what we are ultimately after.

        Second, according to Saurabh Sharma – Google’s employee who announced the news – this is only the first step for Google+ vanity URLs. What this means is that you and most other small businesses are going to have to wait just a bit longer to get yours.

        At the moment Google has started its rollout with big brands like +Toyota, +Britney Spears and +Delta among others.

        Third, if you’re a client of Poobah Marketing rest assured that as soon as you can get your branded vanity URL we’ll let you know.

        In the meantime, if your in-house social media marketing teams haven’t heard the good news yet then let them know the big ugly Google+ URLs are soon to be no more!

        One last thing…

        Social Media Marketing Tip! Have some fun in your staff meetings brainstorming how to unveil your new Google+ vanity URL. Make sure that whatever your idea is it includes a picture that you can post to all your social media marketing profiles. Namely Facebook, Twitter and Google+. Send your idea and any pictures you have to chris@PoobahMarketing.com and we’ll give you some fame on our blog and in our social media profiles. The more creative and fun the better!

        —————–

        social-media-marketing-consultantChris White is the Grand Poobah of Social Media and Content Development at Poobah Marketing a Denver-based SEO company that helps small to medium businesses dominate online and on mobile devices.  For more information, visit PoobahMarketing.com or call (303) 578-1290.  Mention this article and get a free 20 minute business marketing consultation.

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          Filed Under: Internet Marketing, Local SEO, Marketing, Social Media Marketing Tagged With: , , , , ,

          DNSChanger Malware Infects Millions of Computers

          July 9, 2012 by Leave a Comment

          The FBI is busy tracking down a malicious computer virus that allows criminals to do more bad things with your computer.  You can learn more about it on the FBI website.

          In order to get to the bottom of the problem, they had to shut down rogue DNS servers, even ones used by innocent victims, so millions may have lost their internet connections during this process.  Even if you have internet access, you need to check for the malware right away as your computers could still be infected.

          We are recommending that our clients and all business owners test their own computer networks right away to make sure that your data is safe.  You should also run a test on all of your computers that connect to the internet.

          DNSChanger Check OKHere are the steps you need to take immediately:

          1. Go to DNS-OK.US and see if you are safe (Green = Safe, Red = BAD)
          2. If green, you are fine, go check your other computers
          3. If RED, you have been infected and you need to follow the instructions on the FBI site.
          4. Victims of DNSChanger need to register with the FBI, whether you are an individual or a corporation

          Here is a diagram demonstrating how DNSChanger malware works:

          DNSChanger Malware information diagram

          Good luck!

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            Google+ Local and Google Places Transition

            June 19, 2012 by Leave a Comment

            Google+ Local

            Google+ Local is the new home of Google Places.

            Over the past couple of weeks we have been conducting webinars as well as fielding calls with all of our clients about the new changes.  The first thing that everyone asks is, “Is this a good thing for local businesses or bad?”  Here is the simple answer…

            This is a great thing for local businesses, especially the ones who get with the program now!

            Before I go into all the reasons why we at Poobah love the transition to the new Google+ Local, let’s first look at some definitions because we know that a lot of people are really getting confused based on the questions we have been getting.

            Google Places:  this was a place for local businesses to create a web page so that their business could show up in Google Maps.  It became a very important piece of the SEO puzzle for local businesses wanting to rank well in their local markets.  A business’s Google Places page was a static page that did not allow for a lot of interactivity or social sharing.  The only interactivity available to visitors was Google Reviews.

            Google+:  Google+ is Google’s social networking engine.  There were a lot of skeptics when this first launched, however that did not stop Google from moving forward – aggressively!  A lot of people felt that Google was just trying to compete with Facebook.  While there may be some truth to that, it seems that Google had bigger plans.  Google+ now seems to be the “overlay” connecting all Google properties, allowing for interactivity even within its search engine. NOTE:  Google+ itself must be a real person’s profile, not a business’s.

            Google+ Business Pages:  This is where things start to get confusing for newbies.  Google has allowed people with Google+ accounts to create Business Pages similar to Facebook fan pages, but with some pretty nifty features like Hangouts which allow live group video conferencing.  These were simply social business pages within Google+, but not connected directly to Google Maps.

            Google+ Local:  As if it wasn’t already confusing enough, 2 weeks ago Google started converting local business Google Places pages into Google+ Local pages.  Basically Google decided to import all Google Places pages into Google+ and they created a new section within Google+ called Local.  Google+ Local allows Google+ users to search for local businesses, make reservations, leave reviews, etc.   Despite all of this, business owners still manage their Google+ listing through the same dashboard as Google Places for now.

            What you need to know right now…

            • Google+ Local is the new home for your local business instead of Google Places – embrace it!!!
            • You still manage your business from the same Google Places dashboard, accessing it the old way (Places) or from within Google+.
            • For the time being, you can still create Google+ Business Pages in addition to your Google+ Local pages
            • Within the next 30-60 days Google will start merging Google+ Business Pages with their corresponding Google+ Local page
            • It is possible to request an early merge, but for the most part it probably isn’t going to make much of a difference
            • If you already have verified and optimized your Google Places page, there is nothing you really need to do right now during this transition
            • If you have not yet verified your Google Places, then you can do it through Google+ account (Local tab -> find your business -> Manage this business)
            • All previous Google Reviews from the old 5 star system in Google Places has been replaced by a new Zagat-based 30 point system
            • All old reviews are listed as anonymous unless that reviewer agrees to allow Google to publish them publicly when they sign in via their Google+ profile
            • Some businesses are seeing significant problems in their reputation now that Google has implemented the Zagat system
            • In order for people to now leave reviews, they must have a Google+ account and be logged into their profile (obstacle for getting customer reviews)
            • Google Offers an Coupons has changed and is much more functional now, allowing customers to redeem coupons at point of sale via their mobile devices
            • It’s probably time that business owners start getting more active in Google+

            Why we love it:

            • We’re nerds.  We can’t stand static pages like the old Google Places pages.
            • We think it will allow deserving businesses to get the social and viral exposure they need
            • It will allow for better mobile search experiences
            • We are happy Google is finally connecting all of their products together with Google+
            • Reviews will likely be more helpful
            • For previously verified and optimized businesses, there is not much that needs to be done right now – woohoo!
            • More social!!!!

            We are going to be diving deeper into Google+ Local and Google Business Pages over the next several months, so be sure to subscribe via RSS feed and…

            We highly recommend getting on our VIP notification list by texting your full name, email, website to +1 (303) 578-3700.  You will be entered into our VIP drawings for free Business Marketing Boosters and other awesome goodies.

            Until next time, here is a little video by Google’s Places Community Manager, Vanessa Schneider, and Google+ Local Community Manager, Jade Wang.  Enjoy…

             

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              Filed Under: Local SEO, SEO, Social Media Marketing Tagged With: , , , , , ,

              Google Places for Business New Offers Program

              May 29, 2012 by 1 Comment

              Google Places for business OffersGoogle recently switched gears with Google Places for Business Offers, changing the submission process.  We believe it will be a nice improvement, but we also believe that it will eventually lead to another cost for business owners as Google says it is making this available on a FREE Trial Basis.  The pricing schedule will be released at a later date.

              All Poobah Marketing clients who are on a Local SEO plan will receive an updated Offers, Coupons, and Promotions document that will need to be completed and returned to us so that we may update your listing.

              With the new Google Offers set-up, you must choose from 3 Offer choices:

              1. Money Off – specific dollar amount off the price of purchase
              2. Percent Off – specific percentage off the purchase price
              3. Free Product – free product or gift with purchase

              Offers and Coupons are limited to only these 3 selections.  Depending on which one you choose, you will write a headline (50 character max).  Offers go live within hours.

              You will also need to provide additional information:

              • One-time use or repeat use
              • # of offers to make available (50, 500, 2000, 50000)
              • End date – ends after one week, month or year
              • Which days of the week the offer is available
              • Terms and Restrictions
              • Brief description of the offer
              • Offer or Coupon code for tracking purposes

              Customers can save and redeem their offer or coupon by pulling it up from their mobile phone when making a purchase.  Google will track the number of offers redeemed and limit it to the number the business owner chooses.

              Business owners should still follow Google guidelines for Offers as they did before.

              It seems that Google is specifically catering to the mobile market with this feature and it may become a key piece of mobile marketing for businesses in the near future.  The good news is that it is free for the time-being and is a great way for business owners to start exploring mobile marketing.

              *******************************

              If you are a busy business owner and you are not yet a Poobah Marketing client, give us a call today and ask us how we can help you get more business.

              Call Today! (303) 578-1290

               

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                Filed Under: Local SEO, Mobile Marketing

                Google Places Quality Guidelines Update

                March 26, 2012 by Leave a Comment

                The only thing certain in local search marketing is uncertainty.  Recommendations change.  Rules change.  Best practices become worst practices.  Businesses need to be on their toes at all times, or else they need to hire a company that stays on their toes.

                On March 22nd, Google updated their Google Places Quality Guidelines.  For the most part, most things did not change.  But there was part that did change, and it is one that affects local businesses and it is related to a selection you have to choose regarding your address and service area.  Here is what it says:

                Don’t receive customers at your location? Serve customers at their location? Select the “Do not show my business address on my Maps listing” option within your dashboard — if you don’t hide your address, your listing may be removed from Google Maps.

                In the past, selecting to not show your business address on your maps listing was the kiss of death, negatively impacting your rankings within your niche.  Over the past several months, we have noticed that it has not adversely affected our clients.  This new update verified that Google might no longer be penalizing businesses who were not showing their addresses.

                Google Places settings

                There has been significant discussions about this over the past 2 years as many “experts” have discussed best strategies.  It has been thought that selecting the first option (“No, all customers come to the business location”) was the best way to help get your Google Places listing ranked, even if you were clearly a business that went to your customers’ locations (ex: plumbers, painters, garage door repair, etc).

                At Poobah Marketing, here is our philosophy on how to select the best choice:  ALWAYS BE HONEST AND ANSWER TRUTHFULLY!

                We are constantly shocked at the number of people (including some of our colleagues) who cut corners and try all kinds of tricks and stunts in order to “game” the search engines.  In our 19 years of online marketing, we have yet to see a situation where this was appropriate or necessary.

                The best strategy has been and will always be to create high quality, accurate, and honest content that people will find interesting, valuable, and shareable.  Never try to deceive visitors or the search engines.  When you live by these rules,  you will survive every search engine update.

                Having said that, it is perfectly fine to add your business information on various authority sites around the web.  That is just good marketing.  Just be honest and accurate with the information you publish.
                —–

                Tim BerryTim Berry is the Grand Poobah of Marketing at Poobah Marketing in Denver and has been marketing online since 1993.  He has helped businesses around the world grow their revenues by building their digital real estate.

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                  Filed Under: Local SEO

                  3 Social Media Marketing New Years Resolutions For Maximizing Profit

                  January 22, 2012 by Leave a Comment

                  social media marketing on switch for 2012Social media marketing is certain to be more important for business growth in 2012 than ever before. Especially now that social media marketing is being tied in with search. This means that even if you’re primarily an offline business social media marketing is now a must.

                  If you’ve been fighting it then it’s time to surrender before you get so far behind you never catch up with your competitors.

                  Here’s 3 Social Media Marketing New Years Resolutions for Your Business in 2012.

                  1. Find more ways to sell your products and services.

                  Any wise and successful business owner will tell you that one way to maximize profit is to simply find more ways to sell. This is the perfect reason for you to begin taking social media marketing more seriously in your business.

                  Is using social media marketing worth your time as an additional way to sell?

                  Well, according to Ad Age, there are now more than 800 million active Facebook users. 200 million of those were added in 2011 alone.

                  2. Find more customers to sell to.

                  This one might seem a little obvious as a way to maximize your profits in 2012. The real question, however, is where to find these customers? If the social media marketing statistic about Facebook in number one above wasn’t enough convincing how about this statistic.

                  According to Social Media Examiner the average Facebook user has 130 friends and is connected to 80 pages, events and groups.

                  Where’s the leverage in this statistic? Well, if you can get one person to become a Fan of your Facebook business page then when you execute your Facebook social media marketing strategy and submit updates those updates automatically post to the wall of your Fans.

                  Do you see the significance here? When your update posts itself to your Fans wall their friends will see it too. If your update is compelling enough with valuable calls-to-action chances are good you will generate more Fans. Thus, more potential customers to sell to.

                  3. Communicate more with all of your customers, prospects, and Fans.

                  How do you communicate with your customers and prospects and how often do you communicate with them? Two very important questions.

                  Here’s something to consider. It’s almost impossible to over-communicate with your customers and prospects.

                  Why is this the case? Because every day your customers and prospects are getting blasted with communication through email, social media marketing messages via twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube to only name a few. They are also getting direct mail correspondence. Throw in radio and TV and you’ve got a perfect recipe for information overload.

                  The point here is that you have to communicate often just to compete for your customers and prospects attention. Here’s the key with your communication strategy?

                  It must be systematized.

                  Social media marketing is one of the easiest communication mechanisms to systematize. Putting in the effort to setup your social media marketing system is well worth it.

                  In case you’re not counting we’re already 5% into the New Year.

                  If social media marketing is not a significant part of your 2012 strategy for maximizing profit and growing your business it needs to be. Don’t waste anymore time. You’ve got 95% of the year left to setup your social media marketing system and take massive action. Need some help getting your system in place? Call us today for a complimentary social media marketing consultation! (303) 578-1290

                  How are you most effectively using social media marketing in your business? Share with us below!

                  _______

                  Chris White is the Grand Poobah of Social Media and Content Development at Poobah Marketing a Denver-based SEO company that helps small to medium businesses dominate online and on mobile devices.  For more information, visit PoobahMarketing.com or call (303) 578-1290.  Mention this article and get a free 20 minute business marketing consultation.

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                    Filed Under: Internet Marketing, Local SEO, Marketing, Social Media Marketing Tagged With: , , , ,

                    Google Algorithm Update Affects Business Website SEO

                    January 21, 2012 by Leave a Comment

                    Google just made an adjustment to their page layout algorithm that could affect your business website SEO.  This new change is designed to offer a better experience for visitors to your site which is the top priority for Google.  While it is estimated to only affect approximately 1% of websites, we suspect the number to be considerably larger.

                    The reason for this change is that Google has realized that sites with certain layouts get far more “bounces” than other sites.  A bounce is when someone clicks to your site from a search result and then leaves without taking any further action (clicks a link, clicks a button, watches a video, opts in, etc.).  A bounce tells Google that the website probably was not valuable for the visitor.

                    Why does Google care?

                    Google’s entire model centers around the quality of their search engine.  If the search engine isn’t delivering good results for searchers, then people will quit using it and instead go to Bing or some other search engine.  Because of this, Google is our friend, not our enemy.  Can you imagine how life would be if you couldn’t quickly search and find what you wanted online?  Chaos…

                    business website exampleWhat should a business website have in order to comply?

                    It is pretty simple – have valuable content “above-the-fold.”  Above-the-fold is a phrase used to describe the first thing someone sees when they land on a website, before they have to scroll down the page (see image to the right). Offending sites often are littered with ads and banners for other offers, making the visitor have to search around for the actual information they were searching for in the first place.  Quality sites put their content first so that a visitor can easily get to it when they land on the page.

                    To see the Google update by Matt Cutts visit:  http://insidesearch.blogspot.com/2012/01/page-layout-algorithm-improvement.html

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