BugFix Information Technology

Google+ For Business

This infographic was recently shared by Chris Brogan on his website and provides some valuable insight into using Google+ for business.  Highlights include:

• Why Google+ is the place to be
• Sharing is the key
• Taking your business page to the next level

“Introducing Google Play:  All your entertainment, anywhere you go”  Google is looking to eliminate the hassle of syncing across multiple devices and computers.  Google Play is a digital entertainment destination where users can find everything from music, to books and movies.  The best part about Google Play?  It’s entirely cloud based so everything will always be available.  Via Google Blog.

“Senior execs increase Twitter usage 13%”  A recent survey found that senior executives access media at any give time of day and are using both traditional and new media to gather this information.  It appears that even the 55+ group of executives appears to be pretty digital savvy. Via BtoB.

“Facebook’s tips for getting your mobile game noticed”  Mobile games have taken over smart phone app stores making it difficult to choose.  Facebook believes they have a solution that will make games more discoverable.  Via Venturebeat.

“Pinterest:  Why Your Company Should Take An Interest”  Many brands are beginning to utilize Pinterest as an online marketing vehicle.  While some experts say that it may not be time for every company to participate, Pinterest is definitely something to keep in mind as a tool to leverage some out of the box solutions.  Via the brainyard.

“Google Patches Hacker’s Chrome Bug in Less Than 24 Hours”  Within 15 hours of Google Chrome being hacked at the Pwnium hack competition Google had already developed a solution to fix the hack.  It’s clear that Chrome is no longer unhackable, but props to Google for coming up with a solution quickly.  Via Forbes.

“5 Reasons Your Content Marketing Must Address Price”  The way that people are shopping has changed to a very online focused business.  However, many businesses fail to address essential questions that their customers may have, especially when it comes to pricing.  This article provides some helpful tips on how and why you should discuss price.  Via Social Media Examiner.

“New Site Helps You Control Google Search Results for Your Name”  If you are interviewing for a job or trying to land a new client you can be sure that your name will be Googled before agreeing to do business with you.  A new website BrandYourself, guides users in optimizing the links that you want Google to push up in the results when your name is searched.  Via Mashable.

TopRank Team News

Brian Larson – Infographic:  The Google Panda Update, One Year Later
There seems to be a widely held belief that Google’s Panda update targeted and impacted article sites. This misnomer serves as a reminder to look back at Panda year later to evaluate what we learned and how we adapted.  Via Search Engine Land.

Ken Horst – Can Friendsheet give Facebook the power of Pinterest?
Facebook quietly launched its own version of Pinterest on Tuesday that looks like a 100% knock off.  One obvious benefit to a Facebook version of Pinterest is its seamless integration with your Facebook community.

On the down side, Friendsheets are not easily sharable with people not in your network and the image database is not very searchable.  Also, it doesn’t appear that  Friendsheet has  a toolbar applet for easy image curation available yet.

From a marketing perspective, I will set up and use this tool as a way to expand my reach but I plan to keep using Pinterest as my primary image curation tool because  I like the Pinterest community and the sharing options.  Via SmartBlog.

Time to weigh in:  Will you be targeting older executives more aggressively now that you know they’re spending more time online?  What type of businesses do you think should utilize Pinterest?

Gain a competitive advantage by subscribing to the
TopRank® Online Marketing Newsletter.

© Online Marketing Blog, 2012. |
Online Marketing News: Chrome Gets Hacked, Facebook Can Get your Game Noticed, Take an Interest in Pinterest | http://www.toprankblog.com

This article was originally posted on the Online Marketing Blog

What does it take to go viral?

This recent video from Salesforce.com covers what it takes for your content to spread as well as the formula for success.  The video also includes a checklist marketers can use to increase their likelihood of going viral.

This Week in Online Marketing News

“Getting Socially Optimized with Mobile Marketing” As mobile marketing continues to expand marketers are still searching for the best way to reach their audience through the development of applications for smart phones, ads, and mobile optimized websites.  This article provides some insight into the benefits and challenges of a mobile marketing strategy. Via BtoB Magazine.

“How Twitter is Pairing It’s Interest Graph With Ads”  While Facebook’s social graph provides information on connections, likes, and demographic data Twitter is taking a different approach.  Twitter’s interest graph will focus more on users likes, what they read, and generally what topics they are interested in.  Via Techcrunch.

“Facebook Revamps Pages For Businesses”  In order to create consistency between profiles and pages, Facebook has now rolled out the new timeline for branded pages.  Facebook is encouraging businesses to make the shift from pure advertising to storytelling and hopes that the new timeline will push companies to make the transition.  TopRank recently rolled out the updated timeline, what do you think?  Via the brainyard.

“Foursquare Says Farewell to Google Maps, Joins OpenStreetMap Movement”  Foursquare has decided to part ways with Google Maps saying that “as a startup, we also often think about how we can make life easier for other startups.”  Curious to know why Foursquare chose this particular product?  Via Mashable.

“Posting From Pinterest To Your Facebook Fan Page”  Tabfusion recently released a Facebook app that allows users to display their “pins” to their Facebook page.  The company shares that once Pinterest releases their application-programming interface there will be further integration.  Be sure to take a look at the clever cartoon attached to the bottom of the article.  Via Marketaire.

“12 important steps bloggers should never forget”  Writing a blog is a serious commitment.  Many bloggers get wrapped up in creating the content and forget some very simple optimization and promotional steps.  This article provides some good insight into steps that bloggers should incorporate into their blogging routine.  Via ragan.

TopRank Team: Search & Social News

Brian Larson – Google Images Adds Previews to Related Searches
Let’s face it, some searches are just inherently more intent on visual content. Google gets it and is making access to relevant images even more convenient. For businesses, this update reinforces the importance of optimizing images as part of an overall online marketing strategy.  Via Search Engine Watch.

Shawna Kenyon  - Clock counts down as Google privacy change looms
Google’s new privacy change is their solution for combining 60 privacy policies for different services. For some Google users this change is unfavorable as there is no way to “opt-out”.  However for those who favor all of Google’s services this will be a way for the user to be presented with content that is similar to what they are already looking for. Google continues to reaffirm its commitment to preserving privacy stating the change will only serve to “simplify” the user experience.  Via Cnet.

Alexis Hall – msnNow Is Driving More Traffic To Bing, But Is It Artificially Inflating Searches?
msnNOW, a new service which aggregates content around trending topics, launched just two weeks ago, but already seems to be having an effect on Bing traffic numbers.  While new traffic to Bing has jumped in the past two weeks, this post suggests that those numbers may be inflated due to how msnNOW links are structured.  We’ll have to keep an eye on this trend to determine how search engine market share may shift, as well as how msnNOW may impact the search and social landscape.  Via Search Engine Land.

Ken Horst – LinkedIn Launches Follow Company Button
Here is something every company with a Linkedin profile should jump on right away.  According to execs at LinkedIn, there is a finite limit to how many brands people will follow per channel.  Companies that drag their feet with the LinkedIn “follow company” button may find it more difficult to find willing followers later in the year.  Via AdWeek.

Time to weigh in:  Do you consider the new Facebook timeline for businesses a positive or negative change?  What impact do you think this will have on your business?  Have you integrated mobile marketing into your online marketing strategy?  What have been the results?

Gain a competitive advantage by subscribing to the
TopRank® Online Marketing Newsletter.

© Online Marketing Blog, 2012. |
Online Marketing News: Tips for Going Viral, Socially Optimized via Mobile, Facebook Timelines for Business, LinkedIn Company Follow | http://www.toprankblog.com

This article was originally posted on the Online Marketing Blog

The History of Content Marketing

From the dawn of time people with things to sell have been using stories to attract, engage, and retain customers ala #optimize. The infographic above from the Content Marketing Institute takes us all the way through the evolution of content marketing and provides some meaningful insight into what companies have done in the past to generate results. You might learn a thing a two, plus it’s a great read.

 ”6 Start-up Tips From the World’s Biggest Tech Companies”  Every company has to start somewhere.  Famous companies such as Google, HP, and Microsoft were built on a set of core principals including creating long term customer relationships and listening to feedback.  This post provides tips from some of the largest companies in world on how to get through the start up phase of your business. Via Inc.

“38 Million Americans Visit Social Networks on Mobile Devices ‘Near Daily’ [STUDY]“ A recent study released by comScore found that 64.2 million U.S. citizens use mobile devices to access social networking and more then half of them are visiting daily.  Curious to know what type of information they’re reading and sharing?  Via Mashable.

“10 Ways to Deal With Upset Customers Using Social Media”  As hard as you try there will almost without exception be negative feedback about your company.  What can separate you from the competition is the way that you handle this interaction.  Each negative comment is an opportunity to address a problem or help retain a customer who might otherwise be lost.  This article provides 10 very helpful tips on what you can do to turn a negative into a positive.  Via SocialMedia Examiner.

“The Top Reasons Customers Break Up With Brands Online”  Do you know why customers may be choosing to “break up” with your brand?  This infographic provides some very interesting statistics on why consumers choose to unsubscribe from email campaigns, “unlike” your brand on Facebook,  and stop following your company on Twitter.  Via Ragan.

“What Matters in Social Business?”  We can all agree that social business is top of mind for many marketers.  However, we need to understand what matters most in social business.  Understanding how online marketing has evolved and the role it will continue to play is key in creating a long-term sustainable strategy.  Via CMS Wire.

TopRank Team News

Ken Horst – Google’s new Latitude Leaderboards suggest gamified check-ins are coming to Google+

Google’s recent update for Google Maps for Android included a new gaming element which is tied to its “Latitude” location app.  This new update includes an overall leader board among friends and it leader boards by location.

Clearly Google has a plan to incorporate their check in service with Google+ and adding the gaming aspect is another indicator that Google is serious about fighting for this space.  Will all this be enough to steal significant market share from heavily entrenched Foresquare?  Stay tuned!  Via The Next Web.

Brian Larson – Researcher: Facebook’s 2012 Ad Sales to Top $5B

Facebook ad revenue is expected to increase by 2 billion year over year. That’s right, social media giant Facebook is expected to reach 5.1 billion in ad sales revenue in 2012, according to eMarketeter. Of that 5.1 billion, 2.6 billion is expected to come from display ad sales. Trailing close behind in display ads is Google, which eMarketer expects to draw 2.5 billion in ad sales revenue.

As Google expands its footprint, it should come as no surprise that eMarketer predicts Google will surpass Facebook in display ad sales in 2013.  Via ClickZ.

Time to Weigh In:  Have you incorporated storytelling into your content marketing strategy?  If so, what results have you seen?  How do you currently handle negative feedback online and is it working?

Gain a competitive advantage by subscribing to the
TopRank® Online Marketing Newsletter.

© Online Marketing Blog, 2012. |
Online Marketing News: Facts Tell & Stories Sell, Start-up Tips from Tech Giants, Mobile Skyrockets, Breaking Up With Customers | http://www.toprankblog.com

This article was originally posted on the Online Marketing Blog

What Are Social Channels Good For?

Sure you’ve setup your company profiles and pages on social media.  However, do you know what channels are best used for which type of interaction?  This infographic by Grovo shares some great insight into specific uses for many of the popular social media platforms.  Did you know?

• 40% of people like brands for discounts and promotions
• 8% of all Huffington Post traffic comes from Facebook

“Content Marketing Becoming Vital”  Kelly OCG, a workforce consulting and outsourcing organization shares that they do no B2B brand advertising.  Instead they spend about 60% of their marketing budget on creating, distributing, and promoting their own unique content.  According to the Custom Content Council approximately $41billion dollars are spent on creating custom content. Via BtoB Magazine.

“Digital talent:  the innovative & integrated marketing brain”  Since humans only use roughly 10-20% of our brains taking on the task of converging digital marketing strategies can sometimes seem like an impossible task.  The infographic included in this article dives into the notion of Right Brain versus Left Brain Marketers, and the personality traits associated with each side.  Via Econsultancy.

“SEO: A Force for Good”  There is no quick way to increase your search engine rankings, which is exactly as it should be.  SEO isn’t about who can buy the top position, it is about who can earn that position by providing relevant and timely content.  This article provides some great information supporting why SEO  is not dead and it should still be a very essential part of any online marketing strategy.  Via Search Engine Watch.

“Why User Experience is Critical to Customer Relationships”  The relationship between brands and customers is quickly changing.  As customers become increasingly sophisticated and empowered the way that marketers interact with them will have to evolve.  The introduction of smart phones and other web enabled devices only makes this approach so much more important.  Want to know more about how you can connect with your customers in a meaningful way?  Via Fast Company.

“How Twitter Can Improve Your Management (in 140 Characters or Less)”  Social media marketers have learned that with Twitter it is essential that you create a meaningful interaction, in only 140 characters.  This notion of short, concise, and meaningful interaction can be translated to other areas of your business as well.  This article provides some great tips for streamlining and shortening your communication style for improved communication with your team.  Via Inc.

“5 Ways to Increase Your Facebook Fan Engagement”  Even if you’ve taken a very interactive approach to posting information regularly and answering the questions of your fans you may be missing out if you aren’t implementing proper calls to action.  This post provides 5 very practical, but essential tips for improving your engagement and ultimately turning followers and fans into customers.  Via Social Media Examiner.

Team TopRank News

Brian Larson – Understanding Ranking Lag Time for New Links

We all know that the number of quality inlinks pointing to a site are factored in the major search engines algorithms. The more difficult question, and one that every marketer who every conducted a link building effort has asked, is how long does it take for a link to influence search rankings? As with many questions related to search performance, the answer depends on several factors. Eric ward successfully outlines several of those key factors in his Link Week column for Search Engine Land.

Ken Horst – Complacency in Search Advertising:  Growing Beyond Keywords

This is a very interesting take on the search advertising industry, which, according to eMarketer Daily, will see its  growth rate flat-line.  The problem highlighted here is that in order to seriously scale your search advertising campaign, you need to dramatically increase the number of keywords you’re using.  This simply takes more hours and many companies and agencies are reluctant to invest in the human resources necessary to scale.  Via Media Post.

Time to Weigh In:  Would you consider yourself a left brained or a right brained marketer?  What do you think the benefits are of each type of marketer?  Do you think that when it comes to management, saying less is worth more?

Gain a competitive advantage by subscribing to the
TopRank® Online Marketing Newsletter.

© Online Marketing Blog, 2012. |
Online Marketing News: Left vs. Right Brained Marketers, A Better User Experience, Management: Think Twitter, Growing Beyond Keywords | http://www.toprankblog.com

This article was originally posted on the Online Marketing Blog

At the recent Online Marketing Summit in San Diego I caught up with Charlotte Blank, Manager of Social Media at General Motors to talk about digital marketing.  In this short interview I asked Charlotte a few fundamental questions about digital and social media marketing related to customers:

1. How does GM segment digital marketing activities between customer acquisition and retention?

Follow up: Does GM follow a social media editorial calendar according to customer buying cycles and personas?

2. With all the shiny objects of social media in the world, how do you go about deciding what to test and what to implement?

Take a look at the video and I think you’ll be interested in the customer-centric approach GM takes with social media and how time is allocated towards new customers, activating current customers as evangelists and their approach to filtering shiny social objects.

How is your company focusing digital and social media marketing efforts towards winning new customers and engaging those you have? How do you evaluate new social technologies for marketing and communications? Do you allocate time for testing, experimentation or go with the crowd?

Interview Transcript:

LO: This is Lee Odden from MarketingBlog.com at Online Marketing Summit in San Diego. With me is Charlotte Blank, Manager of Social Media at General Motors. Welcome.

CB: Hi Lee, Thank you.

LO: So thanks for spending a couple of minutes with me to answer some key questions I think for digital marketers, big brands, small brands. One of the first questions I had for you is, in terms of your digital approach, how much of it is split between customer acquisition vs customer engagement and retention?

CB: We definitely approach the consumer from a 360 degree angle. We try to keep the consumer at the center at all times in thinking about their journey from when they’re just kind of living their life 98% of the time to maybe thinking about making a car purchase a few months down the road to actually actively researching the car.

I think social media in particular, plays a role in all of those areas of the funnel. Our own channels, like our Facebook pages and Twitter handles for example, we typically think of as an upper funnel play.  There are really an opportunity to engage our consumers with their lifestyle passions. For example, music is a big pillar for Chevrolet and we offered early access to Spotify when that came out. That was a good integration with the millenials that we were targeting for the Sonic launch. That encouraged more engagement with our Facebook page. That would be an example of a lifestyle play that we use our own social media channels for.

I also see social media playing a big role in the ownership and CRM space and that’s where I think I’ll be focusing a lot of my efforts this year. I think that there’s a big opportunity with turning our owners into advocates and giving them tools to light up their social graphs and really share with their friends how they love their GM vehicles.

In that kind of middle area, more on the conversion question, we do have an entire group that has all kinds of sophisticated ways of knowing when someone is in market.  Because we really want to be cognizant that we’re not flooding the market with our messages about “buy now, buy now” when really only 2% of people are in market at any given time.  So we like to be very sophisticated in the way that we target those people with relevant messaging when they’re ready for it. There are still great opportunities for social to play a role there, especially in the influencer space. The ratings and recommendations – we work a lot with 3rd party sites like KBB and Edumunds – those are increasingly socializing.

LO: Is there integration much from an editorial planning standpoint? Are you running social content calendars for example, that tie into buying cycle or customer segments?

CB: We absolutely do use content calendars, mostly from a lifestyle engagement space. We do constantly measure and optimize the way that we’re resonating with consumers. We’re starting to find some real nuances depending on the name plate. So some of our more performance oriented vehicles, Camero fans, Corvette fans, Cadillac, they really like that awesome car content – great performance engine type of content that they just can’t get enough of. Whereas we’ll use some of our bigger brands, Cheverolet overall to connect more with young consumers based on a lifestyle play, a mom blogger relationship or ways to be more a part of every day life.

LO: In the social media world, by the way I love that you used the word optimize, OptimizeBook.com is where you’ll see this video and information about a book called Optimize. In terms of this fast changing world we’re in, there are so many apps and channels for us to deal with, it’s almost information overload not only for consumers but for marketers deciding where it is that those consumers are spending their time. How do you decide when it comes to new digital marketing technology, to invest, where to experiement?

CB: That’s a great question, that’s one of the things I talk most about in my job. It’s one of the most important things that we can do.  It’s all about consumer insights and putting yourself in the shoes of the consumer you’re trying to reach. This varies by campaign, by name plate, by the tone that we want to have with our consumers. We need to define up front what are we trying to achieve and who are we trying to connect with? Put ourselves in their shoes using thorough research, data and insights. What is that these people like to do? Do they use the Pinterests of the world, are they big Tweeters, do they even click on online advertising? It depends on who we’re trying to reach. If you constantly put yourself in the consumers shoes, it can help avoid the “chasing shiny object syndrome”.

LO: Right, some empathy towards what’s important and what they care about.  If you’d like to share a Twitter handle, a blog or any other social destination for folks to find out about you and the work you’re doing?

CB: You can follow me @charlotteblank and please like all our Facebook pages. We have  8 Chevrolet pages and one each for Cadillac, Buick and GMC.

LO: Thanks Charlotte!

Gain a competitive advantage by subscribing to the
TopRank® Online Marketing Newsletter.

© Online Marketing Blog, 2012. |
Video Interview: Social Media Marketing at GM – Charlotte Blank, Manager of Social Media | http://www.toprankblog.com

This article was originally posted on the Online Marketing Blog

How Social Media Keeps Leaders Honest

David Jones of Havas and Mashable CEO Pete Cashmore recently sat down to talk about the responsibilities of the leaders of today to respond to social media, and how it holds them accountable.

“Google Clarifies: No, Ads Shouldn’t Help Rankings & No, SEO Isn’t Bad”  Recent comments made by a new Google employee have some SEO’s up in arms.  Apparently his comments included “SEO isn’t good for users” and “It’s a bug that you could rank highly in Google without buying ads.”  Curious to know what else he has to say and what reaction this has caused within the online community?  Via Search Engine Land.

“100 Million Americans Watch Online Video Per Day.  Up 43% Since 2010- comScore”  According to comScore Americans streamed 43.5 billion videos in December 2011 alone.  This is an increase of 44% over the previous year.  With this astronomical jump in online views, is television in trouble?  Via TechCrunch.

“The Next Big Social Network Is You”  Many companies are trying to address the now common social network exhaustion.  Between the constantly shifting policy changes and programming updates many users are getting tired.  This opinion piece shares that in the near future it will be less about your number of followers and more about a smaller group of well-connected individuals.  What do you think?  Via Information Week.

“5 Essential Spreadsheets for Social Media Analytics”  If you are involved in social media, and are a small business this post provides some useful tools for measuring your data.  Want to know the best part?  They’re free, customizable, and easy to use.  Via Mashable.

“Brand Storytelling Lessons You Can Steal from Hollywood”  Innovation, a term we seem to hear quite frequently these days.  As a content marketer innovation is especially important because not only must you attract customers, you must veer them away from your competition.  Paying close attention to Hollywood entertainment and the way that promotion is done in that industry is a great means for discovering new ideas.  Via Content Marketing Institute.

TopRank Team News

Alexis Hall – Report: National Marketers Love Local, Fail At Basic Tactics
This post discusses survey results from late 2011 which revealed that although many marketers have the perception they are highly invested in local advertising, survey results show they are failing when it comes to basic tactics, like management of local directory listings.  Those seemingly small tactics can have a big impact on local results, so if marketers are really invested in their online local presence, they must be diligent when it comes to education on all types of tactics.  Via Search Engine Land.

Ken Horst – Pinterest is quietly generating revenue by modifying user submitted pins
It appears as though Pinterest has found a way to monetize their site, even at this early beta stage.  Most people would say that’s a good thing however the way they are making money has some people crying foul.

Pinterest is using a service called SkimLinks to add an affiliate link wherever there is a link to a product page that has an affiliate program.  It’s not the idea that people are concerned about, it’s the fact that Pinterest is doing this without providing any disclosure to its users.  Via LLsocial.

Brian Larson – Bing Now A Full Point Ahead of Yahoo In Search Share-comScore
According to comScore, Bing is now a full point ahead of Yahoo! in search share. While Google’s search results are highly flavored by Google+, Bing receives streams of information from Facebook and Twitter. With Yahoo! In Bing’s rear view mirror, is Google next?  Via Search Engine Land.

Time to Weigh In:  What do you think of Pinterest’s money making tactics?  Smart move or too far?  With so many American’s consuming video on a daily basis, are you including video in your 2012 online marketing strategy?

Gain a competitive advantage by subscribing to the
TopRank® Online Marketing Newsletter.

© Online Marketing Blog, 2012. |
Online Marketing News: Pinterest’s Sneaky Tactics, Keeping Leaders Honest, 100 Million Videos Watched Per Day | http://www.toprankblog.com

This article was originally posted on the Online Marketing Blog

Being the owner of a Macbook Pro, iPhone, and iPad, you might consider me an Apple Fanboy. I can tell you I’ve been involved in web development long enough to tell you that the current state of usability on the web is nearing the low point: when, in the late 90′s, browsers had no standardization and we had to design different sites for Netscape and Internet Explorer. The current situation comes mostly from designing sites that don’t render properly or at all on mobile devices like a mobile phone, tablet, or iOS device.

Before you cast me aside as being on the bleeding edge of technology and that I don’t really register as being statistically significant, I’ll share three links with you:

• 91% of business pros use iPads for work, 83% loyal to Apple
• 12% of iPad owners in the enterprise no longer use their laptop
• The iPad has Become the Metric By Which Tablet Traffic is Measured

Recently, I was trying to fix my dishwasher (listen, I cook a lot and dirty a lot dishes…knowing how to do some basic repairs myself saves me a little cash now then). About every 8-10 months, the part of the dishwasher that is supposed to grind up the food that doesn’t get pre-rinsed gets clogged and needs be cleaned. I’ve bookmarked the site with the video for my model in Evernote because I use it so often. However, because the site was using a proprietary flash video player, when I clicked the link, I only got the audio podcast not the video showing me assembly/disassembly (screen shots below).

Laptop Version

iPad Version

Not a problem. I figured I’d head on over to Sears, get a link to the product manual, and do it the long way. Turns out ManageMyLife.com does such a bad job of user detection that they think I don’t have the Adobe Reader installed and can’t view the PDF for my model number.

Laptop Version

iPad Version

Great. So I had a hard time getting a video on how to fix my dishwasher and viewing the PDF for the instruction manual on my iPad. I had to go upstairs and use my laptop. Boo hoo on me for having first world problems, right? What we really have here is a case of bad site design and usability for not designing in a site that fails gracefully when it gets user agent detection wrong. As a marketer and SEO, these things matter and they are going to matter more in the future …

First World Problems

In most cases, people aren’t going to share or link to you if your website doesn’t work on their platform of choice. They aren’t going to share your link on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or any other social network, and if they do it will be the way I did: to make fun of you or use you as an example of a McFail. Search engines are getting smarter. They are using lots of signals to determine which sites rank. These days, usability and engagement are two key signals and, as Google gets better at measuring them more accurately, they’ll play an even more prominent role.

So what should site owners do in these cases:

• Avoid using proprietary audio/video/pdf viewers and players. If you need to for advertising reasons, build a more bulletproof system of user agent detection and fail gracefully into a condition that allows users to still get the content.
• Don’t let the same content exist on a mobile subdomain (link) and normal domain (link) as this only leads to trouble when content gets shared across mobile devices and laptops (looks squarely in the direction of Facebook and Youtube). Use one URL improve your user agent detection if you need to do so, but try to design a system that is user agent agnostic.
• The number and kind of devices that people are going to use is only going to increase in the coming years. This is a problem that you will have to deal with sooner or later. If you design systems that are flexible and embrace these platforms, you will have an easier time building links, getting content shared, and improving the on site signals and metrics that the search engines are using.

photo credit: Shutterstock/Jaroslav74

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Why the iPad, Flash, Adobe Products and User Agent Detection Really Do Matter

This article was originally posted on the Graywolf’s SEO Blog

"Google taught us how to search." – Paul Vellez

Paul Vallez admits that when he started at HP less than a year ago he had just come from Ask.com and was pretty cocky about what he knew.  Vallez also shares that he wasn’t very open to new ideas and wanted to step into his new position at a big brand and immediately demonstrate value. What was his approach?

• 75% Cocky
• 25% Open to new ideas

In Vellez’s presentation he identified what he called “3 Key Learnings” that he shared with the audience for improving the way that your search strategy is implemented for improved engagement.

Key Learning #1 – Enterprise Search is Ripe for Disruption

According to Vallez, Enterprise Search is constantly going through a cycle and that emerging companies and established companies alike should expect changes, be prepared to take action, and run for the opportunity.  The different phases that were identified included:

• Creation: In this phase organizations are experimenting with different platforms and their may be limited use or capability.
• Survival: This phase shows some growth with a small community of partners and vendors.
• Growth: At this point their is a solid value proposition in place as well as vendor consolidation.
• Equilibrium: By this phase the vendor community can be leveraged, benefits and risks are known, and there is a flat growth.
• Decline: The final phase presents an opportunity for other companies to begin working their way onto the Search playing field.

When we reach the “Equilibrium” phase of the cycle what you will typically see happen is the beginning of the decline.  At that point there is the opportunity for other organizations to disrupt the cycle and begin rolling out their own Search solutions.

Are you prepared for this disruption?

“By the end of 2012 over 90 percent of information flowing through the internet will be reach media (audio, images, video)” – Cisco

Search today is largely commoditized.  Companies will feature a product page that contains images, pricing, and product specs but not much more.  What these pages wont show you is what the product is good for or what problems it will help consumers solve.  When we talk about content we need to start talking about which content will better engage our customers.  At this point the majority of us know that if  they can’t find it from you they WILL look elsewhere.

Key Learning #2:Enterprises Need to Facilitate User Research

Facilitation of user research is key.  After all the internet is all about information.  How it is consumed, shared, and what affect it has on our prospective clients.  The question we were urged to ask ourselves was: What is the right information for your customers?  Vallez encourages us as marketers to make our information less about the product and more about the customers needs, stressing that customers also need to understand why your product is right for them. A 2010 DMA Study found that 43.7% of buyers admit that they are taking more time to research purchases while 66% of buyers say that vendor content/website influences their purchasing decisions.

Key learning point #3: Deliver the Right Balance of Content and User Experience

It is recommended that we focus on search results that bring up the right TYPE of information for our customers.  It should be as easy as possible for customers to  find anything related to your products so they know if they are making an informed buying decision. An example of some objectives that you may want to set forth to target your consumers could include:

• De-commodotize the search experience
• Better engage user
• Faciliatate research
• Increase Conversion Rate

What Did We Learn?

• Prepare for a deeper level of engagement beyond text
• Segment your audience and develop customer centric content and experiences
• De-commoditize your search experience
• You should spend at least 75% of your time being open to new ideas

After the presentation I asked Paul Vallez the following question: “With a shifted focus on providing customers with a combination of targeted content and user generated content how do you handle negative feedback while still presenting a real picture of your products?”  Vellez shared that obviously no brand wants to see anything negative being said about their products.  However, customers can tell when something is too curated or moderated.  HP has implemented a response button so that if customers don’t like the results they can send feedback to the company.  He has found that you will consistently get a more positive reaction from your customers if you take an open and honest approach.

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© Online Marketing Blog, 2012. |
Innovative Search Features Drive Engagement – Paul Vellez #OMS12 | http://www.toprankblog.com

This article was originally posted on the Online Marketing Blog

Facebook in Numbers: Prior to the IPO

The big news in social media and business this week is Facebook’s new IPO.  This infographic from statista and creative commons shares some very interesting figures about Facebook, before it goes public.

Highlights include:

• In 2012 Facebook is expected to reach: 90% of U.S. Social Network Users & 60% of Internet Users.
• Assuming a valuation of $100 billion, Facebook would be work 67 to 100x’s it’s estimated 2011 net income.

The Social Media Buzz

“How to Harmonize Google+ With Your Other Social Platforms”  Search Plus has placed even more importance on blending your online marketing strategy in order to adhere to the social, personal, and personalized search algorithm.  This post offers some great tips on harmonizing Google+ with your current platforms.  Via Search Engine Watch.

“StumbleUpon Kills Direct Links, iFrames Everything”  With over 20 million users StumbleUpon may be getting some heat for their recent updates.  One particular change to be aware of is the removal of all direct links which point back to content sources from within the platform.  If you are a Stumbler I strongly recommend reading this article.  Via Search Engine Land.

“The Social Enterprise: Your Path to Job Security”  While it is not surprising that social networking technologies will receive increased budgets this year it is important to understand the shift that many industries are taking.  Social media has become a recognized method in which your customers and potential customers will consume information about your services.  Social media must be used a s tool to educate, communicate, and engage on an ongoing basis.  Via InformationWeek.

Your Brand & Your Customers

“Inside the mind of your buyers”  Each of your customers has something that makes them different.  It may be their specific pain points or their budget restrictions.  This article provides 6 helpful tips on how to close a sale by focusing on what motivates your customers to buy.  Via Entrepreneur.

“The big tip for 2012: Convergence is here”  The need for a multichannel strategy has been around for awhile.  However, this year marketers will be focusing more and more on the convergence of those strategies.  Some of the trends we are seeing these days are popular television shows encouraging viewers to interact via their mobile device or iPad in real time.  Since we are finding that many customers are multi-tasking the 4 tips within this article provide guidance on dealing with convergence and what steps you should take to keep up with a rapidly evolving means of communication.  Via Econsultancy.

“3 key features of Twitter brand pages”  This piece takes a deeper look at the changes rolled out by Twitter late last year and the potential impact for brands.  It covers changes such as the expanded header area, featured Tweets, and separating your mentions from replies.  Definitely worth taking a look.  Via Ragan.

Working as a Team to Bring You the News – TopRank

Alexis Hall – Pinterest Driving More Referral Traffic Than Google+
Reports are showing Pinterest is now driving more search referrals than Google+ and YouTube.  This post, from Search Engine Watch, explores the question if the online pin board can compete with Facebook and Twitter, featuring an interesting infographic from Monetate.  Via Search Engine Watch.

Brian Larson – Super Bowl Viewers Will Check Phones 10 Times During the Game
Sometimes it takes just the right stat or factoid to drive a point home. Mobile’s growth cannot be denied by any rational person, but how about this stat: super bowl viewers will check their smart phones 10 times during the game. That’s right, the most compelling and entertaining football game of the year, which is augmented by million dollar commercials and halftime performances from Grammy award winning artists, can’t keep viewers from the powerful pull of mobile. The real question isn’t whether you should engage in mobile marketing, but rather are you positioned to be on their screen when they check their phone one of those 10 times?  Via Mashable.

Emily Conley – Inside Facebook’s S-1 Filing: 845 Million Users, $3.7 Billion In Revenues In 2011
On Wednesday, Feb. 1st Facebook filed its S1 registration (which companies use to register securities with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission).  The filing makes public certain financial and user data, including:

• 2011 net income: $1 billion (up from $606 million in 2010)
• 2011 revenue: $3.7 billion (up from 1.97 billion in 2010)
• 2011 monthly users: 845 million (roughly 50% active on a daily basis)
• 2011 average daily photo uploads: 250 million

This article also delves into shareholder information and background on the company’s ‘hacker way’ culture centered on having a positive impact on the world. Some very interesting insights into this social media giant’s success!  Via Fast Company.

Ken Horst – 5 Ways to Brand Your New YouTube Profile
YouTube has provided users with a number of smart ways to get more out the Brand/Profile page.  Some of the great updates are the ability to add multiple custom URLs in an area that is clearly visible to users and the ability to create your own custom overly ad for your videos.  You can also prevent other ads from showing up on your videos.  Via Social Media Examiner.

Time to Weigh In:  Have you taken any steps to integrate Google+ with your other platforms?  If so what have you done that has worked?  When trying to get into the mindset of your potential customers, what is the most important thing you should know?

Gain a competitive advantage by subscribing to the
TopRank® Online Marketing Newsletter.

© Online Marketing Blog, 2012. |
Online Marketing News: Facebook IPO, Harmonize with Google+, Pinterest Dominates Traffic | http://www.toprankblog.com

This article was originally posted on the Online Marketing Blog

In a recent statement Larry Page said if you don’t get SPYW then maybe you shouldn’t work at Google. To understand why he thinks this is such a good idea–and why the rest of the world thinks it isn’t–we need to revisit the concept of filter bubbles and why they are such a bad idea.

Last year Eli Pariser released the book the Filter Bubble (see my review of the the Filter Bubble). As part of the promotion, he was asked to speak at TED. While I wasn’t there, I understand from people who were in attendance that it made several Googlers in the audience … lets go with “uncomfortable” …

Here’s the problem in a nutshell: when you work at Google, your fellow employees, friends, and people you connect with on social networks like Google Plus are going to be some of the smartest, technologically savvy, and Google-centric people in the world. This is not true for the rest of the online population. Using SPYW to take the collective wisdom of your social network of Google employee/friends to influence your search results is a really good idea. When your friends aren’t Google employees, are not the smartest people on the planet, and in some cases are narcissistic and generally a lot more self interested, using your social graph to influence your search results is somewhere between stupid and insane.

We come back to the basic concept of filter bubbles. Using filter bubbles only works if everyone in your filter bubble is smart, worldly-wise, and open minded to different view points and perspectives. Paradoxically, this is self-defeating logic. If your filter bubble is “good” and you don’t realize that everyone else’s isn’t, you’ll never get why filters bubbles and ideas like SPYW are such  bad ideas.

To be clear, this isn’t a case of sour grapes. All of my sites that I care about are doing better since SPYW went into effect. I’m playing the “social game”: broadcasting, engaging, and sending Google the signals it’s looking for so my websites benefit from SPYW and personalized search. However, I can tell you thatwhen I use Google as a regular user looking for answers to questions I don’t know and things I need to buy, I see the results are more polluted by the efforts of other marketers like myself who are playing the same social engagement games I do. The search results aren’t better. It’s nice to sit in the ivory tower of the GooglePlex and say this will teach people to choose wisely who they interact with on social networks. But, in reality, that type of thinking shows they are in a filter bubble: people have a tendency to act in their own best interests. Thousands of years of human history prove that people are really good at reacting to short term dangers like a lion or wolf who starts hunting near their home, but people are really bad at reacting to long term dangers like wildlife conservation, widespread deforestation, climate change, energy consumption, financial responsibility, worldwide poverty, and global starvation.

As regular users notice a decline in the quality of Google results, most of them won’t understand or quite frankly care that the people in their friend network are to blame. There is only so long you can serve inferior results and distract people with cutesy holiday logos before they decide to try another search engine.

photo credit: Shutterstock/NemesisINC

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This post originally came from Michael Gray who is an SEO Consultant. Be sure not to miss the Thesis WordPress Theme review.

Why Google Thinks SPYW is a Good Idea and You Probably Don’t

This article was originally posted on the Graywolf’s SEO Blog