Virante Orange Juice Blog: PPC, AdWords, Social Media, Internet Marketing

The Myth of the Relevant Link

January 26, 2012 – 11:04 am

It is a growing conception of the SEO world that getting links from highly relevant pages is no longer just valuable, but necessary in order to rank. I am by no means the only SEO to doubt the veracity of these claims (here is Michael Martinez and Julie Joyce on the issue in 2007), but despite their reasoned arguments, the myth continues to persist. Read More »

By Russ Jones | Posted in Google, SEO | Tagged link relevance, relevant links, search engine optimization, seo | Comments (12)

Google Webmaster Tools Updates its SEO Report Ranking

January 26, 2012 – 10:40 am

Google announced, via its Webmaster Central Blog, that it was making an update to the “Top Search Queries” data. Beginning today, Google Webmaster Tools Top Search Query report will take the average of a site’s top URL rankings for a query versus an average of all results for a site’s URLs on a given query. For example, if your website about gadgets showed up today as the 3rd, 7th, and 11th results on a Google search for “cool gadgets,” Webmaster Tools would take the average of 3, 7 and 11 and the report would show an average position of 7. Starting today, Webmaster Tools will show an average position of 3 for the same query.

Of course, it will also take this average over multiple queries within a given time period but your average positions should start improving, going forward. Your historical data will not change, according to Google.

By Elliott Koppel | Posted in Analytics, Google, SEO | Tagged analytics, google analytics, google webmaster tools, seo | Comments (0)

Calculating the Potential Value of an Exact Match Domain

January 25, 2012 – 4:32 pm

We recommend that all of our clients adopt a multi-site strategy for rankings, as it increases the number of sites they can have ranking for any particular target keyword phrase. This multi-site strategy also helps mitigate some of the risks of search engine optimization. For competitive keywords, finding such domains can be a difficult task. However for long-tail terms it can be much more cost effective.

A great example is electricviolinshop.com. Don’t try beating them in the search results for almost any query with “electric violin” in it!

Often you can find domain names with subtle variations of the long-tail terms you are targeting available for $10 from your favorite registrar. In some instances, though, you may be forced to purchase them from an existing owner or through an auction. Virante has a simple formula we use in helping our clients determine an acceptable price to pay for these domains. Please note this is not a method that applies to all domains, but rather for long-tail terms in which an exact match domain would likely obtain top positioning in the search engines with little “encouragement.”

Exact Match Domain Value Formula Read More »

By Russ Jones | Posted in Free SEO Tools, Google, SEO | Tagged domain value, exact match domains | Comments (0)

Getting Started with Your Google+ Business Page

January 24, 2012 – 8:23 am

I have a guest post on Neal Shaffer‘s Windmill Networking Blog, titled “The First 5 Things You Should Do with Your Google+ Business Page.”

So you’ve followed the sage advice of savvy social media experts like Neal Schaffer, telling you why you need to have your business on Google+, and you’ve created a business page for your brand.

Now what?

Obviously (I hope it’s obvious!) the worst thing you could do is just let your page sit idle. So let’s set some priorities and get to work making your page effective. The recent announcement by Google that G+ is now heavily integrated into Google search makes it all the more important that you optimize your page and start your involvement on Google+. G+ is still young, but it’s growing rapidly. Early adopters of any new social media outlet gain significant advantages over the competition, and it’s not too late to claim that space in Google+.

Read more >>>

By Mark Traphagen | Posted in Google, Google+, Social Media | Tagged google+ brand pages, google+ business pages, google+ for business | Comments (0)

Our Guides to Google+ for Business and Personal Use

January 23, 2012 – 11:44 am

By popular request, here are all our “how to” guides for using Google+ effectively, whether for business or personal use, in one convenient listing.

1. How to Get Yourself Featured in New Google Search plus Your World Personalized Search

2. How to Show Your Google+ Profile Photo in Google Search Results

3. How to Add Administrators to Your Google+ Business Page

4. How to Verify Your Google+ Brand Page with Google

5. How to Use Google+ Ripples to Increase Your Social Capital

6. Complete Guide to Optimizing Your Google+ Brand Page (featured by Guy Kawasaki in his “Mega-list of how-to guides for Google+ brand pages” )

7. How to Use the Post from Google+ Search Feature – Start a conversation around a set of search results

By Mark Traphagen | Posted in Google, Google+, Social Media | Tagged google plus, google+ and search engine results, google+ for brands, google+ for business, google+ guides, google+ tips and tricks | Comments (0)

How to Use the Google+ Post From Search Feature

January 18, 2012 – 10:01 pm

Google+ keeps rolling out the innovative (and often fun!) new features. Now you can start a conversation around any Google+ search stream.

Here’s how it works on a breaking news item (about the Costa Concordia, a luxury liner that ran aground off Italy):

Now at the top of any Google+ search for posts from Google+, you’ll see a “Join the discussion about [search term]” box (arrow). Notice also the Pause button (red rectangle), handy for breaking news because the search stream updates in real time. Read More »

By Mark Traphagen | Posted in Google, Google+, Social Media | Tagged google+ share from search, google+search | Comments (1)

Google+ Search Boost Extends Beyond Google “Search Plus Your World”

January 13, 2012 – 5:52 pm

There’s a great deal of hooplah online right now about the new Google “Search plus Your World” implementation that adds personalized search (with Google+ content front-and-center) as the default view for most searcher’s SERPs.

Almost all of the focus has (naturally) been on the heavy Google+ presence in the new personal search. But what many might be missing is that Google+ was already having a strong influence on the “pure” Google results…and it still is.

Here’s an example that just happened to me today.

This morning I put on Google+ a post titled “All My Google+ Guides in One Post.” A short while later it was shared by Google+ user +Denis Labelle, resulting in at least 56 known re-shares (see the “ripples” of that post). Denis Labelle is followed (“circled” in Google+ parlance) by 37,820 people, and is ranked 498th of all Google+ users by circlecount.com.

At 4:30 this afternoon, here’s what the Google results for “google+ guides” looked like for me, logged in to Google+ and in the personal search view:

Google Results in Personal Search

You can see that Denis’s post sharing my post is in the #2 position. Read More »

By Mark Traphagen | Posted in Google, Google+, SEO, Social Media | Tagged google+ and search engine results, google+ and search results, google+ for brands, google+ for business | Comments (5)

How Does Google “Search plus Your World” Affect Adwords Management?

January 11, 2012 – 3:13 pm

On January 10, 2012, Google began to roll out its new “Search plus Your World,* which subdivides your search results into personalized results and non-personalized results.

The personalized results side now shows a ramped-up “social search,” pulling in more material relevant to you as based on your social relationships (as defined by your Google+ profile). The non-personalized results are more like “Google pure,” although some social material, such as public Google+ posts, will still be pulled in.

Two Sets of Search Results: What About the AdWords Ads?

So now for any given search query, there are not only two sets of search results (with a toggle button to switch between them), but two different sets of ads.

Look at this actual search. I searched for “wood stingray violin” (a really cool electric violin, by the way!). Here’s what I got on the “personal” side of the new search results:

Ad rankings with "personal" turned on

Notice that the ad for electricviolinshop.com is in the #1 position.

Now I immediately toggled over to the “non-personalized” results for the same query.

Ad ranking with personalization turned off

The ad for electricviolinshop.com is in the #2 position. It’s important to emphasize again what’s happening here: for the same search query, executed only once, ads for the same advertiser display in two different rank positions. I can’t think of any other way to look at this besides from now on, there are two ranking “auctions” executed for every one search query.

Here are the questions we’ll want answered:

How does this affect stats? What about things like impressions? If the searcher toggles between the two views, does each generate an impression? And what about average ad position? How is that calculated now if ads can show in different positions for the same query action?
How will we manage for this change? Is the AdWords management interface going to change to reflect the new search? Will there be segments available to see stats for personalized vs. non-personalized? Will we be able to bid separately on them?

I’ve put these questions to AdWords Product Manager +Jon Diorio on Google+. I’ll let you know if he gets back to me with anything.

By Mark Traphagen | Posted in Google, Google+, Paid Search, SEO, Social Media | Tagged adwords and search results, google adwords | Comments (1)

Get Yourself Featured in New Google Search Plus Your World Personalized Search

January 11, 2012 – 9:49 am

The web has changed the world in so many ways, but few are more awesome than the fact that now anyone can be a “published” author. Search engines like Google made it possible that people might actually find your content. Then social media came along, opening up yet another way for even the “smallest” of authors to be discovered.

Yesterday, with the introduction of the new Search plus Your World change to Google search (which more closely integrates Google+ and other social entities into Google search), Google just put chocolate in your peanut butter, bringing search and social together in a way that opens up whole new levels of opportunities for content producers.

Related People & Pages: Power to the People!

As part of the Personal side of the new Google search, Google has introduced “Related Pages and People.” For relevant topical searches, Google search will display a sidebar box labeled “People and Pages from Google+.” The box displays some active Google+ users who post frequently about the topic you’re searching. If you’re logged in to Google+, you can add them to your Circles right from the box.

Obviously, this could be huge for you if you are trying to build yourself as an authority in a topic are via your online content.

So How Do You Get Yourself Featured on Google Related People and Pages?

The great and encouraging answer is that this feature is not just for +Britney. This morning my Google+ friend +Gerwin Sturm, who is passionate about origami and posts a lot on Google+ about the topic, showed up in that featured box:

Gerwin is a great guy, but he’s no celebrity. If he did it, you can too. Here’s how:

1. Fill out your Google+ profile

Make sure it is as complete as possible. Include a high quality photo of yourself, and make sure to mention your key topic interest areas in the introduction. Include links to all your other public social media presences.

2. Post about your topics

Write frequently about your central topics. Don’t spam; create useful, original content that your followers will enjoy.

3. Encourage engagement

A major factor Google’s algorithms evaluate in deciding who to put in the featured box is not only frequency and consistency of posting about the topic, but engagement by your followers. This means the more +1′s, comments, and reshares you get on those topical posts, the more “juice” you’ll have with Google to get featured.

You can’t force engagement, of course, but you can encourage and foster it. First and foremost, be interesting and helpful! But don’t shy away from calls to action. Politely invite followers to reshare, comment, and +1 if they like your stuff.

That’s it!

Oh…and this works for Google Business Pages as well. Welcome to the new SEO!

By Mark Traphagen | Posted in Google, Google+, SEO, Social Media | Tagged get featured in google search, google search plus your world, google+ and search engine results, google+ for brands, google+ for business, google+ related people and page | Comments (5)

Google Personalized Search & Author Verification: Powerful Combo for Content Creators

January 10, 2012 – 5:05 pm

Today Google announced a change to the way it presents its search engine results that evoked breathless proclamations from the technorati like these:

“Google+ could change the entire way we use the Web — and drive millions of Web sites who depend on Google to change how they attract customers.” – Business Insider

“… a significant blurring of the line between the web as we know it and the web as you and your Circles of friends know it.” – Mashable

“Google’s search results are undergoing their most radical transformation ever, as a new “Search Plus Your World” format begins rolling out today.” – Search Engine Land

What’s Changed About Google Search?

I recommend reading the posts linked to the blog quotes above for details, or Google’s blog for details. But in a nutshell, the new “Search plus Your World” as Google is calling it brings Google+ content (public and/or shared with you) into your search results more strongly than before. (Did you notice the sly inclusion of “plus” in the feature name?)

The effect will be strongest for users logged in to Google+, but all users have some access to the Personal side of the new SERP. The new layout includes a toggle button that allows searchers (for the first time) to turn personalized search on or off (the off position is known now as “Global,” and will show results the way you saw them until today if you weren’t logged in to Google.

Here’s a bouncy video from Google demonstrating what Search plus Your World will do in results:

Content Creator’s Bonanza

If you create original content on the web, this update may result in the potential of much more of your content surfacing when people search for your name. This is a huge step forward in the power and importance of personal branding on the web.

With Search plus Your World in Personalized mode, when you search for a person’s name, Google will bring Google+ profiles into the results. If you’re a Google+ user, persons more closely associated with you will get priority (a real help if you follow an author named “John Smith.”)

Here’s the kicker: the results will also pull in content from around the web associated with that person. Now we know yet another reason why Google has been pushing authors to implement the rel=”author” and rel=”me” tags linked to their Google profiles. Authors who have implemented that verification will get a huge boost to their content in search results.

If you are a content generator, today’s change means that it is no longer optional for you to be on Google+, and it is no longer optional for you to have your content authorship verified with Google.

Thankfully, we have a handy guide “How to Show Your Author Photo in Google Search Results” that shows you how to enable that verification. Do it today!

By Mark Traphagen | Posted in Google, Google+, SEO, Social Media | Tagged google personalized search, google search plus your world, google+ and content producters, google+ and search engine results, google+ and seo, google+ author verfication | Comments (3)