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Google is in the process of rolling out a new search feature entitled “Knowledge Graph,” flexing their core search engine muscle and in particular, the strength of their knowledge base in every category imaginable. When searching for information online, the quicker a user can obtain the information they’re looking for the more satisfied they are.

The Exults team tested this new feature by searching “Marlins,” for which various results could be applicable including images, videos and text listings of recent scores, player news, fishing advice and stories, and biology. However, based on the physical location of the search and previous queries, Google was able to come to a conclusion on the user’s likely intention. The listings returned by Google’s predictive search based on what the user would most likely want to see is a revolutionary advancement.

The idea behind the new search evolution is reminiscent of Facebook’s strategy to keep users on their properties with user- intent focused innovations. Some of the benefits to Google of utilizing this new model include a longer average impression time on Pay-Per-Click ads, a better overall information gathering experience for the user, and more useable, real-world data to further customize searches in the future. Incorporate Google+ into the mix and sharing information with others is faster and takes on a social, reactionary perspective. Google+ will also be incorporated into the Knowledge Graphs of note-worthy people, when applicable.

Knowledge base driven search will be contingent on prior user behavior and preferences and will continue to evolve based on information compiled from user interaction with the new features. The Knowledge Graphs already appearing in search results displau the search engine giant’s ability to not only amass, but apply the data it collects every second.

With Google’s latest update, Penguin, several websites across varying categories and industries have noticed their rankings have dropped. Here at Exults, we have had a recent surge of calls from prospective clients whose SEO efforts are being managed by another agency wondering how it’s possible that even though they were paying for Search Engine Optimization, their website was all but de-indexed in Google’s rankings around April 25, 2012.
The answer comes down to black and white.

In April, the Google Search blog featured a post outlining some of the differences between what’s known as black hat SEO and white hat SEO and their preference for either the latter, or none at all. This could have been foreshadowing for Penguin which was released late April through early May. Inciting wide-spread panic throughout the internet community, the Penguin update reaffirmed the importance of using sound, white hat Search Engine Optimization tactics to help useful websites increase their rankings for relevant keywords.

The key points to note for the Penguin update include:

- Low quality websites were removed from the first 50-100 pages of search results, including those that are constantly updated
- Websites that are updated on a regular basis with useful content saw ranking improvements
- Anchor text was de-emphasized (again)
- Adjustments were made to how Google considers keyword density in the overall scoring of a website’s relevance
- All search queries in a session are now being taken into account to best determine useful results for search intention
- Sub-sitelinks now available in addition to Sitelinks resulting in Google digging deeper into websites to determine useful links for particular queries
- More specialized method developed for determining keyword stuffing and scoring sites utilizing keyword stuffing as low quality

Google has been systematically eliminating low quality sites from search results dating back to the infamous February 2011 release of Panda. While black hat Search Engine Optimization pays off in the short term, investing time and money into it will only result in long term losses in both budget and rankings.

Losing rankings is a difficult process to correct but consider it a warning. If you aren’t sure what methods your SEO firm is using to help your website rank, now is the time to find out; if you are now considering hiring an SEO firm, make sure the tactics they use are considered white hat. There are several useful articles available to help you determine what methods should be used.

The Google Analytics platform can be used in a variety of manners to best represent the individual needs of each business. Car giant Nissan employs a unique method to integrate interest in their cars via form- submissions on their website and turn them into real-world demand statistics. Nissan’s Global Marketing Strategy Division is using Google Analytics e-Commerce reporting integration to share data globally – as referenced in the commentary from the Google Analytics blog:

“By implementing e-commerce tracking they are now able to pass additional information to their Google Analytics account, such as the category, colour, and model of car the visitor was interested in. Nissan’s Global Marketing Strategy Division then analyses this information to understand which vehicles are in hot demand in each market; it then feeds those insights to their manufacturing plants across the globe to ensure that there is enough supply to satisfy demand. “(Source)

Smarter uses of simple Analytics reports can help supply your company with more efficient results. The integration of e-Commerce tracking and goals is helping to bring a world- leading automobile manufacturer real-time metrics to react to. Having important demand data at your fingertips in an instant can help your company increase the operational efficiency needed to compete in today’s global environment.

What you need to know

America is the land of opportunity, especially when it comes to technology. Inventors and innovators can make a mint. Few have done so as swiftly as Kevin Systrom. In less than two years of work, the former Google employee sold his popular mobile application (or app) to Facebook (the social media giant) for one billion dollars. Yes, that’s billion, with a “B!” How did he do it?

As Edison himself opined, it was the result of 99 percent perspiration and 1 percent inspiration. In other words, he worked really, really hard. Mr. Systrom, 28, co-founded a company called Instagram in 2010. The application they created gives mobile phone users the ability to quickly and conveniently share photos on Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, and other social networking sites.

Like many wunderkinds, Systrom started working on the project that would make him rich in college. A huge fan of photography, he started looking for a way to share images on the internet. After a few years at Google and a few more at Nextstop, a vacation recommendation site, he hooked up with Mike Krieger, a fellow Stanford University graduate.

In the early days of the internet, images were few and far between, since pages with pictures took longer to load. But as speeds and proliferation increased, images have become more popular. Both Systrom and Krieger agreed that the future of the medium would be more image-driven. Therefore, they narrowed their focus and set out to create the ultimate picture sharing application.

The designers have described early versions of the software as “cluttered,” which forced them to start from scratch. The team removed all the fancy features and concentrated on the comment, photo, and like capabilities. When the work was done, they had a simple, user-friendly application that was a hit from day one.

The Instagram app Launches

Instagram was launched in October of 2010. Before they sold the company to Facebook, over thirty million people had downloaded it, making it the hottest app on earth. When the Android version was introduced, more than one million users purchased it in the first 12 hours alone! That may be why Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, offered Systrom and Krieger a sum they simply couldn’t refuse.

Only eighteen months after it opened its doors, Instagram was valued at half a billion dollars. Mr. Zuckerberg offered the partners double that for the firm—a cool billion. Some experts said that was too high a price to pay. But many have lost their shirts and reputations betting against the founder of Facebook.

If a picture is worth a thousand words,

35 million people taking pictures is worth a Billion Dollars?

Why did Facebook buy?

Mobile access will play a critical role in the company’s future, and before they acquired Instagram, Facebook was falling behind. A popular application that lets users share pictures is just what the doctor ordered. According to a recent article, a new member signs up every two seconds! It’s no wonder Mr. Zuckerberg opened the company coffers and shelled out the big bucks for the former startup.

The actual dollar value that Social Media efforts contribute to your business has always been a topic that sparks a lot of debate. While most internet marketers believe that social media contributes to brand recognition and valuable interaction with customers, a measurable value has been difficult to determine. Today, the Google Analytics discussed the addition of new reports that should help to make this process simpler.
Over the next few weeks, three new social reports will be available to users in the Google Analytics standard reporting tab. These new reports will help identify the value and conversion rates of traffic referred by social sites, what kind of social engagements are being made and which social media channels are driving the most traffic to your website.
With these new reporting enhancements, testing what drives the highest rates of engagement and conversions on social media will be easier than ever. The social reports are designed to work together to give you a comprehensive summary of your social media marketing efforts.
For example, if you want to test the effectiveness of sharing coupon codes on various social media sites, you can use the Social Sources report to can determine which social media outlets are most effective for your brand. You can use the Activity Stream report to see if people are sharing the coupon codes, and if it’s driving visitors to your site. Finally, with the Social Value report, you’ll be able to see the conversion value that has been generated by your coupon code initiative and if it’s worth continuing.
The ability to gather this valuable information helps outline what the most effective social media marketing directive is for individual brands and can help funnel both time and budget into the highest performing social outlets.

Lately, it’s been a virtual, headline-grabbing tug-of-war between Google and Facebook. Facebook opened the world up to the possibilities of social networking; Google fought back with the introduction of Google+. Both companies found themselves in court; Facebook denying charges of violating user privacy and Google arguing that it does not hold a monopoly in the search market. Were it not for the occasional (very occasional), piece of news regarding Bing; Microsoft might be all but forgotten, for most.

Microsoft was in the news lately, but not for the reasons they’d like. In an industry where innovation is a requirement for just staying afloat, Microsoft has been floundering. Perhaps seeing the mobile direction in which internet technology was going, the office software kingpin had focused their efforts on popularizing cloud technology. A 20-year partnership with Cirtrix (the creators of cloud computing), resulted in the release of several versions of Windows and, ultimately, Windows Azure. Released commercially in February, 2010; Azure allows companies to store programs and information, remotely. The ability to access information from any location and not weigh individual systems down with vast memory requirements affords businesses a slew of advantages…and one glaring disadvantage.

On February 29th (Leap Day), Azure users found themselves without access to any of their online resources; data, programs, none of it. It seems that Microsoft’s cloud programmers neglected to account for the extra day. The Leap Day Bug, as it has been called, prevented user certifications from being properly authenticated; prohibiting the system from communicating within itself and denying user’s access. This was a huge misstep for a company struggling to stay competitive and a warning for any business which relies solely on cloud technology for their data storage.

It’s difficult to predict what the future holds for Microsoft; their break-neck fall from grace has potentially devastating implications for the company. Efforts to revitalize the now-archaic Internet Explorer have been met with lukewarm enthusiasm from users; many of whom found the browser’s purported improvements a weak imitation of Google’s Chrome. Microsoft’s music resource, Zune, created to rival Apple’s iTunes, has long been a punch-line for late night talk shows; even getting spoofed on Saturday Night Live.

Ten years ago, few would have believed that Microsoft could ever be where it finds itself today. The once-undisputed leader of all things computer made what may turn out to be a fatal mistake; it got complacent. This has a clear message for anyone trying to stay ahead in the technology arena. Staying on top doesn’t just happen. It requires vigilance and constant adaptation. Whether you are defending your position in the organic search listings or your corner on the market, it takes work and consistency. Don’t make the same mistakes Microsoft did. Partner with a marketing agency that has the expertise and diligence to keep you ahead of the curve.

March is here and spring is just around the corner. Have you planned your internet marketing campaign accordingly? Seasons play an important role in the promotion of any product or service. A New England bathing suit retailer would be foolish to launch a new line in October. A street vendor in NYC will not make much money during the midday lunch rush if he’s selling hot soup in July. While those are some of the more obvious examples, businesses in all industries can benefit from doing a little seasonal due diligence. Seasons, events, even changes in weather patterns can have an impact on the demand for your company’s product or service; if you’re not prepared, you could miss out on a great opportunity.

Before outlining your business plan for the year, compare past years’ revenue and see if you can find a pattern. While some periods of increased sales are fairly obvious (a florist whose sales skyrocket on Valentine’s Day), others may be subtle and more difficult to spot. Events like the Olympics or the Presidential Election, which happen every four years, may shed some light on profits which seem to occur sporadically. There may be increased enrollment at a gymnastics center during the summer Olympics; requests at a sign-maker’s shop might triple in the weeks before an area Presidential primary is held. In order to truly capitalize on these favorable circumstances, it’s imperative that you likewise tailor your SEO campaign.

Ranking highly for terms which are contingent on seasonal factors could mean the difference between doubling your business for a given period and tripling it. A sports bar airing the World Cup ‘round the clock may print up new fliers which include this information, but few think to update their internet marketing strategy for that interval. It’s been statistically proven, time and again, that people turn to online resources when looking for a product or service which they’ve not shopped for previously. Your internet presence is what made your business as successful as it is today; fine-tune your strategy to reflect seasonal needs and see how successful you can be tomorrow!

Facebook is widely acknowledged as the website its users spend more time on than any other. Unlike search, email or even news sites; Facebook users spend hours at a time engaged and interacting with the social networking website. This level of engagement presents advertisers with a Golden Opportunity to wow potential fans with their product or service. Advertisers on Facebook have unprecedented access to unheard of amounts of information about their targeted demographic; enabling them to construct ad campaigns that appeal strongly to their audience. They are able to show an individual which of their friends have interacted with this product or service; adding social context and increasing the likelihood of a sale, exponentially.

While this may sound like an internet advertiser’s dream, there is a catch. A hefty one. Roughly half of Facebook’s 800 million users access the site via mobile app; currently, there is no advertising on this application. That means that the 400 million mobile users will never see a brand’s paid ad. Facebook acknowledged its inability to fully capitalize on its mobile platform in its present state when it submitted its IPO. The obstacles faced by the social networking giant in regards to mobile advertising are extensive. From the challenges of competing with the very operating system which allows users to access the Facebook app to a user’s level of tolerance for being shown ads on a screen whose size makes space a premium commodity; bridging the mobile advertising gap does not promise to be easy.

Despite rumors regarding an anticipated mobile ad implementation program, Facebook has not commented lately on an expected launch date. Instead, it held a conference today in Manhattan’s American Museum of Natural History to introduce its new Timeline layout for businesses. Touting the new format as a way for brands to better connect with their customers, the hours-long presentation made no mention of any plan on the part of Facebook to broach its mobile advertising chasm. This leaves many industry experts wondering if Facebook will resolve its mobile issues before going public. We’ll just have to wait and see.

There are few people who would argue the importance of establishing an online presence in local listings for a brick and mortar store. Local listings have become king in terms of mobile search. This is statistically evident according to numerous reputable sources. But what drives search engines like Google to position one business over another in this type of listing? For two businesses which are roughly the same distance from the spot where the search has originated, how does Google determine which gets listed first? If both businesses have optimized listings, the answer is unclear.

Speculation in the SEO community regarding what factors Google is taking into consideration when listing one business over another is rampant. Having stated that Relevance, Prominence and Distance are the quantifying elements utilized by the determining algorithm; some of what Google is drawing on is fairly obvious. The Distance of a business from a search location is what it is. Nothing can be done on the part of the business to affect it. Relevancy is established through site optimization; once your website and other online pages are properly categorized and keyword rich, maximum relevancy has likely been achieved. This just leaves Prominence.

What arbitrates a listing’s prominence? Despite documented complaints by Google regarding its inability to effectively crawl the pages of social networking giant, Facebook; it seems as though Google has overcome that hurdle and is in fact, counting a given listing’s popularity on that platform. Another component which appears to bear weight is the number of check-ins accrued by a location. This includes user interaction on programs like foursquare and other check-in services. It’s not surprising that Google would look favorably on this kind of data; being that it’s nearly impossible to manufacture. While only Google knows for sure, industry experts suggest that both the number of people who check-in and the number of check-ins themselves carry weight in the area of Prominence.

No one thing in and of itself is enough to catapult your business to the top position on the local search engine results page; rather, it is a number of things which indicate to Google that your business is relevant and popular. If you haven’t provided special offers and promotions for those customers who frequent check-in service platforms, now is the time to start. Granted, there’s no guarantee that doing so will boost your position in local listings; but incentives like these are likely to attract new customers to your store. Since garnering new clientele is the goal of any internet marketing campaign, the addition of these small perks is well worth the effort.

Local search is becoming increasingly popular; this year, it promises to be more prominent than ever. And not just for smart phone users. Local listings have begun to occupy a larger space on the desktop search engine results page (SERP). It’s become clear that a large percentage of people depend on search to provide them with all kinds of local information for everyday use. Whether they are looking for an area drycleaner or need to know the name of the Indian restaurant their friend had mentioned last weekend; users have integrated search into their daily lives to the point where it is as necessary as their morning coffee.

In case there remains any doubt as to the popularity of local search, a recently announced Google product underlines the incredible demand for local information. Slated for release by the end of 2012, Google has created a line of glasses which will show the wearer pertinent information about their surroundings in real-time. According to multiple sources close to the project, the glasses will contain a low-resolution camera which will assess an individual’s location and use that assessment to provide real-time information relevant to the user’s vicinity. The glasses are not expected to be worn continuously; instead, Google predicts they will be used much the same way as smart phones.

Whether Google’s newest gadget holds any appeal for you or not; the search giant’s creation of hardware dedicated to local search is a pretty strong indicator of local search’s ever-increasing popularity. Because the glasses will utilize social media context in addition to location-based advertising, their success will call for amplified effort in both platforms. Encourage your happy customers to write reviews on local directories like Google Places and Yelp. Engage your social media fans with special offers and promotions; the friends of your fans will likely be shown that interaction when they search for products or services offered by your company.

Marketing your business online requires dedication and persistence. Success demands you tailor your campaign today for the trends of tomorrow. An experienced, qualified internet marketing agency will make sure you stay ahead of the curve. Stop playing catch-up with your competitors. Call Exults today.