Spotting Trends Through Social Media
By Sujan Patel with 5 Comments
Are you looking for new product ideas, are you looking for ways to improve your product, or better ways to market your product? How about capitalizing on some of the short-comings of your competitor’s products? Social media offers some of the most un-biased information on the web and offer a wealth of knowledge for new spotting trends.
Sites like Facebook, Digg, Stumbleupon, Youtube, Myspace (list goes on) are a good places to find new product ideas and extensive information on existing products. These sites have a huge user base and large amounts of daily traffic and are even better places to market your products.
Once you determine which social media sites to join(don’t be afraid to try more than one), the fun starts. Do a keyword search related to your product or service and those of your competitors, and start reading. Are common themes or opinions coming up? Is there an un-met need that is surfacing? Ask questions and test ideas in these type of websites. It is free marketing research right at your fingertips.
Also don’t forget to monitor Digg, Technorati and other blogs for interesting ideas. Bloggers are some of the most opinionated people on the web and they are not afraid to post their opinions. Blogs with large
followings can definitely shift demand or create demand for products and services.
Just today I read a story on Digg about How to build a better, tastier and juicier burger. Any restaurateurs out there? This could be a new product idea for you. How about coaching HR Managers on the 10 Mistakes Managers Make During Job Interviews? This was duggtoday as well.
New ideas are plentiful in social media websites. You just need to spend some time
research to see which ones you want to capitalize on.
Fixing Supplemental Results with Robots.txt
By Sujan Patel with 2 Comments
Correcting supplemental results and directing search engine bots to your important content can be an overwhelming task if you don’t know what approach to take. Supplemental results aren’t the end of the world but if you are trying to get traffic from Google’s search results then you might be out of luck. Google will only show supplemental results after all the other relevant searches have been displayed. There are basically three main reasons Google puts pages into their Supplemental results:
Duplicate content
Pages with no content
Pages with no links
Today we are going to concentrate on duplicate content.
Duplicate content is one of the fastest ways to get your blog pages into Google’s supplemental results. In order to avoid this you need to direct Google to the correct pages you want indexed. With more and more blogs popping up everyday it’s very important to have a blog plan and understand the best ways to increase your traffic.
The organization of your blog can be a huge factor in determining which pages are included in Google’s main index and which end up in supplemental results. Because you can easily add posts to multiple categories, you can quickly end up with multiple versions of each post. However, multiple versions means that you are dividing the strength of each post and allowing Google various ways to link to each post. You want Google to only see one version of each post.
Another quick way to duplicate your posts is with your comment feeds and trackback URLs. Each time you post a new story or article on your blog and people either comment on it or trackback to it from their blog, a new link can be created in the SERPs. The problem arises when these comments or trackbacks get more attention then the actual post, the original post can be pushed into supplemental results.
You can fix all these problems with the proper inclusion of your robots.txt file. The robots.txt file is a text document that goes in the root structure of your website and basically tells Google and every other search engine where it can and can’t go.
Wordpress offers many suggestions on how to edit your robots.txt file. Another important resource that you can use is Google’s Webmaster tools. If you setup an account with Google Sitemaps you can add various functions to your robots.txt file and test out which URLs will be blocked before uploading and potentially harming your website. Editing your robots.txt file can be dangerous so go slow and edit only what you need to.
Blocking unimportant or duplicate content will allow you to gain traffic by increasing the amount of pages you have in Google’s main index and reducing the amount of pages you have in their supplemental results.
Drew Stauffer is the CEO and founder of Alibi Productions, a website promotion & online marketing firm based in Greenville SC.
Optimizing Your Site for Google Universal Search
By Sujan Patel with 4 Comments
Last week we discussed the complete package that represents GUS, or Google’s Universal Search. Today we will now discuss the optimization of key components that any business can use to further their search engine promotion.Please note that this post will discuss the common traits that all businesses will need to use. Special or niche products like Google’s Book Search for example will not apply to most businesses, and has therefore been left out of this discussion. For help with marketing your site and business through these other mediums, please contact us today.
What products can all businesses use for more coverage in Google Universal Search? The three that come to mind would certainly be Google Base, Google Images and Google Local.
Google Base Optimization
Google Base is a tool that allows site owners to conveniently list their inventory on Google. Google then uses that inventory and tries to match it up to appropriate search results for a given user.
By default, Google requests the following information on a per product, or per service item: brand, condition, description, expiration date, id, image link, link, price, product type, and the most important — the title of the item.
For the sake of example, let’s say that your business sold and serviced jewelry. While you could list an engagement ring as a “1 carat platinum ring” — you won’t get much exposure. You must force yourself then to use the title and the description fields in Google Base to become very descriptive.
Try labeling that same ring as “1 Carat (ct.) Princess Cut Diamond on Platinum Engagement Ring Band”.
Seem overboard? Think again! You have suddenly opened up the door for a number of highly searched for terms like… “engagement rings”, “princess cut diamond rings”, “1 ct. diamonds”, etc.
Throughout your use of Google Base though, be sure that you reference the best pages on your own site. Remember that a user will search someplace through Google and be left off on your site when they’re finished. While you may be tempted to put them through to a shopping cart page that instantly adds that item to their cart — it really cannot be advised. Users coming into your site from Google Base will need to be comforted by the fact that they have left a large company in Google. Be sure then to market your pages to be as thorough and as descriptive as possible without distracting from the product at hand.
Finally, be sure to check your web analytics to see how people who buy originally arrive at your site. You will find that many people will search by specific criteria, such as color, material or style. Google Base Optimization is a continuing effort where you will need solid tools in place to get the best results from. Once things are covered though, it is well worth it!
Google Images Optimization
Images from Google Images is now being shown in the normal search results. Here are a few step to insure images from your website optimized:
• use alt tags
• keywords in the title attribute
• text around the image should be related to the keyword
• keywords in the file name
• don’t include images into external css or javascript files
Do not stuff too many keywords onto your images, use the appropriate keyword for each picture, and use different variations of it in the alt tag, in the title attribute, and in the file name.
Remember not to go overboard with optimizing your images, abusing it will just make it that much harder for everyone in the future to optimie.
Google Local (and Google Maps!)
If there is one area where Google’s Universal Search will excel, it is in delivering local results to users that make perfect sense. Looking for an opportunity to dominate 1/3rd of the screen on Google Search Results? Google Local is the way to go. Any search that involves a unique city name, zip code or regional information is enough for Google to try its best.
The service is still so new though, that businesses that pioneer the submission process in their own region stand to be given large amounts of traffic as this service matures.
Thankfully, the “optimization” of Google Local is simple. Log in, submit your business, and keep feeding them information. Be sure to include anything and everything you can on your business. Google is all about pushing Google Local results out to users — so the more you add in, the better.
Remember too that once verified your listing can be changed again and again. Just log in, choose to edit your business, and you’re done!
On a site or page level, be sure to include your businesses address, phone numbers, and active contact information. Many of our clients have also begun using a direct link to Google Maps for linking to driving directions, and that has really helped to catapult their Google Local listings. Give it a try or call us for more complete service packages!
Guest Blogging 101
By Sujan Patel with 18 Comments
So you’ve been invited to be a guest blogger on someone else’s blog? Congratulations! Guest Blogging can be a great way to gain exposure, sell yourself, network, and could get you invitations to be a guest blogger on even more blogs. Heck, some writers out there live off of guest blogging alone. To be a successful guest blogger, there are a few things that you need to bring to the table every time, and the tips listed below will give you a great head start. So before you attempt to write your first guest blogging article, check out the advice below to see if all of your bases are covered.
1. Demographics and research. Before you attempt to write for someone else, you need to find out as much about their blog as you possibly can. It’s very important to know who you’re writing for, and what range of topics you can write about. The last thing you want to do as a guest blogger is write something totally irrelevant to the blogs readership and turn people away. Go through their last fifty or so posts, and see which ones were the most popular and widely read. Be unique and write in your own voice, but don’t try and reinvent the wheel. The last thing that the blog owner wants to do is apologize to readers for off topic posts that were written in his or her absence. A good couple of hours of research should do just fine.
2. Stick to your commitment. If you were hired or invited to guest blog while the author of the blog is away for a few days or more, and he/she wants you to write at least three posts per day, then you’d better do it! Put yourself in their shoes. If you were going away and had someone lined up to post three times per day and they didn’t follow the schedule, then you would have a giant mess to clean up when you came back. If you don’t think you can commit to something like this, then you need to politely tell them up front so that they can alter their strategy before they leave. When you guest blog for someone, you are selling your reputation and the blog owner’s reputation at the same time, so you need to bring your “A-game†in every post, and follow the rules to a “Tâ€. Commitment and reliability is half the battle.
3. Readers come first! Sure, guest blogging can be a great way to expose yourself to a brand new audience, but you have to remember that the blogs readers come first in every situation! Don’t plug your latest invention/project/marketing scheme…just write good, helpful content that pertains to the audience at hand. Again, the last thing you want to do is make even one of their loyal readers mad enough to unsubscribe. Being a good guest blogger can bring many benefits to you, the blog owner, and the readers, so when you’re done guest blogging, try to make sure that when you’re done blogging that the blog is in better shape then when you found it. Make a good impression, and you’ll surely be invited to do it again, and possibly for other blogs that see your professionalism.
4. Don’t forget your own blog! While you’re putting all of the monumental effort into creating great guest posts, it behooves you to make an even bigger effort to maintain your own blog. You see, while you are on a guest blogging assignment, you will naturally attract new readers to your own blog from the blog owner’s reader pool. So when those new readers are curious enough to check out your home blog, you want to make sure that it’s up-to-date and ready to read. Since part of the guest blogging experience is selling yourself, the last thing you want to do is turn away any new readers/subscribers that you might gain over the course of your guest blogging experience. Put out some grade A content on your own blog while you’re guest blogging, and that way you’ll keep the new readers interested and coming back. Remember, be creative but be yourself. Don’t try to be someone your not, because new and old readers will see right through it, every time.
Guest blogging can be a great experience for everyone involved. Following the above tips and advice will ensure that you don’t blow it! Remember, first impressions are everything, and if you bring all of your skills and talent to the table while you guest blog, then you’ll reap the rewards for a long time to come.
Covering All Elements of Google’s Universal Search
By Sujan Patel with 1 Comment
The landscape of search engine promotion has been changing dramatically. Earlier this year, one of the most dramatic changes in recent history took place when Google launched their “Universal Search” product.
Universal Search has essentially replaced the standard Google search results that we have all grown familiar with. In the new platform, you will often come across the following products in a Universal Search results page:
- Google Base
- Google Videos / YouTube
- Google Local
- Google Products (Formerly Froogle)
Of course, there are many more Google Products. Some searches, provided that they’re contextually relevant, will include any of the following Google Products:
- Blog Search
- Book Search
- Catalogs
- Code Search
- Directory
- Images
- Local/Maps
- News
- Product Search
- Video
As a web site owner though, you need to make sure that your products, web pages, services and businesses are ALL listed throughout Google’s service arena. To do that, seek the assistance of the following reviews, summaries and links for each included product…
Google Blog Search
Submitting your blog to Google actually requires the use of the Google Blog Search Pinging Service. Review Google’s information on the pinging service to learn how to automate blog post submissions and general inclusion of your blog to this search product.
Google Book Search
Do you have a book or publication to sell on the Internet? If so, you need to tell Google all about it! You can do that here using an active Google account.
Google Catalogs
If you are a merchant with a catalog in print, Google Catalogs can help you make your catalog accessible to online users by scanning it and hosting it online and promoted through Google Search. With your catalog being included, users can quickly find your products and order directly from you. To submit your catalog to Google, you will need to sign up for a Google Catalogs account and add a unique Google address to your circulation.
Google Code Search
Developers have a great opportunity to share their software developments with the audience using Google’s Code Search. Developers can easily add their applications and code snippets for inclusion to Google Code Search by using a GData or XML feed.
Google Directory
For those who have been in the industry a while, the Google Directory is really a co branded version of the Netscape Open Directory Project, or DMOZ. Inclusion to his human edited directory can be frustrating — but the benefits of an active listing are monumental for a healthy search promotion effort. To learn more about how to include your web site in the Google Directory, please review the instructions available online.
Google Images
Assuming that Google is crawling your web site actively, you probably already included in Google Image search results. There are of course advantages and disadvantages with having your images being listed here. By default, it is safe to assume your images are included. If you’d like to remove your images, or prevent that from happening though — you should certainly rely on Google’s resources.
Google Local / Google Maps
Google Local and Google Maps is one of the most anticipated Google Search products prominently featured in the new Universal Search. Listing your business is simple using the easy interface and process made available by Google.
Google News
If you run a web site that features timely and factual news articles and resources, you may be able to get your content featured in Google News. Much to the liking of news publishers, Google News is featured prominently on the Universal Search system. TO have your content evaluated for inclusion on Google’s News listings, please read more about recommending sites for inclusion in Google News.
Google Product Search / Froogle
Google Product Search is the new name for what has been in place for the past three years as Froogle. This is Google’s online product search center, and it allows merchants to list their entire inventory of items directly on Google for sale. Users can then search normally on the new Universal Search and be presented with options to purchase products directly online. To include your items, see more directly from the source at “Sell with Google“.
Google Video
Google has recently invested heavily in the use of video search products. With the acquisition of YouTube, users and marketers can only wonder just how far video will become involved in Google Search products. Right now though, Google Videos are inserted and peppered throughout Google Universal Search results — and certainly present an entertaining opportunity for sites to market their content. To get started in harnessing the power of Google Video Search, seek the assistance of Google Video (Beta) – Video Upload Program. (https://upload.video.google.com/)
Conclusion & Advice
We have only seen the start of Google Universal Search. As the service grows and users share their experiences and frustrations, the Universal Search products are certainly subject to change. Using the Universal Search platform now though will allow site owners to truly push their potential to an entirely different level. More than anything else, taking advantage of these services now, while they’re not extremely competitive — should lead to some great long term results.
As you submit your web sites, pages, products and goods to Google, it is our recommendation that you use a consistent Google account. Doing so will help to establish more authority with Google and in the back end, allow Google to derive some clear patterns on the comprehensive business you run. That, in the end — is what will lead to your success in using Universal Search.
