Google turns the lights out

Earlier today Google changed their home page as part of 'Earth Hour'. To mark this occasion they made the background colour of the Google search page black instead of white. The idea being that screens which output white require more electricity, so changing to black saves energy, as well obviously signifying that we should all switch off more.

Exciting stuff eh?

Where will SEO be in five years?

One of the best questions to come from my talk in Southampton today was related to the future of SEO. Following on from my point that most people click on the left hand side of the search engine results pages (SERPs) or 'natural listings' or 'free listings', as opposed to the Pay Per Click listings. The gentleman in the audience wondered where SEO will be in five years time? If everyone cottons on the facts that SEO is a good thing and results in great things for their business (more sales, more brand awareness, beating the competition etc) then how will businesses be able to optimise their website and get it to the top of the search results?

This is something that I've seen a lot of in the last few months and was going to write about anyway. Already the competitive phrases all pull up very similar looking results, as most companies start to target the same phrases and use the same techniques (e.g. improving title tags, writing great META descriptions).

An example is shown below for 'chocolate fountains'


As you can see here, nearly every website has the phrase 'chocolate fountains' mentioned twice. This results in the pages looking very similar as the key phrases is highlighted in bold. As all of the websites are highlighted, there is little differentiation between the listings. As a result the user is going to find it difficult to make a decision between clicking on the first listing or the fifth.

It is a not very well known fact that 42% of searchers hit the first result regardless of what is returned. However, if all of the results look the same, will this still be the case? Will people trust Google to still give them the best result, or will they see a page of bold text and results all looking the same and not bother?

I would assume that Google are watching this activity very carefully to analyse the effect of optimisation on rankings, perhaps even to the point where they don't use the bold matching on some occasions.

Maybe in five years time, we might not be even worried about Google rankings and all searches maybe carried out in some other way or with some other company (Facebook? MySpace? Someone else?).

In the mean time though, companies serious about the Internet and getting the best results should look to maximise their returns through effective search engine optimisation. We're happy to talk to any company who wants to do this :)

If you have any views about where SEO is heading or where you think it will be in five years, please share your views with us below.

Benefits of social networking - follow up questions

Despite the modest turnout to our second seminar this year titled 'The Benefits of social networks for business', the event went very well and the feedback from the attendees was very positive. It occurred to me that alot of SME's still not have much of an idea of what social networks are, how to benefit from using social networks or just how it can be applied to their business.

I gave a couple of examples of where companies have successfully used the power of social networks to become experts in their field, increase brand awareness or improved sales. The ideas and examples presented really got people thinking about how it can be applied to their business and I had some good questions from the audience. Below lists some the questions asked;

How easy is it to create a podcast or video for YouTube?
In basic terms, creating your own podcast or video for social networks is very easy. All you need is a piece of recording equipment such as a microphone or hand held video and a PC to edit the content. The real challenge is coming up with something interesting, unique or useful for your audience. The other big challenge is putting it in the right places where people will see it. One of the best places of doing this is to create a profile on a social network (e.g. ecademy if you are a business) and then 'get to know' other people with similar interests to yourself.

How easy is it to create your own social network?
Creating your own social network isn't an easy task, you will need the help of a good web design company to make it happen. Creating your own social network should also only be done as part of a companies online strategy who feel that their audience really needs a social network for their specific needs. Getting people to know about it and partake in it is a very difficult task and one which would require a lot of marketing effort on behalf of the company. However, it is can be made to work then the advertising, branding and research opportunities are potentially endless.

How do I get into a social network?
Getting into social networks is very easy. All you need to do is create an account with any of the social networks you would like to get involved with and you're off and running. As I have said, it is better to do a bit of research before committing to a network. In my opinion it is better to focus on one (possibly two) network so that you are better known in that place, rather than being spread too thin across a variety of places. Once you've built up a reputation in one place, it should be easier to transfer that reputation across with you.

What are the best social networks to be on for business?
I am not an expert on which social network is 'best'. To give the annoying answer, it would depend on your line of business. If you're selling to the over 50's, then maybe SagaZone is best. If you are looking to sell to people aboard, then you would have different options compared to someone focused in the UK.

The general consensus for the best social networks to get involved with for businesses in the UK is either Ecademy or LinkedIn.

Where can I find a list of the best social networks around?
Surprise, surprise, the lovely people of Wikipedia have put together a list of social networks which lists the main players as well as where they are located and who uses them.

How can I stop my photos being used on social networks (what are the copyright issues?)
We didn't cover this in much detail as it is not one of my specific areas of expertise. One of the best places to start when protecting your material online is the Creative Commons license website.


If you have any more questions relating to social networks and how to get the most benefit from them, please feel free to ask a question!

Google analytics seminar follow up - More questions answered

Today I gave a talk to a Business Link networking group in Winchester, Hampshire. The talk was a sell out but unfortunately not everyone made it along to hear my presentation entitled 'Understanding Google Analytics'.

The talk was largely the same as the seminar we held in Poole a few weeks back with a few slides removed. Again, I like to think that I gave the audience plenty of food for thought, especially with regards to Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for websites, 99% of people do not have these, so I hope I gave them something to focus on. I will share these on here in the coming weeks...

There were several questions after the talk which I have answered below;

Is there any way for Google Analytics to know about my website BEFORE I add the code to it?

The gentleman who asked this question wanted to know if it was possible to 'back date' the analytics information showing on his account. Unfortunately it is not possible to know this information, as Google Analytics can only collect information once it has been installed, not before. I referred the gentleman to Compete, which can give you rough information about yours and other websites based on information from ISPs. This rarely gives feedback on low traffic websites so is definitely not a replacement for you own good information.

The other option is to use an alternative website statistics package and then getting the raw log files from the server (you'd have to ask you web hosts for this) and then analysing them like that. Not a pretty solution but it could give some information about what has happened in the past.

How do you remove yourself from the Analytics's reports?

I mentioned the 'filter' options as something which is useful when it comes to understanding more about your website. I didn't go into this as I felt it was a bit techy for some, but it can easily be achieved. I could explain all about how this work but I think it's easier if Google explain how filters work in more detail...

What are longtail keywords in Google Analytics?

I gave a couple of examples of how GA can be used to identify the best long tail keywords for your website (if you don't know what the longtail is, you really need to go here!). In basic terms, Google Analytics shows you all of the phrases which people have typed in to get to your website. At the same time (provided you implemented the things I suggested :) you should also know what words were typed in to get people 'converting'.

Therefore, by looking at the graphs that Google Anayltics draws for you and spending a few minutes looking at the information available, you should be able to see the longtail working and where the best results are coming from on the website.


There were a couple more questions but after two more meetings today, I really can't remember what they were now! If they come back to me, I'll try and post here.

If you would like to ask any more questions about Google Anayltics, leave a comment below

An example of how a poor website can effect your business - a business leaders point of view

As a fellow business leader, I wanted to share with you how a badly designed website or a poorly updated website can seriously affect the bottom line of your business when it comes to gaining new contracts.

Back in 07, I was with a new client discussing their website, and as part of the brief I asked how the current old site has affected their business. They told me how they lost a large contract with plenty of ongoing work due to the fact they had an old, outdated and poorly designed website, which was not good as they were in the process of growing their business and this contract played a large part of this growth.

Let me share with you how this happened. The website had not been updated in years, they had no control over it and the design was seriously dated and looked very unprofessional. As they tendered for this new contract, all was going well, in fact they were about to sign on the dotted line except they needed the approval from the Board of Directors from the holding company (this should have been only a pen pushing exercise) as my client was the preferred supplier and was going to be appointed the contract. The Board of Directors on this occasion decided to look at the website of my new client to check out who they were, and when the saw the old website they stopped the contract and enforced that a new company was found.

Now this is only one example that they were told about, god knows how many more they could have lost due to a poorly designed outdated website, this when they brought us in to solve this.

Businesses must realise that their website is a critical part of their brand and cannot afford to take shortcuts when designing their website and having control over it.

Three talks in a week!

So, the Easter holidays are over for another year and the four days off has certainly helped the batteries recharge a little. Which is very good for me as this week I'll be giving three talks to various businesses in Hampshire and Dorset, spreading my words of wisdom about web design and online marketing.

If anyone is interested in coming along, the three talks are as follows;

Wednesday 26th March - 7am - 10am - Understanding Google Analytics
This will be very much along the lines of the talk which I gave a few weeks ago in Poole, Dorset. I'll be examining how Google Analytics can be used to get better understanding of how your website is working and how best to capitalise on the information.

Book here - http://www.businesslinkhampshireiow.co.uk/events/
results.aspx?keywords=&EventSubjects=412


Thursday 27th March - 5.30pm - 7.30pm - Benefits of social networking sites for businesses
Going on from the presentation I gave last year in Dorset, this talk will be looking further into social networks and getting to grips with how they can be used to benefits businesses looking to target more clients online.

Book here -
http://www.adido-solutions.com/resources/events/dorset-events.aspx

Friday 28th March - 12pm - 2pm - Discover the power of PR and website marketing
I will be presenting with national PR and marketing agency Aylesworth Fleming to talk about how PR, both offline and online, can be used to increase exposure for businesses to help reach new markets.

Book here -
http://www.adido-solutions.com/cms/site/news/
adido_and_aylesworth_fleming_pr_one_off_seminar_.aspx


I always like giving presentations. It helps me to clarify things in my own head sometimes and also allows me to put down how these technologies work in the simplest terms so that anyone can understand them. Standing on stage and talking for 45+ minutes isn't easy and the hardest part I find is actually knowing which level to pitch the talks at. Are the people in the crowd new to this? Have they been doing it for years?

My assumption is always that a certain percentage of people will come along because they may have heard about whatever subject it is, without knowing anything about it, so if I target the talk for them, then at least everyone should be able to understand. (e.g. What does SEO mean? PPC - how does that work?, What on earth are social networks? What's the future of the Internet? I want to know about web design basics etc)

Do I get it right all the time? Probably not, but I've got a lot better and more confident over the years and the feedback seems to be more positive.

I guess getting 'engagement' face-to-face is a lot easier than online!

Conversational media Vs Traditional media - Will the winner please listen up?

One of the big areas of speculation from the mainstream 'people in the know' is where advertising and marketing is heading online. It appears the big media players are all fighting it out to create massive ad networks, buy buying numerous media properties/networks, to supply the media agencies and please the publishers at the same time.

In a very good article by John Battelle today discussing the growth & creation of ad networks, he mentions the power of 'conversational marketing' and how big companies have yet to figure out how to make the most of it and make it scalable, especially in relation to building brands online.

I was watching TV tonight and saw an advert for Shredded Wheat cereal;



and realised that some times getting the right message across is very difficult.

In this Shredded Wheat example, all I can see when I watch the advert is the ad agency sat in the big office coming up with ideas on whiteboards, not the people talking. I know it's not real and I'm not engaged with it. I can see why the idea of various people talking about how great the various features of the product could be good. Yes, it will work for a lot of people. Unfortunately I've become so involved/cynical about the whole 'mass media' advertising process that all I see are story boards and people sat in big offices coming up with lines to use on the advert.

The use of aged people = targeting the different demographics, very clever. The fact there are no artificial flavourings or colours = appeal to the health conscious consumer etc etc.

Big ad agencies are very used to creating adverts in this way, as pointed out by Mr Battelle. However can the message be conveyed in a better through conversational media and channels? The use of this new medium, conversational marketing, where communication is to two way, rather than one, is a big change and one which will appeal to different audiences. But with more and more ad spend going online and more and more time being spent online (up to six hours a week), how long is going to be before companies and agencies 'get' that broadcasting your messages isn't the best way to communicate?

Listening is becoming more important than ever, especially online, and companies who 'get' that, will succeed online.

How to remove yourself from Google

Being a web design company full of 'web gurus' (hey, these aren't my words, they're our clients!) we often get asked weird and wonderful questions about web design, online promotion, Google and anything else which people are unsure about when it comes to the Interweb. Most of the time these questions are asked to help companies get a better understanding of the Internet and how to make the most from their investments.

However, there are occasions when there are more serious issues which need to be resolved. Something which I've been asked several times is 'How do I remove myself from the Google listings?'. Unfortunately when I've been asked this question in the past, the reasons haven't been particularly favourable and often there is a very good & legitimate reason for someone to have their information removed from the listings.

Regrettably getting information taken out of the Google listing or Google search results pages, isn't very easy and the tools available to remove yourself are limited.

One of the easiest ways to try to remove yourself, is by using the Google Webpage Removal Request Tool (bit of a mouthful!). This tool allows you to submit a request to remove a webpage or yourself from the Google Index and to submit a reason why.


One important thing to remember though, you can only submit a request to Google to remove a page. It is up to them to review your request and so they may so Yes but may also say No. There are no guarantees that the web page will be removed. So it is up to you to make your description & reason compelling enough.

However, if you have a Google Account, then your submission can be logged and you can check to see it's status at any point to monitor its progress.



Provide you have a good, legitimate reason, then you should be able to page the page removed from Google. I have used this tool successfully in the past so know that it works (eventually).

If you've any other experiences or questions about removing yourself from Google, we'd like to hear it! Leave a comment below!

Tut tut, Google forgot!

It would seem that Google are so busy nowadays building their new products and trying to take down Microsoft, that they are forgetting to keep on top of things. Yesterday evening some users of Google Adwords may have noticed that there was an issue with their secure certificate expiring (see below).



It would appear that this has now been fixed but still, it is a little worrying to see that a company of this size making this oversight / mistake.

It looks that it is now fixed so someone has looked at it, albeit a little too late!

Google analytics seminar follow up

Last Thursday saw the resumption of the Adido online marketing and web design seminar talks in Bournemouth, to give advice to our attendees on how to get the most from Google analytics. The talk covered the main areas of Google analytics that businesses struggle to get to grips with. During the talk several questions were asked that I'll answer in a bit more detail here.

What is the difference between 'absolute new visits' and 'new visitors'?
The answer I gave on this isn't 100% correct. Personally I think the labels used here are a bit misleading. An 'absolute new visit' refers to someone who has never, ever been onto the website before in the past (or at least isn't known to have come on the website before, a subtle but important difference). A 'new visitor' is someone who has been on the website before but is counted in the date range selected. So, for example, someone could have been on the website in the previous month, but if you date range is the current month and the visitor has been on the site three times in this month, they will be a 'new visitor' only once, but will not be 'absolute new visit'.

Clear? Hopefully, but if you still don't understand what I'm on about, then why not read the official Google line absolute new Vs New visitors.

Although Google analytics shows me the keywords people type in,what about the words that they don't type in?

A common problem facing companies who want to market their website more effectively is knowing which phrases to select for their SEO campaigns. This is often best left to experienced web design companies (like us :) to carry out proper keyword research but for those just starting out, then this can be achieved using a variety of free keyword tools, like Wordtracker.

These tools are really great at helping you identify new phrases to target which you may not have thought about or considered. However, don't underestimate your web analytics or stats packages as they will tell you which words people have already typed in. This can't be underestimated, as people have already taken the effort to type in something into that search box and visit your website. Of course, it's hugely important to track this against conversions, but if you can see that people visit your website on these phrases, they may be easy 'wins' to get them pushed a bit more up the rankings to increase visability for little effort.


Other questions were asked which I am unable to recall, but with other online marketing and website talks in the pipeline in the coming weeks, I'll endeavour to take note and answer more here...