joi, 7 aprilie 2011

Google Traffic – Confusing Love and Money Graywolf's SEO Blog

Google Traffic – Confusing Love and Money Graywolf's SEO Blog


Google Traffic – Confusing Love and Money

Posted: 07 Apr 2011 07:27 AM PDT

Post image for Google Traffic – Confusing Love and Money

I recently came across an article that was bemoaning the fact that the travel blogging space has become overrun with low level search intended writing, and the actual feet on the ground, first hand, personal travel experiences are disappearing from the web. IMHO this author has confused love and money, a common complaint in the web publishing world.

The question you need to ask yourself is whether you are in the game for love or money … cause you can’t have both …
To be honest, most of us will agree that the first hand, personal experience type of writing that someone does because they truly enjoy the subject is of a better quality and is what we really want to read and learn from. But it’s also more likely to be long winded, harder to digest, filled with flowery, non-keyword-focused adjectives and stuck on a site with a completely un-navigable site architecture. Search engine optimizers know how to organize and put content into the “language” a search engine can understand. Most travel writers, unless they have played with SEO, throw their hands in the air in frustration and wonder why Google can’t just figure it out.

Let’s take a look at another issue. Recently the Food 52 had an article about how Google’s new recipe algorithm was biased towards large sites that had IT staff who could republish their entire site with recipe meta data so Google could understand it. The writer also made the argument that larger sites with the budgets to do calorie computations would receive an unfair advantage.

…I do know the economics of advertising and production will choose the winner …
If you read further into the article, you’ll notice what’s really lurking under the surface is the author’s personal bias against fast and easy low calories recipes. In the article, she uses an example, an extremely complicated French recipe called a “cassoulet”. Now we’re confusing someone’s love of haute cuisine with the reality that most people simply don’t want to cook on a daily basis. There’s a reason Rachel Ray will sell more 30 minute meal cook books than David Chang’s Momofuku. It’s not that her food tastes better; it’s that her recipes and cooking style are much more accessible to most people than David Chang’s. Some of his recipes take days to prepare–trust me, I’ve tried.

But back to the recipe argument. Iis there some truth to her assertion? Yes. For example, Aaron Chronister, creator of the Bacon Explosion, showed me how he doesn’t rank for a recipe he created.

Bacon Explosion Recipe Search

In this case Google got it wrong, and they are partially to blame because they changed the rules in the middle of the game without realizing that not everyone will be able to update to the new format so quickly. Some people are in the game because they love to cook and, for them, it’s not about the money.

We are at a disruptive time in the publishing world. The barriers to publish are so low they are non existent (see Cognitive Surplus Review  by Clay Shirky). Google’s adsense allows anyone to monetize a website via adsense without needing a sales or accounting team. Large publishers have scaled creation costs so low that content is a commodity just to wrap advertising around . The New York Times is trying to find a balance between setting information free and charging for access and failing miserably at it. I can’t tell you where we are going to end up, but I do know the economics of advertising and production will choose the winner. The question you need to ask yourself is whether you are in the game for love or money … cause you can’t have both.

tla starter kit

Related posts:

  1. Google Love Affair with Wikipedia Much has been said about Google algorithmic favoritism for Wikipedia....
  2. Google Personalized Search – Don’t Become a Google Traffic Addict Recently I was doing a bit of research on personalized...
  3. Is Google Stealing Your Content and Hijacking Your Traffic Google has long been an advocate of “build great content”;...
  4. How Google Desktop Can Drive traffic to Your Website Recently I was discussing how the disparity of numbers in...
  5. Repeat Business: There’s More of You to Love Are you familiar with the following concept?  It is much...

Advertisers:

  1. Text Link Ads - New customers can get $100 in free text links.
  2. BOTW.org - Get a premier listing in the internet's oldest directory.
  3. Ezilon.com Regional Directory - Check to see if your website is listed!
  4. Directory Journal - Get permanent deep links in a search engine friendly directory
  5. Glass Whiteboards - For a professional durable white board with no ghosting, streaking or marker stains, see my Glass Whiteboard Review
  6. Need an SEO Audit for your website, look at my SEO Consulting Services
  7. Link Building- Backlink Build offers 45 PR5+ Backlinks for $295
  8. KnowEm - Protect your brand, product or company name with a continually growing list of social media sites.
  9. Links From PR9 Sites - - Get In Top 3 Google ASAP
  10. Scribe SEO Review find out how to better optimize your wordpress posts.
  11. TigerTech - Great Web Hosting service at a great price.
  12. What Motivates You - what makes you want to get up and be successful

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

Google Traffic – Confusing Love and Money

Why Google’s +1 Needs an On Page Component

Posted: 06 Apr 2011 08:18 AM PDT

Post image for Why Google’s +1 Needs an On Page Component

Last week Google announced a new addition to the search engine results page: the +1 button. While there was a huge amount of press surrounding the launch, after playing with it for a few days, I don’t think it’s going to work unless it has an on page component … soon.

Let”s talk about what Google got right. The button is easy to use, unlike sidewiki or the privacy invading Google buzz. They also mimicked the Facebook link button closely enough that the average user will get the concept pretty readily. The “your friends also liked this” functionality also closely mimics Facebook. If you think this wasn’t intentional, you are a bit naive.

Facebook Friends

Google +1 Friends

That said, what Google got wrong was the omission of a button on the landing page. At the time this post was written, there is no button that publishers can put on their website pages. You can only get on the mailing list to be notified when one becomes available. IMHO this is a huge mistake.

For the like button to “work” as it currently stands, one of two things have to happen:

  • A user has to do the same or similar searches often and click the +1 button before clicking the SERP listing
  • The user clicks the SERP listing and loves it so much, they go back and click the +1 button

IMHO neither of these scenarios seems very likely, and it shows that Google really doesn’t understand how or why customers really use social media. Businesses “think” people “like” them out of a sense of loyalty; while that may be true for some, many are just looking for “sales”, “discounts” or “promo codes”. Let’s be honest–the most likely reason that someone would fan Williams Sonoma on Facebook is to get a discount and to see new recipes. There are hundreds of other little reasons, but those two are the biggest “value adds” to the end user. No one REALLY wants to be friends with a company.

If Google really wants people to use the +1 button, they are going to need to make it REALLY easy to use. They are also going to have to create some way for the customer to get something from using the +1 button. Without those two factors, the only reason people will use the +1 button is if a marketer incentivizes it with cash or free samples. The eggheads in the Google ivory tower may think people will work for free to make the world (and the Google index) a better place, but in the real world people will work harder on the things that bring more cash into their own lives, not into someone else’s.

tla starter kit

Related posts:

  1. Optimizing WordPress Page Titles, Post Titles and Page Slugs While wordpress is one of my favorite CMS platforms, out...
  2. How Google is Reverse Engineering Page Dates In recent weeks I’ve noticed a disturbing new trend in...
  3. Your Facebook Fan Page – 5 Ways to Make the Most of It If your business targets consumers, do you already have a...
  4. How to Add Singular and Plural Keywords to Your Page Titles This post is a short response to a question I received via...
  5. One Page Wonders Jeff Libert, CEO, DirectoryCompany.com Ted Ulle, Partner, The MEWS Group...

Advertisers:

  1. Text Link Ads - New customers can get $100 in free text links.
  2. BOTW.org - Get a premier listing in the internet's oldest directory.
  3. Ezilon.com Regional Directory - Check to see if your website is listed!
  4. Directory Journal - Get permanent deep links in a search engine friendly directory
  5. Glass Whiteboards - For a professional durable white board with no ghosting, streaking or marker stains, see my Glass Whiteboard Review
  6. Need an SEO Audit for your website, look at my SEO Consulting Services
  7. Link Building- Backlink Build offers 45 PR5+ Backlinks for $295
  8. KnowEm - Protect your brand, product or company name with a continually growing list of social media sites.
  9. Links From PR9 Sites - - Get In Top 3 Google ASAP
  10. Scribe SEO Review find out how to better optimize your wordpress posts.
  11. TigerTech - Great Web Hosting service at a great price.
  12. What Motivates You - what makes you want to get up and be successful

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

Why Google’s +1 Needs an On Page Component

President Obama on the Ongoing Budget Negotiations

The White House Your Daily Snapshot for
Thursday, April 7, 2011
 

President Obama on the Ongoing Budget Negotiations

Last night, President Obama delivered a statement on the ongoing budget negotiations after meeting with Speaker of the House John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

Watch the video.

Photo of the Day

First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden greet participants during a roundtable meeting with military spouses, veterans, and volunteers to discuss the military families initiative, in Dr. Biden's office in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, April 6, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

In Case You Missed It

Here are some of the top stories from the White House blog.

Benefits of High-Speed Rail Draw A Crowd
High-speed rail can be the transportation innovation that drives the economy of the future. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood lays out the benefits of investing in high-speed rail today.

Reducing Oil Imports and Competing for the Jobs of the Future
President Obama visits the Gamesa Plant in Fair Hills, Pennsylvania and holds a town hall discussion with workers there about building a 21st century clean energy economy.

How Energy Efficiency is "Lighting Up" the Streets of Philadelphia
Philadelphia has been leading the way in implementing clean energy technology throughout the city. President Obama will hold a town hall at a wind turbine manufacturing facility just outside the city to talk about America's clean energy future.

Today's Schedule

All times are Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).

9:30 AM: The President and the Vice President receive the Presidential Daily Briefing

12:30 PM: The President and the Vice President meet for lunch

12:30 PM: Briefing by Press Secretary Jay Carney WhiteHouse.gov/live

1:00 PM: The President and the Vice President meet with Speaker John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to discuss ongoing negotiations on a funding bill

2:00 PM: The President meets with Secretary of the Treasury Geithner

2:15 PM: The Vice President meets with Senator Lindsey Graham

3:45 PM: The President meets with Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos

4:20 PM: The President and Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos will deliver statements to the press

5:00 PM: Open for Questions: Behind the Scenes - 1 year of West Wing Week WhiteHouse.gov/live

WhiteHouse.gov/live Indicates events that will be live streamed on White House.com/Live.

Get Updates

Sign Up for the Daily Snapshot 

Stay Connected

 

This email was sent to Email Address
Manage Subscriptions for Email Address
Sign Up for Updates from the White House

Unsubscribe Email Address | Privacy Policy

Please do not reply to this email. Contact the White House

The White House • 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW • Washington, DC 20500 • 202-456-1111 
    
 

 

 
  
 

SEOptimise

SEOptimise


40 Google +1 SEO Resources

Posted: 06 Apr 2011 07:31 AM PDT

By now I’m quite weary of the manifold failed attempts by Google to enter the social media arena. We had:

  1. Google Answers
  2. Google Bookmarks
  3. Google SearchWiki
  4. Google SideWiki
  5. Jaiku
  6. Google Wave
  7. Google Buzz

to name just the most known failed or abandoned Google social media services. As with most of the previous offerings, last week’s Google +1 started in a clumsy beta or rather alpha version. I didn’t even want to test it at first, but then all the search and SEO publications frantically reported about it so I felt compelled to give it a try.

I encountered many difficulties, and it took me two hours just to “get it”.

Google +1 is way too complicated right now and it was quite buggy when I tried it over recent days. The Google +1 page itself redirected me to 404 pages in German (I’m in Germany) despite browser and Google preferences.

When Google +1 finally worked for me, I tried to use it extensively but to no avail. Nobody has noticed my +1s it seems, and I barely see any by others.

Still, everybody is writing about it and the list of resources is already huge. Furthermore, there are high profile people in the SEO industry who actually suggest we jump into it. So to provide a more objective resource, I decided to compile the links and to enable you to make your own choices.

 

Google +1 on and by Google itself

 

How to use Google +1

 

Analysis and overview

 

Opinion (pros and cons)

 

Google +1 SEO resources

 

Miscellaneous resources

 

So I guess you can’t ignore Google +1; but equally, you don’t have to hurry up and amass +1 votes even though Google announced that they will count as a ranking factor (in contrast to Google SearchWiki, for example).

One year from now will see whether Google +1 is still around, and even if it is, whether it’s actually alive and not used only by bots.

The Facebook Like button depends on the biggest social network there is. There is no Google social network and there is no such thing as a search network; even Blekko relies on Facebook Likes to socialise search results.

So the +1 button must offer something of real value to succeed at all. Only significant traffic and Google ranking improvements will motivate webmasters to introduce it along with the Facebook and Twitter buttons.

© SEOptimise – Download our free business guide to blogging whitepaper and sign-up for the SEOptimise monthly newsletter. 40 Google +1 SEO Resources

Related posts:

  1. 40 Google Instant SEO, SEM & Analytics Resources
  2. 36 Must-Read Local SEO/Google Places Resources from 2010/2011
  3. Will Facebook Search Become the Dominant Player?

Seth's Blog : Perfect vs. interesting

Perfect vs. interesting

There are two jobs available to most of us:

You can be the person or the organization that's perfect. The one that always ships on time, without typos, that delivers flawlessly and dots every i. You can be the hosting company or the doctor that might be boring, but is always right.

Or you can be the person or the organization that's interesting. The thing about being interesting, making a ruckus, creating remarkable products and being magnetic is that you only have to be that way once in a while. No one is expected to be interesting all the time.

Fedex vs. Playwrights Horizons.

When an interesting person is momentarily not-interesting, I wait patiently. When a perfect organization, the boring one that's constantly using its policies to dumb things down, is imperfect, I get annoyed. Because perfect has to be perfect all the time.

 
Email to a friend

More Recent Articles

[You're getting this note because you subscribed to Seth Godin's blog.]

Don't want to get this email anymore? Click the link below to unsubscribe.


Click here to safely unsubscribe now from "Seth's Blog" or change your subscription, view mailing archives or subscribe

Your requested content delivery powered by FeedBlitz, LLC, 9 Thoreau Way, Sudbury, MA 01776, USA. +1.978.776.9498