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miercuri, 10 octombrie 2012

What's Going On with Our Branded Organic Traffic?

Posted: 09 Oct 2012 07:51 PM PDT

We've been experiencing an interesting pattern in our branded organic traffic over the last few months. I know SEOmoz can't be the only ones experiencing this trend, so I want to call out what I've been seeing in the SEOmoz data.

We've been seeing gentle but steady organic growth in 2012, along with a small seasonal dip in early summer:

SEOmoz Organic Traffic 2012

However, when we look at just our branded organic traffic, we're seeing a different story altogether:

Branded Organic Traffic 2012

Branded organic visits are taken from an Advanced Segment I've set up in Google Analytics. It captures any organic traffic that comes in via keywords including our brand terms (seomoz, open site explorer, etc.) and variations on our brand terms (seo moz, seo mox, OSE, etc.).

Digging into this data a bit, I compared visits from April 2012 (the first available 30-day month of the year) with September 2012 in GA and got the following results for our top four branded terms:

"seomoz" declined 26.26%
"open site explorer" declined 37.04%
"opensiteexplorer" declined 28.16%
"seo moz" declined 33.10%

Is interest in our brand declining?

I was pretty sure that the decrease in branded traffic wasn't a decrease at all. Instead, our drop in branded keyword tracking was a casualty of Google masking keyword data for some users.

However, I needed to make sure we weren't losing brand equity. Reduced search volume for our branded terms would be a bad sign for us. I put together a test to make sure our branded organic traffic (probably) wasn't actually declining.

I took a look at Google Trends data for the four terms listed above and found that while some of them have seen some volatility in interest over the course of 2012, none of them has seen a significant decline in search volume when comparing April to September (note the drop at the end from this week's incomplete data).

The term "seomoz" remains very steady:

seomoz interest over time

"open site explorer" saw dips in interest in April and July, but had returned to the 80-100 level by September:

open site explorer interest over time

"seo moz" has seen the most significant decline, but by removing the three outlying peaks from this cart, we can see interest remaining fairly steady (especially since July):

seo moz interest over time

"opensiteexplorer" has actually seen an increase in interest since late July:

opensiteexplorer interest over time

For one last sanity check, I exported our rankings history from 2012. I was pretty sure I'd have noticed if SEOmoz properties had slipped from #1 for these terms, and sure enough, they haven't.

What is going on with our branded traffic?

I'm confident that I cracked the case in regards to our branded traffic. If search volume hasn't declined and we are still ranking the same, it's a reasonable assumption that our branded organic traffic has not, in fact, fallen off.

The culprit is our old pal, (not provided).

In the same period that we saw the decline in branded traffic listed above, we also saw a 42.02% increase in (not provided) traffic. In September, (not provided) accounted for 63% of our organic search traffic, compared to 51.7% of our organic traffic in April. Remember when (not provided) was only supposed to affect 5% of searches? That was fun.

Since (like most sites) our branded terms are also our most popular overall organic terms, it stands to reason that a large portion of that (not provided) traffic is made up of branded organic traffic. SEOmoz is harder-hit by this than some other sites because we have such a tech-savvy audience: our users are more likely than some other demographics to be using Firefox or signed in to Google Accounts.

What kind of increase have you seen in (not provided) traffic since the beginning of the year? Is it affecting your branded terms?

Sign up for The Moz Top 10, a semimonthly mailer updating you on the top ten hottest pieces of SEO news, tips, and rad links uncovered by the Moz team. Think of it as your exclusive digest of stuff you don't have time to hunt down but want to read!

Happy Birthday, Bo!

Your Daily Snapshot for
Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2012

Happy Birthday, Bo!

Bo, the Obama family dog, celebrated his fourth birthday yesterday. America's First Pup has had quite the busy year here at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, so we put together a collection of some of our favorite photos.

Check out some of our favorite photos of Bo.

President Barack Obama pets Bo, the Obama family dog, in the Oval Office, June 21, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Seth's Blog : Useful and believable promises

Useful and believable promises

That's another way to think about marketing.

We only sign up/pay attention to/pay for offers from marketers when:

What's promised is something we think is worth more than it costs

and

We believe you're the best person to keep that promise.

This applies to resumes, meetings and even the kid raking your lawn.

If your marketing isn't working, it's either because your promises aren't useful (and big) enough or we don't believe you're the one to keep them.

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marți, 9 octombrie 2012

Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis

Is Obamacare Responsible for the Surge in Part-Time Jobs? What About Obama's Defense Layoff Suspensions?

Posted: 09 Oct 2012 11:47 AM PDT

Following the surprise drop in the unemployment rate last Friday, I have seen many conspiracy charges leveled against the BLS.

I do not believe any of the conspiracy charges. Had Obama instructed the BLS to juice the numbers, someone in the BLS would surely be yapping. They are not all Democrats. Many were hired under President Bush.

Is Obamacare Responsible for Surge in Part-Time Jobs?

Some stated the 582,000 surge in part-time workers was a seasonal thing based on teachers going back to work. I do not buy that explanation either because the surge in part-time workers and the decline in the unemployment rate were seasonally adjusted.

One likely explanation is an outlier and the data will be revised lower soon enough (or the previous month's of weakness up). There is a second possible explanation although the timing as to precisely when it would matter is uncertain.

Please consider Staffing Companies: How to Profit from Obamacare's Job Outsourcing.

Obamacare is so huge and transformative, its effects will be felt far beyond just the healthcare sector; its tentacles of government control and penal taxes will permeate and affect the entire U.S. economy.

According to the Heritage Foundation – a Washington think tank – Obamacare's employer mandate will increase the cost of employing a single minimum-wage employee by $3,588 per year. The employer burden is even greater for minimum-wage employees with a family; in that case, the extra cost will be $11,026 per year.

You might think that one way around this problem would be for employers to offer unskilled workers cheaper health insurance with higher deductibles. Think again. Obamacare has a non-discrimination provision that says that if an employer offers health insurance, all full-time employees must be offered the same "minimum essential benefits" and at a cost that is no higher than 9.5% of the employee's household income. Bottom line: there is no escape for employers of full-time workers.

The only solution is for employers to eliminate full-time employment positions for unskilled workers earning near minimum wage. Since businesses need unskilled workers for certain functions, employers will only offer temporary and part-time positions to these poor workers because temporary and part-time jobs are exempted from Obamacare's employer mandate provisions.

Diana Furchtgott-Roth, former chief economist at the U.S. Department of Labor and now a Senior Fellow at the Manhattan Institute, came to a similar conclusion:

If an employer offers insurance, but an employee qualifies for subsidies under the new health care exchanges because the insurance premium exceeds 9.5 percent of his income, his employer must pay $3,000 per worker. This combination of penalties gives businesses a powerful incentive to downsize, replace full-time employees with part-timers, and contract out work to other firms or individuals.

Businesses can reduce costs by hiring part-time workers instead of full-time workers. A firm with 85,000 full-time workers and 7,000 part-time workers that does not offer health insurance would pay a tax of $170 million. By keeping the number of hours worked the same, and gradually reducing full-time workers and increasing part-time workers, until the firm reaches 17,000 full-time workers and 92,000 part-time workers, the tax is reduced to $34 million. If the firm abandons full-time workers altogether, admittedly an unlikely option, but useful for illustration, the tax is reduced to zero.

What About Obama's Defense Layoff Suspensions?

Diana Furchtgott-Roth writing for Real Clear Markets notes Obama Asks Big Business to Break the Law.

The White House has initiated an effort, possibly extra-legal, to head off required layoff notices to employees of defense contractors on the cusp of Election Day. Worse, without congressional approval, it has offered to pay firms' penalties and court costs, potentially $500 million or more, out of the Pentagon budget.

Layoff notices are required by November 1, according to the 1988 Workers Adjustment and Notification Act (WARN),because deep cuts in military spending, known as sequestration, are currently scheduled to take effect on January 1. If cuts occur, they will lead to mass layoffs.

The Obama administration is concerned that layoff notices could cost the Obama-Biden ticket votes, especially in Ohio and Virginia, swing states with a strong defense presence.

It is the first time in history that the White House has asked firms not to file layoff notices.

In a memorandum dated September 28, the White House Office of Management and Budget counseled defense employers not to issue layoff notices on November 1.

OMB assured employers that if they did not send out layoff notices and layoffs occurred, the "contracting agency," namely the Pentagon, would absorb the penalties and attorneys' fees the employers would have to pay, a significant cost to taxpayers.

If firms don't file WARN notices and plant closings or layoffs of more than 500 workers occur, employers are liable for penalties of 60 days back pay and benefits paid to workers.

No problem, says OMB in the memo, the contracting agency will pay the costs. It specified that if sequestration occurs and the contractor has followed Labor Department guidelines, "any resulting employee compensation costs for WARN Act liability as determined by a court, as well as attorneys' fees and other litigation costs (irrespective of litigation outcome), would qualify as allowable costs and be covered by the contracting agency, if reasonable and allowable."

It's not clear that the White House has the authority to offer to pay the costs.

Nevertheless, defense companies, such as Lockheed Martin and Boeing, which were planning to send out notices to tens of thousands of workers, have announced that they will refrain.

Blatant Manipulation

This is clear manipulation by president Obama. That said, it would not affect the unemployment rate now. Nor is it a conspiracy.

However, it was a cowardly act, one that certainly cannot inspire confidence in the president at all.

For more on the jobs situation, participation rate, and controversy regarding the surprising drop in the unemployment rate, please see ...

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com

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Hostile Reception For Merkel in Greece; Anti-Fascist Protesters Claim 'Tortured by Police' Following Golden Dawn Clash; Radicalism Takes Hold

Posted: 09 Oct 2012 09:16 AM PDT

I am not sure what German Chancellor Angela Merkel expected to accomplish in Greece, but whatever it was, it does not seem to have worked.

The Financial Times reports on the Hostile reception for Merkel in Athens

Angela Merkel flew in to a hostile reception from angry Greeks on Tuesday as security forces took tough measures to restrict or eliminate protests in central Athens, firing tear gas at demonstrators who tried to break through a police barrier.

Ms Merkel was given the red carpet treatment and full military honours at Athens airport. But on the streets it was a different matter, with more than 7,000 police officers deployed to keep demonstrators away from the German leader.

Sections of the capital were cordoned off and public gatherings in certain areas, including outside the German embassy, were banned.

Thousands of Greeks gathered in Syntagma Square in central Athens as Ms Merkel arrived. The demonstration – while vocal – was mostly peaceful but the mood was angry.

Giant banners declared: "Angela, you are not welcome," and "Out with the Fourth Reich". One caricature showed the chancellor in a swastika armband, being kicked from behind by Karagiozis, a Greek puppet representing the country's impoverished past.

Public sector unionists holding their second demonstration against the visit in as many days voiced resentment of what many Greeks see as excessive austerity policies imposed by Germany.

"She [Ms Merkel] came to tell us that we have to swallow more measures . . . It's unacceptable, she has no idea at all what Greeks are going through," said Lakis Papazoglou, a former local government worker unemployed since his contract ended this year. "She has no idea at all what Greeks are going through"

A jeep carrying men dressed in full Nazi regalia, and giving the familiar salute, drew huge cheers when it rolled down Stadiou Street towards the main square.

Alexis Tsipras, leader of the radical leftwing Syriza coalition, the main parliamentary opposition, spoke to the defiant mood in Syntagma Square, saying: "The democratic tradition of Europe won't allow a European people, the Greeks, to become a guinea pig [for harsh reforms] and a giant graveyard."

Anti-Fascist Protesters 'Tortured by Police'

Meanwhile Greek anti-fascist protesters 'tortured by police' after Golden Dawn clash.

Fifteen anti-fascist protesters arrested in Athens during a clash with supporters of the neo-Nazi party Golden Dawn have said they were tortured in the Attica General Police Directorate (GADA) – the Athens equivalent of Scotland Yard – and subjected to what their lawyer describes as an Abu Ghraib-style humiliation.

Members of a second group of 25 who were arrested after demonstrating in support of their fellow anti-fascists the next day said they were beaten and made to strip naked and bend over in front of officers and other protesters inside the same police station.

Some said they were burned on the arms with a cigarette lighter, and they said police officers videoed them on their mobile phones and threatened to post the pictures on the internet and give their home addresses to Golden Dawn, which has a track record of political violence.

One man with a bleeding head wound and a broken arm that he said had been sustained during his arrest alleged the police continued to beat him in GADA and refused him medical treatment until the next morning. Another said the police forced his legs apart and kicked him in the testicles during the arrest.

In response to the allegations, Christos Manouras, press spokesman for the Hellenic police, said: "There was no use of force by police officers against anyone in GADA. The Greek police examine and investigate in depth every single report regarding the use of violence by police officers; if there are any responsibilities arising, the police take the imposed disciplinary action against the officers responsible. There is no doubt that the Greek police always respect human rights and don't use violence."

Rise of Neo-Nazis

I do not know how widespread police support is for Golden Dawn. However, the Greek government is very concerned as noted in Greek State Tries to Stem Neo-Nazi Rise.

Stopping the rise of the neo-Nazis is going to be very difficult if there is widespread police support for Golden Dawn.

Radicalism Takes Hold

One thing is for sure, five years of economic depression is driving Greek citizens away from the center towards radical left and radical right parties.

Those parties have one thing in common, they want to default on Greek debt.

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com

Damn Cool Pics

Military Wives Strip Down to Draw Attention to PTSD
Riding the Housing Market Roller Coaster [Infographic]
2CELLOS Cover Nirvana Classic "Smells Like Teen Spirit"

Military Wives Strip Down to Draw Attention to PTSD

Posted: 09 Oct 2012 03:53 PM PDT

A group of military wives whose husbands returned from combat with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) decided that if they were going to draw attention to the need for more and better help for their husbands, they were going to have to get creative.

The unique project called Battling Bare features dozens of military wives with the pledge written on their bare bodies. The poetic message read: 'Broken by battle, wounded by war, my love is forever, to you this I swore. I will quiet your silent screams, help heal your shattered soul, until once again my love you are whole.'

Riding the Housing Market Roller Coaster [Infographic]

Posted: 09 Oct 2012 10:02 AM PDT

During the five-year long real estate crash, US home values have dropped by over a combined $9 trillion.

Via Realestate

2CELLOS Cover Nirvana Classic "Smells Like Teen Spirit"

Posted: 08 Oct 2012 08:33 PM PDT

2CELLOS - the Croatian cello duo of Luka Šulić and Stjepan Hauser - hit the YouTube jackpot with their cover of Michael Jackson's "Smooth Criminal," and later the Guns N Roses classic "Welcome To The Jungle." In a recent visit to the SiriusXM studios, they performed Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" during an interview with SiriusXM Pops host Paul Bachmann.

miercuri, 10 octombrie 2012

What's Going On with Our Branded Organic Traffic?

What's Going On with Our Branded Organic Traffic?

Is interest in our brand declining?

What is going on with our branded traffic?

Happy Birthday, Bo!

Seth's Blog : Useful and believable promises

Useful and believable promises

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marți, 9 octombrie 2012

Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis

Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis

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miercuri, 10 octombrie 2012

Is interest in our brand declining?

What is going on with our branded traffic?

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marți, 9 octombrie 2012

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