The Future of Search: 2013 Search Engine Ranking Factors Released

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The Future of Search: 2013 Search Engine Ranking Factors Released Posted: 01 Oct 2013 04:01 PM PDT Posted by Cyrus-Shepard Every two years, Moz surveys over 100 top industry professionals to compile our biennial Search Engine Ranking Factors. For 2013, we've supplemented the survey with real-world correlation data from a scientific examination of over 17,000 keyword search results by Dr. Matt Peters and his data science team. We've released some of the 2013 data previously, but not the full set until now. So with great pleasure, I present the complete results of this year's survey and correlation data: 2013 Search Engine Ranking Factors Why do we call it ranking factors? Google claims to use over 200 signals in its search algorithm. While we don't know what exactly these signals are, it's helpful to examine high-ranking pages so that we can begin to understand the characteristic of pages search engines like to reward. This can give us a "hint" as to the ranking factors the search engines actually use. "Correlation is not causation but it sure is a hint." - Edward Tufte For example, if the correlation data shows us that high-ranking pages are associated with a high number of external backlinks, we might guess that backlinks are still an important part of Google's algorithm. On the other hand, the correlation data doesn't always point us toward a direct ranking factor (causation), but instead only points us towards the characteristics of high-ranking pages. For example, this year's data shows an amazing correlation between the number of Google+1's and higher rankings, yet Google representatives state +1's aren't used in the algorithm. This doesn't mean sharing on Google+ isn't important, but does tell us we should pay closer attention to try to understand why pages with a lot of +1's are also pages that tend to rank higher in search results. This post and chart by Rand Fishkin helps illustrate the difference between correlation and causation. Comparing correlation metrics This year's Ranking Factors contains an interactive chart that allows you to compare different categories of correlations against each other, such as in this snippet comparing page-level link metrics (yellow) to domain-level link metrics (blue). By comparing the data, we find that high-ranking URLs are more highly correlated with page-level link metrics than general domain-level link metrics. What's really incredible about this view is that Page Authority is the most highly correlated metric in this year's study at 0.39, making it one of the most highly correlated SEO metrics we've ever observed. On-page keyword usage vs. page-level anchor text While the correlation with on-page keyword usage has declined over the years, the correlations with page-level anchor text remain as strong as ever. For instance, the number of root domains linking to the page with partial match anchor text has a 0.29 correlation. Social correlations vs. link metric correlations Social metrics have also gained a lot of attention in past years. Do they still correlate well with higher rankings? This chart compares social metric correlations with traditional link correlations. Here we see social metric correlations almost equal with link metric correlations. This almost perfectly illustrates the need to not jump to conclusions with correlation data, for while we suspect Google may use social data in its search algorithm, it's also true that pages that get a large number of social shares also tend to earn a high number of links. Just because a metric is highly correlated, doesn't mean Google uses that metric directly. The future of search: 128 industry experts lead the way Raw data only gets you so far. Often, the observations and experience from those on the ground goes much farther when working toward search marketing success. This year, we invited over 100 industry experts to weigh in on how they see search engines working, what tactics are successful, and what the future might hold. We asked each of our contributors about the future of search. The chart below shows where our experts think things are headed. Real world, in-depth insight We also asked each expert to weigh in on each survey question. Here are a few responses from the Future of Search question. Dev Basu "Social signals from Google+ will become more and more relevant over the next 12 months. Eventually Google+ will take equal, if not more, prominence than Facebook due to its position at the cross-section of search and social." Laura Lippay "Some of the research papers from universities and/or search engines have shown them testing things like how long the window is in focus, scrolling on a page, printing from a page, and-what I think is the most interesting one (used for testing a page's credibility)-automating the process of identifying topical experts and giving weight to the pages they visit." Todd Malicoat "Don't believe the hype of social and G+. They will increase in importance, but certainly not replace more traditional offsite factors. Inbound links and offsite equity will continue to be highly influential to search relevance when validated by other factors. Expect these offsite equity trust and authority factors to maintain a large portion of the importance that they've always held as the foundation of the Google algorithm." Read more expert comments and see the full data results in the 2013 Search Engine Ranking Factors. 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!

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Seth's Blog : Coordinate and amplify

 

Coordinate and amplify

If you've got an idea or you're working in marketing, the temptation is to seek out and evangelize those that 'don't get it,' to find and sell to the skeptics.

In fact, real change comes from finding and embracing and connecting and amplifying those that are inclined to like you and believe in you.

Ideas spread from person to person, not so much from you to them. So find your biggest fans and give them a story to tell.

       

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Get Unlimited SEO tools ranked #1 in the world. SubmitStart Sponsor. Unsubscribe from this list. Unlimited SEO Software to Help You Reach the Google Top10 880,000+ USERS IN 136 COUNTRIES RELY ON WEB CEO'S TOOLS AND ADVICE What you get with the Web CEO Suite: 12 TOOLS for site promotion, analysis and maintenance UNLIMITED projects to track and promote UNLIMITED keyword suggestions UNLIMITED rank checks for any number of keywords What's inside the Web CEO Suite: The Keyword Tool The Optimization Tool SEO Editor Content Submission Partner Finder PPC Manager Ranking Checker Backlink Checker Web Analytics Site Quality Auditor FTP Client Site Uptime Monitor "I have been using Web CEO for almost all my career and I can say that this tool is one of the best, if not the best for SEO reporting and advice." Christina Ageli, Travelplanet24.com, SEO Specialist Sent to e0nstar1.blog@gmail.com — why did I get this? unsubscribe from this list | update subscription preferences SubmitStart · Trade Center · Kristian IV:s väg 3 · Halmstad 302 50 · Sweden

Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis

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• DNC is Broke: Good News or Bad?
• Your New iPhone Can Cause "Cyber-Sickness", iNausea, Dizziness, Headaches, Literally
• It's a Wonderful Crisis; Fed's Forward Guidance Policy in Comic Form

DNC is Broke: Good News or Bad? Posted: 01 Oct 2013 05:37 PM PDT News is in the eyes of the beholder. Here's the news: the DNC is Nearly Broke. Is that good news or bad news? Republicans will view the report as good news, democrats as bad news. I am actually an independent, but one who supports Rand Paul for president. I certainly do not want to see either Biden or Hillary be the next president. Yet, the next election is so far off, and the current focus is on Obamacare and the budget (and on those issues I side with the Republicans). Of course, one needs to consider fundraising for the mid-term elections. All things considered (for me), the report is a small bit good news. Here are a few details. There's another budget crisis in Washington, and it's unfolding inside the Democratic party. The Democratic National Committee remains so deeply in the hole from spending in the last election that it is struggling to pay its own vendors. It is a highly unusual state of affairs for a national party -- especially one that can deploy the President as its fundraiser-in-chief -- and it speaks to the quiet but serious organizational problems the party has yet to address since the last election, obscured in part by the much messier spectacle of GOP infighting. The Democrats' numbers speak for themselves: Through August, 10 months after helping President Obama secure a second term, the DNC owed its various creditors a total of $18.1 million, compared to the $12.5 million cash cushion the Republican National Committee is holding. Several executives at firms that contract to provide services to the party -- speaking anonymously to avoid antagonizing what remains an important if troubled client -- describe an organization playing for time as they raise alarms about past-due bills falling further behind. And senior strategists close to the DNC say they worry the organization appears to have no road map back to solvency. "They really thought they could get this money raised by the summer," one said, "but the fact is, from talking to people over there, they have no real plan for how to solve this." DNC national press secretary Michael Czin says the committee is working with vendors on a case-by-case basis to pay down their tabs. And filings show the organization over the last five months has made $4.5 million in payments to the Amalgamated Bank and appears to be hewing to a $1 million-per-month installment schedule now. "While we work to retire our debt, we're not taking our foot off the pedal and are making the investments that will help ensure that Democrats are successful in 2014, 2016, and beyond," Czin said. He pointed to ongoing work by the DNC's National Finance Committee, which met over the weekend in Colorado to discuss fundraising strategy. That the DNC has been allowed to drift so much is in part a function of the calendar. But with the 2014 midterms coming into view, expect the party's Congressional leadership to start applying more pressure on the White House to get involved. Without sustained help from the President, the committee will not be in a position to provide material support in that campaign. Mustering that presidential muscle will only get tougher as Obama's second term wears on, once his attention turns to legacy projects like fundraising for his library, and big donors puzzle over whether the committee becomes a stalking-horse for a presidential bid by Hillary Clinton -- or somebody else. Mike "Mish" Shedlock http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com Mike "Mish" Shedlock is a registered investment advisor representative for SitkaPacific Capital Management. Sitka Pacific is an asset management firm whose goal is strong performance and low volatility, regardless of market direction. Visit http://www.sitkapacific.com/account_management.html to learn more about wealth management and capital preservation strategies of Sitka Pacific.

Your New iPhone Can Cause "Cyber-Sickness", iNausea, Dizziness, Headaches, Literally Posted: 01 Oct 2013 12:00 PM PDT Following the release of Apple's iOS7, users complained of dizziness, nausea, and headaches. Initially, the complaints were dismissed, but closer scrutiny reveals the complaints are valid. Please consider the Extreme Tech report on iOS 7 nausea and cybersickness: What causes it, and why it's a sign of things to come. It seems that Apple's new iOS 7 is so advanced that it's actually causing cybersickness — nausea caused by the combination of a high-resolution screen, the parallax effect on the Home screen, and the zooming in and out of apps. Some victims say that using iOS 7 is like trying to read in a car, causing the same associated symptoms: dizziness, headaches, and even that nasty feeling of needing to vomit. Medical doctors and psychologists say that cybersickness is becoming more prevalent as frame rates and display resolutions increase. The iOS 7 nausea can be partially mitigated by changing some settings, which we'll discuss below, but with downgrading to iOS 6 now disabled Apple has left many customers high and dry. There has to be a way to turn this off," wrote one iOS 7 user on the Apple Support site. "The zoom animations everywhere on the new iOS 7 are literally making me nauseous and giving me a headache. It's exactly how I used to get car sick if I tried to read in the car," wrote another. Just like motion sickness, cybersickness is caused by disagreement between your eyes and the movement perceived by your balance system (the vestibular system in your inner ear). Historically, cybersickness is most commonly associated with huge IMAX cinema screens or 3D cinema — where your brain thinks you're moving but you're not — but it can also apply to smaller displays as well, such as the iPhone or iPad. According to medical doctors and psychologists who have studied cybersickness, the iPhone and iPad, with iOS 7, have three features that result in the feeling of nausea. The parallax effect, where the icons on your Home screen appear to move independently of the wallpaper, can cause some 2D/3D disorientation. The zoom effect when you open, close, or switch apps, can make your brain think that you're moving — but your vestibular system disagrees. And to top it all off, the high resolution and high frame rate of the iPhone, iPad, and iOS 7 can trick your brain into thinking that the Retina display is a slice of real world, rather than a digital display, exacerbating the previous effects. The cybersickness is reportedly even worse on the iPad, as the screen is larger and covers more of your field of view — but it probably depends on how close you hold your phone/tablet. How to prevent iOS 7 nausea As it stands, the effects of iOS 7-induced nausea — iNausea, if you will — can only be partially mitigated by heading into your iDevice's Settings > General > Accessibility, and then enabling Reduce Motion. This disables the Home screen parallax effect, but there's currently no way to turn off the zoom effect when you open, close, or switch apps. I would not be surprised if Apple adds the ability to remove the zoom animation in a future version of iOS 7, however. Just like motion sickness, another solution to iSickness is just to look away from the screen and get your bearings. If there's a visible horizon, look at it for a few moments. The nausea is caused by your brain being confused by the inputs from your eyes and ears, and so fixing the issue is usually as simple as looking away until your brain regains its balance. Users may wish to consider Extreme Tech's report Should you upgrade to iOS 7? Finally, those wishing to see complaints of iNausea may wish to read Apple Support Communities Any way to turn off iOS 7 navigation animations? I have a different suggestion: stop using the damn phone so much. Mike "Mish" Shedlock http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com Mike "Mish" Shedlock is a registered investment advisor representative for SitkaPacific Capital Management. Sitka Pacific is an asset management firm whose goal is strong performance and low volatility, regardless of market direction. Visit http://www.sitkapacific.com/account_management.html to learn more about wealth management and capital preservation strategies of Sitka Pacific.

It's a Wonderful Crisis; Fed's Forward Guidance Policy in Comic Form Posted: 01 Oct 2013 11:26 AM PDT Here is an amusing as well as accurate assessment of the Fed's forward guidance policy in comic form, courtesy of The Telegraph and Steen Jakobsen, chief economist of Saxo Bank, who sent me the link. Inquiring minds and comic addicts may appreciate more from Alex, including a 15 part series It's a Wonderful Crisis Mike "Mish" Shedlock http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com Mike "Mish" Shedlock is a registered investment advisor representative for SitkaPacific Capital Management. Sitka Pacific is an asset management firm whose goal is strong performance and low volatility, regardless of market direction. Visit http://www.sitkapacific.com/account_management.html to learn more about wealth management and capital preservation strategies of Sitka Pacific.

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