Posted on: December 21, 2011 by Jordan Hardy
In my experience, for a business to deliver value to customers, it is necessary to provide information at a balance for best interest of all involved. This may sound obvious, but it isn’t as easy as it may sound. Here are three examples of competing Websites, each offering a different amount of unique value to customers. Each screenshot below shows information above the fold within the Firefox browser at standard monitor settings. In red I’ve outlined content which adds more value for the business, generally more advertising targeted. In green I’ve outlined blocks which are non biased, helping users find fresh information. Blocks compared are center and right hand content blocks, not left side navigation.
Below image: Yahoo displays information above the fold which is based on ads and commission. Of these three examples, Yahoo delivers the least unique value above the fold for users. Yahoo stock is at $15.47 right now, the lowest of these three examples.
Below image: Bing is a Web search engine by Microsoft, offering one block of helpful organic results above the fold. Microsoft stock is at $25.51 at the moment.
Below image: Google offers two helpful blocks, one with organic results as text and the other as a map with local results. Google stock is at $625.39 at the moment.
In this example, more helpful data that brings unique value to users coincides with higher stock price. I don’t believe just these factors affect how these companies succeed in bringing unique value, but this is an intriguing example of different approaches. Years ago I would see Google frequently dominate results in Website metrics. Today I see Google still ahead and bing quickly catching up to Yahoo. I’m sometimes noticing bing users stay on pages longer than Yahoo users.
Looking objectively at these three screenshots, I know the best unique value provided for users is from Google.
- Google is offering compatible ad information to bing and Yahoo.
- The related searches section on Google is more effective than individual computers offered on bing and Yahoo. These links on Google allow people to find more information and individual product links.
- Google offers and additional section with organic local results on a map.
Posted on: November 13, 2011 by Jordan Hardy
Google has launched Google+ Pages this week. Google+ pages can help organizations and individuals promote their brand and interests, strengthening connections with fans. There hasn’t been a place on Google online properties formerly where companies and groups could communicate with customers, comparable to Facebook.
Google+ pages are already found in Google Search results this week. Considering that Google is leveraging Google+ pages in search, Google+ is already influential.
I suggest not replacing a twitter or Facebook presence with Google+. Google+ pages can be utilized successfully if there is a distinct purpose, different enough from other social media properties. Google+ tools such as circles, ripples, and hangouts are best used to leverage unique offers, announcements, news, and other compelling content people will want to read.
Posted on: September 9, 2011 by Jordan Hardy
I’ve been asked how the Google Panda (rolled out globally August 2011) update has affected Websites my teams and/or I have worked on over the years. Whether it is Panda, a Yahoo/Bing (Bing powers Yahoo results) algorithm update, or another search engine making changes, I find Websites I’ve worked on stay the same or do better. The reason for this is that I find it is always in the best interest of everyone to have a high quality Website with useful content, good programming, useful UI, quality links, and other positive qualities. This is from both a search engine and user perspective.
It can be of concern if a Website has too much duplicate content, low quality information, poor coding, or any other of a number of non useful items. I find it necessary to build and grow a Website that is scalable and extremely useful to users/visitors. Of the hundreds of factors I know search engine algorithms look at, I work to ensure Websites include current and possible future algorithm items.
Posted on: August 15, 2011 by Jordan Hardy
When Google launched the +1 button a number of months ago, it was not incredibly different than the Facebook “Like” button. Once signed in a Google account, a Google user can publicly give their stamp of approval with the Google +1 button. By clicking the +1 button, they are showing they are interested in recommending, sharing, and displaying a piece of content.
After clicking a Google +1 button, others will know the item is “cool” to check out. Google +1 adds items to search results. Google decides where it will be most relevant to display +1′s based on social connections (Gmail, Contacts, Google+ Circles, Google Reader).
The Google +1 button provides recommendations to friends logged in, as well as anonymously to others in the world. The Google +1 button can appear on Google near search results or ads, Websites around the Internet, or even next to articles on news Websites. It is also possible to keep Google +1′s private, using them to manage favorites around the Web. The Google +1′s created by a user are stored, and can be edited in a new tab within a Google profile.
So far, the Google +1 button is still catching on, here to stay, and gaining traction. With so much content on the Web, it will take some time to see how well adopted the button will be. For sure, it is being used more and more since Google is the #1 search engine and many individuals and organizations want better and better visibility on the Web.
Posted on: July 6, 2010 by Jordan Hardy
Google Caffeine was launched with the objective to more quickly locate and display the most relevant, rich Web information such as videos, images, and social media updates for users. Google Caffeine provides 5 major improvements I’ve noticed to date, which not only benefit Google users but can also help SEO (Search Engine Optimization). Google Caffeine has now been live exactly four weeks, launched June 8, 2010.
- Some Social Media Website Listings Now Rank Higher
Social Media Websites with elevated current activity and higher perceived value can be given priority. As an example, at this time FriendFeed.com has gotten a boost in Google SERPs (Search Engine Result Pages) due to a sustained recent increase in user activity. From an SEO perspective, designating resources for ongoing strategic efforts on the hottest social media Websites may be a worthwhile business decision.
- Google Caffeine is Faster
Results from Google Caffeine are displayed roughly 50% faster than before launch. Website speed is an important SEO factor especially within the last year. As part of a strong SEO program, Google and Website visitors will appreciate fast Websites. Rapid Website speed will complete a seamless experience after a user initially finds expeditious load times with Google Caffeine.
- Google Caffeine Presents More Fresh Content
Google’s previous index was engineered with a number of layers. This construction resulted in some Website listings within Google search results not being refreshed for weeks. Google Caffeine now continuously updates the Google index globally so that it is about 50% more fresh. New pages posted on the Web may now be indexed in seconds on Google and are frequently served in search results almost immediately. For SEO this means if more fresh, interesting content is posted on a given Website, there are additional opportunities for SERP listings possible for a business.
- Keyword Strings are More Important
The new Google Caffeine algorithm relies more on keyword strings than before so that results will be more relevant for users. My SEO keyword strategy best practices, which have evolved over time, emphasize keyword strings more than individual keywords. In many cases, keyword strings provide more necessary information than single keywords.
- Google Caffeine Indexes More Pages
With hundreds of thousands of pages indexed at any given time, Google Caffeine is adding roughly one million gigabytes of information every week to the Google index. A SEO friendly Website with extensive useful relevant information and no duplicate content indexed can secure more indexed SERP listings with Google Caffeine.
Beyond these 5 recent improvements with the Google Caffeine launch, Google Caffeine is also built to scale and allow more new developments to launch in coming months. I look forward in the future to discovering more techniques Google develops to deliver more relevant search results to users.
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