2012 SEO Update: Did Google's ''Panda'' or ''Penguin'' Updates Hurt or Help Your Website?

Let me first start off with saying I LOVE GOOGLE!   They offer an amazing variety of very useful and FREE tools that make our lives better.  I use Google EVERY DAY, and love many of their products, especially their Blogs and Calendars.

However, The Spring 2012 Google Updates changed the rules for traditional (and effective) SEO (Search Engine Optimization) tactics and strategies for ALL websitesm and a lot of people are asking themselves....."why do I always search using Google? (first)" 

On April 24, 2012 Google changed the way in which we know the SEO since launched a "spam update".  Called the "Penguin Update", it appears to be in some ways a modification of the previous "Panda Update".

THE GOOD NEWS: Many SEO experts feel that both updates to the Google algorithms were released to help eliminiate or at least reduce "Black Hat SEO Tactics" (cheating) and/or those site who follow unethical promotional tactics condemned by Quality Guidelines of  Google.   

THE BAD NEWS: These changes, in how Google analyzes and rates (ranks) websites, in a few minutes wiped out hours and hours of legitimate (White Hat SEO Tactics) search engine optimization work, invested over years, for many website managers.

Many people are complaining (loudly), especially over the past several months, that Google no longer supplies us with the "relevant results" that we've come to expect, and depend on, for years.

I, and billions of other internet users worldwide, have for years considered Google the BEST search engine on the web. It certainly has been, for the past several years, the most popular search engine in the world. However, perhaps the time has come now to look for alternatives?  If enough people turn away from Google and begin to rely on other major search engines, that may result in Google rethinking the Panda/Penquin updates.

Some other popular (and effective) search engines that
you may want to consider using include: 

We suggest you first look at the FACTS....check your website analytics (your web stats)and compare Summer 2011 to Summer 2012). It may show a significant change in traffic to your website (calls to your company) and a hard hit to your financial bottom line.


If your website has seen a decrease in listings, a drop in "your rankings"....and a decrease in your online generated revenue stream there is still hope for recovery.

To learn more about how Cole WebMarketing can help your website recover and overcome the "SEO damage" done by the Penguin/Panda Google updates earlier this year, please call us at 704-503-WEB1 (9321) for a FREE consultation.

NOTE: Cole WebMarketing, is a Charlotte, NC based website design, development, management/maintenance and internet marketing company that has been helping small and medium sized businesses nationwide create and/or improve and manage their online presence.

SEO Tactic #693 = BackLinks (AKA Inbound Links)

1st things 1st: What are backlinks and Why should you care?

The "Wiki" for the term backlinks is excellent - accurate and concise:  it says:

"Backlinks, also known as incoming links, inbound links, inlinks, and inward links, are incoming links to a website or web page. Inbound links were originally important (prior to the emergence of search engines) as a primary means of web navigation; today, their significance lies in search engine optimization (SEO). The number of backlinks is one indication of the popularity or importance of that website or page (for example, this is used by Google to determine the PageRank of a webpage). Outside of SEO, the backlinks of a webpage may be of significant personal, cultural or semantic interest: they indicate who is paying attention to that page.

So you now know WHAT backlinks are and WHY they are important regarding SEO but HOW do you "build (up) backlinks"? 

It's important to understand the any good SEO strategy should be focused on TWO GOALS.  The 1st is "increasing your RANK at the major search engines and the 2nd is increasing the NUMBER of LISTINGS (backlinks) on the Internet.  Usually a site with a high number of listings also has high ranking (defined by many SEO consultants to be 1st page or at least the TOP 30 on Google, Yahoo! and Bing (MSN).


HOW: One of the best ways is anytime you're writing online about your company, ALWAYS include your website and make sure it's an active hyperlink.  For example, if I was writing about the recent launch of a new website, such as BonnieCole.info - I would want to make sure it's a clickable link anytime I post it online. 


WHERE: There are millions of sites to post backlinks to your website.  Go after the "low hanging fruit" first, sites that are most popular and crawled often by the search engine spider robots.  Facebook is a perfect example!  Anytime you mention your company, make sure you include a backlink to your website.  YouTube is another example.

Search engine robots are focused on relevancy, so any websites, such as trade associations or blogs tied to your industry or products & services, are a great place to start add your backlinks. Regarding "industry related blogs", anytime you find one related to your business, products or services, before leaving, make sure to leave a comment/compliment (that also includes a link back to your site).


To find directories and blogs that are related to your industry (and also businesses similar to yours that you never heard of), conduct a "sniper rifle search", rather than a "shotgun search".  Do this by searching using quotation marks and the + sign: example - "metal polishing" + blog + industrial + commercial.  The quotation marks tell the search engine you need all the words together within the quotations marks and the + sign tells it you also must also have whatever is after the + sign(s).  An online industrial directory found, where any industrial related company can list their company (for free) is ThomasNet.com.

The more inbound links you have coming INTO to your site, the better, since "link popularity" is an important factor in most search engine algorithms.  Many website owners mistakening think adding a Resources (LINK) Page on their own website helps improve their link popularity "score". However, these outbound links, although often useful to human visitors to a website, are beneficial in regard to SEO to the sites linked to, not linked from.


WARNING: Be wary of emails or other solicitations you get from "strangers" that offer to build up your backlinks.  Many of these scammers are compensated on the total number of backlinks they set up, so "Link Farms" are tempting.  We've all seen link farms.  Sometimes when "googling stuff", we click on a listing only to arrive at a site that is pretty void of relevant content or has very generic content, but the page scrolls like, well, like a scroll - screen after screen of a huge long list of listings/links to all kinds of unrelated websites.

Many online "directories" pretend to be useful websites but in reality are simply link farms.  Google and most other major search engines will either ignore link farms or worse, will "blacklist" the link farm site, and sometimes those listed within it.  Once a site is blacklisted (removed and banned) by a search engine, it's a major hassle, and sometimes impossible to get restored in it's index.


WHAT SITES ALREADY LINK BACK TO MY SITE? is a question that should be asked when beginning a backlink building campaign.   An easy way to get an idea of what other sites are linking back into your site is by doing a search engine query like this -    link:mydomainname.com (or whatever your domain is).  You'll be presented with a list of sites that link to your site.


HOW DO I FIND SITES TO BACKLINK FROM? I suggest conducting a bit of legal "corporate espionage" by doing similar searches using the domains of your major competitors.  Find out where their backlinks are coming from. Then, work on getting your site listed where they are listed. This is how I first learned about MerchantCircle.com  I discovered a local competitor of Cole WebMarketing was listed (and linked) at Merchant Circle and immediately clicked on the "List My Company" icon!

LEARN MORE: To learn more about SEO and Building Backlinks, visit Cole WebMarketing today and then call Cole WebMarketing in Charlotte, NC at 704-456-9321.

Domain Registration(s): What's In A Name?

If you're going to be starting a new business, or if you have a business but haven't yet started to market your company online, call Cole WebMarketing at 704-456-WEB1....er, I meant to write....one of the first steps in the internet marketing process is the "Registration" of Domain Name(s).  I say names, plural, because many businesses will want to register more than one.  Why?

Regarding a "primary domain", you want to get .COM first. If corporate branding is important and you want "maximum brand protection", we suggest that you also register the .NETand .ORG domains too.  This is especially important for large national companies.

Once you've secured your PRIMARY domain names - ACME.com for example, you may want to consider registering additional "top level domains" (TLD's) to remove them from the open market to help protect your corporate identity. After these are off the market and in your pocket, many businesses will register SECONDARY domains, primarily for "internet marketing" purposes.

These can be additional TLD's that are based on their primary products/services.  If they mainly make/sell "blue widgets", then getting BlueWidgets.com can be helpful, especially regarding SEO (search engine optimization) since search engines will sometimes factor in the domain name as part of the search indexing algorithms. For local/regional businesses, using BlueWidgetsCharlotte.com or BlueWidgetsNorthCarolina.com (or your city/region) can also increase your "rankings" on the SERPs (search engine results pages).

Additional Domains & SEO: Google's "rules" seem to change with the wind, so comments made about Google can be outdated a day after they're posted online. At this time, it seems that Google usually just "picks" just one domain in their indexing, so trying to use secondary domains may not have a major SEO impact. However, Yahoo! and Bing (the #2 and #3 most popular search engines) will sometimes list sites more than once on their SERPs, so I wouldn't dismiss this SEO strategy completely.
International companies often also register "country code top level domains" (ccTLD), such as ACME.de for Germany, ACME.ru for Russia, etc. 

Here's some of the ways Cole WebMarketing uses our domains:

• ColeWebMarketing.com - "main offline domain" for biz cards, brochures, etc.
• CarolinaWebsiteDesign.com - for online marketing OUTSIDE the Charlotte area
• WebsiteDesign-Charlotte.com - this is considered my PRIMARY domain and for online marketing IN the Charlotte area
• ColeMarketingGroup.com - legal name of business, registered for brand protection but not used on or offline

Last but not least, domain name registration is one of the many services offered by Cole WebMarketing.  One domain name is included in all our Website Hosting Packages. We can register additional domains upon request.
It's important to note that all domains are registered with our clients listed as the "Registrar" (owner). Be careful if you're doing business with another website design/development firm! Make sure if they register domains for you, that they are not listed themselves as the Registrar.

To learn more about Domain Registration, Website Hosting and related internet marketing issues, please visit CarolinaWebsiteDesign.com or call us at 704-456-WEB1 (9321).

The REAL Truth About ''Search Engine Registration/Domain Submission Services''

If you have Registered a Domain, you've probably received a few (or many!) emails that start off or contain "doomsday warnings" such as "Registration Expiration Notice: ...inform you that it's time to _________ and failure to act may result in the cancellation of ________ making it difficult for your customers to locate you...on the web". 
Our 1st response is usually fear/concern - Legit? Spam? Scam? Our 2nd response should be suspicion - "money for nothing?"

IMPORTANT: Don't Miss the "Three Things You Should Know About Search Engines"
at the bottom of this Blog Post.

Recently a Cole WebMarketing client, based in Charlotte, NC forwarded an email to me asking for review and feedback.  The email came from @sellstones.com (Beijing, China registered domain), and was asking for $75 per year for "search engine registration/domain submission" services. It's a good practice to NEVER click on any link in any email you suspect might be spam or a scam, so I didn't click on the link. Most scams contain "fine print" and if the online order process is completed, the buyer (victim) often unknowingly agrees (in writing) to terms & conditions... that are almost always a good idea for the bad guy (seller) and a bad idea for the good guy (buyer).

Here's a screenshot of the actual email:

Three Things You Should Know About Search Engines:

1. Search Engine Registration/Domain Submission: although this type of service will often speed up the process of getting a brand new website ''into the system'', it is NOT required in order for inclusion into search engines.  Although Domain Registrations need to be renewed annually (or every 2,5, or 10 years), Search Engine "Registrations" for major search engines don't actually exist; therefore they can never expire!   
2. Search Engine Registration/Domain Submission: Search Engine Registration/Domain Submission is included at no extra charge (FREE) with all Cole WebMarketing website packages. As soon as a new website by Cole WebMarketing is "launched" (HTML Meta Tags revised to request/allow search engines to crawl/index pages), we submit your domain to the major search engines. Once your site is crawled and indexed by the "BIG 3" (Google, Yahoo, & Bing), dozens, then hundreds, then thousands of "minor" search engines will soon find your new website.
3. Overview on How Websites "Get Into" the SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages): GoogleBot, Slurp, and the other major search engine "spider robots" will  eventually find ALL public (and some private!) websites on the web, all on their own. Once they do, they'll check to see if the domain/website is listed in their "index" (files). If not, they'll usually schedule an "in-depth crawl" (visit each page of a website). Once crawled, they can "file" your pages in their index. Once filed, when a person searches for a company or particular product/service or keyword phrase, the search engine will serve up in the SERPs, what it thinks are the most relevant pages/websites based on the user query. With sophisticated automated search engines, such as Google; the more specific the query, the better the (search engine) results.

To learn more about our Search Engine, SEO (Search Engine Optimization), Website Design/Development, WebMarketing and related services, visit ColeWebMarketing.com and then call 704-503-7069 for a free consultation and quote.

The 5 Things Every Business Blog Post Should Have:

Business Blogs are a great communication tool that can help you attract new customers, retain current customers and regain previous customers. However, in order to make your blog make you (the most) money, there are 5 "must do" things you should do in every blog post, according to Charlotte, NC based website design/development/internet marketing firm Cole WebMarketing.

1) TITLE: make it attention grabbing - clear and concise, and directly relevant to the specific subject matter of the post
2) KEYWORD RICH: constantly think "keyword rich text" when writing (example: music lessons, charlotte music lessons, etc. rather than just "lessons" - use company name rather that we)
3) SINGLE THEME: keep your blog comment "single themed" - if you find yourself "switching subjects" in a single blog post, cut & paste "topic #2" into a new & separate post
4) SHORT: seems everybody is busy and/or distracted easily, so less is better. Keep blog posts short - a few paragraphs at most. If you find yourself writing a book, divide the post into "chapters", as in "continued in part 2 of 5"
5) LABEL WELL: use the tags/labels feature always and properly - this is what makes your blog easily searchable and that helps readers' searches deliver relevant content. It also helps your blog be more easily found after general search engine queries.
 
Most "website packages" by Cole WebMarketing include the option for Business Blog - includes setup, customization, initial training.  Your blog can also be integrated into your website if you don't want visitors to leave your site in order to read your blog.  To learn more about business blogging, call Charlotte, NC based Cole WebMarketing at 704-503-7069 or visit our website - ColeWebMarketing.com

Google +1 What Is It and Why Should I care?

One of the newest offerings by Google is something called +1.  The PLUS ONE button can be found on web pages (especially next to certain advertisements and other features) and we will ''soon'' see these on millions of websites.

Similar to the Facebook LIKE button endorsement, when users click on the +1 button it adds that ad, web page, feature, company, product, brand, etc. to "the social network".  We're not talking about your Facebook or Twitter, but to "THE" social network - all the ways we're connected to others we interact with on the internet.

Remember that effective Web Marketing is all basically about two things:

1. BUILD IT: Designing & Developing (or re-designing/re-developing) a professional looking, well "search engine optimized", well organized, informative website... that attracts visitors... and keeps them interested enough to take a ''buying action'' (bookmark, phone call, email, quote request or places an order)... before they hit the back button
2. MAKE THEM COME: Promoting your website online (and offline)... so that your website becomes easier and easier to find over time... by people (qualified prospects) searching for your products and services

A key component of the PROMOTE part of the process is driving qualified prospects to your website, and that's where +1 can help.

When a person is logged into their Google account (everyone should have one), and begins doing a search on Google, any site they (PLUS those in their network!) have ever added via +1, will now become part of the Google search "algorithm" and their "personalized search function".  Your searching experience will be enhanced because you'll see "who in your network has plussed what" and be able to take advantage of the approval (of others that you known & trust) when considering what to click on in the SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages).  With +1, Google is adding a powerful social element into their searches!

The value /benefit to Cole WebMarketing clients and other website owners doesn't just stop here. +1 will also impact Google AdWords PPC (pay per click) Google AdWord advertisers.

Soon, +1 will also start showing up on Google AdWords listings. A click on a +1 button will NOT count as a click on paid keyword/keyphrase ads, so clicks will not cost you any extra money. As most of us know, Google seems to love giving us "more for nothing"! Google AdWord advertisers will be able to see which ads are getting the most +1 clicks and be able to obtain other useful web marketing data via their free Google Analytics reports.

This new +1 feature certainly will probably very quickly become a "learned convention" by website users and adding +1 to your website pages should be considered a web development "industry best practices" addition.

Want to TRY IT OUT?
Simply click the PLUS ONE button under this blog post!

Like everything on the web, change happens every second, so keep we encourage you keep updated about Google +1 (and many other web marketing tools & tactics) by clicking the ''follow this blog" (upper right).

See the value in adding PLUS ONE to your website?  If you currently have a "Website by Cole WebMarketing" (or if you'd like us to design & develop a brand new site and include +1 to your site), please call us at 704-503-7069 or visit ColeWebMarketing.com

Search Engine 101: What They Are and How They Work

Knowing a bit about what Search Engines are and how they work is important to any internet user. However, this information is especially important to any website owner/manager. Having at least a basic understanding will help you develop and/or improve your overall webmarketing strategy for maximum effectiveness and to help you maximize your return on your website development and maintenance investment.

Search Engine History & Overview:

WebCrawler, which was born in 1994, is considered to be the first true search engine. It was an automated ''crawler based'' full text search engine. In 2000, Google was released and rapidly gained popularity because it delivered very relevant results to queries (search keyword or keyphrase). Google is by far the most popular search engine, and has been for the past several years. Yahoo! and Microsoft's Bing are the others that make up the "Big 3", although in 2009 There are also hundreds of other "major" search engines, like "Ask.com", and thousands of ''minor'' ones. Many search engines are "powered" by others (in 2009 Yahoo! began to use Bing technology), so the results can be similar, sometimes almost identical.

Search Engine vs Directory:
There are also online Website Directories (think internet phone book). The terms are often incorrectly used interchangeably, but ''human run'' directories (such as www.Dmoz.org) are very different from search engines, which are "robot run".

How Search Engines Work:
There are three primary pieces of software involved: the spider software, the index software and the query software.
SPIDER: Search engines automatically create web site listings by using "spider robots" (software programs) that "crawl" web pages, index their information, Spiders, like GoogleBot, usually return to already-crawled sites on a regular basis in order to check for updates or changes.
INDEX: Everything that they find goes into the search engine database. The engines use complex (and secret) algorithms (mathematical formulas), to help determine what goes where in the database. Think of the file cabinet in your office. The better you evaluate, label and sort (alpha, numeric, etc.) the faster you can find stored information you need when you need it later.
QUERY: When a user searches (submits a query), the search engines evaluates the query, checks it's database, and then using it's algorithms, provides the user with what it considers a list of "best match" results that it ranks by relevancy to the word or phrase in the query. An analogy would be you going to a library, telling the librarian you need a book on "cars", and the librarian retrieves and presents you with a some books. Since your question was vague and general, you might get a cart full of books! The more specific your question ("history of BMW" for example), the better the librarian can help you quickly find exactly what you need - i.e., "we have 1,251 books on cars, but here are 3 that seem best matched to your specific question".


SERPS (Search Engine Results Pages) and Different Types of Listings:After a query, a user is presented a two different types of results - Organic & Paid.
Organic/Natural Search Results, are listings on SERPS that appear because of their relevance to the search terms, as opposed to paid advertisements. Most search engines will present "pay per click" ads on the column on the right, often with a few at the top center (above the natural results). Those in the premium position (top center) get there based on highest cost per click paid and frequency of clicks. Much research has been done regarding this topic, but it's my professional opinion that most users, most of the time will first click organic search results before they click on the paid listings.


Why Should You Know This AND Why Should You Care?
As a website owner or manager, you know how important it is for prospective customers to be able to easily find your website when they search for your products and services.  Now that you know what Search Engines are and how they work, you can help create or modify the organization of your website content, and create or modify specific page text to best the needs of the search engines.  The spider robots need a "search engine friendly" website (easy to crawl & easy to index) that's filled with keyword rich text.

LEARN MORE: To learn more about Search Engines and SEO, use the "blog search box" (upper left) to find other posts in this Cole WebMarketing blog, using keywords/keyphrases such as Search Engine, Online Directory, Google, Yahoo, Bing, SEO, Search Engine Optimization, etc.. 

For more information about this blog post topic, please visit CarolinaWebsiteDesign.com and then call Cole WebMarketing at 704-503-7069.

Keyword/Keyphrase: Increase the Quantity AND Quality of Prospects to Your Business Blog

Keywords/Keyphases ~ A business blog can be a great way to help attract and funnel qualified prospects to your website. Here is a BIG tip to make your business blog "Super Search Engine Friendly" and help you increase both the quantity AND quality of traffic to your blog (and your website).

• Repetition For Emphasis - Increase Your Keyword Density: Carefully select a few keywords or keyphrases that clearly AND concisely describe your blog post topic and subject. Don't overload your post with keywords and keyphrases, but repeat yourself (a few or several times, depending on the total word count of the business blog post) to increase your "keyword density ratio." GoogleBot, the search engine robot for Google, will often consider the first few words at the most important words, so "front loading" your business blog post with your target keyphrases is important. The search engine robots MSNbot (Live) and Slurp (Yahoo!) also will pay special attention to the first words/first paragraph. MSNbot will also focus on the last words/last paragraph to help determine the main subject of a web page.

Keep this powerful SEO concept/tactic (keyword selection, placement & frequency) in mind when writing your next business blog and you'll significantly improve your chances of targeting and hitting bigger and better customers!

For more information about this blog post topic, please visit CarolinaWebsiteDesign.com and then call Cole WebMarketing at 704-503-7069.

One Subject Per Post: Increase the Quantity AND Quality of Prospects to Your Business Blog

As I've discussed in previous webmarketing posts, a business blog can be a great way to help attract and funnel qualified prospects to your website. Here are a BIG tip to make your business blog "Super Search Engine Friendly" and help you increase both the quantity AND quality of traffic to your blog (and your website).



Single Themed Focus - One Post, One Subject: this simple and time proven SEO tactic, which also applies to website page development, involves picking one product, one service or one subject to write about. When search engines robots hit a page on the web (blog page or website page) it will make a decision as to what the FOCUS is for this page. The first question it has is "what" - what is this page about? The answer determines how the search engine robot will "index" the page after it "crawls" it. It will look for keywords; especially repeated keywords. If you write in your blog post about several different subjects, the robot NOT you will decide what the focus or emphasis of the blog is. Obviously there a good chance the robot and you might disagree about this! You can help both of you "get on the same page", by selecting a single topic and then staying on it.


Keep this powerful SEO concept/tactic (single themed post) in mind when writing your next business blog and you'll significantly improve your chances of attracting and catching bigger and better customers!

For more information about this blog post topic, please visit CarolinaWebsiteDesign.com and then call Cole WebMarketing at 704-503-7069.