Google Instant, an innovation the company is touting as “search before you type,” is here. This new technology is basically an extension of the Google Suggestions box; it takes the current top suggestion and provides immediate search results for that term.
As soon as the announcement was made, the blogosphere started going crazy, with some going so far as to proclaim SEO to be dead.
What does instant search mean for long tail keywords? Should we start optimizing for letters rather than words? And why does Google Analytics have a scary post warning that certain keywords may see significantly more or fewer impressions going forward?
See Instant in action by watching this video.
Is it time to panic? I didn’t really know, so I took Instant out for a spin this afternoon. After playing with the search engine and doing a little more research, this is what I’ve come up with:
• We’ve gone through this before. Many of the people who are panicking today are the same people who screamed when Google introduced Caffeine, Local and Universal search. These are the people who see SEO as a trick to be perfected rather than a philosophy to live by. If you’re constantly looking for ways to game the search engines, you’re missing the point of SEO. Quality traffic comes from great content, not cheap tricks.
• Google Instant isn’t really a new way to search. Instant’s purpose is simply to help people find what they’re looking for quicker. Google search results are the same whether Instant is turned on or off. Therefore, if we’ve done our job and created quality content, Google Instant will simply make it easier to find.
• Top rankings do seem to get more exposure. Time will tell, but the one change Instant does seem to have on search strategy is that it gives the top results more exposure. Thanks to the Google Suggestions box, only the top two or three results are visible without scrolling.
• Long-tail keywords are resilient. Google has said in the past that about 20 percent of its queries each day are completely unique, and that more than half are more than three words. Anyone who suggests that Instant spells instant doom for long-tail keywords only needs to look at the minimal impact that the Suggestions box has had on these types of searches. When people know what they want, they will type it out; no matter how many words they have to use.
Instant is now the default search experience on Google.com for Chrome, Firefox, Safari and IE 8. Over the course of the next couple weeks and months, Google promises that its new way to search will become available to all geographies and platforms. Instant is here to stay, so instead of forming a new brand strategy to take advantage of its weaknesses, it’s time to return to an SEO campaign built on fresh, compelling content.
Learn more about building an effective SEO campagin by browsing our Knowledge Center.
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In a fairly surprising decision, AOL announced today it will sign a new five-year partnership with Google that’s aimed at providing AOL users with a better search and search ad experience.
Although there had been talk that the new deal might go to Bing, Microsoft (MSFT), Yahoo or a number of other companies, AOL CEO Tim Armstrong said in an interview with Boomtown last night, “We have tried to make a deal that has 100 percent alignment on what we each do best…at the end of the day, Google checked all the boxes.”
It probably didn’t hurt that Google already has an excellent grasp on the way AOL search performs and is therefore in prime position to improve upon it.
AOL and Google have been partners since 2002, but this new contract is an expansion on the three it replaces. It includes a broad range of features designed to improve and develop the products and services available to AOL users. The deal includes search products, advertising products, mobile search, greater YouTube presence and a more global focus.
This means that not only will AOL users have improved searching capabilities and more relevant ad experiences, but AOL content will also be more prominent on YouTube and will be better programmed. In addition, AOL will be renewing its focus on mobile apps and will work with Google to better cover mobile search. Because the alliance between the two companies is international in scope, it should bring an improved experience to AOL users worldwide.
This deal is bad news for Bing, Microsoft, Yahoo and other companies who are trying to expand their influence across the Web. However, it’s great news for Google, and it’s obvious the search engine superpower recognizes that.
According to Eric Schmidt, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Google, “We’re excited to deepen our partnership. This agreement combines Google’s expertise in search and advertising with AOL’s strength in online content. It’s particularly exciting to see our relationship expand into video and mobile. These areas are now at the heart of users’ online experiences and at the core of both of our businesses.”
Information hasn’t been released yet on when the new contract changes will take effect, but AOL customers worldwide can look forward to exciting changes in their overall user experience.
*Image provided by Global X on Flickr.
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As a writer, one of the biggest challenges I have is coming up with headlines that not only pique someone’s interest, but also entices them to buy or take the action I want them to take. I’ve learned that headlines need to strike a balance between being creative and giving the reader what they want.
Your headline is your first impression and perhaps your only chance to draw readers in. Just like when you’re interviewing for a job or going on a first date, your first impression is key and can make or break things for you. Writing a headline that makes someone want to buy your product or service can be tricky, but it doesn’t have to be. There are three simple principles to follow in order to write a headline that converts browsers into buyers: relevance, results and powerful modifiers.
Relevance – You need to establish relevancy as soon as possible, which is why the headline is the best place to do so. You can’t assume that your readers have all the time in the world to read through your article and then decide if it’s relevant to them. Establish relevancy from the start and you’re less likely to have readers bounce from your site.
Results – Make sure youre headline is clear first and clever second. To convey to your audience that you’ll be giving them information they’re looking for, write your headline using specific keywords to establish relevancy. Next, think of a problem or a result your readers are after and make it the foundation of your headline. For instance, in my headline I start with the relevancy component (how to write a headline) and finish with the desired result (to convert browsers to buyers). Readers want to see in the headline that they’ll experience a relevant outcome or solution. This is why the “how to” model works so well. It focuses on relevancy and results in a clear and consice manner.
Powerful Modifiers - Next, you can add words to punch up your headline a little. In my headline here, I used “compelling” to modify the word “headline.” In addition, I decided to use the word “convert” because it is a powerful verb that suggests a desired action. The key to using appropriate modifiers is that they must make your relevant keywords seem more powerful.
With any headline you write, try brainstorming a few options. You might also want to consult a thesaurus like I do to find creative and powerful ways to convey relevancy and results. Do you have any SEO copywriting tricks you use to write strong headlines? Share your tips by leaving a comment.
*Photo provided by mpclemens on Flickr
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Good news! Twitter spam might boost your Google ranking! Feel free to build your spambots today and watch your Google rankings soar tomorrow. You may also want to start investing in large bags with dollar signs on them to handle your new windfall.
Now, if I were actually advocating Twitter spam, I’d probably be in a long, closed-door meeting with my boss by the time you read this. Actually, I’d like to share a recent experiment where Conceptables, a Dutch design firm, spammed Twitter with surprising SEO results to illustrate the importance of focusing on a holistic SEO campaign rather than one built on a single fad.
This experiment started as an artistic statement by the company’s owner. He grew tired of people tweeting about every detail of their lives, so he created a Twitter script that automatically tweeted “I’m breathing in,” and “I’m breathing out” with a link to the server’s website every minute. Pretty soon, he noticed that the website started ranking higher and higher in Google.
To test the hypothesis that automated tweets can influence Google searches, the company created Twitter accounts that automatically tweeted generic buzzwords like “social media” and “feedback” with links back to their site. Sure enough, their site began to rank for these words, both in Twitter search engines and in Google.
When some shady search engine marketers look at experiments like this, they see a scheme to fool Google into giving them easy rankings. These are the same people who fill our comments and forums with junk hoping for a little bit of link juice back to their site.
Unfortunately, they never find the bags and bags of cash that they’re looking for. Even if it were as easy to game the system as this Dutch experiment suggests (and other experiments have shown that it is not), search engines would quickly filter out automated tweets and penalize websites that utilize this black hat technique (see keyword stuffing, meta tags).
What the experiment does show is that tweeting the same message over and over affects Google rankings. Because Google values fresh content, the search engine does factor tweets into its algorithm. When we look at this experiment, we take away two things:
• Remember to tweet. Every tweet is being indexed and does have an effect on rankings.
• Create valuable content. Much more effective than a single tweet created by you is hundreds of tweets from a variety of sources, all pointing back to your site. If you create noteworthy content, others will find it and start tweeting about it on their own. Great content will create organic momentum through social media that can deliver the rankings you’ve been seeking all along.
For help setting up your social media strategy, contact Fathom SEO. We’ll approach your search engine marketing campaign with a holistic strategy.
Image courtesy of Terry Hart.
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Creating a visually appealing and unique web page is always a priority. After all, your web page is sometimes all a visitor has to judge you by. However, if you focus too much attention on how your page looks, you could be overlooking some important content aspects. The content on your web page is just as important, if not more important, than your web design. Well-written content can play a vital role in search engine optimization efforts by helping your keywords to rank on search engines.
When you think you’ve finished creating your website, test it on this ten minute checklist to ensure you are optimizing your content effectively.
- Is the information useful and relevant? Does it match your goals?
Believe it or not, visitors read your website’s content. They may only scan it, but if it is relevant and useful information they will be more likely to continue reading. - Is the content clear, concise and simple to read?
Most visitors to your website are busy. They don’t have the time to decipher complicated language or industry jargon. Give them the information they need in a simple and clear manner. - Is the content written professionally?
Content acts as the voice for your web page. Sounding knowledgeable and professional can help you seem reliable and trustworthy. - Are there any grammatical or spelling errors?
Grammatical and spelling errors are the easiest way to make your web page seem unprofessional. If there are too many mistakes in your content, visitors will doubt your credibility. - Is it engaging? Will it draw in your target audience?
If you write engaging content, your target audience will read it. - Is there a consistent voice throughout the entire website?
Keeping your voice consistent throughout your website is another useful way to gain the trust of your audience. - Can it be easily scanned or read by an audience?
While you may want to include descriptive content, not every visitor is going to want to be overwhelmed with information. By making your content easy to scan, visitors will be more responsive. - Is the Meta data appropriate for the web page and keywords?
Including appropriate Meta data that targets your keywords can drastically increase your page ranking on search engines. - Are there appropriate and strategically placed calls to action?
Don’t make your audience guess at their next move. Help guide them through the steps you want them to take. - Is there appropriate internal contextual linking?
Use your content to target keywords and include appropriate links. By linking keywords you can help your audience find the information they are after.
While you may not have understood the importance of effective copywriting initially, it is easy to see that not only can great content help increase your rankings, but it can directly influence a user’s experience on your website. Make a strong impression with well-written content!
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