Google recently rolled out a new feature called Search Plus Your World (SPYW), which may well become a very important tool in your SEO strategy tool box. Since launching in June 2011, Google+ has grown at a rapid rate. Currently there are over 62 million users on the social network, with the number of registered users growing every month. The addition of Google+ Pages for business has also helped Google become a worthy competitor to Facebook and other social networks.

How does Search Plus Your World work however, and what does this mean for your SEO strategies?

SPYW Key Features

Still in its roll-out phase, SPYW is taking social search to the next level. As factors such as trust and reputation become more important in search, the new Google+ search feature takes both of these factors into account to deliver a personalised search experience that blends personal recommendations from Circles and friends as well as generic search results. This means that users searching for SEO for instance will be able to see the main results for SEO companies and tips, along with a Personal Results option that displays content from Google+.

The Personal Results search will display the following:

• Web pages
• Web pages matched to your browsing preferences
• Web pages from your social connections
• Public Google+ content
• Private or Limited Google+ content that has been shared with you

What This Means for Your SEO Strategies

From an online marketing point of view, SPYW offers a number of benefits for your SEO strategies. Much as Google Places opened up the possibilities for customised search, SPYW takes the concept of search to another level.

Instead of purely targeting the main search results, online marketers now have the chance to gain even more exposure through the Personal Results listings. Like Google Ads, these results are displayed in a prominent position on the right sidebar, with the option for users to display Personal Listings in the main SERPs too. Personalised strategies for SEO will also give online marketers a new way to get results, boosting reputation and trust as well as increasing engagement and social approval from audiences. Along with results, profiles, people and pages will also be displayed in search.

How to Set up Your Google+ Page

The first step in reaping the many rewards that Google’s SPYW is sure to offer is to create your Google+ Page. This can be done quickly and simply, with the following steps:

• Go to https://plus.google.com/pages/create to set up your page.
• Choose a category (Local Business or Place; Product or Brand; Company, Institution or Organisation; Arts, Entertainment or Sports or Other)
• Customise your page’s look and content
• Set up your Circles for your fans, customers, stakeholders and other audiences
• Start engaging with your Circles on a regular basis

Once your page has been set up and your Circles begin to grow, you can start building your reputation online to complement your SEO strategies through social search.

Here are a few posts outlining how important Google Plus will become and in details setup instructions with example pages:

• Why Every Marketer Now Needs a Google+ Strategy
• How To Set Up a Google+ Page for Your Business

Are you actively using Google+? If not, why not?

There has no doubt that social media marketing has helped a huge number of companies market their brands to a larger audience. The benefits that can be enjoyed from an SEO, customer service and online reputation point of view speak for themselves. When social media strategies are done right, companies can boost their traffic and reach a far wider audience than ever before. When social strategies are done wrong however, the fall out can be massive.

As a good example of what not to do, Durex recently caused a major outcry on Twitter when their PR company posted a number of ‘jokes’ that could only be seen as inappropriate. While making a statement is one thing, making the wrong kind of statement is quite another thing altogether – especially when it comes to social media marketing. The tweets in question included jokes such as:

Unfortunately for Durex, this tweet was sent on the eve of the 16 Days of Activism event, which aims to speak out against violence against women and children. After following this tweet up with a number of equally off-colour jokes, Durex eventually made an official apology, stating that the tweet “was offensive and inappropriate and do not reflect the views of the Durex brand.”

What Can We Learn from Social Media Marketing Disasters?

Durex may have learned their lesson, but there are still many brands out there who do not fully understand how social media marketing is supposed to work. Many companies assume that flooding their Facebook and Twitter pages with promotions and links and getting as many follows as possible is the primary aim of social marketing. Without that understanding about engaging customers, providing meaningful content and organically growing followers, the platform loses a great deal of its power.

Some of the social media marketing lessons that we can take from the Durex disaster include the following:

• Realise that anything you say online is there forever – even if you delete a tweet or Facebook comment
• Understand that public perception forms a huge part of customer relationship marketing – offending your potential customers is never the way to go
• Trying to be ‘hip’ and with the times is great, but not if it means damaging your brand through controversial social media tactics
• Social media is about sharing useful information with your current and potential customer base, and providing a platform to discuss, get feedback and grow your brand
• If you wouldn’t write it on your mom’s Facebook page, you should probably not write it on your company Facebook page
• Online reputation management is about building effective relationships, not putting out fires once the damage has been done

Ultimately, the real message here is that you will not get the best results from your social platforms if you do not understand how to reach your followers. Social media is a full-time job, and one that requires a solid understanding of each platform, as well as the ways of the web. Hiring an expert to handle your social media marketing is the best investment you could make if you want to see results.

Every day, billions of people are using Search Engines to find a host of information online. From products and services to restaurants, accommodation, statistics, companies, people, health tips, celebrity gossip, books, movies and just about everything else there is to know, online searches have become such an everyday part of life that the expression ‘Google it’ has become the most common term for sourcing information.

How exactly are people using Search Engines however, and how does this affect Search Engine Optimization?

Interesting Search Engine Usage Statistics

According to recent studies, people are far more likely to turn to Search Engines to find products and services, rather than paper-based directories such as Yellow Pages. Conversion rates are also higher for online searches compared to paper-based directories. The reason for this is that for most people, it is far easier to enter a direct search term and get instant results, along with reviews, ratings and recommendations that are seldom offered with a traditional directory. A 2010 Local Consumer Review Study revealed statistics on web users, which highlighted some rather interesting facts:

• 70% of users used the internet to find a local business in the last 12 months
• Younger users use Search Engines to find local businesses more than older users
• 67% of local users consulted online customer reviews of local businesses when searching for the business online
• Younger users are swayed by positive online reviews more than older users
• Female users are more inclined to choose a local business with positive reviews
• 69% of local users rely on online reviews as much as personal recommendations

The Evolution of Search Engines

With constant changes in Google ranking factors, algorithm and Search Engine features such as Maps, Places, Blog search, News search and other advancements in online search, user experience has become a major priority when it comes to Google and other SEs.

Trust, reputation and authority have also become a vital part of Google’s ranking factors, and content that contains spam, is not relevant, does not hold value or does not meet other ranking factors is shifted to the bottom of the SERPs. Users have far more control over the content that they see in the Search Engines too, with the option to block pages they do not wish to see in their results pages.

How Does This Affect Search Engine Optimization?

SEO has changed every bit as much as Search Engines have changed, and it is no longer enough to expect potential customers to browse your site and make a purchase. Understanding how web users are searching for your company online is the best way to plan your optimisation strategies. Content that is well-written, relevant, unique and rich in information is far more likely to be read by users.

While you shouldn’t stop optimising for Search Engines, it is important to remember that Search Engine Optimisation should also be targeted for the people who are actively searching for your company this very minute.

When Google recently announced the launch of Google+ business pages, many online marketers started to consider the huge benefits that this could have for social media campaigns. While Facebook pages have been around for a while, Google+ may just have an advantage or two over the social network giant.

The Google+ pages will be available to brands, companies and celebrities, and will work much in the same way as Facebook pages. Businesses will be able to share relevant content to their followers, with video linked from You-tube and images linked from Picasa to ensure instant media sharing. Even before Google+ Pages were launched however, Google has shown that it is serious about business, announcing recently that G+ would be integrated into Google Apps, which is its online application service for businesses.

What this Means for Social Media Campaigns

There are a number of interesting benefits that Google+ Pages will have for social media campaigns. One of these is Google’s strong search technology, which will make it easier for users to find your page online. When users type in a + sign in front of a company name or brand, they will be taken straight to the company’s G+ Page.

Another factor that some have seen in a negative light is the relatively small scope of Google+ compared to Facebook. Currently, Facebook is sitting at 800 million users, with Google taking a still decent 40 million. What this means however is that there is less clutter, and more focused conversations – a strong benefit in regards to social media campaigns.

But the thing that makes Google+ have so much potential for success is that Google understands social search better than anyone. With a wide range of services that include search, Gmail, Chrome and Android, Google has developed a major online service range that is all geared at helping users live their lives online simply and easily. It is this search focus that could be a huge boost for social media campaigns, with the ability to bring in large audiences through Google+ Pages and additional social search approaches.

Healthy Competition for Social Media Platforms?

Social media campaigns that use the power of Twitter are somewhat different to the more media rich platforms such as Facebook and Google+, but many believe that the new Google+ Pages may give Twitter a run for its money. One of the main reasons for this is the limitations in text, video and images compared to a rich media platform such as G+. Google’s services such as You-tube and Picasa make media sharing a lot simpler, without the shortened links and flooded timelines seen on Twitter.

Anyone will be able to comment on Google+ Pages, which ensures a wide audience. With Facebook’s privacy terms still under a lot of debate, and constant updates that often end up confusing users, Google+ Pages may offer an alternative for your social media campaigns, to engage with your audience, share information and grow your reputation online.



If you’ve been on Search Engine giant Google recently, you may have noticed that Google AdWords text ads are now appearing at the bottom of the SERPs. These ads have been a test, rolled out by Google over the past few months, and this week it was announced that the bottom of SERP ads will be a fixed featured on Google.

Accordingly to Google, bottom display ads are part of their design and experience update, and are intended to increase visibility. Rather than showing these ads at the same time as the side panel ads, Google intends these ads to be seen either in the side panel or the bottom of the SERPs to ensure that the Search Engine is not cluttered with ads.

Google’s announcement stated that “ads that have previously shown to the side of the results may in some cases appear below them. We dynamically optimize each search page, including its ads, to provide the best experience for our users. In many cases, we have found that displaying ads below search results fits better into the user’s flow as they scan the page from top to bottom. On average, this placement performed better than side ads in terms of click-through rate in our tests.”

What this Means for PPC Advertising Campaigns

While some online marketers are concerned that visibility may be affected, Google’s statement shows that there may actually be more chance of clickthroughs in the case of bottom of page ads. One way to look at it is to consider that PPC advertising campaigns that were previously showing at the top of page 2 will now be appearing at the bottom of page 1 results. This is good news for PPC advertisers.

As Google mentions in its statement, the usability factor is also worth considering. A typical web user scans content in a very specific way, and heat mapping along with other usability testing has indicated that most users scan content from the top left corner, zig-zagging across the page to the bottom. The ads also fall under Google’s suggestions for related pages, which is a feature that users have come to know.

Taking these factors into consideration, it will be interesting to see how the new bottom of SERP ads fare over time. Clickthroughs and extensive usability testing done by Google will show whether the ads perform at a level that makes it worth making these ads a permanent fixture.

Why PPC Advertising Helps SEO Campaigns

If you have not yet considered the benefits of PPC advertising, you may want to start considering text ads as a way to generate increased traffic for your website campaigns. Used alongside SEO and other online marketing approaches, PPC is a great way to test your keywords too, allowing you to fine tune your SEO campaigns for the best results.

Along with so many elements of Search Engine Optimization, link building has changed a lot over the years. Even just five years ago, the primary channels for link building were limited to directories, link exchanges, link requests, paid links and even comment spam. Today, the world of social media and social search has opened up a vast approach to generating links.

What has changed, and how does this affect your SEO strategies and responsibilities as an SEO professional?

Social Search and Link Building

The short answer is that social search is what has changed link building the most. The somewhat longer answer is that just like people are changing the way that they find information, SEOs and online marketing professionals have to change the way that they link build and the way that they deliver information online.

Reputation management, authority and trust have all become very important ranking factors in Search Engine Optimization. As such, it is no longer enough to send out a couple of link requests or submit hundreds of links to directories. Linking to low quality websites in today’s age of improved Google algorithms can even signal the death knell for websites who continue to try the old tactics without evolving to the world of social search.

These days, link builders have to consider the following approaches as part of their campaigns:

• Quality content, including well-written content as well as slides, infographics, videos and other rich content

• Google search results such as Places, shopping, Maps, news, blogs and real time search

• Social media channels, with profiles, link sharing, retweets, likes, +1’s and other post ranking

What Does this Mean for SEO Strategies?

For SEO professionals and website owners, what this means is that just like SEO strategies in general are constantly evolving and improving as new algorithms and ranking factors come about, link building should also be seen as a constantly changing strategy. Having a one size fits all approach is no long enough to see results, and link building should rather be seen as a holistic approach that incorporates all the elements of social search as well as the basics.

In this way, SEOs can ensure that their Search Engine Optimization efforts will always deliver effect results, through comprehensive linking strategies that use the extended social search parameters to the optimal advantage.

BlackBerry users have been up in arms this week over an outage that has spread across Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Canada, resulting in a large number of mobile users to be without internet and messaging services.

Starting on Monday 10 October, the outage has now reached its third day. While iPhone users poke fun of the millions of BlackBerry fans who are left without Twitter, Facebook, BBM, email and other social media applications, networks such as Vodacom have taken to sending text alerts to their contract holders to keep them up to date on the outage.

Is this the final nail in RIM’s coffin, or could this outage be attested to the huge volume of mobile users who use BlackBerry’s free internet services on a regular basis?

RIM’s Statement to BlackBerry Mobile Users

Initially quiet about the outage and its cause, BlackBerry manufacturer RIM finally released an official statement earlier today, shedding some light on what has caused such a major malfunction. The statement reads as follows:

“The messaging and browsing delays being experienced by BlackBerry users in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, India, Brazil, Chile and Argentina were caused by a core switch failure within RIM’s infrastructure.  Although the system is designed to failover to a back-up switch, the failover did not function as previously tested. As a result, a large backlog of data was generated and we are now working to clear that backlog and restore normal service as quickly as possible.  We apologize for any inconvenience and we will continue to keep you informed.”

With no sign on when internet services will return, BlackBerry mobile users have had to wait it out to be reconnected to the online world once again.

Vodacom and BlackBerry – A Match Made in Mobile Hell?

This isn’t the first crisis for BlackBerry users however. It was just a short time ago that Vodacom announced a plan to throttle internet caps from 3G to 2G for users who got through more than 100mb per month. The outcry that followed prompted Vodacom to withdraw this plan however, which in retrospect was a wise move on their part.

Vodacom have also been in the press for all the wrong reasons this week with reports of random softblocking coming in from angry mobile users on the Vodacom network.  And it wasn’t just BlackBerry users who have experienced mobile woes either – one angry user made a complaint on leading consumer satisfaction website HelloPeter stating that their phone had been softblocked by Vodacom.

Along with the current BlackBerry crisis that has yet to be resolved, and many other mobile woes, one thing is for sure – mobile users are starting to see red when it comes to Vodacom and BlackBerry.

There is no doubt that Search Engine Optimization has changed a lot over the years. With a large number of algorithm updates to Google, updated ranking factors, reputation management and the advent of social search factors, SEO is a constantly evolving online marketing tool that is consistently shifting.

For SEO professionals and website owners, this evolution has some interesting consequences. Understanding how SEO has evolved and the new responsibilities that SEO professionals now have is crucial to ensuring that your website campaigns are getting the results that you want. This is why the evolution of Search Engines is important to all marketers and website owners who want to keep up to date on current trends and ranking opportunities.

From Search Engine Optimization to Organic Web Strategies

Compared to its early days when on-site optimisation and link building was enough to see your site reach the top of the SERPs, Search Engine Optimization is no longer a static thing at all – it is a constantly shifting tool that changes as new technology and understanding comes along. Keeping up with these changes will help you get the best rankings, through smart campaigns that get results.

Some of the ways that SEO has evolved over the past few years include the following:

• Social search has changed the way that users find information online. Over 20% of our time is spent on social networks, and as such, SEO campaigns need to integrate social media strategies as part of a healthy online marketing mix to reach the millions of users who are on Facebook, Twitter, FourSquare, You-tube and other platforms.

• Content strategies are also becoming crucial to SEO success, with a large percentage of companies running blogs to draw in more traffic and ensure regular, unique content that aids both SEO and usability. Additional content such as infographics, apps and interactive content have also become more crucial as part of the SEO mix.

• Reputation has become even more important than ever. New updates to Google algorithms place a huge deal of importance on reputation, trust and authority, with sites such as Wikipedia and major newsgroups and retails appearing above all the rest in the SERPs. Monitoring of social media discussions, traffic and ranking play a key role in reputation management.

• SEO elements such as accessibility, comprehensive keyword research and strategising, linkbuilding, search verticals in images, video, mobile, web pages and social platforms as well as new search protocols such as Schema.org, Rel=Author and video XML sitemaps are far more comprehensive than ‘old school’ SEO elements used to be.

• Local search and maps have become a crucial part of search marketing, used by many web users to pinpoint their location and find services in their area. In search terms, maps is an excellent way to reach a wider audience, optimising on a local scale while providing a richer search experience for users.

As SEOMoz’ Rand Fish stated in a slide show entitled The Death & Rebirth of SEO, search is no longer living in a vacuum – today it lives in the broader inbound funnel. It is no longer enough to expect on-site work and outdated SEO principles to work. The growth of social search has caused Search Engine Optimization to evolve into something far greater than ever before, and if you are not able to keep up, you may soon find that your rankings don’t keep up either.

The social media world has been abuzz recently when Facebook unveiled the latest updates to the world’s largest social network. Facebook announced the launch of major changes across its network last week during a keynote by Mark Zuckerberg at their F8 conference, saying that these changes could be the biggest thing to hit the social media sphere to date.

So what exactly are the big changes, and what will this mean for Facebook users? Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg describes the new Facebook as “the story of your life – all your stories, all your apps and a new way to express who you are.” A big part of the update is the new Timeline, which will give users a timeline of statuses, images and other content – dating back even before they joined the social network.

Timeline, says Zuckerberg, helps the users show “the story of your life on a single page.” He went on to say, “We’re more than what we did recently,” adding that Facebook is where a lifetime of memories can be shared, allowing users to track their lives and all important moments.

Other changes include sharing changes that they will launch in partnership with applications such as Spotify and Netflix. The Ticker section meanwhile provides real-time updates of user actions, allowing users to track their friends’ actions as they happen.

Not all Fun and Games

While Facebook fans are sure to get over their initial shock to enjoy the new and improved social media network, not everyone is happy with recent changes. Since May 2011, Facebook has been quietly ‘culling’ off a large number of groups – some of which have members reaching as high as 136,000.

Canadian social media fans have reported a slew of group archives this year, which might explain why in Canada in May alone Facebook lost 1.52 million users, 8% of the 16.6 million Canadians who use Facebook.

According to a statement given by Facebook, some groups have the option to move forward with the new look format, while others will need to recreate their groups from scratch. This statement, given by Kelly Ornelas, a communications consultant working for Facebook, stated: “We are currently migrating various Facebook Groups into a new format that makes it easier to communicate with smaller sets of people. We determined what groups to archive based on a number of factors, including the amount of recent activity. We encourage people who are trying to engage with large numbers of people to create Pages.”

Additional concerns with the new Facebook include worries that the social media giant may want their users to share rather too much. Privacy issues that arose over the past year or two have not been completely put in the past, and while there is no doubt that Facebook’s new look will keep a large percentage of its users, the jury is still out whether it will be enough for the social media users who see past a fresh design.

Today is a big day for Search Engine giant Google. Many SEO experts, online marketers and other web developers have been following the recent Google antitrust hearing to find out what future Google will face. On Wednesday, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt will be testifying before the Senate Committee’s antitrust panel to argue that it does not show preference over its own products.

Why exactly is Google facing this hearing however, and what will the outcome mean for the Search Engine super power?

Google Antitrust Hearing – Is Google Evil?

Ironically, Google’s motto of ‘don’t be evil’ is being turned against them as they face numerous complaints by a number of its rivals, including Yelp and Microsoft. The Federal Trade Commission’s antitrust investigation of Google began earlier this year, and aim to determine whether Google’s control over the online search and advertising space may just have grown to monopoly status.

Eric Schmidt, who stood down from his CEO role to become Google executive chairman, will be stating Google’s claim that they are simply trying to give their customers the best possible experience. Says Schmidt of the hearing, “We hope it will be conducted in a focused and fair manner so that we can continue creating jobs and building products that delight our users.”

What Google’s Rivals Have to Say

The Search Engine giant’s competitors however, are seeing things from a different perspective. Jeremy Stoppelman, co-founder and chief executive of Yelp claims that Google is using its huge power and online domination to demolish competition. After unsuccessfully trying to purchase Yelp in 2009, Google started Google Places, its own version of Yelp’s review site. Stoppelman will more than likely accuse Google of stealing content, and using its power to place Google Places above Yelp in the Search Engine Results Pages.

Then there is the Microsoft concern. As one of Google’s biggest rivals, Microsoft is making a claim against Google for allegedly illegally increasing advertising rates 50-fold. If these claims are proved to be true, then Google will be found to be in violation of the antitrust agreement.

Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat from Connecticut and member of the antitrust subcommittee, stated that, “Google is a great American success story, but its size, position and power in the marketplace have raised concerns about its business practices, and raised the question of what responsibilities come with that power.”

While the world waits to hear the outcome of the hearing, one thing is certain – the consequences of a negative outcome could be massive for Google.

Another lesson that this could teach all SEO professionals, developers and other online experts is that no-one is safe when it comes to abiding by the rules – not even Google, who has become the most dominant Search Engine across the world.