At this Houston Search Engine Optimization Company, we believe in staying on top of new developments in the industry. Google recently announced a few changes to the new +1 button. Now the button renders 3x faster on web sites! If you are a Houston web developer, you don’t even have to do anything to implement this change. The change is active on all sites that have the Google +1 button installed on them.
The other +1 button announcement Google made today is the introduction of a new asynchronous snippet for the button! If you are a Houston web designer who uses Google Analytics to measure site metrics you probably remember when Google introduced the asynchronous Analytics code, which replaced the slower Urchin code. In asynchronous codes the browser downloads the button at the same time as the site loads. This is great for site speed. Unfortunately, if you already have the +1 button installed on your site this means you will need to change the code on every page of your site.
To Install the +1 Button for Houston SEO:
If you don’t have the +1 button installed on your site, read on to find out how to install Google +1 with the asynchronous code. Installing the code is a two-part process. One snip of code goes where you want the +1 button to render, and the other snip goes after the last plusone tag. Copy and paste the following code into your site (minus the exclamation marks, so the HTML works):
1. This tag goes where you want the +1 button to render: < !g:plusone> You can actually install one of four versions of the previous code, depending on the size of the +1 button that you would like to see on your site. The other three versions look like this: < !g:plusone size=”small”> < !g:plusone size=”medium”> < !g:plusone size=”tall”>
2. This tag goes after the last plusone tag: < !script type="text/javascript"> (function() { var po = document.createElement(‘script’); po.type = ‘text/javascript’; po.async = true; po.src = ‘https://apis.google.com/js/plusone.js’; var s = document.getElementsByTagName(‘script’)[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(po, s); })();
If you don’t know about the relevance of the Google +1 button, read our Houston Search Engine Marketing blog entry about it! In short, this button helps Google determine your SERPs by reinforcing site authority. The +1 button’s metrics appear in Webmaster Tools and Google Analytics, which is a fairly clear indicator that Google is serious about developing this button and integrating it in depth into SEO and SEM.
Since the +1 button has not been in use for very long, we can probably expect additional changes in the near future as Google works out additional hiccups in the beta phase. Contact our Houston SEO Company Directory One at (713) 465-0051 for more information.
Google Builds New Social Media Services for SEO/SEM
Houston search engine optimization services like to state the obvious sometimes: Google has a lot going on lately. In case you’ve been too busy to keep up with each new development as it is unleashed, read the following to catch up.
First there was the new version of Google Analytics. If you still haven’t noticed the new interface, open up your Analytics account. To the left of your account name at the top right half of the navigation header is the phrase “New Version” in red. This is a link! Click on in to transfer over to the new version.
The new Google Analytics is similar to the old version, only the interface provides a broader expanse of customization in the reporting. This allows greater control over web analysis and the ability to slice and dice your web data any way that you need to. The Goals toolbar is now called “Conversions,” which breaks up into “Goals” and “Ecommerce,” for custom funnel visualization.
Google is working on integrating Webmaster Tools and Google Analytics. We can expect for Google to continue developing the new Google Analytics interface in the near future. A Social function has already been added this week, which tracks visitor social interaction on Facebook, Google +1, and Twitter. If your company does not have links to these services on your website, our Houston website design company and Houston Internet marketing services can help you set these up.
Google +1 is the new “Like” button for your website. If you have a Gmail profile, click the +1 button when you see it to let your contacts know that you recommend the site. These recommendations by contacts in your network show up on Google searches along with the url and page description.
Coinciding with but not to be confused with the new social button Google +1, Google has also released it’s own social network called Google +. This network has been compared to a Facebook with greater privacy control and no newsfeed. An account holder has the option to create circles of friends that are allowed access to types of information.
That’s a lot of new social networking to keep up with! These new platforms are released following the Panda update last February, which integrated social network activity into SEO Website Marketing.
The icing on the Google cake is a redesign of the familiar Gmail interface. Google is designing an aesthetically pleasing front end of Gmail to integrate with the new social network and keep up with user demand. Don’t worry, it’s the same Gmail account that it was before. If you have any questions about Google’s new developments, contact Houston SEO Company Directory One at (713) 465-0051.
Houston SEO companies like Directory One know that having your business listed on Yelp.com can greatly influence a local buyer’s decision. Yelp is growing in popularity and is steadily becoming one of the best local business review websites on the internet changing the way we think of word-of-mouth marketing. It occurred to me that I should write a blog entry all about Yelp after a client of mine mentioned he had never heard of Yelp. His Yelp business listing was unclaimed so he had no way of tracking his visits or replying to any reviews. When he received a negative review it went unanswered and that is the worst thing you can do as a business owner. What he should have done was privately respond to the review and try to resolve what was causing the negative review in the first place. This may sway the reviewer to revise his original negative review and change his mind about the company. When a reviewer receives a private or public message from a company apologizing and offering a solution the reviewer will suddenly feel more appreciated and that their concerns are not being ignored. Also with Yelp a business owner can drive customers to their business by announcing special offers. Business owners can even track visits, add photos and a detailed business description. So, what are you waiting for? Create a business listing on Yelp today! And if your business already has a listing, be sure to claim it and start making the most out of your Yelp business listing.
Houston search engine optimization is most effective when it keeps on top of new developments in the industry. Google confirmed the inclusion of social media in its algorithm as of the Panda Update in February 2011. Services such as Facebook and Twitter now have a direct impact on SERPs. What does this mean exactly?
Perhaps this inclusion was a prelude to the implementation of Google’s social media. In March Google announced the implementation of the +1 button. When users click the Google +1 button, they are recommending the page to Google for their contacts. If someone in their network of contacts makes search queries that return similar results, the accumulated Google +1 for their network will show beneath the page title and description that we usually see on search queries.
Yet another social media button to add to your website! Many people have resisted the new + 1 button and it’s relevance. Since it is still in its experimental phase, we don’t really know exactly how the button affects search engine results, whether those effects are restricted to social networks, or how they compare to Facebook and Twitter. However, since Google – the biggest search engine on the web – supports the button, it will probably influence your SERP. If it influences your site’s ranking, the sooner you implement the button, the better.
The main reason to start using Google +1, is that it improves your SERP, along with other social media. Even though the button has only been in use for a couple of months, there has already been an experiment testing the effects of the button on SEO. The final result shows a 24% increase in Google search ranking for the same number of impressions, or appearances of a site on search engine results.
Why use Google +1 rather than other “Like” buttons such as the ones on Facebook or Twitter? The +1 button doesn’t direct you to a third party site where you need to log in to express your approval. Once you express your approval, it doesn’t flood the pages for all of your contacts with information about something they don’t necessarily share a common interest in. People will only see your recommendation if they make searches that bring up the same results as the searches you made.
If your company has these social media platforms, it’s important to post the linking buttons on your website pages. Remember that search engines take the presence of these links into account when determining SERPs. If you don’t have these services affiliated with your website, and don’t have the time to set them up, Directory One can do it for you. Contact your Houston Search Engine Marketing Company Directory One at (713) 269-3094 for more information about how we can help your company gain new customers through the use of web marketing and social media.
When it comes to social media – everyone wants one thing: metrics.
I hear from clients all the time, “I know I should be using social media – but I have a hard time investing money in something I can’t measure.”Fair enough.That’s why I’ve worked on developing a list of metrics and measurement considerations for social media.
Social Media Measurement is Similar to Measuring Public Relations
Before listing out some tools and ideas for measuring your ROI; I want to note one thing about social media marketing and its impact. It is slightly erroneous to compare social media to traditional media in terms of analyzing return-on-investment. While some of the impacts of SMM will resemble those of more tradition media buying efforts (increased sales, increased brand awareness, etc…) other impacts are more analogous to another traditional business investment: public relations. In public relations, the impact is often hard to measure. Nonetheless, no self-respecting company would ignore (or dispute) the value of public relations. Whether it’s improved image or a sense of community “connection” – public relations provides it. So too does social media. It is especially that connection that social media creates. It is hard to put a dollar value on the relationship a consumer develops with a brand because of social media efforts.
Social Media Metrics:
Ideally; you’ll know how you’re going to measure your social media campaign before you launch it.What I mean by this is that you should have clear objectives before starting any internet marketing campaign, whether it be: search engine optimization; SEM; or social media marketing.Having a clear objective and determining how you will measure success should be the first step of any social media marketing campaign. It should also be noted that it’s important to make sure that social media is the best tool for reaching you objective.
Here are some common objectives that social media is a great tool for:
·Increasing brand awareness
·Increasing consumer and visitor interaction
·Advertisingto a targeted audience
·Generating traffic for your main site
·Customer relations via real-time service and “fire-stomping”
Creating metrics for each of these objectives is fairly straightforward.For instance: measuring whether your social media campaign is generating website hits is as simple as using Google analytics to see if Facebook, YouTube, or Twitter is driving your traffic.
In this instance, you would be sure to assign a specific value to the objective.What particular page or pages do you want to drive traffic to and what percentage do you want to increase your current traffic.
One campaign is likely to have multiple objectives. A Facebook Advertising campaign might be geared at increasing web traffic and increasing product sales. There are also unique tools to measure certain harder to judge objectives like: increasing brand awareness.Various real-time and composite search results allow you to see not only who and where people are talking about you – but whether the overall context of their conversations is positive or negative.
The tools are out there – the specific metrics that you’ll use will depend on your campaign. The trick is to define what you are trying to measure before beginning any social media marketing project. Asking “is this effective” after creating and managing a Facebook page for several months is going to be more difficult to answer.
One of the most difficult obstacles for businesses wading into the social media waters is the ever-shifting nature of the platforms. Whether it’s an entirely new ( and suddenly popular) platform that you must adapt to — or a major change to an existing platform — it seems like nothing is ever static for long in the world of social networks.
Case-in-point is Facebook’s announcement that it will be changing how its “Group” feature functions. Facebook groups used to be incredibly useful tools for businesses to promote upcoming events or even themselves. With the advent of the Facebook Business Page (or Fan Page;) it appeared the social network wanted to shift groups to the background in order to monetize and maximize the use of Facebook pages for business. As the news feed evolved — Groups were kept off of the real-time feed. This handicapped their ability to spread rapidly.
Now Facebook is putting Groups on the newsfeed — though word is they will limit a group’s appearance on the feeds to only those comments or postings that are made by an individual’s friends. This is still a potentially big development. Facebook Fan Pages are great tools — but one thing that always made groups better for getting the word out quickly was the ability of an admin to invite large groups of people to a group. The spread of pages is unfortunately limited to a slower style of virtual-word-of-mouth. If groups retain this feature while also joining pages and profiles on the newsfeed — it might be well worth the effort to create a group page as well for your business. Actually — it might make sense to create multiple groups to cater to multiple campaigns.
To learn more about the use of Groups vs. Pages and Profiles on Facebook; contact a Houston social media marketing company today. You can also contact me at @SMMJenn on Twitter or by emailing me at jenn@newnectar.com.
