If The Likes Are The New Links Then Paid Likes Will Magnify The Spam On The Web

In a recent article on http://www.webpronews.com/topnews/2010/11/23/if-likes-are-the-new-links-content-quality-should-increase it was mentioned that if according to Bruce Clay Likes are the new links then the way the links are sold by many companies , the likes also will become a saleable product increasing the spam and low quality search results on the search engines.

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According to me, undoubtedly the social and search integration with the social graph influencing the search results is something which is surely going to be woven in the search engine algorithms. In fact it already has been claimed by one of the SEOs that Twitter presence and engagement helped him in improving the SERPs.


(Read About It On: http://www.seroundtable.com/archives/023315.html)

But, the extent to which the likes, tweets, blog post comments, reviews, etc. will influence the rankings and how they will be woven into the algorithms will depend on the search engines and their access to the relevant data.

But, the most important point of concern is that if the likes too are bought by the companies like the paid links then the spam generated thus will result into a noise pollution on the web.

It is a big irony that the PageRank concept which was implemented by Google to fight the keyword spam which was resorted to by the web marketers and SEOs in early 2000, actually paved the way for a spammy link building industry.

Now, the social media indicators which should help in adding an opinion or additional valuable information to the links also have a possibility of adding volume to the same spammy link building industry. The whole concept of earning links and likes on the merit of quality content is being replaced by the concept of buying links and the likes by some of the web marketers just to give a quick boost to the SERPS of their client sites.

If, we want to avoid having a world wide web with social media sites ending up with fictitious accounts, search results with manipulated low quality searches, clients unnecessarily diverting funds to paid links and likes and other such influences which results in the spammers making money and an over all imbalance and clutter on the web then it is the responsibility of every web marketer and SEO to say NO to paid links or likes and educate the client with the facts about the search engine visibility and ranking ethics and convince them to take the right path to progress on the search engines.

If, this is not done then the SEO industry shall soon lose its credibility and people might give more preference to paid search which again will result into a lopsided growth on the web.



The Challenge Of Improving The SEO Of A Given Site When It Already Ranks on Page 1 For Targeted Keywords

Just a few days back I received a call,  enquiring about the SEO services that we offer. After the normal introduction and initial discussion, he went ahead to tell me that they are already ranking on page 1 position 1 for the most important targeted keywords on Google. His question was how can we help him to improve upon his search engine presence further. The main thing that kept on worrying him was that his competitor had 1000s of backlinks and his website just had a few hundreds.

The fact that the competitor had more inbound links made him feel insecure and he wanted to sort of know what should be done in order to insure and future proof the SEO results he had already achieved.

In such cases I think the most appropriate thing would be a thorough review of the off page factors and a plan chalked out a further course of action related to points which are not getting enough attention and importance.

The challenge lies in communicating the action plan in its right perspective to the client and then monitoring and checking as to how and how much it is helping in improvising the results already achieved.

It starts with finding the answers to the following questions:

• Do they have a blog?

• Is the blog focused on certain objectives or goals?

• Is the blog being updated frequently

• Are the readers commenting and posting their views on the blog?

• Are the readers sharing the posts on social media? (Especially keep a tab of retweets and likes, as Mr. Bruce Clay  recently mentioned in one of his interviews that, ‘The Likes Are The New Links’)?

• Does the company have a voice on the topical community forums?

• Being a part of an online community do they regularly interact and have established an identity and a voice of authority?

• Do they have an active presence on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube?

• Is there any possibility of making the landing pages more attractive, easy to navigate and conversion friendly?

• Does the client himself or his in-house team have an idea about their online presence, identity and over all visibility?

• What is the overall web culture of the company?

• Are the people who are updating the site and the blog SEO aware?

• Are they brand conscious while updating content and interacting on social media?

• Does their email signature have their website address and social media account links?

• Are the inbound links authority links and from varied URLS?

• Do they write guest posts for other sites related to their industry?

• Do they invite guest posts from other authority people in their industry?

• Are the customers being encouraged to write reviews on the local search results?

The answers to all the above questions will help in having an overall health check of the website and various off-page factors and social online presence of the company and pave the way for an action plan to make the necessary change and give the extra punch and also pump in the extra link juice needed for the website, just like you need the oxygentated blood running through the human body for good health.

But, this kind of an action plan maybe easy to make but what is important is how effectively it is conveyed to the concerned team for its execution is the main challenge. The result will be achieved only if the person implementing the plan knows the benefits the site is going to achieve by putting all the points in action.

Once the plan is in action, the result and achievements can be analyzed and measured only over period of time that is at least 3-4 months. And of course the calculation of ROI will tell the tale in its true colour of success or failure as the case maybe.
Please refer the following link to read about “The Google Analytics Metrics That Help You To Monitor The SEO Progress And Also Calculate The ROI”

 http://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-analytics-metrics-monitor-the-seo-progress/25493/

About Search And Content Curation.

Initially when people used Google to search for topics and enhance their knowledge about a certain topic it gave them a feeling of having the world in their hands and the fact that any information needed was just a click away surely gave a feeling of power and control.

Want to know about anything – Just Google It. The whole activity of search gave immense satisfaction and the discussions among peer groups gave an aura of superiority, especially, if you had shortlisted , relevant and important content which others were unable to find on Google.

But all the search activity does involve time and once the newness should I say or the glamour and curiosity behind any activity fades away the law of ‘Diminishing Marginal Utility’ starts becoming applicable and you start thinking and working out options of getting a ready list of relevant content links available to you instantly. For that RSS surely was handy at least you did not have to surf or search for links which were appreciated and already searched by you and wanted to refer to continuously. But that also has a limitation and again it gives you a feeling of a déjà vous and the curiosity to know more makes one search again to update the RSS list. That means again time spent on search . What if someone did all this for you and you got ready info. About the relevant topics with a complete updated list of links about the latest updated content, buzz and also about comments and opinions. Don’t you think that is great. Yes it is I am sure.

That is exactly what the next big evolution of the web is about ‘Content Curation’.


Content curation is about finding the most relevant content about a topic online and listing all the relevant links found on that topic after a thorough research on the web. Now the reliability and the quality of links will depend on the knowledge and sensibilities of the curator. But once people find his findings to be valuable and worth a read I am sure the blog, website or any other platform he uses to share that set of links will be surely regularly read and followed. So, content curators are basically people who do the search activity for you and present the results in the form of ‘Ready To Eat’ food packages or like instant coffee.

As a blogger too if after having a blog post you mention atleast 5 other links related to the topic then the readers would surely have additional matter to read and ready links available on your blog.

It is still uncertain as to how all this will shape up in future but all the links we share on the social media and then have newspapers published for the links tweeted by us shall surely have some impact on the search and social graph once the content curation aspect is well woven in the algos. Of the search engines and the social media searches.

But if you check out some tools which measure Twitter influence and reach and categorize the Twitter accounts like for e.g www.klout.com they have a Twitter Account Type which is known as ‘Curator’ that means that the person having that twitter account shares a lot of relevant links in his tweets.

Content creators have their own niche but curation cannot exist without creation.

Relevant Links:

http://mashable.com/2010/05/03/content-curation-creation/

http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/content-curation/

http://www.contentcurationmarketing.com/articles/16751/what-is-content-curation/

SEO Training - WebPro Technologies Ahmedabad

The next batch for SEO Training at WebPro Technologies has been scheduled for the first week of December 2010.


The WebPro Classroom has been upgraded to the state of art set up with an audio visual set up to enhance and give an impetus to group discussions and brain storming sessions.

The SEO Curriculum has been updated and now includes the following topics:

• Integration of Search And Social media

• SEO Is more than just rankings

• What is Google Caffeine?

• The SEO Perspective For 2011

• You can work on the SEO of any site you want to optimize during the course for which you shall receive guidance and advice.

Along with the following topics:

Session 1 : Search Engine Basics
Session 2 : Introduction to Search Engine Marketing
Session 3 : Introduction to Search Engine Optimization
Session 4 : SEO Requirements Gathering & Keyword Research
Session 5 : Title and other META Tags Creation
Session 6 : SEO Copywriting
Session 7 : Search Engine and Directory Submission & Search Engine Spam
Session 8 : Overview of all the above sessions
Session 9: SEO & Web Design
Session 10: Text Content & Dynamic Content
Session 11: Graphics & Flash Pages
Session 12: Frames and Tables
Session 13: Link Popularity
Session 14: Overview Of Web Analytics.
Session 15: Pay For Performance
Session 16: Measuring SEO ROI

Week end batches, Corporate training and tailor made Internet Marketing Programmes to suit your requirements are also conducted by us.

Please contact us for any further enquiries or a counselling session on the following address mentioned in the Ad released in the Times Of India :

Educating The Client About SEO Is The Best Way To Recover The Reputation Of The SEO Industry

Just the other day I came across a discussion regarding the The SEO Industry’s Reputation Problem on Sphinn.com.

After going through the discussion, I strongly feel that if the reputation of the SEO industry has been tarnished by people who call themselves SEOs despite not having any knowledge or experience in anything search-engines-related, then the responsibility of bringing back the reputation and making the industry more respect worthy is also on the shoulders of the knowledgeable SEOs.


Every industry has fly by night companies cropping up who making a fast buck by fooling some people. The SEO industry is not alone. It seems to be more prominent for our industry though as the clients themselves are unaware about what SEO is and what deliverables they should expect when they sign an SEO contract.


 Read more at Search Engine Journal

Review Your Site From A Fresh All Round SEO Perspective For Optimum Search Marketing Benefit For 2011

 The search marketing scenario is fast evolving and progressing . We have seen many developments in the search engine industry with Google and Bing both trying to put in their best to make search more sophisticated, faster, fun and better in all respects by updating their algorithms and the SERP presentations. One major aspect has been the importance to local search and an increasing importance to all other options made available by the search engines. The Real Time Search has also been the necessary added ingredient of the pie without which the flavor of search lacks the zing thing.

If you have a website and you are interested in having a quality presence on the search engines then it is highly essential that you review your site as per the developments taking place and check if your site has all that is necessary for a site to be present on all the search options of the search engines . This review should be done even if your site is already ranking for the targeted keywords since a long time.

A Quick Checklist For the Review:

1) keywords:
 As the search behavior of the people is changing and people are more aware about search and more specific about what information they are looking for, check if the site ranks for long tail keywords as well . Check the key phrases used by people by using the keyword suggestion tools and check if the site ranks for the much needed permutations and combinations of keywords and phrases. If it is not ranking for them then the site needs to be maybe redone content-wise or it may just need a bit of tweaking here and there . It all depends on the content volume and quality of the website.

2) Search Options:
Ensure that the site has a ranking on all the search options at least the ones relevant to your site content , i.e videos, images, blogs, discussions, Places(local Search), Updates (Real time search),shopping,etc.

3) Local Search:
Though the Places option has been mentioned in point no. 2 the inclusion of the site in local search results is of utmost importance and the methodology for getting listed and rank higher is different than ranking in SERPs. It is also important that the contact page of you site has all the addresses where your business has a presence and all this should be done by integrating the Hcard on the page.

4) Real Time Search And Social media:
Social media is the hub where the WOM is generated. Check if your business has a presence on the social media sites especially Twitter, Facebook and the topical communities and forums related to the main line of business . Having an active presence on these sites with regular postings of tweets, updates and comments you actually put forward the ideology of your company and in a subtle way also propagate and promote the products and services that you deal in.

These sites are crowded with your potential customers and existing customers, hence monitoring what is being said about your company and voicing what you want to say you not only respond to the queries and comments of your existing customers but also offer information to potential customers by interacting with them. Hence it is again of vital importance that this social media interaction which is an art involving the understanding of psychology using the tech savvy attitude to put the best impression forward should be handled by a very responsible person who understands and feels for the vision, mission and success of the company. As now ‘THE WORD OF MOUTH’ has become ‘THE WORLD OF MOUTH’

5) Blog:
Check if your company has a blog. Check if it is being updated regularly. Check if the blog URLS SEO friendly. Check if the comments are being responded to. If the answer is no then you are losing out on the main purpose of having a blog. Take the necessary action and make your blog the spokesperson of your company . A company blog reflects the identity of the company.

6) Web Design:
Check if the design, content and navigation is attractive , compelling and attractive enough to enhance the interest level of the visitor so that the visitor goes ahead to read more about the company, products and policies and gets convinced to take a favorable decision to buy or to contact you.

7) Web Culture Of Your Team:
Check if every person in every team whether marketing , technical or operations understands the benefit of web presence and becomes a part of it. Every employee in the company should easily relate to the virtual office (the website) of the company the way they relate to systems and procedures in the offline office. After all the virtual office or store is nothing but a reflection of your offline real presence.

SEO has a wider and broader meaning more than ever before now. SEO is not only about rankings it is about creating an overall positive online presence presenting the true image of the company , establishing the brand of the company and at the same time of course getting high rankings for maximum no. of generic and specific targeted keywords on organic search and all other search options too. Hence, SEO is a very specialized job for which experience is more important than SEO certifications and qualifications.

Companies who have seen the search engines grow in the past decade along with the world wide web are the companies who have the requisite knowledge and experience for this. As you cannot learn swimming virtually, you have to jump into the water and practice to become a good swimmer. In order to become a good SEO you need to actually work on sites over a long period of time experiencing all the ups and downs of working for a qualitative search engine presence.

Cross check your site for all the above mentioned points in the check list for 2011 and work your way to a richer , positive and qualitative web presence to unleash the power of the web and enhance business prospects. This exercise should be done on an ongoing basis periodically , even though you have good rankings, as there is always scope for improvement .

Answers To Queries You Might Have Before Selecting SEO And Search Marketing As A Career Option

Based On A Survey Conducted By SEOmoz

SEOmoz recently conducted a complete and comprehensive survey related to search marketing . We have selected a few questions from the survey , the data related to these questions should according to us help the people who want to take up search marketing as a full time career.

We conduct SEO training and many times people want to know exact numbers and data related to their specific queries related to a career in the field of search marketing which can give them an idea about the emerging trends. This shall surely be of  great help to them.

Some of the questions related to training asked in the survey and the related responses are as follows:

1. What is your gender?

2. What is your age?

3. How did you start learning about search marketing?

4. Where did you get your start in the search marketing industry?

5. Which of the following have you used to improve your Internet marketing skills/knowledge?

6. In which areas do you focus your reading and education?

What is your gender?

According to the survey SEO industry is also a male dominated domain with 79% of the people who took this survey were males .

What is your age?


The majority of the people who took this survey are in the age group of 31- 40 . So this industry is having quite a few experienced people who have opted for being involved with search marketing after maybe weighing other career options – assuming they find this career lucrative enough .

From the data regarding age we can see that there are people from the age of 22 to 50 which compromise of a sizeable number specifying the fact that many people have started taking this career at the very onset of their careers and many experienced people are also involved in this career option so the novices get to learn from the rich experience of the people in the age group of people above 35 .


This is very important as one cannot survive in this field if you are not constantly learning. In this field you can keep on earning only if you can keep on learning.

That is exactly what are motto at WebPro Technologies is that ‘WE DO NOT TEACH BUT WE HELP YOU TO LEARN’ we guide you to get the basics of SEO with full clarity and then we show you the methodology and the online resources from which you can keep on upgrading your knowledge related to this field as this field keeps on evolving on a continuous basis .

We show you the path and instill the confidence in you and show you how to tread the path on your own. No SEO certification can make you an SEO its only your experience and the real time mistakes that you will make while optimizing the sites which shall lead you to perfection.

All this can be proved by the next question asked in the survey:

How did you start learning about search marketing?



65% of the people said that they experimented and taught themselves.

 
 The very logical next question how to get experience and how to start working without experience. The answer to these questions can be found in the next question asked in the survey :


Where did you get your start in the search marketing industry?

The majority of the people said they started working in-house on a company website. Once you decide to take up search marketing as a career , initially see to it that you start optimizing the websites of your friends, relatives and any other company website who wants its SEO done for free as initially the experience that you will get will be the best remuneration that you can get.

Else wise you can take up a job of working as a trainee in an SEO company where initially you may have to do the mechanical and monotonous jobs related to the SEO projects but if you keep your eyes, ears and mind open you can learn a lot which can instill added confidence on working on a site individually .

 
The next logical query which the enquiries ask is :


Which of the following have you used to improve your Internet marketing skills/knowledge?

The answer is provided in the data below. There is a plethora of resources available online and offline .

 
The next logical question is search marketing is a vast field which area are people focusing on currently?


The question asked by SEOmoz in the survey was :

In which areas do you focus your reading and education ?

The majority of the people i.e 84.3% have answered SEO and next at 58.8% is analytics with conversion rate optimization and social media marketing soon catching up. Depending on your knowledge and interest you can focus from the various options that this career offers. As it is always good to have all round knowledge but best to focus on one aspect and gain expertise on it .

 
We thank SEOmoz for conducting such an extensive survey and sharing it with all in such detail.


The complete survey can be viewed here http://www.seomoz.org/seo-industry-survey/complete

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