Category: Google

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An Update on My Predictions for 2015

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What has already come to pass?

Well, I was right when I predicted what would happen in 2015 back on December 22, 2014… well at least for several items so far. You can read my full set of predictions for 2015 in this December blog post.

I predicted these things would be hot for 2015 and some are coming to pass right now:

1. The Mobile Web and Google
My prediction: This whole next year expect to see more activity from Google in regards to refining how websites are ranked based on mobile friendliness. If you at the minimum do not have a DudaMobile website to turn you not so friendly mobile site into one that Google will like, now’s the time to make that move. Better yet is to invest in rebuilding your website using a responsive design which will serve you better in the long run.

Update:
Google announced this past month that on 4-21-15 they will drop website listings from their mobile search index that are not Google approved “mobile friendly”. What came out this month as well is that Google does not have a separate mobile index and so appears to simply be massaging data to return mobile results. The next big question will be – will not having a mobile friendly site affect my regular desktop and tablet results on Google.com. On that issue, I am not prepared to make a prediction just yet.

2. Mobile Pay Will Be Hot
My prediction: As all merchants will need to upgrade their swipe terminals to accept the new SIM card personal identifier in credit cards, I predict that there will be greater use of mobile payments with Apple Pay and Softcard.

Update:
I have been vindicated that Mobile Pay or Contactless Pay as it is known is very hot. In fact, Softcard was purchased in March by Google and the technology is being rolled into Google Wallet. I expect to see a much bigger push on Google Wallet this next year. Apple Pay has rolled out and more users are embracing tapping their smartphone to pay at checkout. This is a growing trend and one I expect to see even more announcements come out as the year goes on.

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How Do I Fix my Mobile Problem for Google?

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Need Help Fixing Your Mobile Issue with Google?

If you have received a notice from Google that your website is not mobile friendly and yet you do not have the budget right now to rebuild your website AND you don’t want to lose traffic after 4-21-15, what can you do?

There are a few services available that will scan your existing site and allow you to drag and drop files in their editor to make a responsive website. Even web hosts have gotten into the action with website templates that are integrated into their hosting platforms.

Although these simplified templates do not allow for a rich, interactive, and custom site, they are good alternatives that are relatively easy albeit fairly time consuming to work with.

Some sites that you may want to check out if you are a do it yourselfer are: DudaMobile – has mobile friendly as well as responsive designs WIX – just be careful of the design as not all are really responsive. Shopify has some nice designs to consider Webflow is even a consideration.

Of course if you want greater control over your design and content, or simply do not have enough time to do this yourself, we have a very nice turnkey program for responsive websites for you to check out and try out online.

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Google Introduces Local Guides – Enlisting Readers to Review You

Want to become a Local Guide too? You can.
Want to become a Local Guide too? You can.

Quietly in February Google rolled out a new program called Local Guides.  Not only did Google create a program to make a community out of people already active in their social space, but is providing perks, mentoring, and recognition for those that participate by writing reviews.

The benefit to Google is that it gets huge numbers of local business-specific, high quality reviews written by real people who have actually used the service or bought from the business. By creating its own reviewer network, Google builds a community that it can manage to boost what it wants to enhance its own relevancy in the local space. And it can use the reviews the way it wants.

Here’s one example of how Google is benefiting. Google asked all Local Guides to Level Up in March. By encouraging Local Guides that are Google+ Community Followers and offering personal encouragement, badges when you hit a certain number of reviews, and special recognition within its private global as well as local communities, it has crowdsourced business review writing in an incredibly smart and savvy way. I for one, boosted my review numbers to hit 50 – leveling up.

If you write 50 reviews and you get a special badge that appears next to your own reviews. Write 200+ reviews and you may get invites to special events, and even an occasional Google branded gift. Plus you get bragging rights.

As a Local Guide myself, I actually like the program and am using it as a way to share my local knowledge as well as to connect with other writers in my own community. I happen to think that this was an incredibly smart move on Google’s part to enlist a grassroots movement building it’s own review network that it will be able to use for AdWords and for its own search results needs.

There is cache associated with being a Local Guide and for now I am having fun with the program. If you are over 18, you can apply to be a Local Guide too. Just visit this page.

Remember Local Guides are not hired or paid by Google, nor are they Google employees. They are just helping to write about what they know and letting Google have the rights to their work.

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April 21 – Will Your Website Traffic Drop by Over 50%?

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McCord Web Services is a Google Partner.

Google has announced that on April 21, it will be removing non-mobile friendly websites from the mobile search index. April 21st is the day you will find out just how much your website traffic will drop if you have not moved to a responsive website.

For some sites, mobile traffic accounts for over 50% of their online traffic. Are you ready to not have access to those potential customers?  Ready to have your website traffic drop by 30% or even 50%?

If you are not up to speed on these very important announcements here are two notifications you should read:

http://googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.com/2015/02/finding-more-mobile-friendly-search.html

http://searchenginewatch.com/sew/opinion/2397938/google-confirms-intentions-for-mobile-search-what-now#

The bottom-line to these announcements are that although Google has been saying for over six months that mobile was important. Now they are saying it is REALLY important and if you are not embracing the mobile experience they simply do not want to show your website to their search customers. In essence by not going “mobile” you are making your website irrelevant with an expiration date of April 21, 2015!

No business owner wants to hear that their traffic may drop, but on April 21st you will know if mobile is a big factor in your own website traffic. If you aren’t sure what your mobile traffic patterns are, now’s the time to go to Google Analytics and check to see what the real numbers are so you can prepare.

For those that have moved to DudaMobile as a short term bandaid for a mobile site, we are already starting to get notices that Google is dinging these sites as well so what we thought would be a quick fix for some is turning out to maybe not the perfect short term solution.

Time is running out for sites that have not chosen to upgrade. You’ve got 44 days left to be responsively designed.