Category: Google

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Messages in the Google Webmaster Control Panel

Daniel Seef from Google talks about the Message Center in the Google Webmaster Control Panel in this excellent and informative video.

My Comments

Google provides messages about issues that impact your search results. Additionally they provide helpful tips on how you can improve the indexing of your website.

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Google+ Explained and Why It’s Important

Maile Ohye of Google explains in this excellent video why Google+ is so important for your overall web presence. Watch the video and then review our comments at the end of this blog post.

My Comments

Google+ is much more than a personal social networking page, but it does start with the creation of your profile page. You can use Google+ Circles to decide what gets shown to people based on your intimacy level. Keep a Circle for your personal updates and a Circle for business. Choose what works best for you.

You don’t have to put everyone who follows you into a Circle.

Hangouts are audio video group chats. You can connect with up to 10 people where you can see their face and they yours. Hangouts can be recorded public or private. So you can use these as conference seminars.

Google+ posts that are more heavily visited will be pushed to the top of your Google+ stream; allowing popular posts to be seen more frequently.

Google+ allows you to see the impact of your posts using Ripples. Hit play on the left corner to see how your post has been spread on the Web.

The Google +1 button allows you to build a reputation on the Web. In search results you can +1 things you like. You can see what others in your network have liked too. This works on AdWords ads too. When you see friends and connections have liked a product, website, or ad you have the confidence to buy, shop, or view as well.

Google’s key is to return the most relevant search results, Google+ takes into account the number of +1 votes of a page or website in their algorithm.

When you are searching on Google.com, Google integrates Google+ posts, Google+ Circles and those you follow, as well as +1 from connections within your own personal search results.

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Tips to Promote Your Website

In continuing with the last several blog posts on tips and tidbits, here are few of my top tips on how you can promote your website.

1. Promote your website with Google AdWords. If you need visibility and leads fast, Google AdWords is the best place to start. I recommend using AdWords for a boost right after you launch your website until you have enough impetus to garner organic placement and start generating activity on your own.

2. Make sure you are blogging. If you want to wean yourself off Google AdWords at some point, it is important to be actively involved in building unique informational content which over time will help you with organic placement and cause the natural building of inbound links.

3. Make sure you are building content on your website in addition to blogging. You’ll need more than blogging to garner placement. Consider doing articles smartly to get inbound links to your website. I don’t mean spin articles, but rather write thoughtful pieces that provide value.  Use social media to promote your articles, archive them on your website and place the articles on just a few article sites.

4. Use social media to promote your website, add value by not just talking about your own services, but make sure to work to create authority in all you do. Link to your site, your article pieces, and blogs as well as try to engage readers.

5.  Move into the wider world. Get active in your market sector on forums to tape into new ideas, thoughts, and share your expertise as well as learn from others. Share your website and yourself to get your name out there.

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Tidbits on Creating Your Google Shopping Data Feed

I’ve recently been at a seminar for Google Shopping and wanted to share some great tidbits that I have gleaned from the seminar.

First it is important to know that the pictures of products that can appear in the organic search results on Google.com are driven by a data feed you create and install in the Google Merchant Center. Previously this service was free, but by October 1, 2012 only only those data feeds that are tied to Google AdWords will be shown.

  1. You create and install your data feed as an .xml or .csv file in the Google Merchant Center to get started.
  2. The settings area in the Google Merchant Center is where you will link your Google AdWords account. Once you have set up an account, you very simply just input your AdWords 10 digit account number to link your feed to AdWords for payment.
  3. The most typical errors are image URL errors. Make sure that you have a link to a 400 pixel by 400 pixel image and a 250 by 250 pixel image in your data feed.
  4. You MUST list either the GTIN or MPN for your feed to go live.
  5. Know that your description in your data feed will be used for your ad text. So make it descriptive yet selling.
  6. Your title for each product can have a maximum of 69 characters. Your description can have a maximum of 500 to 1,000 characters. Remember this includes spaces.
  7. Do not put promotional verbiage in your product description like free shipping. You will be adding promotional text in Google AdWords for your specific feed’s promotional message.
  8. Do not use all capitals in any words such as THIS as AdWords does not allow block capitals.
  9. Make sure to add the new AdWords attributes to your feed to allow more targeting of your promotional needs now that your program must be tied to AdWords.
  10. Carefully review the required Google category attributes as there are as many as 32 or so that are required now.

Check back Wednesday for more great tidbits. You can watch the full seminar on YouTube for additional information.