Category: Google

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Google is Changing Your Page Title in the Search Results

Google is now changing your title in the search results. In fact they may or may not pick up your specially crafted meta tag title at all. I find this troubling and annoying.

Here’s just one important example. My business name used to be McCord Web Design. I incorporated over four or five years ago and now our name is McCord Web Services LLC. Just this past week in the Google index, the title of my website changed in the Google index from my careful crafted title to “McCord Web Design”! I don’t and have not used that name in years! Additionally there is no code on my entire site that carries my old name. Sheesh, I hate that. You can’t correct a problem like this or even complain about this issue to Google.

If this has happened to you, just be sure that in time it will go away. Bing did the same thing (created its own website title) several years ago and is now showing the real meta titles in their index. So annoying as it is that Google has done this, most likely this will eventually go away.

So, in the meantime, know that any references you find in the Google index to McCord Web Design, are really McCord Web Services. Good grief Google stop tweaking my code for your index!

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Google Announces Another Algorithm Update Biased Against Ads

Just this past Friday, Matt Cutts, a key engineer at Google, announced an algorithm update for Google that is biased against ads. Although this update doesn’t have a name yet (and it will soon), it is a filter to remove websites from Google’s index that are top heavy on advertising.

The Google Webmaster Central blog spoke in-depth about the algorithm. You can read the full article from this link. Here’s what Google says about the change:

“In our ongoing effort to help you find more high-quality websites in search results, today we’re launching an algorithmic change that looks at the layout of a web page and the amount of content you see on the page once you click on a result.”

“We understand that placing ads above-the-fold is quite common for many websites; these ads often perform well and help publishers monetize online content. This algorithmic change does not affect sites who place ads above-the-fold to a normal degree, but affects sites that go much further to load the top of the page with ads to an excessive degree or that make it hard to find the actual original content on the page. This new algorithmic improvement tends to impact sites where there is only a small amount of visible content above-the-fold or relevant content is persistently pushed down by large blocks of ads. “

Google again is reasserting that content is key to relevancy and thus to organic placement. With too much “stuff” above the fold (what is visible on your screen before you have to scroll), you will now be dinged by Google in the search results. Take heed as you don’t want your website or blogsite that is even heavy with images to be caught in the filter.

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Google Search Plus Your World Will Be Rocking Your World Soon

Google rolled out a new version of its search engine last week and many of you will see it this week and in the weeks to come. It is called Google Search Plus Your World or in my industry Google Search Plus. Using the backbone of Google+ this incredibly important search engine enhancement may very well change Google.com and organic search placement tactics as we have known them forever.

This new way that Google will be delivering your search results is based on Google+ and your social activity (including your updates and your social network). The key is Google+ but that does not mean that Google may not show Twitter or Facebook activity at some point in time. However, for now it appears that it will be mainly pulling from activity on Google+.

Clearly businesses and individuals will need to embrace Google+ now or in the very near future in order to capitalize on this new approach for organic search placement and Web Visibility.

Here is just one future world example, and that is not too distant really:

Let’s say you are active on Google+ both personally and you have tied a business page to your personal Google+ profile. On top of that, you tie your Google AdWords program to your Google+ account (yes, you can actually already do this). You post and interact with a wide variety of followers and people on the Web using the +1 button as well as comments on Google+. You actively work to grow your network and hashtag your updates(at this point we are not sure of the character key that will mark this on Twitter it is #). What Google says about this activity is very important…

“Search has always brought you information from across the web. Now, search gets better by including photos, posts, and more from you and your friends. When signed in with Google+, you’ll find personal results and profiles of people you know or follow. You can even expand your world by discovering people related to your search.”

You can sign up or find out more information about Google Search Plus Your World here.

You can read more on the Google Blog about Search Plus Your World.

Since the announcement last week, Twitter has been mounting an online complaint campaign about unfair use and favoritism of Google properties in Google.com results. Clearly Twitter feels challenged by Google’s actions.

To our clients and readers, I recommend that you watch Google+ very closely. Google is so big and so powerful and it is throwing its full resources into integration of Google+ and +1’s that it will be impossible to ignore the importance of embracing this far reaching change early.

As Google+ does not yet allow for easy posting and scheduling of updates yet, we do not provide client services, but will be in the very near future. As clearly involvement with Google+ will impact what prospects and customers see about you in the Google.com search results this is an action item for all businesses concerned about organic placement in the near term. Not only will status updates be needed to position your business, but you will need interaction with others, and a follower growth program to really impact your search placement.

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What About Google+?

If you are involved in marketing your products and services do you need to keep a Google+ page updated along with Facebook and Twitter? If you have the time, you should consider setting up and maintaining at least a minimal profile and business page at Google+. Am I recommending that you spend the same amount of time and money on Google+ as you invest in exposure on Facebook and Twitter – no I am not. At least not at this time.

I am watching Google+ carefully, but have not rolled out a service offering on the program yet. Although I think that Google+ and Google+ Pages may be good for businesses, for now there is not enough mainstream consumer or business to business activity there yet to warrant a strong financial investment in maintaining your presence. I am mostly seeing professionals such as myself in the Google+ world. There is simply not a strong vibrant consumer or business selling presence on Google+ yet…

What I do see is that Google is integrating Google+ into nearly all of their properties as they continue to roll out enhancements and improvements to the application. The next hurdle will be the authorization of third party API apps that will allow scheduling of status updates. HootSuite is just one of the companies that Google has selected for testing. With the ability to schedule updates and manage multiple accounts Google+ will grow quickly.

I recommend that for many businesses starting now on Google+ to build a presence for the future is a very smart move. I have several clients who started using Twitter right when it came out and now have follower bases of over 2,500. These high follower bases have given these accounts an unusual amount of clout in their industry. Their updates are routinely retweeted reaching an astronomical number of readers. I expect in the long run Google+ will follow this same growth trend.