Tag: Search Engine Optimization

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Google’s Mobile First Becomes Your Top Priority

Nancy McCord
“Just Nancy” – My Point of View for Today.

Just this last week Google announced that it’s mobile search index would become its primary index and that it would be spinning off its tablet and desktop index into a separate index. Additionally Google stated that it would not be updating the desktop and tablet index with the same frequency as that of the mobile index.

For some, this statement did not register as important, but for those in my industry, this was very important news.

How so?

Business owners must take heed when Google makes statements like this. If your website is not mobile-friendly, you have an old website that looks like your desktop on the small screen of mobile devices, and you are not using a workaround like DudaMobile, you may be in trouble. What kind of trouble? You may drop placement organically, pages you add may not be indexed frequently, and Google may even not show your website in the mobile index. With mobile searches driving over 60% of the traffic on Google.com that’s a big drop for you.

Google is focused on speed for mobile, are you?

The next big hurdle if your site is mobile friendly is to try to speed up the delivery of your pages. Google is boosting the Accelerated Mobile Page (AMP) initiatives to deliver AMP’ed up content to mobile devices nearly instantaneously. Be prepared for keeping an eye on this. Google has mentioned that it likes AMP pages and has tested even saying it may provide better placement for pages and sites that are AMP’ed.

For now the key is to assure that your site can be considered by Google as mobile-friendly and mobile-fast.

We have options when it comes to mobile, from a DudaMobile script “Bandaid” to a new mobile responsive site or WordPress site with mobile responsive theme. Just ask us for help!

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Not Making Videos? Now’s the Time to Reconsider

It's easy to get started with videos.
It’s easy to get started with videos.

With organic results being pushed down below the fold, with the shrinking space on mobile screens leaving nearly no room after ads, how can you get your website to show for organic or unpaid searches?

It is simple, use videos posted on YouTube which Google will preferentially index and show over videos posted with Flash or other video applications embedded back on your website.

The key take away on this is that YouTube is a Google property. Google loves to promote and link to content in its own network as ads can be shown and therefore it pads its own pockets. Plus Google likes and understands that users want video and so shows them mixed in with the organic results very frequently. We are a visual world!

Your YouTube video that you do to explain, illustrate, or showcase a product may be the way that new customers will find your business and enter your website.

Videos you post to YouTube do not need to be works of art, but solve a problem, talk to a need, and do not even need to be long. Just grab your smartphone and start recording. You can receive value from 20 to 30 second videos or how to videos.

I like to post these types of videos to YouTube plus archive them via the embed code back on my own website, getting double duty of new fresh content and ways for clients to view – on my site or full screen over at YouTube.

I think that for businesses struggling to get organic placement in the new no-ad-sidebar Google world that video will play a strong part in getting future traffic.

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Domain Masking or 301 Redirect?

Hit the mark with a strategy for visibility.
Hit the mark with a strategy for visibility.

It’s important to know as a website owner for SEO purposes what is happening with your site and server set up.  Although you may want to trust your SEO consultant, there are a few things that you need to know just to keep them in check.

Domain Masking

If you have multiple website properties, I find it better to point domains versus setting up domain masking.  I think it is important to have a parent domain clearly defined by having your website files reside there.  Although others may love domain masking, I think it confuses visitors. I recommend keeping your brand clear to search engines and visitors.

301 Redirects

For some larger sites and those that are managed properties, multiple domains may be controlled with A Name Records and use 301 redirects. Before your SEO consultants starts recommending tactics, make sure that they are clear on how your site is set up. If you don’t know, ask them to call your tech support provider or review your web hosting control panel.

Although you as a business owner don’t want to or need to be bogged down in details. It is important to have at least a working knowledge of what will be done to your site in an effort to improve placement.

Looking for a savvy consultant to help position your site and boost online visibility? I invite you to visit our website to learn more about our services.

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The Problem with the Google Knowledge Graph and the Carousel

Knowledge Graph of a Search on Pope Francis
Knowledge Graph of a Search on Pope Francis

Make sure to read my blog post from Monday about eye tracking studies as this will help you to understand this information.

As Google works hard to keep users on the search results page longer in order to not lose relevance but also to have the opportunity to serve more advertising and make more money, it becomes harder for business owners to get Google.com searchers into their website to see their full range of services, products, and marketing information.

How is Google keeping searchers all to themselves?

The Knowledge Graph

Although you may not know the name of this feature, surely you have seen it in action when you have done a search recently. The image at the top of this post is of one such knowledge graph boxes that pop up on a search I did recently on Pope Francis. Google chooses when to show this additional content which is gleaned from a variety of sources. In many cases the information is supplied by Wikipedia or other relatively authoritative websites. One will not typically find content from business websites but rather news, Wikipedia, .org, Google images, or authoritative sites supplying the content found in the knowledge graph.

In some cases the knowledge graph may show results from your own Google+ contacts – another reason to start building your empire on Google+ to benefit your own business.

In many cases the reader simple gets the information they want from the knowledge graph and does not even leave Google.com for more information.

The Google Carousel
The Google Carousel

The Carousel

Just like you’ve seen the knowledge graph, you’ve seen the Google Carousel as well. Typically this black background slide show pops up for restaurants and hotels when you query a specific location.

By interacting with the ribbon you can see images pulled from the business’ Google My Business page, get directions, read reviews and even click into their website. Typically Google will preferentially show the business’ Google My Business (aka Google Places page) in the top organic spot in the organic search results with a map and a knowledge graph on the right. The actual business website may or may not appear at all in the organic results in the first ten results.

The Quest for Organic Placement Just Got Harder

Based on all these features that Google is loading into the search results page, it is getting harder and harder for a business owner to appear in the organic results. Just another reason why so many businesses are now flooding into Google AdWords in an effort to appear on the first page of search results.

All these changes are great for Google, making their search engine results page becoming a destination into itself and making it much more difficult for a business to garner traffic organically.

If there is one important take away from this information it is that a Google My Business page is now key for your business in order to be competitive and to potentially appear in the “local” knowledge graph and in the carousel and location specific results. With Google showing fewer website results you’ve got to use Google’s own products to leverage your exposure for desktop and mobile searches.