Month: September 2013

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Not Provided – Masks Search Terms from Website Owners

Just this last week, Google announced that it was moving all web searches at Google.com to https settings which would mean that all keyword data would be encrypted and no longer flowed into Google Analytics.

Although this may sound like business as usual and a great improvement for the typical web searcher – “great, increased privacy”, it is turning the world of search and SEO upside down. This means that the small number of “not provided” notations in Google Analytics will now cover all searches. The only keyword activity you will see in your Google Analytics account will be from Google AdWords activity. No longer will you be able to identify the search terms that are bringing in your traffic organically or for that matter harvest keywords for SEO use from Analytics.

There’s lots of chatter on the web as to why Google would make this change without warning, some say it is a direct reaction to the Edward Snowden revelation and others say that it is to drive more advertisers into Google AdWords. Whichever option you’d like to embrace, at this time Google is not saying why they have taken this action, just that it is.

For many website owners this will create the need to purchase website analytics software so that they will know what is happening on their own website. If I find a good statistical package, I’ll make sure to let you know.

To learn more about this topic, I have found two excellent resources to express the real impact for website owners. I invite you to read them and then come back to my post and let me know your comments.

http://searchengineland.com/post-prism-google-secure-searches-172487

http://www.6smarketing.com/blog/keyword-data-is-dead-long-live-keyword-data-2/

 

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Web Design Trend – Responsive Design

One of the hottest new trends in web design is responsive design. Responsive design is where a website has been created, at the source code level, to render differently based on the device and viewing platform.

My own firm is in the process of moving back into web design this quarter with a responsive, SEO optimized web design program. In fact we’re completing our site testing right now and getting ready to start content roll-out in the next several weeks. If you want to preview what we’re doing you can check out our page links below. Just remember for now no links to any pages are working yet.

Make sure to look at the pages with a smartphone, tablet, laptop, and desktop to understand what responsive means. Seeing is understanding. The site is built on pure CSS code and uses PHP includes.

 Home Page

http://www.mccordweb.com/clients/MWS2014/index.php

 Right Column Inside Page

http://www.mccordweb.com/clients/MWS2014/inside-1.php

 No Side Column Inside Page

http://www.mccordweb.com/clients/MWS2014/inside-2.php

 Three Split Column Inside Page

http://www.mccordweb.com/clients/MWS2014/inside-3.php

All pages are being tested for HTML5 compliance and Google PageSpeed. So far the results are very good and the pages for desktops and tablets rank with an over 80 number for speed.

Our niche when it comes to web design has always been highly specialized unique content authority sites with our new approach we will hit a more moderate price point by offering some degree of customization using our pre-designed page layouts. I’ll look forward to keeping you advised as we get closer to launching our own corporate site and web design program. Pricing will be in the range of $3,000 to $6,000 based on content and number of pages.

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Opt-In or Opt-Out for AdWords Locations?

I’ve been carefully reviewing some very interesting data that has come to my attention via a presentation done for a SMX Advanced Presentation By Marta Turek. I would highly recommend that you read this very interesting article Google AdWords Geo-Targeting: Have We All Been Doing It Wrong?

Here’s what the author tested in a quick summary:
1. If you advertise at the state level, do you get better results excluding metro areas by opting-out/exclude or better results by not targeting at the state level and opting-in at the metropolitan DMA region?

2. What impacts do each strategy have on click cost and conversions?

The results of these two limited tests are absolutely shocking and unexpected. The big caveat to fully embracing these results in accounts you manage is that the testing has been done in a very small  set of clients and so although may show a trend worth investigating may not be a good approach for every client.

Here are the test results as stated by the author in a quick summary:
1. When the areas in the state were targeted by opting-in, the number of impressions and clicks significantly dropped while the cost per click drastically increased.

2. When the same areas in the state were targeted using an opt-out strategy, impressions and clicks were not impacted and conversions actually improved.

My explanation for the results:
I see several specific reasons for the results. First when you target using opt-in a specific area such as a region, city or even radius, Google appears to believe that this is valuable to you and in many cases will in turn charge a higher cost per click. Remember this is a supply and demand market.

I have seen this myself when I run simultaneous programs running a state wide targeted campaign with location specific phrase match keywords compared to a radius targeted or city specific opt-in program. In the account I tested the differential in cost per click was pretty significant – $4.50 at the state level and $10.50 to $12.50 at the city/radius level. So this validates the findings that the more granular you get in targeting, the higher the click cost.

As to increase impressions, clicks and conversions, I believe that how Google serves ads and how Internet Service providers categorize locations is a key factor in the results. I know from experience that there are many cases when an Internet Service provider does not return to Google the true city location for a user.

Here’s my own case, I am located in Waldorf, Maryland. Verizon has returned my location several years ago as Reston, Virginia. That’s another state and over an hour and a half drive north and west from my true location. In the last month, I see Verizon now returning my location as Temple Hills which is about 30 minutes north of my location in an economically depressed region. By targeting a state with opt-out you open up your reach and slightly negate the impact of improperly reported locations by Internet Service providers.

It will take additional testing in your client accounts to see if these same trends ring true for your needs but a worthy time investment for some accounts that target locally and not nationally. If you are looking for an experienced AdWords account manager, I invite you to review our programs.

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Is There Real SEO Value in Using Google+?

The unequivocal answer is yes, there is SEO value in using Google+ for your business. 

How so?

Your Google+ activity, both profile and your own +1’s are shown in Google search results that others, who have circled you see. If you circle others, you see their +1 updates and Google+ profiles in your search results. This activity expands your reach but only if you are using Google+ in a maximized way. Plus your Google+ personal profile page actually has organic PageRank. 

What do you mean by maximized way?

To just post Google+ updates is simply not enough to get the SEO and Social Juice that Google+ can bring. It is more about connection and interaction than it is about just spewing out content. I recommend participation in Google+ Communities and for power users creation of Google+ Communities with themselves as moderators as one of the best ways to maximize Google+ exposure. 

Google+ Communities Give You Extra Exposure

When you participate in or own and moderate a Google+ Community, you reach a wider circle of individuals interested in knowing more about and in sharing information on your key topics. I’ve found just due to the nature of interaction, strong follower/followed connections occur with Communities. It is not unusual for a Community to grow quickly with many (but not all) of the Community participants choosing to follow your personal profile. 

Each time you post to your own Community, Google posts your update to your own Google+ personal page as well. In a short period of time using a Google+ Community on a topic that is closely aligned to your business you can build a nice follower base. Remember each of these new followers will then in turn see your Google +1’s in their search results as well as your personal profile and articles linked to your author profile. 

Use Your Google+ Personal Profile

Although I have Google+ Business Pages, the real action and exchange right now as well as the SEO and social value is all tied to your personal profile. This may change over time, but for now a Business page profile cannot moderate a Community. Equally it is hard to circle others using a business profile. Additionally Google is really focused on the individual profile when it comes to the information shared using the personal profile using rel=author. Possibly over time Google may change this strategy, but for now, understand that you need to leverage your personal profile to get the real “juice”.

We invite you to learn more about our services and Google+ by visiting our website today.