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Google on Duplicate and Scraped Content

This is an interesting video and deals with the issue of duplicate and scraped content. Google says clearly that content you grab from other sites that you do not add additional information to and scraped content do not add value for your users. In plain speak this means “we won’t rank you for those pages and may penalize your domain if you do this!”. Watch the video and then make sure to read my added value 🙂 comments below.

Here are my nuggets to consider:

  • Duplicating other people’s content damages your organic placement. There is no value to doing this!
  • If you are doing an affiliate program, make sure you have unique content and added value. Don’t just be another cookie that has been cut with the same cutter.
  • e-Commerce site that have simply picked up manufacturer product information for their store that matches lots of other sites on the web without providing additional valuable content will be penalized in organic rankings.
  • Doorway sites that work to drive traffic to one website using a strong use of keywords or black hat optimization will effectively drop the rank of the receiving site. Don’t use blogs, mini sites, or lenses to drive traffic to your parent website.
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Google on Website Spam

Watch this video from Google to see what Google specifically acknowledges is spam and may affect your organic placement.

Nuggets from this video:

  • Blog and forum comment spam can impact your placement on Google.
  • Keep an eye on your comments look for small comments with links and links in a signature block.
  • I recommend on your blog only allowing comments to be posted that you approve.
  • It is not unusual for a blog to get over 1,000 spam comments a month. If you are set to auto approve all comments this could negatively impact your placement on Google.
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Gingerbread, Ice Cream Sandwich, Jelly Bean – Android Operating Systems

I’ve had an Android mobile phone for several years and have upgraded to  Motorola Droid Razr Max and like it. Just recently Verizon upgraded my operating system to Ice Cream Sandwich. If you have an Android tablet or phone, you know the terminology – Gingerbread, Ice Cream Sandwich, Jelly Bean – all names of Android operating systems. Sounds yummy, but for users can sometimes be confusing.

With Apple’s lawsuits and push to strangle Android, I feel that Ice Cream Sandwich was a push to differentiate the Android platform from Apple’s. Case in point is the screen opening action that Ice Cream Sandwich now requires. No more slide – that’s Apples’ now you have a circle and click options in a circle. There are other changes that Ice Cream Sandwich has brought about as well such as new app and interface actions and new ways to customize your phone. If you want to get the most from your Android phone Motorola has a nice tutorial on Ice Cream Sandwich so you can check to make sure you are up to speed.

Here are a few nuggets:

  1. Widgets have really changed some of the ones you may have loved like the separate icons for GPS and Airplane mode are gone and are now combined into one power widget.
  2. There are many more options for customization and improved ability to manage and remove apps.
  3. Social widgets have changed and now are found in apps that you can drag to your three home screens. In fact you’ll have fewer home screens than Gingerbread so use the apps screen more frequently.
  4. You have more control over the four spots in your favorites tray at the bottom of all screens.
  5. Updates now show ads. Sigh, I hate this one, but clearly with Google’s big push to mobile advertising this must have been a must have for them in creating the Android up grade. It’s the carrot and stick – woo you in with candy and then hit you on the head with advertising.

Overall, it took me a bit to get used to and I am not sure I like the operating system any better than Gingerbread but you do have some nice new options. Plus it sure looks like Google is trying to differentiate the Android operating system to prevent potential legal problems with Apple.

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Facebook Ad Types Explained

We’ve really checked it out!

If you are still in love with Facebook, you may like my short and easy to understand primer on Facebook Advertising. Here’s what you need to know in a nutshell.

  1. You have four ad choice options on Facebook in their pay per click model – web ads, social ads, sponsored stories, and post ads.
  2. Web ads have your own verbiage, super small image about 120 pixels wide and can point to your Facebook page or to your website.
  3. Social ads are automatically generated by Facebook based on subscriber and visitor interactions to your Facebook Business page. They can either be a “Like Us” ad or an ad showing an action a recent visitor to your page took such as leaving a comment, posting to your wall, or other interaction.
  4. There are also post ads and sponsored story ads as well on Facebook and these two ad types will typically have a lower cost than web ads and social ads.
  5. Ads that promote an event have been shown to statistically have the highest cost per click but also the lowest click through rate.

“… the study also notes that Sponsored Story promotions for likes and app usage drive the highest conversion rates. In fact, on average, almost 80 percent of all people who click on Sponsored Story ads that promote Page likes convert to fans, while Sponsored Stories that promote app usage average a 60 percent conversion rate.”

This very interesting data and ad type nuggets are expounded in this online article and it is a good read if you want to learn more about Facebook advertising or see ad type examples.