June 2009 PageRank Update

Google has once again rolled out more updates to their PageRank Toolbar. Typically Google makes PageRank updates about every 3 months, but this update comes very close to it’s last update in May. So if you are engaged in SEO on your site and see a change in your PageRank, don’t be too alarmed.

Show Search Results Across Engines in One Window

Looking for a way to view search results across different engines without having to switch back and forth between windows (or tabs)? There are many tools that give you the opportunity to type in a search query and will show you search results for the top search engines all in one window. One tool in particular that I have been using is Mixxr. Here you can compare the results for Google, Yahoo, Bing, and Twitter right next to one another. This tool is very useful if you need to compare results across the different search engines fast!

Don’t Stress! Google May 2009 Toolbar PageRank Update

There seems to be quite a lot buzz in the SEO community and throughout the internet pertaining to the Google Toolbar PageRank update last night. As of May 27th, 2009 people began noticing that the small green pixels in the Google Toolbar began updating, AGAIN.

A Toolbar PageRank update means nothing in terms of your organic search engine rankings changing anytime soon. So everyone out there who thinks that PageRank toolbar is the bee all end all, do not stress out. The PageRank scores shown in the toolbar are outdated and have zero direct impact on your Google rankings. That doesn’t mean that PageRank has no influence, it is just that the toolbar score does not have any influence on them.

The last PageRank update was in early April 2009, so this one is coming in right on the heels of the other one. Typically Google updates the PageRank value in the Toolbar every few months or so, but I guess they felt the need to update it a bit earlier this time.

Does the Age of your Domain & it’s Expiration Really Matter for SEO?

There are many factors that make up Google’s algorithm. Two factors that many people overlook is the age of your domain name and when your domain name expires. Although they may sound minor, Google does take into account these factors. The reason for this is because they are looking for sites that have been around for a while and plan on staying around for the long run. If your domain is going to expire in a short period of time, Google might think that you aren’t going to renew your domain once it is up. With so many spam sites nowadays, Google is looking for a site that isn’t going be created today and taken down one month later.

Here is an analogy an old colleague once gave me in regards to when your domain expires. If you know that a business’ lease on their office is going to expire in one month, aren’t you going to be skeptical working with them, not knowing if they are going to be closing at the end of that one month. Well, this is similar to your domain name and when it is scheduled to expire. So be sure to push out your domain name for up to 5 years. If you are going to create a new site, search for domain names with some history. They might cost a bit more money, but will definitely be beneficial in the long run for your SEO rankings.

When is the best time to start Search Engine Optimization?

Sooner than later! I hear this question quite often, and really the optimal time to start SEO is during the web design/redesign process. The reason why this is the best time is because the Search Engine Optimization Company can then work with the web designer to ensure the website is built SEO Friendly. The SEO Company will ensure that the designer is building a site with SEO Friendly URLS, crawlable site navigation, clean code, etc. If they work with the designer at this stage, then the website and SEO can go live at the same time. This will save time for both parties, and can get your website ranking faster.

But, if you have a current website and have been thinking about optimizing to increase your rankings for a specific holiday or time of year, the best time to start is as soon as possible. Since no SEO company has direct control over the search engines, it can take anywhere from 3 months to a year to start seeing results, depending on the competitiveness of the keywords selected.

So start optimizing today. There is no time better than the present!

Do you ever Google your Name?

Everyone does it. We all can’t help but be curious to see what information we will find on ourselves when we type our name into Google’s search box. But, now Google is changing the results you will find when you type in someone’s name. Google states “To give you greater control over what people find when they search for your name, we’ve begun to show Google profile results at the bottom of U.S. name-query search pages. These results offer abbreviated information from user-created Google profiles and a link to the full profiles. We’ve also added links so it’s easy to search for the same name on MySpace, Facebook, Classmates and LinkedIn.”

After I read this I typed many names into Google’s search box to see what profile results were available. When I typed in Adam Rosen (I just picked at random a very generic name), I saw two Google profiles and links for the name Adam Rosen on MySpace, Facebook, Classsmates, and LinkedIn. Below is the screen shot for Adam Rosen. (Click for larger image. )

To create a Google public profile page, you can go here: http://www.google.com/profiles. Or, if you are a client of Getupdated, you can ask one of our Search Engine Optimization Professionals to create one for you.

Sitelinks Update

There has been a recent update to Google’s sitelinks. Previously, sitelinks only showed up for the first search result and the sitelinks were listed in two columns. Now, Google is showing sitelinks beyond the first result. In addition, you will notice that instead of the two columns of sitelinks, you will see up to four sitelinks above the URL creating just one line.

Google is creating these one-line sitelinks in an attempt to provide site owners with even more traffic and visibility. Below you will find a screen shot of the search results for the keyword pizza. (Please click on the image for a larger view.)

Getupdated: Top Performer in 2008

Exciting news! Getupdated Internet Marketing was awarded as a Top Performer for Organic Optimization for 2008! This award was given to the top SEO companies in the U.S including Bruce Clay and iProspect. Only 30 companies were given this award. Way to go Getupdated!

Updates to Google’s Search Results

Today Google made two updates to their search results.

The first update has to do with the related searches that typically appear at the very bottom of the page when you type in keywords. Now, this has broadened and Google will give you related searches based on the associations/concepts related to your search.

For example, when I typed the keyword “science” into Google’s search box, I not only received related searches that include the word science. I received words such as “nature” and “nasa” which you can see below.

The second update is longer snippets in the search results when you type in a long query (more than 3 words).

For example, when I typed in “optimize a website for competitive keywords,” the first search result had a longer description tag.

The Importance of Geo-Targeting your Keywords

If you are a plumbing company who only services Fort Lauderdale Florida, is it beneficial for your phone to be ringing off the hook with calls from other areas? Absolutely not! Therefore, you want to make sure the keywords that people type into a search engine that bring up your website in the search results are the keywords that are going to bring visitors to your site who might convert. Off the bat, you know that someone who calls your Fort Lauderdale Company who lives in Colorado is never going to convert!

This is the reason why it is so important when you optimize your website to geo-target your keywords if your business only services a specific city, state, or region. Geo-targeted keywords will provide you with highly targeted traffic and these keywords will most likely have a lower amount of competition. A lower amount of competition means a better chance to rank high in the search results. For example, if you type the keyword “plumber” into Google, there are 15,900,000 competing websites. But, if you type the keyword “plumber Fort Lauderdale” into Google, there are only 419,000 competing sites. This is a huge difference!

So when you are selecting the keywords to optimize, be sure you don’t select generic keywords if your business only services a specific area.

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