Facebook Brand Banner Image changes Mar 21 2013 - changes for the better

Mari Smith caught and posted this image today...... a great catch.Whats it mean? The ban on logo's, offers, ads and such is lifted.Stay within the 20% text rule.And you can do what you want.Check out the official rules HERE

Posted by on 21 March 2013 | 8:59 am

Google+ Local Reviews Tab - March 11th 2013

Google+ has added a reviews tab to your google+ profile.Making it easier to see your reviews - but also in my opinion to encourage you to make reviews.More reviews = more data about a business. Of course this will eventually be used to increase or decrease a businesses ranking in the index.So Google is encouraging reviews..... shouldn't your business be encouraging reviews?Check the story out HERE

Posted by on 18 March 2013 | 8:15 am

NAP = Name Address Phone - People are stealing from You

When an online lead generation company approaches you, ask them 1 question:"Do you change the phone number on my google+, google places, yelp, foursquare and other online directories?" if they do not answer "No" then run very quickly away.Those listings are your property. They belong to your business. When a lead company changes the numbers to their tracking numbers they do 2 things: 1 they mess up your NAP (1 consistent name, address and phone across the web) and they then claim leads and make you pay for leads you would have already gotten if the proper number was there.Why would you pay for a lead that was yours to begin with? These companies are stealing from you. They take credit for what was rightfully yours and make you pay for it.Let's be smart business owners and claim all our local profiles.Use THIS LISTor USE THIS

Posted by on 14 March 2013 | 9:23 am

Vimeo Pro - VOD for the Masses - released March 12 2013

If you havent seen it - Vimeo has come out with their own video on demand service.Check it out HEREI think this is a great option for the small VOD vendor.

Posted by on 12 March 2013 | 9:29 am

Youtube Channel Upgrade - Mar 2013

Youtube is upgrading its channel experience for its users and now all publishers are encouraged to update.Here's a link to tell you how. HEREPlease take the time to read!

Posted by on 11 March 2013 | 8:36 am

SERP results for authors, musicians and directors

Have you seen these Search Engine Results in your google?Very interesting that they include this cool scroll bar now!What other results is Google doing this for?Could this make its way into Local SERP - by using Google+ local Page data maybe?We shall See.  What is your thoughts?

Posted by on 7 March 2013 | 8:36 am

Google+ New Profile Picture Size updated March 6 2013 and other Google+ updates

Here's the info your need. Google+ now offers larger cover photos, which can be displayed at 16:9 when fully viewed, and the service supports up to a 2120 x 1192 resolution for cover photos.Other updates?Here's the Post that shares all the updates. Find it HERE.- A new tab for your Local reviews. In addition to your photos, +1's and YouTube videos, there's now a place for all your Local reviews. Highlight your favorite restaurants, or hide the tab completely via settings -- it's completely up to you.- An easier way to edit your info. The 'About' tab now consists of separate cards (like Story, Places, and Links) -- each with its own prominent edit link. As always: you can share specific fields with specific circles, or keep them just for you.- Bigger cover photos, with a better aspect ratio. Cover photos are much larger than before (up to 2120px by 1192px), and they display in 16x9 when fully expanded.

Posted by on 6 March 2013 | 10:57 am

Schema and SEO

So yesterday I asked you to read up on schema.....did you?Here's an observation about schema. People who say they've been doing SEO for 15+ years say that schema and micro-data are old school throwbacks. Search engines returning to marked up data. Yup that's true it is!But the thing about schema is this: when you are given a chance to tell a search engine exactly what your site is about - you should! That means somewhere in a database that the algo accesses they are recording more and more information about your site!Give google the data they are asking for. Don't know how?  Just Click HERE

Posted by on 6 March 2013 | 10:14 am

Schema, Micro Data and Google

It does not matter if you admit it or not......... your SEO plans need to include schema data and Micro data.So Before I share my opinions on this I want you to do some homework. Go HEREPlease read the site - poke around and then come back tomorrow and we will talk about why this is important!

Posted by on 5 March 2013 | 9:10 am

Google+ is not Facebook

I hear all over that Google+ is not going to survive and will never be as big as Facebook. This perspective is all wrong. If your thinking this you need to get a better understanding of what Google+ is.Google+ is Google. It is Google's plan to integrate everything they do into 1 suite of products. To date there have been over 125 integration's of various products.Google+ is a knowledge engine. It is trying to learn as much about you as it can. So that in the end it can show you better and more relevant ads. Yes I said it, it's about selling ads! No surprise there, that is how they make their money.Google+ is not about the social site Google+ - it is about collecting more information about you and then getting a complete picture of who you are.This is scary for people who are concerned about privacy - but for the majority of people, the increased service, ease of use and speed of knowledge delivery will trump most peoples concern about privacy.When you see news about Google+ remember Google does not see it as a social network but as a knowledge collection engine.

Posted by on 4 March 2013 | 7:54 am

SEO, Social Media and the 2012 Presidential Election

So here's some thoughts about SEO and Social Media as it relates to the 2012 Presidential Election......1. Just like many businesses the candidates were not very creative in their use of social media. It seems that both campaigns, while they had dedicated staff for Social Media, couldn't harness a complete message. This will change as the use of Social Media by the population last night was huge.2. Facebook ads were a go to branding source for both campaigns. Both candidates flooded Facebook with ads and sponsored stories right up to poll close. Facebook is a cost effective way to reach many people on a budget. Best yet you can target specific demo's.3. SEO is about being found. The campaign was about being seen. Remember the goal of SEO is also to be seen. Why did both candidates buy facebook ads? Because the other was there. If your competitor is using SEO to grow their visibility, you will need to as well. You must be where people will see and hear your message.4. A bonus lesson for business is this. If more than 51% of your customers love your product or service, your doing better than most politicians. Not a real comforting thought huh? Produce a great product, provide excellent service and you will never have to worry about being voted out!

Posted by on 7 November 2012 | 8:11 am

SEO is a Longterm Project - No Easy Results

I talk to clients everyday who want instant answers to their SERP issues.These clients have companies calling them every day telling them "we can make you number 1 in Google". I dont need to debunk this...Google has done it for me HERE.Here's part of what they say:"No one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google.Beware of SEOs that claim to guarantee rankings, allege a "special relationship" with Google, or advertise a "priority submit" to Google. There is no priority submit for Google. In fact, the only way to submit a site to Google directly is through our Add URL page or by submitting a Sitemap and you can do this yourself at no cost whatsoever."Do you see that? No-one!  Thats pretty plain.So how do you get results?Time and energy. Google has over 200 signals it uses. My personal spreadsheet has 200+ things I look for on a website. Every day 2000 google engineers work to change and improve those signals. It's me against 2000 wow that's long odds. But the good news is there are certain basics and foundational things that don't change!If you work on those basics and provide good content your site will rank. But it takes time and energy, do not be fooled by promises.

Posted by on 5 November 2012 | 9:03 pm

Google+ Local is Google Places

As predicted they have merged! Do you have your Google+ Local Page?

Posted by on 8 June 2012 | 2:15 pm

Google's Semantic Search and How it impacts your business

Please Read This Article Google Gives Search A Refresh .So what does it really mean? Why do I think this is SOOOOOOO important?Well first of all because Google thinks it is. Secondly and most importantly - your business will be affected by these changes.Google has come out with some major changes in the last 9 months:1. Google Launches Google+ - this allows people using Google services to connect. And provides "Profile Data" of its users2. Google signs on to Schema Data - this allows site to better categorize data on their site so search engines know what it is. Things like a businesses proper Name, Address and Phone number.3. Google Launches Business Pages - allowing businesses to add data about their business directly into the Google+ system. It also allows you to verify your business website making a site your "official" site in the eyes of Google.4. Google launches Search Plus Your World  - allowing you to see what your friends recommend.5. Search Plus Your World results being given priority  - anything Google gives priority placement on its page to is important to themNow today the WSJ releases the article above. And now the term everyone will be talking about is "Semantic Search" -  which is basically: "seeks to improve search accuracy by understanding searcher intent and the contextual meaning of terms as they appear in the searchable dataspace, whether on the Web or within a closed system, to generate more relevant results."Now re-read this: "Amit Singhal, a top Google search executive, said in a recent interview that the search engine will better match search queries with a database containing hundreds of millions of "entities"—people, places and things—which the company has quietly amassed in the past two years. Semantic search can help associate different words with one another, such as a company (Google) with its founders..."Emphasis is mine.......Google is amassing its own database of information about people, places and things.....this data will become the "master database". This only makes sense. Google will trust more the data it has and the data it has confirmed. It will feature that data and give it more "voice".This is a force that we can not fight. The changes are happening. You can see it in the changes they have been making.If the data Google has collected is incorrect or if you ignore their quest for data, then your business bottom line will directly suffer.You must make sure that every data location Google gives you the ability to have, is claimed and correct. Google Places, Google+, Google Profile all these must be claimed and filled out completely. Your website needs verified, you need to use author mark-up. Your website needs to include Schema Tags.There's so much you need to do as a business to not only be found but to protect yourself. It's a must to get these things done, before everyone else in your industry does. It's a free business advantage to go ahead do this, but soon it will be a severe handicap if it is not done.Google Semantic Search changes the game.........get ahead of the curve and take advantage of the opportunity you have, instead of waiting to be hit by the next new media tsunami.

Posted by on 14 March 2012 | 10:54 pm

Social Media - Local SEO - Put phone on Homepage!

According to this report "13% of Business Websites Have phone number on Homepage!"Really? 13%?Ok folks....go to your webpage......look to see if your phone number is on the homepage.....If it is not......stop what you are doing.....call your web person....Have them do it TODAY!40% of your traffic is mobile......those people want to get ahold of you.Please make it easy for them to do it.That will be the most important change you make in 2012!

Posted by on 26 December 2011 | 10:47 am

Google+ continues to change Marketing

Check out this article.....Google Brand pages in search results....I did a search for Engage Media LLCLook at what showed upWe are not a major brand and our page is showing up.When people search for your business....your brand page will show up now.Now that there's multiple managers for a page........Go get your brand page!

Posted by on 20 December 2011 | 6:42 pm

SEO - Everything is Important

Everyday there is more and more written about SEO. It's a popular topic!But I would like to point out something.......in SEO EVERYTHING is important!You can't skip one area, they are all important.Google has 200+ ranking factors. Why 200+? Because they all factor in. Google thinks they are all important and you should too.On Page, off page, site structure, page load times, fresh content, social signals......etcThey are all important. If you want to rank, you need to work hard and cover all your bases.

Posted by on 13 December 2011 | 9:03 pm

Reason to Not Start A Google+ Page for your Business YET!

Google+ launched pages the other day.......But do not rush to start one just yet......There's some basics missing and you need to know the pit falls....1. The account can only be managed by 1 person from a personal account. No group or multi management. This is a must. I do not want a company page under an employees account. If your the owner of a small business, go ahead claim your page...bigger businesses should wait.2. No verification process for confirming the true identity of a business. Is that really Coca-Cola's page or not?3. No analytics!4. No video integration.5. No notifications.6. No tie in to places page.Just wait....give it a few weeks or a month or two and Google will enhance and make this new real-estate a must have for all businesses.

Posted by on 9 November 2011 | 8:06 am

Google+ Company Pages are a Game changer

They have finally arrived.Google+ Business pages.Create yours here: Why is this a game changer? Several reasons:1. Google giving business more real estate inside the googleverse to own and control.2. Related links will have high link juice.3. Will become the default location for your company in G+ searches.4. Will eventually be tied to Google places.5. Provide a chance for segmented communication with all your followers. No need to send the same message to everyone.When Google gives your real estate it is smart to claim it and max out it's usefulness. Check out our Google+ Business Page HERE!!!!! Circle Us!

Posted by on 7 November 2011 | 9:21 pm

Google Search Engine gets a Caffeine Boost 11-3-11

Google announced today a change to algorithm that is basically a booster shot for the Google Caffeine change of last year.The official word on it is HERE So what does this mean to you? Well they say it will impact 35% of all searches, so chances are that means your site. How do you make sure that you benefit from the change?1. Frequent updating of your site. Fresh is best. If you do not have a blog integrated into your homepage.....now is the time to do so.2. Freshness! Opps I said it again.....well I meant it.The days of static sites are overall.

Posted by on 3 November 2011 | 8:01 pm

Steve Jobs - a Visionary Lost

The world lost a true visionary today. Steve Jobs had what I consider to be the most important gift in the world....the ability to see the future and attempt to make it happen. Sometimes he succeeded and sometimes he failed, but he never stopped trying.He will be missed for that vision.

Posted by on 5 October 2011 | 7:39 pm

Social Media and Tech Overview 10-4-2011 - IPhone 4s and Adwords

So there was a huge buildup to today's Apple announcement. To bad the hype won and substance lost.What we didn't get: 4g, new design, IPhone 5, No sprint and Facebook. Big thumbs down.What we did get: New antenna, Siri digital assistant, faster processor, better camera and it's a "world phone" Sorry folks but its a big disappointment. And in Google Land they breathed a little easier.In other news:Adwords will now crawl Landing Pages for content quality and seek to move up the best ads that meet a users needs. This means a lower bid and a high quality landing page will cost you less and get you higher ad position.Google+ opened up more of it's API today to include search features. As the access improves the apps are only going to get better.Mobile Ad Spending in 2011 to exceed $1 Billion Dollars. Here's the Link what does this mean? More and more people are using mobile and if your business does not have a mobile advertising strategy, then you need one now.That's your update for today......check back tomorrow for another. We will keep you uptodate on all the action you missed!

Posted by on 4 October 2011 | 7:39 pm

Social Media - Review sites

Another Great article on the power of local reviews and why Google is going after the spaceYelp Crushed Citysearch

Posted by on 27 May 2011 | 10:08 am

Social Media - Self Storage gets it

Here's an article that shows the Self Storage industry gets itread it here

Posted by on 26 May 2011 | 10:05 am

Social Media - Building a Quality Website

What does Google think a quality website is?Read this

Posted by on 25 May 2011 | 8:05 am

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