Bank holidays, sunshine and school holidays have made April feel less like a month and more like an afternoon kip it seems but that has not stopped the SEO, search marketing or digital marketing news flowing through to us and those that are keen followers of our Twitter account (@simonpenson) will already know a bit about what we have to talk about this month.
Much of the talk has been around Google and Facebook (surprise, surprise) and nothing more so that the Google +1 Button and its move to utilise social signals as part of its ever-growing algorithm.
Google +1
Nobody is absolutely certain about the bigger picture surrounding ‘Plus One’ but what we do know is that it is designed to either add a social layer to Google Search and have an affect on SERPs, or could even be the first piece of Google’s much talked about Facebook rival. Time will tell.
For now the Google Plus One button is found in search results for a small number of searchers in the USA in line with Google’s usual testing procedure and will be rolled out later this summer to one and all once the kinks are ironed out.
Once live we will all see a small +1 button on the right hand side of all search results and much like the Facebook ‘Like’ button you will be able to click it to share your love for a certain site or result.
Those results you have +1d will be enhanced in the listings and will also tell you which of your ‘friends’ also +1d it. This way you get a personalised search experience full of recommendations by your friends and or peers – which makes a lot of sense.
There will also be a +1 button for Adword listings and an on site version to, much as Facebook offers. (ED: if you look to the bottom of this article you can see a Facebook ‘Like’ button. Press it, you know you want to:))
Google Panda Update
After much talk, rolling of eyes and gnashing of teeth the big quality content related algorithm update hit the UK as a slightly detuned version of the one released to much panic in the USA. From data we have collected from our client sites it has done precisely what it said it would do – promote those sites adding regular, quality and on subject content to their sites.
Industry analysis has found the same general trend with shopping sites and low unique content portals losing out to editorial sites and knowledge centres as we are now calling them. Here the losers in a nutshell:
The Losers:
Social Media’s Impact on Rankings
This one is a biggie and testing we have been carrying out suggest that retweeting and ‘likes’ etc are increasingly having a big impact on search rankings – especially where time is a relevant factor such as in news related searches and similar.
Data also suggests that Facebook shares are the most powerful social signal at present, followed by likes and comments, tweets and then other social sharing platforms.
This is clearly an area to keep an eye on and we are working with all clients to suggest how best to integrate and align their sites with their ever evolving social scene.
Other SEO News
In other news (like what we did there!) the value of the search marketing industry is expected to grow by 16% during 2011 according to latest stats as more and more businesses realise the value digital marketing can bring.
Google Analytics has also been given a major makeover and while it is in beta at present it will soon be rolled out to give marketers and site owners more granular information and ways of dissecting data than ever before – and its all based around a redesign of its Search Funnel functionality. More on this next month.
And then there was Facebook and its announcement of Facebook Deals – the utility that could be a ‘Groupon Killer’ according to some. It is simplicity itself too, as you would expect. Simply ‘check in’ to a place that advertises a deal and you will automatically be eligible for it. That way Facebook wins on two fronts: it collects more data about you, your whereabouts and activities – and it also sells a LOT more advertising!
As ever, if you want to know more about any of the developments above feel free to get in touch.
There will be more on this next month too, so watch this space.
Until next month….
Oooph. That was quite some month that was. We are talking about June 2011 of course and the feast of new services, algorithm changes and general digi marketing feast that was the last 30 days. And boy did we enjoy it.
Follow Us!