Posts Tagged ‘search engine optimization’

The leaner, meaner, faster Web

By Phil Hunt, April 9, 2010 | Comments

Today there is some interesting news from Google: site speed is a factor in Google search ranking algorithms.

photo by jurvetson on Flickr

photo by jurvetson on Flickr

While relevant, keyword-rich content is still the biggest weapon in your search for great search rankings, I think it’s interesting (and encouraging) that other elements of user experience are factoring in. Google doesn’t just want you to find what you’re looking for, they want you to find it quickly and easily. It’s also a strong nod to growing traffic from mobile devices.

Over time, search is getting smarter. This development is just more evidence of the growing importance of content strategy. Companies must evaluate what customers want to learn and what they want to do. They’ll need to organize and design accordingly, and maybe cut some dead weight.

Do you need that Flash intro? More importantly, do your visitors need it?

Posted in Flint Communications, Flint Group, Flint Interactive | Comments

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Hot Topics: Search and Social Media

By Mikaela Krenzen, April 5, 2010 | Comments

Director of Flint Interactive, Jen Strickler, pointed to search and social media among the hot topics of 2009 during our agency recap last Wednesday. She was absolutely right.

Not only have they both evolved immensely over the past few years, but they have become more and more reliant on each other. There are huge benefits to incorporating search engine optimization (SEO) and social media together. Here are just a few:

Gain Ownership of Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs)
Have you ever wondered how one company can dominate the first page on Google? Well, if you haven’t noticed, blogs and social media sites index separately from website listings. By utilizing WordPress, YouTube, Twitter and FlickR in addition to your website, you could potentially secure the first five slots for a search query. Creating accounts in each site is the easy part. If you intend to succeed, then you’ll need to optimize the content with keywords and phrases in each location and update it on a regular basis.

Drive New Traffic to Your Website
Well-optimized social media content can bring new visitors to your website. Therefore, you’ll want to make sure that your website is optimized with relevant, dynamic content. This will help engage these visitors and encourage them to come back. When users come back often, site ranking is likely to improve because the traffic acts as a trigger to register the site with search engines as a valid, popular website.

Build Your Link Profile
Including social media links on your website will improve your external link count (links to another site from your own). Including a link to your website on various social media sites will build your inbound links (links to your site from another). And, ensuring that the anchor text you use includes important keywords and phrases will add even more value to your links. Creating a solid, respected link profile for your website is likely to increase your site ranking in the SERPs.

Success in social media depends on SEO, and search engine rankings rely largely on social media. Don’t expect these topics to fizzle any time in the near future. If search engine rankings are a top priority for you, then you must be ready to embrace them both.

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Link Building for Increased SEO

By Mikaela Krenzen, January 5, 2010 | Comments

A common misconceptionsearch is that search engine optimization (SEO) techniques within the pages of your website will solve all problems related to poor or less than desirable search engine performance. While accurate page titles and keyword-rich copy are important, there are several off-page SEO techniques that often have a faster and more significant impact on your website rankings.

Off-page SEO refers to the strategies you execute outside the pages of your website—all of which are aimed towards link building and increasing site traffic. Here are a few contextual opportunities to generate inbound links for your website:

Article Marketing
Writing and submitting articles is one way to get your site indexed. Submit one-page articles that discuss an area of expertise. Look for submission sites that specialize in the article topic and get your article posted on their website. Make sure to use anchor text in your article that directs readers to relevant content on your website. A few well-known submission sites include: Ezine Articles and Go Articles.

Blogging
Search engines love text that changes regularly; thus, making a blog a great solution for improving your ranking.  A blog is the most effective, honest and fastest way to receive inbound links. However, keep in mind that blogs need to be updated regularly to keep the content fresh and exciting. A neglected blog is a bad sign for both search engines and users. Make sure you have the staff and resources in place to maintain an effective blog.

Social Media
Social media is another fast way to generate inbound links to your website. Social media also implies interactivity, which is a positive sign to both users and search engine crawlers. Look at different social media options, such as Twitter, Digg and YouTube to provide users with timely content and to help generate buzz about your website. Along with social media, however, comes reputation management—whether or not you are out actively participating in social media, your customers are out there talking about you. Keep a close watch over social media sites to make sure that the buzz being generated portrays your company in a positive light.

Quality trumps quantity when it comes to link building. Select only reputable online environments that are relevant to the content on your website. This is the ethical way to garner inbound links, and it will help you reach a targeted audience that is genuinely interested in what you have to offer.

Posted in AadlandFlint, Flint Communications, Flint Group, Flint Interactive, HatlingFlint, SimmonsFlint, WestmorelandFlint | Comments

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5 Question Friday with Mikaela Krenzen, Search Marketing Specialist for the Flint Group

By Andy Reierson, December 4, 2009 | Comments

Flint Interactive’s Mikaela Krenzen sits down to discuss SEO and SEM. She also manages to work her true passions into the conversation, shopping and family.

Posted in AadlandFlint, Flint Communications, Flint Group, Flint Interactive, HatlingFlint, SimmonsFlint, WestmorelandFlint | Comments

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Is Your Website Searchable with Bing?

By Mikaela Krenzen, September 28, 2009 | Comments

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) has become a very important element for attracting traffic to web sites. With Google’s domination of the search world, most SEO has been built around the algorithm developed by Google. But with Bing’s introduction and the potential for growth, how might this affect SEO as we know it?

BingvsGoogleOne thing is clear: search results from Bing are different than those delivered by Google. See for yourself in a side-by-side comparison. SEO experts are still working to uncover more details of the Bing algorithm. In the meantime, here are some factors that are strongly believed to be of importance when considering SEO and website ranking with Bing:

1) Bing prefers quality of backlinks to quantity. With Bing, it is more important that the backlinks are relevant to the page or linked back to your domain.

2) Even though the quantity of inbound links may be of less importance, evidence shows that Bing is keen on anchor text. Anchor text should utilize keywords and phrases pertinent to your company, while also suitably reflecting the content that a user is about to view.

3) Established sites and larger, dependable organizations are thought to receive better rankings, which could prove difficult for bloggers and smaller websites.

4) Age of domain is important. An extended ownership shows a commitment to the domain and helps confirm that your site is not a temporary spam site.

5) Fresh and original content is weighed heavily in Google; experts believe it isn’t as vital with Bing.

6) And, of course, standard search engine optimization rules still apply. Incorporate unique HTML title tags and meta tags for each page of your website. Use H1 tags and text navigation links, and incorporate keywords into URL strings whenever possible.

It may still be too early to determine what specific steps (if any) are necessary to properly optimize your website for placement in Bing. We’ll wait to see how users respond and whether or not the Microsoft search engine will, in fact, hold on and continue to cut Google’s market share.

Mikaela is a search engine specialist and digital communications trends watchdog for The Flint Group.

Posted in AadlandFlint, Flint Communications, Flint Group, Flint Interactive, HatlingFlint, SimmonsFlint, WestmorelandFlint | Comments

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Bing, Finding a Place in a “Google it” World

By Mikaela Krenzen, September 18, 2009 | Comments

The world of search is very interesting, especially when a new player enters the game.

Bing imageIn case you hadn’t noticed, Microsoft recently launched its new search engine tool, Bing. The new search engine has managed to generate significant buzz, due largely in part to its estimated $80 million dollar marketing campaign that swept radio, print, online and TV.

It’s also getting attention for providing relevant search results—something its former incarnation, Windows Live Search, wasn’t able to deliver. Advertised as a decision engine, Bing is supposed to help users wade through the “search results clutter” by offering more relevant results. The engine offers a left-hand search pane that displays related searches and search history. It also lists categories of content, such as news or video, allowing users to quickly make their search results more relevant.

Bing has decided to zero in on one vertical in particular—travel. Users will be given access to tools and features such as Price Predictor (showing the best time to buy airfare) and Hotel Rate Indicator (highlighting the best hotel deals). Microsoft wants to reduce the time that customers spend online exploring different travel options by putting comprehensive results (based on searches for travel information) all in one place.

The icing on the cake—the pretty interface. Bing features a different background image on its homepage every day, each of which include rollover stats with more information about the picture. The engine has even entered the social media realm with a photo contest on Facebook.

What does all of this mean for Google?

Yahoo! and Microsoft just signed a ten year agreement that will put Bing’s search engine behind Yahoo’s interface. As of August 2009, Bing has already surpassed 10% market share—combine that with Yahoo’s, and together they own nearly 30% of the search world, making Microsoft the clear No. 2 in a market long dominated by Google. They still have a long way to go to threaten Google’s 65% share, but for the first time in a long time, a strong competitor has entered the ring.

The question remains whether Bing’s features will be enough to convince people to switch from the clean, white familiarity of Google. But you have to admit, “Bing it” does have a nice ring.

So what do you think? Does Bing have a place in our “Google it” world?

Mikaela is a search engine specialist and digital communications trends watchdog for The Flint Group.

Posted in AadlandFlint, Flint Communications, Flint Group, Flint Interactive, HatlingFlint, SimmonsFlint, WestmorelandFlint | Comments

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