‘Google +1’

Google never seizes to amaze and with the latest addition of Google Voice Search and Google Goggles users now have even more search flexibility. Both additions are noteworthy as search applications will give users more mobility and search options.

Google Goggles for Image Searching from Mobile Phones

Normally you type in the name of an image at the Google Image Search to locate pictures and websites showing the images regarding the search query. Now it is possible to simply take a picture with your mobile phone and have Google Goggles search for websites and information as well as matching images. There is absolutely no need for typing in a search query. Although it may be faster to type the query, you may not necessarily have the name or a precise description. In such an instance the Goggles search will be beneficial.

Say for instance, you are at a specific place and need to know more about it. With Google Goggles it is extremely easy. If you have an Android phone, simply click on the Goggles Application, take a picture and search. You can discard the photo afterwards or save it for later usage. Mobile users thus can save time. Another example of the usefulness of the application is when for instance, Joe travels to Sweden. Unable to understand the language, he takes a picture of wording in a booklet and uses Google Goggles to quickly translate the information to English.

With the ability to recognise not only one, but up to three items in any query, it is relatively accurate for searches involving art, products, text, company logos, barcodes, landmarks and books as well as DVDs. It doesn’t, however, return accurate results for pictures regarding animals, clothing, vehicles, furniture, plants or animals.

Google Goggles for Desktop Searching

The technology which has been available for Google Android phones for quite a while is now also applicable to desktop searching. With the desktop version, you can do a Google Goggles search at the Image Search by clicking on the camera next to the image search box. Simply upload an image from where you have stored it on your computer and do the search. As alternative, drag and drop an image for searching. A third method for conducting a search involves copying and pasting the URL of the image you want to search. Google renders results based on the visual similarity to the image uploaded for search and results which completely match the image searched for.

There is bad news for people hoping to use facial recognition to take pictures of people and then conducting a Google Goggles search as the facial recognition has been disabled to ensure user privacy. With this technology, however, you should be able to get assistance in reading a newspaper in a foreign language, find your way around town, and find information on where to buy a book or locate a business telephone number based on a logo. It is an excellent tool for the person who is on the move and thus wants to do quick searches without having to type.

Google Voice Search

With the Google Voice Search option you don’t have to type anything. Simply speak and have your search done. The application is already available for Google Android phones, but is now also applicable to desktops. A little microphone icon is displayed next to the Google search box. The user clicks on it and by means of speech recognition a search can be conducted. At this stage it is only for English, but other languages may soon follow. The application is especially useful when you simply cannot come up with the right spelling for an item or have a rather long query. The Chrome browsers are the only browsers supporting Google Voice Search at present, but true to the universal availability goals of Google, other browsers may soon follow.

Since Google has already rolled out Voice Search for Android as far back as 2009, it has been able to build a substantial database of spoken words in various accents. Over 200 billion words are already recorded. Chances are that your voice activated query will be answered rather accurately with such a comprehensive database. Think about future applications such as getting a translation for what you are saying.

This of course, will be available once more languages are added. If you are English speaking you will be able to search for a long phrase, then click on the translate button and have it translated to another language. Listen to the pronouncement and or play it back to someone and have the person understand you. Such technology will certainly help with crossing the language barriers in foreign countries.  The Google Voice Search is, of course, rather useful for the blind person and creates more accessibility for the physically disabled person struggling to type in search queries.

Another example of the usefulness of the application is when a busy executive urgently requires information while working on another task. The user can simply activate the Google Voice Search and still work on the other project. It is thus a time saving search device.

Time Savings

In addition to the Google Goggles for images and the Google Voice Search, the Google Instant feature ensures that results are displayed as you type or conduct your Goggles or Voice searches. With around three to five seconds spared on each search because of speedy results rendering, you will be able to get answers at amazing rates. Not only does Google Instant save time, it also improves the web search experience through suggestions and previews of pages. The user gets more accurate results in a shorter period.

Google is moving at a tremendous pace in the development of useful applications. Apart from ensuring more accurate results with the Google Panda algorithms, the adding of Google +1 as well as Author Rank to improve search results, it also features a larger range of searching abilities. Google Voice Search and Google Goggles, traditionally available for mobile Android users, are now also available for the laptop and desktop user. The first step is, however, to install Google Chrome as browser unless you don’t mind waiting a bit longer for the applications to be available for usage with other browsers.

It is the digital age and any business without a solid online presence has to work harder, invest more and wait longer to expand their market share and increase profits. A business needs a website and online marketing campaign to effectively compete with the millions of other businesses in the world. It is possible to simply make use of secondary sites for online promotion such as directories, social media such as Facebook, forums, auction sites, online shopping facilities and blogs to attract the attention of possible customers, but to truly benefit from an online presence a business needs a an online site and a well planned marketing campaign. A few more reasons are provided below as answer to the often asked question of “Why does a business need a website and online marketing campaign?”

Information To Help With Decision Making

Consumers require information to make decisions as to whether or not to make use of a company’s services or to buy a product. A business can hardly be open 24/7, but with a website they can. The website offers the opportunity to give enough information about the company, products, and services, ensure that questions are answered and that the client can get in contact with a representative. The information can be displayed in a visually attractive format and trust can be built through regular online communication.

Convenience For The Consumer

If you are looking for a more convincing answer on the question of “Why does a business need a website and online marketing campaign?” consider the convenience offered. Mr. X doesn’t want to get in his car and drive 10 km, fight traffic, struggle to get a parking spot, wait in line to be served and then have to decide whether or not to buy product A or B under pressure. He loves sitting at home or office and browsing the Net. Email communication is more his style and if he really wants, he can simply call the customer service line. He can make a decision in his own time, place the order and make payment without ever having to go the through the process described earlier.

Mrs Y loves shopping, but uses the website to get more information about the product. She wants to feel the fabric that she will buy and as such uses the website as her first point of decision making. There are many more scenarios that can be described, but the bottom line is that it offers a convenient facility for the consumer. The choice of interaction lies with the consumer, but information, pictures, and feedback opportunities are available 24/7.

Additional Outlet

Having an online presence can be seen as having an additional outlet. It serves as an entry point to your business. Instead of having to be at every exhibition or having to open offices in every possible town, you can have one website and reach consumers around the world. It is thus also a cost effective way of expanding your reach.

Additional Customer Communication

The customer gets another means of communicating with your company through online application forms, ordering facilities, feedback forms, email, chat facilities, forums and blog comments. It becomes a two way street of communication and thus an essential tool for building trust and improving customer relations.

Creates Credibility

While exhibiting at an event or discussing options with a client you may find that the client wants more information. The clients and potential clients often request the website address. If you send an email to a client from a free email address not connected to a valid domain, your correspondence will more than likely be met with some scepticism, but a valid domain and domain based email will build trust with the potential client.

Why Does A Business Need An Online Marketing Campaign?

The second part of the question “Why does a business need a website an online marketing campaign?” has not yet been answered. The online marketing campaign is what ensures visibility. Just as offline marketing is essential to create brand awareness and to let the customers know where your business is and what you offer, you need a solid online marketing campaign to ensure that your website can be found amongst the millions of other online businesses.

Many small business owners create websites and simply think that should do the trick. A few months down the line someone may ask how the website works for them and they will say that it is not worth their while. The reason is straightforward enough – their site doesn’t get enough targeted traffic. It is one thing to optimize the site for search engine placement, but another to ensure that all links stay in working order, a solid rank is obtained and that users will find the site when searching.

An effective online marketing campaign should include a complete mix of marketing techniques. It is essential to establish the goals of online marketing, the budget, expected return on investment, target audience, and general purpose of the website before investing in Internet marketing.

With the digital business world being rather competitive, the website owner cannot afford to use a fly by night approach. It takes time to develop a strong online presence and with the online world changing rapidly attention should be given to the whole package including:

• Website design for easy navigation, readability, information value, and convenience.
• Branding through the website, banners, affiliate marketing, pay per click advertising, social media such as Facebook and Twitter, blogs and search engine visibility.
• Developing good ranking for particular keywords and ensuring relevance.
• Link building for higher ranking.
• Creating sticky content to ensure that the visitor stays longer and finds the site useful.
• Improving user experience through feedback forms, avatars, video content, and information.
• Improving visibility through YouTube channels and Facebook.
• Ensuring accuracy of information and professional display of information.
• Adding social media buttons such as Google +1, Facebook and Twitter.
• Creating a strong AdWords campaign and landing pages for higher sales turnover.
• Building relationships through newsletters.
• Using press releases to announce important business product launches.
• Market analysis and website traffic monitoring with tools such as Google Analytics.

The above elements are only a few of the important aspects of an online marketing campaign that can help to ensure a solid return on marketing spending and thus the growth of the business. In an age where millions of businesses have already shifted their focus to the online market, the question of why does a business need a website and online marketing campaign is almost too obvious. If you have not yet join the ranks of the online business world then do so now by getting immediate professional assistance through iLead Online for optimal success. Contact us for assistance today.

Google has introduced the Google+ on a limited scale at present. Before you jump on a search to join, it is at present open on an invite only basis. It may be because Google first wants to test the market and avoid unnecessary publicity and questions regarding Google Buzz or perhaps to create suspense. What is more important though, is whether Google+ can outperform Facebook or will be, yet another one of Google’s less successful social media network rollouts.

No doubt, Google is the best when it comes to search engines and many Facebook users don’t appreciate Facebook’s lack of concern about their privacy. Whether Google+ will replace Facebook completely will depend on the features offered, marketing of the social network, and of course integration with other applications. At this stage it is just another platform for social communication, but it can grow into a Google Giant.

There are positives and negatives as with all applications. The Google Plus, written as Google+ is perhaps not the best of names to select. For one, it definitely creates confusion with the Google +1 Button. Upon request to post about Google+ and Facebook, the original post was written about the Google+1 Button and Facebook Like, simply because of confusion. To further add to the confusion, the Google +1 feature in Google Plus differs from the Google +1 Button used for searches in Google. With all the plusses one can almost get into a state of total puzzlement and leave everything altogether out of fear of making a mistake when talking to people.

Google has named it a project rather than one of their new products with the idea that it would be seen as one of their features rather than a product taking on the social network giant Facebook. According to Google it is not intended as competition for Facebook, but rather another way of connecting and sharing, although it certainly comes across as a social network just as Facebook.

Similarities And Differences Between Google+ And Facebook

Facebook allows users to create specific groups and lists of contacts. The Google+ version is the Circles where the user drags and drops contacts into various Circles, allowing for sharing of information with specific groups only. If you are thus not comfortable sharing information about your cat that just died with the whole bunch of contacts, you will be able to select a Circle with contacts who will give the required sympathy. It will enable the user to split social and office life gossip. It is better than the friend lists in Facebook in the sense that the Facebook lists don’t give you the opportunity to selectively share information with a few friends. You can make group posts though with Facebook Groups. You normally end up making groups to share specific information with and it doesn’t have the easy drop and drag feature of Google+.

On the negative side for the Circles – it is still a lot of work, especially if you have the 100 closest friends in a circle and another 900 contacts to organise. Apparently not the easiest to use in the beginning, it becomes a rather useful feature once you get the hang of it.

Newsfeed & Stream

Facebook has the newsfeeds which enable users to see what their friends have posted. One can stream updates, the most recent posts or everything.  Google+ has Stream, located at the top of the box where you post your status updates, photos and other content you want to share. You will select a Circle from which you want to get a stream unlike the Facebook newsfeed option that shares information about everything posted recently, updates or all.

Making It Easier To Share Information With Non-Google Plus Users

Google+ has a feature that enables you to still share information with users that only have email addresses and have not joined the network formerly by adding them to one of your circles. They will be able to see what you have shared with the particular circle of friends. You can also follow a person that has not added you as a friend, provided they share information publicly. What they share with their particular circles will still be a mystery. The only negative about sharing with people who have not befriended you is that you can easily fill their email inboxes since they will be notified when you post for a circle where their details appear.

Importing Contacts

At present you will not be able to import friends from Facebook. You will be able to use all the emails, but for understandable reasons, Facebook at present doesn’t allow for exporting of friend details to Google+. As such you will have to create your contact base in Google from scratch, but can use present Google contacts to get it jump started. The upside is that one can export details from Facebook to Microsoft and Yahoo!. Using the two you can then get your friend details to Google+. One should note that although contact information can be obtained, the contacts will not include their friends. This little glitch can make it difficult to get Google Plus to grow fast, especially because Google Buzz is not included in the picture as it will at first be kept separate and may never be integrated with the Plus project.

Plus & Like

Facebook has the Like option allowing one to show others what you think is worth considering or when you generally just like something. Google+ has the +1 button. You will +1 for the same reason. Just a note on the plus one buttons on the search and those offered in Google Plus. The two are not related. Nothing you +1 in the Google search feature will be related to your +1 in the social network. It is confusing. As such there is a +1 for the search which is not related to Google+ the social network. Facebook has a definite advantage here. At present the only way to see what a person has +1’d in the Google search feature is to view their Google Profile. Apparently the +1 of the social network and +1 button in the search will eventually be integrated, but not for now.

Hangouts & Huddles

Hangout is the one feature that may get Google+ off the ground and get Facebook users to join in the network. Hangout is the video chatting option where up to ten persons can at the same time chat by means of video. It is definitely something to consider for work meetings or friends who for instance, play Paintball together. Everyone in the particular circle can contribute to the conversation and it is done video based. As soon as a user launches a Hangout, the friends in the circle get a notification. Pretty soon everyone can join in and have a video chat. This is better than the Facebook chat at present and also a bit more private. It is for instance, possible to share a video to a whole group of people. The Huddles feature is the Google non-SMS chat feature for mobile applications. Information about the feature is still a bit limited and as such keep an eye on this spot for more about it in future.

In Summary

Google+ offers more privacy than Facebook and better organisation of contacts. It has the Hangouts and Huddle features. In addition, it also offers Stream allowing for high quality picture feeds. There are other smaller features such as Sparks (sparking conversation on a topic and allowing to follow a specific topic), and then the ability of mobile users to add their location. Facebook is extremely popular, not so private, yet, familiar to users. Facebook is rather easy to use and doesn’t have a confusing name. The Like is already integrated with searches whereas Google+ has kept the +1 for social and the +1 for search separate for their launch. Google has it made it possible to integrate various Google products such as the Google Profiles, the Chrome search toolbar and Gmail as well.

Facebook, however, still wins on the topic of user-friendliness and simplification. You need a Google Profile that will have some information displayed publically. The Circles feature is great, but with one user being able to have more than one email account, you may end up with a user in two circles receiving two notifications every time. It still has some glitches and for people familiar with Facebook there may not be enough incentive to make use of another social network. If Google+ focuses a lot of attention on the Hangouts feature, they may be able to get more Facebook users. Other video chat applications such as Skype may get the boot in the long run and Facebook will have to bring something better to the table to keep their users at home.

The Google +1 button has been rolled out and received with mixed enthusiasm by website owners and AdWords advertisers. Many of the webmasters have already added the +1 button to their sites. No doubt, Google changes their search and indexing algorithms on a regular basis and keeping up with all the changes can be hard work. Google Buzz may very well disappear completely or if the company strategizes correctly, they may just combine the two ensuring more interactivity amongst searches.

If you haven’t placed the Google +1 button on your website yet, you will benefit from the tips and pieces of information about the new roll-out from Google.

Google +1 Button Will Influence Rankings

Google announced that the +1 feature will definitely be used in determining a web page relevance to a search string and thus also its ranking. Website owners will thus have to carefully consider the content of their sites and the keywords optimized for. Quality will count since the user will have the power to click on the button for liking the content. The button can almost be compared to the Facebook Like button, just with a bit more power.

How Does The User See The Google +1 Button?

When a searcher comes across a web page related to a specific search, they can simply click on the Google +1 button to recommend it as relevant to the search. The users must be logged in with their Google account to use the button and can set the public display in their profiles. The button and likes of a person will by default be publicly displayed unless set otherwise in the profile settings.

Users will see recommendations from contacts below their search results, helping them to get more relevant search results. The moment the user clicks the button, the content will appear in the user’s profile at Google under the Google +1 button tab. It can be seen in 44 languages, but the annotations will only be visible in English.

Is The Google +1 Button The Same As Google Buzz?

The +1 feature is not intended as a conversation tool whereas the Google Buzz feature has been created to promote conversation about interesting topics or web content found by searchers. Up to now, it has not been used widely and many website owners have already replaced it with the +1 feature, seen as more relevant to searches.

How Will The +1 Button Feature On A Website?

Google provides the website owner or AdWords advertiser with several styles and sizes to select from. If a site owner has a bit of technical knowledge, more customisation can be done to the button. One can add several +1 buttons to a single web page at various places. If a user clicks one, it will mean a recommendation for the whole page. Google has suggested placement of the +1 button near the page title and the links to be shared. In addition, you can place the button at the end of the page as well.

Google has given recommendations regarding faster loading speed such as placement of the script tag at the end of the page before the closing of the page body tag. It is worth keeping in mind since loading time of a page is also considered regarding page ranking. When it comes to AdWords, the +1 annotations will appear next to the headlines.

Where Will The Button Also Be Visible?

The Google +1 button will be visible under the Share at YouTube, and will also be visible at the Blogger, Android Market and the Google Product Search facility. It is not available for mobile search at the moment, but Google most probably will add the feature to the mobile search in the near future.

How To Add The Button At A Blogger Site

Simply click on the Page Elements under Design on the blog dashboard and once you have located the blog posting area, you can edit by selecting the share buttons option where the +1 button can also be found.

Why Place The Google +1 Button At Your Web Pages, Blog Posts And Search Ads?

According to Google, adding the button to your pages, AdWords and blog posts, you ensure that your pages and ads will be immediately visible. By giving your visitors more opportunities to plus one your content, you increase the chances of more relevant traffic to your site. This is so because the plus one annotations will be visible in the search results. The idea is that people are more likely to click on search results with plus one annotations than those not reviewed and recommended.

Terms Of Usage

Google by now has learned that SEO marketers and web publishers don’t take long before they get shortcuts regarding Google features. As such the company has created strict rules and regulations for the usage of the Google +1 button. One for instance, may not entice a visitor in any way to click on the +1 button. Publishers may also not try to discover who used the button unless the user has allowed sharing of such information with the publishers. Publishers cannot give awards in return for clicking on the + 1 buttons.

Analytics For The Feature Are Not Yet Available

Although you will not be able to use Google Analytics for the +1 button yet, Google is working on such to ensure that website owners will be able to get information on the demographics and content clicked for. In future then, webmasters will be able to use information derived from Google +1 button clicks to improve their web content and marketing strategies.

Should You Ignore Or Use?

The Google +1 button is a social sharing feature, something at which Google has not been able to succeed thus far. Considering that web pages are now almost cluttered with all the social sharing buttons, one may be sceptical regarding usage of the +1 by users.

Although people use the Like feature for Facebook, they tend to be less concerned about what their friends search for and will want to search for regarding organic searches. On the other hand, a +1 annotation or more can certainly help to improve visibility in the search results and as such we recommend that you add the button to your pages and ads sooner rather than later.

Let us handle the process should you struggle to add the new Google +1 feature to all your web pages.