‘Google +1 button’

Google has changed the SEO landscape considerably with Panda, the +1 Button, Social Search, and now the author rank algorithm. Web marketing companies and publishers need to make changes in their online marketing strategies or have their sites end up on pages five or six in the search results.

With the authorship mark-up announced, a tag can be added through semantic HTML to allow for searching of works by the same author in a particular website. In addition, the tag allows for directing to an author’s bio page which should be at the same website. With another tag, a link can be made to a profile at an external page or all pages displaying the author’s work.

Benefits For The Reader

The authorship mark-up enables users to locate articles written by a specific author. If an author has thus written informative and high quality articles, the recognition will be valuable. Users will not have to utilize the find option to locate works by a particular author at a website. In addition, the author rank system makes it easier to find articles written by a particular author in the organic search results of Google. The author’s page will include a list of articles or content pages created by the author and some biographical information. The days of the faceless content writer seem to be over.

Why The Authorship Mark-Up?

Google intends to deliver the most relevant and highest quality content in response to user searches. What makes it a bit tricky is that the author page must be located at the same website where the content is delivered. The user will have to rely on organic searches to locate works by the same author at other websites.

Implications For Freelance Authors

The author ranking system will benefit freelance authors who write quality articles. An author will think twice before spinning out superficial content for the sake of search engine marketing. Once the author’s name is connected to an article or press release, the author will rethink the content. As such freelance authors may in future decline projects where the focus is on articles about similar or rather similar keywords for the same site.

Authors writing for numerous sites may have an initial disadvantage because they write on a wide variety of topics and may find it difficult to develop a reputation of being an expert on a topic. Whereas an author may not have minded writing about a particular topic in the past because there was no name attached to the content, the reputation of the author may become more valuable and as such many freelancers may decline previously accepted projects to protect their reputations.

Authorship Mark-up And Author Rank

Google Authors by jimboot

The authorship mark-up is a tool to be used, simplifying the process of identifying and locating work of a particular author at a website. The author rank is a content metric to help measure the quality of articles and importance of a web page based on the reputation of the author. With author ranking then Google will be able to identify high quality articles and content pages and thus ensure more relevant search results. Google is also planning the implementation of trust metrics such as the Google +1 button and user feedback which will help to ensure accurate results. Users will appreciate other features such as Google Preview showing parts of a work and perhaps an image of the author as well as a short bio on the author.

Implications For Search

It would be naïve to think that the author ranking metric will not influence search results. Users may be influenced by the images of authors and the trust indicators. With a positive image and thus trust associated with an author, the user is more likely to click on the result. SEO companies and publishers will thus have to ensure that their content writers develop solid reputations in specific areas of writing and carefully select the topics to be written about. By taking pro-active steps in the matching of author and topic, they can thus ensure higher click-through rates based on the reputation of the author.

Authors will have to create Google profiles to which the authorship mark-ups can link. It will give them more control over their content in the sense that their content will be protected against scrapers. Ownership of the works will thus be easier to substantiate.

Reputable authors will rank higher with the author rank system ensuring better search placement for well written content. With the authorship mark-up tools webmasters will be able to also link to other web pages and the author bio ensuring that authors will play an all important role in placement of web pages in search results at the end of the day. Multiple profiles can be linked by using a mark-up such as rel=”me” to ensure linking between various profiles.

With the system in place, the content created by high ranking authors may even be indexed before there are links created to the content. If a webmaster therefore uses a reputable author with an excellent ranking, it could mean quick indexing and with this improved traffic. The focus in content generation will thus also need to be on improvement of author rank.

Search engine marketing through content generation in future may heavily rely on top quality content of high ranking authors. Even if an author is relatively unknown at the start of the author tag usage, the scene can change quickly as some freelancers write numerous articles for one site during the course of a month. The author could develop a reputation for writing excellence on the topic within a relatively short period, which will ultimately benefit the website owner.

Combine the author rank with the muscle of the Google +1 button to recommend sites and you have powerful tools for better search results placement on a specific topic. Professional web marketing techniques become all the more relevant for top ranking. Contact us to help your site reach top ranking and sustain its search engine placement.

Google has always gone the extra mile to help SEO companies and webmasters make the most of their tools and has recently announced Google Engage in line with their commitment to sound SEO and online marketing tools provision.

Although Google Engage has been available in the USA, UK, and Canada it has not yet been released in South Africa up to now. It is a partner programme aimed at assisting web marketing and design professional in providing a range of value added Internet-based services to small and medium size companies, also now in South Africa.

Google Engage is the second new development by Google in a short while. The Google +Button is still the hot topic of the day and now the company has also unveiled the exciting new partner programme.

Who Will Directly Benefit From Participation In The Google Engage Program?

• SEO Marketers
• Webmasters
• Advertising Agencies
• IT Consultants

Luke Mckend, who is the Google SA country manager, has recently commented that Google is committed to assisting small businesses in achieving online success in South Africa. Through the Engage programme, Google hopes to reach from the small business owner to the agencies, freelance companies, and search engine marketers to ensure that they can deliver a wide range of services to their clients and thus improve their client site performance on the Internet.

Launch Date

Google Engage for South Africa will be launched on July 19, 2011 in Johannesburg at a one day seminar. Approximately 500 persons involved in web marketing, design, and business development will attend the seminar and iLead is one of them. Google has once again ensured a leading position with the announcement of Google Engage.

The programme holds several benefits for partners of which some are briefly listed below:

• No joining fee – ensuring greater participation.
• Partner members will have access to a wide range of vouchers for their clients.
• Google provides free AdWords training.
• AdWords Professional Certification preparation.
• Training and vouchers to assist partner members in becoming a Certified Google Partner.
• Access to a range of marketing materials for free.
• Advanced Google support also regarding the AdWords program.
• Access to a variety of webinars and training tips as well as videos.
• Updating on what is new in the online advertising industry – directly from Google.
• Live events access.

To be eligible as a member in the program the member and or business must meet specific requirements such as:

• For Google Engage SA – must be physically based in South Africa.
• Must specialise in web related services with the aim of assisting clients in developing their online presence through design, marketing, SEO, ad campaign management, sponsored links, and marketing methods.
• Be willing to invest resources in promoting the Google tools to client companies.
• Must have a fully functional business related website.

Participant members of the program receive a number of promotional vouchers upon completing the required webinars. This of course, is to the benefit of the clients as they will ultimately receive vouchers from the web marketing company such as iLead. The AdWords vouchers will help new clients to join the AdWords program and get an immediate head start in sponsored ad campaigns.

Difference Between Google Engage & Google AdWords Certification

The Google AdWords Certification is the ultimate certification obtainable whereas the Google Engage Certification is the first recognition level which can be used towards obtaining the Google AdWords Certification. Engage partners have access to free vouchers, training, webinars, and promotional marketing materials. Through the training and participation in the Engage program the partners will prepare to pass the official Google AdWords exam towards certification.

Why Prepare For The Google AdWords Certification?

Once a participant passes the AdWords Certification exam, they will also have access to:

• Additional benefits.
• Advanced training.
• Will gain official certification.
• Option to be listed as a Google AdWords Certified Partner at the Google Partner Engine.

Why Create An AdWords Account If It Is Not A Requirement To Join The Engage Program?

Agencies don’t have to create or have an existing AdWords account with Google to become participants in the Engage partner program, but it is certainly recommended to at least create a My Client Centre Account in AdWords for more efficient management of client AdWords accounts. Without an AdWords account the participant will not be able to make use of the Google AdWords technical support program, which is rather useful. Agencies or SEO marketers with normal users and business users as their client base will benefit most from the program.

Membership Basics

More than one employee per agency or member company can subscribe to the program although limited space is available and acceptance is entirely up to Google. Each application is assessed to ensure that all participants meet the requirements.

Should a participant company wish to cancel their membership they can do so through an opt-out button at the account settings page. Cancellation of the Engage membership does not affect the AdWords account.

Attendance of at least four webinars is required to become an Engage participant simply because essential training is provided through the webinars whereby participants gain the required knowledge to help their clients get superior online advertising results. Participating companies can have more than one employee attend the webinars and thereby ensure skills development throughout the company. This of course, will be to the benefit of clients.

AdWords Coupons

The Google Engage members receive AdWords coupons that can be used to attract new clients, but to prevent fraud the coupons can only be used for new accounts. The coupons can only be used when a new Google AdWords account is created. The member company creates a billing account and select the payment options for the client. The account is then activated upon payment of the once off activation fee. Should a registered agency want more coupons they must used more than 50% of their batch. If an agency is not already advertising their services by means of Google AdWords, they can use one of the coupons received to start an account. Coupons are distributed to clients by means of the Coupon Dashboard.

In Summary

Google Engage is a program to enhance the ability of online marketers, webmasters, and agencies to improve their online advertising and AdWords skills and expand their markets. With many benefits associated with the program, it is expected that a large number of agencies will join the program. As for the clients of such agencies, it will mean better services, advanced tools and optimal success in online marketing.

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.

The Google Social Search, which has been available since 2009, has now been globally rolled out. The search tool is already available in 19 languages, but it is only the start. With some powerful updates to the search tool, Google has succeeded in bringing the social media, opinions and organic searches together for a more personalised search experience, which will also influence search results dramatically.

Friend Opinions Will Count

The idea is that in reality people often make decisions based on the opinions of their friends. If a good friend recommends a movie, chances are that you will buy a ticket and also go see it. If you like it you will recommend it to more friends. If not, well, it will get thumbs down from your side and you may be rather outspoken about why to your friends. As such opinion makes a movie sell or fail.

With the Google Social Search then you can connect to what your friends recommend. Linked to the social networks, and with the option of the Google +1 button for easy like which can be made public or kept private, the user is put in the control seat of how search results will ultimately display. Speculations are that in the near future we can expect to see universal search results disappear and only personal search results displayed. What you and I thus see at the search results will differ dramatically, making the work for SEOs just that one extra notch harder.

Several Changes In Search Results

Previously you would have seen a few extra links at the bottom of the search results page which were recommendations of what you may perhaps like. The information was gathered based on your search usage and the limited information collected about your contacts’ search preferences as well as what is generally sought for when someone searches in a similar way. Tweets, Likes, recommendations, and blog items were used in the gathering of information.

Google Social Search Improves Personal Web Experiences

It has changed since the users can now tell Google a bit more about their friends by associating their Google ID with their various social networking sites including Twitter, Flicker and Quora, but unfortunately not yet, the all powerful Facebook. By doing this one then confirms the contacts and information Google has already gathered, enabling Google to deliver information according to friend recommendations and search behaviour.

If you have for instance, followed a tweet on a particular subject earlier, Google may include it in the search results based on the link. Fortunately with the Google Social Search you will be able to see which ones are Social Search results and which ones fit both categories. As such for people not following the opinions of friends they can still get search results not influenced by what others have to say.

If you thus created a tweet on a topic and hundreds or thousands of people follow you on Twitter, then should one of them do a search for a topic related to what you have tweeted about, their search results will differ completely from those who don’t follow you on Twitter for the same search and are not connected to any of your followers.

Broad Contact Networks Will Influence Results

The Google Social Search goes one step further by also including results where information was tagged by a friend about a specific topic. This can help to bring up a small and unknown blog above one of the big news players. As such the search results will no longer favour over optimised pages. Around 18-22% of search results will be changed when using the Google Social Search facility. For SEO this means a whole lot more work and the average website owner may need to make use of SEO companies that also incorporate social media optimization in their product profile.

The tagged social search results can include articles from Google Reader to which you have subscribed, recommended web content by means of the +1 button, profiles of your contacts at social media sites and images which have been shared by your contacts as well as blogs and any content shared by your friends. The tool also enables more results and filtering of results.

Social connections include your connections from:

• Google contacts in the My Contacts group.
• Gmail & Google Talk chat lists.
• People followed on Google Buzz (which may not be a very long list, given the dismal failure of the social media application) and Google Reader.
• Public connections of your public social contacts including the people that your friends follow on Twitter and the additional people that they have connections with.
• Public connections you have at social media sites including FriendFeed.

The content that you publish publicly and share in the same manner will be visible as results for others, but you can remove or add more links to your profile to ensure more or less public display. One must be signed into a Google Account to see the results of Google Social Search. The more you customize your profile by adding for instance, public connected sites, your e-blogger account, and add friends to your My Contacts group as well as subscribe to public content, the more personalised your search results will become. RSS Feeds, Digg, and more can all be included in the results.

On the SEO part of things it is possible to make the most of the Google Social Search for best results by:

• Getting in on the social media frenzy by creating blogs, Facebook personal and business accounts or fan pages, a Twitter account, LinkedIn,  FriendFeed, and MySpace as well as Blogger (e-Blogger BlogSpot). Facebook is not yet connected, but remember that the Facebook users are often also users of other social media which can be important. Be sure to create a profile at the current Google Buzz which may in the future become Google Circles and build a list of contacts. Don’t forget about Google Talk.
• Don’t just create the above accounts, but become active there. You need to post blogs, and post updates. To boost traffic use similar keywords used at your website. Get as many as possible subscribers.
• SEO must be done for your newsletters which can be posted online in addition to sending such out. Get rid of single image based newsletters and exchange the style to text which can be optimized.
• Go with full text RSS feeds as you will want to increase the chances of your subscription feeds showing up in the search results.
• Build your Gmail contact list and be sure to get in on the lists of others.

Google Social Search will change the way that results are displayed and where pages will rank. Contact us at iLead Online to help your website not only survive, but succeed with top rankings in personalised results.