Search Marketing - Darin Carter - Search Marketing Made Easy

Third-Party Apps for Google Glass Revealed

May 16, 2013 by Casey Kurlander Leave a Comment

At Google’s annual I/O developer conference today in San Francisco, the first big wave of third-party apps for the Glass were revealed.

Twitter launched its official app, which lets Google Glass users tweet photos and text, as well as reply to, retweet, or favorite tweets and notifications. Originally there was a third-party app that let users tweet from the device, but it was only capable of sharing photos. Now when a user shares a photo using the app, it automatically adds the words, “Just shared a photo #throughglass,” in the tweet.

In addition to Twitter, the Google Glass also now has social media apps for Tumblr and Facebook, which seems to be focusing on photo sharing. After taking a picture, users can post it to their timeline immediately and add a caption just by using their voice.

Elle is trying to be the first magazine to bring its content to Glass; the magazine created an entire team to make it happen. By using the Elle app, users will be able to read stories aloud and view photos that accompany each piece.

It might be a little while before people get their hands on Glass, but at least when they do they’ll be able to go on some of their favorite sites. Darin, a Glass Explorer, should be getting his soon. Check out the tweet he received from Project Glass today:

Filed Under: Google, Technology Tagged With: darin carter, glass apps, glass explorer, google, google glass, google glass capabilities, search marketing, technology

Matt Cutts: Google Penguin 2.0 is Coming in “Next Few Weeks”

May 14, 2013 by Casey Kurlander Leave a Comment

At a SMX West panel back in March, Matt Cutts promised that there would be a major Google Penguin update this year, one that he thinks will be the most talked about.

Last week there was some speculation that this update was taking place. Cutts put those rumors to rest by tweeting “Nope, no new Penguin update this week.”

He later added “We do expect to roll out Penguin 2.0 (next generation of Penguin) sometime in the next few weeks though.”

Cutts has referred to this next major update as Penguin 2.0. However, since there have already been three updates to the Penguin, this would technically be Penguin 4. But this upcoming algorithm update is supposedly going to be so big internally that Google is referring to is as Penguin 2.0. Check out this interesting Twitter conversation between Cutts and Search Engine Land’s Danny Sullivan abut the numbering of the update:

So there you have it. Call it Google Penguin 4, or Google Penguin 2.0 if you’d like. Either way, a big update is on the way.

Filed Under: Google, SEM, SEO Tagged With: google, Google Penguin, matt cutts, penguin 2.0, penguin update, Search Engine Optimization, search marketing, sem, SEO

What Google Glass Does & Doesn’t Do

May 13, 2013 by Casey Kurlander Leave a Comment

Don’t bother searching for porn on the new Google Glass- the adult entertainment industry is not rushing to be part of the action just yet.

“We’ve decided to take a wait-and-see approach to Google Glass,” Steven Hirsch, founder and co-chairman of Vivid Entertainment, told FoxNews.com. “We want to see how quickly our target audience chooses to adapt it before we make any decision to move ahead.”

Something tells me that it won’t take too long until users are able to watch their favorite porn stars on the small screen- high resolution display is the equivalent of a 25 inch high definition screen from eight feet away.

Until then, here are some things that you can do with a Google Glass.

One of the coolest capabilities of Glass is the fact that it can be used in a voice-activated control. By saying “Okay, Glass,” and giving it a command, the user can engage several different modes of operation. You can speak to get directions, make phone calls, search the web and more. The product is also responsive to head movements and a touchpad on the side of Glass.

With just one command, the product is able to do a variety of things like recording video and taking pictures. Although the Glass shows videos beautifully, one downside is that it’s only capable (so far) of showing those you’ve taken yourself. But once you’ve taken video or photos, the gadget lets you upload them to Google+ to share them with whoever you’d like.

With YouTube being a property of Google, you’d think that you would be able to access the site from the Glass. Kind of. By installing one of the first apps released for Glass, Fullscreen BEAM, you can share videos directly by uploading to your channel privately or sharing the link on Twitter. But users still cannot browse YouTube videos with that app, nor search directly with the search engine built into Glass. This means no watching movie trailers, Harlem Shakes or silly cat tricks on the Glass just yet.

Just as easy as it is to take pictures or video using the Google Glass, the gadget makes it possible for users to start a Google+ Hangout with friends and share experiences in real time, such as a party or concert. I see quite a bit of potential for novel media forms with Glass. Examples could include new programming based on point-of-view filming, as well as archiving footage of events from multiple perspectives. For social aspects, Glass’ capabilities welcome a new era of interaction. Friends can share events in real time that previously they would only be able to tell each other about after the fact.

Another aspect that I think will make the Glass extremely popular is the connectivity. Attached to a mobile phone or other device, Glass allows users to stay connected in an unobtrusive way, exploring the world around them and interacting constantly with the larger world of their social circle. Glass users can use hand-held typing devices, as well as voice commands, to send messages and brief e-mails, as well as use Glass to get information about the world around them. Need to quickly translate a sentence into Mandarin Chinese? No problem! Want to be given directions to the nearest coffee shop? Glass can help you with that!

Glass can also provide alerts about flights and give users updates on breaking news. Since as the creators and developers point out, people would not want to read entire articles on Glass, news-based functionalities will show headlines, or in the case of some content, Glass can “read” the story to the wearer. Linked with a Gmail account, Glass will provide wearers with new e-mail notifications as well, allowing busy users to stay connected without having to take out a device and go through additional steps

All in all I am excited to see all that the Google Glass has to offer. I’ve only seen one so far (on the street in New York City), but I can’t wait until Darin receives his and blogs about the experience. In some ways the Glass is still fairly limited as to what it can do, but I have faith in the developers who are currently playing with it to fix that. By the time the Google Glass is available to everyone (most likely early 2014), I’m sure it will be loaded with apps that make a lot more cool things possible.

Filed Under: Google, Technology Tagged With: glass explorer, google, google glass, google glass capabilities, search marketing, technology

Why Search Engine Rankings Vary

May 8, 2013 by Casey Kurlander Leave a Comment

A few weeks ago I was perusing the search engine results pages of Google and putting together a bi-weekly online reputation management report to send to one of our clients. As I created the report, I was pleased to see that two of our sites that we created, optimized and have consistently been posting positive content to are ranking on the first page. I told the client that one site was in the #1 spot and another was #6, pushing two pages with negative content down to the second page… or at least that’s what I saw on my computer.

A few minutes after sending out the report I got a reply from my client. She said that she was searching the same keywords on Google, but was not seeing our sites rank for the positions that I reported.

It’s never fun when your client thinks you might be lying to them. I immediately took and sent screenshots to give her an idea of what I was seeing on my computer, and explained some of the possible reasons why SEO rankings could vary from my computer to hers. Here are some of the most common factors:

Browsing History
Our different browsing histories were most likely the culprit, as search results are personalized. Google remembers the sites you’ve visited in the past and will often show them higher in search results. This is the same technology that is used in banner ads — have you ever went to a store’s website for the first time and then suddenly everywhere you go there’s banner ads for that store?

The search engine is simply trying to customize results to give you what it thinks you may be looking for. If my client is sitting on Google all day checking out the negative comments being said about her company, Google may offer up those sites thinking that’s what she wants when she searches the company’s name.

Your Location
Google shows different search engine results based on your location. In this case, I’m located in south Florida and my client is about 1,100 miles away. Search engines will try to provide the best results based on where you are, and the results will be slightly different and the order may change. I have noticed differences in search results from my office to my home, which are less than two miles apart.

IP Address
Your search engine results can be affected by your IP address as well. Google tries to custom tailor results, so if you have a different IP address from another computer or mobile device it’s possible that you may get different results.

Google+
Twitter has been thought to influence search results for a while now, and it appears that Google Plus might be as well. The little +1 buttons you see all over the internet are similar to “liking” something on Facebook. These +1 buttons can affect what you see in search results because Google remembers what you “plus 1+ed” and will likely show these sites ranking higher. The rumors going around are that these “pluses” not only affect your search results, but having a lot of them could also help your website rank higher overall.

When discussing SEO or online reputation management with clients (or potential clients), it’s important to understand these factors that cause search engine rankings to vary. It’s good to explain to them that they may not see the same exact results as you all the time, but that this isn’t something to worry about. This will hopefully contribute to you and your client having the most pleasant and productive relationship possible.

Filed Under: Google, SEM, SEO Tagged With: google, online reputation management, reputation management, search engine marketing, search marketing, sem, SEO

The 5 Most Common SEO Mistakes According to Matt Cutts

May 6, 2013 by Casey Kurlander Leave a Comment

In a new video Matt Cutts, the head of search spam over at Google, talks about the top five SEO mistakes that webmasters most commonly make.

While he says that the following are not the most devastating mistakes, they are the ones that he sees pop up the most often:

1. The most common mistake is not having a website or having a website that Google cannot crawl.

2. Not including the right words on your site. Do not just write “Mt. Everest Height,” he says. Instead, write, “How high is Mt. Everest?” because that’s how people search.

3. Don’t think about link building. Instead, focus on writing compelling content and marketing.

4. Don’t forget to think about the title and description of your most important pages. They matter!

5. Not using webmaster resources and learning about how Google works and what SEO is about.

Check out the full video of Matt Cutts here:

Filed Under: Google, Marketing, SEO Tagged With: google, matt cutts, Search Engine Optimization, search marketing, sem, SEO

One SICK Helicopter Pilot

May 4, 2013 by Darin Leave a Comment

Filed Under: Blog

Twitter & Facebook Are No Google, But They’re Trying

May 3, 2013 by Casey Kurlander Leave a Comment

Search advertising blew up in the mid-2000s because it offered businesses the ability to reach and persuade people at the perfect time- when they were ready to purchase. Keyword ads have worked brilliantly, with Google’s multibillion-dollar advertising business being the prime example.

Google has been a true pioneer of search marketing and keyword targeting, but now it seems that the search engine giant finally might face some real competition, with Facebook and Twitter trying to get their shares of the action. Both social networking sites are now enabling advertisers to reach buyers in the act of expressing interest in a particular topic, trend or product. Facebook currently offers “search typehead ads” and last week it revealed its first ads within Graph Search. Twitter also made the announcement last week that it was launching keyword targeting.

The Purchase Intent Funnel

Before I go any further, let’s go over the purchase intent funnel, which serves as a solid model for understanding web advertising. At the larger top of the funnel is demand generation. The definition is self-explanatory- to generate measurable demand for your product. The goal of this stage is to generate awareness among consumers, capture their interest, maybe even capture some early stage buyers, get them to take some sort of action (click, download, sign-up), and to engage them in an ongoing dialogue until they’re ready to buy. Facebook and Twitter ads have been good at this for quite some time, but now they’re trying to work their way down to the narrow lower end of the funnel where the purchase intent lies.

Down at the bottom of the funnel, the goal is to convince someone with intent to buy of what specifically they should buy. For these consumers, it’s usually not a big deal for them to see keyword targeting in the form of advertisements. These ads are designed to attract the final click before they buy, and they usually take the consumer directly to a page where they can purchase or convert in some way.

For example, let’s say that you are shopping around for a new pair of Jordan’s on Google and you type in “buy Jordans.” You will see sponsored results for Finish Line’s website and specific Jordan models that you can click through to purchase. Or if you search “Miami Beach realtor” you will see ads for specific real estate offices that you could click through to set up a consultation.

These ads come after a consumer types in a keyword that demonstrates that they’re actually in the mood to purchase (hence the keyword “buy Jordans”). Since they directly inspire purchases and are more easily tied to ROI, these ads often don’t come cheap.

Google has dominated the lower end of the funnel for years with its AdWords product. But with Facebook and Twitter’s recent launches, could the axis of power in online advertising be shifting?

Twitter Launches Keyword Targeting

Twitter just announced the launch of keyword advertising, which will allow advertisers to target users based on tweets they send and engage with, as well as their location (based on geo-targeting).

Let’s say that you tweet about a movie that’s coming out soon that will be playing at a local theater. The theater can now run a geo-targeted campaign using keywords for that movie with a tweet that contains a link to buy tickets. The user who tweeted about the new movie might soon see that Promoted Tweet and end up purchasing a ticket.

Some marketers are skeptical as to whether Twitter’s keyword targeting will work, mainly because a tweet and a search engine query are two very different animals. I have a decent amount of faith in it and believe that by targeting smart keywords (think “want/buy + product name”) businesses could deduce purchase intent out of 140 characters.

Facebook

Since its disastrous IPO last May, Facebook has been looking for a way to satisfy its investors with a true monetized advertising platform. However, it has yet to come up with a solution that helps it compete directly with AdWords.

There’s the Facebook Exchange, which serves real-time bid, cookie-retargeted ads based on websites that you’ve visited. While FBX ads technically fall into the retargeting category, what they have in common with search keyword ads is that they both have the ability to reach people who are deciding where to spend their money.

What I think looks the most promising for Facebook is its new ads within Graph Search, which was revealed about two weeks ago. These ads cannot yet be targeted by keywords, but it seems likely that keyword targeting is on the way (what a waste if not).

Either way I’m pretty sure that Facebook wants to work its way down to the bottom of the funnel, so it will be interesting to see whether the social network comes up with a keyword targeting solution soon. In the meantime, I’ll be watching to see how it works out for Twitter and continuing to do my thing with Google.

Filed Under: Google, Marketing, SEM Tagged With: facebook, keyword targeting, purchase intent funnel, search marketing, sem, twitter

How to Compete With Local SEO

April 26, 2013 by Casey Kurlander Leave a Comment

Local SEO can be quite the challenge for the small business owners out there who are trying to rank high in Google’s search results. As more and more small businesses realize the power of ranking on the first page, competition has become fierce in almost every market. Google’s ever-changing algorithms don’t make things easy either. The days of 10 search results, or top 10 businesses that would appear on the first page for a local keyword, are gone and have been replaced by only seven organic listings. Now small businesses must fight each other more than ever for the prime real estate that is these seven listings.

Some of these businesses may not have the budget to hire an SEO company, but luckily it’s possible for business owners to do a few things on their own to help their website compete.

Fill your “About” page with great content

By writing a solid “About Me” page, you are not only telling Google what your site’s all about, which can help it rank, but you’re informing prospective clients as well. Content is king to Google, and this is one opportunity to give the search engine what it wants. Tell the story of how your company was created, what it offers, what problems it solves, how you can be contacted and make sure to demonstrate why you’re better than your competitors.

Choose keywords wisely and test them often

If you have yet to pick your keywords/keyword phrases, here are some ideas on how to get started. The basic keyword phrase model for local SEO is as follows:

“your service / product name” + “city name” + “state abbreviation”

So if you’re a yoga studio in Santa Monica, I’d suggest picking the keyword “yoga Santa Monica CA.” I’d also go for the keyword “yoga Santa Monica.”

If your business is in an area that’s part of a larger city, the local search keyword phrase model changes a bit. You don’t really need to add the state abbreviation if you’re targeting a big city- some people will still type in the state, but not nearly as many as if it were a small town.

“location words” + “your service / product name”
“your service / product name” + “location words”

So if you’re this same yoga studio in Santa Monica, I’d suggest picking the keywords “yoga Los Angeles,” “Los Angeles yoga,” or maybe even “yoga LA” (if there’s a decent amount of users searching it).

Get creative when picking keywords, and try to anticipate what people who are looking for your business might be searching. Use Google’s keyword tool in AdWords to see how much the terms are searched.

If your site is already live, you should test your top keywords regularly. The great thing about SEO is that if something isn’t working, you can make changes at any time. Check to see how your site is ranking, as well as how many people are searching with your keywords. I’d also consider long tails if a decent amount of people are searching the terms, as they may be less competitive. If you’ve picked solid keywords and your site still isn’t ranking, go back and make sure your site’s content pages, social media pages, and all related content reference your targeted keywords and location.

Be consistent with your NAP

Some of the most important information about your business to a search engine is your NAP data- name, address and phone number. In addition to including it on your website contact page and social media pages, it is important that this information is consistent. If you spell out the word “street,” make sure you do so every time you note your address- don’t abbreviate here and there. If your company uses several different phone numbers, pick one to use on the web. If your NAP data isn’t an exact match everywhere online, Google may not know to lump all your profiles and content together.

Be aware of the “centroid bias”

Instead of giving users a range of local results, Google often starts at the center of a city— the downtown area — and works its way out. Referred to as the “centroid bias,” sites of businesses that are located closest to the downtown center often take precedence in the SERP, giving them an advantage. If your business is located on the outskirts of a city, local SEO is going to be more of a challenge. To tackle this, there are two things you can do:

If you’re closer to the center of another city, you can target searches there
You can stick to the exact town/neighborhood or where your business is located and not waste efforts targeting the big city

Build some links

Once you have done all of the above to make your website and social media pages more SEO-friendly it’s time to build some links. You can do this a few ways:

Comment on local blogs. This does not mean to go to every blog with your target location in the name. Stick to you niche or industry, find a few blogs where there are good discussions taking place and contribute.

To find these blogs, take the list of keywords that your site is targeting. Then, go to Google Blog Search to search for local blogs that are related to your keywords. Find the best blogs and comment on some of the posts (not every post- nobody likes a spammer). Finally, link to different places on different posts, including: your site’s domain, your Google+ Local landing page URL and your Google+ Local Business page.

Guest blog on local blogs. Again, start with the list of keywords that you’re targeting for your site and use the Google Blog Search to find some blogs within your area and industry. If you’re having a rough time finding blogs that accept guest post, try just searching location: inurl:location “guest post.” Once your find a few good prospects, reach out to them via email. If they accept you, write them a fabulous article and put the links mentioned above in your byline.

Also, if it’s possible, put your NAP in the post if the webmaster will allow it.

Give testimonials to other local businesses. Just like you love testimonials and reviews, so do other local businesses, and often they are willing to return a favor. Think of some businesses unrelated to you industry that you just love- a spa, car wash, restaurant- anything. Most likely they all have websites. Write them an awesome review of their products or services on the condition that they link to your site. It’s a win-win!

Links from domains with location-specific words in their domain, i.e. “miamidayspa.com” will go the furthest for your local rankings.

For a few more linkbuilding ideas, check out this article on SEOmoz.

Filed Under: Google, SEO Tagged With: linkbuilding, local seo, Search Engine Optimization, search marketing, SEO, small businesses

Darin’s A Glass Explorer!

April 18, 2013 by Casey Kurlander 1 Comment

Google Glass user

The highly anticipated Google Glass will not be available to consumers until later this year, or possibly even early 2014. Until it’s officially available to the public to purchase, the Google is being selective as to who gets their hands and eyes all over it. And guess who’s going to be among the first to get one?

That’s right!!!

On his Twitter a few weeks ago, Darin was invited to become a “Glass Explorer,” or one of the first to be able to buy an early version of the Google Glass. In all, Google has picked about 8,000 people in the United States from their #ifihadaglass contest, which asked those who wanted Glass to tell what they would do with the device in 50 words or less. Darin’s answer: “I’d blog every day for 365 days about my experience.”

Stay tuned in the next few weeks to watch Darin share his adventures with Google Glass. I’m sure he’ll be doing everything except showering with it on (let’s hope), and telling the world all about it. I’m not sure exactly when he’ll get it, but it should be in the next month or so. Google said Wednesday that it started distributing the glasses Tuesday, though it may take weeks for recipients to get them.

Google posted the developer guidelines of its Glass Mirror API about two days ago, and developers are now getting their hands on their devices. The developers got their devices first so that they can get to work on creating apps on top of the Glass platform.

For right now all we can do is wait and get hyped. I’ll leave you with some interesting facts and information about the Google Glass:

The Google Glass costs $1,500 and yes, the Glass Explorers have to pay for their early versions as well. The consumer versions, which are expected to come out by the end of 2013, are expected to be slightly cheaper.
According to Google, the display is equivalent to watching a 25-inch television from eight feet away. There’s no official word on native resolution, but there have been numerous whispers of 640 x 360.
Google Glass is about as powerful as a mid-range smartphone.
Sound is generated by a bone-conduction transducer, which sends vibrations through bones in the ear.
The Google Glass battery should last all day with typical use, although some features, like Hangouts and video recording, are more battery intensive.
Google warns that buyers of cannot sell their Glass on eBay or anywhere else. If they do, they risk having their device remotely shut down. People can, however, buy the device as a gift for someone, but the recipients might need to open and maintain a Google Wallet account in order to receive support from Google.
It’s already been banned from several places, including some strip clubs, over fears that people will be filmed without their knowledge. Sorry Darin!
Google is already working on designer versions of Glass that eyeglass-wearers can use. They will include prescription lenses.
A group called Stop the Cyborgs have launched a campaign against Google Glass. They’re freaking out that the device will create a world where “privacy is impossible and corporate control total.”
Apple and Microsoft -Google’s most obvious rivals – and both are rumored to be working on their own equivalents.

Filed Under: Google, Technology Tagged With: darin carter, glass explorer, Glass Mirror API, google, google glass, project glass

Search Marketing - Darin Carter