Google caused a stir in the Internet a couple weeks ago. Google announced that they would encrypt the search sessions of users signed into Google accounts (also called SSL or secure socket layer encryption.) Why would Google do this? That’s a great question. This question is creating heated Is Google Good Or Evil debates all around the web (read my colleague Brian Chiou’s Google Good Or Evil article for his take).

What does SSL Encryption really mean?

SSL encryption means search queries and search results are private. Search results are only visible and accessible to the individual user on the other end of the computer (or phone)…well, AND to Google of course.

Did search engine optimization get harder?

Yes, since search engine optimizers lost the ability to identify keywords searched for a large portion of web traffic. SSL encryption means Internet marketing analysts can’t tie a keyword searched to a goal (or conversion) on a website for users signed into their Google Account.

Were we spoiled with free access to such valuable information in the past?

Google’s decision to limit analysis comes as a blow. SSL encryption isn’t Google’s first paradigm shift and won’t be their last. But why would Google cloak something we are used to knowing? Something we used to help clients optimize content for search marketing?

Google says in their official blog that they want to “make search more secure”:

As search becomes an increasingly customized experience, we recognize the growing importance of protecting the personalized search results we deliver. As a result, we’re enhancing our default search experience for signed-in users.

Is Google really concerned about our privacy? I just looked up my house in Google Earth. There is my car sitting in the driveway. I could zoom and see me sitting on the couch watching TV. Security? Really?

Google says they will continue to pass across secure socket layer data for those using Google’s advertising platforms. SSL encryption only affects organic (non-paid) search results. The lesson here: Pay the price and Google will giftwrap keywords, tie a bow around them and drop them in your lap.

Not convinced money is at the bottom of Google’s SSL encryption?

SSL kills retargeting, the practice of showing ads related to recently visited sites. Retargeting works for old advertising reasons. Retargeting works because repetition works. Retargeting works because customers think serendipity when a massive, intelligent, invisible hand sends subliminal messages and influences free will. Leaving aside the used car salesman feel to retargeting for another post, Google killed retargeting because of how this marketing tactic impacts search. Retargeting reduces search volume. Reduce search volume and Google’s PPC money takes a hit. Money–not security–is at the bottom of Google’s SSL encryption change.

Does Google have something else up their sleeve?

The answer to that question is always YES. Are they prepping us for a paid tool that will allow access to this valuable data? Is Google pushing us to pay for data to improve their $10 billion revenue (from last quarter alone)? Answer: YES.

Or is Google responding to a security backlash? An “adbusters-like” attack on retargeting? Is Google taking steps to improve their privacy policy to benefit the end user? Like most things Google, the answers to all of these questions and many more is always YES. Personally I will believe in the divine Goodness of the “do no evil” company when my house isn’t so easily accessible from any cell phone, iPad or computer on earth.

So, where do we go from here?

As Internet Marketing Specialists, SSL encryption means we have our work cut out for us. We need to be creative in how we collect, analyze and report with our new search engine marketing (SEM) reality. Our Internet marketing world is challenged once again. But who isn’t up for a good challenge?

We say bring it on, Google. We’ll adapt. We’ll figure out ways to help clients understand your new SSL world as we’ve figured out all the other new worlds you’ve created. You’ll make us better Internet Marketers because of it. So thank you Google. I knew I loved you for a reason.

After searching your Gmail, have you ever wanted to turn off the highlighting?

The power of search is one of the things that makes Gmail one of the best email solutions available.

Have you ever searched for an email (using a keyword) and noticed that the keywords you used were highlighted in the resulting email? This feature is very useful and mimics traditional search engine behavior, where keywords are bolded in a couple sentences from each result.

The highlighting can actually be controlled by using the two icons that appear in the top-right of the search results page:

Unfortunately, these icons are identical, so the user has no idea which one to click. The left highlighter icon will actually turn on highlighting (only if it’s off), and the right highlighter icon will turn off highlighting (only if it’s on). The design is very salient because it doesn’t match the user’s mental model, which is primarily developed from previous experience (with computers and in the real-world).

Here’s a design that should match a user’s mental model, because it’s very similar to an on/off button:

On:

Off:

Little Big Details

This may seem like a very small issue, but imagine how many people must have encountered it. Small details like this should not be overlooked. The blog Little Big Details does a great job at demonstrating how small features can make a big difference. One of my favorite posts was their demonstration that the position of the close button stays the same in Chrome, allowing users to effortlessly close more than one tab. Small details like that go unnoticed by the majority of users, which is actually a good thing. When users have a frustration-free experience, they can focus more on their goals (which is why they’re on the site in the first place!).

What is Google Boost?

Google Boost is a new advertising platform that Google has begun to roll out to all industries across all cities in the world.  In short, the platform allows you to pay for placement at the top of the page when an individual searches for a keyword that matches your industry. In the example shown below, you will notice the individual has typed “Asian restaurants San Francisco.”

The Business Case

Another way Google Boost can help (or hurt)

If you take a better look at the Google Boost ad, you will notice five yellow stars. By now, most Internet users are familiar with the yellow stars and can quickly associate that with reviews. The following report performed by Kudzu.com tries to show how important consumer-generated media (CGM or in layman terms reviews) really is.

When 600 users were surveyed in December 2008:

86% of shoppers said product evaluations and reviews influenced their purchasing decisions.

Of those 3,000 conversion focused users, 2,820 – 2,910 are searching online for your product / service before setting foot into your store. Of the 2,820 – 2,910 visitors 2,425 – 2,502 are allowing reviews to influence their purchasing decision.

So, if you start getting reviews that are negative it may be wise to hire someone who takes care of your online reputation management. It is also a good move to give some perk to customers who choose to give your business feedback / review online.

Why Google Boost then for this audience segment?

I would like to expand on point #6 because it is 100% necessary to have one when targeting online shoppers. In the previously shown screenshot,  the UVP is that they use, farm-fresh ingredients.

Let’s assume the example business we own is a car repair shop. There are five competitors who will most likely rank within the top half of the Google page when the user searches for “car repair in Raleigh.”  Having your Google Boost ad say, “Car Repair Shop located in Raleigh.” is less effective than delivering a clear UVP such as, “Car Repair Shop with Competitor Price Matching.”

Oh…nobody trusts pay-per-click…right?

Takeaways

• If you are a local business who relies on customers, I’d recommend getting started today.
• The pay per click market is growing. Google Boost is similar to a pay per click system and I maintain that it will have a high chance of growing alongside that market or turning into pay per click altogether.
• The majority of people making purchases are doing research online for local shops prior to the trip to the location.
• Have a Unique Value Proposition ready if you want to create a Google Boost advertisement.

Please feel free to comment with any questions or counter points.

There’s no way around it: search engine spiders love words, and so you’re going to have to find a lot of fresh ones if you’re going to make it to the top. As easy as it is to say we’re going to come up with a new blog post every few days, the reality is that the task leaves most of us just the way we were in high school – putting off our writing assignments until later, or even skipping them altogether.

Without fresh content, however, your online business is bound to get a failing grade. Here are a few steps you can take to keep your search engine efforts moving forward:

1. Make SEO a priority.

If adding material to your site becomes just another in a long list of “to-do’s,” it’s very unlikely to ever actually get done.  Finding your way to the top of the search engine rankings for a profitable keyword is akin to trying to move your business onto one of the busiest streets in the world, and achieving that goal takes time and effort.  Try to keep that perspective and let it motivate you to post more.  Unless SEO is a major goal for your business, it’s probably not going to get the attention it deserves.

2. Set realistic goals.

By trying to write too much material, or gather too many pieces of information in a short amount of time, you aren’t being ambitious, you’re setting yourself up for failure.  Like the dieter who vows to never taste chocolate again, the marketer who sets a goal of writing three articles a day is only kidding themselves.  Setting achievable goals isn’t just less stressful; it’s more productive.

3. Stick to schedule.

Once you’ve established a plan you can live with, you have to stick to it.  Pencil in your SEO time the same way you would an important meeting.  Even if it’s just fifteen minutes a day to spend writing or finding resources, it’s critical that you do it and keep moving forward.  It’s easy to get so swept away with day-to-day business issues that you forget, but it only takes a little lost momentum to throw your plan off track.

4. Get organized.

You should have some sort of log or spreadsheet that shows what topics and keywords you’ve worked with, as well as which ones you plan to add to in the future.  Filling it in can provide you with valuable focus and motivation during those times when you’d rather not bother with writing or posting material, as well as making sure you don’t duplicate your efforts.

5. Pay attention.

Sometimes the market changes – people begin searching for new answers, leading to an entirely different set of core keywords for your SEO plan.  That doesn’t have to mean you abandon your efforts, but it might indicate that you should alter your approach.  You can’t make that determination, however, if you’re not paying attention to what your customers are thinking and talking about.

6. Track your results.

Some business owners get so caught up in the doing part of SEO that they neglect to check and see if it’s actually working.  Keep tabs on how many visitors your pages are tracking, how long people are staying to read or shop, which keywords are drawing the most sales, and so on.  You can’t build an effective campaign without feedback, so keep your ear to the ground, virtually speaking.

7. Keep an idea file.

It’s very hard to just sit down and add content to your website out of nothing. That’s why it’s a good idea to keep a notebook or computer file where you can record thoughts for upcoming topics. Then, when you need one, you’ll have inspiration at your fingertips.

8. Practice patience.

SEO, like most marketing practices, is a slow science.  It can take weeks or months to work, not days.  Realize that from the outset and plan your business accordingly.  The orders might not start flying in overnight, but if you follow the right steps and add lots of fresh new content to your site, it will pay off in a big way.

Sticking to your search engine optimization plan might feel like a chore, but if you can follow these tips and keep your site constantly updated, you’ll eventually learn why so many companies love it.  Coming up with content isn’t always easy, but writing on your site is like writing a check to yourself in the future.

It’s the story of students who sat where you sit 250 years ago, and went on to wage a revolution and found this nation. Students who sat where you sit 75 years ago who overcame a Depression and won a world war; who fought for civil rights and put a man on the moon. Students who sat where you sit 20 years ago who founded Google, Twitter and Facebook and changed the way we communicate with each other.

Prepared Remarks of President Barack Obama
Back to School Event, Arlington, Virginia
September 8, 2009

And how.  We sure do communicate with each other differently now.  This speech even before being delivered caused such a stir and as an involved parent of a child in school I of course was naturally interested in what the president had to say and what he was going to say about learning in school.

But from a technology perspective think about how amazing that above quote is.  The president is immediately drawing a comparison between our founding fathers, the “Greatest Generation” and the Geeks that have changed us forever.

Twitter is being used by Iranian demonstrators to organize, Facebook has changed the way we organize our lives, and Google helps everyone find what they are looking for.  I went to college in the early 90′s at the dawn of what I like to call the first Internet-based technology revolution and the dawn of the “internets.”  I can’t help but think that we are now involved in another.  Can you believe that information from http://www.whitehouse.gov can be disseminated via a RSS Feed, a Tweet, see pictures on Flickr, or watch a video on Vimeo.

Everything around us is changing at a lightning pace, what will the next tool be?  For those of us in the technology world when we are not shaking our angry fists into air complaining about some nasty serialization issue, I hope we all can take the time to think about what an amazing time we are living through and how these tools can be used to bring us all closer together.

So get out there kids and go create something that will make this crazy world a better place!

Full text of the remarks can be found here:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/MediaResources/PreparedSchoolRemarks/

The first improvement that Google has made to their local business center is the dashboard.   You are able to manage all of your local business listings, straight from your main LBC dashboard.  This is particularly useful if you are a internet marketing firm or a company with multiple locations.

The second improvement that Google has made for their LBC is the ability to monitor local listing performance, by incorporating analytics on each listing.  You can see the number of impressions and actions your listing has.  A action is defined by a key action on your listing like “Clicks for more info on Maps”, “Clicks for Driving Directions”, and “Clicks to your website”.

See what keywords and phrases searches are using to find your listing.

See where people are requesting driving directions from.

Like many other social profile sites like Linkedin, Flickr, and Facebook, Google gives your listing a percentage to let you know how complete your profile is.  This entices users to create as complete of a profile as possible, by adding not only basic company information but store hours, logos, videos, credit cards accepted, etc…

Along with all of these new features they also have other neat features like adding a coupon to your local business listing, bulk uploading multiple locations at once, and a tips/resource on how to create a complete listing.

With more emphasis being placed on localized search and the fact that Google is displaying 10 local business results for most local searches, it is extremely important to make sure your listing is 100% complete and verified with not only Google, but Yahoo and MSN.  The down side is that just because you have a complete listing, doesn’t necessarily mean you will show up #1 in that list of 10 local results.  Google places a heavy importance on your proximity to the center of the city that the user is searching.  Which means if you are trying to show up for “Raleigh Plumber” and your location is in a suburb, 20 miles outside of the city, it will have a difficult time showing up for Raleigh based searches.  Nevertheless it is still important to make sure that your complete is complete!

Microsoft and Yahoo announced a 10-year alliance in web search but as far as I can tell nobody really cares about Microsoft or Yahoo search engines as long as they continue to return some kind of search results when you enter a keyword. I think if their users really cared about cutting-edge search technology (or were even aware of it) they would already be using something else. More likely the deal will create a single competitor for Google to focus on in the search market. Like other mergers (while not an official merger it is a merger of search technology) this will give some users who have resisted making the jump to Google a good opportunity to make a switch. Expect Google to pick up another 3-4 points of market share pretty immediately if Microsoft and Yahoo get overly cozy and make the technology transition too obvious or annoying for users. Also expect some short term improvement in aggregate revenues, as advertisers are able to place more ads with less effort. In many cases, smaller advertisers usually prefer to only run on Yahoo and Google.

One side-effect of the deal that I haven’t seen considered is that Microsoft may be able to strong-arm Yahoo into a full sale since they now control a high percentage of Yahoo’s revenue through their latest agreement.

Google’s announcement that they will be creating an operating system is interesting but in itself not particularly exciting either. What’s more important than the sheer announcement of a new OS is the fact that a viable alternative OS is even possible. This is a significant paradigm shift that will likely play a major role in our computing future. As Google points out, “the operating systems that browsers run on were designed in an era where there was no web.”

Google is paying attention and taking notes:

We hear a lot from our users and their message is clear — computers need to get better. People want to get to their email instantly, without wasting time waiting for their computers to boot and browsers to start up… Even more importantly, they don’t want to spend hours configuring their computers to work with every new piece of hardware, or have to worry about constant software updates.

Many corporate users are heavily dependent upon custom applications that are written for Windows in much the same way that you still see the occasional green-screen application managing some unique function for government or retail. The shift that has happened recently is that software as a service or SaaS has gained significant strength. Salesforce, Basecamp, Google Doc’s, and a host of other truly great online software applications have given momentum in a trend which will underscore the first viable threat to Microsoft that I’ve ever seen. People buy computers and operating systems for what they can do, not for the operating system itself. If users can do what they want to do without Windows (or rely upon any particular OS) then they will.

Microsoft’s dominance is still largely dependent on the Windows client operating system (not including server revenue). In their most recent quarter Windows client operating system revenue was more than 23% of gross revenue and has probably been higher in previous quarters when overall performance was better. Closely linked to the 23% is all of the server and software revenue that is generated as a direct result of the client OS’ dominance.

Judging from Bill Gates reaction to the news, Microsoft thinks it’s just business as usual although I’m not sure they can really do much in response. With a fundamental shift in computing underway they could start moving their applications online, but that will only hasten the demise of Windows. If Microsoft follows its current course and doubles-down on its investments in installed software vs. SaaS here is the way the future looks:

• Corporate Users — Will continue using Microsoft until their custom applications are ported to the Internet or rewritten as SaaS applications. Corporations can save obscene amounts of money within their computing environments without distributed application computing using Microsoft. Once a few leading companies embrace the new paradigm the others will quickly fall like dominoes.
• Personal Users (not gamers) — As long as the new operating systems can play music, manage photos and browse the web the low price and ease of use will attract users. Most users young and old spend the majority of their time on the Internet and if they aren’t actually on the Internet they are probably doing things that could easily move to the Internet (such as personal finance apps, local email, photos, etc). Of course there is always the Mac as an option for power users which many people argue is better for personal users of all types anyway.
• Gamers — There are already specialized platforms for game playing such as Xbox and Wii. Once lightweight low-horsepower systems become the norm, gamers are likely to continue moving toward these offerings.
• Graphics/Design/Engineering — The Mac is a better platform for these applications and their users already. Remaining holdouts will see more pressure to move to Mac.

Claim Your Listing

The first thing you will want to do is sign up for Google LBC, Yahoo LBC, and MSN LBC and claim your listing. By claiming your listing you are notifying each search engine that the can confirm and verify you are the business owner.  For Google and MSN they allow you to verify your listing by calling your phone and entering the 4 digit pin they provide, or you can wait for a pin number to be mailed.  Yahoo will manually verify the business listing.

One of the most important factors search engines look at is if your listing is verified or not.  If you do not claim your listing, you are susceptible to profile hijacking.  Profile or listing hijacking means that someone acts like they are your listing and changes the information provided in the profile.  For any listing that is not claimed, anyone can edit the local business information, so be sure you claim yours!

Complete Business Profile

It is important to fill out your listing completely by adding the following: your full address, a company description, email address, store hours, upload photos/videos, etc.  The more complete your listing is, the more likely it is to rank well in the local business listing results.

Reviews

Search engines will take the number of business reviews you have into consideration and see if the reviews are positive or negative.  You may also notice that Google can pull in reviews from other relevant websites and other 3^rd party local directories.  With that being said, you may want to monitor what others are saying about you on other review sites.  Also, ask your current clients to submit a review.  Ask them in person, in a newsletter, a personalized email, or on your website.

Where to submit your Business Listing

There are a number of local directories available that we recommend you submit your business to besides Google, Yahoo and MSN.  Make sure you add your listing to Yelp!, Best of the Web Local, Merchant Circle, Insider Pages,  and Judy’s Book.

For a more in-depth look at local search ranking factors check out David Mihm: Local Search Ranking Factors.

Related Topics

• Google Local Business Listings Now Have Analytics

Between approximately 2:40 p.m. PDT and 3:15 p.m. PDT today, some Google News users experienced difficulty accessing search results for queries related to Michael Jackson,” a Google spokesman told CNET, which also reported that Google News users complained that the service was inaccessible for a time. At its peak, Google Trends rated the Jackson story as “volcanic.”  (Source: CNN)

So a few of us were discussing if there were any other celebrities (not political figures), who might bring down the Internet if they died unexpectedly.

While there wasn’t an official consensus and we hope these individuals have a long fruitful life,  we came up with the following list of probable celebrities who would have such impact:

1. Oprah
2. Tiger Woods
3. David Beckham
4. Madonna
5. Muhammad Ali
6. Angelina Jolie
7. Kobe Bryant
8. Britney Spears
9. Michael Jordan
10. Brad Pitt

Check your Robots.txt file: The problem may be as simple as your robots.txt file is disallowing search engines from crawling your site.  Type websiteurl.com/robots.txt to see if you are currently disallowing search engines.  If you see something like this …

you are actually telling search engines not to index your site.  By simply removing the ” / ” you will allow search engines to start indexing your site. The ” / ” is representative of your site’s root path. So that essentially means that you are telling search engines when they visit http://www.yourcompany.com to NOT index your site.

You may also be restricting search engines in your source code.  Go to ‘View’ in your web browser and view the ‘Page Source’ or CTRL+U.  Do a “Find” for <META NAME="ROBOTS" CONTENT="NOINDEX, NOFOLLOW">.  If you see "NOINDEX, NOFOLLOW", as you can imagine it tells search engines not to index or follow the page.  Simply remove that piece of code, to allow it to be indexed.  Be sure to check all pages in question, since this code may be on some or all of your pages.

Check your Site Structure: For large websites you may have a lot of directories in your site.  If your directories go 3, 4, or even 5 directories deep off the root level, it may be hard for search engines to crawl those inner pages.  Try keeping your directories as close to the root directory as possible.

Check your Site Navigation: Your website navigation may not be search engine friendly, meaning search engines are unable to follow the interior pages through your navigation.  If your navigation is developed using flash or programmed in javascript, it may inhibit search engines to access your interior pages.  To fix this issue, have your navigation programmed using a href links.  If you do not want to re-program your navigation, try adding footer text links at the bottom of each page.  This will give the search engines a second way of accessing your interior pages.

Check your CMS: If you are pulling in content dynamically through a CMS or some sort of database, search engines may have a problem indexing your content. Here is an example of the differences between dynamic and static urls.

Dynamic URL

http://www.websiteurl.com/forums/thread.php?threadid=12345&sort=date

Search Friendly Static URL

http://www.websiteurl.com/forums/indexing-issues.html

The problem with dynamic URLs, is that these URLs do not exist.  They pull in content on the fly, based on what the user requests.  If the URLs do not exist, search engines will not be able to find these pages and index them.  In order to fix this URL issue, use a URL re-writer to modify the URL so it creates static looking pages from dynamic pages.  This will give the impression to search engines that these are static pages.  It will also help with SEO, if you use keyword-rich URLs.  For some CMS’s, it may be hard to find a URL re-writer off the shelf.  Almost all of the mainstream CMS’s like Drupal and Wildflower all have URL re-writers you can use.

Google Website Penalty: I recently wrote a post on how to detect when Google penalizes your website.  If you notice that your site is not being crawled by search engines, it could possibly be that search engines have banned or penalized your website and they are not adding your site to their index.