Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Information Architecture at IMSB - Build it & They will Come | Social Desire

First up was Steve Plunkett:

Steve spoke about Information Architecture and how it affected Search. The three categories that he went into detail about was…

Collected Data Structure
Search Evolved: File Management – DAO ( Digital Asset Optimization )
Conversions and Forms
Collected Data Structure

Domain authority
Directories, flash and filenames (see Digital Asset Optimization)
Activity within record, references, file changes, relocations.
Bounce rate (www/email/groups)
Segmentation
Search Evolved: File Management & Digital Asset Optimization

Steve when into great detail talking about the fact that Search has changed. No longer is it just about optimizing a website, but also other digital assets such as….

PDFs
Spreadsheets
Feeds - RSS Segmentation
Social profiles
employee cost
personality research


Video/flash
Podcasts
Whitepapers
Games/widgets
Images
Analytical challenges
** Steve pointed out that EVERYTHING you do points back to domain name. Name all of your files, images, PDF’s with keywords and domain name.

Conversions and Forms

Conversion paths - users answer questions in a form and then they land on a page that delivers tailored content to their specific answers.
Conversion reporting
Email database
Things to Remember

Help search engines find your site by building your website in a search friendly data structure
Leverage content by optimizing digital assets
All search results are not created equal. Always keep the end in mind (conversions) to provide value for SER

Information Architecture at IMSB - Build it & They will Come | Social Desire

Monday, April 13, 2009

The Problem with Google’s IP Based Search Results

"So, more and more Google is serving local business results for generic search terms such as Italian Restaurants and using IP location to determine which listings appear. The problem is that your IP is not always located in the same city as your physical location. I am located in Virginia Beach but my IP is based in Chesapeake, VA. So, as I search for a delicious Italian restaurant to have lunch at today (mmm, carbs) I am served a 10 pack of terrific ideas…but they are in Chesapeake!"

SEO BLOG » Blog Archive The (My) Problem with Google’s IP Based Search Results