Showing posts with label SEO. Show all posts
Showing posts with label SEO. Show all posts

Thursday, December 22, 2016

The Future of SEO - 2017 - Part II - Drone Delivery, Emoji #hashtags and Voice Search

Drone Delivery, Emoji, #Hashtags and Voice Search. 

What do all of the above have to do with SEO?

Did you count four objects or two in the question above? 

Drone Delivery - this isnt the article on drone delivery, Google wants to do it for $6.. i say connect them with Cinnabon first? they aren't in the drone business. yet. if.. 

Google want's to deliver food for $6.
(I think this may be a possible solution/partnership for Cinnabon?)
😉

Why? Because Amazon is delivering things from voice search already.
Right?

Amazon has done drone delivery now.. (see news articles below), naturally if i order a microwave, a toaster or some type of small appliance it would be to large to be shipped on a drone by Amazon? So drone delivery is limited to weight? size? what?

Here is what i have set as a hard limit for my drone delivery task.


A Startup for GIFs?



IS GIF a language? Have seen people speak on twitter in gifs only.. have you ever searched for a GIF on twitter and gotten advertisements? Are you optimizing your brand for GIF search? Similar to the Google Images land grab when people want to make sure and own the top images for a brand in case they showed up in Google Universal Search.
P.s. There is a #Startup for that.. 





Emoji and Hashtags (don't work) in Voice Search. Think about it. again.. yet. 
Until last week, there was not an Emoji Skill on LinkedIn.
(#facepalm - hashtags as a skill? Voice Search Optimization? )



Emoji is like Schema, the unicode sets the rules for Emoji. There are many different platforms for Emoji, Kimoji is one, Bitmoji is another.. neither of these contain Unicode approved emoji. Hashtags like emoji.. are not standardized.. if you are a consumer facing brand, you might not want to use some hashtags in social campaigns because a hashtag is not limited to a location or culture or school of thought.. #thot? (don't use that hashtag..)

Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Open Graph Meta Tags

The Open Graph protocol enables any web page to become a rich object in a social graph. For instance, this is used on Facebook to allow any web page to have the same functionality as any other object on Facebook.
While many different technologies and schemas exist and could be combined together, there isn't a single technology which provides enough information to richly represent any web page within the social graph. The Open Graph protocol builds on these existing technologies and gives developers one thing to implement. Developer simplicity is a key goal of the Open Graph protocol which has informed many of the technical design decisions.



Meta Tags

Complete List of Meta Tags... for today... think I may need to create one?

Tuesday, May 17, 2016

Using Search Console with your Website or Mobile Application

Google Webmaster Tools is now Google Search Console

 This is a MUST for SEO on any website.


Search Console provides actionable reports, tools, and learning resources designed to get your content on Google Search. You can use Search Console both for websites and for mobile applications; if you have a mobile application, read this page instead.



A. add your website to search console.
B. Add your Mobile Application to Search Console
C. Are AMP Pages for those business that do NOT have a Mobile Application?
D. Google Now Cards or AMP? Is one for local is one for content that replaces a mobile application on a mobile device? With the large majority of users being on a mobile device, that is the "new priority", what is best for your business? 



Thursday, January 07, 2016

A Happy 23 years Doing SEO.

Time to dump my brain.. 23 years doing SEO, my first club bulletin ranking for money.. i did so good for their new years party, they decided to pay me to do it full time. I have not written this kind of stuff down.. but now i need to practice since I have decided I will be writing a book on "How to Start a Startup in 30 Minutes" - see www.how2startastartup.com

I've been doing SEO since around January 1993 when we used to rank music and nightclub events on AOL Bulletins.. Then I used to figure out how to get things listed prominently in MySpace. Yahoo Directory was a good friend, when it was free, then $199 then $299. Then we had Dmoz.org. My volunteer position was to determine directory structure of Business/ Health/ Shopping/ and /Law.
However each one also had a service area or some type of location.. it may have been a Plastic Surgeon which meant it was listed in /Plastic_Surgeons but those also needed to be listed and sorted by Where they were as well. In the 90's Local was a factor in search in Yahoo! Directory as well as Webcrawler. Google was still Backrub. Anyways..

Each one of these had a sub-category - Regional/North_America/United_States/Texas this is how Google's Search Engine now begins to "Classify and Categorize" Local results.. eventually it breaks down to County, City and ZipCode. Those also have Regions with them, in Texas we have the "PineyWoods" (East Texas) and Hill Country (Austin and Central Texas) this is called a "sub-classification" or secondary grouping.

When you search for a Veterinarian in Plano, Texas. How many different ways can you think to classify or categorize that listing.. What are the "attributes" involved with that Local listing?

2016 SEO Lesson #1 - write what you just thought down. As your brain "Classifies and Categorizes" the "listing".









Tuesday, July 07, 2015

Voice Search Optimization



When search engines first appeared on the world wide web, searchers used short phrases to find the information they wanted. Until as recently as 2007, the average number of words entered into search boxes was 3. Since then, the average number of words has steadily increased as searchers started asking questions of the search engines. 


With the advent of Apple’s Siri, Google Now (sometimes called “OK Google”) and Microsoft’s Cortana, asking questions to search engines is becoming a natural part of interacting with them. Instead of typing, we can ask for any information and it is returned almost instantly. When you add the fact that most searches are now done on mobile devices, the importance of voice search and optimizing content for it is clear.

Google Voice Search
Google Voice Search is the search giant’s strategy for integrating voice commands across all Google products. With mobile devices overtaking all other platforms to access the Internet, Google search is evolving quickly. Search results are changing based on the way we speak, not the way we type.

Google is changing in response to the new ways humans interact with it. When we talk to Google to let it know what we’re looking for, we may ask about an item we want to purchase along with modifers like pricingcoupons orspecial. Google has learned these modifiers that often accompany product questions. It has started showing comparative pricing information and the closest location where the item can be purchased—even when that information is not specifically asked for. All the while, Google is listening for complete sentences and actual questions so it can provide specific information in response to more specific, longer-length queries.

Why is Google Voice a Big Deal?

Read More on Rockfish Blog 

Monday, April 20, 2015

What is SEO? How is that different From Social Media?



What is SEO?
(I keep getting asked simple SEO questions on Quora..  To save everyone some time.. i'm going to post some terms and explanations you need to know. Then link to here from Quora. =) *lightbulb - What If.... [saving this information for May 1st.]


How is SEO different From Social Media? 
(another question that is asked daily.. SEO is Search and Social Media is "Online Interaction Between Humans: Public and Private" )

What about DAO, KBO and ORM?
(If you are a Brand.. this is the question you should have been asking since.. 2003.)

In the beginning there was UseNet and  Network News Transfer Protocol (NNTPProtocol.
Your subject line was how you got people to read your posts... fast forward to when everyone was weaned off AOL and on to the Internet itself, circa 1996-ish..  fast forward again to today, now we have the Internet in our pocket, with GPS and blazing fast speeds.. What was it like then?
This is how long it takes a webpage to load, or get to Yahoo to search for something.

(let me show you, please click play.)


Visualization of Modem Connection 


SEO - (Search Engine Optimization) - is the practice of optimizing a digital asset for retrieval in some type of query based information retrieval system. These "information retrieval systems" are Google, Bing, Yahoo, Google Maps, your computer when you search for a file, also when you search outlook express for a subject line or the content of an email or who sent it. That is a "Query".

Search - Search (also see Query below), is the action of taking one piece of information and comparing it to many pieces of information, usually associated with an object. There are two types of searches. Searching against an "Index", or searching against some type of "Classification" criteria. (see "Object Oriented Design", below

Social Media - Social Media is human (and machine.. think about it.. eeek!), interaction across the digital ecosystem. If we check in, we are leaving a digital fingerprint/footprint on where we have been, what date, what time. These digital trails can develop patterns that can be used by advertisers, and criminals.  (see Water Hole Optimization)

Digital Ecosystem - As in life, each organism is itself an ecosystem, an ecosystem is defined by one pivot point with then spreads out to encompass all interactions, actual, perceived, or desired. (By the Client. Begin with the End in Mind, what are there wants, needs for digital? where do they fit into the digital ecosystem? where are they absent? 
A digital ecosystem for a user is different than a brand. The users path is to a brand. The brand path is about how users come to them online.. in digital.  Facebook that is your a Digital Ecosystem that contains smaller ecosystems like your friends list... that is your ecosystem. The contacts on your phone, are part of your ecosystem. Some of those contacts are shared with or connected because they are also friends of your on Facebook, or maybe they sent an email to your Gmail account? There are several ways your ecosystem crosses networks.. Networks you need to be aware of like; LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube, Google, Twitter, Tumblr and Facebook.. Etc.  Those are the ones we are going to discuss today.

Back to Search...
Rule #1In Search, a "User" either has an association with a "Brand", or they do not.

Users - You, me, them.. are you on the internet? Then you are a "user".

Brands - Again, You, me, them.. example: I am (Me - "Steve Plunkett - Sr. Search Scientist - personal brand), I work at (Rockfish - Company Brand), I do work for these clients, (insert a BUNCH of other brands), (see Rockfish Website for clients.) Then again, an agency should probably never reveal their ORM or Online Reputation Management clients, in my opinion.  That is shared at the office. (We don't.) It is frequently counter productive to inform you that many companies pay people to change Google/Facebook/Twitter/Yelp - legally and ethically of course.. or at least that is the only way we or I will do it.. there are shady people on this planet.. i'm just not one of them.. that is my brand.. the Corporate Guy on the Black Hat Panel @ Pubcon - the scary one.. in the suit.. with suspenders.. 4 out of 7 executive say, "we are sure glad he is on our side".

In not mean or bad or scary.. i just protect my Brands.

Like a mother (insert fierce female mother animal you find scary)



(Blog in-progress) 



Tuesday, January 13, 2015

2015 - SEO and Social Media Prophecy and 2014 Digital Advertising Notables

As we begin 2015 there are things that made a lasting impact on 2014 and some that are just about to raise their ugly heads and catch many marketers unaware and unprepared.
Here is your future checklist for Digital – Mobile Application Development, SEO, Social Media Management/Marketing, Digital Advertising and Digital PR in 2015

1. Voice Search – More to come on this, in detail, but as “users”, (Search and Social Media), move to mobile devices, specifically phones, Voice Search Optimization is going to be a really big thing and is going to catch many marketers by surprise. Hint: We have been researching Voice Search at Rockfish since 2011, (Google Labs), and have been actively doing VSO, (Voice Search Optimization for clients).


2. KBO or Knowledge Base Optimization – Brands, Brands, #Brands – With Google keeping the searcher on Google’s network longer, (See Google Play, Google Knowledge Graph and Google Plus), being able to make a change to Wikipedia by having that editor friend or the media person who works in PLAs assist you in modifying what your client doesn’t like to see about their own brand in Google. Learn how to fix anything….  including Wikipedia.. Or perish.

3. YouTube – Video Search Optimization – YouTube Hashtags work on Google + now.  Dec. 2008 YouTube was 25% of all Google Searches. Now, More U.S. Based 18-34 Year-olds Watch YouTube than Cable and YouTube videos influence the purchasing decisions of 53% of all consumers in the U.S. YouTube has now replaced the TV set.

4. Digital Media Distribution – Someone hacked Sony Pictures, “The Interview” was released via Digital distribution methods BEFORE it was released in theatres for the first time in History. Personal Note: I watched it on Xbox Video, I purchased it for $15.99 downloaded it and watched it the day before it was released in theaters.

5. Television Content Viewing Habits – Similar to the above but “Binge Watching” is now a thing. Personal Note: Still have not watched Breaking Bad – but one day, Binge Watching it. Commercial Television has made the leap with APPS. Phones, Tablet and Gaming Consoles now have applications where you can watch network television complete with commercials. Unlike TiVo, it’s not when you want it, or like AT&T UVerse where you can pretty much pick your own time schedule for your own shows, but that is for digital cable users, which also have another app. Welcome to the world of multi-screens and cross=platforms, Netflix now charges by the screen.

6. Mobile – It’s everything and it’s everywhere. Google considers Tablets more like Desktop than a mobile device and sees Smart Phones as totally different. Overall, smartphones and tablets accounted for 39% of Google organic search traffic during the third quarter of 2014. Personal Note: The big change I made in October 2014 in mobile was I removed Facebook from my phone after they launched Facebook Messenger. Life is actually a lot more peaceful, calm and I have been sleeping more. Facebook Messenger was never installed on my IPad either.  2015 Mobile trend prediction – Look for devices to have LESS memory, and more services expecting data to be stored in a cloud.
Actually, isn’t there a lawsuit about this? “iPhone users sue Apple over iOS 8 device storage squeeze” see hashtag #itoldyouso for most of these "predictions"

7. Mobile Payments – 2014 saw the debut of Apple Pay with Google Wallet still lurking around, Apple leap-frogged PayPal and Google Wallet for Mobile payments. Storyboard Messaging Service Snapchat got hacked, many private pictures of celebrities unclothed were released in October, known as the “Snappening”, next month in November of 2014 introduced Snap Cash, See a pattern here?

8. Hacking – The reason why I purchased #The Interview on Xbox360 was that Hackers from somewhere, (Either Korea or the U.S. supposedly, I can’t comment), broke into mail servers and got email from Sony executives somewhere that shouldn’t have been having private conversations in email.  (Ask Mark Cuban about his messaging app - Cyberdust ) - Hackers then also did Denial of Service attacks on the sources of bandwidth for XBOX and PS4, shutting Sony PlayStation Network down.

Personal Note: I didn’t notice, I was watching The Interview on Xbox Video during the time of the Xbox attack. While Downloading Destiny and Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare updates.

 Wait before I forget, entirely TOO MANY RETAILERS got hacked in 2014, let’s hope, actually pray, it doesn’t get worse in 2015... But it will... you have no idea... #beafraid #beveryafraid

Our openness with online websites like Facebook, Snapchat, Foursquare,
(Foursquare got booted in 2013, remember?), and mobile devices, security and privacy should go hand in hand... however we are not doing it right..  I’m still not using a credit card, cash only at some stores.

9. Selfies - 2014 was the first year I took a “selfie”. I took 9 last year, have taken 4 this year, maybe if I get prettier, I’ll take more? Instagram is built on a foundation of selfies. Thank God Pinterest hasn’t fallen victim to the Selfie trend. Facebook has, Twitter has, and Television and Magazines have, ok, prediction.  Some study comes out showing guys that take #selfies too much are serial killers or something..




10. Video Conferencing – Aside from the multi-BILLION dollar Adult industry built around video conferencing platforms like Skype, how soon in 2015 does it add FaceTime and Google Hangouts? Pinterest made private boards and thankfully Instagram picked up the adult traffic before they ruined Pinterest. However Facebook and Twitter are now seeing the Adult spam deluge with Vines just like the Adult invasion that pretty much killed Myspace.  Right before we all left and went to The Facebook. Never fear. Google hangouts are being used for business. Google even has a business unit named Google Hangouts for Business. Let’s hope it’s not overrun with Adult like Snapchat, look for more Google Hangouts to be catalogued in YouTube search results for educational purposes.

Social Media isn't "new" it's just a term for Internet Socialization. We used to "Go outside" and "play" - now we sit and watch Youtubes on our phones.. or we sit and play Xbox or PlayStation, which.. now has people playing and "watching them play".

From XboxOne..

It’s easy to make group video calls on Xbox One using Skype. Before you make a group video call, your Kinect sensor must be plugged in. At least one person on the call must have a Premium Skype account. You can initiate a group video call with a maximum of 4 people in a group (including yourself). However, if someone else on Skype initiates the call from another device such as a Windows 8 PC, that call can include up to 25 people.

Also, Didnt Amazon just buy Twitch? Where you can watch models play video games..




11. Stock Market – Facebook will continue to have a higher valuation than TWTR but Twitter will become more useful and more a part of our lives and Facebook will be ravaged by a virus. But to my dismay, will bounce back and the stock price will still go up. Facebook Offers and Twitter Cards will still provide excellent opportunities for businesses but Twitter Cards will rule Google.

Dear CNBC people, watch TV, Are you showing everyone's Facebook Page or Twitter /Nick?

Why is Twitter Stock worth less? I truly don't get it.



12. Private Messaging Fragmentation – Here are words to live by in 2015 – “If you don’t want it public, don’t connect to the internet or a mobile network” – Mark Cuban created Cyber Dust for this reason. Look for security and privacy to suddenly become big deals in 2015 when we realize how clueless we have been with our data. Governments are going to try and legislate this in 2015




13. Candy Crush vs. Kim Kardashian – Candy Crush (free) and Minecraft (paid) are the two most downloaded games in 2014. (Google Play) Any guesses on 2015?




14. As people look to express themselves more in a predominately 140 character world, blogging will resurface, video blogs will become bigger and better as well as more people looking for places other than Facebook  and Twitter, Instagram, Still the "@"  will still rule social media.

15. People will realize people are using Google+ and as it gets more integrated into Google Search, brands and businesses, a Google hangout may be akin to a Fax machine but probably not in 2015. Maybe 2016. Google + will be this place hidden in search results, hmm.. (light bulb)



Reference –
http://www.reelseo.com/youtube-facts-stats-2014/
http://www.marketingcharts.com/online/mobile-neared-40-of-us-organic-search-traffic-in-q3-47320/
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2388648/iphone-users-sue-apple-over-ios-8-device-storage-squeeze
http://www.wired.com/2014/10/the-snappening-is-not-your-fault/




Wednesday, January 08, 2014

SSS and The Meld - We Should Just Change SEO to "S"

I wanted to just change it to S.  There is also the SSS concept for SearchExchange Keynote which is similar...

Stabilization, Seeding and Semantics?

nope.. it was..



Except from Guest Post (after the jump below):

The acronym SEO equates to Search Engine Optimization, which is a facet of SEM, Search Engine Marketing, but SEO is NOT SEM without PPC."

We Should Just Change SEO to "S" for Strategy