Since 2009 Google has been experimenting with a kinder gentler social search. Social media is playing a fundamental part in how websites and internet content gets shared. Thus far Google’s Social media attempts have been a fairly clumsy and ham fisted affair. Google Buzz has drawn public scorn and law suits over privacy violations. Google Search has barely made a ripple in the social tide. Then there’s Google Wave, well let’s not speak ill of the dead. All the while Facebook is generating more internet traffic than Google and encroaching on their advertising dollars.

On March 30th 2011 Google announced “+1”, its new social bookmarking/sharing/recommendation widget thingy. This is not a new concept, but Google’s +1 is placed directly into your Search Engine Results Page (SERP) to the right of each listing.  That’s what makes it a bit different and potentially more effective than the other social bookmarking sites like Reddit, Digg and StumbleUpon. And similar to Facebook’s “Like” button, your social network peeps will see it,……sooner or later.

According to Google; +1 is the digital short hand for “this is pretty cool”. Basically it’s a web page approval indicator to share with People in your Gmail, Google Talk chat list, folks you follow in Google Reader and Buzz and the good people in your “My Contacts” group. In the future, the crowd you are connected to on non-Google services like Quora, Flickr and Twitter will also witness your +1ing.

Google will inform site owners by email when the +1 button is available for their web pages. Until then, +1 buttons can only be found on SERPs for English language sites and next to paid ads. The +1 button will be a natural ranking signal for search results when clicked. It will also be displayed for the searchers own network in their Google Profile. You will be able to see your friends +1’d activity through their profile and on the SERPs page as a little icon image beneath the +1’d listing.

All searchers must have a Public Google Profile and if it isn’t public by the end of July this year, it will be deleted by default. Searchers who have a Google account but no Google Profile will see the personalized +1’s but won’t be able to add them, and those who don’t have a Google Profile or aren’t logged into Google will see aggregated +1 data.

The +1 buttons will be integrated with Google Ads and listings. Google says +1 will not affect Quality Scores but it will influence the click-through rate (CTR) and advertisers should see a pickup in clicks. Also, organic and paid search shares a commonality with +1. That means that if your AdWords landing page was +1’d in organic listing, the +1 will show next to the ad.

According to Google all ads will be getting +1 buttons and can’t be turned off.  The clicks on the +1 buttons next to the ads will NOT count as a paid click but advertisers will be able to see their +1 statistics. Soon, anyone registered with Google Webmaster Central will be able to see +1 stats for their organic search listings as well.

Eventually the +1 buttons will be linked directly to search results. Google Co-founder and new CEO Larry Page sent out a company-wide memo, alerting employees that 25% of their annual bonuses will be tied to the success or failure of Google’s social strategy in 2011.

The stakes are high, and even if +1 fizzles away into ambiguity Google’s social strategy will clearly effect search engine optimization (SEO). The internet is turning into the socialnet and it’s no longer just what you know and sell but who you know, who knows you AND how likable or interesting your content and products are.

I have no idea if Google’s new social experiment will survive. The name “+1” is just awful and there are many questions about algorithm vs human (social) in regards to search results. If I search for apple pie and my wife’s’ aunt Betty’s recipe blog is listed on page one (which it shouldn’t) but, because she’s +1’d it and is in my network doesn’t that go against “organic” rank and the Google algorithm? In time, will all my search results rank according to what my friends have to say about it? And if it does and proves more useful to me, does that mean Google’s search algorithm was wrong all this time? Or I hate the results and there’s no going back? What about spammers?

Are you using the Beta version of Google’s +1? How do you like it? Or if you’re not using it do you think you will? Write back, obviously I need the help.

85% of shoppers looking for your goods and services will do so through search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing. Optimizing your website pages will attract the search engine spiders and rank your site higher in the Search Engine Results Page (SERP). The higher you rank the greater the traffic to your site and the possibility your targeted customers will make a purchase. That’s the purpose of SEO.

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is involved, complex, evolving and at times confusing. There are many misconceptions about what exactly SEO does or does not do for your website. There are bad practices, illegal activity, content farms, link farms, spam and out of date information running rampant on the web, mostly from unscrupulous internet marketers promising misleading goals for cash. The misunderstanding of SEO for your small business can cause great harm to your sites’ ranking and bottom line. Here are five common misconceptions I often hear about SEO. Some are deceiving, some half truths and others just out dated practices. For the most part I am speaking about Google and it’s guidelines on SEO’s best practices, which is ever changing.

#1 Buying AdWords Will Help Ranking
PPC (Pay Per Click) advertising and SEO are two separate things. Google AdWords and Google’s free search results are entirely independent of one another. Spending money on AdWords won’t impact your ranking in Google’s free search results. Similarly, canceling your AdWords account won’t lead to your website being banned from Google’s search results. If buying advertisement manipulated organic search results the internet as we know it would be an entirely different animal soon to be extinct.

#2 Content Should be Written for Search Engines
To some extent this is true. The text on your site must contain the most important keywords – the words that potential customers will be typing into search engines to find your site. But if you are only concerned about keywords for search engine robots then your text will be a drab read indeed. Remember at the end of the day your customers are the ones that matter most. Write compelling content for human beings and edit for the search engines.

#3 Any Inbound Link Will Do
Inbound links are links that are placed on other sites and point to yours. Relevant, reputable links to your site are extremely beneficial to your SEO. But on the other hand irrelevant and link spamming (e.g. paid links, blog spammers, guestbook spammers, etc.) can be very harmful to your site. For instance if you manufacture light bulbs and GE links to your site as a reference or partner, that inbound link would be beneficial to your sites optimization. On the other hand, your uncle Tony owns a pizzeria and links back and because of the lack of relevance to your business that link would hold less sway. To another extreme, if you set up fake sites just for links or engage in link farming and are caught by the search engines you could be penalized or banned. Just recently JC Penny and Overstock.com were found by Google to be doing just that, and dealt with accordingly.

#4 Search Engines Can’t Read Images
This can be filed under partly true statements. Search Engine spiders don’t read pictures or images well (although the technology behind this is getting better) but they do read the image’s Alt tag or alternative text. ALT tags are the little labels you see when you put your mouse over an image which is written in the back end of your website. Optimized Alt tags can make a big difference in your website’s page rank especially if images are a good way to convey your offerings. It is recommended that you use Alt tags on as many images as you can.

#5 Meta Tags are Essential
Back in the late 90’s early 2000’s yes Meta Tags were essential to a websites ranking, and because of its high value many webmasters stuffed the code with keywords in order to “game” the system. They were so successful Google decided not crawl Keyword Meta Tags at all, “not in the least bit” says Matt Cutts Google’s Search Engine Guru. But others like Yahoo and Bing may still see some worth. Google does look at meta descriptions to an extent but this is only a minuscule part of SEO. The Title tag does have some relevance but this is not by any means the priorities of search engines like so many people still believe. It’s worth adding them in the event that a search engine will use meta tags in their ranking formula but put this at the bottom of your SEO to do list.

Google uses over 200 indicators to qualify websites and their priorities are constantly in flux. This highly complicated mathematical computerized algorithm is not only a closely guarded secret but understood by very few people. We are always on the lookout for new information and are constantly sharing ideas about SEO with our clients and contemporaries. If you have any questions regarding SEO or would like to share your insights on this or any other matter please write in the comments section below or get in touch with us on our Facebook Page or through Twitter @Cazbah_net. We would love to hear your thoughts.

More and more as I speak to clients about social media they ask where they can find the material that will help them understand this medium. I find myself sending links and blog posts from the same social media champions time and again.  I thought it would be a good idea to list the top 7 resources in this blog because finding pertinent and timely information in the social media realm can be daunting to say the least. When you dive into these 7 websites you will get a comprehensive look at business and marketing resources that can help guide your small business through this vast maze of wonderfulness.

Mashable
Founded in 2005, Mashable is the top source for news in social and digital media, technology and web culture. With more than 40 million monthly pageviews, Mashable is the most prolific news site reporting breaking web news, providing analysis of trends, reviewing new websites and services, and offering social media resources and guides. Mashable’s audience includes early adopters, social media enthusiasts, entrepreneurs, influencers, brands and corporations, marketing, PR and advertising agencies, Web 2.0 aficionados and technology journalists. Mashable is also popular with bloggers, Twitter and Facebook users — an increasingly influential demographic.

Chris Brogan
Chris Brogan consults and speaks professionally with Fortune 100 and 500 companies on the future of business communications, and social software technologies. He is a featured monthly columnist at Entrepreneur Magazine. Chris’s blog is in the Top 5 of the Advertising Age Power150. He has over 11 years experience in online community, social media, and related technologies. Chris is involved in dozens of start-ups and non-profits. I met Chris while taking video at a social media seminar and he autographed his New York Times bestselling book Trust Agents for me. After reading it I went from an interested bystander in social media to changing my career to internet and social media marketing. It was that profound for me.

Brian Solis
Brian Solis is globally recognized as one of the most prominent thought leaders and published authors in new media. A digital analyst, sociologist, and futurist, Solis has influenced the effects of emerging media on the convergence of marketing, communications, and publishing. His blog, BrianSolis.com is among the world’s leading business and marketing online resources, ranking among the top 1% of all blogs tracked by Technorati. Solis is also ranked as one of the leading voices in the AdAge Power 150 index of worldwide marketing bloggers. He actively contributes to FastCompany, BusinessWeek, AdAge, Harvard Business Review, and Mashable.

ProBlogger
Australian Darren Rowse started ProBlogger in September of 2004. This site is dedicated to helping other bloggers learn the skills of blogging, share their own experiences and promote the blogging medium. This is a rich resource for all thing blogging whether it is for a small business, personal, or for your company. Explore the categories to find what type of blogging interests you the most. Be sure to sign up for Darren’s 31 Days to Build a Better Blog Project. Not for the light hearted but it will most assuredly get you started on the right blogging foot.

Videos are a great way to differentiate your business and YouTube is no longer regarded as just an entertainment site. It has grown into an invaluable business resource. With some time and creativity your videos can open new opportunities for your small business that would make a Fortune 500 company cringe with envy. Here are ten reasons why YouTube is a must for small businesses.

1.) It’s Free
Unlike television ads or radio spots YouTube and for the most part social media is free. To become a visible entity on the web it takes time and effort, not money and connections like in traditional media. This medium can be leveraged so a small start up has the same potential to go viral as a much more recognized brand and that can happen very quickly with videos. YouTube is the most watched website for videos and your YouTube channel is like having a second website without the cost of hosting and upkeep.

2.) Drive Sales
A video on YouTube is a great referral to your site. Your video can be seen by many people, optimized and shared through different social media tools like Facebook and Twitter. Because each video will have specific keywords or Tags associated with it. It will be found by the folks who are looking for you and your products via search engines like Google which owns YouTube and has about 70% of the search engine market. A powerful medium to showcase your products and build leads.

3.) SEO
As I mentioned, a YouTube Channel is like having a second site and lends room for you to describe your company and the products and services you provide. Along with the Channel you can describe each video individually with tags to help weed out the folks looking for cute kitty shenanigans. Tagging your video for SEO purposes will give you a great advantage of being found in general search. Each SERP page provides results for videos. For instance if you sell “baseball cards”, that key term in general search will have millions of results but, on video only thousands apply.  Because the SERP page prominently shows video results there is much less competition and therefore giving you a greater chance of being found on page uno. That will lead to much more exposure to your brand.

Net Neutrality aka Network Neutrality or Internet Neutrality is meant to be a neutral internet, unbiased, and equal to all. On Dec 21 2010 the FCC made three rulings regarding this very idea. The tight voting, which will also need congressional approval are:

1) Internet-service providers will not be able to block legal applications or services
2) Providers will have to disclose their network management techniques in a push for transparency
3) Providers will not be able to “unfairly discriminate” against content

The rulings were cut along party lines and with a Democratic President in office and a Republican Congress, the spin and swagger from the politicos is in full swing. Considering the billions involved in internet control (or lack thereof) it’s a red hot issue and ambitious politicians and lobbyists are eager to be heard. But let’s stay away from their tussle for this post and look at what it actually means to folks who rely on the web for their income and information.

This ruling has no bearing on mobile phones as the FCC declared cell phone networks to be a separate issue. With the tremendous growth rate of mobile internet users, separating the two seems short sighted and counterproductive.  Along with leaving out the mobile market the rulings are ambiguous.

The order prohibits network providers from charging application and content providers for access to the network’s Internet service customers. However, it does provide the possibility of “paid prioritization” with a very high hurdle.

So, the FCC has laid out the hoops for the poodle show, only the next act involves lions. Broad band providers like Verizon and Time Warner have indicated a tier pricing system that could become a pay to play structure. They say if they pay for and maintain the lines, which costs billions, they should be able to charge what they like. That sounds fair in a free economy right? Google says Internet regulations will hinder if not halt innovation. They say whatever they touch on the internet they make better anyway, and they specifically point to YouTube. Who wants to stop innovation? Not me that’s for sure!

Then there’s the proverbial writing on the wall. Can we rely on the network providers to do the right thing? Would they see a problem with disallowing competition to even come through? Can we depend on them not to extort the mom and pop shops to financially compete with the fortune 500 for page rank?

That’s the conundrum, when you listen to the network providers you hear the word “free” and when you hear the government they heed the word “regulation”.  I don’t know about you, but I pay for my internet as is and don’t really want to pay more especially for a censored version. And when the government uses the word “regulation” I hear taxation.

I don’t know, I can’t make up my mind. Should the government oversee the internet or should we let the providers call the shots?

Speak your blog.

There are many reasons why businesses aren’t blogging today and the number one reason I hear is that people just don’t have the time. Other excuses are; they don’t like to sit down and type or people don’t know how to spell that well or every time they have a great idea they’re not in front of a keyboard or don’t have any paper on them.  I wanted to show you through this Mobile Phone application called Dragon Dictation that you don’t have to sit at a keyboard, you can write your own content or speak your own content right into this application as I’m doing via my iPhone 4.

You can find Dragon Dictation on the Apple App Store, and here’s the big kicker, it’s for free.  Dragon Dictation is an easy-to-use voice recognition application powered by Nuance Communications that allows you to speak easily and instantly see your text or e-mail messages. In fact, it’s up to five times faster than typing on your keyboard. With Dragon Dictation you can also dictate status updates directly to your social networking applications like Facebook and Twitter or send notes and reminders to yourself all using your own voice.  So when you’re on the go, stop typing and start speaking from one short text messages to longer e-mail messages and anything in between. Right now Dragon Dictation currently supports US English, UK English and German and French. Italian and Spanish support will be added later this year.

I’ve tried other dictation to text devices before and by far Dragon works the best.

Some things to consider when using Dragon, is that if you shut off the application after you were  finished without copying you could lose your work so I suggest when you are done to immediately copy it and paste into a notes application which I’ve done for this process.

Coming up with fresh content isn’t always easy,  sometimes great ideas come to you when you least expect it, so now when you say you don’t have time to write a blog…..  It’s as easy as speaking the words, saving and copy-paste. With this application there shouldn’t be any new excuses why you couldn’t write a blog for your website.

So that’s it. Now this blog is written. All I had to do now was edit, make sure all the words make sense and if I had miss spoke to correct that, and also make sure that all the punctuation marks are placed correctly within my sentences.

Hopefully for some, this will solve the problem of  you don’t have time to write good content or you’re not a very good typist. So please speak your mind into the comments section, we would love to know what you think about this.

(This blog was written about 90% through the dictation application. You can click HERE and see the unedited version. Admittedly most of the corrections I had to make was because I misspoke or didn’t convey the actual thought I intended. It took me about 15 minutes to dictate and copy text to this blog. It took another 15 minutes to edit, and this is the first time I ever did this kind of thing.  Absolutely amazing how much time I saved and how easy this was. Below is a short tutorial on how Dragon Dictation works).

We are warning our clients and small businesses to be aware of a search engine ranking flimflam. A confidence game played on the unsuspicious who pay for keyword ranking and traffic. This unscrupulous charade demands money upfront and promises that your website will move ahead of the pack. They also guarantee oodles of visitors that could take other websites months if not years to accumulate. Don’t be scammed, these third party search engines are illusionists. They use slick technology as their smoke and bots as their mirrors, all the while lining their pockets with your much needed marketing dollars.

The misconception of “the more traffic the better” is only part of the equation. Relevant traffic is what affects the bottom line. These “new” search engines that are charging upfront for web positioning and traffic are using bots and malware to make it appear their false promises are true. To separate the wheat from the chaff we rely on the data. Google Analytics provides us with the raw information that shows that these new search engines or catalog referral sites are not bringing relevant traffic. In fact, in many cases they are using bots to click on your site. The bots will show as a visit, but they aren’t real people who wish to do real business.

This scenario has reared its ugly head recently. A fairly new client bought into this suspicious and intricate ruse. They we’re charged $1,500 a month for website traffic. They did get plenty of visits but with a bounce rate of over 92%. The fraction of visits that did not immediately bounce out stayed on the site for an average of 11 seconds. Out of all this buzz and bother there was not one goal conversion. Not one of the so called visitors purchased anything nor requested more information.

Google Organic (unsolicited web traffic) for the same time frame was about 20% higher in visits, had a bounce rate of fewer than 43% and the visitors here spent an average of 3 minutes on the site. Affix that with 23 goal conversions (and another 24 from other reputeable referrals) and it is apparent to us that the “new” search engine is about as reprehensible as it gets.

There are no quick fixes to Search Engine Optimization and everyone should be very wary at the “throw money at it” solution process. Before you send one RED cent to these companies with unrealistic promises, do the research. A basic search will pull up many threads of conversation regarding deceitful web marketing practices.

Because this is an ongoing investigation and for legal reasons we cannot provide the exact name(s) of these internet advertising scammers here.  But we will offer free consultation regarding this post. You can leave questions in the comments section or email me directly at bgriffin@cazbah.net

If you are a victim of fraud of this type of criminal marketing scam or sales pitch activity you should file a complaint at the Internet Crime Complaint Center. The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) is a partnership between the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C). Victims need to report these incidents and start fighting back. Don’t let the Internet Search Engine Data Merging Keywords scammers do this to other victims.

Have any stories about internet advertising or instant traffic scams? What are your experiences with the “new third party” search engines? Write back on the comments section we would love to know your thoughts.