For years and years and years I’ve been touting the benefits of adding new (fresh) content to websites and blogs.  I have to suspect that some of my clients think I’m just fishing for more work (as if I have the time to do that!) but anyway, the truth is that new content on a website is how the search engines know that the site is alive and working.  Otherwise, you might as well hang the “closed” sign up.

Well, The Daily SEO Blog had a great article about this very topic and you can certainly explore it and see the details but I’ll try to break it down for you.  The article lists how fresh content influences rankings on the search engines.

1) The Inception Date – this is the date when Google first becomes aware of the particular website page.  We can’t influence how this changes, the inception date is firm.

2) Page Changes – how much content changes on website pages?  This means adding text, removing text, graphics, etc.  The amount of change on your webpage definitely plays a role in website rankings.

3) Rate of Change – how often do changes occur?  Daily, weekly, monthly?  Never?  Ugh – there’s no industry on the planet that doesn’t have SOMETHING new happening.  Is there?

4) New Website Pages – “Websites that add new pages at a higher rate may earn a higher freshness score than sites that add content less frequently.”  I couldn’t put it in any better terms.

5) Importance of Content - You may think that you can get away with just adding a few lines to your website pages here and there and consider your job of adding freshness all done.  Well, the search engines DO have a sense of what is important content and what isn’t.  Semantic phrasing plays a part in this but the bottom line is that the better the new content is, the better your chances of getting more traffic.

6) Incoming Links – always a factor when marketing websites, incoming links are important.  The words of the link, where the link is coming from and how often new links are added.  So, this means that the more relevant and helpful your content is, the more other people will link to it and the more incoming links you’ll have.

7) Quality of Incoming Links – if you get a link to your website from another website page that is “fresh” you’ll gain more points than if you get a link from another website page that is “stale”.  Not too much you, as the website owner, can do about this unless you specifically solicit certain websites to link to you.

Alerting Sites of Incoming Links – as time goes by, your website will change keyword phrases, etc.  It’s important to alert the other websites that are linking to you of these changes.  Is it THE most important thing in this list?  In my honest opinion NO, but it should be kept in mind that it’s an issue that eventually should be managed.

9) Old Data = Less Time Spent On Page – so, if your website has information that’s outdated, when a visitor lands on that page, the amount of time they spend on that page is not going to be very much.  The search engines can see this decline over time.  This can hurt you.

10) Don’t Throw Out The Baby with the Bathwater – what I mean is don’t dump your old pages.  If the information on them is still relevant, there’s no need to remove them from your site.  They will continue to come up for certain queries.

Basically, Google is now adding information from your Google + account onto your search result pages.  This will only work if you’re signed in to your Google account while you’re doing your searches.  The article read, “The change is live now, though not everyone will see it until it fully launches over the next few days.”  So, this morning I opened my computer and guess what I saw???

How Does This Google+ Thing Affect Your SEO Campaign?

The answer to this depends on who you speak to.  I mean really, we can all try to predict what every political candidate will do based on what they say but the truth is, no one knows what they will actually do until they’re in office.  So, no one really knows what’s going to happen to SEO with the implementation of Google+ integrated into their search results.  But, it doesn’t mean you should do nothing.  After all, not voting shouldn’t be an option.

Okay, so, to the what, how and why.

1) Google+ is a social network.  It’s Google’s version of Facebook and Twitter.  The idea of integrating Google+ into search results is twofold, in most opinions.  For one thing, it’ll help Google to boost their Google+ program.  Second, they are following the study by Nielson that 90% of people trust their friends when it comes to referrals or recommendations.  So, it makes sense that if you’re searching for a tire shop and your friends have recommended a tire shop on their Google+ then guess what, that particular tire shop (or shops) will show up on your search results.  (Of course, only if you’re signed in to your Google account).

2) So, I’ve been talking about search engine rankings for a few years now, saying how irrelevant they have become and that the only true measure of a successful Internet marketing campaign is the traffic and of course, the conversions through a website.  But this new Google+ feature, pretty much ends any argument that rankings have any importance anymore.  So, don’t focus on where you find yourself on a search result.  It’s all about the traffic and the sales that come through from that traffic.

3) eConsultancy did a great article, basically an interview of several SEO superstars (we can call them that, can’t we?)  You’ll see that there are varying views on the implications of Google’s new move on search results.  What I concluded from it is that Google+ is important, but the effects are yet unknown.

4) I can’t help to think though that social networks like Facebook and Twitter are mostly used just for that, “social” and not really for business.  Although certainly there is no reason for businesses to avoid them.  They really have to embrace them these days.  But, again, do I mix my friends with my business partners on my social networks?  Not really.  I would rather not.  After all, my life is not all business.  I mean, do I really want my business partners to know that I am a complete Gleek and that I love westerns and sci fi movies?  (Well, now they know).  So, what’s the answer?  I really don’t know at this point.

What Should You Do With Google+ And Your Business

My personal recommendation, as someone who has been doing SEO for 12 years now (OMG, can’t believe it’s been that long) is the same as I’ve had for facebook and twitter.  Integrate them, if you can, into your business marketing model.  I don’t know if Google+ per say will be a huge effect because the bottom line is that by 2014 the majority of Internet users will be on mobile units.  That means tablets and smart phones.  So, how many of those are signed in to Google?  That’s the real impact, I think.  If 80% of your potential customers will be coming to your site via their smart phone and they’re not signed in to a Google account then Google+ means nothing to you.  (Well, 20% is nothing to sneeze at either, but you know what I mean).

I think the real “take away” here is that social media is not going away, ever.  If you own a business and you’re marketing on the Internet then you HAVE to integrate social media into your marketing campaign.  The reality of this statement though is that you cannot really outsource social media.  I mean you can, there are companies that will do it for you, but they don’t know your business like you do.  You don’t want ghost writers writing about your company.  So, take the time to do it yourself or have someone within the company do it.  Or share the responsibility amongst several people in the company.  It’s that important, it really is.

Anyway, my business coach sent me this great link with descriptions of 120 social media terms that you might not be familiar with.

So, take a look, see what you’re familiar with and any that you may not be familiar with, take a moment to learn about it. Who knows, you just might like it!

So, needless to say, I am a bit empirical in my thinking – I like proof and I mean reliable proof, not just what someone said or wrote.

BUT – with that being said, I found an interesting study online today about how smart phone users are interacting with retailers. Now, although the study gives me percentages, what it doesn’t give me is the number of responders to the study. So, for all I know, only 10 people were “researched”. So I say, take these numbers with a grain of salt. But, what I liked about the article is that it did get me thinking about how small business retailers should be thinking about their Internet marketing when it comes to smart phone users.

So, to summarize this study…

1)  43% of smart phone users have installed a retailers app on their phone.

2)  But only 14% of these users actually used the app.

3)  78% of smart phone users check prices of the product and then buy it from another store.  My husband does this all the time.  He’ll be at Best Buy or Frye’s and stand right in front of a product he’s thinking of buying, pull out his smart phone, find that same product somewhere else or somewhere online, and make the purchase right then and there (if it’s online) or just get in his car and go to the other store to buy it.

4) The types of products that smart phone users do this “price check and buy elsewhere” thing are…

So, what does this all mean?  Well, if the numbers are significant, I mean if they researched 5000 people then it’s a study certainly worth looking at.  As a retailer, what can you do when someone is standing in front of a product in your store and checking prices elsewhere?  Can you match the price?  Can you offer free shipping?  Or maybe some bonus product?

Think about it – you may end up having that customer walk out of your store with an item vs. empty handed.

So, the story goes that Google created and has been experimenting with a car that completely drives itself.  They’ve tested it in the desert and also in San Francisco – here’s some more in depth information about the project.

And here’s the video so you can see it for yourself.

So, can you imagine the impact of this technology? If it happens within the next 20 years I’ll be able to take full advantage of it. I mean, as it is now, I have trouble driving at night so this would be a GREAT benefit for me. I wouldn’t have to rely on others to drive or cancel the even entirely just cause I can’t see well enough.

And what about those who are completely blind? They’ll be able to travel completely independently – it’s just an amazing concept. For those who are physically disabled, they won’t have to get specially equipped vehicles to accommodate a lost limb.

On the other hand – it’s always a bit frightening when a company contributes so much to the planet – I just can’t help but think of Terminator consequences. Let’s hope Google knows what they’re doing and how they manage the distribution of this amazing technology.

Basically, to business owners this means that someone can purchase your domain name with .xxx after it.  It may not turn out to be harmful at all  (to your business I mean) but if you’ve worked hard to brand your business name, do you really want it associated with an “adult entertainment” industry?

If you are concerned about this and want to “block” others from purchasing your domain name.xxx then purchase it yourself.   GoDaddy has a page set up just for that.

I know, it’s at least $100.00/year – it sucks.  What can I tell you?  The price of doing business just went up a bit!  But if it’s worth it for you to keep your name out of that XXX industry, then do it.  You won’t be sorry.  Cause, if someone does purchase it, it’ll cost you much more than $100.00 to get it back.

So, if you spend $10.00 you at least want to get more than $10.00 worth back.  How can you do that with SEO, Internet Marketing?  I’m going to tell you and I’m going to give you some true life examples of it working (just in case you think I’m making it up).

AdamsLaw4Men.com
We’ve been providing internet marketing services for this website for years.  It has been a struggle, to say the least.  Why?  Well, basically, the client is non cooperative.  It’s almost impossible to market a website that doesn’t change.  There’s just no two ways about it – internet marketing companies can promise you the sky and the moon but if you don’t add new information to the website at least several times a year, you’re basically screwing yourself.

So, in July I just got so tired of repeating myself that I went ahead and added some new information to the website about child support and child custody.  Just some generic information based on keyword research.  Basically, matching what the clients are looking for with information on the website.

The result was that in September the traffic increased 60% and the #1 keyword phrase that was bringing in that extra traffic?  “Child custody”.

As for conversions, they increased as well, not as much as I would have liked to see but then again, I’m not monitoring calls coming into the business so I truly don’t know how many clients may have been obtained.

Now, the client is paying the exact same amount every month for Internet marketing.  Do you think he got a better ROI for September?  Duh! (Can you tell I’m frustrated?!)

BarnestreeFarm.net
This website belongs to a wonderful client who is struggling to understand this “whole Internet thing”.  He’s busy with his business and he really doesn’t have time to write, plus he just doesn’t feel comfortable doing it.  That can be said of many business owners.  But when this happens, I encourage the client to then get someone else to write it.  At the very least, they can write the entire page and all the owner then needs to do is edit it.

Anyway, back in February I asked an Intern to add some information to the website about the different evergreen trees the client sells.  He did, we added about 3 new pages and at least one paragraph to each existing page dedicated to evergreen trees.

The result?  Traffic increased 74% in April, and increased another 30% in May.

As for conversions, they tripled in April, increased 50% in May and has remained at that higher rate ever since.  And the keywords that are bringing in those visitors and clients?  Yep, you guessed it, the keyword phrases of the specific evergreen trees we added but NOW, the website has even more information about evergreens so it’s also getting alot more traffic for generic phrases like “types of evergreen trees”.

Again, the client pays the exact same amount for Internet marketing every month yet his ROI increased significantly.

In both these examples not only did the traffic increase, but the conversions increased as well.  So, the bottom line is they received more traffic, more sales, at no extra cost.  I’m no wizard at math, believe me, but I can certainly understand that paying the same amount and getting better results is Positive!

Add info to your site, believe me, it’s the best, cheapest marketing tool you have.

Well, that was about 3 years ago.  I think I’ve grown a little since then (well, at least I hope so).

What Was Wrong With My Thinking Back Then?

Well, not so much that my thinking “was wrong”, more like I didn’t feel unique.  I didn’t feel strong enough in my knowledge base to be so bold as to write a book about it.  I mean a few posts here and there, consulting with clients telling them what I read and what I know – that just didn’t seem to be enough.  (In my mind).  But what I did fail to recognize is that I AM UNIQUE.  I mean, WE ARE ALL UNIQUE in our own ways.

You can fill a city block full of restaurants and each restaurant is going to be different.  Even if each restaurant was an Italian restaurant, they would each be different.  The staff would be different, the taste of the food, the atmosphere, the menus, etc.  Each one of these details would be different and as a result, all those little details create a different experience for the client.

What I failed to recognize back then was that I have UNIQUE qualities that I bring to this industry.  I mean, first, I’m a woman (which is rare in this industry), second I’m older (I’m 53 – can’t believe it!) which is REALLY rare in this industry, I’m also self taught which means that my “lingo” is not so techie.  I can convert the technical jargon that I read into plain speak for my clients.  And I will admit, that is the one consistent compliment I receive from my clients – they like how I talk.  Plain, simple, easy to understand.  And that factor alone is very comforting for so many small business owners who struggle to try to figure out what this Internet marketing “thing” is all about.

How Are You Unique?

So, how are you unique or different?   What obvious factors have you not thought about?  Well, take some time and think about them.  As your friends, colleagues, clients.  They’ll give you ideas.  Believe me, it’s always better to see yourself through someone else’s eyes than your own.  It’s more honest that way.

Here’s A Tip – It’s All In The Details

What I recognize now is that it’s really all in the details.  I mean, what I do as far as Internet marketing is not much different (if at all) from what other Internet marketers do.  I mean, there’s only so much that can be done when dealing with machines anyway.  But, it’s the little details that make me unique that I failed to recognize.  Just like the scenario of restaurants that I talked about earlier, there are unique factors in each one of them.

Take a look at Mike Stimpson’s website, he’s just another photographer – there are millions of them.  But he love Lego and he loves to play with lighting.  So, look at what he did.  It’s just a simple little detail.  This makes him unique.  This makes him different and subsequently makes him stand out from the pack.

So go ahead, find out your unique qualities and put them on your website.  Let the world know how you’re different from the others in your industry.  You’ll create your own niche and a band of followers.

So, you may be thinking to yourself…”Well, what did the employer expect?”…

Well, that’s the question, isn’t it?  I mean, did the Internet marketer give him any ideas of what may be expected?  I have to wonder if the Internet marketer was reporting the number of visitors to the site and THEN talking about the sales.  It may be that the number of visitors wasn’t changing much and the employer may have been focusing on that number.  It can happen!

Why shouldn’t you focus on the number of website visitors?

For businesses that are local and specialized, like lawyers, dentists, specialty doctors, etc.  The numbers of visitors to these types of sites will not alter much unless the geography they are in alters.  Think about it, if your a family dentist living in Denver, Colorado – there are approximately 600,000 people living in Denver.  That’s your pool.  You’re not going to attract people from Colorado Springs or from Breckenridge or Steamboat Springs – you’re ONLY relevant to the folks in the Denver area.  And even with that said, it’s really only on the side of town that your office is in.  So, the number of visitors to your site will cap at some point (unless a new community or area is opened up in your geography and more people move in).

So, what’s the point of marketing if there’s a cap in the visitors?

It’s the sales – sales – sales!!!!  If you are marketing your website to 600,000 people and you’re getting 1% of those visiting your website and 5% of the visitors convert into customers your goal (and the goal of your Internet marketer) is to increase that 5% to more and more.  You’re still getting the same number of visitors but now you want to convert those visitors into customers.  It doesn’t help to have more people come to the website if you can’t convert them.

So focus on the number of conversions – if your Internet marketer isn’t giving you reports on your conversions – ask them to start.  It’s the true measure of the success or failure of your Internet marketing campaign .

“Ten years ago, the SEO process included a monthly analysis, recommendation and implementation plan; a purely human-based process. This is no longer enough. Businesses need daily insight into their digital footprint: rank, competitors, backlinking. This is only possible when humans and technology come together. SEO software systems are now available and make this insight possible.”
From The Globe and Mail

I have to admit, I still do the monthly plan.  Hmm – but this gives me food for thought.  I mean, I look at client websites everyday – so maybe I SHOULD give daily reports?  I’m conflicted cause, as it is, the monthly information seems overwhelming to some business owners.  I can’t imagine how they would react if they start getting daily data from me.  But then, maybe I’m underestimating my clients.

And what about the time?  How can I squeeze more tasks into my day and keep my prices low?  The article talks about “seo software systems” – which are great for analysis but that means more cost.  Ugh – decisions!

Well, as I think about that concept here’s my idea of what I think would be important daily factors for my clients to know.

1) Social media mentions – this would be important to monitor daily.  What is being said about you (and/or) the company or brand?  Maybe nothing is being said, well, that’s not so good either.  These days, the “word of mouth” concept has grown to include referrals and recommendations from programs like Yelp, Facebook, Google Maps, Foursquare, etc.  These are all social media type of programs that can promote your business.

2) Competition Analysis – you may not think that the landscape of search results changes much, but believe me, it does.  There are websites out there that get updated every few hours.  That means new data is added or removed from the site, it’s a constant factor.  Why?  Well, for a few reasons.  For the search engines, it means that the website is getting updated, it’s being used and it is popular.  For the Internet viewer it means that the business is alive and is working hard to keep their clients (and potential clients) well informed and up to date.  Think about it, when you do any kind of research on the Internet, which will you read first?  An article written in 2008 or an article written in 2011?  An article written last January or one written yesterday?  (as long as their both on the same subject!).  The Internet is today’s newspaper, who wants to read yesterdays news when today’s newspaper is sitting in the driveway?

3) Backlinks – who’s linking to you?  Years ago it used to be the number of incoming links was important.  Today, it’s not the number but where the incoming link is coming from and what that incoming link is saying.  If your a plumber and your website gets an incoming link from Angie’s List and the text on that incoming link is a positive review, that’s GREAT!  But what if you get an incoming link from Service Magic and they reviewed your business and gave you a 1 star rating.  That’s not great!  But wouldn’t it be cool to know that right away so you can respond to it?  Possibly correct it?

4) Search Engine Ranking – don’t get fooled by any marketer who tells you that it’s important to monitor your search engine rankings.  The reality is, that the majority of Internet users are on Google and Google implements “personalization” into it’s search results which means that your search results will be different that the search results for the same keyword phrases that your neighbor types in.  It all depends on the history that is on your computer (what sites you’ve visited in the past) and some other factors but it’s safe to say, that your search results could show you in the first position and your neighbor (if he types in the same keyword phrases) may not see your listing on the first page at all.  So, rankings don’t really matter.

5) Traffic – this is another tricky measurement.  I mean every business has their ups and downs so measuring traffic daily is like watching the stock market hourly.  It’s going to go down, the trick is to identify if it’s a pattern.  So, does it need to be done daily?  Not so much in my opinion.  But, it may also depend on the business that the website is promoting.  I suppose this feature would have to be individualized.

So, what do you think?  Would YOU want to receive a daily report from your Internet marketer?  If so, how would you want to receive it?  As an email?  As a PDF?  Or would you prefer to just go somewhere online and see it?  And what information would you like to see in that report?  Let me know!  It just might be something we start offering.