As you may have heard, Google rolled out search plus your world, which made some people quite mad, and others just livid #uhmTwitteruhm.  Does this affect SEO? There is an answer to that. Nearly everything Google search related affects search engine optimization at some level. The subtle trick is knowing how to know what that level means to your website's rankings. SEO has now officially evolved; Google search is now at search 3.0. Follow through with this article as I breakdown and explain how Google’s Search Plus Your World, will affect the world of SEO, and what steps you need to take to ensure your search rankings improve and thrive.  

Adam Smith, the famous economist, in his 1776 book called "An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations" coined the term ‘Invisible Hand.’ In essence, the ‘Invisible Hand’ suggests that people that have selfish motives of lining up their own pockets actually end up doing good for general society, without their intention ever being the act of doing good. Well, in a macro sense, that is quite true, as long as the entity trying to line up their pockets offers a great product or service, then yes, society in general will benefit from such a good business offering. However, what does it take to make an online business successful in the micro sense? What does it take to get that ecommerce website traffic? Well, I call it the “Invisible Push”. This time, it’s society, with help from search engine optimization companies like RegisterEverywhere.com, that hoists a site up on to the first page of search engines like Google and Bing, and pushes a site to the online discussions had on sites like Facebook and Twitter. Yes folks, the ‘Invisible Push’ is a wonderful blessing to have that can compliment any search engine optimization effort. Wanna learn how?
 

This year members of RegisterEverywhere.com attended Def Con 19. It was lots of fun, if you are a true blue computer geek. Lots of new things out there that computer security experts should definately be concerned about. However, what was really interesting were the side SEO discussions that were taking place with respect to new linking methodologies, clearly defining all aspects of the Google Panda update, and new ways to rank sites higher on Google and others. Here is a pic from inside the lion's den:

 

While all of our clients turn to us so we can help their websites come up higher in search engines via our search engine optimization techniques, Rupert “Howling Mad” Murdoch of Fox News fame is making statements that Google is listing their content without permission. So, Mr. Murdoch is threatening to block Google from listings its content. Mr. Murdoch, if you talk to Faceman, Hannibal or even B.A. from the A-Team, they will all tell you blocking Google is just CRAZY! (tongue-in-cheek)  

In a recent interview by Michael Arrington at TechCrunch Eric Schmidt said “I don't know how to characterize the next 10 years except to say that we'll get to the point - the long-term goal is to be able to give you one answer, which is exactly the right answer over time.” Did he really say ONE right answer?! Say what! Whatever happened to giving the searchers selection, choice so they can choose one vendor over another? More importantly, how does this “one right answer” assuming it was even possible, impact search engine optimization? Well, to give you the answers to these thought provoking questions, please read on to my search engine optimization tips that should work now and in the foreseeable future to come.  

SEO is in a constant state of flux. Google has already released tidbits of the next generation of search. They are currently seeking feedback from those in the search engine community to fine-tune their search results. I gave the engineers over there my two cents. I know that I like what I'm seeing thus far:) Even lesser market share having search engines like Bing (formerly known as MSN and subsequently Live.com) are trying to step-up their game by taking over search results from Yahoo! This is why it is now more crucial than ever before to rely on an experienced, professional and result-oriented search engine optimization service, like the one we offer at RegisterEverywhere.com, to handle all your SEO needs. Natural search engine traffic is usually the most cost effective search advertising expenditure a business can make to generate traffic to their site.  

Microsoft “the Merciless” as I call them have re-branded with a site called Bing. Yes folks “The Bing” is no longer a fictional topless go-go bar on the now defunct HBO mafia miniseries called “The Sopranos,” it’s now a search engine! For all the people in the search engine optimization community, you already know the results from Bing are the same search results of MSN.com, which are the exact same search results of Live.com. So, what’s all the hoopla about? Can Bing rattle the tight grip Google has on the search market share? Will Bing take the zing out of Google?  

Although I didn't see any other search engine optimization companies at SCALE (Southern California Linux Expo) I did run into a couple of Google engineers that were displaying the Google Android technologies.

Here are a couple of pics from the conference:

 

We at RegisterEverywhere.com use a variety of tools to implement search engine optimization techniques for our clients. In any search engine optimization project, the very basics of proper SEO entails ensuring the client’s site is viewable in the same manner across various browsers (IE, FireFox, Safari, Opera etc). A cross-browser skewed site increases the number of bounces (people that leave the site almost as soon as they enter it) and that’s never a good thing.

Some of us at the office only use Linux based operating systems, with many of its flavors like Ubuntu and Fedora. Yet others use Windows and Macs. I personally use a Windows machine in conjunction with a Mac machine, although my 3rd computer in the office has a Fedora operating system (WGET is a handy tool). With this article, I wanted to share a bit on how to use two computers, one that has Windows XP and another that has a Mac OS X on dual monitors, that share one keyboard and one mouse. The tool I utilize to control both these machines with just one keyboard and one mouse is called Synergy. The best part about Synergy is that it’s free and it makes using two machines on dual monitors fun and easy. Search engine optimization is a nitty-gritty, detail-oriented task. Whatever tool is out there to make the life of a search engine optimizer easier is a welcomed search engine optimization tool:)

 

People often ask me about their overall website marketing mix, especially as it pertains to search engine optimization (SEO) and search engine marketing (SEM). I usually have to remind people that although I have an MBA, my specialty is search engine optimization which is a subset of the overall marketing mix of a website. However, I'm always game when it comes to discussing the best practices of search engine optimization. Since this portion is really a summary of the full article, I can summarize best practices of search engine optimization by quoting none other than Sergey Brin of Google when he said, "although all people are created equal, all websites are not." Click on the "read more" link to read my tips not just on following search engine optimization best practices, but in choosing the best search engine optimization company for your website.  

Although retail sales were down 7.4%, online sales of many popular websites had increased according to the New York Times! In fact, some websites had doubled their online sales!

Yes folks, it is absolutely true! While everyone in the media is out discouraging us about the economy, the NY Times reported that online sales have doubled! According to the article, they attribute the drastic increase in online sales to the high gas prices. People are driving less and staying home more often. We can’t help ourselves. If we are not being entertained by being outside and shopping, then we tend to stay inside and shop. This is why it is now more crucial than ever to have your website appear on the first page of search engines. Without traffic to your website, having the website is a mute point.

Source: NY Times Article

 

Yes, its true the economy is currently in a stump. The DOW went down over 500 points today. If you have stock in the financial sector, you probably felt the pinch. Sorry. However, this downturn will not last forever. ***UPDATE: 9/19/2008 - What a difference 2 days make! We just had the 2 biggest days on Wall Street since 6 years ago! Folks, start building traffic to your site!*** In fact, in early 2009 many analysts predict the roller coaster economy will begin a recovery. However, will your site be appearing at the top of the search engines by then?? Search engine optimization, or even web optimization on steroids is not going to get your site up there over night. It takes time for search engine optimization to work. The search engine rankings will improve as the weeks go by. It will take at least 4 weeks to as much as 16 weeks for our search engine optimization methodologies to kick-in and for the search engine rankings to improve. Is your site prepared for the search engine traffic? Are you going to do what most good marketers do in an economic downturn, spend money on the advertising their businesses? Or are you going to curl up in a shell? When it comes to marketing on the Internet, specifically when it comes to search engine optimization, if you are not advancing, you are declining. No action equals certain death! Take action now and improve your rankings in the very near future. You NEED traffic to increase sales! If you don’t have traffic to your site, there is really no need for your site…

 

There should be no commercial website on the planet that does not have some sort of search engine optimization techniques applied to it. If you do not have SEO applied to your site, you are probably letting search engine traffic slip right through your fingers and that can be costing you dearly and making your competitors richer! However, depending on the type of business, search engine optimization should be affordable for people to be able to implement it to their sites. I am NOT referring to the $29.95 per month gimmicks, as that is probably not legitimate search engine optimization. Having said that, search engine optimization should not cost you an arm and a leg either. In fact, the whole purpose of search engine optimization is to drive traffic to a site at an affordable rate. So why do so many search engine optimization firms charge and arm and a leg for SEO? Read on to find out…

 

Yes, folks Google has announced on their very own blog that they wish to sell off Performics Search Marketing, the search engine optimization wing of the DoubleClick purchase Google wrapped up on March 11, 2008.

Tom Phillips of Google writes:

"It’s clear to us that we do not want to be in the search engine marketing business. Maintaining objectivity in both search and advertising is paramount to Google’s mission and core to the trust we ask from our users. For this reason, we plan to sell the Performics search marketing business to a third party. We believe this will allow us to maintain objectivity and the search marketing business to continue to grow and innovate and serve its customers."

 

Most people realize there is tremendous value and return on investment when it comes to search engine optimization, and most people know they need to do something and take action to get that traffic, but to their own detriment, most people procrastinate on getting the process of search engine optimization started. They do all the research, read all the materials, ask all the right questions, but they wait, and wait and then wait some more. All the while, they are losing months of missed business opportunities due to their lack of presence on the natural search results of the major search engines.

 

Folks, I'm sure you have come across so called search engine registration websites that talk about search engine submission and web optimization for $9.99 or some other RIDICULOUSLY low price! No matter what you do, please PLEASE do NOT waste your time on such hogwash! Nor should you burn your money and pay $60,000 for SEO.

 

Why do so many firms still approach search engine optimization companies and give them tens of thousands of dollars and do not DEMAND a money back guarantee if the site does not hit the first page of search engines. Why even bother optimizing your site if your site is not going to end up on the first page. In addition, why do so many people turn to their web designer for website optimization and 6 months later find every one of their competitor's sites on the first page, yet their site is deeply buried in the search results. Why oh why?? I explore these topics and provide a clear and concise methodology of weeding out the wrong search engine optimization companies. A MUST READ for anyone who is contemplating hiring an SEO company.