SEARCH NEWS – SEPTEMBER 2012

Sell SEO Make Money Search News is your monthly source to keep you up to date on the latest trends in search engine marketing. You’ll know about emerging trends in online marketing and we’ll explain how those trends can be put to use in your business.

Google Rolls Out Another Panda Refresh

On September 18, Google announced they would be rolling out another Panda refresh. Panda is Google’s code name for a series of updates they started in 2011 that remove low quality content from Google’s search index. This latest refresh is expected to only impact less than 0.7% of search results. So what does this mean for you? It serves as a good reminder that you should have a diversified and well-rounded marketing strategy that is built on a foundation of quality content. Make the content on your website useful and informative. To learn more about ways to take your content marketing program to the next level, give us a call.

Google+ Is Making It Easier To Find You

Google+ recently introduced pre-approved Custom URLs to well known brands like +Toyota and +Coca-Cola. A custom URL is a short, easy to remember web address that links directly to a company’s or a person’s profile on Google+. You want something short and sweet to put on your business card and marketing collateral. Right now only the largest brands can get Custom Google+ URLs but they will almost certainly open up the program to more brands and individuals in the future. When you are selected, you will see an alert bar on the top of your screen that lets you claim your suggested URL. Keep your eye out for when Google opens up the program to your business… you don’t want to have to settle for a second rate Custom URL.
Twitter Gets Fancy

There’s ALWAYS something new in social media!

This month Twitter CEO Dick Costolo announced a svelte new look for Twitter profile pages. Now, you can plaster a large image that represents your company across the top of your Twitter page. The new feature hasn’t been rolled out to everyone just yet, but should eventually be available for all profiles.

In addition, your avatar has been promoted from its subtle spot in the corner to smack dab in the center of your page. The photo stream has been moved up too, and will now be accessible on the new mobile apps.

Twitter’s new layout let’s people and brands express more about themselves. A well designed background and header image let’s prospective followers know that you are a credible company committed to communicating with its customers on social media networks.

How To Create Your Twitter Header Image:

1. Click “Edit Profile” under the settings icon on the top right of your screen.
2. Select “Design” on your left menu bar
3. Scroll down to “Customize Your Own” and select “Change Header”
4. Choose either “Take Photo” or “Choose Existing Photo” (“Take Photo” will allow you to take a new photo via your computer’s/phone’s camera. “Choose Existing Photo” has you select from your image library.)
5. Move and scale your image to your heart’s content (Original image size cannot exceed 1252×626 pixels. We recommend you go no smaller than 640 pixels wide.)
6. Ta-dah! You now have a new header image.

Feeling overwhelmed by the evolution of social media? Call us and we’ll manage your social media platforms. Our proprietary technology allows us to effectively monitor your online reputation and engage followers in social networks. Don’t let the opportunity to talk with consumers directly fall by the wayside.

Apple Ditches Google for Yelp! in the new Apple Maps

In its debut weekend, over 5 million units of the iphone 5 were sold. For all of its beauty, people universally dislike the new Apple Maps app. Businesses will notice that Apple now uses Yelp! instead of Google Places for local business listings and reviews. This is pretty big for Yelp, a young public company, and a pretty big deal for you! Check to see if your business shows up on the iPhone 5 or any other Apple product running iOS 6, Apple’s latest version of its operating system. Also check if your business shows up in the relevant Yelp! categories. If your business does not show up, call us to get you set up on Yelp!.