SEO and Online Marketing Trends: 2014 Edition
Every year, the internet changes the way we look up information, find services and products, and connect with businesses in our area. Companies with strong SEO and good marketing policies can push themselves to the front of the pack. Here are some of this year’s top marketing headlines and popular efforts: Google. The great search algorithm mystery continues as Google applies approximately two tweaks to their algorithm every day. That’s over 700…
Google’s New “Non-Mobile Friendly” Icon: A Modern Scarlet Letter
Building upon our blog post from last week, back in February 2014, estimates indicated that mobile traffic was responsible for up to 30% of site visits and 15% of purchases. Fast forward four months later and mobile devices are now responsible for more than 50% of site visits, according to comScore. Although the demand for mobile-friendly sites has been underway for quite some time, Google gave it a marked shove when new…
Google Testing Icons to Highlight Mobile-Friendly and Unfriendly Sites
Today, people are using phones more and computers less when it comes to accessing the internet. Unfortunately for some websites, this could mean a serious downgrade in the search rankings. Google is currently testing icons that alert users to “unfriendly” websites – sites that do not load correctly, or at all, on mobile devices. Google’s icons will alert users to unfriendly sites via a picture of a smartphone with a slash through…
Panda 4.1: Is Your Website Affected?
Ranked 27th in a long line of updates, Panda 4.1 rolled out at the end of September, inciting fear in some SEOs and inspiring praise from others. Affecting 3-5% of search engine queries, Google slowly rolled out Panda 4.1 over a period of weeks. Though some webmasters are picking up the broken pieces of their SEO strategy, small and medium-sized websites stocked with useful content are beginning to receive well-deserved visibility. Panda…
Web Design Trends in 2014 Promise to Stay
Web design is a constantly changing field. To keep ahead of your competitors, it’s important to stay tuned to the latest trends in web design, regardless of your industry. Some web design trends will undoubtedly fall by the wayside as we move into the New Year. However, some trends are here to stay. If you’re looking to create a strong web presence for your business, these trends are likely to stick around…
Facebook vs. Google: Who Will Win the Fight for Search Engine Supremacy?
Mark Zuckerberg isn’t slowing down any time soon. Recently, a handful of mobile users have had the opportunity to search through old statuses, posts from friends, and other items in their Facebook past. While the giant social media platform hasn’t officially entered the competitive world of search engines, Zuckerberg is hinting at an upcoming process moving the company towards this future. Early Testing is Happening Now The mobile testing gave users an…
A Brief Update on Penguin Progress-What Does the Future Hold for Rankings?
Almost a year ago, Google implemented a new round of algorithm updates negatively impacting a large portion of their users. The update brought unwanted search engine demise that couldn’t be fixed by typical SEO practices for many businesses. Even with meticulously planned links and content, the normal fixes didn’t help these companies fight the slow-to-refresh Penguin 2.1. Good News for the Weary! There is no guarantee of precisely when Google plans to…
For some business owners, SEO is a myth with little to base on real results. However, making a website SEO compatible (along with all related social media outlets) creates huge strides in web ranking and audience conversion. Statistically, SEO techniques are necessary for companies to keep up with the advanced algorithms being used by most big name search engines. Let’s take a look at the numbers and analyze the impact SEO has…
3 Things the Marketing World Can Learn from the Ice Bucket Challenge
There’s a good chance you’ve noticed a specific hashtag popping up all over the web the last few weeks: #ALSIceBucketChallenge. The social media campaign has snowballed into a powerful online movement, and now celebrities like Justin Timberlake, LeBron James, and Bill Gates are stepping up to the challenge of dumping ice water on their heads. The marketing brilliance of this social media initiative is undeniable. Reasons for this success are quite simple.…
From Panda to Pigeon, Why is Google Changing Their Algorithms?
Google likes being secretive. In an internet world dominated by SEO, rankings, and complicated algorithms, users don’t like change happening without their knowledge. Google has now played this trick not once, but twice. The Mighty Pigeon Although Google never officially named this update, groups on the web decided to nickname the algorithm update Pigeon when they started experiencing changes at the end of July 2014. The change primarily focuses on local searches.…
3 Tips for Effective Small Business Marketing
Running a small business forces business owners to divide their attention in a myriad of directions. Given all that you must be accountable for, it can be easy to skip over some things in preference for another, like an effective internet marketing plan. This powerful tool should never be overlooked, as it can be an easy and cost-effective way to garner a reputation and attract new customers. It can be difficult to…
Magento Go Users: 3 Ways They Can Protect Their Future
Since Magento Go was purchased by eBay, small businesses across the country are feeling a pang of doubt about what will happen to their online store come February 1, 2015. Magento Go provided an accessible platform for small businesses to distinguish themselves in the vast world of e-commerce. Before Magento Go disappears in a few months, small business owners should take precautionary steps to ensure their rankings don’t disappear after the company…