If you are in or around the internet industry it is likely you will have heard that Google released a search update (nicknamed Google Panda or Farmer) which has changed the way their algorithms view content and, in turn, how they will ranks sites with poor quality content. This is the first major attempt to deter the rising number of content farms which are recycling content to earn ad revenue.
The United States was the first country that had the changes made to the rankings and there have been some big names caught in the update. This is a massive problem for some websites such as hubpages and ezinearticles which have lost a number of rankings for some keywords.
It must be added that these sites have also increased in ranking in some instances as well. This is purely down to the quality of the content indexed around a particular search phrase. There are also some on site elements that seems to be effecting whether a website will increase or decrease in rankings such as percentage of space given on pages for ads and the age and style of the HTML.
Basically Google is putting the user first. They are looking for sites with the best possible content and ranking them higher. They are also devaluing the sites which add content just to earn money from Google AdSense. This is a bold move by Google, considering their main revenue stream is from these ads.
Now that the update has been rolled out to all of the English speaking languages, webmasters will be watching their rankings closely to make sure the update doesn’t negatively affect them. Rumours are if your content is already being picked up and published by Google news then you shouldn’t be affected as your site has already been manually reviewed by Google.
If you’re worried about the quality of the content on your site or you have already been affected by the updated then there are some simple steps you can follow to limit the damage:
1. Remove or replace any poor quality content – This is not an easy task and shouldn’t be underestimated. As a general rule all of your content should make sense, be well written and grammatically correct. Quite simply if the content is beneficial to the user then it will be liked by Google.
2. Remove excessive adverts – Anything above 20% of the page will be seen as excessive. Ideally the adverts should be used to aid the content. If this is the case then you are more likely to get a higher rate of clicks and earn more money.
3. Reposition adverts – If the adverts are in the way of the content and make it hard to read it will not be beneficial to the user. This could lead to you being affected by the Google Panda update.
4. Make sure all of your content is unique – as always with Google if your content is not unique it will have no impact and could also lead to you being negatively affected in the rankings.
5. Don’t be a content farm – Make sure that any content you add to your site adds value to the web. The internet is now so big that the search engines have to catch up and stop people from gaming them to increase search positions. As long as you have high quality content that adds value to the internet you and your site should be fine!
Monday, 2 May 2011
Thursday, 6 January 2011
Stuart Baggs the brand - can a person be a brand?
In the last season of The Apprentice Stuart Baggs "the brand" had a fairly unpleasant experience in the interview process. He was challenged about a statement he made on his CV where he wrote "I am Stuart Baggs the brand!" This was very quickly dismissed and he was told he wasn't a brand (or a fish for that matter). This seems to have raised some debates about whether a person can take on the role of a brand.
Traditionally a brand is an identity that helps to identify a company, product or service. So the question I raise is why can somebody not represent themselves as a brand in their professional career?
Perhaps Stuart was slated for good effect on TV. He certainly wasn't given the chance to defend his statement fully in the clip that we saw. He was however fairly defiant in his statement and he continued to claim that he is a brand. I partly agree with his statement...
I think a person can take elements of branding and use them for their own personal career. When you think about it this is what most people are doing with their personal blogs. They are creating an arena to promote their opinions, their thoughts, and therefore branding themselves within the words they write. They may not use eye catching logo's or slogans but they are creating a personal brand non the less. They are creating content on which people will associate to them just like a company does with a logo (think golden arches and McDonald's).
Stuart Baggs could also have pointed to many celebrities who have created a brand by using their name. A hugely popular and household name that you can easily associate to this is David Beckham. He is a footballer, if you were to analyse this in the same way as they did on the apprentice then you would say he can not be a brand, LA Galaxy is the brand that he works for.
I know David Beckham has gone on to make his brand into a massive company selling all sorts of merchandise but the principle is still the same.
For marketers (especially those who specialise in the digital world) I feel it is vital to have an online presence or "a brand". This can be something that promotes your skills, or shows your interests or passions. The great thing is this can be done easily by using tools such as a LinkedIn account, a blog or even twitter! The best way you can start to promote your brand is by using your name as this is what people will search for when they are looking for you. Most people will not even realise it but they will already be creating a brand of their own, they just wont call it by that name.
This is why I created my blog under my name - www.markhumphrys.co.uk - I have already started building my personal brand. If you are still not convinced then I will give you a very good reason why you should have an online presence (or a brand).
When I was recently conducting interviews for a role in the company I work for the first thing I did after reading a CV was to Google their name. From the results I started to get a much more rounded understanding of the candidates. In some cases this even determined whether they got called for interview. Now you realise that having a personal brand can also help to aid you in your career, and for the lucky ones, your personal brand may well become your career.
Just for a bit of fun I had to post the video of "Stuart Baggs the brand" from the apprentice. Whether you agree with my opinion or not about a personal brands, hopefully you will find this entertaining!
Stuart Baggs The Brand
Traditionally a brand is an identity that helps to identify a company, product or service. So the question I raise is why can somebody not represent themselves as a brand in their professional career?
Perhaps Stuart was slated for good effect on TV. He certainly wasn't given the chance to defend his statement fully in the clip that we saw. He was however fairly defiant in his statement and he continued to claim that he is a brand. I partly agree with his statement...
I think a person can take elements of branding and use them for their own personal career. When you think about it this is what most people are doing with their personal blogs. They are creating an arena to promote their opinions, their thoughts, and therefore branding themselves within the words they write. They may not use eye catching logo's or slogans but they are creating a personal brand non the less. They are creating content on which people will associate to them just like a company does with a logo (think golden arches and McDonald's).
Stuart Baggs could also have pointed to many celebrities who have created a brand by using their name. A hugely popular and household name that you can easily associate to this is David Beckham. He is a footballer, if you were to analyse this in the same way as they did on the apprentice then you would say he can not be a brand, LA Galaxy is the brand that he works for.
I know David Beckham has gone on to make his brand into a massive company selling all sorts of merchandise but the principle is still the same.
For marketers (especially those who specialise in the digital world) I feel it is vital to have an online presence or "a brand". This can be something that promotes your skills, or shows your interests or passions. The great thing is this can be done easily by using tools such as a LinkedIn account, a blog or even twitter! The best way you can start to promote your brand is by using your name as this is what people will search for when they are looking for you. Most people will not even realise it but they will already be creating a brand of their own, they just wont call it by that name.
This is why I created my blog under my name - www.markhumphrys.co.uk - I have already started building my personal brand. If you are still not convinced then I will give you a very good reason why you should have an online presence (or a brand).
When I was recently conducting interviews for a role in the company I work for the first thing I did after reading a CV was to Google their name. From the results I started to get a much more rounded understanding of the candidates. In some cases this even determined whether they got called for interview. Now you realise that having a personal brand can also help to aid you in your career, and for the lucky ones, your personal brand may well become your career.
Just for a bit of fun I had to post the video of "Stuart Baggs the brand" from the apprentice. Whether you agree with my opinion or not about a personal brands, hopefully you will find this entertaining!
Stuart Baggs The Brand
Monday, 29 November 2010
How Tesco Lost A Sale
A couple of weeks ago my PS3 died, the motherboard decided to overheat and so I was faced with the difficult decision of whether or not to buy a new one! As it turned out that was the easiest decision of the whole buying process.
The next step was to research the different offers that were available. I decided to head online to do some research to see what sort of deals were being offered. Determined to find the best possible deal, I was faced with hundreds of different promotions from multiple suppliers all vying to get my business.
The offers that I found online all turned out to be pretty similar and one kept popping up again and again. This offer was from Tesco (and a few other providers) and seemed to be the best deal for my budget. The key point that made me decide to go to Tesco was the Clubcard points I would receive.
So, one lunch time I set off from work to go and buy my shiny new PS3. This is where the process got a lot more complicated. A simple choice actually turned into quite a difficult decision. As I loaded the PS3 into my trolley (this actually did happen!), a couple more deals caught my eye. I was offered a slightly older model for nearly £70 less. Obviously, with such a saving, I was instantly tempted.
Although I had already made my purchasing decision from doing my research at home, the multiple offers in store made me doubt my original choice. This doubt led me to take the PS3 out of my trolley and leave the store with nothing. At that point, Tesco lost a £285 sale, all because they over promoted the same product with too many different offers.
I found my behaviour very interesting when I analysed why I had not made the purchase I was so close to completing. I had simply been faced with too many promotional offers, that I ended up doubting my original research and decided to go home and look at more alternatives.
I actually ended up buying my new PS3 from GAME, with a couple of games that I had been looking at for a while. But GAME would not have had my custom had it not been for the fact that Tesco had presented me with too many offers.
There are a couple of key points that should also be raised. Firstly, why didn't Tesco manage to secure my purchase online? Although I did the research on their site and made a decision to buy this product, I opted to go into a store and buy it. Is this due to the constraints of buying online (security, delivery period etc)?
Another point to raise is I was heavily influenced by the fact I could get loyalty points (and money) from particular companies. When I finally purchased my product from GAME, I earned nearly £8 to spend on my next purchase. I realise I have given away information for them to use for re-marketing purposes, but I still feel I got a better deal!
The main reason I am writing this is to remind all marketers that they have to be very clear with the messages they give to consumers. It is very easy to confuse a customer and lose potential revenue. Make sure that the funnel directs the consumer to the place you want them (whether online or not) and do not dilute the main promotion or you may risk losing the sale altogether.
The next step was to research the different offers that were available. I decided to head online to do some research to see what sort of deals were being offered. Determined to find the best possible deal, I was faced with hundreds of different promotions from multiple suppliers all vying to get my business.
The offers that I found online all turned out to be pretty similar and one kept popping up again and again. This offer was from Tesco (and a few other providers) and seemed to be the best deal for my budget. The key point that made me decide to go to Tesco was the Clubcard points I would receive.
So, one lunch time I set off from work to go and buy my shiny new PS3. This is where the process got a lot more complicated. A simple choice actually turned into quite a difficult decision. As I loaded the PS3 into my trolley (this actually did happen!), a couple more deals caught my eye. I was offered a slightly older model for nearly £70 less. Obviously, with such a saving, I was instantly tempted.
Although I had already made my purchasing decision from doing my research at home, the multiple offers in store made me doubt my original choice. This doubt led me to take the PS3 out of my trolley and leave the store with nothing. At that point, Tesco lost a £285 sale, all because they over promoted the same product with too many different offers.
I found my behaviour very interesting when I analysed why I had not made the purchase I was so close to completing. I had simply been faced with too many promotional offers, that I ended up doubting my original research and decided to go home and look at more alternatives.
I actually ended up buying my new PS3 from GAME, with a couple of games that I had been looking at for a while. But GAME would not have had my custom had it not been for the fact that Tesco had presented me with too many offers.
There are a couple of key points that should also be raised. Firstly, why didn't Tesco manage to secure my purchase online? Although I did the research on their site and made a decision to buy this product, I opted to go into a store and buy it. Is this due to the constraints of buying online (security, delivery period etc)?
Another point to raise is I was heavily influenced by the fact I could get loyalty points (and money) from particular companies. When I finally purchased my product from GAME, I earned nearly £8 to spend on my next purchase. I realise I have given away information for them to use for re-marketing purposes, but I still feel I got a better deal!
The main reason I am writing this is to remind all marketers that they have to be very clear with the messages they give to consumers. It is very easy to confuse a customer and lose potential revenue. Make sure that the funnel directs the consumer to the place you want them (whether online or not) and do not dilute the main promotion or you may risk losing the sale altogether.
Thursday, 21 October 2010
Will Rooney Ruin Manchester United?
It has been confirmed by Sir Alex Ferguson that Wayne Rooney does in fact want to leave Manchester United. This is bad news for united fans,who many of which believe he is our last real superstar.
It turns our the SAF has known about this since the end of the summer and it now makes sense of some of his recent line up choices, most notably against West Brom on Saturday.
For Man Utd fans it is clear how highly rated Rooney is. Even considering his terrible form at the moment the united faithful were chanting his name on Saturday, urging SAF to bring him on and to try and change the game. In reality his arrival along with Paul Scholes had little impact.
Still it was very obvious who the fans wanted to help their team regain the lead that was so poorly lost.
In just a couple of day Rooney has gone from being the golden boy of united to the villain! It is still unclear as to whether there will be any more twists in this story.
The biggest problem for Rooney (and SAF) now is whether he can play for united again. After his statement was released it was clear he doesn't think all of his team mates are up to scratch. The likely departure of Giggs and Scholes is probably playing on his mind as well.
Part of me thinks that Rooney is right to want to play with the best players in the world. I will be incredibly surprised if SAF doesn't have some quality players lined up to replace the likely leavers though. As for the lacking ambition statement, I am very surprised to hear this,especially with SAF as his boss!!
As the rest of the events unfold it will be great to watch what happens (except for us united fans!) Will Rooney play for united again? Will he sign a contract? Will he move to premiership rivals!?
I for one will welcome him back as a united player,as long as he wants to play for the club, I am not so sure all united fans will agree with me though... Or if it is possible after what has already happened!
What are your opinions?
It turns our the SAF has known about this since the end of the summer and it now makes sense of some of his recent line up choices, most notably against West Brom on Saturday.
For Man Utd fans it is clear how highly rated Rooney is. Even considering his terrible form at the moment the united faithful were chanting his name on Saturday, urging SAF to bring him on and to try and change the game. In reality his arrival along with Paul Scholes had little impact.
Still it was very obvious who the fans wanted to help their team regain the lead that was so poorly lost.
In just a couple of day Rooney has gone from being the golden boy of united to the villain! It is still unclear as to whether there will be any more twists in this story.
The biggest problem for Rooney (and SAF) now is whether he can play for united again. After his statement was released it was clear he doesn't think all of his team mates are up to scratch. The likely departure of Giggs and Scholes is probably playing on his mind as well.
Part of me thinks that Rooney is right to want to play with the best players in the world. I will be incredibly surprised if SAF doesn't have some quality players lined up to replace the likely leavers though. As for the lacking ambition statement, I am very surprised to hear this,especially with SAF as his boss!!
As the rest of the events unfold it will be great to watch what happens (except for us united fans!) Will Rooney play for united again? Will he sign a contract? Will he move to premiership rivals!?
I for one will welcome him back as a united player,as long as he wants to play for the club, I am not so sure all united fans will agree with me though... Or if it is possible after what has already happened!
What are your opinions?
Tuesday, 23 February 2010
Is Jonny Wilkinson the Best Number 10 in England?
Ok so we had a weekend away from the 6 nations and after England struggled badly against Italy the one player who has been the most heavily criticised is Jonny Wilkinson…
I think this criticism is unfair. He was the stand out player in the autumn internationals and has continued to try and make a back line play exciting running rugby which just don’t want to try and play with their heads up. I know that Jonny is in a pivotal role and could make the difference but I don’t feel it is completely down to him. We need Danny Care to stop taking two steps before passing the ball to Wilko, this gives the defences that small amount of time needed to re-organise. I also feel Jonny needs to help Care into the international game by giving him the right calls and advice.
On the plus side it is good to see the England pack being more competitive all around the park and especially at the breakdown. This platform now needs to be utilised by the backs, which I feel have enough talent to trouble any side in the northern hemisphere.
The question to everybody else is what do you think? Is asking is whether Jonny Wilkinson is still the best No.10 in England? In my opinion he is the best we have (bear in mind that I am a prop forward!!), he can tackle better than any fly half in the world, barely misses a kick (ok, Italy was an exception!), and is an all round inspiration to the England team, I feel they need him in the side as much as anything!
I think this criticism is unfair. He was the stand out player in the autumn internationals and has continued to try and make a back line play exciting running rugby which just don’t want to try and play with their heads up. I know that Jonny is in a pivotal role and could make the difference but I don’t feel it is completely down to him. We need Danny Care to stop taking two steps before passing the ball to Wilko, this gives the defences that small amount of time needed to re-organise. I also feel Jonny needs to help Care into the international game by giving him the right calls and advice.
On the plus side it is good to see the England pack being more competitive all around the park and especially at the breakdown. This platform now needs to be utilised by the backs, which I feel have enough talent to trouble any side in the northern hemisphere.
The question to everybody else is what do you think? Is asking is whether Jonny Wilkinson is still the best No.10 in England? In my opinion he is the best we have (bear in mind that I am a prop forward!!), he can tackle better than any fly half in the world, barely misses a kick (ok, Italy was an exception!), and is an all round inspiration to the England team, I feel they need him in the side as much as anything!
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