Search giant Google has yet again taken a controversial step with the introduction of ‘Search plus your World’, a new feature that integrates search results with Google+ social networking. This new feature has highlighted the progression of the internet as it gives a search engine the ability to combine social elements with everyday search, theoretically providing search results that are tailored to fit your interests and needs. Google is importing content from its six month old Plus service into its regular searches, a clear shot across the broadsides of Facebook and Twitter.

The Good
Features of the approach include recommending additional companies and people to follow on Plus, based on your search results. It will bring up the profiles of other Google+ users and celebrity Google+ accounts depending on your interests, according to Google. This will make searching much more efficient for many users who want to find relevant information quickly and Google can almost guess what their customers are looking for, bringing up the most useful information. This is taking searching to a whole new level on the internet by providing an integrated service. However in the world of social networking and search giants; we can always find flaws …

The Bad
Many internet users may enjoy having a broad access to the internet, for purposes of work and research they may not want their search engine to define their searches to bring up things that they are only interested in. If they want to search across their interests they may already be signed up to other browser add-ons such as StumbleUpon which does exactly that. However Google has responded to this possibility and you can turn off the new feature by adjusting your search settings. The search engine will also not present results from rival social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook, therefore creating controversy and possibly unfair competition by leveraging their separate search facilities to boost the decidedly unpopular Plus.

The Ugly
The question on many critics’ lips was whether Google are unfairly exploiting their online dominance of internet searches to promote their own social network. They are prioritising Google+ data and the social network is having a very easy ride on the back of the dominant search engine. It can be understood from Twitter’s point of view when they lashed out against the new feature, arguing that it is going to be harder to use Google to find Twitter posts about breaking news, like protesters writing tweets from countries like Syria and Egypt. Facebook has not yet responded to the recent announcement by Google, but as they have had a recent privacy deal, Facebook could not let Google index all of their information which users think is going to stay private not really giving them an argument against the Google giants.

In regards to Google’s defence it seems that any company should have the right to push its own products before anyone else’s and in fact use their success to promote its other features. Facebook is now coming up to its 8th birthday and has over 800 million active users; in reality would it really affect them a great deal if Google were to push Google+? Although it does rival Facebook and Twitter, social networking is one of the biggest growing ways of communication, and the landscape is expected to shift over time. Overall the success of the new Google feature is yet to be seen, and with the Twitter backlash and Facebook yet to speak up, anything could happen as the social networking titans collide; watch this space.

Super search engine Google has taken a leap forward in to the realms of social networking. Joining in with the fun of liking, digging and tweeting, Google now aims to have everyone ‘plus oneing’. The +1 button that was rolled out in March, which allowed people to like Google searches has been expanded in to more sites on the internet. The new revelation in SEO is being used on websites such as masher, Bloomberg and addthis. It hopes to expand its presence to sites like you tube and blogger in the very near future.

Google’s +1 button has been put in place to compete with the Facebook ‘like’ button. With Facebook having over 600,000,000 active users it is a force to be reckoned with, the Facebook like button has been very popular and become a global phenomenon, a second nature to most. The +1 button allows Google users to show their appreciation for a blog, a site, an object, anything on the internet that they want to share with friends. It is a quick and easy way for people to find pages that they will like, or that friends think they should ‘check out’.

Problems have already been highlighted for the new feature. Currently the webmasters like their balanced world and their social media strategy. They will need to implement the +1 button dynamically and quickly without upsetting their current social media strategies. A belief that the increasing amount of buttons with all the different uses is going to start confusing the consumer and after all, those are who we completely rely on to press the buttons and up ratings of the websites!

Clicking the +1 button publicly gives something your stamp of approval. It can help your friends, contacts and others on the web find the best stuff when they search. As the internet is now such a vast sea of information, the +1 button will refine the mass of knowledge and make searching even quicker. Social media has changed the current world, where would we be now without Facebook and Twitter? And in the grand scheme of things they have not been around for very long! So for this reason it is not a surprise that Google want to become more social.

So can Google really take on the powerful forces of Facebook? With the internet moving so quickly and the sheer impatience and thirst for current technology it is likely that they could. The majority of social networkers have now worn out the Facebook ‘like’ button so maybe they will look for something new and exciting. Google is a trusted search engine so curiosity will certainly drive people to try it out. So sit back and watch the battle of the buttons begin.

There are lots of misconceptions when it comes to SEO. Some are based on guesswork, dubious technical knowledge, hearsay or just plain ignorance of the fundamental principles of the process. Some are based on old information that was relevant once upon a time, but for all intents and purposes is defunct and useless today. One of the most enduring of these ‘legacy’ SEO concepts is that of ‘submissions’, and the idea that a website can be physically requested to rank on a search engine.

In the early days of search, around the late-1990’s, search engines did indeed have pages where webmasters could submit URLs for consideration. Although it was never a fast-track to ranking, or even guaranteed that a search engine would acknowledge it, submission was a legitimate part of SEO.

To say that the submission process is long gone would be to indulge in the most ludicrous and obvious understatement. Search engines operate by crawling the web, indexing pages on a wide range of technical and content-based parameters. This means that websites are ranked and classified on their merits, and whether they provide the information that the user is searching for… not because a webmaster has simply asked for the site to rank through a manual submission.

It’s been this way since 2001.

Search engine submissions are literally a decade out of date.

Amazingly (or should that be disgracefully?), some SEO companies are still offering submissions as part of their paid-for service. This should be considered one of the calling-cards of someone who, a) doesn’t really know what they’re doing, b) is trying to pad out their proposal, c) is trying to bamboozle their client, or d) is operating a service from 1998. None of which would make for a successful business relationship.

Search engines are trusted resources in the online world today and with 3 billion searches typed into Google each day, ranking high amongst their page results should be a major concern for any marketing campaign.  Are you a business which neglects your website and its content? Focusing on the glitz and glamour of the marketing world with magazine adverts and slots on TV and radio?  SEO provides the foundations for your media strategy, giving your campaign the authority on the internet to successfully back up your advertising message.

The internet has grown substantially in recent years rising from 801.4 million users in 2004 to 1.96 billion this year.  Creating a loud enough noise in this environment without an SEO-friendly site is difficult, which is why copywriting, back-linking and SEO techniques are important to practice on your site.  A content-rich website is not built or recognised instantly and it takes patience to build a catalogue of high quality back-links and blog entries full of relevant content.  Once you’re established at the top of Google searches for your targeted keywords your website will be able to give the message your other media vehicles are emitting authority, as internet users trust that those results at the top of their searches are the most relevant to their search term.

Websites which focus more on design are sometimes overtaken by basic content-rich sites because they concentrate more on the website layout then the use of clean coding, SEO-friendly URLs and keyword-rich copy and this is where the benefits of a digital marketing company can be seen.  Dedication to a website can be difficult with all other aspects of a business to oversee, which is why some websites are seen not as an important marketing tool, but rather an inconvenience to maintain and keep fresh.  A resourceful website employing individually designed SEO techniques which ranks highly on search engine results, creates a solid base on which all other media vehicles can go on to succeed.  Search engine optimisation is fast becoming one of the most desired services in the marketing industry as the internet is growing at a rapid rate, will your business be able to keep up?

For more information on SEO and what we have to offer call Laura on 0191 2328088 or email laura.brown@green-media.com

A compelling blog rests upon strong ideas, conveyed in a flowing style that has the ability to connect to its reader.

The writer behind the words provides a focus that steers the reader towards a specific state of mind by establishing a tone and set of images.  A writer’s job is to make the time spent reading an article worthwhile, with a view to enhancing the moments after by making a lasting impression. The reader’s surroundings should fade away as they delve into a world constructed of text. Writing however should not necessarily be about the writer disclosing personal details whilst boring the reader in the process, much like a conversation dominated by a speaker whose main subject revolves around them. A single writer should adopt an array of perspectives for the purpose of different subject maters and audiences.

Copywriting sites and courses geared towards the development of writing aim to add layers to a skill set through the deployment of new approaches and techniques, demonstrating the ever present learning curve when it comes to the production of skilful copy. It seems that there is always room for improvement, in which it doesn’t pay to stand still.

A useful piece of advice is that writing leads to better writing. A writer should write every day, regardless of mood or energy levels, as the writing process inevitably uncovers an interesting angle in which to take a subject, even if only one sparkling idea emerges from a mountain of discarded copy.

Creativity is in constant motion. The creative process of a copywriter does not stop at the end of a working day, although the typing may. Experiences continuously feed creativity and no matter how small or insignificant an event or sighting, they can be adapted and incorporated into descriptions. Either consciously or subconsciously an archive of retrievable data can be formed; a writer can effectively file away a range of information until a memory complete with imagery, sound or feeling corresponds to a subject. A passion and respect for words becomes central to creating an effective piece, as well as a sense of empathy and imagination which can also power the content and connect writer to reader.

Blogs can be the backbone of any website, acting as a supporting structure that provides steady traffic as well as flexibility in terms of its vision and style. A blogger should have the ability to communicate a message in a variety of ways, ploughing time and effort into ordering words with a sense of direction.

A blogger also needs to sustain a quality that will dependably attract an audience, just as film writers and directors create a solid reputation through a catalogue of quality releases that ensure popularity. A blogger will also use a skill set that makes someone want to buy rather than simply telling them to. Considering the volume of blogs and articles on the web, a subject is rarely unique; however the ways in which a blogger presents and interlaces fresh material will provide the edge that separates it from the rest. Essentially a good blog needs to provoke thought, making an impact before and after the final full stop.

Google went live with its new “Instant” search last Wednesday, in a move that has been variously claimed to herald everything from the “death of SEO” to a revolutionary new way of using the web. Available to users logged into their Google Accounts, Instant works by immediately displaying the results page as you’re typing, based on what the system believes you’re searching for… essentially taking the auto-fill function to an ultimate end-point.

Google is a past-master in innovation, and hasn’t been afraid to try out new search toys on an unsuspecting public before (Wonder Wheel anyone?). However, Instant feels like a more considered and permanent addition.

I’ve been using Instant for a week now, and here’s what I’ve found.

While I didn’t get any feelings of “weightlessness or euphoria” as claimed by Google on launch day, I did get a very real sense that something wasn’t quite right with the jumpy interface. Whether this sensation was because of the move away from Google’s incredibly familiar functionality or perhaps something more terminal, it was a distinctly negative first impression.

The “2 to 5 seconds” that Google claims could be saved with each search query were completely negated by the distraction of results popping around beneath the search box. A quick example would be when searching for “Buy Tag Heuer“, you’d be suddenly and jerkily presented with the links for the BBC, Budget Car Rental, This Is Money and the DVLA before anything even close to the subject of buying a Tag Heuer watch even appeared.

On the other hand, one clear benefit of Instant comes with cutting out wasted searches. Since the results appear automatically you’re in a position to judge whether the suggested links are what you’re looking for, or whether your search term needs refining. The fact that this can be done on-the-fly without performing individual searches is a genuine time-saver in these cases.

From an SEO perspective, and thinking along the lines of how a website is optimised ongoing, Instant doesn’t change a great deal. The fundamental approach of providing highly usable content on a technically-proficient website remains the goal. Hypothetically, Instant could prioritise those sites that appear for individual keyterms rather than long-tail phrases, but this isn’t likely to happen in practice. The raft of websites that pop up in the Instant results for the opening letters of a word – as demonstrated in the “Buy Tag Heuer” example – are the big guns of the BBC and the like, traditionally indomitable websites that will likely always be search giants.

Back to the user experience viewpoint, the fact that there’s an off-switch with Instant may well prove to be its downfall long-term. When something is that jarring and doesn’t provide any real demonstrable benefit worth suffering through, the temptation to turn it off is almost irresistable. Instant will live or die depending on how many users battle through the sensation of unfamiliarity and embrace it into their daily searches.

The corporate blog is a growing phenomenon that maintains a personal connection between the user and the company, acting as a form of correspondence, just as regular letters update friends with recent and interesting news.

A whole range of businesses dedicate a section of their site to a daily or weekly blog. An infinite number of topics exist, each having their own set of subjects that constantly diverge and feed the vast depth of information available on the web. Online posts can include specialised markets, such as wedding, garden and car blogs, as well as sobering topics, brought to attention through military and political sites. A blog about blogging is testament to this limitless medium.

The origin of the term blog is extracted from the words web log; its unique name brings a sense of contemporary cool. The term blogger therefore evokes kudos, as an individual actively airs their opinions and thoughts to an audience, balancing sentence structures to create imagery or even humour that presents itself in an inviting format of a diary or log. The idea of following the development of thoughts is both innately appealing and inspiring. Twitter is an example of a micro blogging service which is available to anyone, including businesses and celebrities. Followers are exposed to ‘trending topics’ which show how quickly information filtrates across the web. Taking the idea of word-of-mouth in a local context and reapplying it to a global network.

Knowing that information can be accessed by anyone is an incentive to promote a topic. Blog layouts can include an assortment of mediums, most commonly seen as a combination of text and images that represent a virtual scrapbook of sorts and provide an insight into a company’s impassioned perspective. Blogs are a way of representing a company’s congeniality that gives a company a relatable facet, in which to appeal to the user, rather than an impenetrable and uniformed veneer of convention. Blogging also acts as a form of site maintenance, as attention is concentrated into the blog page’s renewed content, which gives the impression that the company cares and wants to impress, as opposed to leaving it untouched and in a derelict condition. Blogs also act as an advert for your business, as the addition of links means that your visibility across the web is increased

At Green Media we provide blog writing services themed around a website’s products and services, which are charged by new content, generated by writers eager to explore the avenues that each project presents. Blogs can enhance SEO rankings, as keywords adorn the blog, which is crucial to getting Google’s attention which will respond by rewarding you with high rankings. Blog posts can also be timed, so that information can appear in conjunction with the launch of a new product or as a set of ordered information, so that the flow of content can be manipulated. It takes time to blog and even more time to craft a blog that provokes thought. By bringing in professionals who have the skill and motivation to produce quality; a website’s profile is instantly raised and made more memorable. Every second a new blog appears online; don’t be left behind. Dive into the fast current, motored by blogs that keep you ahead of competition.                               

At Green Media, copywriting for Search Engine Optimisation is regarded as a lifeline for businesses. Keywords relating to areas of interest, specific to a site are raised up like stepping stones from velvety rich copy that laps up around each protruding keyword. While eye-catching headlines act as bridges that invite the user to cross and explore the new territory of a website.

Glistening keywords entwined with the main copy will elevate your website up search engine rankings, from the depths of underwater anonymity, to appear as a dominant feature amongst other results that vie for competition. The surfer will be able to ride the waves that will reach desirable heights of targeted information. Keywords will not litter the copy but will be placed in considered areas that will allow text to flow, rather than be blockaded by repetition, which seems to be a transparent tactic aimed to increase the volume of visitors but does not serve to anchor the user to a site with engaging copy. Instead, keywords are peppered throughout the site in order for the user to easily navigate their way and reaffirm the relevance of their search, as they delve further into the website’s offerings.

SEO is both an art form and a science, crafting and engineering in a continuing process, as a formula of refreshed content keeps information relevant, while the copy’s creativity prevents users from becoming disenchanted with a site, giving them a reason to return with anticipation, as updates renew enthusiasm. By keeping track of trends and behaviours, together with a discerning ability; the copywriter is able to draw upon considered language, structured in an appropriate format that convinces the user of the site’s integral worth.  The copywriter is also fuelled by the deceptively powerful tool of imagery, relayed in words that transport the user into a world by a particular product or service, as they visualise varied possibilities.

Undoubtedly SEO, together with the back-up of quality copy is the most effective way to communicate your website’s professionalism, dynamism and enthusiasm. Without it your website may be drowned under other sites that provide similar products and services and who have taken advantage of SEO’s buoyant ability to keep them ahead of competition.

We were pleased to find out that a key part of the recent Google update – codenamed Caffeine – centred around the value of good quality copy, regularly updated. Essentially, search has come around to being about what it always should have been about – good quality content.

No technical manipulation of the system.

No tricks.

No smoke.

No mirrors.

…and it’s about time.

We’ve been eulogising the value of good web copy for years, on the basis that if you’re providing what people want – in the form of useful, usable information – then the search engines will wake up to that and start directing people your way. It comes down to the basic principles of search engines – to create a positive user experience by giving people what they’re looking for.

If your website is still relying on short-term techie tweaks to stay on SERPs then you’re on borrowed time. Your site is sitting on digital quicksand. It’s time to get your thinking cap on and get writing.

Many companies have a hard time understanding how best to use social media to promote their business online. It’s not that the principles of Facebook, Twitter and the others are difficult to grasp – they’re not – but, the real business potential can be a lot harder to fathom out. Since social media marketing works differently between businesses depending on what their aims are, there are no guarantees that what works for one will work for another.

That’s the beauty of social media, it’s flexible enough to accommodate an incredibly varied range of marketing approaches and still deliver success. It’s not a strict medium.

An uncomfortable fact of today’s commercial world is that people no longer trust messages from companies, on the whole. This makes marketing an increasingly precision process where even the most meticulously crafted promotions risk failure.

What people do trust is word-of-mouth recommendations, and this has always been the case. These recommendations come from fellow customers (or potential customers) and they come with an inherent credibility that companies can rarely match in their own communications. Social media is the biggest opportunity for word-of-mouth recommendations, well, ever. It has a worldwide span, it’s instantly accessible to anyone from anywhere, it’s permanently available, it’s accumulative and it all leads back to your door.

Word-of-mouth has grown from local to global, and it’s going on right now in tweets, Facebook posts, blogs and forums. Failure, refusal or just a straight-forward inability to get into social media for business marketing is tantamount to ignoring the latest incarnation of the most effective form of advertising of all-time. Is that something your business can afford to do?