Simplicity of Design

Although change is inevitable, especially when dealing with technology, we seem to continually resist improvements made to our favorite sites. Take for example, Facebook’s timeline profile which was put into place to help keep track of posts, pictures, and life events as we use Facebook for the years to come. It seems like a good idea yet many still haven’t updated their profile.

Google has seamlessly incorporated its Knowledge Graph so users can more easily see the benefit of the displayed facts without getting caught up in opposing changes. By placing the Knowledge Graph information to the right, search users can take advantage of the displayed information without having it interfere with the routine search process. Google will determine if the extra facts are necessary based on the search so, like Google Maps, the Knowledge Graph information will only be displayed if Google determines it to be useful.

Accuracy

I believe the Knowledge Graph information will be utilized as long as the focus on accuracy continues. When searching something such as Luxor, you will get results for both the Las Vegas Hotel and Casino as well as for the city in Egypt. Rather than guessing, Google will let you select which result you are looking for.

Google purchased Metaweb in 2010 which was building both relationships and a database of facts. Knowledge Graph uses Metaweb along with any public sources such as Wikipedia to gather information. Because public sources are not always credible, Google has a “Report a Problem” option so users can report any incorrect information listed. If Google decides to make the change suggested, then it will inform the source of the information so the source can correct the mistake as well.

Results

Google is now focusing on entities, nodes, and relationships as opposed to purely keyword recognition.  They are focusing more understanding information like humans do so website content will have to be user friendly rather than focusing on pleasing search engine crawlers. The combination of displayed facts and links allow search users to quickly access the needed information and to more easily surf various facts.

It will be interesting to see how often the Knowledge Graph is used and how it will influence SEO over time.

Just about anybody who pays attention to social media news should be aware of Facebook’s purchase of Instagram a few weeks ago. At a price tag of $1 billion, it certainly turned a few heads. But Zuckerberg has followed that up with another purchase: Lightbox. Lightbox is a small team of consumer mobile apps, and has obviously been successful enough to catch Facebook’s attention. The most successful Lightbox app? Lightbox Photos, an app that replaces the android camera application.

In the process of going public, Zuckerberg revealed his concerns about Facebook in world of mobile technology. Currently the Facebook app has no advertisements and is generating little to no revenue, though the company is certain to change that in the near future. But that does not wholly explain Facebook’s fascination with acquiring photo sharing technology. Why would Facebook be looking to acquire some of the top companies in social photographs when they already have a photo sharing service themselves? It will be fascinating to watch it all unfold.

Most of the time this maneuver is performed without any accidental results, yet every once in a while it can end in disaster. At best that disaster is bumping into another passerby, at worst its walking into a moving car.

A rumor circulated recently that a small town in New Jersey had legally outlawed texting while walking. It turns out that the rumor was false, but steps have been made in the town to keep its texters safe.

WHAT THE CITIES CAN DO

While walking and texting might never be made illegal, some cities have been cracking down on crossing the road without using a crosswalk. As a frequent j walker myself, I find this enforcement to be tough but fair.

Programs can be implemented that reward pedestrians for following the rules or helping others to do the same. The city could even buy adspace that reminds people to take care of their mobile social media needs at a less distracted time.

WHAT PEOPLE CAN DO

The ultimate responsibility of safety lies with the people. Texting while driving has become a serious issue almost everywhere, and so should texting while walking.

While traveling by foot, I think people just need to keep their phone interactions very brief. If something is proving to be too big of a distraction, just sit down for 5 minutes and take care of it.

It really is amazing just how many things can be done with a smart phone. They have made our lives much more productive but also much more distracted.

Chances are you could text while you walk all day and nothing bad would ever happen, yet the fact remains that there are accidents caused every day by distracted pedestrians. What else could be done to improve the safety of our streets as smart phone use continues to rise?

When it comes to making sure our websites rank, we’re always looking for new ways to make sure search engines consider our content relevant and valuable. The more authority the search engines spiders give our site, the more traffic we can hope to see.

As important as every aspect of a site is, many people overlook the importance of the headline and title when it comes to optimization.  In reality, the headline is a critical component of not only getting people to read what you have to say, but also crucial in pleasing Google’s algorithms. A great headline will do both.

What Google Doesn’t Like

Many have attempted to analyze what works and what doesn’t. They’ve concluded that the Google algorithms don’t appreciate wit, irony, humor, or style. As reporter Steve Lohr put it, they’re “numbingly literal-minded.” Yes, it is one of the definitive 21st century truisms that in addition to writing for eternity, or for one’s mother, today’s writer must also write for Google.

With this said your headline should not be boring or stale. Even if it is ranking well with the crawlers, if humans don’t find it intriguing your content will not be read.

Tips

From what we’ve seen so far with the newest algorithm, authors should avoid writing the same headline for both the article and the page.  The difference here is that an article title is what you show your readers, and a page title is what you show search engines.  Developing a successful headline might look something like this.

Article Title: “Deliverance”
Page Title: U.S. Postal Service: Will It Survive?

While creating two titles instead of one might be a little more work, the increase in readership results will be worth it. If you want to optimize it even more consider adding a two-line meta description.

Wrap-Up

All-in-all, pleasing Google and pleasing humans continues to get harder and harder every day. Google’s crawlers and algorithms become more specific and people are becoming more distracted with information-overload.

Though humor and wit are dull to the search engine spiders at Google, with this foundation, you’ll be able to pull off one of the web’s hardest acts: you’ll be able to make Google laugh.

Many Indians believe that their future, as well as the future of their children is in jeopardy because of Google’s new policy. In addition, many marketing agencies and top SEO firms in the UK and Europe will have to find alternatives for their link-building efforts.

Matt Cutts will address these passionate crowds tomorrow via Google HQ (a good idea, since he may not return if he went there in person). His video is expected to teach them how to link build the Google-friendly way. See an example here of Cutts’ video series on effective link-building techniques. Clearly the practice of pleasing the “Google god” has now become a universal goal.

If you have been negatively affected by Google’s Penguin Update or by outsourcing your SEO, we are here to help. Contact Leadgenix today via phone at 888-579-6803 or fill out our contact form. We are your provider for Internet Marketing Solutions.

It must have accomplished whatever they wanted it to, because today they’re at it again, only this time they’re live-tweeting through a brain surgery. Fortunately the doctor himself will not be stopping to update the masses in between snips, the tweeting will be handled by a team watching the operation outside the room. In addition to the updates, a brain tumor expert will be answering questions from a curious audience during the process.

While brain surgeries actually have been covered by Twitter before, audiences have never been able to view the process this closely before. Viewers will actually be able to see the feed from the surgeon’s fiber optic microscope through the surgery.

But Twitter isn’t the only social media platform this hospital is utilizing. Videos will be uploaded to YouTube from inside the operating room, photos will be added to Pinterest, and Storify will be used to capture other angles of the story. With none of this having been done on a level like this before, one has to admire the forward-thinking of this hospital.

With a hospital in Houston taking such a unique approach to social media marketing, Twitter in particular, it makes you wonder what more you can do to leverage your own social media outlets. What more can you do with your business on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and other channels? With such a new and fresh frontier, social media presents so many unique ways to reach out to your customer that have yet to be implemented. What can you do to catch the world’s attention?

The infographic posted below outlines some of the more interesting changes that the internet has brought to the world of education.

(Click through the image for a more readable file size.)

What other ways has the internet and social media changed education? Is there a future niche for a hybrid of education and social media? Does one already exist? Leave your comments below.

A disastrous website

Astute web users will avoid these sites and the organizations tied to them.  Legitimate organizations must present themselves as such.Here are three universal elements of professional-looking websites.

1. Aesthetically Pleasing: Good websites look the part.  They are clean, consistent, and simple.  We feel comfortable looking at them.  Pixelated graphics, cheap-looking animation, and poor color schemes are all consistently found on heinous looking websites while sleek graphics, smooth animation, and well-contrasted color schemes all contribute to a professional appearance. While Facebook overtook Myspace for a variety of reasons, consider the cluttered, cheap look of Myspace compared with the simple, clean look of Facebook.
2. Easy to Use: The websites we use on a consistent basis are generally some of the easiest to use.  Millions have switched to GMail from their previous e-mail providers in large part because, though the service features plenty of features, it is easy to use.  Just about every tech update or improvement involves simplifying processes.  The higher a sites usability, the higher its rate of use will generally be.
3. Original Feeling: This is rather intangible, but very important in terms of drawing users and visitors back to a site.  A good site has a unique feel and provides a unique experience for users.  Though extremely simple, think how distinctive Google’s myriad of services are.  When we visit Twitter, Facebook, Amazon, or any other highly frequented site, we almost feel like we’re visiting a whole new location because the feel of each is so original.  They seem to have their own personality.  A good, professional site is one that provides a unique experience.

Cheap Animation

Facebook Search Engine

Recent reports have come out concerning Facebook’s interest in entering the search engine world. Roughly a year ago, Microsoft courted Facebook in an attempt to get them to purchase Bing, which Facebook then declined. Within the last month, rumors have surfaced that Facebook currently has a team of 20 engineers working on an improved search engine. Naturally, Facebook’s suspected strategy in entering the search engine space would be to leverage their vast amounts of consumer data to provide a highly personalized search. This begs the question: how much do consumers actually want personalized search?

Personalized Search

Consumer research has shown that consumers are not big fans of personalized search. AYTM conducted a survey of 400 internet users at the beginning of 2012 and found that 45.4% do not like personalized search, while 39.1% like the idea, but have concerns about their privacy. Only 15.5% of respondents fully supported the idea of personalized search.

This data should be alarming not only to Facebook, but also to Google. Considering how much energy Google has put into their Google+ platform in an effort to personalize search, consumers are not responding favorably. Facebook should look long and hard at whether or not a search engine is something they need to pursue.

Another question that arises from Facebook’s apparent interest in search: How will that affect your SEO? With the advent of Google+ and a variety of updates to their algorithm, social media and SEO have become increasingly intertwined. Should Facebook release a new search engine, there would be virtually no separation between the two.

What Happens Next?

While the idea of a Facebook search engine may never become a reality, it certainly gives us plenty to think about in regards to how the landscape of the internet may change, and where search engines may be headed.

The site acts as a curator for pop culture and entertainment news, as well as streams tweets that use their own site specific hashtags. The idea is for the user to come to the Pulse rather than scouring the internet themselves.

Pepsi Building Brand Association With Music

One thing I noticed on the new Pulse sight was how centered the entire thing is on music. I realize that music is a big part of pop culture, but their focus here seems a little narrow.

This seems like an obvious attempt by Pepsi to build an association between their product and the current music scene. One of the first stories published on the page has to do with Nikki Manaj who will also be delivering exclusive content to Pepsi in the future.

While building this kind of brand association would be a good thing for Pepsi, it’s something they’ve been trying to do for years. Many of their historic spokespeople have been musical acts ranging from Michael Jackson to Britney Spears.

Will Pepsi Pulse Succeed?

The ultimate question is whether Pepsi Pulse will help differentiate Pepsi as a brand from Coke? Pepsi has been striving to make a niche for itself with the music industry, and Pulse will only help push that further.

I think their biggest chance for success with this project is to find a way to allow users to create content of their own. The most interesting aspect of the site for me was seeing the tweets from actual users, but that can only hold my attention for so long.

Some of their story titles are a bit vague as well. For a site dedicated to getting you pop culture news as quickly as possible, those vague title can sometimes slow things down which feels out of place on the site.

Overall I think it’s a cool idea for Pepsi to try, even if it is pretty in line with the same stuff they’ve been trying for years. What do you think about the new Pepsi Pulse website?