2011 had a number of changes come down the road, not like every year I’ve seen since 1998. The search industry is evolving on a daily basis. With that in mind here are a few things we might expect to see in 2012.
Continued privacy/tracking issues - With the rollout of SSL in Google (allowing those users logged into their Google account to encrypt their search queries) it would be reasonable to expect more movement to protect the surfer at the expense of those trying to track queries to their website.
Social integration - With Google+ clearly being used as a signal in Google results and the partnership between Facebook and Bing, 2012 will surely show more integration between social and search.
Mobile, Mobile, Mobile - We saw exponential growth in 2011 and would be shocked if we didn’t see the same in 2012.
I may not have gone out on a limb here but it’s my two cents for 2012, Happy New Year everyone!
I know I’ve landed on more than a handful in my years of surfing, those “fake” sites that use a brand name in the domain to lure you in and once there it’s obvious the product is not licensed product. Well it appears the fight to remove those domains and others associated with counterfeit products might have some legs to it. A recent ruling by District Judge Kent J. Dawson in favor of Chanel orders search engines to de-index a number of sites selling counterfeit Chanel product. While this ruling includes websites whose domain do not include any Chanel brand terms, it does address those that do.
Over the years I’ve had plenty of clients ask what can be done about people buying domain names that include their brand and until now there has been little recourse, maybe that is all changing.
Google’s latest algorithm update is called Fresh and from what we’ve seen it appears to be yet another tweak to reward websites that offer fresh content on a regular basis. If you are writing content on a regular basis you want to make sure your articles are included in Google News and that you are properly time stamping each article. Simple changes like those appear to have an impact with this new update.
So for all of the craziness going on in SEO forums, Twitter and such once again the basics of SEO matter, in this case create relevant content on a regular basis.
It appears Microsoft’s feelings weren’t hurt too bad when Yahoo spurned their overtures in ‘08. So says the WSJ reporting the software giant, who has repeatedly stumbled in the paid search arena, is putting together a proposal to buy the once dominate internet property.
One could assume the motivation is simple, instead of partnering to achieve the second largest search marketing outlet online, buying would allow Microsoft to obviously hold all of the cards, not only in profit but business strategy as well. Considering the missteps Microsoft has made over the years in trying to “crack the code” as it relates to a viable, sustainable search marketing business, the purchase of Yahoo would only guarantee they get a established presence.
I used to love playing the game Operation. I’m sure my memory is deceiving me as I seem to remember being pretty good at it but if you put the game in front of me today I suspect I would tap out fairly quickly. That being said I may have to re-engage with the new version of that classic, Operation R2D2!
Yes, fanatics of Star Wars can now take their obsession to another level with the release of this game. And the rest of us can just enjoy playing Operation with a twist.
Local search is the rapidly, emerging focus of Google (Google Places), Bing (Bing Local) & Yahoo (Yahoo Local) search engine advertising today. This is due to the fast growth of mobile devices (pads & smart phones) and their use in business and consumer research and buying decisions. Use of mobile optimized web pages lead to improved user acceptance and increased consumer engagement.
Consider that:
73% of activity online is in one way or another “related to local content”.
Source: Google 5/07/2011
54% of search users have substituted Internet/search for the phone book.
Source: comScore Networks
50% of connections to the internet are from mobile phones.
Source: comScore Networks
A mobile browser was the #1 method for searching local information (20.7 million users a month) in Dec. 2010.
Source: comScore Networks
58% of mobile users expect mobile sites to load faster than a desktop site.
Source: Google
Your opportunity to grab a top Local Listing ranking is now! As of July 2011:
84% of businesses have not claimed their local Google, Bing and Yahoo listing.
79% of online advertisers do not have a mobile optimized web site.
How can The Info Group help you participate in local mobile search advertising? The Info Group is proud to announce their new Local Business & Mobile Optimization Project, designed for business to get a local & mobile presence in a relative short time frame for an affordable cost. The Local Business & Mobile Optimization Project includes:
Local Listing Optimization Phase:
We claim (if needed) and optimize your Google Places Listing.
We claim (if needed) and optimize your Bing Local Listing.
We claim (if needed) and optimize your Yahoo Local Listing.
We create and submit a KML sitemap to Google.
We submit your optimized business listing to 250 premium publishers including the major Online
Yellow Pages, various Search Engines, industry directories and 411 directory assistance.
Mobile Site Phase:
We build and geo-optimize a mobile version of your website (up to 5 pages).
We add “sniffer” script to your current website to redirect to mobile if a device supports.
Google is re-branding their photo and blogging properties to Google Photos and Google Blogs respectively. This re-branding effort is more likely a part of their overall effort to bolster Google+, their answer to Facebook. Apparently the branding will not stop with these two products although their has been no official word on what is next.
A bit of homerism showing through but how about those Dallas Mavericks! So great to see the good guys win one and show once again it takes a team to win not individuals. It would be easy to bash LeBron James but I think Dewayne Wade has as much of the blame on his shoulders as LeBron. I mean what’s up with basically calling Dirk out for his illness and then he has a “injury” after colliding with the Custodian? And in the game they had to win to stay alive, where was Wade? 6 of 16 shooting, 0 for 4 on 3 pointers, and where was he in the 4th quarter. Compare that to Dirk who struggled all game but in crunch time he came up with 8 points. DWade mocking Dirk, Really, I mean Really? Sorry not buying it, not even for a dollar. So all of you Mavs fans, enjoy the video below and you Dallas haters, enjoy it even more!!
So the rage is mobile and although most if not all of the new smart phones have html browsers there seems to be enough data to suggest that mobile users have less patience than non-mobile users when it comes to zooming in and out, scrolling, etc. while browsing websites. It is also true that different mobile devices don’t support some technologies our desktop browsers do such as flash and javascript. To that end the current trend is to create a mobile friendly site. Great and I’m sure you just heard now I have to spend more money on development. Well I’ve found a easy to use solution that can remedy your worries.
piJnz is a mobile landing page creation tool that turns anyone into a mobile website developer. I just created a mobile website for a website that offers photo booths for rent and the process was fast and simple. So much so I had a two page website done in about 20 minutes including adding a plugin to the Wordpress site that re-directs mobile traffic to the mobile site.
Signing up for a piJnz account is easy and they offer you thirty days free trial so you’ve got nothing to lose. Once you’ve signed up you are taken to your My Pages page which will eventually list all of the pages you’ve created. There is a button to create a new page and links to help files on how to create a mobile landing page and other subjects. Clicking on the Create New button takes you to a basic wysiwyg editor laid out like a cell phone. You can add additional functions to the page layout and take away functions/features from the page layout. It couldn’t be easier. Once you’ve create your page you save it and then can preview. Upon clicking the preview button a shadow box displays a cell phone with your content inside complete with scrolling buttons at the top and bottom. No need to check your phone to make adjustments to the page. Very simple and easy to use.
Pricing starts at $9.95 for a three page site and goes up to $175.95 for a 100 page site. Although the pages are hosted at piJnz you can point your own domain to piJnz to give a seamless experience to your visitors. This may not be the only mobile solution out there but it has to be one of the easiest to use for non-technical people, and affordable too!
Google’s latest algorithm update is called Fresh and from what we’ve seen it appears to be yet another tweak to reward websites that offer fresh content on a regular basis. If you are writing content on a regular basis you want to make sure your articles are included in Google News and that you are properly 
It appears Microsoft’s feelings weren’t hurt too bad when Yahoo spurned their overtures in ‘08. So says the 
I used to love playing the game Operation. I’m sure my memory is deceiving me as I seem to remember being pretty good at it but if you put the game in front of me today I suspect I would tap out fairly quickly. That being said I may have to re-engage with the new version of that classic, 
Google is re-branding their photo and blogging properties to Google Photos and Google Blogs respectively. This re-branding effort is more likely a part of their overall effort to bolster Google+, their answer to Facebook. Apparently the branding will not stop with these two products although their has been no official word on what is next.
