A couple of weeks ago, Google announced the completion of Caffeine, their new web indexing system. They’re pushing its speed, its comprehensive coverage of the web’s content, and – this is where it gets interesting – the improved “freshness” of search results.
It’s a reaction to the ever-increasing amount of content on the web. The official Google blog explains it like this:
Our old index had several layers, some of which were refreshed at a faster rate than others; the main layer would update every couple of weeks. To refresh a layer of the old index, we would analyze the entire web, which meant there was a significant delay between when we found a page and made it available to you.
With Caffeine, we analyze the web in small portions and update our search index on a continuous basis, globally. As we find new pages, or new information on existing pages, we can add these straight to the index.
What does this mean for potential developments in the SERPs that Caffeine will allow Google to develop? We’ve seen the inclusion of video and real time search. Is this going to lead to more complex SERPs, moving further away from Google’s original design simplicity?
By altering their SERP generation process to reflect the rate at which content is being published, Google have made it more important than ever – and easier than ever – to drive traffic to your site via updating your content.
At Moo we’re well aware of the results that can be achieved through well optimised, well written content. Caffeine isn’t going to massively revolutionise SEO; it’s a reflection of the importance that Google – and its users – place on “fresh” content. Quality and quantity aren’t mutually exclusive, and all SEO strategies need to be user-focussed; Caffeine consolidates the importance of good SEO content.
June 21st, 2010 - No Comments »
Posted in Search Engine Optimisation | Tags: content strategy, copywriting, google, seo, seo news
Google’s sometimes controversial Maps service has a new feature. Property search allows people to find houses or flats for sale or rent within the Google map interface. Google have identified and implemented this enhancement in the way they always do – and the way which has ensured their success – by spotting an application for their service which suits both individual and commercial users… and by making it really easy to use.
“In a survey conducted just before Google Street View launched across the entire UK, a fifth of those surveyed said they had used the service for househunting [source: YouGov Plc February 2010].”
That’s from Google’s Lat Long Blog. Which is also quick to point out the ways in which property search syncs with other Google Maps services:
“Search can be refined by choosing features like sale or rent, bedrooms, bathrooms, and price. The map will update to show the properties matching those criteria – and also dynamically update as you scroll and zoom around the map…layers and features like Photos, Videos, Satellite, and Earth view can be turned on as well.”
Not that we’d expect anything less.
It’ll be interesting to see how Google develops property search from here. They’ve been testing location tagging in the USA, which allows business owners to Tag their premises with extra information and custom messages on Google Maps. For a fee, of course. How long will it be before Google launches paid upgrades to property search listings?
June 17th, 2010 - No Comments »
Posted in General | Tags: google, maps, search
Fresh from the wire comes the news that IBM have announced the takeover of Web Analytics powerhouse Coremetrics. Coremetrics, a leading organisation in the marketing optimisation field, produced the Coremetrics Continuous Optimization Platform, their own analytics and optimisation software.
That IBM could see the worth of buying Coremetrics is no surprise. Web analytics – especially when it’s combined with the kind of aggressive optimisation espoused by Coremetrics – offers genuine and tangible ROI. More than just technical feedback, it also provides insight into visitor behaviour that can bolster knowledge of target demographics and open up new routes to selling. The IBM press release announcing the acquisition of Coremetrics contains this telling little stat:
“IBM’s 2010 CEO Study showed that 88 percent of CEOs will focus on getting closer to their customers in next five years, 82 percent of CEOs want to better understand customer needs and 85 percent of CEOs require more visibility into their businesses.”
That’s just some of the kind of data that Web Analytics can provide. Joe Davis, CEO of Coremetrics, further backs this up: “Marketers increasingly need the ability to see across their organizations and the agility to make split-second decisions based on real-time data.” This is as true for IBM/Coremetric’s giant clients as it is for North West based SEMS and Start-ups. The future of online marketing is intertwined with the future of Analytical measurement and analysis.
June 15th, 2010 - No Comments »
Posted in Website Analytics | Tags: coremetrics, IBM, news, optimisation, roi, web analytics
New data collected from Hitwise is showing that social networking sites have overtaken visits to search engines. Anyone who has been following trends in UK web use – and if you haven’t, you should be – will recognise this as a continuation of recent developments. Social networks are obviously doing what they were designed to; attracting engaged visitors. And digital industries and the customer relations departments of other businesses have adopted them with vigour.
Implications? Well, the difference between visits to social and search sites isn’t exactly huge; social sites are currently 0.55% more popular than search engines when you compare percentage of total UK internet visits. Of course, every leading edge can be leveraged, and 0.55% of total UK internet visits is still a potentially significant amount of traffic. Search engines are still receiving 11.33% of total UK internet visits, a more than healthy amount.
While Facebook is becoming increasingly ubiquitous, there’s still no Google-equivalent amongst the social networks. Facebook’s share of social network visits is 55%. Whilst that’s impressive, it’s nowhere near the market domination that Google has achieved. Facebook is making some big steps interconnecting with other social networks, and diversifying its functions into areas like ecommerce. This latter development could have massive implications, but it’s still early days; we’ll be looking into it in more detail in a forthcoming blog.
Social network users are there to interact with each other and with organisations and brands. Hence the opportunities for brand exposure and customer relations that make social networks an important arena for businesses.
As surfing habits change, it’s important to redeploy your strategy where potential customers spend their time, whether that’s users looking for engagement on a social network, or within search engine results. More than ever, ensuring that there’s cohesion between your social strategy and your search strategy is important. There’s a need for a coherent brand message and targeting across both.
June 9th, 2010 - No Comments »
Posted in Social Media | Tags: facebook, google, search stat, seo, Social Media
