There have always been the three big search engines: Google, Yahoo!, and MSN. And all three of them have different criteria for ranking pages in their search results. Making sure that your small business website, which you worked hard to create, ranks high in the search results is a little daunting. Now, with the release of Bing, Microsoft has changed their search engine. And, to muddy the waters even more, Google seems to have changed their search algorithm.
What does all that mean for SEO? Specifically, what does that mean for small business owners who practice SEO?
After wading through the massive amounts of information and hype, I have come to the conclusion that it means very little to most small business owners.
SEO is a constantly changing arena. Search engines will always be changing their algorithms to avoid scammers who use unethical or automated means to inflate their page ranks. So when you see big shifts, like what is happening now with Bing and the evolving Google algorithm, don’t panic. All your SEO efforts are NOT going to go to waste and you aren’t going to have to learn a whole new set of SEO rules.
If you continue to maintain a thriving web site that has landing pages that are relevant and engaging to your target audience, you will be fine in terms of SEO.
All that being said, there are a few differences between how Google and Bing seem rank pages:
Domain Age: Bing seems to put more emphasis on the age of the domain–if your domain is older, it has a slightly higher advantage.
External Links: Both Google and Bing place a major emphasis on external links. If external sites, with your keywords, link to you, you can increase your search engine rank. But Bing seems to value having your keywords in the title tag of pages that link to you.
Unfortunately both of these are out of your control. There is nothing you can do to increase the age of your domain. And you certainly have little or no influence over the content of external sites that link to you.
So, for now, go ahead and keep creating awesome content that is relevant to your target audience.
Social media is all the rage these days. And why wouldn’t it be? It’s relatively cheap, making it an equalizer in advertising power between small and large businesses. Anybody can do it. And while, technically, anyone can, if you’re taking your first steps into the social media realm, you’ll do good to pay attention to how those who have already blundered have handled it when their social media efforts have run amuck.
Hopefully, you’ll always have a firm grasp of your audience and focus on their wants and goals and never experience backlash from your audience. When I presented my Field Guide to Social Networking to the United Way of Denton County agencies, I also shared these clips of Motrin commercials as an example of how your audience will let you know if they don’t like what you’re presenting.
Advertisement Targeted to New Mothers Released by Motrin
Motrin Alternative Advertisement Created by an Unhappy Member of the Target Audience
Moral of the Social Media Marketing Story
Motrin pulled its advertisement shortly after it realized it had made a “boob” of itself and that its audience would indeed let them know. As you proceed into the wilds of the social media jungle, keep in mind that you’re not talking AT your community, you’re talking WITH them.
Do you know of other examples of Social Media efforts running amuck? Let us know in the comments.
Earlier this week, I had the pleasure of speaking to the United Way of Denton County agencies about how they can use social media networking (aka social media marketing) as a means of getting the word out about their agency in a very cost-effective manner.
Like this presentation? Let the good folks over at Slideshare know. Simply click on the link below and give me a “thumbs up”! Voting ends on June 22, so hurry on over.
BTW, while it would be kinda cool to win, the purpose of the post is to have a real-life anecdote of the workings of a social network. If we do happen to win, at least 10% will go to diabetes research through my involvment with Diabetes Action.
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