A Think Tank Blog
In the first 2 months of 2010, Google has rolled out impressive developments for search. New options to quickly customize search parameters are helping users receive the most relevant information in the shortest amount of time. I find myself clicking that "More Options" button in Google more than I ever have before, especially with the recent of addition of "Nearby Search". This great new option allows us to filter our Google search results according to our current geographic location. Refinement options include the ability to search by city, region/state, or simply a custom location that you enter manually.
Google says, "Location can tremendously aid the way you search, so we were pleased to add the ability to refine your searches by location to the Search Options panel. Say you're big on the outdoors and want to find bike rental information, bicycling blogs or the closest sporting goods store. There's a good chance you're looking for information that's relevant to your region, city or even a city you're visiting on vacation. That's where this tool can help. One of the really useful things about this tool is that it works geographically — not just with keywords — so you don't have to worry about adding a city name (e.g., "Berkeley") to your query and missing webpages that are in a similar region (e.g., "East Bay", "Oakland") but might not specifically mention the city in your search. "
With the prevalence of social media in today's world, it's becoming more and more clear that we want our web experience to be personal and reflect us as individuals. New search options allow me to actively engage in my search results, often reading the reviews and blogs of other locals that turn up in my search results. In fact, this is how I found my favorite new salad bar right down the street from my office! Next time you do a search, click that important "Show Options" tab and give it a try.
On October 24th, 2009, Tech Liminial hosted the 2nd BEAST Bloggers Camp. This camp is a fantastic opportunity for East Bay bloggers to meet up and network while they learn important technological skills to further their causes. A Think Tank was asked to be a part of this great event in Downtown Oakland. Paul Norland spoke on the important topic of getting started with social media. Social media can be an important soundboard for local voices, and there are a variety of social media sites that have a wide reach. Paul's discussion focused on developing a social media plan, and in particular, which media assets are needed and how to organize before one begins. In addition, Paul held an informal SEO (Search Engine Optimization) session with site reviews and SEO suggestions. Thanks to Tech Liminal for the opportunity to be involved!
A Think Tank's Paul Norland was recently asked to speak at a meeting of the Oakland Cultural Trust on the topic of social media. The Oakland Cultural Trust is an association that advocate the arts "by promoting policies and action that support and nurture the vitality of Oakland artists and cultural organizations." Paul's presentation focused on a variety of social media strategies that local artists and organizations should utilize for cost effective self-promotion. He discussed the importance of developing a social media plan with achievable goals, particularly because time and personnel are often a challenge for cultural organizations. Social media sites are a timely platform to keep the public updated on events, funding drives, and other important news. Social media is also a fantastic way for artists to simply connect with other artists and groups and encourage a united local community.
A Think Tank thanks the Oakland Cultural Trust for the opportunity to speak, and looks forward to seeing their members increase their online presence.
More information about their association can be found at http://proartsgallery.org/oaklandCulturalTrust/index.php.
Google is now allowing public access to its new search engine. You can run your queries here -> http://www2.sandbox.google.com/ and read more about it on their webmaster's blog.
Code named "Caffeine", it is touted as their new and improved search engine. What is really going on is that they are making major overhauls to the systems that work behind the scenes to generate the search results or SERPS. I would highly suggest that you run some queries in their sandbox and see for yourself if you like the results you see. They are openly soliciting feedback through the "Dissatisfied?" link at the bottom of the page search results pages.
As an Oakland business owner and expert in social media, Paul was asked to head up a discussion on the value of social media as a community builder and local marketing tool. With Facebook and Twitter leading the pack in the modern social media race, his talk covered all the important pathways to success when developing a social media plan. Paul discussed the Facebook "Fan Page" as a great way to get started building an online presence and rapport with customers. Twitter was also highlighted as a lively and effective method to share business news, specials, and events with the community.
Start off slow with 1 or 2 social media sites, then expand your presence as you learn the ropes and become familiar with different sites. Your participation actively shows current and future clients that you understand your business in a modern context. If you nurture your social media profiles, there is also ripe opportunity to grow your business and generate new clients without any advertising costs.
So you're ready to give it a go? Develop a social media plan for yourself that is realistic to your schedule. Do some research, watch some intro videos on different sites, and find sites that your customers and peers are active with. The important thing to remember when you create a social media profile is to have fun with it, and only create profiles that you have time to maintain. A little bit of social media development can create a lot of buzz for your business.
R.S.V.P. today! AdWords Clinic Sign-Up Form
Who?
Exclusively for Google AdWords account holders with an active account and a minimum average of 100 clicks per day (over the last 90 days).
What?
A no-charge interactive AdWords clinic led by A Think Tank's Qualified Google Advertising Professionals [more info on GAP]. We will explore the current performance of your AdWords account and make experienced suggestions for improvement. Every aspect of your AdWords account will be open to group discussion, so don't be shy! If a group environment is not for you, feel free to contact us for a private review session at an affordable rate.
When?
March 11th, 2009 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Where?
A Think Tank
610 16th Street Suite 207
Oakland California 94612
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
http://www.athinktank.com
(510) 227-7026
Why? A Think Tank is a Bay Area Search Engine Optimization and Search Engine Marketing company with over a decade of experience in internet solutions. Take advantage of this rare opportunity to improve your AdWords account at no charge to you.
R.S.V.P. is Required!
Space is limited; secure your spot in this small session at the AdWords Clinic Sign-Up Form. Participants are encouraged to bring their own laptop to connect with our projector during discussion of your account.
Please note: We are not affiliated with Google or Google AdWords. We offer advice and recommendations based solely on our experience and not on behalf of Google.
A Think Tank is developing workshops for local business owners in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Google AdWords Workshop
This 1-hour session will be limited to 4 companies per workshop. Participants will review and discuss their current AdWords accounts in a collaborative environment. Please check back for more details.
Brand Management Workshop
This session will be limited to 6 companies per workshop. Topics include online brand creation and growth, identity development, and protection of your brand reputation on the internet . Being "googled" can have both positive and negative impact on your emerging brand; make sure your first impression is the right one.
If you are interested in more information about either of these workshops, please contact A Think Tank.
Let's go over a couple of quick exercises you can run to examine your site's visibility within a search engine.
If you are new to Search Engine Optimization (SEO), you will need to learn a few basic things to get going. After you learn how to do this yourself, there are tools that can help you do this in the future.
Start with some basic tests that will show you how you are currently performing with search engine optimization. These are not concrete answers, but should give you a fair idea of what's going on.
Search Google for "site:YOURSITE.COM" . What you will see in the search results is a listing of all of the pages that Google wishes to show you, so review these results carefully. You should have a good mix of titles and descriptions, with everything unique and to your liking. These are not necessarily what all users will see when searching Google, but most will. Make sure these pages are telling your customers what you want them to know about you.
The next thing to do is check if your site is showing results for your search phrase(s). This is not a check of your page rank or site rank within the search engine, but simply how well your site is appearing for your desired search phrases. Let's check the A Think Tank site for its use of the phrase "search engine optimization". You will see that the construct is very similar to what we just used above.
(site:athinktank.com "search engine optimization") http://www.google.com/search?q=site:athinktank.com+"search+engine+optimization" .
When checking your own site, make sure you are getting the right kind of page results. Are those pages what you hoped to see? What pages are missing? In looking at Yahoo! within Google, site:www.yahoo.com, you will get some results that are not appealing and point to an issue of unique pages and duplicate listings. This issue will be addressed in future blog posts. For a smaller site, you definitely don't want to have most of your titles or meta descriptions that are the same. Variety and originality are the best path to successful SEO!
The tool we use to complete these tasks on a daily basis is called Search Status, http://www.quirk.biz/searchstatus/. Search Status comes as a FireFox plugin and is very easy to use.
There used to be a magic formula to calculate how many times to include your keywords and keyword phrases in the content on a page. It was a careful calculation that balanced search relevance and spam. Today we advise our clients that magic formulas are a thing of the past. The goal for your content today should be to write directly to your audience or your customers. After you are finished writing, if possible, have someone edit your content to see if you have missed any important ideas. It's always good to have a second set of eyes to see what you might have missed when you wrote your content. Finally, you should check that the keyword you are targeting is represented throughout the content. It's important to not alter the content just to stuff in more keywords and keyword phrases. Ultimately, your readers will appreciate your writing id the content is written without restriction.
Ready to publish? Make sure that you are placing it within your site in the appropriate and themed location. Include an informative and descriptive title, meta keywords and meta description.
