Link building is the most important factor in getting top rankings in the Google Search results. Back in the day, the more back links you had to your website the higher your rank was in Google. This was, in theory, a good way of prioritizing the top 10 rankings that Google displays for a given search term, but this ALL changed with the advent of social media and blogging.
Since back links were so important in getting top rankings in Google people soon realized that they could begin spamming blogs and leaving comment link farms on thousands of sites and soar to the top of rankings. Google had a problem, their formula to protect top rankings was misfiring. Change was necessary and came in the form of a “NoFollow” tag.
What is a NoFollow Tag?
A Nofollow tag is a simple piece of code that you put in a link. Here is an example:
This link is passing strength to the Los Angeles SEO page it’s linking to.
This link is NOT passing strength to the Los Angeles SEO page it’s linking to.
Why Do NoFollows Now Matter?
Google originally introduced the nofollow tag to combat spamming and the like. Now, Google, Yahoo & Bing seem to be rewarding websites who are actively commenting on blogs, forums and other web properties that don’t pass strength through these social media links. BUT THEY DO PASS STRENGTH. Social networking profile links, blog comment links and forum signatures now matter — again. The difference is that you need to keep at it and be participating in relevant, authority/industry blogs/forums.
NoFollows Matter: A Case Study
Below is a screen shot that shows Highly Relevant’s top 10 back links. As you can see, 5 out of 10 of the back links are social media blog comments — Including our #1 back link being a blog comment on Chris Brogan’s site.
Generation 10:45’s recent emergence has business leaders racing to bolster an increasingly vital business need— 24-hour, continuous brand management. You may be asking yourself who and what is Generation 10:45? Well according to a recent study by The Kaiser Foundation, 8-18 year olds’ media usage in the United States has increased from 8 hours and 33 minutes in 2004 to an astonishing 10 hours and 45 minutes in 2009.
The advent of the personal computer, cell phone and miniaturization of technology have all greatly contributed to the “anytime, anywhere” world we live in today but we must note that the “always on” consumer actually has its beginnings in the late 1960s, as does continuous brand management. AT&T created its first 1-800 toll-free number in 1967 for customers to make “automatic collect calls.” The concept didn’t make big waves immediately, but by 1992, approximately 40% of all AT&T calls were dialed using 1-800 numbers. This theoretically simple service dramatically changed how consumer-oriented companies would eventually manage their businesses.
The first of many major changes to be made by the telephone company was the discussion (or lack thereof) with the customer. Large call centers would be trained to answer phones and follow service scripts in an effort to have an actual dialogue, which was uncommon at the time. More importantly, companies such as AT&T were beginning to recognize the importance of cross-selling and making outbound sales calls. These services performed by the early call centers were the predecessors to both the world wide web and mobile web, as they provided the customer with the ability to reach the company anytime, anywhere.
How will Generation 10:45’s presence impact continuous brand management?
First, they will expect continuity in their brand experience across all devices and platforms. For example, their favorite website, Facebook, must be experienced similarly across the web, iPhone, and yes, their Playstation 3 or Xbox360. If you take a deeper look of the continuous shuffling between their devices, you will notice more – their continuous access to communication and information. Google is everywhere as are their friends, and as a result, their unwillingness to separate themselves from these devices. Companies need to react to this social media-laden landscape by effectively implementing continuous brand management efforts that seamlessly cover all devices, something that is still having great disconnect between customer contact channels.
Another impact that Generation 10:45 will have on companies is their desire for transparent service—to be “seen” at all times. Generation 10:45ers are constantly providing status updates about where they are and what they are doing and will expect companies to provide the same kind of transparency with regard to service and instant information on any order, service, and requests.
Finally, Generation 10:45, like people in general, believe what they hear through word of mouth well before anything you have to say as a company. People generally trust customers far more than any company selling to them so expect Generation 10:45 to be disseminating/recovering customer reviews and ratings online, all the time, and on a continuous basis.
Google Buzz Advertising
What is Google Buzz? Watch the video below, I’m not going to explain it better than Google.
Here’s a rundown of what it does:
- Update All of Your Social Media Sites all from one place (I don’t see facebook yet)
- It’s built into gmail – How many people know and use gmail everyday already?
- Picture Viewing capabilities – “Pictures seen the right way”
- Embeddable Videos inside of Buzzes
Here’s why Buzz Matters:
- It shows up in Google’s Search Results
- We are using Google More often and for longer (More pageviews, more time being spent on site = more advertising revenues for Google, Inc.).
- Everyone who is adopting early is probably doing the right thing. I have 2 email accounts setup through google mail and i LOVE THEM.
- For all you gchaters out there, this is sorta cool…
In closing, make sure you realize that already 10,000,000+ engagements have already taken place and that number will continue to soar. The sky is the limit. Google has quietly become a player in Social Media Marketing Overnight.
With the release of its latest product, Google Buzz, Google announced today its plan to compete with the likes of Facebook and MySpace. The company is off to a jumpstart in membership by integrating Gmail account users directly into the social network, which already has established 150+ million users.
Check out Google’s video demo:
The two core philosophies behind Google Buzz, as described by Bradley Horowitz, vice president for product management of Google, was people’s fondness of sharing life experiences and being able to do so in-real time.
Todd Jackson, product manager for Google Buzz, began his demo by logging onto his Gmail account, which captured plenty of interests because of the curious splash page introducing the company’s newest release. He described it as, “an entire world within Gmail” and that is exactly what it is. Whether Gmail users want to be part of another Social Network or not, one thing is certain and that is for Google to create a seamless transition between email, social networking, and sharing media.
Some of the main features showcased were Google Buzz’s ability to allow users to autofollow, share rich content (in private or publically), all at a fast rate and within a newly integrated inbox decked out with plenty of new press-of-a-button shortcuts. For instance, in the same way that users press “C” to compose an email, they will now be able to press “R” to comment/reply to a buzz post. Picasa, Twitter, Flickr and plenty other sites will be aggregated and allow for one-site access.
Additionally, Google is implementing a system in which they will email you about any updates on comments you or others made, much like Facebook, but with media attached to it so you won’t always have to log-in to see all the buzz you’ve created.
Google Buzz will be rolled out on mobile web via Google’s Mobile website, of course Buzz.Google.com, and from Google Mobile Maps whenever you “buzz” in from a certain location. Like any major release similar to this, it is being done in phases so expect Google Buzz to eventually become part of your life—willingly or not.
