Fibre Marketing

Year: 2019

All You Need to Know About The robots.txt File

Posted on by Chloe

If you know a little about SEO then you might have heard of the robots.txt file. It can be a useful tool for anyone who has a website that hopes to attract visitors through search engines. The robots.txt file can essentially tell search engines where they can search on your website, meaning that more time is spent searching the useful pages.

The robots.txt file is also known as the “Robots Exclusion Protocol.” Some people put their ‘noindex’’ rule inside their robots.txt file, but this is all about to change as Google has announced that from September 1st, 2019 they will no longer support robots.txt files which have a noindex directive which is listed in the file.

They are changing their rules to try to keep the eco-system as healthy as possible and to make them as best prepared for any future open source releases. This is a complex issue and one which business who have websites need to respond to. And to enable them to do this, it is important to fully understand what the robots.txt file is and its role in the SEO space.

The robots.txt File in Action

Search engines like Google have web crawlers – known as spiders – which look at millions of websites every day, reading information which helps them to decide which websites they will put at the top of their search results.

If there are pages that you don’t want Google to crawl, you can put a robots.txt file in place. This can be dangerous however, as you can accidentally prevent Google from crawling your entire site. So make sure you pay attention to what you are blocking when it comes to adding these files.

Putting these files in place will also prevent any links on that page from being followed.

It is important to note, however, that although you are blocking the robots, the page can still be indexed by Google. This means that they will still appear in the search results – although without any details. If you don’t want your page to be indexed on Google, you must use the ‘noindex’ function.

Why is it Important?

The main reason why robots.txt files are important and useful to a website is that it can stop the search engine from wasting their resources on pages that won’t give accurate results, leaving extra capability to search the pages displaying the most useful information.

They can also be useful for blocking non-public pages on your website – pages such as log-in pages or a staging version of a page.

They can also be used to prevent the indexing of resources such as multimedia resources like images and PDFs.

The robotos.txt file can also be useful if you have duplicate pages on your website. Without using the file, you might find that the search engine comes up with duplicate results, which can be harmful to your website’s SEO.

The Pros of Using the robots.txt File

Most crawlers will have a pre-determined number of pages that it can crawl, or at least a certain amount of resource that it can spend on each website. This is why it is important to be able to block certain sections of your website from being crawled, allowing the robots to spend their ‘allowance’ only on sections which are useful.

There are some instances when using robots.txt files can be useful, including:

  • Preventing duplicate content
  • Keeping sections of your website for private use only
  • Preventing certain files on your website from being indexed e.g. images and PDFs
  • Specifying crawl delays to prevent your servers being overloaded

The Cons of Using the robots.txt File

Blocking your page with a robots.txt file won’t stop it from being indexed by the search engines. This means that it won’t actually be removed from the search results. The ‘noindex’ tag is what is important in preventing the search engine from indexing your page, but remember, if you have used the robots.txt file, the robots won’t actually see the ‘noindex’ tag, and therefore it won’t be effective.

Another potential issue with the robots.txt file is that if you block the robot, all of your links on this page will automatically be valueless to you in terms of flowing from one page or site to another.

The Consequences

There are a number of consequences for brands of Google’s decision to no longer support robots.txt files with the ‘noindex’ directive.

The main concern is that you will need to make sure that if you have used the robots.txt file previously, that you have an alternative to fall back on.

If you are using ‘noindex’ in a robots.txt file, you should look for alternatives and set these in ace before the deadline of 1st September. These include:

  • Noindex in meta tags
  • 404 and 410 HTTP status codes
  • Use password protection to hide a page from search engines
  • Disallow in robots.txt
  • Search Console Remove URL tool

Here at Fibre, we know that, the majority (91%) of people who use a search engine use Google and this is why it is important to stay up to date with any changes in their policies. By being able to understand and act on their directives, you can ensure that your website is found and will continue to be found by search engines as other rules change.

Cut through SEO Jargon with this Ultimate Glossary

Posted on by Chloe

At Fibre, we pride ourselves on knowing our stuff when it comes to executing ethical SEO strategies.

But, for many, learning SEO can be an extremely complicated exploit that – like most skills – takes time, patience and a whole lot of perseverance. (This is why it’s worth hiring an SEO specialist who dedicates the time to do it for you.)

However, you can make significant headway by first expanding your knowledge on key SEO terms and understanding where they fit into the SEO space.

We’ve compiled a basic glossary to help you get up to speed.

SEO from A to Z

Alt Text: Also referred to as alt tags and alt descriptions, an alt text is the copy inserted within the code of a webpage that describes an image should the user be unable to view it in its original form i.e the HTML. It’s also for Google, as it provides context for them to crawl the page accurately.

Anchor Text: As one of the key pillars of SEO, an anchor text is the written keyword that the user will click on and then be referred to another webpage. An anchor text can take many forms, such as:

  • Exact-match: An exact-match anchor will directly reflect the page it is linking to, for example, ‘anchor text’ will link to a page about ‘anchor texts.’
  • LSI (latent semantic indexing): LSI keywords will be similar keywords to the one you are targeting and used to increase the relevance of your site.
  • URL: This is a naked URL that appears anywhere on the webpage that links to your site.
  • Branded: A branded anchor text will include the exact name of your brand, such as, ‘Fibre Marketing’ within the webpage content.
  • Long-tail: Long-tail keywords will usually involve a more specific search query consisting of three or four word phrases. 

Backlink: A backlink is an incoming link from one webpage to another. How a backlink is implemented can have a huge impact on your webpage visibility as this is a key factor Google uses to rank a page on the SERP.

Black Hat SEO: This strategy works against ethical SEO methods to improve site visibility and better your rankings on Google. This can involve, keyword stuffing and using private link networks and can often result in Google penalties to your site.

Conversion Rate: A conversion rate is the volume of users who fit the desired action of your new business goals. This could be buying a product, subscribing to a newsletter or calling for a quote.

CTR (Click-Through-Rate): This metric measures the volume of users who click on a link within the webpage, compared to those who simply view the page.

Domain Authority: Often abbreviated to just DA, domain authority will give you an indication as to how well your website will rank on the SERP.

Deindexing & Indexing: When you add another webpage to Google, Google will crawl this page and index it in its search system. Deindexing is the opposite of this, where the webpage is removed from the index. 

EAT (Expertise, Authority and Trust): Expertise, authority and trust are the three core values Googles’ search algorithm uses to determine the level of trust accountable to each website.
Crawling: In laymen’s terms, crawling (or spidering) is the process by which Google bots will scan and analyse the information on a webpage.

Featured Snippet: A featured snippet is a highly coveted format positioned at the very top of the SERP, but below the paid ads. Also referred to as a ‘direct answer,’ it’s the text box that usually answers your search query immediately, or prompts you to click through to the site to which the information originated.

GMB (Google My Business) Listing: A GMB listing will likely appear on the right hand side of the SERP when you search for a specific service and will be local to you. This is a crucial factor to any local SEO strategy if you want to improve your business visibility and rankings on a concentrated level.

HTML (Hypertext Markup Language): HTML is the text-based approach used to describe webpages.

Internal Link: Within the same domain, internal links can be used on one webpage to link to another. This will make it easier for Google to understand the structure of your site.

Keyword Research: This is probably the most important task you’ll execute for your site. The goal is to get into the minds of the consumer and uncover alternative search terms to those entered into Google to find a specific service or offering.

Keyword Stuffing: Often resulting in penalties from Google, keyword stuffing is the process by which a webpage is over-optimised for specific keywords.  Too many of the same keyword on one webpage is detrimental to the fluidity of the content and can lower your rankings.

Link Building: Quality links indicate to Google that the content on your site is worthy of citation. Link building is a core SEO technique that involves building both internal links and backlinks to authoritative websites.

Meta Descriptions: When you review the search results on Google for a key term, below the blue URL text will be a description of the webpage’s content – this is the meta description and it is an essential factor to on-page SEO.

Mobile Indexing: In 2018, Google started rolling out mobile indexing on a broader spectrum. This meant that Google would determine rankings in organic SERPs from the information collected from mobile-friendly sites, before the desktop version. As of yet (25 July), mobile first indexing has kickstarted but we are still waiting for the full roll out.

Off-Page SEO: Off-page SEO includes all SEO measures that take place outside the walls of your own domain used to impact your rankings, such as building backlinks, guest blogging and social media marketing.

On-Page SEO: On-page SEO includes all SEO measures performed on individual webpages used to impact your rankings such as, keyword optimisation, building internal links and editing the title tag and meta description.

Referral Traffic: Referral traffic is the volume of traffic reported by Google that visited your site from an external source outside of a search engine.

SERP (search engine results page): This is the list of search results that appear on your screen when you hit the enter key on Google. It is estimated that 75% of users do not scroll past the 1st page of Google.

Trust Flow: This metric measures the ‘trustworthiness’ of a particular site.

White Hat: The opposite of black hat SEO, white hat techniques refer to all ethical strategies used to increase search visibility and rankings that remain in line with Google’s code of conduct.

YMYL: This is acronym for, ‘your money or your life’ is the term Google assigns to webpages that impact the future of users’ happiness, i.e. health or financial stability sites.

The Complete Rundown Of Google’s 2019 Algorithm Updates

Posted on by Chloe

Over the past year, Google made a whopping 3,200 changes to its search system, amounting to an impressive 8 changes a day. It’s safe to say that this number is a far cry from the lowly one change a day initiated back in 2010. As SEO experts we also know that these changes often arrive unannounced and take their time to settle in and unpack their algorithms on the world wide web.

The full effects of Google’s algorithm updates on the search system is still unknown, leaving many of us in the dark. However, it’s not all doom and gloom. While some consequences include drops in traffic and shifts in positions on the SERP, those practicing ethical SEO strategies can adapt to these changes and still achieve high quality rankings. Remember that the ultimate aim of all Google algorithm updates is to create a high quality user experience and improve the understanding of search queries.

In understanding where and when these changes occur, industry professionals are able to account for certain side-effects to webpages in the update aftermath and devise the best strategy to neutralise them.

To keep you informed, we’ve compiled a comprehensive list of all Google’s major algorithm updates in 2019 to date.

March 12th 2019, Google Core Algorithm Update

Touted as a ‘broad core update’, this change was a big one. The term ‘core’ indicates that Google was not targeting any particular website or quality, almost like an NHS health check. The underlying goal was to improve overall user satisfaction through the process of Neural Matching – an algorithm first introduced in 2018 that enables the generation of more diverse search results.

Winners and Losers

Interestingly, this algorithm update affected all search queries relating to sensitive topics in the legal, financial and most prominently health industries. Some have said that this update reversed the affects of the E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trust) update rolled out in August 2018 – otherwise known as the Medic Update – which also targeted webpages in the health arena. Everydayhealth.com and verywellhealth.com were among those hit the hardest.

However it has also been reported that other medical sites with a strong brand profile and topical focus experienced improvements in site visibility. A key factor known to account for these positive side-effects was the favouring of YMYL keywords. This acronym for, ‘your money or your life’ is what Google uses for webpages that impact the future of users’ happiness, i.e. health, financial stability etc. In laymen stems,  webpages that could successfully answer user search queries relating to YMYL keywords went up in the world as they could provide a higher level of trust.

June 3rd 2019, Google Core Update

The June 2019 core algorithm update was the first update that Google announced ahead of its implementation – a stark indication that this would likely have major effects on the SEO ecosystem. It has been speculated that this update targeted news providers that offered low-value content to users.

Winners and Losers

The five-day roll out impacted a plethora of large digital publishers such as the Daily Mail (who saw a 50% drop in search traffic) and CNN, who still claim to be in recovery. On the flip side, others including the Mirror, the Sun and the Metro experienced positive spikes in search traffic. The underlying causes of why the Daily Mail saw such dismal results post-update are still unknown. Some blame the lack of user trust in their content, their political positioning and the volume of poor quality advertisements. What we do know, is that SEO analysis of the core update continues and has been made doubly as difficult to understand due to its overlap with the June Diversity update (see below.) 

June 6th 2019, Google Diversity Update

Google’s diversity update was the antithesis of the March core algorithm update. Side-effects were minor and the change itself was narrowly targeted as a result of lesser known improvements made. The aim of the update was to limit SERPs from displaying various results from the same websites and to improve the assortment of options on offer for the user.

Winners and Losers

Some say that because this update overlapped with the June core update (which finished rolling out on the 8th June), that its affects on webpages were minimal. Users continue to demand a greater array of websites on the SERP, suggesting whether Google has done enough to address the issue of limited diversity? While there have been mostly positive results from this update, we have spotted a few discussions on Twitter that suggest otherwise. SEO industry professionals have predicted that we should expect to see more algorithm updates surrounding filtering out similar content on the SERP in the near future, so results may continue to improve in time.

Possible updates sighted in July 2019

On 11th – 13th July we spotted possible signs of an algorithm update. While this was unannounced, some have reported changes to YMYL sites, many health related. Prior to this around 1st – 9Th July, there were also spotting’s of a possible change to the June 3rd update. Again, information on this is in scarce supply and further highlights the importance of consistent site monitoring and metric analysis.

Winners and Losers

The unconfirmed July update has yet to expose those who benefited and those who suffered from the change. Some debate that the scale of the update was not momentous enough to impose significant damage, while others claim to have experienced rank fluctuations to the bottom half of the SERP across all markets.

August 16th 2019, Google Search Ranking Update

Over the weekend, there have been signs of an algorithm update, labelled the Google Search Ranking Algorithm Update, that begun on August 16th 2019. While we personally have not yet seen many changes to our clients’ websites (19th August 2019), there are ongoing discussions on Webmasterworld as well as Twitter.

Winners and Losers

Chatter surrounding this update died down quickly, and Google are yet to confirm if an update was released.

The issue with small updates or tweaks to search is that, as we receive small amounts of information, it’s harder to detect what updates specifically target – which applies to this small August update. Not much insight has been presented to us and any changes in traffic or rankings appear to be minor compared to the many other updates from this year. Yet many suspect that the changes were the result of seasonal factors, such as the summer holidays being in full swing.

August 29th– 30th 2019, Unnamed Update

Following on from the suspected update just the week before, Google launched an algorithm update that commenced on the 28th of August, continuing until the 30th.

What was interesting about this particular update, was that self-proclaimed Google employee, Bill Lambert warned the SEO community a few weeks before that this update was imminent, and advised site owners to build as much traffic as possible while trying to keep users on the site for longer.

Winners and Losers

The update appeared to have affected a wide range of industries as opposed to the usual YMYL or ones struggling with elements of E-A-T.

There were a few associations with this update and affiliate linking websites, which typically are sites of lower quality. While this theory is yet to be confirmed, it is also interesting to note that Marie Haynes reported this update as a ‘possible link related update’ after her clients experienced gains following recent disavow work. This strengthens the affiliate linking theory, as the update may have been related to Google’s ability to assess link trust.

September 13th – 18th 2019, Potential Update

From September 13th – 18th, SERP volatility trackers were incredibly high, indicating another Google update. However, the effects did not appear to be as significant as previous updates.

Winners and Losers

The winners and losers of this update were more transparent than during previous algorithm changes. As the update began, sites related to health, finance, law and government were affected in more negative ways than others. This indicated to us that YMYL sites were the predominant target.

However, the update then spiked on the 18th of September which flipped the above predictions on its head. The categories that were heavily hit included arts & entertainment, science, gaming and more, while YMYL sites were mostly absent.

This suggests that either the September 13th update did not last as long as we thought, and it may have been a separate update that occurred on the 18th.

September 24th 2019, September 2019 Core Update

Google announced on their Twitter account that a broad core update was incoming, formally named the “September 2019 Core Update.’ This announcement informed us that it would be significant as Google rarely declares updates beforehand. The search engine giant also stated that their advice for recovering from such updates remain the same.

This update took a while to get going and for the affects to be noticed – the day after the announcement, Barry Schwartz posted a Twitter poll asking if anyone had detected any changes and 61% claimed that they had not. But the next day, search results were certainly shaking up.

Winners and Losers

At first, there appeared to be quite a mix of recoveries and losses across the board, but either way the results did not appear as problematic compared to previous broad updates.

Similar to the last suspected August update, links appeared to be a factor with this update. One example of this, as reported by Search Engine Journal, came from members of the Proper PBN Facebook Group – a Facebook group who specialise in grey hat SEO tactics – who reported negative effects, especially after employing the 301 spam trick (when a different domain similar to the main site would be purchased, spammy links would be built to that domain, and then redirected to the main site with a 301). Sites with relevant 301s however retained their ranking

Furthermore, earlier in the month, Google announced small changes regarding how nofollow links will be treated, so it would make sense for links to be an update target during this time period.

October 25th 2019, BERT Algorithm Update

At the start of the week, signs of an algorithm update were extremely noticeable as changes were noted regarding traffic. Then, on Friday 25th, Google announced that they had released one of the most significant changes to search in recent years – the BERT algorithm update.

Similar to RankBrain, the aim of BERT was to help Google better understand language used in search queries. This means that the search company will be able to provide users with more accurate results within the SERPs as well as more useful featured snippets.

Winners and Losers

While Google described this update as one of the biggest changes they’ve made to search for a while, it certainly did not feel as big as previous major updates such as Penguin. This is likely because, over the years, the idea of keyword stuffing and writing for SEO has died down and been replaced with writing genuine, useful content for users. So you could say that the majority of websites have been preparing for this sort of update for a long time.

Of course, what will likely be affected is traffic, especially if your site often holds featured snippets. These SERP features will be changed – possibly quite dramatically – as Google can now recognise more accurately whether or not the content answers certain posed search query.

The main reason for a change in traffic is because Google will be changing which sites suit which queries, so any keywords your site ranks for may or may not alter slightly, depending on the quality of your content.

For more info about this update, click here. 

November 7th – 8th 2019, Search Ranking Algorithm Update

There was a considerable amount of chatter within the SEO community from November 7th, suspecting a significant search ranking algorithm update from Google. However, confusion was also at large as the majority of tracking tools did not pick up on the fluctuations.

But a week later, Google came forward to confirm the update, stating in a tweet that they rolled out several updates that were no different than usual. This signifies that these updates were smaller by Google’s standards – nothing more than routine, despite the number of tremors the community picked up.

Google’s Danny Sullivan also stated that he believed this update was unrelated to BERT.

Winners and Losers

Victims of this update mostly came from the US, with many sites affected significantly by these algorithm changes. These were primarily small and medium affiliate websites, notably from the travel, food, and health industries. SEO veteran Barry Shwartz asked on Twitter what people’s thoughts are, and the answers appear to support these findings. Overall, the update has reportedly been ‘aggressive on small, affiliate websites.’

There has been much discussion surrounding the online health industry recently, what with Google announcing that they are working on a search tool to help with medical research, and several updates this year touting YMYL sites as targets. Marie Haynes has been looking into these changes, believing that Google has been working to crack down on alternative health sites that go against general scientific consensus – even if these alternatives were backed up their claims thoroughly on their websites. According to Search Metrics, because of this update, many of the organic traffic drops were more than 30%.

November 4th – 10th 2019, Bedlam Update/ Local Search Update

We, alongside many within the SEO community, saw significant tremors throughout local map rankings throughout the week. There were shifts in rankings, and it took a while for the Local RankFlux tacker to settle. Local updates are quite rare, so any changes are usually quite noticeable.

Coined the ‘Bedlam’ Update by local search expert Joyanne Hawkins, this update was ‘a scene of uproar and confusion’ as changes were made across the board, with theories coming out left right and centre to later be hidden away again as further effects continued to take place.

A few weeks later, Google confirmed that the local update did take place, naming it the Nov.19 Local Search Update.

Winners and Losers

According to Google, the update focused on adding neural matching to local queries, following the implementation of this to organic search back in 2018. This means that, while the fundamentals of local rankings remain the same, the way Google understands these search queries have changed.

This proves Joyanne’s Hawkins belief that relevance was the priority of the update, not proximity. Google stated that there’s no need for businesses to do anything in the aftermath of this update, except follow the fundamental advice already available on their website.

In her blog post published during the early days of the update, Joyanne Hawkins said that many of the drastic changes had relaxed by the 10th, with only a few not being reversed. As an example, she stated that a lawyer started ranking for several zip codes that he never had before, which continued to increase as the update carried on.

 

With thousands of changes rolling out each year and over 200 contributing factors to Google’s algorithm, navigating your website through a Google update minefield remains no easy task. However, in the event of a major update, those in the SEO community should take the time to scrutinise traffic and rankings in order to understand if a site has been hit at a given time and pinpoint if any other affecting factors have come into play.

If you’d like to know how to protect your site from future Google updates, click here for our breakdown of Google’s blog, or get in touch today.

Reviving Blog Posts: How To Use Old Content For New Results

Posted on by Chloe

Producing great content is vital if you want people to be attracted to your brand and engage with it. Around 84% of buyers frequently or occasionally access business related content on their phones, while B2B marketers rated blog articles as the most effective content format in the awareness stage. These statistics can confirm that, right now, content is a vital for your marketing strategy.

It’s also important to remember that Google pays attention to the quality of the content that you produce. If the quality is high, your business is more likely to feature highly in search results. This helps to attract more traffic to your business website or blog.

The problem with creating great content is that it can involve the investment of a lot of time and effort. Reusing blog content that has been produced previously can help to reduce this investment without having an adverse effect on your overall content quality. However, you need to make sure that you reuse content in the right way.

How reusing blog content can work for business

Let’s start by looking at how reusing blog content can be good for your business. The fact is that a good piece of content can help you attract more traffic, strengthen your brand and improve your conversion rates, even if you use it more than once.

Getting this to work is all about repackaging the content in the right way. Doing so means that it can appear as something fresh and new to both current customers and potential customers that you are trying to attract. After all, everyone loves a good story or appreciates being provided with valuable information.

If your business has produced a blog post that has done either of these things well, there is a good chance that it still has a lot of life left. This is why you should always revisit your blog posts and not just consign them to the archives for good.

Which content should you reuse?

If you want to revive blog posts effectively, you need to understand which content you can reuse and which you should leave where it is. The two main criteria to use when deciding this are evergreen content and popular content.

Evergreen content is content that is not time bound. This means it continues to work well year-on-year. For instance, the advice in this article is evergreen. The basics of reviving blog posts do not change.

Popular content is time, season or statistic-heavy content that which has attracted a lot of interest. You can check the Google analytics stats for your business, to see which of your blog posts this applies to.

It’s important to note that you should not necessarily disregard content simply because some of the facts and figures used need updating. Think about the overall message of the content and decide whether it would still work if some updating work was carried out.

How to revive content

There are several methods that you can use to revive blog content so that it can work for your business again. Having decided which content you may be able to reuse, here are some ideas that can inspire you.

Create A Series

Choose a listicle that was previously created and create a series of blog posts from it. In order to do this, you will probably need to expand on the content somewhat, using each point as the focus for each blog. Consider the titles you use – if they relate directly to user intent, e.g. ‘How to’ and ‘why should…’ searches that are popular (For example – this article you’re reading!)

When writing these blogs posts, you can then improve your internal linking structure, directing traffic to the original content and other relevant pages on your site.

Create Visual Content

Repurpose your content by turning it into an infographic or visual data, which can then be used for link building purposes if you wish. Infographics are liked and shared 3x more than other types of content, so you’d be missing out on something if you don’t try this tactic out.

You don’t even need a professional graphic designer to create an infographic. Apps like Canva are perfect for this strategy

Update The Statistics

Update the content of a blog post to include the latest industry and technical information.

Internal Links

Create new, more appropriate, links within the content. If you have created pieces of content recently that can relate to one of the points stated in an old post, go back and link that new content in. It shows that you keep your posts updated, and as they continue to relate to current trends, you can share them across social media to bring in even more traffic.

Ultimate Guide

Use the information that you have within one or more blog posts to create a comprehensive guide, also known as an ‘Ultimate Guide’ or ‘Beginner’s Guide,’ etc. to a specific subject, which you can then link to relevant blog posts and pages that you want ranking. You may want to create this guide as a guest posting in order to raise the profile of your brand.

Using one or more of these methods can help you take the content that you already have and create something fresh and exciting.

In summary

There is no doubt that reviving blog posts can provide many benefits for your business. Doing so gives you the opportunity to bring excellent content to a whole new audience, attracting new customers.

Using great content in this way can also help you to feature highly in search results, which is obviously essential if you want to optimise the amount of traffic that your business attracts.

It’s also important to remember that you get all of these benefits without having to invest as much time and effort as you do when creating new content. Even if the blog posts that you are revitalising need to be updated, this is still less resource intensive than having to start from scratch.

Hopefully, you can see the benefits of reviving blog posts and have been inspired to look for content that you can reuse.

The Latest Google My Business Features

Posted on by Chloe

Over the years, Google has made it easier for you to reach your potential clients – particularly those local to your business. Generally speaking, consumers who search for a service using the terms, ‘near me,’ without a particular company in mind, will likely look at the businesses who rank in the top positions of the search engine results page (SERP). They will also be more prone to interacting with the business whose Google My Business (GMB) listing is displayed at the very top of the SERP.

Therefore, it is highly recommended that you optimise your website for local searches. Unfortunately, 56% of companies have yet to claim their local business listing on Google, which means that they could be missing out on a relatively simple way to manage their business information, build brand awareness and gain a whole lot of web traffic. A whopping 82% of smartphone shoppers conduct ‘near me’ searches.

Recently, Google announced additional updates that allow you to enhance your listing even further, which are now being rolled out. This blog will give an overview of what features GMB has on offer to help get you and your business up to date and on the local Google search map.

If you’d like more insight into how to optimise your GMB listing, click here to read our advice.

Short Names

Short names, or short links, have been added to the GMB feature with the aim of giving businesses a simpler way of making their GMB profile more accessible. Currently, this feature has only been adopted by 1% of all active GMB merchants.

The shorter name/link must fit between 5 and 32 characters in length and can contain your business name, location, brand, or any other description. For example, you can use your name along with your location, such as @CheltenhamSEO. Be mindful that you can also only change your short name three times a year.

To create your short name:
1. Sign into Google My Business and select the location.
2. Click ‘Info’ from the left-side menu, followed by ‘Add Profile Short Name.’
3. You can then enter your short name.

Once applied, your name will show as ‘Pending,’ and the short URL will then show on your business profile once it’s ready.

Cover Photos and Photo Displays

Businesses can now select a header image, meaning that they can choose the photo(s) that will be seen when they are searched. Previously, the GMB owner did not have much say in which image Google chose to display, so this is great news.

As well as this, you’ll soon see carousel or slide show style photo displays, plus the addition of captions, which will help you tell the story behind your photos. A study conducted by BrightLocal revealed that 60% of consumers said ‘local search results with good images captured their attention and pushed them towards a decision.’

Google has advised businesses to upload a minimum of three exterior photos and three interior photos to their GMB.

Adding Your Logo

If you’ve submitted your business’ core information (address, phone number, opening times, etc), you will have the option to display your business logo on the upper right-hand side of your profile.

To do this, you will need to:
1. Sign in to your ‘Google Admin’ console. Sign in using your administrator account (does not end in @gmail.com).
2. From the ‘Admin Console’ home page, go to ‘Company Profile Personalization’.
3. Select ‘Custom logo’.
4. Click ‘Choose File’ and select the file containing your logo.
5. Click ‘Upload’.

Offline Features

Google has launched a website which allows you to aid the promotion of your local business on GMB. You can access social media posts, stickers and posters that are generated using information pulled directly from Google review content, star ratings and your profile’s core information. These posts make great content to share on your social media channels.

These features are extremely useful for businesses with positive reviews on Google, as they allow for the management of your reputation and encourage interaction with your business both online and offline.

Welcome Offers

In October 2018, Google launched a ‘Follow’ button that appears on business listings in the Android Google Maps app, following the removal of Google+. This allows customers to view the GMB post in their ‘For You’ tab.

Businesses now have the opportunity to reward following customers by providing offers, coupons and discounts to use offline. Beware that users will not see exactly what the offer is until they follow the business listing.

Manage Bulk Reviews

From August 16th, Google has added a new feature that allows users to manage reviews in bulk for multiple listings. This means that you’ll be able to view, respond to and flag all reviews at once – a dream feature for GMB users.

Although it should be noted that this feature is only available for location groups with no more than 500 locations, and is not available for organisation accounts.

While this is only a small change, it is certainly welcomed by the SEO community as managing reviews on each individual listing can be time consuming. Just log into your account and click ‘Manage Reviews’ from the side menu.

Hotels Can Add More To Their Listings

Hotels can now add more to their GMB listings, as Google has now made it possible for users to edit ‘services’ and ‘amenities’ in the ‘Hotel Attributes’ section of Google My Business. Please be aware that this can only be done from your desktop, not the mobile app.

Google provides summaries of a hotel’s amenities and services for customers to view from search results, but now that this can be modified by the hotels themselves, users are more likely to see factually correct information. Previously, owners of hotel sites would not be able to change it themselves.

Regarding services, you can add a range of features to your listing to offer search users a more in-depth idea of your hotel. The options include housekeeping, baggage storage, wake up calls, elevators, gift shops and more.

In Summary

Signing up to GMB is completely free and certainly worth the effort if you want to plant your local business firmly at the top of the SERP. Google is constantly rolling out new specifications for their GMB feature and it is vital you keep an eye out for the most recent updates, so that your business can continue to expand its online presence.

Update

Today (on July 5th 2019), users have already detected sightings of a more visual and user friendly interface when they log in to their GMB account. We’ll be monitoring for any further progress so we can keep you fully informed.

Discussion on Twitter here.

The .uk domain explained: What it is and how it could impact your business

Posted on by Chloe

You might not have paid much attention to the end of a domain name. But for most people, the domain name of a website is used to indicate where the organisation is from and improve search engine rankings. In the UK, most domain names finish in ‘.co.uk’, ‘.org.uk’ or ‘.net.uk’.

Remembering a website’s address can be difficult, and it is common for people to forget the domain name of it. Even if you have a well-designed website, people need to be able to find it. SEO is an important way to get you found, but some people rely on their memory.

According to the rules from the global domain name system, the same characters before the dot (or the ‘string’) can be used by different organisations with different endings. This can be a problem for some organisations as it can cause confusion amongst people who are looking for their website.

The .uk domain

The .uk domain is shorter and snappier than the current domain names which most people use. It is easier to remember that the more long-winded domain names, often shortening a web address.

The . uk domain has only been available for just under the last five years and Nominet – the business who is responsible for the . uk domain name is keen to remind people with existing ‘.co.uk’ and other domains that the deadline is looming for them to claim their ‘.uk’ domain.

Ask any online business expert about the power of a good domain name, and they will tell you that it is important to be memorable and easy to use for marketing and promotions. That means simple yet powerful. And this is a particular strength of .uk

In terms of customers finding you, .uk has more benefits. Most countries around the world have an ending based on this model. This means that people from all over the world are more likely to look for you at ‘whattheythinkisyourwebsite.uk’ than any other. If you don’t have a ‘.uk’ name, therefore, they might not find you, or, worse, they could find your competitor first.

Changes in .uk Domains

Nominet has been implementing the change to ‘.UK’ for the past five years. Anyone who has a ‘.co.uk’, ‘.org.uk’, ‘.net.uk’, ‘.me.uk’, ‘.plc.uk’ or ‘.ltd.uk’ domain are able to register to get the ‘.uk’ domain. That is until 25th June 2019. This has been running since June 2014 and now an estimated over 2 million people have registered for their rights of having a .uk domain.

If you have one of the domain names above, you can find out what your options are if you are wanting to claim your ‘.uk’ domain. You can visit Nominet’s website and use their checker to see what the situation is:

  • You will have the right to claim you .uk domain name
  • The .uk domain will have been claimed already
  • You will be able to register for the domain name but with no rights

If you have the rights to register the domain, just get in touch with your domain registrar (the person who you registered your first domain name with), or you can transfer it over to a different registrar (speak to your hosting provider to find out how).

In July, all of the unregistered domains which had previously been ‘reserved’ will be up for grabs, and Nominet has been in touch in as many ways that they can to get website holders informed.

If you have a domain that you like and don’t want to change, you also have the option to not change anything and carry on exactly as you were.

Why should you claim your .uk domain?

It really is up to you whether you want to claim your .uk domain. However, experts are predicting that those which are not claimed by your legitimate business are likely to be snapped up by unscrupulous people who might want to trick people or carry out fraudulent activity.

This could become a problem when you find people pretending to be you, and, as they are expecting an influx of complaints when this comes into practice, it might take a while to become resolved.

It is important that as many people as possible know about this change so that businesses and other organisations can make an informed decision about whether they want to embrace it or not. It means that businesses can take advantage of the benefits of the introduction of .uk, or at least be aware of the potential problems that could occur if they don’t.

If you haven’t registered your .uk domain and feel that you have the right to, time is running out, so get it done today!

3D Animals – The Latest Google Feature

Posted on by Chloe

Thanks to Google, you can now interact with different animals by using your phone.

In May, Google announced that some searches would feature augmented reality results that users can interact with. Now, we’re starting to see them in action.

You can now see different animals using your phone camera, similar to Pokemon Go.

Google has not yet clarified how extensively they plan to implement AR into search results, but, right now, it is certainly providing a lot of fun!

How To Use It

If you search ‘giant panda’ as an example, and scroll through the results, you will find an option that reads ‘Meet a life-sized giant panda up close.’

Once you’ve tapped on ‘View in 3D,’ a small version of the panda will appear on your screen. Tap ‘View in your space,’ and it’s inserted into your current surroundings.

You can then change its size, move it around and even take photos with it. The animal is fully animated, so it moves the same way a real panda would –  it sits there eating a stick of bamboo.

Most of the other animals make sounds as well, although not much can be heard from the panda.

How do I know if my phone supports this feature?

For Android, you will need Android 7.0 or later, and your device should have originally come with Google Play Store installed.

For iPhone, you will need iOS 11.0 or later.

Which animals does it work for?

These are just a few that have been found so far.

Giant Panda, Lion

Shark

For us, we found that the option is only available if you search ‘sharks’ on Android. On Apple devices, ‘shark’ works.

Octopus, wolf

Tiger

 

There is a giant thread on Twitter showing more animals that have been discovered, such as an alligator, a turtle, and a pony. However, there are likely more if you’re willing to search for them all!

Google’s Latest Design of Search Engine Results Pages

Posted on by Chloe

You are probably already aware that Google make regular minor changes that affect the design of search result pages. This includes several small changes to the font and size of ads over the years. However, last week Google announced that they have made a major change to the design of mobile search results and ads. Google state that the design update aims to put “website’s branding front and center” so that web users “better understand where the information is coming from”. The new layout should also create a more streamlined design on search engine result pages. With this in mind, here’s everything you need to know about Google’s new update.

What are the changes?

Black ad sign

The green ads sign has been replaced with bold, black text. This may seem minor, however it could have a significant impact on search results as it helps ads to blend in with the rest of the search results and appear more like organic content.

Name of the site

With the new design, the site name and information appears next to the favicon in search results. Prior to the update, the name of the site appeared in smaller green text below the title and there were no logos or images present. This helps search users to understand where their information is coming from.

No grey line

Previously, ads stood out from the rest of the search results and were easily recognisable. For example, back in 2013 Google ads were displayed in a single block with a coloured background, clearly separate from other result types. More recently, ads and organic search results were  differentiated by the presence a grey line, but Google has now removed this to give each result a more singular look.

Google SERP

 

Image from Twitter

Presence of a favicon

The new design layout takes a brand-first approach and the site’s favicon will now appear at the top of the search result. This means that the user will be able to instantly see where the information is coming from. This is an important feature as it will help you in building an online brand.

These changes mean that organic and paid results will appear more similar on search result pages. The new design also brings some branding to search results and allows users to get quick information on the businesses and sites included in their search results.

Do I have to have a favicon?

A favicon is essentially a small icon that can be associated with your site. Previously, they would only usually be seen in the address bar of a browser, or next to a bookmark for your site. However, with Google’s new update, having a favicon is more important as they will be displayed next to search results. Not having a favicon may affect how your business appears to consumers and have a negative effect on traffic to your site. Your favicon should act as a visual representation of your business and brand, and it needs to the correct size and format so that it can be supported. There are plenty of free tools available online that can convert a standard image into a favicon file. Check Google’s guidelines for more information.

Will the changes increase traffic?

The most notable benefit of Google’s new update is that it helps ads appear more like organic search results. This may help improve click through rates and traffic to paid search result pages. Although it may be too early to notice any impact yet, it is definitely worth monitoring your click through rates on both organic pages and paid results to check for any changes. Another benefit of the new design, is that it provides users with details on where their search results are coming from, so they can get instant information on your site and business. This will help build brand awareness and make your business more recognisable to people. Consumers are far more likely to buy from your business if they know and trust it. For that reason, the new update could help to improve organic traffic to your site, leading to more conversions and an increase in revenue.

Final thought

Overall, the changes have created a more streamlined design to search result pages. It is too early to say whether Google’s new update will improve traffic to paid search results. However, re-designing ads to appear more similar to organic search results, will certainly make it harder for consumers to differentiate between the two. It is important for all marketers and site owners to monitor the potential impact on traffic from Google mobile search, in response to the new updates.

Building your online brand

Posted on by Chloe

Many entrepreneurs focus on building a business, rather than a brand – this is a mistake. Developing an online brand can play an important role in helping you to build a long-lasting, successful business. Just look at Apple – whenever they release a new product, people line up outside their shops to get their hands on it. This is because they feel an emotional connection to the brand and trust in the quality of their items. An online brand is the ultimate way to give your business a competitive advantage and connect with your audience on a more personal level. With that in mind, here are our top ways to build your online brand.

Understand the importance

The first step to building your online brand, is to understand the important role that it plays in the success of your business. Some business owners are reluctant to invest in online branding, because they feel that it may be a waste of money and yield little results. However, building your online brand can have a number of significant benefits such as creating awareness and interest in your business, attracting new customers, growing your business online, and securing repeat customers. All of these are important factors in any successful business.

Research your target audience

Before you can build an online brand, it is also important to understand your target audience. Make sure you do thorough research and establish who your audience are and what will appeal to them – this includes things like their gender, age, and interests. You can use a number of online tools to help you identify your target audience. Some useful examples include Google Trends, Compete, and Comscore. These tools with provide you with valuable information on your target audience, and help you determine what they will want to see and hear. This will enable you can create an effective online brand strategy and develop your brands voice.

Use a range of media platforms

The most effective online branding strategies use a variety of different media platforms to capture their audience. For example, use content networks to develop your brand through repetition, then use behavioural marketing to get your advertisements seen by your target audience. You also need to consider what social media you are going to use. There are plenty of different social media platforms, so make sure you find the one that’s best for your business. Your market research should help you understand what social media your audience uses, and how to reach them. Remember that social media is a great tool for getting organic traffic and building your online brand, so make sure you take advantage of it! It’s also important to keep in mind that media platforms are constantly evolving, so make sure you are flexible and adapt your strategies to any new changes.

Create a recognisable logo

Your brand logo is extremely important. It has the power to arouse interest in your audience and build awareness of your brand and business. Make sure you choose a unique logo, that is easily recognisable and reflects the story behind your business – brands like Apple and Nike are a good example. Keep in mind that people are likely to forget or confuse a logo that is too complicated, so it’s always best to keep it simple!

Remember that content is key

Posting regular quality and relevant content, is one of the best way to connect with your audience and build your online brand. We see content everywhere – from Google and Youtube, to Facebook and Instagram. Good quality content will attract more people and if they enjoy it, then they are going to associate the value of your content to your brand. Posting high quality content is also a great way to encourage similar reputable organisations to repost your content and include backlinks to your website. This will help to generate more traffic to your website and enhance your organic search presence. Remember, the more prevalent your brand becomes in the mind of your peers, the stronger your reputation will grow online.

Build your reputation online

Building your reputation online is extremely important. People aren’t going to buy from your business if they don’t know or trust it. Online reputation and brand authority is also an important factor in your search engine rankings, as more authoritative sites will appear higher in search engine result pages. This will help to drive more quality traffic to your website and generate more conversions for your business. It is important to remember that building an online reputation for your brand will take time and consistency is key. Keep posting quality, relevant content and eventually your brand will build a following and brand authority online.

Google’s Quality Raters Guidelines: What They Mean

Posted on by Chloe

The Quality Raters Guidelines (QRG) are intended to help the team of Quality Raters that work for Google to assess the quality of websites. It makes sense that updates to the QRG are important as the Quality Raters help Google engineers to understand whether changes they make to the algorithms will work as intended.

This is why, in the past, updates to the QRG have been reflected in Google algorithm updates that have followed. For instance, after the QRG was last updated, in July 2018, relevant algorithm updates seemed to follow with the Google Medic Update of August 2018 and the following update in September. These updates centred around the “safety of users”. So, what can we learn from the latest QRG update that might help us to predict future Google algorithm changes?

Interstitial ads

It’s no secret that Google does not have much love for interstitial ads, especially when they are used on mobile content. These full screen ads that pop-up during the flow of an app are especially disliked by Google when they are displayed at the start of the user experience.

In the latest QRG update, Google has added the phrase “interstitial page” when discussing ease of access for users. This is interesting as Google already has an algorithm that deals with sites that use interstitial ads immediately as users arrive on a page.

It could be that the use of the phrase is intended to clarify the situation regarding interstitial ads, with Quality Raters.

E-A-T, how formal does expertise need to be?

Expertise, Authority and Trust (E-A-T) are factors that Google uses when it measures the trust that can be placed in a website or the brand it represents.

There has always been a question about how formal expertise needs to be. For instance, does an individual or brand need to have qualifications in order to be considered an expert in a specific area? In some cases, such as when medical advice is being given, qualifications are important.

However, in the latest QRG update Google suggests that a medium rating should be given to creators of content who display expertise that is not formal. This change is probably more to do with better evaluating E-A-T than a suggestion that the importance of E-A-T is being reduced.

It could be that Google is recognising that not all experience is best gauged by professional qualifications. This could mean that people who have in-depth expertise as an amateur will rank better in the future.

Authority of brand and content

We all know that authority of brand and authority of content are not always the same thing. Some content that is not of a particularly high standard seems to still be able to rank highly if it’s produced by an authoritative brand.

Interestingly, at one point in the updated QRG Google refers to the authority of a brand “making the information on this page highly authoritative”, rather than suggesting that the information on the page is authoritative in its own right.

This could seem to suggest that the authority of the brand itself can be seen to make content authoritative. This can make it difficult for content creators to compete for position in search results against the big brands. It means that expectations need to be considered when trying to compete for certain keywords and phrases.

Emphasis on the quality of pages

One interesting change that is noticeable in the latest QRG update is that the phrase “page quality” has replaced the E-A-T acronym on several occasions. While it’s obvious that E-A-T still has huge importance, it seems as though there is a move towards assessing the quality of individual pages. This is different from the previous emphasis on assessing the E-A-T of a website and of its author.

The impact of the QRG update on future algorithm changes

While it’s not possible for anyone to predict the precise effect that the QRG changes may have on future Google algorithm changes, it is possible to suggest what the effect may be.

The biggest change that could be coming is an increased emphasis on page quality. While E-A-T is not going away it could be that sites that have found a way to be valuable in other ways will rank higher than they do now.

It will be interesting to see if and when this happens.