The Google Penguin is an algorithm update that was launched by Google to target link spams and link building practices that are manipulative. It was first introduced in 2012 as the “webspam algorithm update” but later became officially known as the Penguin, a term which originated from a tweet by Matt Cutts who was the Google webspam team’s head at that time. Although the Google Penguin has been around for a few years now, many digital marketers and website owners still don’t fully understand what the algorithm update was all about. So to help them obtain the basic understanding of the algorithm, this article details some of the useful information about the Google Penguin, and these are the following. 1. Google Penguin’s Launch Dates The first version of the Google Penguin algorithm update was launched in April 2012. Upon its release, Google estimated that it affected about 3 percent of the search results. It was upgraded several times, and the fourth update was implemented in May 2013 which eventually changed around 2.3 percent of the queries received by Google. 2. Google Penguin’s Purpose The Google Penguin was launched as part of Google’s efforts to counter low-quality content, manipulative link building practices and target spamming. It was released after the Google Panda and regarded as its extension. However, it was designed to deal with the widespread manipulation of rankings and search results practised by a lot of websites that employ black hat techniques on link building. Therefore, the update’s primary purpose is to control or at least minimise the effectiveness of the black hat techniques used to boost link building. In short, the Google Penguin works to ensure that the relevant and authoritative links are rewarded while spammy and manipulative ones are downgraded. 3. Google Penguin’s Updates Google subjected the Penguin to some updates and refreshes. The Penguin 1.1 was released on March 26, 2012, to refresh its updates within. This was followed by the Penguin 1.2 on October 5, 2012, which is a regarded as another refresh but affected international queries received by Google. The Penguin 2.0 which is considered as a technically-advanced version was launched on May 22, 2013. This release significantly impacted the search results. The update 4.0 was launched on October 17, 2014. Although it was known as a significant update, it was viewed by experts as a data refresh. The final update which is the Penguin 4.0 was implemented on September 23, 2016. It is in this update where the Penguin was incorporated into the core algorithm.
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Google Trends will now offer more up-to-date and real-time data based on the search items’ popularity. The latest move from Google is expected to provide a range of benefits to SEO professionals, business website owners and digital marketers. This is because aside from giving organic searches, Google Trends will readily offer the most updated data about the searches made within YouTube, images and news. The latest updates on Google Trends are now in place and are available in desktop and mobile versions worldwide. Upon implementation, Google retained all of the existing search filters that they offer along with newer ones. Given all these, users can now directly view the most recent engagements on various topics they are interested in using Google news and images alone. Furthermore, they can further extend their searches by using the YouTube filter. Thus, users now have more data source options. Aside from the organic data they can conveniently explore the searches made for a specific topic using Google images, Google news and YouTube. They can then use the vast amount of data obtained to boost their website’s traffic. Another good thing that the latest improvements implemented on Google Trends provide is that it makes the users’ experience more useful by allowing them to see the popularity of a particular topic for a specified period and within a specific area. Due to this, users can quickly tune their data search based on the field and the timeline they want to focus on. Finally, these features are accessible at any time of the day and almost anywhere. Learning how to use Microsoft Excel is regarded as a must for almost offices including those that are engaged in digital marketing. This is because the software is instrumental in making record-keeping, calculations and other numerical procedures more convenient. Unfortunately, not all of those who are interested in learning how to use Microsoft Excel were successful in getting the best out of it since the software is not simple but somewhat complicated than it appears. Thus, many business owners and digital marketers are still having a hard time in using Excel. So to help them, this article shares the top free onlin 1. Excel Help Center The Microsoft Excel Help Center offers a range of tutorials that are helpful to those who want to learn how to use the software. The tutorials provide relevant information that can help users know how to add data to the spreadsheet and how to format them. Furthermore, it also includes information on creating PivotTables, macros and merging them into a mail. Also, the available tutorials usually come with sections that allow users to try the techniques learned directly into the browsers that they use. With this, those who want to learn are given an actual hands-on of the software’s functions and improve their skills upon moving forward. 2. Chandoo Another recommended online source of information regarding the use of Microsoft Excel is Chandoo. The site provides an array of topics that cover the basic and advanced features of the software. It also provides some advanced features but requires purchasing. Fortunately, those offered for free are quite enough to start the initial exploration of the software’s functions. 3. Mr. Excel Many digital marketers also consider Mr. Excel as a top source of information to learn how to use Microsoft Excel. Although it offers products on sale, it comes with blogs that offer essential tips and tricks to boost the users’ utility of the software. 4. Excel Jet Excel Jet provides a quick reference that helps the user learn the keyboard shortcuts that are helpful in manipulating Microsoft Excel. With these, it is possible for users to use the software without the need for a mouse. Google recently added a suite of new features to its shopping ads to enable shoppers to conveniently discover, compare and research about the products they wish to buy. The move was greatly influenced by the continuous rise in the amount of research conducted using various mobile devices before the actual purchase. To provide a better understanding of the features added, this article enumerates some of the enhancements introduced to Google Shopping ads, and these are the following.
Presently, the feature intended for product comparison enables shoppers to view the prices, specs and reviews of the items that they plan to buy. It also allows them to compare the available options side-by-side. On top of that, Google can now also alert buyers the availability of a newer model whenever they search for the previous year’s version. 2. For product research The latest set of features introduced on the Google Shopping ads also include a function that permits shoppers to learn more about the item that they are checking. A “Quick View” button found at the bottom of the ads is presently available and tapping this will prompt the page to display the product information which includes the description, seller’s ratings, reviews and a more prominent image. Furthermore, the feature allows shoppers to view the information about the related or similar products by scrolling past the “Quick View” button. 3. For product discovery Finally, the latest enhancements to the Google Shopping ads upgraded the “Knowledge Panel”, and this allows shoppers to display videos, reviews and descriptions if a particular product is subjected to search. Google also highlights the available buying guides to narrow down the searchers’ buying options. As of the present, the suite of new features is now live but only available for US search results. The Panda is the official name used to refer to the algorithm update developed and implemented by Google. It is intended to reduce the occurrence and spread of thin and low-quality content in the search results. Furthermore, it is used to reward sites that provide unique and persuasive content. Upon the implementation of the algorithm update, many websites experienced undesirable impacts while the others gained a lot of benefits. However, its drastic effects on some websites eventually pushed them to provide high-quality content and improve the user experience. Although the Google Panda Update has been in force for a few years now, many site owners and SEO professionals still don’t have a clear understanding of its significant features. Thus, they tend to view the Panda as a lousy algorithm. To, help these individuals get a clear view of what the Panda is all about, this article provides a brief description of the algorithm, and these are the following. 1. Why Was the Panda Created The Google Panda Update is an algorithm designed to significantly reduce the low-quality sites’ rankings particularly those that are not that useful and are only copying content from other websites. This means that the algorithm was created to penalise or sanction sites that are not that useful. The update was also programmed to benefit the rankings of websites that provide original content, well-researched information and reports that involved in-depth analysis. Given this, a lot of website owners are encouraged to improve the quality of the content they provide as well as help them understand the value of publishing factual posts. 2. Google Panda Update’s Introduction The Google Panda Update was first introduced to users on February 23, 2011. On the following day, Google published a blog post intended to explain what the update is all about. On the said blog post, the company indicated that they had launched a relatively bigger algorithmic improvement which is estimated to impact about 11.8% of the queries that Google receives. Since its release in 2011, the Panda gained a lot of criticisms. In fact, it was once widely viewed by those who don’t fully-understand the update’s purpose as a threat to websites’ existence. But as the years go by, Google has implemented a range of upgrades to the algorithm, and these gave Panda a positive image among SEO professionals and business owners. 3. Myths About the Google Panda Update Many website owners view the Google Panda Update as a threat to their site’s existence. This is because most of them believed some of the myths about the algorithm. Fortunately, Google has gradually debunked some of these especially the following.
Google has recently announced the company’s plan to introduce eight new trust indicators to help guide searchers in finding credible content. The current move is regarded as part of the company’s goal to improve the searchers’ experience in using their services. It can be remembered that Google introduced the Fact Check tag last year as a way of labelling news stories. After that, the tech giant has also introduced the publisher’s “Knowledge Panel” that enables users to get educated and know the sources where they are getting the news. It has been known that Google’s upcoming plan includes the addition of eight new indicators and this will be implemented with Trust Project’s assistance. These indicators are designed to let the readers of news articles and other content know what they are going to read, the author and the manner which the content was created. Upon implementation, the said indicators will greatly help readers in identifying the credible sources from those who are only publishing content that are less trustworthy. Furthermore, these are expected to allow searchers to identify content that provide misleading information as well as those that are classified as promotional materials. Based on Google’s initial announcement, users can expect to eventually find the following indicators in the future. 1. The Author’s Expertise: Details the expertise and other information about the journalist or author
2. Work Type: Labels the nature of the content provided such as if it is opinion, analysis or news reports. 3. Content Citations/References: Provides the author’s sources of information 4. Best Practices: Reveals who provides the funding for the news outlet along with their missions and commitments 5. Actionable Feedback: Details the news outlet’s efforts in engaging the public 6. Diverse Voices: Reflects the author’s efforts to bring out diverse perspectives 7. Methods Used: Details the author’s motivation and the processes accomplished to come up with the story 8. Locally Sourced: Reveals if the story published has local origins and roots Mozilla recently announced that it would once again use Google as its default search engine prompting the end of its three-year partnership with Yahoo. The announcement came after Mozilla’s release of the Firefox Quantum, the company’s latest and most likely the fastest browser. It can be remembered that Mozilla partnered with Yahoo in 2014 to become the latter’s default search provider, but their alliance ended too soon. When asked by the media for a statement regarding the latest move, Mozilla explained that the switch was a part of the company’s strategy of evaluating, searching and selecting a default search engine that can provide the best search experience in every region instead of sticking to a single platform globally. A lot of technology experts agree that Mozilla’s move to switch to the use of Google on the Firefox Quantum was basically due the latter’s speed. Since the Quantum’s main selling point is its speed, it is certainly better for Mozilla to utilize Google for this very reason. Mozilla also made it clear that although Google will serve as the Firefox Quantum’s default search provider, the browser still comes with the functionality that enables the users to manually change their browser’s default search engine according to their choice. This simply means that users can still set Yahoo as their Firefox default search engine. Furthermore, the Firefox Quantum still has the feature that provides users with more options since it comes with a wide selection of built-in search engines. Finally, certain regions will also feature different default search engines such as Baidu in China and Yandex in Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Turkey. The number of software used for SEO purposes has tremendously increased over the years. As a result, many SEO professionals and business owners are having a hard time in selecting the software that best suits their needs. As a result, most of them obtained the wrong software. So to help them, this article provides the top tips for selecting the best SEO software and these are the following. 1. Check the accuracy of the data provided by the SEO software One of the most important things that business owners and SEO professionals should look into when selecting the SEO software to use is to check the accuracy of the data provided. This is because the data obtained using the software serves as a guide in improving the basic aspects of every website and boost their rankings. To do this step, website owners should examine the software’s keyword ranking tracker. If it provides better and more accurate data, then they can readily consider this as a great option. Aside from the keyword ranking tracker, checking the software’s capability to provide mobile and desktop ranking results is also worth considering. This is because such feature allows the user to keep track of the essential data regardless of their location. 2. Evaluate the software’s website audit results Aside from checking the accuracy of data provided, it is also important for business owners to consider the website audit results provided by the software. Many SEO professionals agree that having the software that provides better website audits allows the owner to conveniently identify the potential technical and SEO-related issues affecting the site’s performance. Thus, they can easily conduct and implement the needed fix for such. 3. Assess the software’s reporting Another important aspect when selecting the best SEO software that must be considered is reporting provided. This is because the way the data presented enables site owners and clients to perform the necessary adjustments and obtain better results. When doing the assessment, site owners are strongly advised to check if the software’s reporting output includes special features such as for automation and customisation as well as the details offered by the report. Twitter recently made a bold move of increasing the maximum character count of each tweet from 140 to 280. The move was triggered by the result of a short test which revealed that longer tweets are receiving more engagements.
According to a reliable source, the doubling of the character limit will only be limited to certain countries where cramming is an issue. But since cramming is not an issue in countries using the Chinese, Korean and Japanese language, their character limit will continue to be set to 140. The character limit increase, on the other hand, will benefit the areas that use the English language since it was recently found out that 9% of the English tweets are hitting the 140 limit. During the company’s short test, it was revealed that many users would most likely hit more than 140 characters only when needed. The data obtained by Twitter showed that about 5% of the tweets included in the test were more than 140 characters, 2% were more than 180 characters and only 1% reached 280 characters. Those who are familiar with Twitter users’ behaviour however remains unsure if the character limit increase will encourage people to tweet more or not. The good thing is that the data obtained from the test increases implies that users will most likely receive more engagements given that they can now send longer tweets. As a whole, it can be understood that Twitter’s current move is viewed as the company’s way of encouraging more users to tweet often. The company also provided a commitment to continue to consult its community and create new improvements based on the users’ feedback. 11/13/2017 0 Comments Link Building and Digital PR Success Boosters: Top Content Strategies Worth ConsideringMajority of SEO professionals strongly agree with the old phrase “content is king”. This is because posting great contents on your website helps in gaining coverage, audience and builds links. Unfortunately, many conferences held and articles published recently failed to present how to practically use valuable content to boost digital PR and link building success. So to obtain the best results, we provided some of the top content strategies proven to boost link building, and digital PR success and these are the following. 1. Make use of Available Resources Making use of the existing resources at your disposal is one of the best content strategies that you should consider to boost digital PR and link building success. To do this, you can start using your unique interests or hobbies as a source of content. Since you are interested in such topics and relatively know the concept surrounding them, you can conveniently come up with a detailed, natural and interesting set of contents. Thus, doing such would most likely lead to relevant comments and link opportunities without exerting much effort. Furthermore, creating a digital profile projecting yourself as an expert in a particular area will help you reach your goal. Doing so increases the chance of generating requests from journalists, which is a great way to build interaction and better PR reputation. Since the chance of dealing with professional journalists is high, you need to make sure that your contents’ data are accurate and updated. Thus, it is strongly recommended that you familiarise yourself with the available data and this can be done by mining everything you need from reputable sources. 2. Do not Hesitate to Borrow Contents from Others Another effective content strategy that you can consider to boost your site’s digital PR and link building success is borrowing contents from other sources. Doing this strategy, however, needs utmost caution since it requires proper selection of sources and careful revision of contents borrowed to avoid duplication. Fortunately, looking for reputable content sources has become more convenient these days. You can consider checking UK’s Office for National Statistics as a potential source since the data it provides are accessible to anyone and freely available. In addition to that, the data they provide are untapped, and this provides you with a convenient way to capitalise these for your own campaign. Aside from the said site, you can also consider checking Wikipedia as a content source. 3. Know How the Press Works Knowing how the press works is also an important aspect that you should also consider to boost your digital PR and link building success. For better results, it is best for you to identify and understand the data that they are looking for and formulate a better way to give it to them. Aside from that, you also need to identify the content formats that are well-received by the press to achieve larger coverage opportunities. |
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November 2018
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