google plus – Clix https://clix.co Internet Marketing Fuel Mon, 11 Jun 2018 10:51:10 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.5 https://clix.co/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/cropped-clix-group-favicon-32x32.jpg google plus – Clix https://clix.co 32 32 Google Plus Reviews Have More Influence Than You May Think https://clix.co/google-plus-reviews/ Tue, 20 Aug 2013 15:34:23 +0000 https://clix.co/?p=6585 Google+ is beginning to have an even larger impact in the search...

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Google+ is beginning to have an even larger impact in the search engine world.

And since reviews are linked to Google+ (which is linked to search), the more positive reviews you collect on your business’ Google+ page the better. This is not simply because positive reviews are great to have for others to view, but also because Google uses your review ratings as one of their many ranking factors.

Google uses the quality and quantity of reviews as a way to mathematically measure a business’ reputation. Google also takes reviews into account that are posted on other well-known websites such as Yelp, MerchantCircle, Yellow Pages, Angie’s List, etc. Naturally, if you mostly have reviews with 5-star quality ratings, then Google will strongly take that into account when they are providing results, whether they appear in the organic section, the Google local carousel, or Google Maps.

Reviews don’t make up the only aspect of Google+ that helps determine search rankings. In fact, all activity on Google+ is taken into account. Just like activity on social media channels such as Facebook and Twitter, Google sees updates on Google+ as another way to measure whether your business is active and is providing fresh content. (To a search engine, this makes you look like a better resource.) And since Google+ is Google’s own social media network, it gets more influence in Google’s search than all other social media channels according to industry research.

How to approach reviews

Every business claims to be the best. Consumers know this. So are they going to trust you when you say it? Most likely not. They want some type of proof, and a form of proof is others’ experiences with your business. The following infographic from “Marketers Guide to Customer Reviews” by Jon Hall shows us how much consumers trust online reviews:

Google Plus Trust Reviews

As you would expect, great business practices will result in great online reviews. A study done by Cone Communications shows that 4 out of 5 consumers reverse their purchasing decision based on negative online reviews. If you do get a negative review, it is important to comment on the review to try to resolve the issue. In turn, this will show others that you care about your business and want to fix any bad experience that may have occurred. In the same way, it is also important to comment on the positive reviews thanking your customers for their business and the positive review.

What makes a good review?

The more detailed of a description earned from a reviewer the better. When someone goes to search for reviews they want to see a descriptive review to better understand why that review was earned.

For example, lets say I searched for, “best spaghetti in St. Louis” and one restaurant had a couple non-descriptive reviews like this:

“Great spaghetti.”

While another restaurant had a handful of descriptive reviews like this:

“The spaghetti at this restaurant is delicious. Friendly service. Their spaghetti sauce is made fresh daily! This spaghetti has led my taste buds to come back again and again for more.”

I don’t know about you, but I would definitely choose the spaghetti joint with the more descriptive review! Ultimately, your goal is to obtain reviews that show potential customers your product and/or service is a fit for them.

Recommendations

Since Google+ is becoming so important and reviews are so visible and accessible, we highly recommend that if you have a client who loves your service(s) and/or products that you ask them to post a positive review on your Google+ page. You could even send an email to some of your best clients with a link to your business Google+ page to leave a review. (The easier you make it, the more likely a customer will leave a review for you.)

If a customer/client of yours has any questions on how to write a review on Google+, they can follow these simple steps provided by Google.

And if you have any questions about Google+ or other search influencers, feel free to contact us at Clix!

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Google Hangout Events: Fireside Chat, Trailer Premier, and Space Station Hangout https://clix.co/google-hangout-hosts-big-events/ https://clix.co/google-hangout-hosts-big-events/#respond Thu, 14 Feb 2013 16:53:01 +0000 https://clix.co/?p=5402 Google Plus may have been snubbed by the Obama team following his...

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Google Plus may have been snubbed by the Obama team following his reelection in November, but the social network is making use of Google Hangouts to draw attention this week. On Wednesday, The Internship debuted its trailer via hangout. On Thursday, President Obama will host a “Fireside Hangout” to answer viewer questions following the State Of The Union address two days prior. Next week, the crew of the International Space Station will host a Hangout with an audience on Earth. 

Google Hangouts have been used in the past for NASA events, political promotions, and hot topic news discussions. While on the radar of the public, the Hangouts have not generally held widespread appeal until recently. The events appeal to a wide variety of demographics and have the potential to draw more national attention to the platform.

 

The Internship Google Hangout Debut

February 13th Google engaged in a shameless display of self promotion, debuting the trailer for The Internship- a film set at Google- on a Conan O’Brien hosted Google Hangout. The 30 minute hangout included the trailer premier, discussion with Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson (the stars of the film) and live questions from viewers using the #theInternship hashtag.

As a member of the SEO community, I personally can’t wait to see this movie. It’s clever promotion campaign just adds to the film’s appeal to the online community.

 

Fireside Hangout

President Obama will settle in to answer viewer questions in a follow up to his State Of The Union address on February 14th. The Fireside Hangout is described on the event page as: “the latest in the series… a 21st century take on FDR’s famous radio addresses.”

The event mirrors that of the 2012 Fireside Hangout which addressed similar themes. The timing allows the Obama administration to target younger demographics as well as provide the last word on the STOU. The platform has been used before by President Obama and Vice President Biden, but the White House Google Plus presence in general does not appear to be of high priority.

You may remember that following the 2012 election the Obama campaign took to social media to celebrate and posted messages of victory on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Google Plus, meanwhile, remained silent. The Hangout marks Obama’s first significant foray back into the site since the reelection.

Obama's Fireside Hangout on Google Plus

Image via WhiteHouse.Gov

You can tune in to the Fireside Hangout on February 14th at 4:50pm EST and keep up with the discussion using the #firesidehangout hashtag.

 

International Google Hangout

On February 22, 2013, NASA will host a publig Google Hangout with the crew of the International Space Station. This will be the first Google Hangout hosted with the ISS according to NASA’s announcement. 3,407 users are currently planning to attend. Commenters on the event page have suggested the Hangout is an opportunity for teachers to connect their classrooms to a greater learning opportunity.

Prior to the event video question submissions may be submitted via YouTube. On the day of the event the crew as well as astronauts and members of the NASA team will answer text questions in real time from Twitter and Google Plus using the #askAstro hashtag. Question will also be read from the wall of the NASA Facebook page.

NASA to host Google Hangout with ISS

Users can sign up to attend the Hangout and ad it to their calendars here.

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Google Plus Adds New Photo Features https://clix.co/google-plus-adds-new-photo-features/ https://clix.co/google-plus-adds-new-photo-features/#respond Thu, 10 Jan 2013 16:52:38 +0000 https://clix.co/?p=3736 There has been a lot of talk lately about Google “forcing” users...

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There has been a lot of talk lately about Google “forcing” users to use Google Plus. Don’t fret, it’s mostly old news. There are, however, some new changes to images and photo viewing that launched this week. 

The ability to pan and zoom large photos within Google Plus was announced yesterday by Googler Dave Cohen via a post on his Google Plus account.

Google Announces Google Plus Image Zoom

Dave Cohen’s Official Announcement

This change offers a distinct advantage to artists and photographers who want to share hi-res images in a social network. Facebook, the primary competitor (though that term is debatable) offers image sharing in a compressed format, preventing detailed images from being enjoyed in their full glory.

The zoom feature is used on the desktop version of the site by using the mouse wheel or trackpad to zoom in and out. A traditional click-and-drag method is used to pan photos.

google plus image zoom

Google is not the only social site to make changes to its photo sharing and viewing policies lately. You may remember the Instagram v. Twitter sharing kerfluffle or the Facebook Camera launch in 2012. It is clear in a visual world the optimization of images for social sharing is becoming vital. So, will this new feature incentivize you to share on Google Plus? Only time will tell.

x all the y meme

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The Times They Are A-Changin’ (For Google Local) https://clix.co/google-local-search-changes/ Fri, 28 Dec 2012 21:45:00 +0000 https://clix.co/?p=3719 As Bob Dylan sang, the times they are a-chanin’. In 2012, this...

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As Bob Dylan sang, the times they are a-chanin’. In 2012, this was especially true for the SEO and Social Media industry.

Google converted Places to Google Plus Local, integrated Pages and Local listings, launched Zagat reviews, created Communities, and expanded the reach of brand pages. As a Local search specialist, I’m prepared to leave 2012 behind and find out what changes await in 2013. Before I do, however, there’s one last exciting change to make note of this year.

Google Pages Can Now Comment On Posts:

Google announced today that brand pages within Google Plus are now able to freely comment on posts outside of their circles. This greatly expands the reach of brands, allowing them to interact with those who do not already connect with them.

Previously, brand pages were only able to communicate with users who already “circled” them. There are both positive and negative aspects to the change, and small businesses should approach this new skill with great caution. Communicating with customers who have not sought you out runs the risk of turning them off with seemingly aggressive marketing behavior. In this sense, businesses must interact in the interest of a greater conversation, not just blindly pushing their own products or services.

The added reach, however, will make it easier to expand outside of a limited realm. Unlike social media giants Facebook and Twitter, Google Plus does not offer advertising space, making it difficult to get infront of new eyes. Now, brands have the ability to places themselves in a conversation.

Google made the following statement to The Next Web regarding the changes to the sharing capabilities:

“We’re always experimenting with new ways to make the social experience more organic. As such, Pages are now able to comment freely on posts of interest to them. We think this provides a better sharing experience for pages and profiles alike. For example, if someone praises their favorite bakery on Google+, that baker could now say thank you to that customer, right in the stream. Or if someone posts about a customer service issue, that business could reply directly, providing a better user experience.”

It is clear that Google has no intention of slowing its Social Media climb in the future.

 

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Google Updates Review Process https://clix.co/google-updates-review-process/ https://clix.co/google-updates-review-process/#respond Thu, 11 Oct 2012 17:45:09 +0000 https://clix.co/?p=3119 Google has once again updated the review system in Google+ Local, converting...

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Google has once again updated the review system in Google+ Local, converting the numbered Zagat rating system to the text explanations. As Megan Stevenson explains:

Today it’s easier than ever to write accurate, useful reviews on Google+ Local, thanks to the updated rating scale we rolled out. If you want to rate the food at a restaurant, or the quality of a mechanic, just choose “poor – fair,” “good,” “very good,” or “excellent”. Behind the scenes, we’ll convert your ratings into numbers and factor them into the business’ precise 30-point score that shows up in Google+, Search and Maps.

Under the most recent version, visitors reviewed businesses in varying categories on a numbered, 0-3 scale. The system was then converted to a 30 point scale for a total ranking. The problem with the old scores is that users unfamiliar with the Zagat system were confused by the 0-3 scores. Without reading the individual descriptions of each number there is no means to generate an accurate score.

Does a 0 score mean there was zero service? There was no quality at all? On the other end, is a rating of 3 Fantastic or just Good? The new, written scores break it down.

Google Review

The new categories, Poor-Fair, Good, Very Good, and Excellent, still leave room for interpretation; however, it is significantly less room than the 0-3 scores.

The heavy lifting of converting the categories to a score will occur behind the scenes at Google, keeping the process as simple as possible for users. The task of writing reviews is otherwise unchanged. Users simply select the appropriate rating for each category and add a personal testimony if desired.

At Clix, we’re well aware of the potential SEO value added by reviews, and encourage our clients with relevant businesses to promote positive references.

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Life after the Google Penguin. https://clix.co/google-penguin-update/ https://clix.co/google-penguin-update/#respond Mon, 30 Apr 2012 15:27:57 +0000 https://clix.co/?p=2232 It’s almost been a week since the evil penguin waddled his way...

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It’s almost been a week since the evil penguin waddled his way into the algorithm world.  Has the dust settled or is Google just getting started with their fix, and as some people like to call it “their attack” on SEO.  Really this all depends on how you look at the situation; also it depends on how quick the mean little penguin is working.  Who knows, your site might be affected and it just hasn’t happened yet.  Some of the pro-penguin people might change their minds if their site is all of a sudden affected in the coming days or weeks.

St. Louis SEO - Evil Penguin

So your site was hit and you have no idea why, it could be that you paid for text links matching an exact anchor text, maybe you engaged in comment spam, or did some guest blog posts on questionable sites.  Did you do some work on article marketing sites, or even link back to your site from “dangerous” sites?  In reality these are all things that Google has always said is a big no-no, but Mr. Penguin is more likely to catch up to these tactics.  If you did partake in these tactics, then shame on you and it’s probably best that the penguin caught you.

My question is pretty simple: Why did some sites get hit while others are perfectly fine?  I am hearing from person after person that they had almost the exact marketing plan for different websites, yet some are doing better than ever and others are wiped off the map.  Is this just an indication that the new update is taking a while to catch up with certain sites, or is it an indication that this new update is not as good as we are lead to believe.   Could it even be the topic that the website is about, maybe Google looks at certain sites with more leniency depending on the subject matter?  Of course this is just speculation, but if that is the case, is that fair?

It seems like everyone is confused and caught in the vicious circle that is the ever-changing Google algorithm.  So what are you supposed to do to get your rankings back if you were affected by the penguin update?  The short answer is who knows.  It’s obviously time to go in and clean up your website, go out there and clean up your links, make sure you don’t have any spammy links pointing back to you, start creating fresh content, make sure you don’t have too many ads, and without a doubt make sure your business is on Google+.  Again these are guesses on my part and I have no idea if they will help you regain your rankings.

SEO St. Louis - Google Algorithm

I believe it’s time to devise a strategy that doesn’t rely so heavily on Google, this way your not going to take a major hit or have to worry about a hit every time Google changes their algorithm.  Which seems to be very often these days, did you know there was a Panda update just 7 days before the Penguin came splashing through the web world?

How do you devise a plan that doesn’t rely on Google?  You can start with a solid e-mail marketing campaign; try to partner with other companies that will send e-mails on your behalf.  Look towards Google’s competitors such as Bing and new search engines such as Blekko or DuckDuckGo.  And please diversify your tactics; don’t just focus on one blog network or backlink building tool.  Use videos, social networks, e-mails, and guest blogging, all with good unique content.  The last thing I would say is to be patient, let Google work things out with their algorithm and your rankings might just come back naturally.

St. Louis SEO

I know this blog seems a little schizophrenic, however that’s how I feel about Google right now.  I guess the good thing is that all of us so called SEO experts are on this rollercoaster ride together.  All we can do is hold on tight and wait for the big drop that hopefully never comes!

 

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Lost in the SEO Abyss https://clix.co/seo-abyss/ https://clix.co/seo-abyss/#respond Mon, 23 Apr 2012 16:28:00 +0000 https://clix.co/?p=2199 As someone who works in the Internet marketing industry, and more specifically...

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As someone who works in the Internet marketing industry, and more specifically the search engine optimization or SEO industry, my question is how do we ever know what we are doing is right.  With Google making so many changes and making comments about “changes” that are to come without being specific.  It’s almost like our job is turning into a guessing game and there’s nothing we can do about it, because Google is practically the only game in town and as an SEO expert we have to do what they tell us to do, the problem is we never know what they are telling us and if we do it’s usually too late.

St. Louis SEO - Google Changes

The reason these thoughts are on my mind is because on Friday Matt Cutts from Google went on his Google+ page in order to address an issue in Google’s search algorithm.  Apparently they mistakenly classified some domains as “parked” and guess what they were not parked at all.  For those of you who don’t know what a parked domain is; it’s a URL that might have been purchased for future use or to possibly engage in cybersquatting.  The point is the site lacks useful information.  Cutts went on Google+ to say, “this was caused by an error that has since been resolved”.

My issue isn’t with Google having a policy in which they do not include parked domains in their search rankings, this most certainly makes sense and is fair.  However the problem is this most recent “mistake” left many sites misclassified as parked and therefore they were removed from the SERPs.  With Google making changes, making mistakes, and doing what it is that Google does, how is someone working in the SEO industry ever supposed to know what’s really going on.

SEO St. Louis - Google Changes

Cutts’ recently made comments at the SXSW festival in Austin regarding a potential algorithm change that is going to focus on punishing sites that give most of their attention to search engine optimization rather than providing quality content to users.  So, Internet marketers patiently wait for this update, left not knowing if or when Google plans to make this change.  This most recent error that Google made with their algorithm, led some to believe the change had been made, however Cutts insists this was just an oversight.  He said, “I apologize for this; it looks like the issue is fixed now.”

Others went on to say that companies need to start looking to adjust their websites to avoid issues related to “over-optimization” penalties and to focus on creation of original content as an organic way to drive search visibility.  Isn’t this what we as Internet marketers have been expected to do from the beginning?  The question is how can we be punished for doing what Google has been telling us to do for so many years.  When 92% of marketers say content creation is effective for SEO, it seems that this is already widely known and practiced.   Does this mean that Google is making the change for the 8% of people who don’t believe this, which means all other marketers will be hurt when the change really does come?

St. Louis SEO - Google Changes

I say the takeaway from this is that Google will do whatever it is they want to do and all of us in the SEO world will just have to take a wait and see attitude.  In the meantime continue to make unique quality content and hope Google sees your content as quality as you do.

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