What does the Google Hummingbird update mean for your web strategy?

In September 2013 Google announced the biggest update to its search algorithm in over a decade. The update is called Hummingbird and it is the third update in around 18 months after the Penguin and Panda updates. Although many sites felt the effects of Penguin and Panda, these two updates were just tweaks to an algorithm. However, the Hummingbird update was a major overhaul of the algorithm.

This update, like the ones before is aimed to improve the search results. So how is it going to do that?  Hummingbird specifically focuses on semantics – which is the relationship between the words in the search. Therefore, Hummingbird will be paying more attention to each word in a search query, rather than just focusing on particular words. The aim is that the results match the meaning of the search rather than just a few words of the search.

So the principle is still the same; to produce high quality and regular content. But you may need to tweak your content in some ways. The update means Google is capable of understanding more detailed searches, so you may want to focus on more specific topics. Rather than writing about “the best mobile phones” you might write about the “the best mobile phones for business executives”. You can also vary your keywords as Google can now substitute a keyword, based on its understanding of the search, so an example of this could be substituting the term “GAA jersey” for “gaelic jersey”.

Although Google only announced the changes in September the changes have been in place since August. So if you have seen a major change in the traffic visiting your website since then it may be time to look deeper into the Hummingbird changes.

At Webresults.ie we provide a wide range of digital marketing services including search engine optimisation (SEO) and web content strategies. To find out more about any of our services please contact us.

Why Businesses need to Listen to What is said on Social Media

The Importance of Social Listening:

 

Social media provides businesses with a great opportunity to connect with customers and hear what they have to say about your brand. This is all well and good; however some companies fail to actually listen to what their customers have to say. If you are going to give your customers an open forum for them to express their thoughts on your brand, then you need to monitor the conversation.

 

 

Listening to Complaints:

If people are voicing their dislike for a current product, or their dissatisfaction with the customer service they received, then you need to address this and resolve the situation quickly. There is no point in merely deleting negative posts, this angers customers and only adds fuel to the flame. Think of who posted the negative comment as an angry customer causing a fuss in a shop, however this time they can be heard by potentially thousands of people.

Negative posts on social media have a distinct way of gaining traction online. One negative post can have a domino effect, causing a string of negative posts based on previous incidents. A customer who has poor previous experience with a brand may see a post criticising this brand and this may entice them to post about their bad experience with the brand. To stop this effect it is important to respond to complaints quickly and respectively, but don’t aggravate the situation!

Listening to What Your Customers Want:

 When making changes to products or services, it is good to keep the customer in mind. Social media can be a great tool for testing some new ideas. This can be done in a friendly and casual way like ‘any suggestions for what flavour our new ice cream should be?’ Posts like this can start the conversation with your customers whilst giving you an insight as to what they actually want in comparison to what you think they want.

A great example of a company who listened to their social media fans is Cadbury. In 2003 they took their much loved Wispa bar of the shelves. However by 2007 the bar had gained quite a cult status by those who remembered the bar fondly. This brought about various social media campaigns including a Facebook campaign entitled ‘Bring Back Wispa’. This group gained a large following and eventually Cadbury listened and jumped on the band wagon, which led to a hugely successful re-launch.

Conclusion:

Listening to what your customers have to say is vital to developing strong relationships with your customers. Through social media customers can be heard by many, so it is important that you hear them also.

Listening to what your customers have to say is not only an action which is of benefit to them, more importantly it is a benefit to your business. Through listening to what they have to say, your business can gain great insights as to what your customers think about your products and services. Listening to your customers through social media can also lead to product innovation as no one knows what your customer wants more than your actual customer.

At Webresults we offer a wide range of digital marketing services including the management of social media pages. For more information on how we can help your business get the most out of social media please contact us.

Final call for enhanced campaigns

This coming Monday July 22^nd is the date when all adwords campaigns will switch over to “enhanced campaigns”. Google announced the change back in February saying that any campaigns not already changed over will be moved over by them.

Enhanced campaigns bring many new features to PPC advertising on the adwords platform including new bidding features across all devices. When you first switch over it seems you are required to target mobile devices but you can adjust the bid to -100% of your bids for your desktop/laptop campaign, which basically turns it off.  You can also place higher or lower bids for tablets and mobiles as it may be more or less competitive on a different device.  It even gives you the ability to bid higher when showing your ad on mobile devices to users who are within a certain distance of your business. Other new features include optimising your ads for varying user contexts – ability to show the right sitelink, app or extension based on the context of the potential customer and the device they’re using. There are also new advanced reports available in enhanced campaigns such as the ability to track new conversion types.

Google strongly advises businesses using adwords PPC advertising to make the switch to enhanced campaigns themselves rather than it being automatically switched over.  Otherwise, if you don’t manage the switch over yourself, you may show in results for mobile even though you previously had mobile targeting turned off as your site is not mobile friendly.

Our advice is to ensure that you do make the switch over before Monday and put some time into setting up your enhanced campaign and take advantage of the new features. You will otherwise waste valuable budget, paying for irrelevant clicks.

At Webresults.ie we set up and manage Google Adwords campaigns. We can move your PPC Advertising campaign for you and ensure you are getting the most from your advertising budget. Contact us now to find out more.

WebResults.ie offers a wide range of web marketing services. We identify which activities will drive the best results for your business based on your business objectives and your target market. Whether it is a PPC advertising campaign, Social media activities or SEO Services, contact us now for a free consultation and we will get the web generating sales for your business – (01) 207 1872 or email info@webresults.ie.

Link Building Through Directories, Is It Worth It?

Do you still directories for link building?  Read our article for more information about this form of SEO booster and see if you have been doing it the best way for your business!

To read the full article, visit Link Building Through Directories, Is It Worth It?

If you need more help with your SEO, link building and web marketing – contact us.  For more information on this topic, click here.

2 Simple Tips for PPC

Read more about the changes that Google have made to their search results pages that may make you want to invest in PPC advertising and rethink your organic advertising campaigns!

For the full article, visit 2 Simple Tips for PPC.

For more information on PPC and web marketing, contact us.  To read more on this topic, click here.

Mobile Marketing and Social Media, Are You Onboard?

Smartphone sales are increasing every day, are you marketing online and on mobile? Do you know what mobile marketing can do for your business?

Mobile phones are everywhere. If you are in a public place you will no doubt see dozens of them. These people are not always on a call, but they may be on the internet. Find out more about Mobile Marketing and what it can do for your business by reading the full article!

To find out more about mobile marketing and web marketing, contact us. For more information on this topic, click here.

 

Why Google+ Should Be Part Of Your Small Business Marketing Plan

Are you a small business wondering if Google Plus is for you? Find out more about the perks of social media for small business in this article where we explore the perks of Google Plus and why we think it has yet to show its full potential. To read the full article, visit Why Google+ Should Be Part Of Your Small Business Marketing Plan.

For more on Social Media checkout our other Social Media articles.

For more info on our Social Media Management services contact us on 01 2071872 or via our contact form.

FAQs of the SEO World Summed Up In 8 Points

If you have some questions regarding SEO and search marketing, you are not alone! Read our article on SEO now and see if we can help to resolve your SEO issues and questions!

To read the full article, visit FAQs of the SEO World Summed Up In 8 Points.

For Web Marketing Services, including bringing the skills in-house through our Web Mentor Programme, contact us on 01 2071872 or via our contact form.

9 Questions to Ask Before Entering Into A PPC Campaign

Are you entering the world of PPC?  Have one or two final questions before you click the Okay button on your campaign?  Read our article on PPC FAQ’s to see if we can answer your questions!

To read the full article, visit 9 Questions to Ask Before Entering Into A PPC Campaign.

For more information on PPC and web marketing, contact us.  For more information on this topic, click here.

Why Is Content Marketing Better Than Link Building? Here’s 7 Reasons…

Want to know if content or link building is more important to your website for SEO?  Read our article on the debate between content and links and which one can help you rank better and top search engine results!

To read the full article, visit Why Is Content Marketing Better Than Link Building? Here’s 7 Reasons…

For more information on SEO and web marketing, contact us.  For more information on this topic, click here.