So I went to this great coffee house a few weekends ago in Franklin, set in a historic house. It had a gorgeous cottage garden area that surrounded the house that seemed as suitable for a glass of wine as a cup of coffee. When I walked by I could feel it pulling me in. The inside of the house was old but nicely laid out. It had lots of different and colorful rooms as one would expect in a house built in the 1890’s.
So you are surfing the internet on a bright sunny day. The kids are playing in the back yard with Bucky the Golden Retriever. Your wife is in the kitchen baking cookies. All is good with the world. If Norman Rockwell was around, this could have been his next American Classic – “Dad On The Internet.” However, there are new security standards.
About a year ago, I said to an associate, “I think I need to really focus on cleaning up the front of my residence.” The reason being that Google was using the front of our house as the street view when users searched for Bear Web Design. (We have since relocated to an Office on Lebanon Pike but the challenge remains). Google uses street view (called “See Outside”) to show the front street view of each business as part of the Google My Business / Google Maps listing.
If you are reading this blog, you must recognize that Google “Rules The Waves” just like Britannia did once. Unlike when Britannia ruled the waves and everyone got it so many folks simply do not understand or comprehend the control and influence Google has over your business and many of your prospects. Google is all powerful and frankly all confusing. We (Bear Web Design) made a commitment to be Google Centric Company approximately 5 years ago and it has been a good decision for our business and our customers – but man if you don’t like people “Moving Your Cheese” Google probably is not going to be your thing.
As we celebrate Labor Day Weekend (currently on sabbatical camping at Cedars Of Lebanon!) my thoughts as I sit around the camp fire is one of relaxation, refreshment and rejuvenation after a long hot summer but as my mind wanders off into the sounds of crickets and the coolness of the evening I naturally think about work and the upcoming fall. Given the time of year, social media marketing starts now. OK – probably not what you should be thinking about on a camping trip but sometimes your best clarity can come in the most peaceful moments. Not sure why but I feel inspired so time to share!
This week Google has introduced a fully redesigned Google+ that puts Communities and Collections front and center. Now focused around interests, the new system is much simpler. This should encourage more and more businesses to start using it.
While sitting in line last month to get my annual auto emission test, I was searching on my mobile. That was when I noticed a tag in results “Mobile-Friendly”. I had never seen it before and recognized immediately what it meant. “Google is telling mobile users what sites are going to be a good experience to visit on your mobile”. Google’s Search Engine’s aim is to lead you to the best search results but it is now drawing a line in the sand and basically saying if your website is not mobile friendly (no matter how much wonderful content you have on that site) – it is not going to get the all important “Mobile-Friendly” tag. This tag in my opinion will help users decide whether they actually visit your website. And long term I suspect google may even consider listing Mobile-Friendly results first.
This year website content and content marketing are at the forefront of any results focused website. So what is great content? Is it frequency? (how many times you update your website), is it fancy fonts and highlights with every page designed uniquely? Or, is it content copied from a leading competitors website that you know must be good since they are a great company?
In essence there are three basic forms of content on a website.
Our company has traditionally worked closely with our client base to ensure that they fully utilize their content management system (Joomla). This maximizes their website results and their visitors experience on the website. We have done this primarily by teaching classes – both formal classes and onsite training. Additionally, we have provided a “how to” support role to ensure that the client has a great looking and functioning website. As well as the content updated with fresh, up to date and relevant information. This is not only great for website visitors and but also great for Google. The content on your website determines your search engine and keyword positioning. This determines how many prospects you are reaching (Google is all about the prospect!).
If you don’t have a Google+ Local Page or if you haven’t claimed and verified your Google+ Local Page, you should really consider investing some resources into a Google+ Page for your business some time very soon.