Here’s an early Christmas gift from the team at Reload Media:

Love Christmas as much as we do? Feel free to share!

Merry Christmas!

It relates to Google saying that from now on, the SSL (secure lock) search on Google will become the default setting for the users that are logged into a Google account. The claim is that Google has done this for privacy reasons to protect a user’s search data.

Google reckon that in the US there isn’t a large percentage of users affected (currently) and it’s in the single digit percentages, however it does mean some things for SEO and analysis of results from organic search traffic.

How does this impact on SEO then? Well I believe in these ways:

1. It takes us “back in SEO time” in terms of assisting the clients to see that after good, white hat SEO, non branded (non business or brand terms) are on the rise due to the efforts of SEO. It will make keyword rankings one of the only indicators and although still a valuable one, this isn’t the whole message that needs to be reported to a client. It also takes us away from being able to report on traffic with 100% accuracy.
2. A lack of data going to a client isn’t good for progress in the digital marketing space. Whilst we will still have 100% data from Google’s paid search in AdWords, basically we are having to reply on Google Webmaster Tools search data which doesn’t give us or our clients a “helicopter view” of the real search pattens and channels that are making the SEO campaign a success.
3. The old “SEO Voodoo Magic” will potentially come back in to play. Will this cause unscrupulous players in the market to cloud the market and leverage the ‘unknowns’? Will it essentially scare clients once again into using poor SEO practices? One to watch here as many of us in the SEO and digital marketing space have spent many years trying to avoid this.

Also, back comes the arguments about the long term future for SEO.  Whilst there is definitely still a massive market and need for SEO as long as Google doesn’t become fully paid (I don’t think they ever will), stripping away core data tracking only on SEO Organic results under the guise of privacy only serves to create confusion to clients about what SEO is and does for a business. This is at a time when clients were building to a good level of understanding and knowledge about how SEO and PPC can assist their businesses.

This is definitely one to watch closely over the next few weeks.

This is because in the SEO game you have many different areas that make up the team. And a smooth running and engaged SEO team can really make a huge difference for client’s websites and their revenue opportunities.

Staff within an SEO team include SEO Consultants, Account Managers, Project Managers, Account Directors and ROI staff. Then there is also all the support staff such as the Administration team, the SEO content writers, SEO link builders and so forth.

I’ve found over the years that these tips below are some of the best ways to get the SEO success that every client deserves:

1. Ensure the SEO team are all on the same page. Not the same “web page”, but in terms of their communication strategies between each other. Make sure that they know how each part of the SEO process works.
2. Provide the SEO team with the right tools to do their job. Things like SEOMoz and Rank Tracker are a given, and if there isn’t a certain tool available, then I recommend looking into building it in-house. This is what we have done with our CRM solution and the SEO team love it.
3. Make sure there is a “Life/Work Balance” policy within your organisation, and the SEO teams know that you really care about their time away from the office too. I find a balanced environment in and out of the work increases SEO productivity and gets the team away from the screens. We have a pool table in our office that is used all through the day (mainly by the SEO team) as they tell me it’s a great way to clear they heads during a quick break.

Overall, it’s the same as in any busy working team. Look after your SEO staff and they will look after your client’s rankings. And this is what it’s all about.

Firstly,  as search engines are now factoring in social media content and interactions into their algorithms more and more, it is a no-brainer that social media is becoming a critical factor in the online success of your business. However, it is important that your chosen social media  partner develops a strategy to suit your business needs and objectives.

I see a few parallels with the late 90′s. Back then, many web design companies were trying to push every business into building an eCommerce powered website – even if there was no strategy behind it.

I see this happening in the Social Media landscape today. Many companies and ‘experts’ are simply pushing for their clients to build Facebook pages and twitter accounts without giving a second thought as to the reasons why the client needs these mediums or how they should be using these channels.

Choosing the right channels is a critical factor in any Social Media strategy. Where a Facebook page might be the best way to engage customers for one client, a poignant, industry leading blog might be the best solution for another.

It is also important to remember that, although social media can be very powerful, it often cannot replace the relationship building power that a simple lunch with a client can have.

Does your business rely heavily on offline relationship building and high valued, ongoing clients? If so, your social media strategy would not be customer relationship management focused.

However, I do personally believe that the integration of social media is critical to the success of the modern business; but only if an air tight social media strategy has been drafted first.

So where do you start when looking to hire a social media marketing company or strategist?

I have complied six top tips that I believe will help you narrow your search:

1. Look for a company who is aligned with your business vision and mission. They need to understand your “DNA” and all that you stand for so that they can correctly look at the reasons for setting up your social media strategy.
2. Choose someone with proven success and a good track record in developing successful, custom social media strategies for their clients.
3. Make sure you have a meeting with your company/strategist to discuss or determine your social media goals and objectives.
4. Find out from your company/strategist what they envision to be the optimum strategy for your business. Do you agree with this? You don’t want to pay lots of money on a strategy you are not comfortable with or do not have the resources for.
5. Demand that a content calendar is developed as part of your social media strategy. If they don’t know what this is then do not hire them!
6. Find out if your Brisbane social media company offers ongoing strategy and co-management of accounts.

There are other factors just as important, but these should get you started on the road to social media success!

Llew with some of the Reload India crew at the Cricket World Cup in Ahmedabad.

Reload Media set up our Indian office last year in Ahmedabad, in the state of Gujarat.

This was my first trip to the sub-continent and I packed my bags full of anti “Delhi Belly” bug catchers and headed off on the excellent service of Singapore Airlines.

After a quick stop over in Singapore to meet with some of our clients and new partners over a plate of local cuisine, I arrived in Ahmedabad late one Tuesday night.

The place is simply quite amazing. It’s busy, fun, a cultural infusion of different people from all walks of life and simply alive at any time  – day or night. It’s also cheap to get around and you can have your own private car for a week and pay next to nothing. My driver could have represented India in the World Rally Cup after showing me his driving skills on the opposite side of the road each morning – just to wake me up.

We built our office with our own staff and facilities from scratch early in 2010. This was mainly done by our Asian Operations Manager Brijesh Shah, and was based in his home state. Brij also celebrated his wedding during the trip and I had a great time at the Shah’s residence and wedding wearing my ornate Sherwani and curly toed shoes whilst dancing in the streets to some loud drums and big band tunes.

Our office in Ahmedabad has a great crew working there. We have two core SEO teams with the same HR cultural values  that Reload is proud of and they even share the little things that we do in Australia, NZ and the UK, such as pizza nights and going to the cricket. The staff India really feel they are a key part of the Reload vision and brand, and I couldn’t ask for anything more.

Like the games of cricket we go to at the Gabba in Brisbane with staff and clients, I took the Reload India staff to a Cricket World Cup game (Australia vs Zimbabwe). Although not a fast game, it was great to stand up and sing Advance Australia Fair with the smattering of other Aussies in the crowd. We chewed down vegetarian hot dogs and Pepsi (only drink available) and watched Shaun Tait rip the stumps out of the ground.

We are expanding the office in India and by the end of 2011 we will be 20 staff. This expansion also includes the current negotiation of a new, larger office located in a burgeoning area in Ahmedabad. The operation has a great future and already we have staff from Australia booked to go and work out of the Reload India office this year. Furthermore, there is also the promise of long term Reload India staff coming to Australia for training in the future too!

Watch this space!

The search engine giant has unveiled a new feature called Instant Previews. Not to be confused with Google Instant, Instant Previews allows viewers to fully preview a website before visiting it.

To utilise this feature, all a user needs to do is simply click on the small magnifying glass next to a search result in order to see a snapshot of the website in question. Clicking on the preview will take the user directly to the website.

Google explain that their new preview engine  “matches a user’s query with an index of the entire web, identifies the relevant parts of each webpage, stitches them together and serves the resulting preview; completely customised to the user’s search and  all under one-tenth of a second.”

Google have also incorporated ‘call-outs’, which highlight a user’s search terms within the website preview. Further to this, some previews will also utilise ‘tears’; a feature that highlights which parts of the website are most relevant to the user’s search whilst still providing a snapshot of the website in its complete form.

So what does this mean for SEO?

These new features has some large implications for Search Engine Optimisation as search engine users no longer need to click through to a website to decide if it is where they want to be. This seemingly small change on the Google results page has the ability to monumentally change the way in which people search online.

Google Instant Previews has one obvious implication – the more enticing your website, the more likely a searcher will visit it!

Don’t worry, I won’t leave you empty handed. Here is some advice from Google detailing how you can make Google Instant Preview work for you:

1. Keep your web pages simple with fewer distractions.
2. Keep interfering content to a minimum. Ad Pop-ups and other elements may come up in your page preview, making it less appealing.
3. Google Instant Previews has not changed Google’s algorithm, rankings or how clicks are tracked.
4. If you add the nosnippet meta tag to your pages, they won’t show a text snippet in Google’s results. Pages with the nosnippet tag also won’t show previews. Google advises against this because their studies showed that sites with previews were four times more likely to be clicked on. URLs that have been disallowed in the robots.txt file also won’t show Instant Previews.
5. Some videos and flash in previews are appearing as a ‘puzzle piece’ or a black square. Google is working on fixing this.

Google Instant preview for Organic Results makes you question ‘Will there be Instant Ad Previews?’ It’s still unclear but we’ll keep you updated.

Google Instant Demo Preview:

Self-absorbed, coddled, selfish, over-confident, arrogant, and accused of suffering from a deep epidemic of narcissism, Gen Y’s are constantly battered and bruised from those of earlier generations.

However, in the world of digital marketing it is Gen Y’s that are the cornerstone of our ever-expanding business; offering professional and cutting edge advice while showing our clients real results.

Here’s why:

• For starters, Gen Y’s are techy. Sure many Gen X’s and Baby Boomers are relatively active in the digital space, but Gen Y’s have shown older generations massive time-saving tech shortcuts that increase their productivity.
• Gen Y’s speak digital as their first language. They sleep with their iPhone under the pillow, are searching the net whilst watching TV, and are usually involved in 5-10 asynchronous conversations at any given time of the day.  This convergence of media, technology and communication  has unwittingly bred a generation of very capable multi-taskers and digital natives. They can take in huge amounts of information and filter out what is most useful to THEM. It’s no wonder that they are the most digitally targeted marketing segment. Which leads to my next point…
• They’re sponges. Some of us might see facebook, or just surfing the net as a mere pass time. However, these guys are communicating and absorbing a wide range of information from various sources.  If your business is looking to delve into the murky waters of Social Media, do you know what social media channels and strategies are right for your business? We rely on the Gen Y’s in our office to provide extensive advice on how your company can capitalise on  the social media boom through social media marketing and promotion.
• They’re natural Googlers. Gen Y’s have been using the internet for as long as they can remember. They rely on it for information and use it to source the most up-to-date products. They will rarely go beyond the first page of Google searches; therefore SEO & SEM is imperative when attempting to target them. And due to Gen Y emerging as the largest demographic in Australia (with 4.67million of them floating around), Reload Media understands your business is likely interested in a slice of the Gen Y pie! We have Gen Y SEO & SEM specialists who know how to effectively target Gen Y’s and take your online presence to the next level.
• They buzz! Gen Y’s are switched on and full of energy. They provide a company with that much needed positive momentum that uplifts everyone in the room. Is your business currently running on empty? Maybe you need a Gen Y to come in and add some spark.
• Opportunity drives them. Some of the biggest complaints people have about Gen Y’s are that:

1. They don’t have the patience to stay at one job for long enough,
2. They will inevitably leave and work overseas, and
3. That they expect to reach the top immediately.

This simply isn’t true. However, we have found that, by simply offering Gen Y’s a Gen Y working environment and presenting them with actual responsibility and trust to grow your business, they will relish the opportunity and exceed your expectations.

• They’re not into 9-5. They’re more 24/7. Shoot a Gen Y an email at 11pm and I would bet my bottom dollar that you’ll get a quick reply. They are not phased about putting in extra time to get the job done. Our Gen Y staff members put endless hours in to ensure our clients get industry leading service.
• Finally, Gen Y’s are adaptable. They thrive on change and learning a plethora of new information. Just ask a Gen Y to learn something new and report the findings to you and they’ll enthusiastically jump on it.

So if you’re still unsure about Gen Y’s, then you should employ one and witness the momentum they can add to your business given the right mix of responsibility and opportunity. In digital marketing, we depend on their natural digital expertise in order to keep up to date with the latest trends and maximise our clients results. This is what makes us the leader in search optimisation and internet marketing that we are today.

As a business owner who employs Gen Y’s, I know firsthand how efficient they can be given the right motivation and working atmosphere.

As a matter of fact, a Gen Y is writing this article for me right now… Now that’s efficiency!

At Reload Media we believe it’s very important to Google and your search engine rankings.

If you combine domain age with URL matches and good on-page optimisation, you are setting yourself up to have some great results.

Many businesses such as Digital Point are selling people (and spammers) older domains than what they can buy brand new on say Go Daddy.

At Reload, what we prefer to do is work with clients that have existing domain age and a good website, and therefore relevancy in the Google search algorithm.

That way, you aren’t artificially creating a result with a domain you don’t personally know or control and one that might have been in ‘blacklisting’ trouble in the past.

If you buy a business in the future it’s worth considering the value of the domain. With many baby boomers selling up in the next few years there are going to be many domains out there that aren’t valued properly if domain age isn’t factored in.

For example, a site brought to an SEO company that is technically very sound but poorly visually designed won’t convert well, meaning no amount of SEO will be able to increase revenue because users will simply arrive at the site from Google, take one look at it and never come back.

By the same token, a fantastic looking site that is SEO-technically challenged will not look attractive to the search engines when being crawled. This means you’ve got a great looking site that no-one ever sees.

If the SEO industry wants to gain more credibility, then SEO providers need to start acting more like banks that process home loans. In a nutshell, not every home loan is approved.

For SEO companies, we must look at a range of conversion, design, technical and financial factors during the assessment period to ascertain whether the client is serious about SEO, whether they have the right website for SEO and whether they understand that it’s a long term process, and not something that happens overnight by throwing a few bad links around.

When a bank is assessing a loan, they determine whether or not a person is capable of paying back the loan over a period of say 30 years.

With SEO, we need to make sure that the client has the shared vision and commitment to ensure the website is initially designed well to suit their target audience, they are ready to add SEO friendly content when requested and most importantly they are prepared to take the time to read the FAQs and understand how the SEO process works.

Without this shared commitment, sometimes there isn’t any point in doing SEO for a client as it may leave “a bad taste in the mouth” for all parties involved and eventually hurt the industry itself.

For Reload Media’s SEO FAQs, please see: http://www.reloadmedia.com.au/seo-faqs.php

At Reload Media, we make sure we stick to a quality process to measure expectation management that includes:

• Clearly defining that a good quality SEO program is a long term process. We work over 12 month SEO programs as SEO needs this amount of time to meet keyword position targets and guarantees.
• Gain a clear understanding of the most important keywords to the client. Although we might optimise for numerous keywords as part of  our SEO programs, there are always ones that the client really wants to get higher up the rankings. Sometimes however, these generic keywords they select may be too ambitious for the amount the client is paying per month. This is often due to their industry already being highly competitive on these generic terms.
• If in a given month a search engine bounces some keywords around, then clearly discussing this movement with the client is important. As often other sites will have experienced the same reshuffle of positions as things always don’t stay the same in search engine land.
• Discussing with the client that we need to access their website to make changes to the meta, footers and other key areas. Some clients haven’t understood that we actually need to change their web pages. Working with them is important to gain the required trust that we won’t crash their site!
• Finally, re-emphasising that it takes patience to be on the first page of the search engines.

If some or all of these areas are done on an ongoing basis, the expectation “bar” can be raised for everyone in the industry. And this will be a good thing for us all.