You may have recently noticed that some of your search results have the addition of a profile image, whilst others remain unchanged. So what is this all about?

The search engines want to ensure that the search results they offer you closely matches your search and most importantly, that the websites listed contain quality content. New developments are constantly being introduced and along with changes to what the search engines value (the algorithm) these measures are all to get you the results you want.

The thumbnail images relate to Google Authorship, which has been introduced to identify writers of online content. If you are regularly writing a blog, articles or other online content, Google wants you to be recognised as the creator of this content. By verifying the writer’s identity, Google is providing greater exposure for the writer which is likely to improve the quality of the writing.

For the writer, this extra exposure can be an effective tool to build their expert position within their industry. Readers who have found interesting and relevant content can find other articles that the author has written, which helps to raise the profile. By identifying the writer, and making the internet more transparent, Google hopes to reduce both spam content and plagiarism.

This may sound like another ‘big brother’ move, and as you have to set up a Google+ profile for Google Authorship, it can seem like Google forcing you to use its products. The good thing is that you can use these products for free and there are benefits to genuine writers of quality content.

For a start, the eye is naturally drawn to the image and the results for those who have set up Google Authorship have included a significantly higher click through rate, therefore driving a higher volume of traffic to your website. As Google Authorship increases in popularity, the effect of this image will be reduced, so those setting it up now will reap more benefits.

Another consideration, (which is not a problem that I face!)if you are aiming to establish yourself as a writer and have a common name, Google Authorship can help people to recognise you aside from your namesakes.

In order to set up Google Authorship you need to first set up a Google + profile. Once this is done, people can click on the ‘by’ under the website address in the listing to be taken to your Google + profile, which can be effective for building connections. It also enables Google to show the reader more articles that you have written. This has benefits for both the person who is searching for useful content and the writer who is looking for establishing authority.

It all relates to credibility and where Google can put measures into place to better insure that the content will be credible, this content will be ranked more favourably.

In the pipeline is Author Rank, which is likely to be another factor in the algorithm that will determine the ranking of your website. Google Authorship is likely to be a pre-requisite of Author Rank, so if you want to get to the top of page one, or stay there, it is advised to set up Google Authorship now.

More than one author can be set up for a website, so if you have a several writers who contribute to the blogs on your website, or are writing for article marketing, they can get individual recognition. Once set up, each article needs to be linked to your profile for it to be recognised as your work. For those of you with a WordPress site, it is a simpler process, as a plugin can incorporate authorship tags.

So, back to the key point; when you search, you want to be shown websites that contain the information that you are looking for. If you find sites that contain spam, if sites are clearly written for the search engines rather than the website visitor, or if they are unrelated to what you searched for, you become frustrated. To avoid this, the search engines constantly introduce new methods which help them to give you the best results. Google Authorship is one of many recent changes that are being implemented to do precisely that.

There has been a lot of hype recently on Panda updates in the SEO, Web design world and practically everyone who’s associated with having a website. It has been well reported that a Panda update will be rolled out either on Friday 15th or Monday 18th of March and for once this is not a rumour but sourced from the Head of Web Spam at Google Matt Cutts as reported here, http://searchengineland.com/googles-matt-cutts-on-upcoming-penguin-panda-link-networks-updates-151273

This latest Panda update; while not having a major effect on websites like it did early 2011 where search results were affected, it is probably the most significant. This is because Google Panda updates will stop being so noticeable with their updates but now incorporated into their overall continuous algorithm updates. The effect on websites will be less evident as the algorithm will gradually come out every so often. When I say the effects on websites will be less evident, that does not excuse websites that are still carrying out black hat techniques such as; acquiring bad links, duplicating content and passing it off as your own and over optimising your page in an attempt to outwit Google. These websites will continue to drop in search results and have no positive impact on the higher pages with these unnatural techniques.

When it comes to your online business, getting potential customers to your website is only the first step in getting the business that you need. By closing your landing page with a strong call to action, you are ensuring that you are getting their business before they even have the time to think about it. There are certain things that a successful call to action requires, however, and online marketing can only take your business so far before you are left in charge of making the final sale.

Below is an example of a Call To Action icon.

If you are in the leisure or pleasure industry, Facebook is a great place to have a company presence. People use Facebook in their spare time, to share all the great things they are up to with their friends and family. They want to be talking about holidays, fashion, great days out, fun nights out, music, food and what they (or their children) have achieved. People will choose to ‘like’ brands that they identify with and help to build their identity.

If your company sells leisure products or services, you can really build your profile and generate new business by having an active presence on Facebook. Creating a ‘company page’ or a ‘brand page’ is free and relatively straight forward to set up and you have a potential audience that far out numbers any city centre shop (around 33 million UK Facebook users at the start of 2013).

Simply having a page is not enough, so you need to plan how you can use this opportunity to encourage Facebook users to discover you. Consider it a combination of window dressing and great customer service. You need to set aside time each week to post interesting, amusing or valuable content. Adding images can really enhance your posts and in the leisure industry pictures can be easy to create. Preparing posts needn’t be a time consuming process for example if you write a blog for your website, then add an introductory sentence and a link (URL) to your blog as a post on Facebook. This can provide useful information for those who follow you and also encourages them to visit your website.

You can further entice your potential customers with rewards for ‘liking’ your page (and therefore sharing it with all of their Facebook friends and family). These could include discount vouchers, special offers, competitions or codes for free delivery. A competition could be to photograph your product or service in action with a great prize for the winner, this will attract interest and interaction, whilst providing you with content for many future posts. If you are in the travel industry, you could send a link to a free PDF of the top ten things to see and try in a specific location, or for food companies, free recipe cards that can be downloaded.

Facebook also provides an ideal opportunity for market research. Ask questions, respond positively to feedback received and use the knowledge to make changes. Your audience will feel valued by being asked their opinion, especially when they receive a response to their comments and action taken as a result.

Facebook Advertising provides another great opportunity for generating business. You set up the advert with very specific details on your target audience, so your advert is only shown to the people that match your criteria. You also set the budget, so your advert is not shown after the budget limit has been reached. This style of advertising allows you to have a lot more control over your spend and is likely to generate a higher rate of return than many other advertising options, so can be an effective option for SME’s.

If you are considering Facebook Advertising, make sure you carefully plan before you set it up. Clearly identify what demographic you want to target and what message you want to share. You may be interested in a couple of blogs that offer more advice on getting the most out of your campaign:

http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/5-facebook-ad-tips-to-maximize-your-facebook-campaigns/

http://byzblog.com/2013/02/24/facebook-ads/

If you think that Facebook is just for teenagers, you are mistaken. The highest user group is the 25 – 34 year olds and at the start of 2013 just over 50% of the UK population now has a Facebook account. Think of the business potential if you can get your message right.

Another sector that can really benefit from a Facebook presence are charities. There is the option to set up a ‘charity page’ which could build awareness of your organisation, helping to gain more support and fundraisers. Whilst people like to associate themselves with consumer products, they also want to let everyone know when they are ‘doing good’. Facebook is great for promoting fundraising events and getting people signed up, as well as providing a community where updates of the event and communication between those taking part. You can encourage this communication by asking participants to share tips on training, pictures of costumes, ideas for fundraising etc.

Finally, another advantage is that having an active presence on any social media channel will be one factor to help the ranking of your website in the search engines. The closer you are to the top of page one, the more people will find your website when searching for the products and services you have to offer.

Hacking is a major issue for internet users, protecting yourself from external and internal compromises could be a pain stacking process but if it is not done correctly could have significant consequences.

This week; hacking has been central to the digital world as both Facebook, Twitter (Burger King) and Apple have had their systems hacked, fortunately no details have been stolen. The very fact that companies of their stature had been hacked is more worrying than anything.

Here are details on each hacking incident and what it means for you.

Facebook

What we can take from this is that although no details were from Facebook users, their actual personal computers were. Ultimately, for users of Facebook nothing will change but you also have to consider have the hackers left something in their system or are Facebook telling the whole truth.

Twitter (Burger King)

This hacking story is hard to decide on who on the blame can be attributed to. Is it Burger King’s social media team who failed to protect themselves adequately – either with a weak password or poor security? Or was it a Twitter fault that enables the hackers to gain access to their account.

Or maybe it could be Mcdonalds!

Apple

The attacks mark the highest-profile cyber attacks to date on businesses running Mac computers. However, no major concern is to be applied to any apple products as they have seemed to contain the issue

In other News….

Google’s Panda update #25 may be coming out today. This has not been confirmed by Google but many Webmaster’s and SEO professionals.

If there is an update,  expect your natural page rank to fluctuate, especially if you are not creating regular content and have bad links.