Nearly a month ago, on April 24, Google announced that they were updating their results with a new algorithm specifically targeting webspam. Typically, when it’s a large algorithmic change, the update is given a name, and this one has been dubbed Penguin. In particular, the Penguin update targets and penalizes sites that are violating their quality guidelines. While Google won’t divulge the particular factors that may cause a site to be penalized, there are some clear trends:

• Some sites targeted by Penguin received warnings through Google Webmaster Tools.
• This update penalizes sites that appear to be engaged in link spam. In short, purchasing or exchanging links for the purposes of ranking better/higher in the search engine results. In the past, Google was discounting the value of the links and penalized the sites that sold links.
• If a site has a high percentage of links that use a small number of anchor text links that focus on a commercial product or service, such as 'Alaska cruise', then it’s likely the site will be hit by the Penguin penalty.
• If a site drops out of the top ten results when one searches for the brand name, then it’s likely the site has been penalized.

If you have a site that has survived the Penguin update and other recent algorithm changes, such as the likely discounting of links from low-quality free directories, you are not out of the woods just yet. Link schemes of any type and unnatural 'over-optimization' are in the cross hairs of the Google webspam team. If you have participated in link building schemes, it's your site's best interest to actively remove these obviously unnatural links.

As white hat SEO practitioners, we support Google’s efforts to penalize and/or remove sites that participate in link building schemes. In the long run, high quality, genuine content will produce more satisfied website visitors than chasing the latest way to game the search algorithms.

Resources:

• Google's Blog Post on Rewarding High Quality Sites
• The Google Algorithm Change History from SEOMoz
• Search Engine Land: Google Penguin Update

One of the biggest challenges some of our clients face is resizing photos and optimizing them for their website. When there is not a Photoshop jockey on staff, this can to some be a daunting task. At the same time, adding freshness to your site with new photos is a critical way to keep your site active and alive.

We have not used all of them, but here is a list of tools that we have been looking at:

1. PIXresizer
2. Pixlr.com
3. FastStone (Windows only)
4. ImageOptimizer

Here is another great article on services that resize and compress images - the two critical tasks for making images web ready.

Has anyone used some of these? Thoughts? Reviews? Let us know!

Apokrisis is growing! We are seeking a freelance SEO Specialist who is willing to dig in and help grow our clients' online businesses. See our full job posting here on our employment page. 

A newly redesigned website was launched this week for the Quilted Raven - a quilt shop featuring fabrics with Alaska themes or made by Alaska artists. The site features the Business Catalyst Content Management System (CMS), e-commerce shop, secure extranets and an email marketing system.

 

Businesses and organizations can now create their own Google+ pages on the Google+ social network. To get started, make sure you have a Google+ personal account first, and then visit the Google+ create a page. Note that if you are a Google Apps user, your admin will have to enable the use of Google+ first. Once you are logged into your Google+ personal account and start the create a new page, you will have the option of creating a page in one of the five categories:

• Local Business or Place (this includes special options, including the ability to add a phone number)
• Product or Brand
• Company, Institution or Organization
• Arts, Entertainment or Sports
• Other

One major difference from personal Google+ accounts: a business can have multiple+ pages. You can separate out divisions within your organization or create pages for different products, if desired.

In order for a business to be added to a circle, visitors will have to select the "Add to Circles" button, the +1 buttons will not cause a business page to be followed with Google Plus. New badges and verifications are being rolled for businesses to use on their websites as well (allowing badges to be created that links to your Google+ page). 

Currently, only one person can manage or own a Google+ page, so there is the potential for others outside of your organization to make "your" page. Verification is available for big brands, and the Google+ page must be connected to a website before the new badges can be used. Additional verification and administrative options will likely be introduced in the future.

Some key features of how the Google+ pages work include:

1. A user can +1 a Google+ Page or add the page to their circle. 
2. No Google+ page can follow you until you follow them. 
3. Google+ pages cannot mention you unless you are connected (to help prevent mention spam).
4. Google+ pages unfollow users if they unfollow the page. The user is in control here.
5. Google+ pages can be found in Google search. A new feature called Direct Connect, allows searches by typing the + first, followed by the brand name.

Google+ has launched a new online guide for sharing, promoting, and measuring the impact of your new Google+ page(s). The option for face to face video chats could be particularly valuable for businesses.

A newly redesigned website was launched this week for Alaska Mill and Feed and Garden Center. The site features the Business Catalyst Content Management System (CMS) and continues to use their existing mail order/online store.

 

Google has enabled Google Apps users to begin using Google+. This should increase the number of Google+ users, and make it easier for Apps users to participate in Google +. Check out the official blog post noted above and review the requirements and precautions within your organization's Google Apps account (Google+ requires Picasa Web Albums and Google Talk to be enabled for the organization).

Be aware that Google+ profiles fall under the control of the business or organization. One change for Google Apps users is that you will have the option to share with everyone in your organization, even if you haven't added all of those people to a circle.

For people who started using Google+ with a personal Google account, and would prefer to use a Google Apps account, there will be a migration tool released in the near future (reportedly in a few weeks). Hopefully, the migration tool will work in the opposite way as well. If one leaves an organization, it would ideal to move your Google+ profile to your personal account.

At the recent 2011 F8 Facebook developer's conference, Facebook announced significant changes to the design and scaled up the information that it tracks about it's users. There are many summaries of the changes from a user's perspective, but let's focus on what the changes may mean for businesses.

News Feed

The News Feed will be split into two: the Feed and Ticker. The goal with this split is to remove a user's fear of over-sharing. The Ticker will show a stream of updates, similar to Twitter, while the News Feed will be for stickier content (things that Facebook determines will be of interest at a later time).

Facebook Messages

As of September 30th, page owners will no longer able to send updates to fans using Facebook Messages. Page owners are encouraged by Facebook to interact with their fans through their Wall, so people see updates in their news feeds.

Facebook Pages

For businesses and organizations, it's important to note that users no longer have to "like" a Facebook Page in order to leave a comment.

The Open Graph

Last year, Facebook introduced the Facebook Open Graph - a combination of publisher plugins, semantic markup and a developer API. This year's changes will allow applications to tell Facebook if a user has watched a video, read an article, etc. From a business perspective, expect that much more information about Facebook users will become available for targeting.

Implications

A business can no longer simply have a Facebook page in order to engage with their fans and recruit other Facebook users. To truly engage and market to Facebook users, your business will have to participate in the Open Graph. Focus on your customer's experiences, and how those actions can be integrated and shared.

Essentially, think of Facebook as a targeting tool. You can analyze your audience to learn how stories are shared and created about your business. Paid advertising campaigns will likely play a central role in your brand's presence on Facebook - sponsoring products or services that Facebook users share will be important.

With the increased level of sharing of activities, friends and "friends-of-friends" may become inspired or interested in a product or service. For those in the Alaska travel industry, this could be particularly useful. Imagine a Facebook user seeing "John booked a Alaska Vacation Package with Company X for July 2012" and thinking, "Hey, I always wanted to go to Alaska, maybe this is the time."

Cautions and Areas of Concern

Users may become very cautious in allowing apps to share with others and restrict them to the "only me" setting. But the majority of people will likely trade privacy for increased personalization.

Noise and Information Overload

The split of the news feed into a Feed (sticky content) and Ticker (steam) will increase the information being displayed to users. Will users look for ways to filter out the noise? Is Facebook betting that the volume of information may cause users to have less time for other social media apps? Businesses will have to find a balance of being timely and fresh in people's minds vs. the appearance of being "spammy."

If your organization or business has recently had to do the Google Apps transition, effectively moving data from two Google accounts into one (or setting up a second personal account), please make sure all your users go back and login to each Google product or service that they have used in the past. In helping some of our clients, we've noticed business locations on Google Places/Maps being shown as "permanently closed" after completing the Google Apps transition. In this specific case, simply logging back into Google Places and viewing each business location fixed the problem.

This is often a tough call for clients. Websites should be built to last a while, but there are some tell-tale signs that indicate that it is time to make an investment by upgrading to a new platform.

When it makes sense to stick with what you have:

• You already have a content management system (CMS) and a site designed with styles sheets and templates. This allows you to make design refreshes at a relatively low cost.
• Your site is five years old or less. Most sites in this range are relatively current in look and feel, as well as functionality.
• You need minimal functionality changes. If your site is relatively simple, it will last longer.
• No need for new navigation or layouts. Again, a simple site without dramatic changes in content or navigation can last longer.

When it makes sense to reinvest:

If any of the following apply, it's time to think about your options. If more than one apply, it's time to think seriously about your five-year web plan.

• You have a static, HTML website. Making changes to these sites often requires someone with HTML experience. Current technology empowers clients to do a lot themselves effectively and affordably.
• Site is more than five years old. There have been significant improvements in web technology in the past five years, and the cost has gone down. You can gain significant improvements with an investment now.
• Older site (5+ years). These sites are not optimized for new screen sizes and will appear very dated, which can hamper credibility.
• If you have new product lines or want to invest in some significant new functionality. First review the current platform to see if upgrades are possible, and at what cost. 
• Your business model has changed and the web is more important. If the website is playing a more significant role in your business, you need to make sure it's scalable for the inevitable improvements in the coming years.
• Significant navigation changes or additional content are needed. When changes like these are significant, it's a good time to revisit – new best practices may be incorporated at a modest price.

Is this something you have been thinking about fior your business? What other considerations do you have to share?