Google's New Linking Guidelines

I am incredibly lucky to have connected with a great Search Engine Optimization (SEO) company, Search Optimizers. The Account Manager I work with is incredibly diligent about keeping his clients updated on the newest algorithm changes impacting search. He recently sent me an email with the following information:

Google published a blog post covering the new linking guidelines; we recommend reviewing it carefully as many of these tactics are still ubiquitous. Verboten activities listed in Google’s article include, among others:

1. Purchasing links (any form of purchasing, including free product in exchange for a link)
2. Link exchanges (I'll link to you from my site if you link to mine from yours)
3. "Large-scale article marketing or guest posting campaigns with keyword-rich anchor text links”
4. “Using automated programs or services to create links to your site”
5. “Links with optimized anchor text in articles or press releases distributed on other sites. For example:There are many wedding rings on the market. If you want to have a wedding, you will have to pick the best ring. You will also need to buy flowers and a wedding dress.”
6. “Low-quality directory or bookmark site links”
7. “Forum comments with optimized links in the post or signature, for example:Thanks, that’s great info! - Paul paul’s pizza san diego pizza best pizza san diego”

Remember, even if you don’t do any of those types of activities for your clients, they may have done this with other companies in the past, and it could still negatively influence their site. The affected sites experience significant drops in organic traffic when their site gets picked up by Penguin. Google also published a post detailing steps to take to remove toxic links. Due to the SEO importance of eliminating toxic links, Search Optimizers reviews our clients’ link profiles to determine if a significant number of unnatural backlinks are attached to their sites.

While I am a huge proponent of white hat SEO practices, I recognize that some businesses aren't savvy enough to realize they're paying a fraction of the cost for services that employ unsavory linking practices. I personally had to dissuade a former employer from hiring a firm that was significantly less expensive based on the admission that they would buy links to our pages and build links between our pages and the pages of their other clients. 

As I told the president of the company I was working for, it's not worth risking the penalties Google will impose on us. Sometimes we can go back and wipe those links clean from sites, but it can be incredibly difficult to improve a website's standing with the major search engines. 

6 Tips for Successful Email Marketing

Email Marketing can be a quick way to reach out to a large group of people when it's done appropriately.  As with all digital marketing, email marketing requires a clear set of goals, strategy for achieving the goals and a plan for measuring success.  If something isn't working, make changes and measure again.  

If you're struggling to find success with your email marketing campaign, here are six best practices for email marketing:

1. Take the time to format a nice template for your recurring email marketing efforts.  Not only will it help your readers identify what you're communicating - monthly newsletter, industry alert, etc. - it will also reinforce your brand's professionalism. 
2. Graphics and formatting will only go so far, content generation is the key to successful email marketing campaigns.   Your audience wants to receive information that's interesting, useful and relevant to them.  If you email campaign isn't successful, it's probably not because of your formatting, graphics or the time of day you sent your message.  In the words of Seth Godin, "Don't waste time looking for a better pencil--learn to write better."
3. If you have to choose between having "Dear [name]" on your emails or not having personalized emails at all, go without the personalization.  There is nothing that turns readers off faster than seeing your sloppiness and laziness in the very first line.  If you're not willing to take the time to go through your list and check the contact information for every individual it's unlikely your readers are going to spend the time to read your email.
4. Avoid fancy HTML images and use text in your emails wherever possible.  Yes, the HTML looks very polished, but your readers have to download the images in order to see what you're trying to communicate.  Create content that is easy to digest and doesn't require work on the part of your readers.  Additionally, if you're going to archive your work online, text is SEO friendly whereas graphics need to be properly tagged to appeal to search engines.
5. Before you ask me to do something for you, ask yourself if it's fun, if it's worth my time and if I'm going to being compensated appropriately.  It's unlikely you'll get a high rate of participation if the answer to two out of those three questions is "no". 
6. Set expectations about how often your readers are going to hear from you and what you're going to say, but most importantly, live up to those expectations.  If you're publishing a monthly newsletter, send it on the same day of each month, e.g. (the first Wednesday, Second Tuesday, etc.).  If you're sending out a security alert email, have a criteria for how serious something needs to be before you send message out.  

The SEO Guide to Google's Hummingbird

Search Engine Journal posted a very cool infographic detailing how to craft content for Google's Hummingbird algorithm that will help search engine optimization efforts be successful.

You can see their original post here: How to Thrill Google Hummingbird: The SEO’s Guide 

How Google's Hummingbird Impacts Social Media Marketers

Jeff Bullas posted a very concise explanation for how Google's recent Hummingbird algorithm update is going to impact social media marketers.

Check it out here: How does Google’s Hummingbird Update Impact Social Media Marketers?
Hummingbird isn't something to ignore.  It sounds like it's now more imperative than ever that we make Google+ a strong component of our social media strategy.

Google Hummingbird FAQs by Danny Sullivan

Google announced this week that they had launched a major renovation to their algorithm last month.  The new algorithm is called Hummingbird and it has marketing professionals and search engine optimization (SEO) experts a bit anxious to see how the digital marketing industry will be effected by the changes.

Danny Sullivan posted a great blog answering the frequently asked questions about Hummingbird that is worth reading if you are even remotely associated with digital marketing.