The other day a client told me the person who designed his site said that SEO isn’t necessary anymore!
My client doesn’t know much about a computer let alone the Internet, so I put it to him this way:
Can you imagine if the “view as thumbnail” feature didn’t exist on your PC and all your photos were named something like “1564.jpg” or “302894.jpg.
Or what if your documents were called something like “Dear5023.docx” or 524455.pdf, or if the icons on your desktop where just images, or your videos were named “856.wav”, etc?
How long would it take YOU to find what you were looking for – just on YOUR desktop, let alone the entire Internet!
Finally, Google has launched the ultimate application in South Africa which allows you to not only navigate your way to a “final destination” but to get an idea of what the destination looks like.
Just in time for the Soccer World Cup as promised!
Google has sent fleets of cars around the world for several years to take panoramic pictures of streets. People using Google’s online atlas for locations and directions in many cases can look at photographs collected by the Street View project and classified by address.
Google uses a combination of data from Wi-Fi, GPS and cellphone towers to determine where smartphone users are so they can be given information based on a specific location.
What if you could decide where to shop, eat or hang out, with a little help from local Google users?
It might take you a while to ask them all, so to make it easier we’ve launched a new effort to send window decals to over 100,000 local businesses in the U.S. that have been the most sought out and researched on Google.com and Google Maps. We’re calling these businesses the “Favorite Places on Google” and you’ll now start to find them in over 9,000 towns and cities, in all 50 states. You can also explore a sample of the Favorite Places in 20 of the largest U.S. cities at google.com/favoriteplaces.
Not content with sitting back and delivering a simple mapping solution, the guys from Bing have created what is simply an awesome and groundbreaking experience which takes some of the best Microsoft technologies and melds them together. Read full post
Local search is only one sliver of the search marketing game, but it is an increasingly important one, and one that is changing rapidly. These days people are going to the web to find local businesses, sometimes more than even the phone book. Having a presence in local search is imperative for any small business, but just as imperative is being able to compete for visibility.
If you have heard of Google’s new “Social Search” and you are wondering what it is all about, you would do well to read the post on Search Engine Land by Danny Sullivan.
There is no doubt in my mind of the potential this holds for Local Search and Business, Google is really “bringing it all together”
Information used to be scarce, now the most valuable commodity is our time and our attention. Online marketers are prepared to bribe you to take a second look at their offering with the promise of a “give away” or a free gift.
Google is doing everything they can to sort through the vast amount of “useless” regurgitated information to deliver the information that is most relevant to your search, what better way than to include links from your trusted friends or Social Network!
I attended the Cape Town Google Maps Developer Codelab last week, presented by Jarda Bengi, Google Maps product manager for Europe & Africa.
Jarda announced that Google is currently mapping our major cities and surrounding suburbs. They hope to launch Google Street View in time for the Soccer World Cup which is being hosted by South Africa in 2010
South Africa is being given preference by Google ahead of some other countries due to the major World sporting event being hosted here.
Local business will benefit as consumers start to make use of Google Maps, Google Mobile and Local Search. Again it is important to claim and edit your local business listing in the Google Local Business Center!
An improved interface for local information in web search We changed our interface for local business information when it occurs in search results. It’s now much more readable (larger fonts) and friendlier to use (easier to click on just what you want). Example search: [pizza palo alto] Here are before and after shots for the search.
The coupon entitles you to a complimentary in depth SEO analysis which we will conduct with you on site to get a clear idea of exactly what YOUR Search Engine Marketing needs and goals are.
