1-800-SPD-8038

The Marketing Spark

Wikipedia Ranks on First Page of Google Nearly Half of the Time

Ever notice that the results of nearly every Google search you make contain a Wikipedia entry?

A study by Conductor revealed that 46% of every search on Google will result in a Wikipedia reference on the first page, whereas it occurs in only 31% of searches conducted on Bing. The research model included both transactional and information keywords, and also measured various word combinations and search term lengths.

Despite there being no evidence of untoward alliances or favoritism, Google honchos are still quick to defend their altruistic algorithms. When asked about the heavy Wikipedia visibility, one rep noted that other studies circulating show the popular information website popping up more frequently on Bing, and that regardless of today’s results the vagaries of the search world practically guarantee that there will be different results tomorrow.

That may be true for users in the U.S., but Googlers in the United Kingdom may not agree. One research study conducted in Brighton, England, around the same time as the aforementioned study revealed Wikipedia appeared on the first search engine results page (SERP) in 99% of searches using 1,000 random keyword nouns (compared to 2,000 specifically chosen keywords in the Conductor research).

The UK researchers took the issue one step further by asking whether the high level of visibility enjoyed by Wikipedia was deserved. This is obviously a matter of opinion, but with nearly 500 million unique visitors each month to its English site it is a very relevant matter to consider, especially if the assumption is that these people are disseminating Wikipedia’s information as a means to validate arguments, make points and essentially drive conversation.

Ever since Wikipedia’s inception in 2001, the debate has raged over whether the website is reliable enough to use as a vetted source given its open-access approach to developing content. The fact that there is also Scholarpedia, an open-access peer-reviewed version of Wikipedia, suggests that there is a market and desire for a more reliable source of free information.

The fact that Scholarpedia never shows up in Google or Bing search results, however, demonstrates Wikipedia’s dominance across search engines; dominance so pervasive that information sources like Scholarpedia would be hard-pressed to compete against it.

Even fans of Wikipedia would have to admit there is a problem with that. When the ubiquitous nature of an inferior product is so complete that it hampers the possibility of a superior product emerging, it leaves questions regarding marketplace mechanics and Google’s influence on it.

Ever Wonder How People Spend Their Time Online?

Ever Wonder How People Spend Their Time Online?

 

Ever wonder what people do online? Here is a great infographic that highlights how people around the world spend their time on the web. It’s not just Facebook and YouTube all day, every day you know. It was featured on Social Media Today.

The global online population (total people in the world who are online) will approach 2.5 billion in the next couple of years. Currently, approximately 30% of the world’s population is online and by some estimates almost half of those that are online will be on Facebook within the next couple of years.

Some facts that stood out from the infographic:

  • US Internet users spend twice as many hours online as the average global internet user (32 hours vs. 16 hours)
  • The UK has approximately 85% of its population online compared to about 80% for the US.
  • India by comparison only has about 7.5% of its population online. This is probably largely due to the infrastructure, the big population (close to 1.2 billion) and the caste system.
  • The top 3 most popular activities online are (1) Email (2) Using Search Engines (3) Finding Health or Medical Info
  • Google has the most unique visitors each month (153 Million) but Facebook is not far behind and people spend about 5 times as much time on Facebook as on Google.

5 Interesting Stats About The Web

  1. Google has over 1 billion search queries per day
  2. YouTube has over 4 billion views each day (and 60 hours of video are uploaded every minute)
  3. Twitter has over 250 million tweets per day
  4. Facebook users make 800 million updates on the social site every day
  5. Brazilians are more friendly (at least on social networks) than Japanese because they average 481 friends vs. 29 friends.

I thought it was a clean infographic with some really great stats. Each section was easy to follow with a very clear layout.

Google Launches AdWords for YouTube

For those who do not count themselves among the 800 million monthly visitors to YouTube, the news is that the website is turning computers into the second coming of the television, and naturally Google is steering the ship.

The search giant’s quest for Internet omnipresence led it to acquire the website in 2006 and it is now amplifying its power with the addition of the AdWords Web metrics tool, this time called Google AdWords for Video.

It wasn’t long ago that a little-known company called Orabrush started making headlines with a viral YouTube ad campaign that resulted in the sale of a million units of the company’s product and the birth of a new contender in the oral care industry. It is the dream of every online video Web marketer and entrepreneur, and up until now that kind of success was more of a crapshoot than a study in advertising science.

Google AdWords for Video will undoubtedly change that as the familiar Web metrics tool allows businesspeople, marketers and advertisers to more comprehensively manage campaigns and accurately target video ads. This will be achieved much like how it is when using traditional AdWords for text, by focusing on keywords and tailoring messages based on user response.

More specifically, advertisers will be able to use keywords to target potential clients or tie their ads to videos that fall within certain spheres of interest, like music or politics. And, as with text-based AdWords, advertisers will only pay when viewers watch their ads.

To get the ball rolling, Google is offering businesses $50 million in free YouTube video advertising, part of which will come in the form of a $75 credit for 500,000 new businesses that sign on to the platform. Google has also assigned nine “ambassadors” to help drive the project and is providing several videos and forums on how to best utilize the new service.

All of this ultimately means more money for Google, but what it also means is that there is a powerful new way for startups and small businesses to compete in one of the most innovative media arenas evolving today. YouTube is fast growing into a place where people go to watch actual channels, rather than just a website that’s fun to link to for amusing snippets of video.

Once the evolution of the combined TV/computer is complete and YouTube is the parent of an entire host of channels that people will watch on television, these businesses will be thankful for AdWords and that they had the initiative to get in on the ground floor.

After 3 Years, Foursquare is Finally Growing Up

Marketers take notice: Foursquare is in it to win it.

And by win it, I mean it appears as if they’ve decided that it’s finally time to earn some revenue. You know… something that all companies, social networking startups included, eventually have to get around to (a friendly reminder to the aspiring Pinterest and Quora copycats of the world).

Bravo Foursquare. It’s about time.
I always knew you’d find a way.

Earlier this week news broke that the company is currently knee deep in the process of preparing a redesigned version of its popular app, to be released sometime in July, that will include personalized coupons. These coupons, along with other upcoming features, are designed as a means to foster loyalty between customers and venues, which in turn translates to repeat visits and increased revenue for brick and mortar business owners. It’s the same Foursquare that users have come to know and love (check-ins, mayorships, and badges are still in play), with a new Groupon-like spin added on.

Although coupons may be new territory for Foursquare, specials have been around in one form or another for years. Merchants have always had the opportunity to offer incentives and discounts, so long as a person was willing to show up and check in to redeem the special and provided that the business was officially registered with Foursquare. In the near future though, coupons are going to be given preferential placement within the Foursquare app, perhaps as part of a larger effort to lure those who are out and about to visit a new venue for the first time.

It’s still up in the air as to how many of Foursquare’s 750,000 registered merchants will actually pay for promoted coupon specials and what the cost or percentage per transaction will end up being to do so, but nonetheless having a coupon arrangement in place still works out as an enticing win-win-win value prop for venue, Foursquare, and consumer. Business owners, especially those in high traffic metropolitan areas, have little to lose by incentivizing customers to check in. The data that comes along with being a verified merchant, such as frequency of check in and a better picture of who the best customers are, has high value on its own – regardless of how check ins might help the bottom line.

This news is the second revenue positive announcement of the month, considering that Foursquare is also now letting businesses sign up for a merchant account with instant verification for a onetime $10 fee.

10 Resources for Learning About Local SEO

Local Search Ranking Factors David Mihm

An annual survey of local SEO experts that provides insights into what factors are affecting local search.

Local SEO Checklist for New Sites – Whiteboard Friday (video) SEOMoz

Key takeaways: It is essential that you use the exact same name and information for each site you register your business at.

Local SEO: 10 Tips for Ranking in Your Area Search Engine Watch

Key takeaways: Make sure your Whois information matches your business address. Participate on local sites and forums. Explore opportunities for local press coverage of your business.

35 Local Link Opportunities You Missed Seer Interactive

Key takeaways: Sponsor a local meetup, charity, or dog shelter. Write testimonials for your vendors for a link.

Where To Get Citations For Local SEO Search Engine Land

Key takeaways: More than 20% of Google searches are for local business. There are a hundred local directories – get a page on each one like Yelp, Superpages, Citysearch, Urbanspoon, Angie’s List, Trip Advisor, and Merchant Circle. Use the Whitespark Local Citation Finder.

5 Sources of Links for Local Businesses Search Engine Journal

Key Takeaways: Find and submit to local directories. Reach out to local reporters when you do something newsworthy.

Google Places Citations: 5 More Tactics to Earn Links for Your Local Business SEOMoz

Key Takeaways: Use Google discussion search to find places where you can provide local citations or links.

10 Local Search Tools I Simply Can’t Live Without Search Engine Journal

A great list of must have local SEO tools.

10 Unorthodox Ideas For Local Citations & Links Search Engine Land

Key takeaway: look for creative opportunities to get citations and links like writing a book, sponsoring a festival, providing free Wifi service, offering a special discount to local clubs, etc.

Nifty Hard Core Local SEO Tactics From SMX Advanced Search Engine Land

Key Takeaways: If you have multiple locations, claim Google Place listings in a corporate Google account. Each location must have a unique phone number.

Charles Sipe is the Director of Search at Sparkplug Digital. He enjoys working on link building, creating great content, bringing back the Seattle Sonics, and always learning new things about online marketing. Twitter: @charlessipe

Feel free to contact us with any questions at info(at)sparkplugdigital.com

Find Your Niche In the Startup Ecosystem (Sharks, Dolphins, Whales…Oh My)

Your Niche In the Startup Ecosystem

In the startup world everyone stress the fact that you need to find a niche. Google’s niche was search, Yahoo was portals, Microsoft was software and operating systems, Apple was software, hardware and user experience. All these companies were funded by angel investors and venture capitalists. Their founders became household names (with the exception to Yahoo because no one really cares about them).  These tech companies undoubtedly inspired Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Groupon, Zynga, Airbnb and so on.

The social startup wave will inspire the next group of entrepreneurs and founders who will lean on their tireless developers, coders and designers while taking funds from the venture capitalists.

The folks over at Udemy did a great job with an infographic that outline the different roles in the startup ecosystem:

  • Sharks – Venture Capitalist invests in promising startups to earn large returns when a company exits (either through IPO or acquisition). They prey on weak founders with great ideas and are preyed upon by tech bloggers and pompous founders.
  • Dolphin – Angel Investor usually invests money in businesses that are in need of extra capital. It is usually recommended that “founders seek angels before they venture”. They are preyed upon by venture capitalists and tech bloggers.
  • Octopus – Developer does a founder’s dirty work by helping them find a practical solution to an existing problem by integrating computer code in a cohesive product that can be monetize (keywords in the startup world is monetization and scalability). They prey on Designers and flaming hot cheetos and are preyed on by founders and not surprising…sunlight.
  • Swordfish – Founder creates marketable solutions to problems that affect a large number of people. (If you are Steve Jobs then you create stuff that people didn’t even know they need or want and you dominate the market by creating the future). They prey on developers, designers, sales/business development while being preyed upon by venture capitalists, pride and sleepless nights.
  • Sea Horse – Designer makes products look pretty. They prey on funyuns and chocolate why being preyed on by corrupt Adobe files.
  • Jelly Fish – VP of Marketing makes consumers aware of company products that can benefit them, juggle SEO, PPC, Social Media and everything related to marketing and advertising. They are sometimes known as the most important person in the room. They prey on consumers and act as prey for founders and CEOs.

Find out what the role of the CEO (whale), Social Marketer, Sales/Business Development, Outsourced Grunt Worker, Consumer (flock of fishes), and Attention-Deprived Significant Other (prey on romance novels and Words with Friends…ok I made that last one up) in the infographic.

I thought Udemy did a really great job of conveying the message but also allowed room for clever copy writing. The color was a little stale for me and they could easily go with a lighter and brighter palette. But overall I thought they did really great job of putting together some thoughtful content and shed light on the startup world.

Incredible Headlines – 7 Examples Worthy of Study

There’s a real art to crafting a headline that stands out. Every word is vital and a lackluster headline is like a death sentence than can ruin an otherwise commendable piece of writing.

As somewhat of a thought experiment and to scratch the itch, I took a look at a handful of popular articles over the past month in terms of virality (Facebook likes, Tweets, shares via Instapaper), and separated the memorable headlines from the mundane.

Some questions used in the analysis:

What makes this headline incredible?
What was the writer thinking?

What’s the appeal for the reader? 

Is Facebook Making Us Lonely? - Stephen Marche, The Atlantic

Why it works: This was one of the most popular articles of the past month and for good reason, apart from hitting a lot of hot buttons and the extent of how well it was researched, the title alone just yells controversy. It doesn’t matter if you agree or disagree that Facebook makes us lonely, the headline is put in the form of a question, leaving the reader left to develop their own conclusion based on the evidence presented.

How Geniuses Think – Michael Michalko, The Creativity Post

Why it works:  This is a great example, because it’s brief and cuts to the point. Very few of us are geniuses, but it’s still something many of us would like to be, and thus the reason why the headline is so relevant. Everyone can relate.

I’m Leaving the Internet for a Year - Paul Miller, The Verge

Why it works: Paul at The Verge has made the brave choice to abandon the internet for year, a decision that would seem rather insane for a tech journalist. Why would someone want to leave the internet? How will he do it? Does this include email? This headline works in many different ways and being in the form of a declarative statement only adds to its appeal.

Simplicity Isn’t Simple – Francisco Inchauste, getfinch.com

Why it works: Short headlines, 3 words in this case, usually don’t work as well as longer ones, but here’s an exception. I like how the author uses a play on words and leaves room for speculation. Is this article about design? Is it about education? Is it about politics? It could be a number of things, but I won’t find out without actually taking time to read the article.

The Crisis in American Walking - Tom Vanderbilt, Slate

Why it works: Wait… there’s a crisis in walking, and I don’t even know about it? I must stop what I’m doing and read this immediately.

Behind Instagrams Success, Networking the Old Way - Somini Sengupta, NY Times

Why it works: When Facebook acquired Instagram there was a barrage of opinion based articles that followed shortly after. Some were great and some were not so great, but the ones that stood out were the ones in which the writer dissected what made Instagram so successful and why the acquisition was warranted. An amateur would have likely stopped at Behind Instagrams Success, but the extra bit, Networking the Old Way, makes the headline enticing to a larger audience.

This $20 Trillion Rock Could Turn a Startup Into Earth’s Richest Company - Chris Taylor, Mashable

Why it works: You don’t have to enjoy science, startups, or business to appreciate this headline. The writer does an excellent job of mixing two over the top claims ($20 Trillion and Earth’s Richest Company) in hopes of encouraging the reader to click through. A similar article that was published a day earlier, and likely derived from the same source material, was stated as: Here’s How a Startup Plans to Extract Gold from Asteroids. Sure It’s an OK headline, but it pales in comparison to what Mashable did. It’s the same information, just stated differently, and a prime example of why the extra effort is usually worth it when it comes to getting the headline perfect.

Image credit

8 Resources for Learning About The Google Penguin Update

penguin updateOn April 24th, Google launched the Penguin update to their algorithm that reduced traffic to a significant number of sites. Here are some great resources for learning more about Google Penguin.

Penguins, Pandas, and Panic at the Zoo SEOMoz

Key takeaway: Avoid being too aggressive with exact match anchor text links.

17 Ways SMBs Can Survive the Google Penguin Update Effect Search Engine Watch

Key takeaways: Diversify your inbound traffic to sources outside Google like social media. Business owners should spend 5 times as much time on other websites than on their own site.

Google Penguin Update Recovery Tips & Advice Search Engine Land

Key takeaways: Google confirms that the Penguin update is fully live. Penguin is an algorithmic change (not a manual penalty). Panda 3.5 was released on April 19th.

What to Do if Your Search Rankings Were Hurt by Google’s Penguin Update Hubspot

Key takeaways: Focus on creating remarkable content for potential customers. Make sure to verify your site Google Webmaster Tools to check for any warning messages. Avoid hidden text or links and keyword stuffing.

Penguin Analysis: SEO Isn’t Dead, But You Need to Act Smarter (And 5 Easy Ways to Do So!) Microsite Masters

Key takeaway: Anchor text is much less of a linking factor than in the past. Make sure at least 50% of your links use keywords that are not the keyword you are trying to rank for.

Google Penguin Update: 5 Types of Link Issues Harming Some Affected Websites Search Engine Watch

Key takeaway: Some linking factors that may have triggered Penguin are comment spam with exact match anchor text links, article marketing/article directories, and guest posts on questionable sites. The common denominator appears to be unnatural links.

Recover From Google Penguin Update: Get Better At Links WebProNews

Key takeaway: Avoid linking to bad neighborhoods as it can negatively affect your site. Avoid excessive link exchanges/reciprocal links.

Penguin Pain and Forward Planning Distilled

Key Takeaways: Don’t make a lot of changes to your site in a panic-driven state. Make sure you have a mix of anchor text links from other sites including brand anchor text, exact match, and phrase match.

Have you had an experience with the Penguin update? Please leave your comments below.

Charles Sipe is the Director of Search at Sparkplug Digital. He enjoys working on link building, creating great content, bringing back the Seattle Sonics, and always learning new things about online marketing. Twitter: @charlessipe

Feel free to contact us with any questions at info(at)sparkplugdigital.com

8 Useful Resources for Learning About SEO Analytics

One of the great benefits of online marketing is that you can measure your efforts and calculate the effects of your efforts. Understanding analytics for SEO can be tremendously helpful in measuring key performance indicators and the following resources can help you become more knowledgeable in this area.

SEO Analytics, Middle Earth-Style Portent

Ian Lurie provides a great overview and approach to SEO analytics. The key takeaway: work on developing simple and actionable insights from the data. Ian uses tools like Authority Labs, SEOMoz, Screaming Frog, and Xeno to gather data. He advises that you track metrics like: non-branded visits, time on site, social media metrics, unique ranking domains, and rankings. He also suggests learning some programming using Python which can save a lot of time.

A Beginner’s Guide to Conversion Goals in Google Analytics Search Engine Journal

Key takeaways: Conversions can be non-sales events like email subscriptions, contact form completions, watching a video, etc.

Microsoft Excel for SEOs Distilled

An excellent guide for becoming an Excel ninja by the smart folks at Distilled. If you can use Excel, it can be one of the most useful tools in your arsenal for analyzing website data.

How to Use Advanced Segments in Google Analytics to Isolate SEO Problems [Tutorial] Search Engine Journal

An in-depth tutorial for learning how to leverage advanced segments to analyze your site’s data. Why are advanced segments in Google Analytics helpful? It allows you to view data only from a specific type of visitor (for example visitors who viewed a video and then viewed a product page). It also explains the steps for setting up an advanced segment in Google Analytics. Key takeaway: in meetings data usually trumps opinion.

Measuring Natural Keyword in the Age of (Not-Provided) Secure Search High Rankings

Key takeaway: the issue with not-provided keyword data will continue to get worse for search marketers and many sites may see 75% of their search traffic as not-provided.

The SEO’s Guide to Google Analytics 5 Search Engine Journal

A comprehensive 3-part guide on the new version of Google Analytics focused on SEO. It describes some of the key changes in GA5 and new features. Key takeaway: you can now see visitors from different geographic locations.

11 Google Analytics Tricks to Use for Your Website SEOMoz

Great tips on using Google Analytics to learn some useful insights and some really cool tricks to try out.

SEO Metrics for Publishers: How are You Tracking and Measuring Success? Adam Sherk
A good overview of SEO analytics for publishers. Key takeaways: rankings should not be a primary success metric due to personalization. Monitor number of pages with at least one visit during a period of time to measure indexation.

Do you have any additional resources to share? Please add them below in the comments.

Charles Sipe is the Director of Search at Sparkplug Digital. He enjoys working on link building, creating great content, and always learning new things about online marketing. Twitter: @charlessipe

Feel free to contact us with any questions at info(at)sparkplugdigital.com

Ever Wonder How Animals See the World?

Ever Wonder How Animals See the World?

Have you ever wondered how animals see the world? The folks over at Mezzmer have a great infographics that highlights how sight works for these animals:

  • Dogs and Cats
  • Snakes
  • Horses and Zebras
  • Insects
  • Crustaceans (shrimps and crabs)
  • Birds
  • Sharks

According to them the human eyes are quite amazing, but there are certainly limitations such as seeing ultraviolet light or detect images at a great distance. This infographic shows how cats and dogs’ eyes are more sensitive to movement in the dark to allow them to hunt if necessary. Horses and zebras are big creatures with big visual capabilities that give them amazing peripheral vision, which essentially means that they can almost see all the way behind them. Sharks are color blind in a sense (they cannot detect color).

I thought this infographic has a terrific layout that made it easy to follow along, it’s interesting to see the different types of animals and Mezzmer did a great job of add fun facts and additional “sideline” graphics that kept me scrolling. The color scheme worked out really well with use of lighter colors and dedicated thematic colors for each section, which help appeals to families and kids.

 

Connect With Us