What are SERPs?
SERPs is a bit of industry jargon you may have heard used on various websites and is actually an acronym for Search Engine Results Page(s).
So whenever we refer to SERPs in the blog and elsewhere, it is in relation to the results pages generated by search engines in response to a search query. This incorporates everything from PPC adverts and organic search results, to news and local listings.
Google have been developing their Social Search profile for a few months now. Last week we finally saw the emergence of their latest endeavours, a new element within their blended results featuring related messages from your online social circle.
Social Search is now going to appear as an option within Google’s search results. Essentially it works by pooling the public information shared by your online friends and will show those that include the keywords used – in order of relevance of course.
So how does Google know who I’m friends with?
Well, the Social Search element will only appear for those who have a Google profile and are signed in. It collates the data from the links that you voluntarily supply. For example, your Google profile might include Facebook, Twitter and Gmail, with links to each of your related accounts. Google can then reach in and grab your public information – i.e. your friends or contacts list – and include them within your social circle – ready for Social Search integration.
As the search engines develop, so too do the potential avenues for effective marketing. So what exactly is the most effective Search Engine Marketing strategy?
Traditionally, the two ways in which you could improve your website’s visibility on search engines was through SEO and Pay per Click (PPC) advertising. Whilst they may remain at the forefront of most strategies, SEO and PPC are by no means the only way to get your name where it matters.
As the search engine results pages (SERPs) have diversified, including new facets and restructuring their layout, marketing methods have been quick to follow suit. With Twitter updates, local search results and news items infiltrating the SERPs, the realms of possibilities are more diverse and in greater supply than ever before.
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Google have been busy shaking the sandy foundations on which the old school of SEO teachings were built. The Google Caffeine [see: Is Google Caffeine the SEO Killer?] and Vince algorithm updates look set to move the goalposts, whilst the unceremonious way in which PageRank was evicted from Webmaster Tools [see: Is PageRank Still Relevant], all indicate that the times may be a changing.
But despite the changes, has anything really changed? By abandoning PageRank Google simply reinforced a message that they had been telling the world for years – “don’t become preoccupied with PageRank, it’s not as important as you think!” Whilst Vince has been touted as a ‘brand’ orientated update, it simply isn’t in Google’s best interests to overhaul their entire rankings structure to appease the bigger companies.
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If you’ve been using Google.co.uk recently and have noticed that results aren’t quite what you’d expected, you’re not alone. Here at Impact Media, we have seen huge deviations in rankings and the general quality of the SERPs (search engine results pages) that we receive.
It appears Econsultancy have also picked up on the growing confusion over Google’s UK results and posed the question ‘Are Google’s UK search results broken?’ in their latest blog. So, are they really broken? Well, perhaps not irreparably, but there have certainly been some striking anomalies recently; most notably the appearance of various foreign sites in UK only searches and a general deterioration in the quality of results.
At the PubCon Search Marketing Conference in Las Vegas, Bruce Clay (bruceclay.com) gave a presentation in which he discussed how search engine optimisation (SEO) as we know it today is changing rapidly in line with the personalisation of search results that the search engines are moving towards, with Google being the leader of the pack.
He then re-capped his presentation in an interview with WebProNews: SEO About to be Turned on its Ear?
Chances are, that if you search online, you’ve already experienced personalisation of the search results. You would have received a different set of results based on your location or search history. In his interview, Bruce explains how he anticipates this being the tip of the iceberg as technologies improve and other media, e.g. video, contribute towards the rankings that a web page enjoys.
With mobile search entering the mainstream and search results by IP (location) becoming increasingly accurate, the ability for the search engines to send different results to individuals based upon intent, location and history is sure to feature prominently in the future. If we’re all seeing different search results, how do you measure success of your SEO based on search rankings (SERPS) alone?
Many site owners are fixated with SERPS to the detriment of other areas, e.g. the quality of the traffic. It is far better to work with the analytics for your site and to understand other factors such as bounce rate and conversions.
Everyone wants to be Number 1 on Google! Why? Because those businesses that are Number 1 on Google get the greatest share of traffic to their site. If you have a website and you aren’t placing within the first page on Google or one of the other search engines – then you don’t really exist. Getting a good ranking equates to increased chances to convert interested visitors into satisfied customers.
Without this, no one will find your site; very few people even look beyond the second search page. Getting a first page ranking is a priority for all businesses using the web to promote and sell their products and services.
There are various ways to improve your rankings and experts will tell you that it’s difficult to be sure which makes the biggest improvements fastest.
They say that Content is King. But the truth is that engaging, informative, constantly updated and search engine friendly content is the King of Kings. Adding content keeps Google’s spiders crawling all over your site. The content has to be original and make sense in order to cater to your human visitors. Content can come in the form of articles, blogs, press releases, landing/squeeze pages – whatever style you believe will work best.
Using a range of keyword tools, you can find out the best keywords and phrases that will attract the right visitor to your site. It’s no use getting to Number 1 on Google for keywords that are unrelated to what you have to offer. Be as specific as possible and think of combining your keywords into the phrases that people would use when searching for your product. The key to choosing the best keywords is to choose words from the perspective of your potential visitor. What would someone type if they wanted what you have to offer? This can be very different from how you might market the product traditionally. The keyword density has to be just right so as not irritate Google, so if you’re not sure, consult an expert.
The search engines look at your popularity with others and if you appear to have a steady stream of people linking to your site, it looks like your website is something that should appear higher up in the rankings. Many people buy links from Link Farms and once Google finds out, they will punish your site, even making it disappear off the search engine rankings all together.
There are many dodgy characters out there that can make you Number 1 on Google. But their tactics and techniques are highly questionable, their results tend to be temporary, they charge very high sums and eventually the search engines catch up with you and punish you and not the black hat SEO. It’s just not worth the risk!
Improving the rankings of your website is a tricky business. There are many ways that people trying to get higher rankings can mess up their optimization and damage their relationship with the search engines. No one knows exactly how many different levels or facets the search engine algorithms have, but through years of experience, reputable SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) companies have developed techniques that increase the chances of a good ranking on Google or one of the other search engines.
At Impact Media, we offer a professional search engine optimisation service for UK based businesses that are looking to achieve greater returns from their website.
