It’s no secret that over the last several months the team at Google has been busy developing, testing, and implementing, the next-generation of the company’s search algorithm. As a matter of fact, Google made over 540 search-quality improvements in 2009; that’s an average 1.5 changes each day! Most media attention given these developments covered the set of improvements that Google referred to as its caffeine update. These changes were implemented in order to further Google’s continuing goal of broadening index size, improving index speed, search accuracy, and the overall comprehensives of its search results. For individual users, these changes have led to search results that now contain a more relevant array of data from across the web. As Google changes the way it approaches weighing and displaying search results, search marketers will have to incorporate some new ideas into the way they approach search marketing in 2010. Read More…
6S Marketing Blog
Click-to-Call in AdWords!
on Monday, January 18th, 2010
Just launched this January 2010, location-specific phone numbers related to an advertiser’s business will now be displayed beside destination URL’s in mobile ads that appear on high-end mobile devices.
Users will be able to “Click-to-Call” a business just like they click to visit a website in Google. Read More…
How to Rank in Google News – WhitePaper
on Tuesday, December 29th, 2009
If you’ve been paying attention to the news lately, it has been hard to miss the squabbles between NewsCorp and Google over NewsCorp’s content being included in the Google News content aggregator. The most interesting quote to come out of the war of words between these two Goliaths, however, is where Google notes casually that they send NewsCorp’s sites thousands of clicks per minute.
While not all websites can generate quality content at a rate and consistency that NewsCorp does, we at 6S Marketing know that Google News can be an important stream of traffic for those sites willing to aggressively generate high quality content pieces. To help people take advantage of this, we’ve compiled the “How to Rank in Google News” whitepaper. It’s free, go ahead and download it!
Included in this guide is technical requirements for getting your site into Google News, content formatting and separation requirements, and a section on Google News SEO, as the Google News rankings function very differently from the organic search index. Currently only available within the Google help pages and within Google videos and blog postings, now you can have all the information you need for getting your site into the Google News index and ranking prominently, all in one document.
Google in Acquisition Talks to Acquire Yelp
on Friday, December 18th, 2009
Update: Yelp has walked away from a $500 Million dollar deal with Google this weekend, according to TechCrunch. Last week, our blog post “Google in Acquisition Talks to Acquire Yelp” talked about the deal that was apparently in the advanced stages of talks and all but needed to be signed, sealed and delivered. I guess those involved at Yelp have a better idea for a Christmas present other than $500 Million? If anyone has an idea as to what that would be, I would love to know! Read More…
Dodgeball Mania with the Fraserview Boys and Girls Club
on Wednesday, December 16th, 2009
A few key players from 6S Marketing were invited by the United Way of the Lower Mainland (UWLM) to play Dodgeball with the Fraserview Boys and Girls Club on December 14, 2009. The UWLW invited their web partners which included 6S Marketing, Domain7 and Veratta who all provided pro bono services in the development of their new web site, online marketing, and social media strategy (launching soon). The kids at the Fraserview Boys and Girls Club won the match and everybody had a lot of fun. Along with the video below, photos of the event are also on Flickr.
*Note: 6S Marketing President, Chris Breikss can be seen at the beginning of the YouTube video below diving to get a ball!
Will The World Find Your Business In February?
on Friday, December 11th, 2009
Are you strongly established online to attract a surge in business during the 2010 games in Vancouver? What can the average company do to attract business during that time without breaking the bank?
Google Local. Establish your business in Google Maps and when the world comes to Vancouver they will find you. Read More…
New AuthorityLabs Features
on Monday, November 30th, 2009
As we mentioned a while back, AuthorityLabs is our favorite new rank-checking software, and the most effective agency solution we’ve seen on the market. AuthorityLabs is great for a number of reasons, it’s reliable, doesn’t hide the reality of localized SERP results, and doesn’t bog down your company (or home) networks.
But we’ve talked about all that before, what’s new that deserves a second post?
The (Domain) Name Game and SEO
on Thursday, November 26th, 2009
Finding the right domain name is a big decision and a lot has to weigh on it. Branding, SEO, and ‘catchiness’ are just a few.
But once a good domain name has been found, does the issue lay at rest?
Do you really need more than one domain?
As with most things, this completely depends on your overall online strategy, and the kind of business you are marketing for. The following are some of the common strategies related to domain names, and how they may (or may not) be effective in certain cases.
Google Making Moves in Mobile Advertising
on Monday, November 16th, 2009
Google is hungry. Since August 2009, the world’s largest search engine has made four acquisitions: On2, reCAPTCHA, AdMob and most recently Gizmo5. Three of the four companies provide services or technology in the mobile space. Add to that Google’s existing collection of mobile-related technology (Android, Google Voice, Latitude, Mobile Analytics), you start to get a sense that they are up to something big. Really big. In a recent interview with Bloomberg, Google CEO Eric Schmidt shared that the company’s mobile revenue was growing faster than its regular revenue sources. Read More…
SEO Myths & Facts
on Wednesday, November 4th, 2009
There are many SEO Myths & Facts out there. But how do you know what to believe? And how do you know which are “black hat” or “white hat” SEO methods? We’ve listed a few SEO myths & facts of our own here. If you have any you’d like to share, feel free to submit a comment with your own SEO Myth vs. Fact. Read More…
What Is Google Website Optimizer?
on Monday, November 2nd, 2009
Google Website Optimizer is a program that runs multivariate and A/B split experiments on webpages. Running these experiments helps determine which page elements result in the most online conversions.
A/B Split Testing with Google Website Optimizer
A/B split testing allows you to dynamically swap in different variations of a single page with different layouts, designs or any other changes you think might convert better all from the same URL.
For example: you design a new landing page you think will convert better than your current one, but you want to be sure before making the change. You can test your newly designed landing page against the original page to see for sure which page converts best and make your change with confidence!
What Is Web Analytics?
on Friday, October 30th, 2009
What is Web Analytics?
Web Analytics is a software that, once implemented into the code of a website, allows a website owner to track visitor movement such as pageviews, ecommerce transactions, pages visited, and time spent on site. It also allows website owners to track which online marketing mediums are driving traffic to their site. These are just some of the capabilities that an analytics software can offer. There are many Analytics software programs available; some more robust than others. Read More…
GAAC + WOAC Summit 2009
on Thursday, October 29th, 2009
Two weeks ago, Google held its annual GAAC, WOAC and USAC Summit in Mountain View, California. Two representatives from 6S attended and got the scoop on all of the new features being rolled out for Google Analytics and Website Optimizer.
First a little bit of background. Back in 2007, 6S Marketing was the second company in Canada to be designated as Google Analytics Authorized Consultants (GAAC). Then in October 2008, 6S was appointed as official Website Optimizer Authorized Consultants (WOAC). Today, we are one of five Canadian companies who have the dual certification.
Why SEM?
on Wednesday, October 28th, 2009
In recent years, the Internet has become a powerful medium for communicating to customers, increasing sales and developing brand recognition. The chosen vehicle by users for navigating the net is the search engine Search engines are the market makers of the Internet. They connect consumers with providers at the very moment of consumer interest and enable all of us to find exactly what we want, when we want it. As such, search engine marketing (SEM) cannot be ignored as a necessary component in every comprehensive marketing strategy. It is a high volume, cost effective and delivers highly targeted leads. Read More…
Choosing a SEM Company
on Monday, October 26th, 2009
Should it be based on guarantees, client list, price, or something else?
There are multiple factors to look at when choosing a search marketing company.
Not every project will work with every search marketing company. It depends on your goals, budget and business style, and may take a few meetings to find the right company that fits.
When you work with a search marketing company, not all companies are created equal. Like hiring a lawyer, accountant, contractor, or carpenter, each person or company has certain strengths, abilities, experiences and knowledge. As well, the cheapest solution may not provide the best value, or provide the results you are looking for. On the other hand, the most expensive may be beyond project budgets. Read More…
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