A Journey Through Time – Google’s Algorithms
Taken from a recent post on HubSpot.com, we came across this timeline of Google Algorithms and we hope you find it as interesting as we do, which is why we’ve decided to share it with you. Teaming up with Moz to create the Infographic, the image takes you on a journey back in time. It really opens your eyes as to just how many Google Algorithm Updates there have been! You can find the original post here.
How To Foster Positive Reviews
At some stage or another, for any Australian SME, the daunting idea of a client/customer leaving a review on a social media website can be stressful, to say the least. Business owners obviously set out and start up a business with one goal in mind: to succeed. In order to succeed, they need to provide a seamless and perfectly executed client/customer experience. This includes all manner of business processes; human resources and recruitment, products and/or services tailored to meet their client/customer needs, after-care service systems, and the list goes on and on. And as with any business, if you employ staff to represent your business, whether that is to carry out a service or to sell a product, they are one of the many faces of your brand. Now we all know that we are not without fault and nobody is perfect, so a certain degree of human error needs to be taken into account. But what if this turns a current or potential client/customer away from your business? What if that then leads to an online review, for the entire world to see?
The ‘internet of things’
Wearables and the integration of internet in our daily lives are quickly becoming so common that it no longer shocks us. Our increasing reliance on the ‘internet of things’ is now expected from consumers. They also expect to be able to find, afford and, use technologies of this calibre. Even though Google Glass may (or may not) have taken its last breath, wearables are here to stay. Watches are the most immediate example, but as technology starts to become more and more innovative, we will see it popping up in places we never thought possible. “From smart-lighting to smart-cars, consumers are obsessed by controlling everything from their armchairs through being connected to devices and smart phones” (Flannery 2015).
The Crystal Ball Effect – Do Predictions Actually Come True?
Interestingly, I found a post from the Google ‘Think With Google’ blog, which was published in July 2011, just the other day. The blog is titled, ‘Route to 2015’ and was written by Dennis Woodside. Given that we have obviously just entered the year 2015, I was intrigued to see what has actually eventuated from the predictions and musings from three and a half years ago.
When it comes to writing articles around the end of the year/beginning of the year, we’re inundated with ‘the best of’, ‘the top ten of year’, ‘future predictions’ and, ‘what will the New Year bring’. It all becomes a bit of a blur, and to be honest, one article begins to meld with the next. Not exactly stand out content creation. But in going back in time and being able to evaluate what has actually come to pass brings a new perspective. It not only has the potential to give, or takeaway, credibility, but it also has the power to show just how far-reaching Google’s intuition really is.
Googlebot’s Gem: Mobile-friendly URL Checker
The trend towards possessing a website which is cross-device-friendly (in other words it’s been optimised for optimum viewing across mobile phones, tablets and computers) has gained enormous momentum and for good reason. Numerous statistics and research show that users browsing the internet, and certainly including in Australia, are increasingly using mobile devices, and not just when they are ‘on-the-go’. How many times have you been sitting on the couch at home and, used your mobile phone to browse the internet rather than turn on your laptop?! We’ve all been seduced by the ease of using our mobile devices to search the internet, and Australian SMEs who have jumped on the band wagon are being swept off their feet.
So in the wake of the mobile friendly online revolution, Google have created an URL checker. The site, which is very unassuming in appearance despite the magical tool that it is, simply shows a blank URL tab in which any URL can be added. Google then begins its magic and starts to analyse if the URL which has been entered is mobile-friendly or not.