October 2012 Industry Update

Google release long awaited link disavow tool

Google have finally introducing a tool that enables webmasters to upload a text file containing any links they would like Google to ignore.

"We recommend that you disavow backlinks only if you believe you have a considerable number of spammy, artificial, or low-quality links pointing to your site, and if you are confident that the links are causing issues for you"

http://googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/a-new-tool-to-disavow-links.html

However it's important to state that if you haven’t received any link advisory warnings based on “unnatural links” pointing to your site, this tool isn’t something you need to use.

NetBooster verdict

The disavow links tool will become vital for actioning the removal of links from websites that do not respond to link removal requests. Although it can take a little while for Google to recognise any disavowed links (John Mu mentioned this in a recent hangout), it does look like this tool is quite powerful.

Webmasters have to be careful not to use it ‘wholesale’ on their backlink profiles if they have been penalised otherwise they may risk losing many good quality natural links in the process. We recommend conducting a thorough link audit before you consider using the disavow tool.

Google’s John Mu reiterates the importance of a good head shot for authorship markup

In a recent post on a webmaster help forum Google engineer John Mu highlighted the importance of a good head shot for authorship thumbnails to display correctly. He referenced this help center article and highlighted the importance of "a good, recognizable head shot as your profile photo -- it's really more than just having your face somewhere on the photo.”

NetBooster verdict

We also advise clients to use a good quality head and shoulder shot for their Google+ profile as we have seen instances where despite the correct authorship markup being in place, if the photo isn’t appropriate, then the thumbnails have not been generated in Google’s results.

Frequency of Google updates reaches a new level

A recent tweet from Matt Cutts also highlighted just how many updates Google are making right now to it’s algorithm. Combined their alleged transparent approach it’s understandable how this seems overwhelming to many webmasters

NetBooster verdict

Google have historically made 350+ updates every year so whilst the increase it noticeable it’s important to remember that Google is in almost permanent beta. Some changes are more obvious than others in terms of their impact however we expect the waters to be choppy over the rest of 2012 and into 2013.

High spending Adwords customers do not get preferential treatment in organic results.

A common myth that is discussed in the SEO community is that of high spending adwords clients getting preferential treatment in organic results or more robust in terms of algorithmic or manual penalties. This appears to be something that the search quality team at Google have been considering as Matt Cutts published the video below on 29th October discussing the point.

“..we want to be as fair as possible and that's why even if you buy adwords ... the fact is we would like you to go to the exact same support channels as anybody else on the web would have so that there's no appearance of impropriety or anything along those lines"

Matt Cutts

Google officially update the page layout algorithm

Matt Cutts announced on Twitter that Google has officially updated the page layout algorithm that it launched in January of this year. This is the first official and confirmed update of this particular algorithm.

NetBooster verdict

Often referred to as Google's 'top heavy' update, this global rollout shouldn't have a huge impact on legitimate publishers as it was always aimed at websites that were aggressively monetizing their websites above the fold. Matt didn't elaborate on whether there were any significant changes so we should treat this as an "algorithmic improvement that tends to impact sites where there is only a small amount of visible content above-the-fold or relevant content is persistently pushed down by large blocks of ads".

Clicks from smartphones and tablets set to surge this Christmas

Google also released some data regarding increased activity on tablets and smartphones during holidays indicating that we are likely to see a record amount of clicks this Christmas from mobile devices.

“...not only are people searching more on their mobile devices during holidays, but they’re actively looking to connect with businesses...We see these same mobile trends during holidays throughout the year, but find that they’re particularly pronounced on big shopping days like Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday”

The charts below show a significant spike in visits from mobile and tablet devices during US holidays Labor day and Thanksgiving and we can expect to see these results echoed in the UK marketplace during Christmas.

Google also translated this into some practical advice for publishers

1. Make sure that you have campaigns or new ad text for your holiday promotions or messages.
2. Increase your budget cap on holidays to account for additional clicks.
3. Adopt an always-on strategy to make sure your budget lasts throughout the day. Consumers are researching and shopping at any time throughout the day and you should make sure you can be found.
4. Segment your historic campaign performance by device to understand how people interact with you across different devices like smartphones and tablets, and tweak your campaigns accordingly to capitalize.
5. Expand keyword lists to include holiday-related terms and ensure you have keyword parity between your desktop and mobile campaigns so you’re reaching potential customers regardless of what device they’re using.

Read more via the link below:

http://googlemobileads.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/new-data-shows-surge-in-holiday-mobile.html

By Gary Moyle