Indexed URL issues in Google Webmaster Tools
Google reports they are aware of issues with the indexed URL count in Google Webmaster Tools.
Hear it straight from Google:
Known issue: Sitemaps indexed URL count showing zero indexed URLs
The indexed URL counts for Sitemaps that you have submitted in Webmaster Tools may be showing zero (0) indexed URLs for some sites. We are aware of this issue and are looking into it; you do not need to take any action. This will have no effect on your site’s performance in search results.
Popularity: 6% [?]
If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
Facebook changes – great post
I didn’t have time to really cover the Facebook changes today in any depth, I only touched on a few small points. Here is a great post from SearchEngineLand that goes into more detail….http://searchengineland.com/facebooks-alternative-internet-vision-and-its-search-implications-40420
Popularity: 6% [?]
Facebook Changes
You’ve probably seen this text on your Fan Page recently:
Introducing the Like button
Starting today people will be able to connect with your Page by clicking “Like” rather than “Become a Fan.” We hope this action will feel much more lightweight, and that it will increase the number of connections made across the site.
I don’t personally think this change will make much difference. Whether you like something or are a fan of something is pretty much the same thing. We’ll see what happens!
What do you think?
Another change…Connections
In Facebook’s words, here is what a connection is:
Connections include the people and Pages you’re connected to on Facebook. Making connections is the main way to express yourself on your profile. Facebook enables you to connect with virtually anyone or anything, from your friends and family to the city you live in to your favorite bands and movies.
How does connecting your interests to Pages affect the content on your profile? Facebook says:
With the introduction of Community Pages, connecting to Pages will now be the main way to express yourself on your profile. If you have previously filled out fields for current city, hometown, education, work and interests, then you will have the opportunity to connect to Pages that we’ve matched to the information you’ve filled out. No new connections will be made on your behalf and sections of your profile where you don’t want to make any connections will be empty. You will always have the opportunity to build out your profile later by clicking “Edit My Profile” underneath your profile picture or by Liking the Pages that interest you.
What are Community Pages?
Community Pages are a new type of Page that enable you to see what people are saying about the things that matter to you, and discover the friends and people who share these connections with you. They are similar to any other Page to which you can connect, although they won’t generate stories in your News Feed, and won’t be maintained by a single author. Where available, they also show Wikipedia content for the relevant topic, which Facebook has licensed under the creative commons license.
We think your experience on Facebook will improve as your profile is turned into a living map of all the connections that matter to you, instead of a static list of your interests.
How did you choose which Pages to suggest to me?
The suggested Pages—some official, such as Facebook, and some Community, such as cooking—are entirely based on what you previously entered in your profile. We’ve created more than six million Community Pages, but if there isn’t a match for something you’ve typed into your profile, we’ll simply create a Community Page for that topic.
I’ll be playing with this and keep you updated on my thoughts!
For all the details right from Facebook, check this out: http://www.facebook.com/help/?topic=profileconnections
Popularity: 5% [?]
Comment Spam Won’t Fly With Me
So we all agree that Comment Spam on a Blog is a “no-no” but what about on Facebook Fan Pages? My feeling is it’s still a “no-no”
I believe if you have something of interest and value to say, and in addition you want to throw in a link to your own site, it’s OK. You’ve added to the conversation and added something of value so I’m good with you getting something out of it too. But to comment “Great page, thanks. By the way check out my site wwww.site.com” is blatant spamming and it’s not only a lame marketing strategy but it’s also disrespectful to the Fans of the page. They then have to weed through the garbage to get to the real comments and questions.
So while I am not a fan of censorship in general, I will definitely delete comments that are blatant spammers. I’ve had people say “you just deleted me because I am a competitor” Not true – cause truth be told, you aren’t competing at the same level I am if you are resorting to comment spam.
I am not afraid of the competition – any other SEO or marketing person that contributes to the conversation can link back to themselves no problem. So I’ll be honest, I definitely have a smile on my face as I delete the comment and send it into oblivion – but I don’t do it for revenge. I do it for the integrity of my page – for my Fans.
What do you think? I’d love to hear!!
Taking a Stand Against Comment Spam,
Jenn Horowitz, Director of Marketing
Popularity: 5% [?]
Facebook Fan Pages – The Good, The Bad….
I’ve noticed more and more Facebook Fan Pages popping up and it’s great. Fan Pages are a great way to connect with people, build your credibility and ultimately generate leads and grow your business.
I’ve seen some good ones, some bad ones and some really ugly ones! To be fair, I have seen some really good ones too!
But the problem is most people are making one BIG mistake when it comes to their pages. More on that in a minute.
In this article I will cover:
• Facebook usage stats
• The “Big Mistake” So Many People Are Making
• Who Can Build A Fan Page
• Who Should Build A Fan Page
• Special (limited time) Offer
Before we talk about the one big mistake, let’s look at a couple key facts about Facebook Fan Pages:
Unlike groups in Facebook, Fan pages are visible to unregistered people and are indexed by the engines – which is another opportunity for you to come up in the engines.
The number of Fans you can have is unlimited (whereas the Friend limit is 5,000).
Pages are generally better for a long-term relationships with your fans, readers or customers.
Pages include links. Because the pages are public, you can get some link juice (link popularity).
You can send “updates” to fans whenever you want. It’s a nice way of building a database of interested users. Send messages about new products, updated website, etc.
When someone joins a Fan Page, it’s published in their News feed for all of their Friends to read (unless they have turned this off). This helps spread the word about your Fan Page.
A Fan or Business Page is designed to promote a business. It can be used to share simple information like your business hours, contact information and product/service offerings. It can also be used as a marketing tool.
If you design a fun and graphically appealing Fan Page that is designed to capture leads and promote your business well, it can be a good tool for generating new leads.
In Facebook’s own words: “Start the Conversation. When your fans interact with your Facebook Page, stories linking to your Page can go to their friends via News Feed. As these friends interact with your Page, News Feed keeps driving word-of-mouth to a wider circle of friends.”
Some interesting Facebook stats:
• Facebook has 400 Million Global Users (and growing)
• Facebook has 100 Million U.S. Users: Facebook is strong around-the-world (Canada has the highest penetration rate), but nearly 1/3 of all Facebook users are in the U.S.
• The average Facebook User Spends 55 Minutes Per Day
• Real-time Search Is Important Today: Facebook is now making most content available publicly (unless you adjust your privacy settings). This has tremendous implications for search engine optimization and reputation management. You need to be on top of real-time search – today.
A recent study (The Sysomos study) found a strong correlation between amount of content (notes, links, photos, videos and custom pages/tabs) and number of fans. <This is really important information!!>
The “Big Mistake” So Many People Are Making
So what is the big mistake I keep referring to? Ready, drumroll please…
Everyone is creating pages that look like everyone else. They are using the default tabs and not adding anything compelling and interesting to the page.
I am a huge fan of Sex and The City and much to my disappointment, I am going to use their Fan Page as an example of what not to do!
Let me start by saying that with over 1 million Fans you might think I’m crazy for talking about what they are doing wrong, but that is the precise reason I chose their Page to focus on.
Needless to say Sex and The City has a huge following – they are doing radio and TV ads, they have major word of mouth and a massive built in Fan base after 6 years on HBO and a hit first movie.
Most of small to medium businesses don’t have the same exposure and can’t expect to get the same results without effort.
All Sex and The City had to do was post their trailer for the new movie and voila, instant success.
The rest of us need to work for our exposure and fans.
The first step is creating a great page that is eye catching and compelling. The next step is populating it with great content (take a tip from SATC, posting their trailer on their Fan Page first was a really compelling reason for people to check it out. So post something people will really want to see and make it available on Facebook First).
Let’s talk about how to make the page more compelling….
By default Facebook comes with “tabs” for Info, Notes, Photos, Events, Links, Discussion, Video and the Wall for the page. Those are all great tabs and you should use them – but you need to take it a step further and create custom tabs. FBML is an app that allows you to use graphics and HTML to create beautiful pages that are compelling and designed to capture leads.
Take a look at the Sex and The City 2 Page, you land on the Wall and there are no custom tabs: http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/sexandthecity2?ref=ts
Now take a look at my page, you’ll notice you land on a custom tab that has marketing text, a place for me to capture leads and the page is enhanced with graphics. http://www.facebook.com/pages/EcomBuffet-SEO/183330465000?v=app_4949752878
The info I chose to place there is helpful to my visitors, I tell them how they can get up-to-date SEO info, how to get a proposal, I offer them a free book (Optimization Step By Step) and I show them how they can follow me on Twitter for more news and updates.
They can then go to the Wall, where they can read tips, advice and links that I have posted.
You need to take your page a step further and create compelling “landing pages” to further draw people in. Otherwise your page just looks like another page and doesn’t do as much for you as it could.
Who Can Build A Fan Page
Anyone can set up a Fan page, but to get the most out of it with the added features, you need to know HTML and work with graphics.
Who Should Build A Fan Page
Anyone that is looking to create more exposure and generate more leads for their business. You don’t have to play games or make friends and waste time idly chatting with people. Look at your page as a source of publishing good information and generating a base of followers.
The key takeaways are that you have to know your audience, you have to engage and compel them first and foremost or they’ll leave. Once you’ve done that, you have to provide quality content regularly and encourage discussion and engagement.
There are thousands of brands on Facebook in addition to the thousands of small – medium sized entities that have no brand awareness – you need to stand out from that crowd!
How will you do that? Glad you asked <wink>. We can help….
Special (limited time) Offer
If you want us to set up your Fan page for you, the regular price is a onetime fee of $175.00. The following is included:
• Banner design for your page that has a similar look and feel to your website (so people feel connected to your brand and your site through familiar imagery)
• Set up of simple profile page, if you don’t already have one. (Remember you don’t have to waste hours on Facebook, the simple profile that is connected to the page is just so you can get the full benefits of the page – they don’t allow FBML if you don’t have a profile)
• Creation of Fan Page with SEO and marketing strategies in mind.
• Introduction text for Fan Page – professionally copy written.
• Blueprint for promoting the page.
For a Very Limited Time (until Friday April 16, 2010) you can save 15% on your fan Page and pay only $149 for the design and creation of the page.
If you already have a Fan Page, we can jazz it up and add custom FBML tabs to increase your results.
Take advantage of our special limited time offer by clicking here: http://www.ecombuffet.com/fbfpspecial.htm
Popularity: 7% [?]
Your Results in 2010?
2010 started with a whole lot of excitement and a lot of changes in the engines. I personally spoke with a lot of people that had great plans to take advantage of these new changes and to take advantage of social media. This was going to be the year to really make things happen.
So, we are four months in and I wanted to take a minute to ask where you are at.
Take a moment to take my little quiz….
• Have you taken specific steps to grow your business?
• Are you ranked in the top of the engines?
• Are you happy with your traffic?
• Are you dominating in Social Media and generating leads from Twitter and Facebook?
Much like the quizzes that most teenage girls (and I bet some teenage boys as well) took from magazines like Teen, Seventeen and TigerBeat , the answers to the above four questions are very telling.
OK, so you aren’t going to find out who the perfect girl or boy for you is, and you won’t find out which celebrity would be the best match for you….but my little quiz will tell you if you are on track to grow your business.
If you answered no to any or all of the above questions, it’s not too late to take a serious look at your business plan.
The most important question is not what have you done in the past, it’s what are you willing to do RIGHT NOW?
Here are 3 basic facts:
1. If you want your business to grow, you need to be on top of the search engines.
2. If you are handling your own SEO and not getting the results you want and need – you aren’t really saving money by not outsourcing. You are losing business.
3. Social Media can help generate leads and grow businesses – if done properly.
<INSERT RANT> Sure, social media can be confusing and in some cases hard to track and it’s not traditional marketing. But the truth is, the conversation is happening and if you aren’t participating, you are missing out.
I can’t tell you how many people email me and say “I hate Facebook, I refuse to waste time on there” or “I don’t see the point of Twitter and am standing my ground, I won’t jump on the Twitter bandwagon”.
My response is simply “Seriously??”
You say you want to grow your business, but because of personal opinions (that aren’t even always based on facts) you are going to choose to put your foot down and ignore a viable business growth tool? OK, fine with me. It’s your business. </ END RANT>
Now to be fair, social media is time consuming and some people have played with it a bit and not seen results. In most cases it’s because there is a lack of direction and strategy.
So, back to my little quiz….what did the results tell you? Are you in need of some help?
The best way to determine what you need to do to ramp things up is to schedule a 15 minute Business Growth Consultation (or request a Proposal for SEO or social media services if you already know where you need some help).
I have some openings this week, in the afternoons. Call 562-592-5347 or email jennifer@ecombuffet.com with the subject line: Consultation Request and I’ll get you scheduled in.
I promise you will walk away from the consultation with 3 concrete pieces of advice – regardless of whether we do business together or not.
Schedule your consultation now before I get booked up. 
To Your Success in 2010,
Jennifer Horowitz
Director of Marketing
www.EcomBuffet.com
562-592-5347
jennifer@ecombuffet.com
Follow me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ecombuffet
Facebook Page: www.ecombuffet.com/SEO-Fanpage/
Popularity: 7% [?]
Blogging, Tweeting & Flying A Kite
I know, I know, I’ve been really bad about Blogging lately (and tweeting too). Queue up the excuses:
I had family in town for 2 weeks and then I got sick – bad bout of bronchitis that I still haven’t completely shaken. Scott, our Director of Web Development dared to take a vacation and leave us shorthanded for a few days and then to top things off, Bonnie our Director of SEO took vacation too. Plus it rained a little bit in Huntington Beach and the rain is always a distraction for me.
So you get the point, it’s all a little like “my dog ate my homework” with a “P.S. I don’t even have a dog” thrown in there.
The truth is, it doesn’t matter what my reasons are – the conversation continues on social media, in spite of my family being in town. The questions about SEO are still being asked and the people searching for info are still out there (they are just getting a response from someone else while I’m flying kites on the beach with my family).
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying we don’t deserve a break – we all need breaks. But the truth is to think the world is taking a break with me is a little foolish.
I could have written some posts in advance, I could have used my copywriters on staff to write a few for me, I could have arranged for a guest writer. I had a lot of options. The option I chose was to do nothing.
Maybe doing nothing is fine in some cases, maybe it’s not a big deal to miss a month of posting and to go pretty silent on Twitter for almost a month.
BUT if your business relies on your Blog and Twitter to generate leads, build relationships, sell your products/services or if you are a reliable resource people count on, then don’t just go silent – make plans to keep the info coming.
One of the lessons I try to teach clients is:
To see real results from these tools, you need consistency. No one is perfect and you won’t follow a strict schedule in most cases, BUT you want to develop a pattern of consistency. So, it’s time for me to follow my own advice and get back on track!
Stay tuned for more posts in the coming weeks as I dust off my typing fingers and get back to work!
Jenn Horowitz, Director or Marketing and Reforming Blog Slacker
P.S. If you haven’t flown a kite recently, I really recommend it! I haven’t done it in more years than I can count, but I had a great time! So, I leave you with this final piece of advice: Blog, Tweet and Fly A Kite!
Popularity: 4% [?]
Blogging in 2010
Last week this article was posted on SearchEngineJournal. http://www.searchenginejournal.com/blogging-in-2010-what-you-need-to-know/18886/
I’ve had family in town and been sick, so I’m a little behind. Finally getting around to posting this link to the article. Check it out and be sure to share your comments.
Thanks!!
Jenn
Jennifer Horowitz, Directory of Marketing
Popularity: 3% [?]
Google’s Real-Time Search Includes Facebook Fan Pages Now
Back in December Google announced their deal with Facebook to list feeds from Facebook in their real-time search results. Although they reached a deal, the data wasn’t making it into the feeds until now. Google tweeted that Facebook Fan Pages feed are not officially part of real-search results.
What you need to know:
The only updates that are being shown in real-time search results are updates (links, status updates, photos, videos etc) that are posted on a Facebook Fan Page by the owner of the page (comments by page visitors will not be included)
What does this mean?
If you don’t have a Fan Page, you need one now and you need to keep it updated and active.
A quote from Danny Sullivan at SearchEngineLand:
“This is also a good time for search marketers and marketers in general to think again about Facebook, if you haven’t already. More and more Facebook content has been made visible to search engines over the years. “ Sullivan then goes on to say “ Google’s move makes having Facebook fan pages even more essential. Without one, you’re missing out on a chance to be found within yet another area, Google’s real time results.”
(Source: http://searchengineland.com/facebook-fan-page-updates-now-in-google-real-time-search-36836?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+searchengineland+%28Search+Engine+Land%29&utm_content=Google+Reader)
Danny said it all – if you don’t have a page – now is the time!
Don’t forget in addition to the Notes, Links, Discussion and Wall (default tabs on a Facebook Fan page) you want to create custom tabs with FBML to make the page more compelling and a stronger marketing tool. If you don’t know how to work with code, let me know and I’ll be happy to get you a quote on us creating the page.
Got a Fan Page already? Send me the URL and I’ll take a peek and see if I have any suggestions to improve it.
Have any questions or comments? Submit them below!
Jenn Horowitz, Director of Marketing
EcomBuffet SEO and Social Media Services
Popularity: 7% [?]
Yahoo! and Twitter Parnership
Twitter and Yahoo! announced a content sharing deal today!
In addition to real-time Twitter updates on Yahoo! Search, people will be able to access their Twitter feeds on Yahoo! verticals like Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! Sports and others.
Yahoo! is making it easy for people to tweet from Yahoo! sites and share content from Yahoo! in their tweets.
“Let me try to capture the enormity of this integration in 140 characters or less,” Yahoo! Vice President Bryan Lamkin said in a written release. “We’re turning the key to the online social universe — you will find the most personally relevant experiences through Yahoo!”
Popularity: 6% [?]
