Snippet/Caption/Description In SERPs (Search Engine Results Page)
New month, new Google news!
Before we get into the Google change, let’s give some background info.
This is straight from Bing:
“A caption (also known as a summary) is the area of a Search Engine Results Page (SERP) devoted to a particular result. Captions help users to decide which result to click on and help site owners to communicate to users what to expect on their page.
Captions are an oft-forgotten tool of the SEO toolkit. Ranking is certainly the most important factor in determining user clicks, but captions are also a contributor. In this post, I will give you a primer on captions. I’ll show you all of the components of a caption and give a bit of insight about how Bing generates each of those components.
Every search result has a caption, which consists of four parts: the title, the snippet, the URL, and the Preview.”
Bing and Yahoo sometimes use the text in the first H1 header on the page to supplement or replace what you have in your Meta Title and/or Description tag.
Typically Google uses your Meta Title and Description tag. Sometimes in the past they have shown snippets taken from the page if they felt it was more relevant than your Title tag. But they’ve always been more conservative about this. It seems that is now changing. They have gotten a little bolder and a little more experimental and are sometimes using anchor text or on-page headings (text in H1 tags) to supplement the description in the SERPs.
The take-away here is to not only craft compelling Title tags but also H1 tags (make sure you use keywords well but don’t overuse them and consider this marketing text that will help you get clicks – so be compelling and inviting)
Now back to Bing for a second – since they were doing this before Google, let’s look at what they have to say on the topic. Here is a great little table from Bing that shows the 4 parts of the results on the SERPs and where they pull the info from:
Title: <title> tag and <hx> tag
Snippet: Meta Description tag, page content, DMOZ description
URL: Page URL
Preview: Page content, extracted page data, commonly clicked links
Source: http://www.bing.com/community/site_blogs/b/webmaster/archive/2010/10/25/anatomy-of-a-bing-caption.aspx
The Title is the most important part of the caption because it is what users see first when they are scanning the SERPs. It is also the blue clickable link. Bing usually pulls this from your Title tag (and so does Google) And as noted above the engines seem to be using H1 tags for that). Note because of this, you should have unique and compelling H1 tags and Meta tags on each page!
The snippet is also called the caption and description. It’s there to let the user know what the page is about and should compel them to click on that listing. It is pulled from the Meta Description tag, the DMOZ description or algorithmically generated from your page.
The URL is of course your URL and Bing suggests that it is helpful if the URL is descriptive of the page.
The Preview is unique to Bing (although if you recall, Google was testing it last month). Bing says they are still playing with that area and determining what is best to include on the page.
The take-away? Make sure you have compelling Hx tags and Meta tags that use your keywords well and make sure the tags are specific to the topic of that page.
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My latest Search Engine Journal article
Check it out and share your comments and questions!
Thanks,
Jenn
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The Death Of SEO? NO!
It’s that time again…time to proclaim the death of SEO! Let me start by saying, as always, it’s not true.
The cause of the proclamations this time? Google Instant!
Lemme break down Google Instant for you and then we’ll talk about why it doesn’t mean the death of SEO.
Here is an overview:
It has been said that this is the closest any engine has come to reading users minds! It delivers the results as soon as you start typing!
“I think it’s a little bit of a new dawn in computing,” Google co-founder Sergey Brin said during a press conference on Wednesday.
What does it mean to you? You will see evolving search results that can change -potentially even as often as you type each additional character, into the search box.
Google will predict what you want by filling out the anticipated search term in grey. Below that there will be a dropdown box where Google will offer other suggested queries.
The feature is being rolled out in the US this week and will roll out around the world later in the year. It works with most of the latest versions of popular web browsers.
By speeding up search results, Google believes it will keep its users happier and if they are happier, they hope they are more likely to search even more (which is good for Google because they get to serve ads on each query, which means potential for them to increase their revenue)
Interesting: Google expects to reduce the time that people collectively spend on its search engine by about 350 million hours annually with Google Instant!
Straight from Google:
“Benefits
Faster Searches: By predicting your search and showing results before you finish typing, Google Instant can save 2-5 seconds per search.
Smarter Predictions: Even when you don’t know exactly what you’re looking for, predictions help guide your search. The top prediction is shown in grey text directly in the search box, so you can stop typing as soon as you see what you need.
Instant Results: Start typing and results appear right before your eyes. Until now, you had to type a full search term, hit return, and hope for the right results. Now results appear instantly as you type, helping you see where you’re headed, every step of the way.”
Source: http://www.google.com/instant/#utm_campaign=launch&utm_medium=van&utm_source=instant
So the SEO is dead bandwagon is out in full force as a result of this new change. Any change by Google potentially changes things but it doesn’t kill SEO.
In order to be one of the sites that comes up in the Instant search your site needs to be optimized! It’s that simple.
How we optimize changes and that is a good thing. But it doesn’t mean that optimization is not important.
Ex-Googler Vanessa Fox backs up that assertion here, in her fabulous Blog Post: http://www.ninebyblue.com/blog/seo-is-dead-andor-irrelevant-with-google-instant/
Googler Matt Cutts has weighed in with: “The search results will remain the same for a query, but it’s possible that people will learn to search differently over time,” says Cutts. “For example, I was recently researching a congressperson. With Google Instant, it was more visible to me that this congressperson had proposed an energy plan, so I refined my search to learn more, and quickly found myself reading a post on the congressperson’s blog that had been on page 2 of the search results.”
Google clearly said that ranking stays the same with Google Instant.
We should also remember that some people will simply deactivate the feature, leaving them open to Google’s standard results.
Want to learn more and try Google Instant:
So, yes it’s interesting, yes SEO is evolving, NO SEO is not dying! 
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Facebook Fan Page Changes…
Facebook has announced that effective August 23, there are new sizing requirements for Fan Pages (and they are removing the Boxes tab – to which I say yay!!).
The new width for custom pages is 520 pixels wide.
Facebook is offering a preview now so you can see what your page will look like (go to your Fan Page while logged into the account that “owns” the page and you will see the preview).
You have until August 23 to resize your pages. The resizing of the pages will happen automatically during the week of August 23 and if you don’t make the changes in advance – your page will truncate.
Here is a screenshot of what my page is going to look like after it truncates (I circled the truncated areas to better show you where it cuts off):
My truncated Fan Page
Another screenshot that shows the truncation
Obviously that won’t do!
Many people are not going to be happy about this change because it will mean extra work or incurring extra costs to have the pages redesigned.
Facebook says the changes are a result of feedback from developers.
I can’t imagine people will ditch their custom tabs (and they shouldn’t!!), so I imagine a lot of people are going to be scrambling to get their page redesigned.
It’ll be interesting to see the reaction. Most Facebook changes are met with initial grumbling and complaints.
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How much should you spend on SEO?
It’s a tough question, especially in a bad economy.
The question really begs another question – what is your goal for your site?
If you are operating it as a real business where you hope to either supplement your current income or rely on it as your sole source of income – then you need to be prepared to invest in search (it’s often the foundation of your marketing and a consistent source of regular traffic).
You can invest time or money and in most cases, you usually need to invest both.
I think there is someone out there spreading some erroneous information about starting a business online. There is a lot of the “build it and they will come” mentality – in other words throw up a site and voila insta-business!
While in many ways, it is easier to do business online because you don’t need to set up physical stores and have a lot of the issues you have with brick and mortars, it is by no means a “sure thing” – you still have to work for your success.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying you shouldn’t start an online business - I am just saying if you expect your business to grow and treat you well, then you need to treat it like a serious business.
So, yes, it will be necessary for you to invest both time and money into generating traffic.
So back to the question at hand – how much should you spend on SEO?
You need to crunch some numbers and see how many visitors it takes to get a sale and how much a sale is worth to you to really fine-tune your budget – especially if PPC is part of your plans (so many people waste money on PPC that isn’t converting – spend wisely or it can suck you dry!)
For organic SEO you will find everything from $19.99 mass submission (avoid like the plague, you may as well burn your $19.99) to tens of thousands of dollars per month.
Most small to medium sized businesses spend between $300 – $800 per month, although I’ve also heard people say numbers a little higher, like $500 – $1500 per month is the norm. So somewhere in that range is what you should expect to pay for quality SEO work.
It always amazes me that people are annoyed they have to pay for SEO. People will pay for a doctor or a mechanic, or even a web designer but they seem to resent having to pay for SEO. If you have the time and knowledge, then by all means, don’t pay anyone, do it yourself. However if you don’t have the time or knowledge, it’s a valid, and important expense and not something you should begrudge. Driving traffic to your site is the foundation and not the area you want to go cheap.
I’m jussayin…think about your goals and think about what you are prepared to do to get there.
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Time To Take Action!
“How does social media work with SEO?”
“ Do I really need to do Twitter?”
“How much will it cost to get my site on top of the search engines?”
“What are the best keywords?”
“Why did my traffic just take a hit recently?”
These are just a few of the questions that I hear almost every day. Thankfully my head doesn’t spin too much (because I know the answers ), but yours must be doing cartwheels! I mean, this is the KEY, info you need to grow your business!
I am here to help you make sense of social media and SEO. Plain and simple. I am here to determine what marketing strategies are going to work best for your business.
Yes, I want to earn your business and I hope that whatever services you use, you decide to hire EcomBuffet to handle them… BUT my offer of a consultation and giving you 3 action items you can use to improve your site and profitability comes with no strings attached.
This offer is to serious business owners only – it will require you answer some questions and take a good hard look at what you are currently doing and what you are willing to do to grow your business.
I hate to say it, but here’s the reality. While you continue wading through the sea of SEO and social media confusion (through no fault of your own), several of your (pesky) competitors are armed with the exact info that YOU NEED. And the worst part of it? They’re using this info to outrank you, outsell you, and out-earn you.
The good news? It doesn’t have to be this way. All that stands between catching and surpassing your competitors and leaping your way to the top, is tapping into the 12 years of knowledge and experience we’ve built up by making this business our obsession. (I know, I’m a little over-the-top today but it’s only because I really want to show you the importance of figuring out the next steps and taking your business to the next level).
So, if you are serious about taking your business to that next level, fill out this form (no cheating – every question please!). Request your consultation now: http://ecombuffet.com/Consultation-request.htm
My promises to you:
• You will receive 3 suggestions to improve your site.
• You will get a suggested plan of action to grow your business.
• You are under no obligation to do anything other than hear my suggestions and decide what makes sense to you.
Can’t wait to dig a little deeper into your business and see how we can really get things rocking for you!
To YOUR Success,
Jennifer Horowitz
Director of Marketing
www.EcomBuffet.com
562-592-5347
jennifer@ecombuffet.com
http://ecombuffet.com/Consultation-request.htm
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Twitter Update
About to head to the airport to hop on a plane but wanted to share the news before I got going. Here’s a Twitter update from Mashable:
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Facebook Fan Page Creation: Save 15%
Facebook Fan/Business Pages are pretty important.
If you aren’t sure of the difference between a Fan Page, Group and Profile, read more here: .
If you have a Fan Page but aren’t sure if it’s a killer page that’s really going to get you results – email me and I’ll do a critique at no charge.
Don’t have a Fan Page and know you need one? Save 15% on a custom designed Fan Page until midnight June 15th. Check it out now:
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.”
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 us build a page for you!
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:
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Back To The Basics
People are always wondering what they need to do to really grow the traffic to their website. A lot of people ask what they should do and what order should they do it in. Here is a little blueprint to help guide you and keep you on track.
It’s important to recognize that there is a lot to do and it can’t all be done at once. The first step is taking stock of where you are at. What areas are you lacking in?
Here’s a quick checklist of everything you should be doing to promote your site.
1. Get your site optimized (make sure the code is clean, fast loading, keyword rich and optimized for the engines)
2. Set up a Blog (WordPress hosted on the same server as your site is the best set up)
3. Create a Twitter account and start building followers
4. Create a Facebook Fan page (and invite friends, family, followers, colleagues etc to become a fan, post a Facebook badge on your site and Blog)
5. Feed your Blog into your Facebook page so that your Facebook Fans are seeing your great content
6. Write Blog posts that are “article style” and then tweet them out to followers (by article style I mean content that is informative and not self promotional so the article directories will accept it)
7. Syndicate the articles you posted on your Blog to article directories (once they have been spidered on your site)
8. Add content that is keyword rich to your site in addition to your Blog
9. Explore PPC and other advertising sources
10. Repeat steps 6, 7 and 8 (as well as building Twitter followers which is mentioned in step 3)
11. Build joint venture relationships and find affiliates to promote your services as relevant.
12. Market to your mailing list on a regular basis through newsletters, a series of emails such as a “mini course” and special offers.
I know it’s a lot, but there are pieces of it you can outsource. Do the best you can and work at it consistently – getting a little bit done every day is better than not doing anything.
Tips:
Articles/Blog posts don’t need to be really long. If you are syndicating them they need to be at least 400 words. It’s often easier to write shorter articles. If you have a lot to say make it a multi-part series.
It’s possible to do all this without taking over your whole day. Set time frames for each task and set a timer. Only work for the allotted time and when the timer goes off, move on. Even small bits will add up over time and its better than doing nothing – which is what most of us do when we are overwhelmed.
Use Google Alerts to stay on top of hot topics in your industry. It can help make it easier to pick topics for articles and Blog posts.
Keep a running list of topics you want to write about. A lot of times it’s hard to get started when you don’t know what to write about. Refer to your list and pick a topic and then get writing.
Not sure how to optimize your site or if it’s optimized already?
Need help getting going on Twitter? Don’t waste time, get proper training and get the most out of the time you spend on Twitter. .
Want more info on Facebook Fan Pages? Click here:
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Social Media Overtakes Google…In The UK
Hitwise’s latest report shows social networking sites such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter got more visits than search engines but ONLY in the UK. According to Hitwise, during May 11.88% of UK Internet visits were to social media sites, while only 11.33% were to search engines.
Hitwise also found out that 55% of the overall Internet visits were for Facebook, while YouTube and Twitter follow in the second and third spots.
Suggestion: If you are running a business in the UK – you need a Facebook Fan Page!!
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