Google’s ‘Penguin 2.0′ Algorithm Update Is Here

I can just picture all of the SEOs clambering to check their analytics today.

Via MattCutts:

“We started rolling out the next generation of the Penguin webspam algorithm this afternoon (May 22, 2013), and the rollout is now complete. About 2.3% of English-US queries are affected to the degree that a regular user might notice. The change has also finished rolling out for other languages world-wide. The scope of Penguin varies by language, e.g. languages with more webspam will see more impact.

This is the fourth Penguin-related launch Google has done, but because this is an updated algorithm (not just adata refresh), we’ve been referring to this change as Penguin 2.0 internally. For more information on what SEOs should expect in the coming months, see the video that we recently released.“

(Image Source)

How To Apply Authorship To Video Content & PDF’s

Janet Driscoll Miller does a great job explaining how to apply Google Authorship to multiple content formats like video and PDF documents.

Its important to apply Authorship to all the content you create in order build up your AuthorRank.

Via SearchEngineLand

“..which does Google seem to be relying on to infer authorship for a PDF – the PDF meta data or the PDF content itself or both? I tested this with an older PDF I had on hand that lists me as the author in the meta data but also lists the author as “written by Search Mojo” in the PDF body copy, therefore not showing an individual author. The meta data authorship alone did not cause Google to generate an…” [Continue Reading]

41 New Google+ Features & Enhancements

Google rolled out a bunch of new G+ features and ‘enhancements’ yesterday. My initial reaction was one of irritation because I’m not really a big fan of the multi-column view.

Fortunately, as shown in the image above, you can easily switch back to the single column view.

Via TheSocialMediaHat:

“Google+ has 41 new features and enhancements being rolled out starting today. The three main areas that were discussed at the conference were the Google+ Stream,Google+ Hangouts and Photos…” [Continue Reading]

I do like the new way you can “flip” through content with hashtags.

Too Lazy To Blog Today? Use WP-Sticky!

In a perfect world, I’d blog everyday. It’s just not possible for me however. For days when I’m not feeling very inspired, I’ll use WP-Sticky to stick an older post up on the top of my blog. This gives new readers a chance to read an older post that they never got a chance to see! Of course, you’ll want to make sure the information is still relevant.

One downside to this, is that if your post date is super old on the “stickied post”, new visitors could mistake your blog for a ‘dead blog’. I mean, isn’t that what you think when you visit a blog and see their most recent post was 6 months back? With this in mind, sites that don’t include the date in their post and have information that isn’t time sensitive.

Download WP-Sticky and try it for yourself!

(Image Source)

Does Your Call-To-Action Always Need To Be Above The Fold?

I was recently speaking with a potential client about their homepage, and they asked me what I’d change to improve conversions. I told them to put their call to action below their sales copy, because as it was, they were giving no reason for people to click. They simply had a “click here” button (that didn’t stand out mind you) and their copy was below it. You’d think they would at least have a second call to action below the copy, but they didn’t.

In response all they said was, “heh, why would we do that? why would that be better?”

You just can’t help some people. You really can’t.

Via SocialMediaToday

“What many would consider a textbook position to put a call-to-action, high on the page, above the fold, may sometimes deliver substantially better results if placed lower down the page or after additional information to motivate a click has appeared first.

To understand this you need to appreciate the context of the decision you are asking your site visitors to take. If the buying decision is complex or needs to be carefully considered, today’s surfers are extremely tolerant of supporting information like comparison charts, videos and customer references. And so it really doesn’t matter where the final call-to-action sits, as long as the right amount of supporting information can be accessed easily and quickly to enable a decision to be made. Requiring a visitors to make a few downwards swipes or to hunt briefly for the buying button is no longer automatically a barrier to success. In UI design context is king…” [Continue Reading]