If you’re the type who likes to go into their analytics account or you may notice on some of our reports that one of your keyword search referrals says (not provided). Some may have more for this category than others. In fact I recently saw 1 client get 3 sales from (not provided). Hooray to the sales but unfortunately we don’t know the actual converting phrases, just that they came via Google organic search.

So what are we doing about it? Unfortunately there is not a whole lot that we can do about it. It doesn’t change the way we approach a campaign, we’re still going to be increasing your online visibility, driving traffic to your website and focusing on getting those conversions, we’re just not going to have the exact data to work with and report on. In some cases it may actually be worth including Adwords with your campaign, even a small one. It is still a solid marketing channel, it just feels a little dirtier in light of this seemingly deceptive rollout (yeah paid search referral data is still available even if you are logged into your Google account). Does seem a bit strange.

PaulFleming is co-founder and VP of Interactive Services for Dinkum Interactive. A trained teacher, Paul has worked in a variety of forms of Internet Marketing but with a focus on SEO. Originally from Australia, he now resides in Philadelphia with his wife and 2 ankle-biters.

If you check that chart, you’ll notice some of the latest updates have some reference to a Panda. Initially arriving Feb 23rd, 2011 Panda was a big ‘un. Someone suggested 12% of all websites would be impacted. Hardest hit were the content-heavy websites, in particular those they deemed to contain low quality content. Plus, the real key here was that it seemed to target whole website content instead of individual pages. So now a bunch of low quality pages that didn’t matter, were suddenly pulling down overall website rankings. I observed at a distance, a team that helped to bring a website hit by the initial Panda back to life, but at that time we didn’t see any significant damage to client websites. It wasn’t until Panda 2.5 that we saw one of ours impacted. Overall traffic remained strong, in fact it had never been higher, unfortunately some of their top level keyword phrases took a hit which affected overall conversions. There were a few tell-tale signs that we immediately launched into fixing but it was an unusual update that also meant far more questions than answers. Also hit were some very popular and what many may consider to be good quality websites with solid content which made it even more puzzling.

So I  suggest that the task has become more than “create good content” and in fact I think there are quite a few other factors that have slipped under the radar from this update and as a result of this update. As always, we like to push the importance of looking at all elements of your web presence but there appears to be some quicker fixes that we’ve noticed have had an impact.

Analyze your Site Architecture – this has been overlooked for a long time as designers and developers have been given the responsibility of also creating and implementing the structure. It’s not always a bad thing but sometimes it’s flawed from the start, other times sees the website expanding over time and the structure not able to keep up. So now with Google looking at the website as a whole, it’s more important than ever to be aware of your website flow. These guys help explain better than I can.

Clean up Content – I already mentioned this but it does seem to be a big part of the Panda update so it’s important to reiterate the need to do some cleaning. If you have content that is 6 clicks away from the home page, noindex it, get rid of it or move it to the new structure you have already started working on.

Webmaster Tools – I’m assuming you’ve already been poring through your webmaster info. While much of the data is pretty iffy, it does offer some useful insight in some areas. Certainly the crawl errors and the broken links data is important and make sure to go and fix as many as possible.

Stay Fresh – a good chunk of websites that were hit seemed to be older and more dormant. Google has always rewarded freshness and this seems even more important. Regular updates of content, video, audio etc all create value to both users and search engines so stop neglecting it.

There are still plenty of questions and speculation. Bouncerate has been identified as a possible metric but I’ve not seen it as a factor (though trying to improve this is always a good idea). Nor have I ever seen any improvements from a fully validated website (though it’s also a good goal). For a lot of folks, it’s simply back to basics. Reacquaint yourselves with Google’s guidelines and start creating good, solid content.

PaulFleming is co-founder and VP of Interactive Services for Dinkum Interactive. A trained teacher, Paul has worked in a variety of forms of Internet Marketing but with a focus on SEO. Originally from Australia, he now resides in Philadelphia with his wife and 2 ankle-biters.

So for us, it’s really just a matter of here we go again, how do we adapt what we do without diluting impact for our clients? Right now we’re not 100% certain, we continue to do what we do and start to address any anomalies in our reports as they come through but you should expect to see a reduction in the number of keywords driving visitors to your website (so far it’s a pretty small number). Rankings (for what they are worth) will remain trackable but the detailed keyword referrals will no longer apply.

So that’s a shame, not the end of the world as some SEO companies fear but a real shame. Forget about SEO and Internet Marketing companies who report on these statistics. Think about the website owners, especially those who use this data to help focus their business strategies and goals. Again, not the end of the world for them but a loss of some very valuable information.

Photo credit: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1056131

PaulFleming is co-founder and VP of Interactive Services for Dinkum Interactive. A trained teacher, Paul has worked in a variety of forms of Internet Marketing but with a focus on SEO. Originally from Australia, he now resides in Philadelphia with his wife and 2 ankle-biters.

 The Background

The first survey was done while listening to a number of students who joined our tailgating fun prior to the latest Penn State football game – a win I might add here, especially since this does not look like a stellar year like times of old. I purposely did not participate in the conversations as they discussed their dislike of the Facebook changes. There was a universal dislike – “they didn’t ask us if we wanted it to be changed like this” was one comment. Then a surprise as a couple of the young ladies discussed how they spend hours on Tumblr. While most of the other folks did not know anything about Tumblr this group raved about it – hmmm interesting.

The College Class Survey

The second survey was conducted with a class I taught at Temple University where I was asked to come in and discuss the differences between companies that have adapted to the internet versus companies that rely on the internet versus companies who are a result of the internet – much like Dinkum. There were many good questions and I was impressed with the way the students had prepared for the class, most of whom had checked out our website. Just before leaving I took a poll of the social media websites being used by the class and their feelings on a few things. Here are my findings:

• Once again Facebook was tops on the list and not one person liked the new changes.
• 50% had tried Twitter but only a few keep up with it.
• Only a few had tried Tumblr but loved it
• 75% spent significant time on YouTube
• Many tried Google+ but only one person still checks it out – more on that later
• FourSquare, StumbleUpon, Pandora and LinkedIn rounded out the list.

The many comments about Google+ were interesting. Looks like it might be good someday but no one is using it yet. I asked if they would go back but only a few thought it was interesting enough for another look – Google+ did you not roll it out right?

Everyday I hear more about how Google+ is gaining traction but this survey and the many folks with whom I speak are saying that you have a LONG way to go. There are some interesting features – BUT! I wonder if Facebook actually did Google+ a favor by changing when they did and making folks angry? However, are they mad enough to move over to Google+?

In my opinion, they waited too long to roll it out for corporations.

Good luck Google. I am pulling for you on this one because I am really starting to dislike the arrogance of Facebook. It is a social media tool that does not care one bit about you, your opinion or anything more than tracking you to make some cash. Let me feel the love once in awhile – you have great potential but the arrogance may be your downfall someday. I guess we will see.

Share your opinions on any of these sites with us in the comments.

Photo Credit: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1172174

Rick Simmons is a principal at Dinkum Interactive, a firm specializing in online marketing solutions for small and medium sized businesses around the globe. With more than 25 years of experience in advertising and marketing, Simmons has spent the last four years focused on search engine optimization, and other Internet marketing strategies. Reach him at 267-626-9094 or rick@dinkuminteractive.com.

I use four Google Apps email accounts each day, and prefer the online version.  So I was more than a bit miffed when I noticed one result of Google’s recent warnings that they had transitioned my account to their new infrastructure (which is intended to help tie together all of those fancy Google applications we like to use, from Picasa and Gmail to Calendar, Docs, Google+, and more).  The problem?  I couldn’t stay logged in to multiple accounts at one time – it was always kicking me out.

I tried solving it using private tabs in Firefox and Chrome: nope.  For a few days I hobbled along, keeping four different browser windows open (it was kind of nice to use Opera and Safari again, in addition to Chrome and Firefox).  But it was kind of weird going back 5 years to the days before tabbed browsing, so I started to hunt down the solution.

It took all of 5 minutes, and here’s how you fix it:

1. Logout of all of your Google Accounts.
2. Then login to your Google Account profile (you’ll need to do this one at a time):  https://www.google.com/accounts/
3. Check out the handy little option on the homepage regarding “multiple sign on”
4. Edit your setting here to allow multiple account sign ons.
5. Logout, rinse and repeat, and continue on with your life as normal.

Need a screenshot?  Here you go!

Edit your Google Account settings to achieve multiple login bliss

Jacob Smith is a Senior Project Manager and Web Strategist with Dinkum Interactive and has led over 150 high-level consulting and website development projects over the last 10 years. He is active in both the internet and cultural communities, and served on the board of Philly Car Share, a nonprofit and one of the largest car sharing organization in the United States until helping engineer its sale to Enterprise Holdings in the summer of 2011. Originally from Southern California, Jacob and his wife, Meghan, now live in Center City Philadelphia with their young sons Rory and Duncan.

In the last couple of weeks, Search Engine Optimization has made the news! I expect to read about SEO on blogs posted by fellow practitioners. But Bob Garfield, of On the Media on National Public Radio hosted an interview radio show segment on this very topic called “How to Cheat Google.” He interviewed David Segal, writer for the New York Times, who recently wrote about J.C. Penney and their search engine optimization campaign.

First Garfield explained a study indicating that a third of people click only on the first hit when they search online. Another third of internet searchers click on the second through fifth hits. This led to his assertion that top placement on Google may make the difference between success or failure for an online retailer.

After setting the stage, he talked about SEO and Google’s PageRank algorithm, using terms like “guerilla war” for position and “art and science” of manipulating pagerank, which was his definition of SEO. He also referred to Google’s algorithm for determining pagerank as the most important piece of software on the internet. Obviously with the fate of companies hanging in the balance, that must seem to be the case.

We always explain to our clients from the beginning of their campaign that SEO is part art and part science. The science part involves making sure the website is technically sound and easily navigated, as well as populating the site with quality, relevant content that visitors find useful. The art portion involves identifying keyword phrases, writing copy that makes the best use of those phrases, and writing and distributing quality online content that is distributed through other relevant channels to raise the visibility of the website on the internet. Done correctly, this organic process takes time, is not manipulative, and higher rankings build naturally as content is created and shared on the site and on other places on the internet.

One of the positive things I heard in this segment was raised by David Segal, when explaining that Google changes their algorithm about 500 times a year. He also mentioned that since Google is quite secretive about what makes up their algorithm, that there are people constantly experimenting to see what the changes mean on an ongoing basis. Part of what we do at Dinkum involves experimentation, and trial and error. If we use these phrases what happens to visitor numbers? If we distribute a press release using this means, what results can we measure? How do these things affect the conversion goals for the website?

We will enjoy SEO’s 15 minutes of fame, but keep working with our clients to improve the quality of their sites, thereby improving the quality of search results without trying to game the system.

Regina Sillitti is Project Coordinator for Dinkum Interactive. She has worked in programming, design, business analysis and quality assurance. Her background in design and data processing give her a unique perspective on client - tech translation. You can reach her at regina@dinkuminteractive.com, or find her on Twitter, @ReginaSillitti.

Yesterday when I logged into my Google Apps email, there was a message telling me that Google will sort my email into three sections if I so choose.  I nearly chose to ignore it, as I have not had particular success with the labeling functions, even the nested ones.  I find it just clunky enough that I forget to set up the filters.

But I decided to check out Priority Mail, and I must say that I am cautiously optimistic about this one.  Priority Mail segments your inbox into three sections. The first is Important and Unread, the second is Starred, and the third is Everything Else.  It makes decisions about what to place in the Important and Unread section, and you then teach it as you go along.

Teaching is easy.  If it marks an email as important, and it is not (at least to you) you mark it unimportant with a toggle switch that appears along with the other mail options at the top of your box.  It then gets moved to the Everything Else section.  If an email is more important to you than Google thought, just mark it important, and it will move to the Important and Unread section.  The idea is that over time, the app will learn what you want in the Important and Unread section, and misplacements will be fewer.

Sweet.  I have missed important email in the past because it got buried in my Inbox. I admit that I have signed up for probably a few too many newsletters, and I intend to read them, so they stay in the inbox until I read them, or give up and delete them. I get the usual collection of group email that I don’t need to act on, and the announcements from various vendors that don’t require my attention. If this really works over time, the email that require me to take an action will float to the top, and the email that can wait until I have more time will stay out of the way.

The Starred section is also useful.  In the past, if you starred an email, it maintained its position in the email stream.  Out of sight, out of mind, so much for the star!  Now the email that you star is gathered in the center section of your Inbox, all in one place, so you can remember why you starred it in the first place. It is now much more useful as a memory tool, to respond to important email that can’t be handled the first time you read it.

There are other features that I have not explored yet, like changing the settings on the sections to change what email appears and stays there.  Sections can be hidden so they are out of the way, and there is an empty fourth section that you can customize to meet needs not covered with the basic three sections.

So with a full work day under my belt, so far I like it.  It can be turned on or off as needed and it works pretty much as promised.  I will let you know if I change my mind about it once I have lived with it for a while.  How about you?  Have you tried it?  What do you think?

Regina Sillitti is Project Coordinator for Dinkum Interactive.  She has worked in programming,  design, business analysis and quality assurance. Her background in design and data processing give her a unique perspective on client – tech translation. You can reach her at regina@dinkuminteractive.com.

Regina Sillitti is Project Coordinator for Dinkum Interactive. She has worked in programming, design, business analysis and quality assurance. Her background in design and data processing give her a unique perspective on client - tech translation. You can reach her at regina@dinkuminteractive.com, or find her on Twitter, @ReginaSillitti.

What impressed you the most?

I think what impressed me the most was the creativity and unusual business structure at Google. There is no dress code, you can show up pretty much whenever (as long as work is getting done!), free meals and they even have free shuttle service for all their employees. All your necessities are taken care for you if your work there which I thought was really cool.

Were there any major surprises you did not expect?

When we were all handed new NexusOne cellphones to keep. Our class thought our advisor was about to hand us new Python textbooks and then she pulled out a NexusOne box and told us we were all going to be given free phones to keep, it was a pretty great surprise.

Does your experience impact any desire you might have to work with Google once you graduate college?

My experience didn’t impact my desire to work with Google but it did give me and better idea of what type of company I would like to work at. I’m glad I got to work at such a big company and see how much it takes to run it. It has made me think more about if I want to work at a big or small company along with what exactly I want to do in my field.

Did you learn anything new?

Yes, I learned a ton! I had never used the programming language Python before, but after cramming it into my brain for 6 hours a day over 3 weeks I definitely feel confident now when I say I know Python. Our teachers Charles Martin was a great teacher. He had to deal with many different skill levels in our class and did a great job helping out everyone. Other than programing I also learned a lot about the company of Google and how many different pieces there are to it.

Anything else you’d like to add ?

Overall I think it was an amazing experience and I am so glad I did it! I made some great new friends who I hope to keep in touch with as well, and I plan on applying to work at another similar program next summer for Google.

Congrats Kara!  Best of luck at Pitt!

Rick Simmons is a principal at Dinkum Interactive, a firm specializing in online marketing solutions for small and medium sized businesses around the globe. With more than 25 years of experience in advertising and marketing, Simmons has spent the last four years focused on search engine optimization, and other Internet marketing strategies. Reach him at 267-626-9094 or rick@dinkuminteractive.com.

To get on with the story – Jill has a friend named Kara Vogelbacker whom I have gotten to know through soccer mainly. Kara is set on attending Pitt in the Spring, but before she heads off to Pantherville, she has an incredible opportunity with Google this summer and I felt this was something to share with you all.

Kara has been selected to participate in Google’s Computer Science Summer Institute. Once she graduates on June 16, off to Mountain View, CA she goes.

Over 1,000 students with an interest in computer science applied and only 35 were chosen for this opportunity (Kara being one of the 35 chosen). The program runs for 3 weeks and she will get to work at Google – contributing to actual projects and have time to network with Google employees and other computer science folks.

Photo above courtesy of Bob Raines who is a staff photographer for Montgomery Newspapers and shows Kara with her computer science teacher, Tammy Pirmann, who pushed Kara to apply for the program.

How cool is that? From having an interest in computers to working at Google headquarters for 3 weeks – nice way to start a career – even before attending college.

Very Cool Kara and Very Cool Google!

Rick Simmons is a principal at Dinkum Interactive, a firm specializing in online marketing solutions for small and medium sized businesses around the globe. With more than 25 years of experience in advertising and marketing, Simmons has spent the last four years focused on search engine optimization, and other Internet marketing strategies.  Reach him at 267-626-9094 or rick@dinkuminteractive.com.

Kelly Dunning is a Sales Consultant for Dinkum Interactive. With 10 years experience in sales and marketing, she keeps Dinkum’s new accounts, and Rick, in tip-top shape.

I’ll dispense with the geekery and let you get it from the horse’s mouth:

What’s the big deal with PubSubHububb?

• It’s a big step toward the real-time web
• Businesses with blogs and streams of information can distribute content faster

Granted, the “Hububb” may be greater for businesses with larger amounts of relatively time sensitive information, but this technology will only find more uses in days to come. For those interested in using PuSH, it can be obtained by installing the PuSHPress Plugin (Note: You’ll need to upgrade WordPress 2.9).

If you really want to get into the ugly details, you can also read about PubSubHububb on Google’s Project Page.

Enjoy!

Bill Rowland