This week Rand discusses recent changes that seem to signal the coming of another big shift in how the engines determine results. With the incorporation of social networks into results, increased personalized search, and even Google Buzz, the social graph is clearly becoming a more and more important factor for the engines. What will these changes mean for online marketers and how can you take advantage of them? Watch this week's Whiteboard Friday and find out...
And here, for your browsing pleasure, are some of the resources Rand mentioned in the video...
- Video intro to Google Buzz:
- Royal Pingdom says Twitter now processing more than one billion tweets per month.
- The New York Times analyzes the sharing of articles online.
- Mashable reports Facebook passes 400 million users.
- Search Engine Land looks at Google's social search features.
Buzz looks nice, but just like Google Wave, I have no practical use for it. Perhaps this is because I spend more time working than socialising online?
Do either help with link building? Sadly no :(
As for Google using social networks to aid their rankings, like Rand says, this would be based on what people share. If it's implemented, expect to see lots of 'funny cat pictures' in every set of results :)
You said it brother. I'm trying hard to find a fit for social with all of my clients, but for some industries I just can't make it work.
sometimes you just need to test it, i have several clients running social media campaigns, and within facebook its insane how well some are performing.
i have one client who has no content and 2 updates growing a few new visitors each day and another has images/video a promotional budget and a good well known brand and is struggling.
you can usually make social media fit any client and if you start to get results you will see a very happy client. It all comes down to what is the campaign and how the client fits into the picture... what they offer what makes them awesome....
Agreed on running social media campaigns and how effective they are. A good example, EA did it for the game Dante's Inferno on facebook and reported a 2% conversion rate.
using tools like google buzz are we supporting Google's seo campaign by linking and sharing within their social platform?
im yet to find a true use for wave, and no rush on buzz...
Rand,
The main problem Google is going to have here is spam. It's much easier to spam the social graph. How can Google rely on the social graph if it's mostly spammy?
Links that are easy to get may not count for much, because such a high percentage of them are spammy.
So, the question is, what aspects of the social graph are the most difficult to spam? That where Google will ultimately focus, right?
I'm hoping that their algorithms will be able to discover what Tweets are spammy and what Tweets aren't, for example. One thing I have noticed is the massive increase in Twitter users I'm getting who are just pure spam (since I joined Sphinn actually). However, Twitter are very quick off the ball and manage to suspend these users' accounts very quickly.
I know it's pure speculation, but I'm sure that Google will be able to tackle and indexation issues with regards to spam.
Google closely follows Twitter. I have success using it as an instant sitemap submit. In my experience Google will follow every link in a tweet and crawl the destination. So I hooked up the CMS to the Twitter-feed and everytime content gets added a headline and link will get tweeted. In my experiene this gets new pages faster crawled and in the index, than pinging sitemaps to Google. With Twitter one can keep even the largest of sites and deepest of pages fresh in the index. Anyone else have positive experience like these with Twitter and Google, and can attest to a faster crawl?
Sorry to be negative but all of these competing "social media" apps just seem a little irrelevant. How much time can people take up with it. Constantly twittering/buzzing and facebooking. I know it's important to understand for SEO, but I don't get it otherwise.
I think it's important that you should look at two pictures here that both intertwine: search engine optimisation and marketing your personal brand. Social media isn't just about getting the necessary links to your site and driving traffic, it's also about developing a personal brand which further down the line can be monetized.
I know that this blog is about SEO and the like, but here's an example. If I was a professional pencil salesman and I saw somebody complaining about how a pencil gave them blisters, I could add them, send them a non-invasive DM telling them that you're a pencil salesman and that you want them to try out your products. This person is likely to accept and then be a potential customer and someone who is impressed because they got free stuff.
Not just this though, if you're seen to be answering your Tweets and sending out Tweets that are friendly, then people know that you're the face of the brand and that there's actually a person there, not just some mindless drone killer robot machina (put that in just in case you're getting bored). It's something that people like Gary Vaynerchuk have utilised incredibly well, but it's not for everyone. Chances are that because you don't see the point, you won't use it. You need to be passionate and willing.
By the way, Gary Vaynerchuk has a book out called "Why Now Is Your Time to Crush It!" and it's a great read. You can pick it up for about £7 in the UK, presumably about $15 in the US, so you should go and grab it.
This was a freakin' awesome white board Friday. Keep it comin! :)
Good White Board Friday this week!
I do think the Social Graph is going to be more prominent for searching, and for online marketing, but not as much as Google think's it will.
Another awsome whiteboard friday! :)
Very interesting WBF today. A WBF that has to be classified as a "Strategic opportunities suggestions" one.
What you say, Rand (especially when focusing on the moves Google has done as new products and collaborations) reminds me of this post by Chris Dixon about "What's strategic for Google".
On the SEO side of the story, I think that the problem is the distance from where we're seeing all the Social Media "revolution", meaning that somehow it's still so new (even if somehow evident its importance) that we cannot really say not if it's important but how much it's going to be important in SEO terms for the majority of the business online.
It's clear that all the "products/services" up to a vast audience of consumers have to enter in the social media battle field, as - as you said it's all about word-of-mouth - it's how you influence socially the consumers that makes your business a success case or not. I'm talking from big brands to the small artisanal coffee & bakery shop behind the corner (the old tv exec in me is talking)
But... what about all the B2B market? Right now I don't think that Social Graph is going to be so much important in the short term. Maybe in medium/long one if Social Media Sites as LinkedIn will sign collaboration terms as the one signed between Google and Twitter or Google Wave will be mass used.
Finally, about Gmail Buzz. It's a good idea (because so simple), but - thinking about its influence over Search Graph and Search tout cour - it would be a mistake by Google to consider the buzzes in Gmail as a top ranking factor even in the Real Time Search... as not all the world is using Gmail (for instance, I'm so affectionate to my old- 1996-Yahoo!-mail account).
p.s.: cool glasses Rand
Another great WBF!
I tend to agree with many of the above posts. Social media and spam tend to go hand in hand at the moment. The fact that Google Buzz has been rolled out suggests that Google is taking social media alot more seriously. It will be interesting to see what role social media is going to play in future SEO.
Social Media Marketing can't be avoided... It is here to stay...
Thanks for the walk down memory lane... Time sure has flown in terms of internet marketing..
You really made a valid point as to why marketers should not look at Social Media as a frivolous pasttime.
This post made me see new ways that I can leverage my message with sociak media in addition to the traditional linking strategy.
Kudo's to bringing it home...in a realistc easy to understand manner.
Best,
Media Maven
Great information. There is no doubt that social media is the next evolution of the net. Social media adds new dimensions to online communication. Often times when I search for resources online I might start my search with Delicious because it's human edited information and that type of information will always be more beneficial. It's funny, search engines are tryingn to emulate human behavior and online marketers try to develop content for search engines. Just produce and distribute good content, contribute to the web in some meaningful way, get rid of the errors on your website and have a website that's been tested and can convert and you have recipe for online marketing success. I think as the web continues to change these basics are going to remain the same.
I think next Google will tied LinkedIn in Buzz..
I think Buzz is really convenient. There's no SEO benefit to it, but there's a definite sense of society in there, so it's easier to interact, discuss, learn and have fun without having to worry about SEO at all.
I'm sure that in the next few months we'll see some major developments to Buzz, I think the integration of realtime search into the SERPs from it and a more public Buzz profile. At the moment the Buzz profiles are pretty deep.
I'm not sure that the software is comparable to Wave either. Wave is something that could be utilised in some situations, but the further developments could be interesting. I've been in the situation where I have used it in a group of people and it's been useful, it's just far too limited.
Edit: Am I the only person who didn't notice the colour-changing glasses?
SEOmoz has a problem at the moment with duplication of comments, this keeps happening to me!!! :-(
I think you are on the money with the convergence of Social Media and SEO. I have seen tweets to that effect also that 'search is being more social' and 'social media is more searchy'. How this leads to further changes in how we communicate and use these tolls is the interesting part. Having viral content in the search index faster is a great thing and will help keep us informed via channels now considered part of the SM sphere.
On a slightly tangent topic, I think Buzz is much better than Wave. Google is listening and has made several key changes to default settings and how your information is shared. Example - if I may with a plumber about house repairs, but he is not part of my social network. We will learn how to manage that shade of grey and the tools will be smarter.
Looking more deeply at Buzz and suchlike it is really just a blog network in disguise. I think it's really very interesting and I totally agree with the social graph. There have been some very obvious trends in this direction as the video says. Good job with the vid.
I completely agree Rand that search is changing but I speculate that Social Media Graph will only initally impact results on certain topics which you highlight a little in your video when you talk about the New York Times article. I do not think for example Social Media will impact search results for terms like Lawyers but I would expect to see it impact results for SEO.
I would be curious what blend of Social Media you would recommend to a client with a limited budget from an ROI / Future SEO benefit point of view.
Rand, I can't believe you did this Whiteboard Friday in your long johns!! You daredevil you.
Great points you made re: the logic behind your opinion that social and search are definitely coming together.
I'm in the camp of those who can't seem to find any extra time in the day to do my job much less participate vigorously with social media. So I'm kinda hoping (invain I'm sure) that social/search goes the way of My Space.
Unfortunately I think it's here to stay. As far as statistics go (and I'm making this up on the spot) I'm sure that more and more people are using realtime search. It's a much more apparent part of the SERPs now and is, a lot of the time, useful.
I think the main thing that will stick around for a few more years is Twitter. The reasoning behind this that it's such a convenient piece of software that so many people are using, that it should have a long lifespan. Whereas with a piece of software like MySpace which was so bulky and limited, it was bound to die out sooner or later. Thankfully it was sooner.
Awesome vid.
I must admit, however, that I am not entirely convinced on the idea that social search strategies are going to play a larger role than the more conventional search strategies.
There is just not enough editorial value in 99% tweets (or twits).
Will and is it a necessary aspect? Absolutely. It would be silly to ignore such a huge information generator. The real question to be asking is; to what degree will it be valuable for users. My guess is roughly 20/80.
Will Buzz do better than Wave? My guess is no. But, I've been wrong before.
We'll see. Maybe I'll eat my words. :P
Great video, as usual.
I must say though, I'm quite wary of this Social Search and a strong part of me hopes it doesn't take full flight! Personally, I think there are some SME Businesses which IMO don't really have a need for doing much Social Media-ing partly due to the type of services they offer or the seasons its available for. I just wonder what would happen to businesses like this.
Like some other people have said as well, I don't see the use of Google Buzz or Wave. Tried Google Wave for a few days but it wasn't for me hence I'm pretty sure Google Buzz isn't going to be for me either. Maybe its partly due to the fact that my gmail account is like my 3rd mail account which I just never got to making no 1 so don't have any contacts on it and thus Wave/Buzz can't do much for me in terms of knowing who I connect with and all.
P.S
Nice shades Rand... :)
Exactly right. When you sell pvc pipe fittings and valves, it's hard to imagine getting people to fan your page and tweet about your awesome products.
Definitely. I'm getting a little annoyed with the "every needs to go social" idea. It's just not true. Chances are that you're going to get very few followers if you're an expert in copper elbow bends and want to sell them online and drive visitors through Twitter. The social mediums are more useful for businesses that thrive on participation and more natural posts.
For example, I'm working on a major gardening company's website and they have a newsletter themed around "The Garden Doctor", somebody who writes articles about the best ways to plant marigolds and that sort of thing. That's the perfect opportunity for social media because people will interact with a gardening expert for things like advice etc, and this will hopefully drive more traffic to the site.
(I'll let you know how this campaign goes, at the moment all I've done is set up the Twitter page and just waiting for a meeting with the clients to discuss a strategy.)
Please do...
It would actually be interesting to have article which gives the lifeline of a product/service and its social media campaign using twitter (hint hint...)
It would be good but I'm not sure what the limitations are as it's through the company I work for and not actually my client. I've tried to initiate several conversations with both the primary SEO and the boss to ask if a few of the sites can be used in various studies and I think they're a bit iffy about it to be honest.
Otherwise yes I would.
I may have to just call it company x.
Company x is just fine!
It's their loss :-)
Search in the future is going to go through a "social revolution" indeed.
It also seems that Google today has bought Aardvark, I'm curious how and if they will integrate that.
I've just started using Google Buzz and already there are loads of blogs and news stories about the privacy setings. I personally think it will take off but maybe they are a little behind twitter, but saying that it all depends on what features they decide to bring out in the future.
But I'm sure whatever Google does decide to do, it's always going to be better than https://www.goojje.com :-)
P.S - Lovin the glasses Rand, very slick! Shame there not the SEOmoz colours :-)
Great post - we have been discussing/consulting on this for sometime. The recent rise of new social services from Google confirms that they are taking this seriously.
So...how long until I can start getting paid $.10 a month to follow people on Twitter or be their friend on facebook? Paid links, paid friends.
Good statement BradleyT...
as we italians say "Done the law, found the trick".
I (hopefully) suppose that Google and the others will pay deep attention to Social Media Spam (bought or not).
On the other hand, i think that already exists some sort of retweets market (or so it sounds to me the Tweetthis.com system)
Good news Bradley T - you already can!
Go to amazon mechanical turk and you can see quite a few paying $0.05 to "follow me on twitter" etc. That's quite transparent spam, so Google should find a way to detect it fairly easily.
But if friends are the new links then here's hoping there'll be some kind of duplicate content penalty against the accounts of the dreaded re-tweeters. Incidentally, why do people like to re-tweet trite quotes about the power of imagination? Is the irony totally lost on them?
i use chrome and im seeing double insert of the youtube video...
Great WBF today Rand. Thanks for presenting this as you did, starting from the beginning and showing how search has evolved over the years. Very informative stuff.
Great video and good points.
I agree that it's a natural progression to include more of the social graph in search. But you also had a good point about the types of things that are shared.
Another thing to remember is that those of us in online marketing are statistically on the cutting edge of internet users. I deal with clients that still don't know what a twitter is.
So while Google is trying to compete in the social space, I hope they keep the focus on delivering the most relevant results to searchers rather than doing new things just for the sake of it.
Rand thanks for keeping us all up on and ahead of the game. This is great stuff and well presented.
Nice video as always. I signed into Buzz for the first time a yesturday and I gotta say its addicitng. I never imagined it would be. Its good to know that social and search are finally working the kinks our in their relationship to work together.
I think they will start to take this to consideration but I don’t think it will be anytime soon that they rate it as highly as links. I think there are a lot of spam issues with social media and you will need to cut through all of that before you really can start to use this as a reliable metric to decide where someone should, or shouldn’t rank.