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Recent Blog Posts
How HTTPS Affects Search Rankings and SEO
You probably see the letters HTTPS hundreds of times a day as you scroll through your favorite websites, check your email, and interact with people on social media. You may not know their meaning; however, this letter combination holds a lot of power over the websites you visit and how they rank in Google search results.
HTTP vs. HTTPS
HTTP is an acronym for HyperText Transfer Protocol, which enables communication between different computer systems on the internet. This protocol allows data to be transferred from a web server to a browser, allowing you to view the hundreds of sites you look at each day.
The difference between HTTP and HTTPS extends past the single letter. Websites labeled with HTTP lack data encryption, resulting in third parties potentially being able to intercept private information. The “S” in HTTPS denotes the security of a website, which is created through the use of a SSL Certificate, which encrypts the information that is shared between the web server and a user’s web browser. Though HTTPS was initially used for sites which captured sensitive information, such as credit card payment pages, Google and other major search engines have been pushing for online security across the board.
Types of Negative Reviews Google Will Possibly Remove
If you own a business, you may have received a less-than-ideal review on your Google My Business page. There are many cases where Google will not remove a negative review, as it may not fall under any of the categories in their Prohibited and Restricted Content guidelines. However, OVC Lawyer Marketing has found there to be a number of instances where Google will be more likely to intervene and remove a review:
Spam and Fake Content
Reviews that refer to incorrect details about a business may be considered fake content. For example, a user may leave the same one-star review for multiple office locations of your law firm. Because it is unlikely that a client received the same experience at more than one of your offices, Google may remove the review from all but one of the locations.
Confirmed: Google’s Core Search Ranking Algorithm Has Been Updated
If you have noticed the rankings of various websites in search results have changed, it is likely due to the fact that Google has confirmed a “broad core algorithm” update that occurred at the end of February.
Those who follow Google on Twitter may have seen their post explaining that they do these types of updates “several times per year”. Google said that “Some sites may note drops or gains.” This could very well be because Google has made changes to their ranking models. These changes are said to benefit “pages that were previously under-rewarded.”
If you’re looking for Google’s full statement on Twitter regarding these changes, you can find it below:
“Each day, Google usually releases one or more changes designed to improve our results. Some are focused around specific improvements. Some are broad changes. Last week, we released a broad core algorithm update. We do these routinely several times per year.
Highlighting Your Online Reviews With Google’s #SmallThanks Hub
In today’s highly competitive online landscape, businesses need to do everything they can to stand out. More people than ever are using Google and other search engines to find local businesses, and the information that is displayed in search results is a major factor that influences people’s decisions. Of the different types of information that can be displayed in search results, online reviews are often among the most important.
According to Google, 71% of consumers say they are more likely to do business with a company if it has positive reviews, and businesses which have positive reviews have 360% more clicks to their site from their business listings. As part of its efforts to help small businesses get the most out of Google, the company has created a new tool that businesses can use to generate free marketing materials.
Using Google Posts to Boost Your Visibility in Search Results
In the modern digital world, people are constantly bombarded with information. We see advertisements everywhere we go, from billboards and TV commercials to the pop-ups that display on the websites we visit on our computers or smartphones. It can be difficult to sort out relevant information from noise, which is why people turn to Google and other search engines to find what they are looking for.
The widespread use of Google search makes search engine optimization (SEO) more important than ever, and companies will need to do everything they can to stand out in search results. Google has worked to make it easy for companies to provide relevant information to their customers through Google My Business, and one new feature, known as Google Posts, gives companies a great way to add visibility to search results.
Making the Most of Twitter’s Expanded Character Limit
For many years, Twitter has been a great social media platform that law firms and other businesses can use to connect with their customers. One thing that makes Twitter unique is its limit on the size of messages that can be posted, which often inspires creativity in people as they work to fit what they want to say into 140 characters.
According to Twitter, this limit was somewhat arbitrary, since it was based on character limits for SMS text messages which were in place when the company was founded, and these restrictions are no longer applicable. With that in mind, Twitter recently doubled its character limit to 280, providing its users with more space to send a complete message.
This expanded limit makes Twitter better than ever for getting your message out to the people you want to connect with online. Here are a few ways to get the most out of the time you spend on this social network:
3 Tips for Improving Page Load Time and SEO Through Image Optimization
The internet is a vast treasure trove of data, and the number and variety of websites covering every topic under the sun is mind-boggling. Without the help of search engines like Google, finding useful information online would be nearly impossible. This is why Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is so important; any business that wants to connect with their customers online needs to ensure that people will be able to find them in online searches.
When determining how to rank a site in search results, Google and other search engines look at a number of factors, but one of the most important of these is page load time. The amount of time it takes your site to load can play a major role in how people interact with the site, especially when they are using a mobile device. According to Google, 53% of website visits are abandoned if a site takes more than three seconds to load, but on average, mobile landing pages take 22 seconds to load.
7 Tips for Successfully Responding to Negative Online Reviews
At some point, every business has to deal with disgruntled or unsatisfied customers. While interactions with these customers were once limited to phone calls or in-person complaints, the nature of our online world means that negative reviews left by unhappy customers are publicly available for everyone to see, and they can have a major impact on a company’s bottom line.
Studies have shown that 84% of people trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations and that a company risks losing as much as 22% of their business if a there is a negative review on the first page of their search results. This means that it is incredibly important to respond quickly to negative reviews. But even if you are unable to rectify a customer’s complaint, following these reputation management tips will help you get the most out of these interactions:
New Features for Local Businesses in Google My Business and Google Maps
According to Google, more than 80% of people look for local information in online searches, which demonstrates the importance of providing people with the right information when they are searching for your business. In order to help businesses make sure the information they include in local listings is meeting their customers’ needs, Google recently rolled out some new features:
Updating Business Information in Google Search
Google My Business helps business owners control the information that appears for their company in Google’s search results. Google recently made updating this information easier by providing a dashboard that is accessible directly in Google’s search results.
To access the dashboard, search for your business while logged in to the account you use with Google My Business. A menu will appear above the top search results, and from here, you can perform a variety of actions, including updating your business information or hours, adding photos, making a post on your Google My Business page, viewing customer reviews, or accessing information about the performance of your business listing.
Improving SEO Through Featured Snippets in Google Search Results
Today, the primary way people find information is by searching for answers on Google or other search engines. It is important to rank high in search results for queries related to your area of business, which is why Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a key part of any modern marketing strategy. In Google’s search results, sites can greatly benefit from appearing in featured snippets.
What Are Featured Snippets?
Google’s standard search engine results pages (SERPs) typically feature a list of relevant pages related to a user’s search query. However, for some queries, Google SERPs also include a featured area at the top of the page that excerpts content from one of the search results and provides a quick answer to a user’s question.
These featured snippets can take the form of a paragraph of text, a list, or a table. They are also often accompanied by a “People also ask” section that contains several similar queries, each of which can be expanded to view additional featured snippets.
