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Posts tagged sharing
Google takes social search a step further with ‘+1′
Mar 31st
Search engine giant Google has announced a new feature called ‘+1′. +1 is essentially the same as Facebook’s ‘Like’ button, which when clicked shares that page on the user’s Facebook Wall. Google +1 will do this as well, listing all links +1ed by a user on their Google Profile.
However, the integration will go deeper than this, as +1 buttons will also appear on search results, and the number of times a result has been +1ed will appear next to its link, potentially influencing which result a user will choose. This could end up being incorporated into the algorithm that Google uses to rank its listings. Also of note is that this does not just apply to the ‘organic’ listings- these +1 buttons will also be a feature of the ‘sponsored’ pay-per-click results that appear at the top and down the side of results pages.
The impact of this new feature on SEO is obvious, so we will be watching this development with great interest. The social aspect to this button highlights how important a social media strategy is when considering the online promotion of your website. If you’re interested in our online promotion services, contact Areatrade onĀ 020 8366 2050 or email More >
Google increases emphasis on social search rankings
Feb 18th
Google has announced an upgrade to its social search features. A feature has been available for some time that shows links related to your search at the bottom of the results page that have been shared by your contacts on social networks.
Now Google will be further integrating this feature by moving the social results higher up in the rankings. This feature is only available to users signed into a Google account that is attached to social networking accounts.
What does this mean for people optimising their websites for promotion on Google? It seems clear that a strong social networking presence is becoming a increasingly important component of an effective online promotion campaign.
The real world role of social media: tuition fees debate
Dec 8th
You may have been following the UK tuition fees debate with some interest in the news, and seen how previously apathetic students have sprung into organised protests and occupations with surprising speed and ease. This is a great example of the role of social media in a practical context. Let’s take a look at how social networking has been used, and how it is relevant to the commercial world.
How do you know if anybody is coming to a protest? How do you know where to meet? The popular social network Facebook has been used extensively to organise protests across the country. Facebook ‘events’ have been set up with a wealth of information on dates, times, locations and attendees to organise their exploits. However, event pages are only useful up until that event starts. Which leads us to…
So when the march has started, how do such a large mass of people communicate? Twitter is the popular micro-blogging platform used by celebrities, politicians, businesses, charities, activists and everyday people – including students. When police attempted to use their controversial ‘kettling’ tactic a multitude of warnings would appear instantly on the site warning other protestors to change route. Occupations and sit ins have More >
Oh snap, Google…
Nov 17th
Search engine and online service provider Google has fallen into disputes with social network Facebook over ‘data portability’. Google has blocked access to its Contacts service from Facebook, citing poor standards in data sharing on Facebook’s part as the cause. Facebook allowed users to access their contacts list from Google’s Gmail service to find friends who are also using the social networking site. Google has criticised Facebook for making the export of its own contact data extremely difficult whilst taking advantage of the superior export facilities offered by other services. (more…)
10% of traffic to Mail Online comes from Facebook
Nov 15th
Martin Clarke, the Daily Mail executive allocated the role of running the newspaper’s website, Mail Online, has revealed at the Society of Editors conference in Glasgow that 10% of traffic to the website originates from the social network Facebook, and referred to it as a ‘gigantic free marketing engine’. The 10% figure is beaten only by Google, as one would expect.
The journalism industry is currently split on the best model for online news – News International has recently erected a paywall around their Times Online and News of the World websites, and is intending to do the same for The Sun. The issue with forcing users to pay to view content is, of course, that the ‘shareability’ factor decreases dramatically – your friends are unlikely to sign up to a newspaper subscription just to read an article you posted on their Wall.
Regardless of the tough decisions that the newspaper industry faces, it is becoming increasingly apparent that social media has a massive role in online promotion. A well organised social media strategy could increase traffic to your site dramatically. Analytics data also takes an important role in discerning the sources of traffic to More >