Archive for Google
Top 5 Cloud Storage Service Providers
Posted by: | CommentsThere continues to be a growing demand for cloud computing services, especially among small business owners seeking reliable hosting services. With the plethora of cloud providers currently available, for many entrepreneurs looking for a reputable service it’s difficult to choose the best cloud host to accommodate hosting needs. There are five cloud hosting providers, however, leading the industry when it comes to delivering quality hard drives in the cloud on a tight budget.
Amazon Web Services
Despite Amazon’s recent outage, the company continues to offer attractive cloud storage features tailored for small businesses. Amazon is a top choice for small business ventures because customers are not required to purchase hardware. Instead, users pay a small fee each month to access Amazon’s infrastructure in a cloud computing environment. Customers have the ability to order computing services and storage on an as-needed basis to meet individual hosting needs. Amazon places computing power in the control of the customers as they can add or remove processing power and storage space in real time as well as delivering several layers of security to protect valuable data. Amazon is a great pay-as-you-grow cloud hosting option.
Office 365
Microsoft just recently threw its proverbial hat into the cloud ring introducing Office 365. Small business owners opting for Office 365 have access to all of MS Office’s applications without the need to install the actual software on computers or servers. Users are granted access to documents, contacts, e-mail, and calendars to devices connected to the Internet. Office 365 is available for a very affordable $6 per month. It’s best suited for small businesses employing less than 25 employees and don’t have an IT employee on staff. In addition to the 25 GB mailbox, users benefit from the ability to edit documents and spreadsheets simultaneously. Additionally, users have access to PC-to-PC audio, instant messaging, and video calls.
Google Apps
Google also offers cloud storage services designed for small business owners. Google is a bit more established than Microsoft, offering cloud apps now for over a year. Google’s cloud services are very similar to Microsoft’s cloud plan. Users are granted customized e-mail addresses, calendar, mobile e-mail, IM access, Google Sites, Google Docs, spam filtering, 24/7 customer support and 99.9% guaranteed uptime. Google’s cloud services are available for an affordable $5 per month.
Apple’s iCloud
Although not currently available as Apple is scheduled to unveil iCloud in Fall 2011. Apple’s iCloud is best described as “an online hard drive on steroids”. iCloud will offer users a vast array of features such as storing music, photos, apps, documents and other data online. Additionally, it will deliver services wireless to laptops, iPad, or smartphones. Similar to Microsoft and Google, iCloud will grant access to e-mails, calendars, and contacts as well as allowing multiple users to edit documents simultaneously.
Dropbox.com
Finally, a newcomer to the cloud industry, Dropbox is a cloud storage service provider to watch. Dropbox allows users to store important files on the provider’s secure website, easily accessible via Windows, Linux, Mac, iPad, Android/BlackBerry phones, and iPhone. Other attractive features include the fact the service is free for 2 GB of storage space, $9.99/month for 50 GB of storage, and $19.99/month for 100 GB of storage. Dropbox also works without the need to be connected to the Internet. Furthermore, users can opt to transfer part of a huge file or manually set bandwidth limits to prevent crashing servers. Like the previous providers, users can also work simultaneously on documents.
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Google Plus Boasts 18 Million Users… AND a Documented 20% Increase in Web Traffic
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In a recent whitepaper describing the effects of Google’s new plus one button (now known throughout the industry as +1), Gerard Klein and Keesjan Deelstra of SEO Effect, report on the effects of +1 on search. +1 is a button with a dual purpose. First, it can be used in a similar way to Facebook’s “like” button, allowing you to vote for a webpage. Second, the +1 tools can be added to search results to inform people in your custom created social circles of the page’s existence. If you join the Google experiment at http://www.google.com/experimental/index.html, the +1 button can be added to your site and will automatically produce data for analysis about performance, including the number of people who +1’d your site along with gender and age information.
Though the findings of their April 2011 experiment are admittedly limited, the results showed the +1 button can increase both the number of impressions in search results and the visibility of a web page by as much as 20% with click through rates and visits that parallel these numbers1.
SEO Effect’s whitepaper attributed the 20% increase in traffic to a page being +1’d, since:
- +1 results in a higher ranking when people re-visit earlier searches
- +1 pages are ranked higher in the social circles of the person that cast the vote
- +1 markings, which appear in shadow and then appear in color as you scroll through the search results make for better visibility of a search result
- +1 results will later appear in an individual’s search results with a star marking
Certainly, such an early study isn’t entirely scientific, but Klein and Deelstra found that Google Plus, whatever its limitations in Beta, is a promising tool for those looking to capitalize on the web. In fact, a lot more has materialized since the June 1st release of this report. A July 14th item in the Wall Street Journal detailed this quarter’s financial outlook for Google. Things are looking up for the company and a big part of that is Google Plus. Consider the following astonishing facts about the quick growth of Google Plus:
- There are now 18 million Google Plus users
- 1 billion items a day are being shared on Google Plus
- The +1 Button is being served 2.3 billion times a day2
The rapid growth of Google Plus is quickly quieting the naysayers and surpassing the expectations of even its early supporters. In the space of two months, the +1 button has surpassed Twitter’s “share” buttons3. If you have not yet looked into Google Plus, now is definitely the time to strike.
Google +1 for WordPress
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Since the release of Google +1, webmasters from all around the world have been racing to find the easiest way to get this button added to their websites. Everybody wants to keep the Google overlords happy and will give their left arm to get a higher ranking in the search engine. So, how can people using WordPress get in on the action? Install the new Google +1 Button plugin for WordPress.
Installation is pretty simple. You simply download the add-on and add it to your /wp-content/plugins/ directory. Then, activate the plugin from the Plugins menu inside of WordPress. You have the option to insert the code automatically or via a shortcode. The choice is up to you.
You can pick up the Google +1 plugin for WordPress from the WordPress Plugin Directory.
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Where is Google Headed?
Posted by: | CommentsA main topic in web communities is should SEO’s be focusing on where Google is heading in the future? The answer is yes. Wasting time on ascertaining short-term holes in Google’s search engine algorithm is not smart. Just as soon as you figure it out, the algorithm will change again. Therefore, most publishers focus on the direction Google I heading. One idea publishers should be aware of is the transition of Google into an answer engine.
The Answer Engine
For web publishers this can be a major issue. An answer engine is one that answers any questions or inquiries directly from Google properties. For instance, if you are looking for a definition and input “definition baseball” into the search bar, an answer engine would have the definition immediately available from their database at the top of the page. This indicates all subsequent websites below the answer will have less traffic.
Unlimited Resources
Since Google is such a large corporation, it has resources everywhere. From searching for flights to finding dinner reservations, Google is connected to all of these databases; they are the internet. This technology advancement is fantastic for Google, excellent for the user and not good for web publishers and internet marketers. With Google providing the answers, there is no need for the visitor to click on any other website.
Review Sites
Google has slowly been headed in this direction for many years. In 2010, Google furthered this process by making inroads for commercial searches like mortgage rates. Their most recent advancement is the aggregation of reviews on various topics from review sites.
The Savior: Brand Loyalty
Unfortunately the days of being an affiliate with no branding strategy is coming to an end. Affiliates will never disappear completely but there will be less of them because of the extra competition with Google itself. A final word to the wise, create or build a branding strategy now to prepare for the Google takeover.
What is the Google Sandbox?
Posted by: | CommentsThe Google Sandbox (also known as aging delay) is the theory that new website rankings are temporarily reduced placing them into what is known as the sandbox. Release of these websites out of the sandbox can take days, weeks, or even months; placing various new websites at an extreme disadvantage to the competition.
Why does this occur?
One of the primary reasons for new sites into the sandbox is due to blackhat practices. These include creating duplicate content, keyword stuffing and bulk purchasing of links. All of which optimize a website, but do not create a targeted search.
The result of these fake sites falling within page one or two page rank is an overall decline in the quality of search engine results. Consequently Google potentially places a restriction to weed these sites out and remain organized so users can find the exact information they’re searching for.
Limiting the Sandbox Effect
As a new webmaster, it can be detrimental to business to immediately be placed in the Google Sandbox. Luckily there are a few methods that can help for a decent page ranking. These techniques include:
- Buying expired domains
- Proper planning
- Don’t concentrate on popular keywords
- Create quality content that relates to the website
Buy expired domains
If you purchase an old or expired domain, Google will be less likely to place it in the sandbox since it has been used before. This can be a huge advantage when conducting business in a niche area as the need to be the first to market is tremendously important.
Proper planning
Publishing a few pages at a time as opposed to the whole site at once can be advantageous. Google will see these and slowly begin to index them. As time passes and the website reaches completion, there will already be many pages indexed.
Don’t concentrate on popular keywords
Although the site will be indexed, it’s unlikely to be in the first couple of pages by utilizing popular keywords. Consequently, utilizing less-popular keywords will result in the website ranking in the first few pages due to less competition.
Create quality content and gather good links
High-quality, new, relevant content combined with good links from reputable sources will significantly help with page rank. By gradually building links, the site could consistently rank at the top after a period of time. Links from .gov, .mil and .edu do not get filtered by Google and are excellent sources.
Although Google Sandbox can hinder a new business, it’s not the end of the world. There are plenty of other search engines available while time passes to index a website at Google. With time, patience and good search engine optimization methods, your website could be at the top of the list in no time.
What is the Google Caffeine Update?
Posted by: | CommentsGoogle is renowned as the king of the search engines, mostly because of heir patented algorithm that is used to index and rank the entire internet effectively. Every couple of months Google makes a few major adjustments to keep this algorithm relevant and powerful. In fact, throughout the year Google is constantly tweaking their practices to keep professional webmasters on their toes. For months now Google has been talking about a major infrastructure change that will reshape the way Google search results are delivered. This change has been deemed “The Caffeine Update.”
What is This Update Going To Do?
It is important to note that the caffeine update is not going to change the way the Google web site looks or behaves. In fact, Google has stated that most people will not even notice the difference. The caffeine update is basically a complete cleaning and revamping of Google’s “filing cabinets.” In other words, Google is changing the way it stores and catalogs information to be able to expand its already massive database. What is not clear is how this change will effect search engine results and rankings, if at all. However, there have been preliminary tests done which show no difference in the search results of Google’s default search engine and the beta version of the caffeine update.
Will it Affect Ranking?
As of now there have not been any indications that the page rank of sites will be affected, especially considering the test that have been performed by search engine optimization professionals in the past year. Thus, site owners that are worried about losing rankings due to the new update have nothing to fear. Google understands the importance of site rankings for online business owners and marketers, and is not taking steps to thwart honest search engine optimization efforts. There has been some speculation as to whether the caffeine update will affect the ranking of exact match domain names.
Many people believe that because of the the MayDay update that affected long tail keywords the caffeine update will elaborate upon this concept and damage the rankings of long tail keyword domains. As of now there have been no studies done that substantiate these claims and concerns.
Will Google Tell Us About The Changes?
Unfortunately, Google is very secretive about algorithm changes as it does not want the public to make attempts at manipulating Google search results by deciphering their patented algorithm. Thus, there is limited information available about any Google update. However, Google does release limited information about the basic changes that are made during an update.
Nonetheless, it is likely that most of the revealing information will be found months after the update during tests conducted by individual marketing and search engine optimization firms. If you are a webmaster that owns many websites you may be able to start performing analysis and tests that could yield some valuable information about the changes within the coming months.