SEO and social media: A perfect combo

Multi-channel marketing has always been held in high esteem - long before search engine optimisation and behavioural advertising took off.

Firms have always been encouraged to be experimental, use a broad range of promotions and appeal to as wide an audience as possible. So it is hardly surprising that digital marketing professionals are touting the benefits of combining SEO and social media.

Online marketing expert Eric Popczun claimed that together search engine marketing and social media advertising work in perfect harmony. He claimed that any business worth their salt will combine the two channels to make the most of their SEO strategy.

This is by no means a cutting-edge opinion. As mentioned above, businesses have been combining marketing channels since the dawn of time, and practically every SEO Company on the planet has realised that all content needs to be search engine optimised - whether it is going on a company website, in an email newsletter or on Twitter. But what it does show is that SEO and social media use is becoming more commonplace.

However, as well as the many positives of combining search engine optimisation with other digital marketing strategies, the increased use of relatively new technologies has its downsides.

According to anti-virus and internet security company Kaspersky, businesses should be wary of hackers when using a combination of social media and search engine optimisation to promote their wares.

David Emm, a senior security researcher at Kaspersky Labs, said many companies are being compromised security-wise by not taking precautions when using social networks.

"What we're seeing here is a social networking version of the standard phishing method," Mr Emm said.

He added: "What makes it more pernicious is that if you get a speculative approach from this bank or that bank, you're not going to respond to that, but if it comes from someone you know or trust then obviously you're more likely to click on it."

So it seems that just because businesses are finally understanding the importance of SEO (search engine optimisation) and social media marketing, this does not mean they have to get complacent when using the channels....
Ps: All the above article is originally writtern by mediarunsearch.

Google Voice invites for students

We’ve found that Google Voice can be useful in many different ways to many different people. But one group of people that it’s especially well-suited for is students. We’ve heard college students in particular really appreciate getting their voicemail sent to their email, sending free text messages and reading voicemail transcriptions rather than listening to messages (especially handy while in class).

But since Google Voice is currently only available by invite, a lot of students are still listening to voicemail and sending text messages the old-fashioned way. As a recent college graduate, I can’t think of anything more painful! So starting today, we’ll be giving priority Google Voice invites to students. To get an invite, just visit google.com/voice/students and enter an email address that that ends in .edu.


So if you’re a student, submit your email address and a Google Voice invite will arrive in your inbox within 24 hours. Keep in mind that only one invite will be be sent per email address and Google Voice is currently only available in the U.S. And if you’re new to Google Voice, check out our introductory videos at youtube.com/googlevoice.

Can I avoid the Sandbox?

Definitely. Before placing it in the Sandbox, Google gives every new site the initial SERPs boost. If during this short period you manage to "gain Google’s trust" by providing quality and unique content and acquiring a decent number of natural links from other sites, including authorities, you might just skip the probation period. Of course there’s nothing sure here, cause after all we’re talking about Google… But this site for example has never experienced Sandbox, as one of its first articles gained lots of exposure and natural links.
Of course, the best method for avoiding sandbox is to buy an older site (could be expensive though). This will also bring the "age bonus factor" into equation, proving to be useful later on, as we know how much weight does Google put on age in his ranking algorithm.

My site is in the Sandbox. How can i get out? Help!
First of all, there’s no need to panic. This "sandbox problem" sounds worse then it is. With a little bit of work and a decent amount of patience, most of the sites will get over it. So, let’s see what every site owner should do once he is sure his site is affected by a devaluation:

build quality and most importantly, unique content. Give each page an unique title and description (Meta tags of course). Also, each post should have 250 characters (that’s just my opinion) of unique content at a minimum.

Get more trusted links. I would not recommend on site wide links (also there are others claiming otherwise), but links inside the content for old and established sites, preferably authorities from your domain.

build links slowly (no more than 10 each week

don’t get only links pointing towards your home page but also deep links. This helps your site seem less "hollow". After all, if we’re talking about natural links, it’s more then normal that other sites would link to the posts they like rather than your home page, no?

don’t panic and don’t use Black or Grey methods. Anything from spamming to buying links (except buying links inside posts, that would appear to be 100% natural, which are recommended) should be out of the question.

Is Google Doomed to Repeat the Mistake of "New Coke?"

What do Coca-Cola and Google have in common?

Well, aside from the fact that they both have a secret recipe for their success--Coke's ingredients and Google's algorithm--they don't have much in common. However, after Google decided to make a massive change to its search interface, that could soon change.

Flash back to 1985, when Coca-Cola decided it would be a good idea to change the recipe it had used for around 100 years. This New Coke was better tasting--early taste-testers loved it--and it should have been a huge hit among Coke drinkers. Long story short? It wasn't. It bombed. Coca-Cola was forced to admit defeat and bring back its "Classic" recipe.

Fast forward to 2010 and Google launches a new interface for its search results. Not just a few minor tweaks--searchers have happily accepted those over the past 10+ years. No, this is a major overhaul of the logo, the layout, the fonts, the navigation. Just about everything changed. Heck, our Google results even have more caffeine now!

So, the question is, will Google users love the "New Google" or complain until Google brings back "Google Classic?" Well, it's still too early to tell, but there's already a lot of complaining going on at Google's official help groups. Someone's even found a way to switch your Google interface back to the way it was--before Google messed with it.

The question remains: are users complaining because--let's face it--none of us like change, or will these grumblings of discontent turn users to the alternative taste of Pepsi...sorry, Bing.

What do you think of the new Google interface? Do you love it or hate it? Or are you more of a Sierra Mist kind of person?
Ps: This article is orginally written by Andy Beal.