Yesterday, Matt Cutts, head of webspam at Google announced on his blog:

“We started rolling out the next generation of the Penguin webspam algorithm this afternoon (May 22, 2013), and the rollout is now complete. About 2.3% of English-US queries are affected to the degree that a regular user might notice. The change has also finished rolling out for other languages world-wide. The scope of Penguin varies by language, e.g. languages with more webspam will see more impact.

This is the fourth Penguin-related launch Google has done, but because this is an updated algorithm (not just a data refresh), we’ve been referring to this change as Penguin 2.0 internally.” [source]

In a recent video Matt also revealed some things to expect in the coming months:

What does Penguin 2.0 mean for you?

If you are following the guidelines set by Google with regards to their steps they outline about rewarding high quality sites, the clues are all there:

Google Blog: Another step to reward high-quality sites

Build your site into a clear AUTHORITY for the niche or industry you are in, look to encourage bookmarking and SOCIAL SHARING of your content and look to AVOID WEBSPAM techniques to automate 1000’s of links being added to the internet pointing to your site.

Ranking results achieved by clients of HodgesNet will have seen in our monthly reporting, positions of their sites fluctuate in the results pages in recent months due to the many updates that Google are rolling out, but the majority of sites are seeing that the content-led and content outreach focussed SEO strategies have seen an increase in referral traffic and rankings increase.

We are still monitoring the changes to this update from yesterday, but we anticipate that the white-hat techniques and content-led strategies will not affect sites that we are working on in a negative way. From reports, the number of search queries affected by the Penguin updates since it’s birth have been:

• Penguin update 1 on April 24, 2012 (impacting ~3.1% of queries)
• Penguin update 2 on May 26, 2012 (impacting less than 0.1%)
• Penguin update 3 on October 5, 2012 (impacting ~0.3% of queries)
• Penguin update 4 (Penguin 2.0) on May 22, 2013 (impacting 2.3% of queries)

This shows that the latest round of updates is affecting quote a large number of search queries. It will be interesting to see how this affect low quality sites with poor content.

How do you ensure you are doing things in line with the Penguin 2.0 update?

Here are 7 things to make sure you are active in doing:

1. Get your on-page content nailed down and perfect so that each page is relevant to one search term or keyword. Download our FREE SEO guide for more information.
2. Add fresh regular content (blogging) on your site every week to become a source of knowledge and authority in your niche and industry.
3. Curate content from other site such as YouTube and news sites by including content and embedding video to make your blog article more interesting.
4. Have social sharing and social bookmarking buttons on your pages and blog posts to make it easy for your website visitors to share your awesome content.
5. Reach out to relevant blogs and other authority sites to provide them with content for their audience in return for a link back to your site.
6. List your website in niche and industry specific directories.
7. Write and publish articles and online PR for greater reach.

If you would like more information about the HodgesNet content-led SEO services and a free 30 minute SEO consultation with a member of the team, please use the contact form on our SEO Packages page to request your free call back.

Over 40% of consumers now check emails on their smartphones, which leads to an understanding of mobile targeted marketing being the way forward to stay ahead of your competitor, and inevitably get information to your audience at a speedier rate! Here are ten key points why mobile marketing will have the edge over the coming months and years:-

• Immediacy – This is one of the main reasons, as mobile and texts can be so instant to a generation whom are rarely parted with their smartphone. With a staggering statistic such as 97% open their text messages within 5 seconds, it is little wonder why this is a method for success. 
• Distribution - You don’t need an envelope or a postage stamp to send information direct to your customers and targeted audience. The distribution is of real ease to a national or global scale,  or wherever your growing audience or potential clients are.
• Response Rate - As stated earlier, the response rate for the majority is within 5 seconds which makes it beneficial to see how many of the texts are being taken seriously, and more importantly whether the targeted audience are going to act on the piece of the information received.
• Personal - The fact that people see their mobile phone as a personal item can work in your favour, as many see emails as a work related platform. With the audience taking this viewpoint, you may be able to have a better chance of success of sales or even up selling.
• Mobility - The mobility of the mobile speaks for itself. In this generation you can take your smartphone nearly anywhere and still have access to the internet, or have relevant signal to receive text messages.
• Interactivity - Coupling with the immediacy of text marketing, the interaction side of things will have a greater chance of success. This will be because the ease of being on a mobile phone may lead the customer or client to engage and interact more. In addition, mainly because it’s not time consuming at all!
• Quantifiable - Campaign results can be tracked through downloads, page visits, customer opt-ins, and a variety of other methods as well dependent upon the mobile marketing method being utilized.
• Viral Potential - The ease with which mobile marketing messages can be shared increases the potential for your message to be shared with new audiences/potential customers at no cost to you.
• Marketing Campaign Integration - Provides the ability to integrate new, innovative forms of advertising/promotion with existing strategies to enhance their interactivity and impact.

Text marketing doesn’t mean the end of email marketing, more of a helping hand! It is important to utilize as many marketing methods online as possible as this will increase the chances of your business having a bigger brand, presence, and online authority.

Combining email marketing, lead generation and other online marketing activities such as social media, with text message and mobile marketing can help you to generate more leads, sales and increase conversion of your marketing activities. To get started why not text “HODGESNET” and your email address to 60777, or call the team on 01793 608777 and we’ll be happy to get you set up or talk through any queries you may have.

The next generation of Penguin is coming soon!

This post about what’s next on the horizon is due to a video Matt Cutts uploaded about changes for websites and their SEO practices that may be happening over the coming months. This change being dubbed “Penguin 2.0” as it’s an updated update from the previous penguin edition. In this video blog Matt discussed the best methods for SEO and how those who are using these methods will have nothing to worry about! As mentioned in previous blogs, SEO is now all about content, providing fresh and unique content which is relevant for the designated audience. As Matt pondered in his video – “those who are using black hat SEO techniques are in for an eventful summer”. High quality content being produced which is aimed at the audience and not the search engines is the content that will be rewarded and placed higher up in the Google search results.

The main message to pass on is that your SEO company should be following these guidelines, and if they’re not why not? They’re not the one’s that’ll be penalized  it’ll be you and your website, resulting in your business being threatened because your SEO company didn’t abide by webmaster guidelines which will give that you desired place listing within the search results.

A typical campaign should be content led and have natural pages that are easy to read and understand with no duplication content throughout the site. This will be seen as a rich haven of information for the end user, which in turn, Google will reward you and your website. On page alterations are known in this current climate, and such changes will be known by your current technicians, however the off page techniques such as link building is what this latest algorithm will be clamping down on. Remember this – No automated services providing you with thousands of links, this doesn’t work anymore. What you should be concerned about is the quality of the link and how authoritative it is.

If you need to revise your actions or plans, or need reassuring of how best to tackle your SEO efforts, feel free to call the HodgesNet team on 01793 608777. A member of staff will be happy to discuss this with you and talk you through the SEO Packages provided, and how they are implemented to aid your online marketing strategies.

One consideration to make is that the more elements or practises that are included in your package the better, as they will help the others and vice versa. For example SEO and Content marketing go hand in hand, however you throw in some social media to add the social signals then you are more likely to get quicker and longer lasting results. Here is a quick overview of how these six elements can benefit your overall online marketing package and prove to be worthy additions:-

SEO – Recent changes in the search engine’s measurement and ranking factors means that SEO packages offered by your supplier, need to evolve to offer the best service possible. SEO is needed for authority in the search engines, enabling you to be found easily for chosen terms.

Content Marketing – The growth of digital and online marketing it is proving to be crying out for content marketing which is fresh unique and user friendly. Content is for your audience, so this is vital for them to see you are an up to date business with relevant and informative content.

Email Marketing – This marketing method is needed to grow your list of contacts and keep your existing customers happy. Extremely beneficial to ecommerce sites and others with large client databases.

Social Media – In this modern world you need to be social to be seen as a credible and real company. Social networks will give you added authority and perceive you to be up to date with the latest changes in online marketing. Social signals will also dramatically help your SEO practices.

Blogging – You need to be blogging to build a back log of unique written content that is specifically about your business, your services, or your products. Helpful with content marketing, blogging will give the search engines a freshly written piece of content on a weekly basis!

Mobile/Text Marketing – With tablets and smart phones everywhere in this modern world, the majority of your potential customers will have these, and therefore be more easily accessible to send promotional information offers, codes and other such information.

Every business can use the power of the Internet and Internet marketing strategies to act as a catalyst for growth, and to generate an additional income, or bolster their current marketing to make it more profitable. Here at HodgesNet we understand that you need an online marketing package inclusive of SEO, Content Marketing, Email Marketing, Social Media, Blogging, and even the addition of Mobile/Text Marketing to really promote your brand and expose it to the biggest audience possible.

Whether you are an individual or if you run a business, get in touch with us today and we will show you how to go about implementing a robust Internet marketing strategy into your marketing activity. Call the HodgesNet team on 01793 608777.

Image courtesy of stuart miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Make sure your SEO Package is unique and made to fit your business

Not only should your SEO package be tailor-fitted, it should also have a content led focus, as this is where the future of SEO lies. The overall strategy should have a varied mix of techniques and methods that gives you that spread of activity online from social signals, link building, blog authority, and other content driven elements. The right package should encompass the right keywords that have been thoroughly researched with stats to prove there is an opportunity to gain success in the search engines. In addition, natural links with popularity and authority are vital for your online presence and goals of bringing in fresh new traffic to your website. Furthermore, tweaking your website should be inclusive of any package in terms of on page alterations including title tags and other such necessary changes.

Different strategies are needed for different businesses, and obviously the budget of your business will be crucial to what level of SEO you can incorporate into you long term plan. SEO is an ever changing, so the agency your package has been chosen from, needs to have the capability to evolve and grow with such changes. Most businesses will have forms on their website for businesses to fill in, in terms of what level of SEO they require and how much cost it will incur. The package that you must choose in this current online space, is that of a strategy that is inclusive of social profile building, content creation through articles and press releases, specified content marketing including Infographics and guest blog posting, and a steady stream of link building. These mentioned elements are key to a successful online marketing strategy, and will dramatically improve your SEO and keep you ahead of your competitor

In conclusion, if your business needs SEO then why not have a look on the HodgesNet site at the SEO Packages and see how they shape up, and inevitably if they’re right for your business and fit within budgets etc… For more information, you can also call the team on 01793 608777 and a team member will be happy to talk the packages through with you and discuss how they can help you use the power of the internet for more profit!

Make sure you don’t bombard your email database!

One of the tried and tested ways of finding out if you’re sending too many emails is to just ask. You know, that thing we used to do before finding stats and doing the research all over the web. Each industry is different so why not pose the question in your e-newsletter asking 1) How often would you like to hear from us? And 2) What information would you be interested in hearing about in the future? This will inevitably give you a much clearer understanding of what your customers want, and giving you as an organisation a positive appearance in caring for customers, and customer service.

In addition, sending emails daily can work in some weeks if you are promoting a specialist product or service that is at a discounted rate for a designated time period. This would be perceived as relevant and informative to the mail recipient and not at all spammy. As long as this method is kept up, you shouldn’t have any problems when moving back into a regular schedule of say…sending emails on a weekly basis. Furthermore, you know your customers, and you should have a clear indication when you could potentially be bombarding and putting off customers in your email list.

Many marketing techniques and methods should be used in an overall online marketing strategy for businesses, however email does have a place for its importance of contact with customers. The key elements to remember are that your emails when opened should always remain full of high quality, informative, relevant, and non spammy content. Appear natural and worthy of information, and your customers shouldn’t be contemplating whether or not you’re sending too many emails!

If you’re like most small business owners, you probably tend to throw yourself into marketing as and when you have the time. When there are so many tasks pressing for your attentions it can be difficult to do much more than be responsive in your marketing – for example, sending out the odd email newsletter when you get five minutes spare. However, that is not the most effective way to work; a much better approach is to spend time developing an email marketing strategy to ensure you send the right information to the right people at the right time. If you would like more information on email marketing services and campaigns feel free to call the HodgesNet team on 01793 608777.

Image courtesy of renjith krishnan / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Text Marketing can help interaction with your audience

Text marketing is perfect for speakers, seminar leaders, coaches, to name a few! This integral part of a greater online marketing strategy will contribute heavily to ongoing success, whilst widening and broadening your online footprint and overall presence. A clear and precise example of when to engage with your audience and potential customer is to include an interaction section within your presentation where you could ask all members to take out their mobile and follow the instructions on one of your designated slides. In addition, this could read text “MORE INFO” to 87762 (Or whatever your code and number may be).

During this interaction process you are likely to gain interest from the majority of your audience members, as everyone will have their mobile phone on their person, with only a probable few being unwilling to involve themselves in the process. The main aim of this process would be to capture the details of the audience members such as their name, phone number, and email address where you could send them further information as well as automated responses and confirmations. A few ways to entice people in would be by offering an incentive such as a free gift, advice, or information on products and services you may offer.

In conclusion, you can follow up your data capture by marketing your services as previously stated, as well as educating them further on your value, survey them on what they would like next, and finally upcoming events where you will be speaking at in the future. Therefore, if you are a public speaker make sure you use text marketing to get an instant response from the room! This is one part of your whole online marketing strategy where you can make situations beneficial for yourself and your business.

If you would like more information on Text Marketing and how it could improve and enhance the interaction with your audience then “Text HodgesNet and your email to 60777″ or call the team on 01793 608777.

Image courtesy of jscreationzs / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

If you would like more information about our SEO services, visit our SEO Packages page or our Content Marketing page. You can always call and speak to a member of the HogdgesNet team on 01793 608777.

The big question that is being asked though is whether it actually is needed for your website or not. The reasoning below will hopefully provide you with many answers, and also give guidance and reassurance in how to take the next steps towards ‘proper’ SEO work within your online marketing campaign.

SEO has simply evolved and grown up.

SEO, or search engine optimisation, is an ever moving target. Recent changes in the search engine’s measurement and ranking factors means that SEO packages offered by your supplier, need to evolve to offer the best service possible – and the best results.

The evolution of SEO means that you need a varied mix of online activity, culminating in a greater online marketing package rather than just relying on link building alone – this will inevitably get you nowhere as it might have done in previous years. The way forward is by using and engaging in content-led SEO packages which offer unique content to be picked up by search engines.

The pricing issues and changes have proved very decisive since Google updates; this is because in order to achieve the results of the past, the SEO campaign is now far more resource heavy, meaning packages are more expensive than just a couple of hundred pounds as it was in the past.

The fact that packages are more expensive these days shouldn’t put businesses off, as the results will be far greater and give you more longevity and authority within search engines, therefore enhancing your online presence to a new high.

The key point now is that SEO is almost about re-educating people as to what’s needed and how they can action these changes within suitable SEO and marketing agencies. Again, content is MORE than King, and if you’re SEO company hasn’t realised this, then you need to think clearly about the direction you want your website, rankings, and traffic is pointing towards.

Search engine optimisation and marketing is not a quick win in most cases, but it needs to be up kept otherwise you may face a potential penalty or ‘Google-Slap’ as it’s known in the trade!

So what should your tactic for online marketing be today?

Sustaining position in search engines, as well as remarking to current customers should be you main aim with your online marketing, as well as moving the whole process forward over the coming months and years.

SEO is an ever changing technique and a marketing tool which needs to be monitored and kept on top of by whoever is in charge of your current campaign. The main thing to remember is that SEO isn’t dead, it’s just evolved; therefore the prices have evolved too. Automated tools and quick win agencies are no good for your status and authority, instead focus on content for your site…and if needs be, a modern agency who knows the importance of this and can help you with things such as infographics, video, online PR and copywriting for SEO.

If you need hep implementing these methods or would like more information on SEO Packages then feel free to call the HodgesNet team on 01793 608777 and see how using the POWER of the internet for MORE profit can benefit your business today.

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Having a blogging schedule is a real necessity to help you from missing opportunities to write fresh content view-able to customers. The schedule or calendar can act as a subtle reminder as to when new products are available on your site, updates on current services you may offer, as well as any offers you may have which could entice customers to purchase. Here are a few considerations you should include in your schedule planning and how to get started:-

First of all, having a schedule is great, but don’t forget that it is not set in stone and you can blog freely and randomly! In addition, this is the beauty of blog writing after all isn’t it?

• Decide how frequently you want to Blog, knowing that the more frequently you do will improve your website due to many reasons, one of which being fresh content!
• List ideas for future products and offers and couple these with a blog for those launch dates, this will inevitably spread the ‘word’ around the web and broadening your audience.
• Use a monthly calendar which is easy to maintain with reachable, realistic goals. This effective planning will be beneficial as you won’t lose out on potential lost traffic due to neglecting blogging.

Planning ahead means you won’t miss an opportunity to market whatever you’re selling to potential new customers or the equally important existing ones. The best thing about blogging is that your audience will already be interested in you, or your designated blog you’re writing on, enough to carry on reading. Therefore enabling you to provide relative, exclusive information about offers you may have! In other words it just staying on top of things in an effective and efficient way so that your website, your brand, or your personal blog doesn’t seem out of date or stagnant. In this modern world of social media and technology it pays to be up to date and on the ball, or better still, one step ahead of your competitors.

Content is leading the way in the battle to get found in the search engines and for providing great content for social media. If you would like to more information on blogging services that provide you with great SEO friendly blogs and articles then feel free to call the HodgesNet team on 01793 608777. See how bespoke packages of planning, writing, uploading and syndicating content for your blog can help your business today!

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net