Facebook Announced a New "Graph Search" Feature

Facebook announced a new "Graph Search" feature on Tuesday. Facebook CEO "Mark Zuckerberg" announced a new beta service named Graph Search. He described Facebook as a huge database before mentioning that "as a database, you should be able to query it." This will allow users to surf the Internet through Facebook data features.

Graph Search is a conscious search of privacy, Zuckerberg said. This means that it only searches the content that's been shared with you and that your search results will be different than someone search results will see more, even if you type the exact same.

Initially you can search using the Graph Search between people, photos, places, and interests.

For example, users can search across different friends' timelines without having to visit every individual profile to see if they like a certain place or thing.

Zuckerberg emphasized that Graph Search at this time a beta product, which means it is not quite perfect yet.

In case you were wondering, the Graph Search is also conscious privacy - every part of content has its own public, the majority of content is not public and you can only search the content that was shared with you.

Graph Search is developing slowly, only available to a limited set of U.S. users at first. For more information please visit here: www.facebook.com/about/graphsearch

Significance of Google Local listing for Your Business

Google reports that one in five searches is related to location. According to Google Places for Business, 97% of consumers search for local businesses online. Google often displays a Google Map in the organic search results when a searcher looks for a product or service by location

Google business listing gives more authority to a website because they know it is a real business, giving you better search engine ranking for your keywords. Anytime someone uses Google to search for either your specific business name/location, or even for a business category related to yours in your area, your business listing is likely to appear in the return results across the entire Google network.

The Google Maps Listings allows the public to add reviews to your listing. Google look at the quality of reviews, so even posting lots of poor reviews will not improve your rankings. Verified Google Places business owners can now publicly respond to user reviews on their businesses Place Page. This can be a great way to engage with customers, correct or address certain issues, and, when necessary, set the record straight.

Now the reviewers will have the opportunity to rate your business more thoroughly and accurately, using the new Zagat scale. The Zagat scale asks that customers rate your business from 0 to 3, in a number of categories related to your business, in order to calculate an overall rating of 0 to 30.  This system is much more telling for potential customers, and much more revealing for businesses looking to improve.

Grow your business with professional SEO specialists

The invention of the internet along with advancement in information technology has prompted businesses to seek online presence. Today, the internet is to businesses what oxygen is to the body. Thus if you truly want to give your business a global exposure, then you need to ensure that it has an online presence. And this is where SEO specialists come in.

As an online entrepreneur, your website is more than an identity, it is your store. However, no matter how perfectly designed your site is, it will not realize the desired reward to your business if your customers cannot find it in the World Wide Web. Make no mistake about this, you need to optimize your website for the search engines if you wish to give it a global exposure.

Search engine optimization is very crucial to internet marketing. A website that ranks high in the search engine result pages will definitely stand a chance of attracting more traffic. And in the world of e-business, this means more sales and higher profits. This is why you need to turn to SEM services in order to realize the results you want for your business.

These days, you can easily find thousands of SEO specialists on the web. However, not all that glitters is gold. Some of these specialists will only ruin your SEO efforts by engaging in “black hat” techniques. This is why you need to shop around for the right specialist that will suit your business needs.

Here are a few tips that can help you find the right SEO specialists for your business

1. Know what is in store

You need to familiarize yourself with the service plans offered by the SEO service provider before getting into any contract with them. This way, you will be able to know whether the company is offering the right services that are suitable to the needs of your business. To this effect, the company should provide you with information on how they conduct their SEO campaign in order to be sure that they are not engaging in any improper techniques.

2. Search through their site

When shopping around for the best SEO specialist to hire, be sure to spend some time assessing their site. This will enable you to gauge their reputation and performance. Start off by finding the company’s ranking in the search engines. If the company you are thinking of hiring is not having a high ranking in the search engines, then chances are they will not succeed in giving your website a high ranking. In addition, you also need to know the level of experience held by the company.

3. Consider the service fee

Search engine optimization is not cheap; however, it should not cost you an arm and a leg either. Just because a company is charging a high price for their services does not mean that they are going to give you an exceptional service. In addition, be sure to look out for any hidden fees.

Finding the right SEO specialist for your social media or viral media campaigns does not have to be a daunting task, especially if you know what to look for. With the right company you can find the right SEO packages that will suit all your business needs.

Trust Local Number One for all your Re-Seller SEO/SEM Needs

There are quite a few companies out there offering professional search engine marketing services. However, most companies are looking for an entrepreneur in today’s fast growing internet marketing that can give them close customer service and attention to their project. Local Number One can offer you a number of SEO and SEM solutions that can help your clients gain top rankings within the major search engines. If you are looking for a company that will help you gain a competitive edge on your competition, then we are the white hat solution for you.

 Internet Marketing Services

In order to receive the best rankings within the major search engines, you will need a SEO specialist that can help promote your clients website by paying close attention to detail, delivering regular progress reports and give you the customer service you’re looking for. If you want to succeed as an online marketing expert and entrepreneur, you will need the best white hat re-seller to help you succeed in this competitive market. Through white label SEO, SEM and PPC services; Local Number One will help launch an effective and competitive campaign that will generate traffic, increase revenue and help you get your client’s top rankings with their website.

  

Support Team

Your business will succeed when your client’s website has frequent traffic and returning customers that are buying you’re their products and services. To gain exposure for your client’s, you’ll need a greater visibility an online web presence. You need a dedicated team that will help you achieve your personal business goals. Remember, the major search engines, such as Google, MSN and Yahoo, are continuously monitoring relevant links and code within a website. As a Local Number One client you will be in good hands because Local Number One provides you with a team of SEO experts that will constantly improve your site’s ranking, updated strategies and excellent customer service.

Discounted Re-seller Packages

Local Number One will effectively help you achieve your SEO goals through a series of effective Search Engine Marketing (SEM) Services, such as Pay per Click (PPC) or Cost Per Click Services. Local Number One’s, expert team knows exactly how search engines work, how to choose the right keywords or terms and select the right search engines for your target audience. As a member of Local Number One, you receive discounted White hat SEO, SEM and PPC Management packages. These affordable services are incredibly beneficial if you have clients that are requesting more work and you need a company that can help you with your personal business needs as your company grows and expands.

Finally….

Local Number One ensures that you’re SEO, SEM and PPC campaigns and packages are designed with your clients’ needs in mind. It’s important to remember that it doesn’t matter if your clients has spent thousands of dollars on a great looking website, if they aren’t being found in the major search engines the site realistically isn’t benefiting them at all.

Some of the services that you will receive from Local Number One include: White label SEO, White label PPC management, White label social networking and White label custom web development. Visit localnumberone.com today for a comprehensive turnkey internet marketing solution you can pass on to your clients.

Viral Marketing and SEM Services

Internet is important to everyone especially to entrepreneurs. More and more business men are already taking marketing a notch higher that is why internet plays an essential role to their marketing strategy.

Social media campaigns, viral marketing or SEM services are one of the few marketing strategies we could do through the help of the so-called World Wide Web. Instant and up-t-date information happens just by typing and clicking. This is how powerful the internet is. Gone are the days where we still have to visit the library to check on dusty old books or getting a magazine or journal subscription just to get updated with the latest. In the comforts of your home, while having coffee in front of your monitor, you could get all of the information you could get. Yes, even the daily newspaper could be read online already.

Entrepreneurs truly take advantage of this privilege as internet marketing is even cost-efficient as compared to other forms of marketing. You see, these days, when a person is interested to a certain product and is curious as to how it is made or where it is made, the current market price and other important information, he/she could just go online and go to his/her favorite search engine and type in the keywords or the product name and in an instant, links could be provided.

If you make your own research online about social media campaigns, you will find out about real testimonials from businessmen whose businesses soar the moment they got involved in internet marketing. They could attest how the internet could boost their sales and how it is easier for them to get hold of their customers.

Now, if you are not a techie sort, then you may just get hold of experts who could assist you with your internet marketing plans. Do not hesitate to get help from the experts as they are truly the ones who are equipped with knowledge when it comes to the technicalities of internet marketing. Ask them questions and tell them what you want for your website. Tell them about your vision and find time to have a brainstorming session with them. Pay per click management, organic link building campaigns, on-page website code optimization, social media management, reputation and brand management and monitoring, e-commerce SEO, Product Feed SEO – these are just some of the social media campaign services you could find should you ask help from the experts.

New Local Ratings By Google - Costing Businesses Clicks?

It seems that Google’s decision to replace its star rating system with Zagat scores for local search results isn’t a huge hit with some businesses.

Last month, Google revealed what appears to be the primary reason it acquired Zagat, when it announced Google+ Local, effectively replacing Google Places with Google+ infused local results and Zagat scores.

“Each place you see in Google+ Local will now be scored using Zagat’s 30-point scale, which tells you all about the various aspects of a place so you can make the best decisions,” Google explained, when Google+ Local was announced. “For example, a restaurant that has great food but not great decor might be 4 stars, but with Zagat you’d see a 26 in Food and an 8 in Decor, and know that it might not be the best place for date night.”

Some businesses claim to be losing traffic because Google replaced its ratings system with Zagat’s scoring system. Barry Schwartz at Search Engine Roundtable points to an interesting thread in the Google Product Forums.

There, Dr. Rodney McKay writes, “I know for a fact that I am not the only one that feels this way as I have talked to others who have also experienced the same problem. Everything about Google+ seems to be fine if not better than Google Places except for the removal of the stars. Ever since they removed the star ratings, my actions or clicks went from 30 – 60 or more a day to 0 – 5. I am still on the first page of Google for relevant search terms and in most cases I am also the first listing, I am also receiving the same amount of impressions as before, but the absence of the stars has caused an obvious hit on my Google Business Listing effectiveness. Injunction with that, I have seen a drastic decline in business. Is there not a way to compromise and use the Zagat reviews as well as the stars?”

Some have suggested that Zagat scores are more suited to restaurants, and aren’t so great for other kinds of businesses. There’s no question that Zagat has historically been restaurant-focused. Even now, if you go to Zagat.com, it’s all about restaurants. The welcome message says:

ZAGAT.com, the world’s original provider of user-generated content, provides trusted and accurate restaurant ratings and curated restaurant reviews for thousands of top restaurants worldwide. Our robust restaurant search and rich free features help diners easily find the best restaurant for every occasion, every time – from New York to Los Angeles, London to Tokyo, Paris to Beijing and everywhere in between; from the most elegant restaurants for fine dining to casual, inexpensive spots for family meals, you’ll find it all on ZAGAT.com.

Yet Google has thrust the Zagat system across the much broader local business search space. I don’t see why the system couldn’t actually help some businesses, as Zagat is a pretty well known restaurant guide. However, it might be less helpful in other industries. Currently, you can search for shoe stores, for example, and still get the new scoring system, rather than the starred reviews:





It’s a somewhat confusing system, given the food element of Zagat. When you click to “learn more about our scores and reviews,” Google explains that you may see scores depicted in one of two ways: “Scores with multiple aspects” or “Overall scores”.


As we see in the case of the shoe store above, Google shows the overall. That way it doesn’t have to show the “food” element.

“When we don’t have enough user ratings on different aspects, we will just show an overall score,” Google explains. “An overall score is comparable to a score in the primary aspect for a location, like food for restaurants.”

Perhaps the system will get better in time for more than just restaurants, as it’s used more.

The new system is definitely much broader than the previous star system, given its larger scale. 17 out of 30 doesn’t sound incredibly great but if you look at the scale, 16-20 represents “good to very good”. 0- 30 is pretty wide range to cover the four individual ratings Google goes by:

3 Excellent
2 Very Good
1 Good
0 Poor to Fair

Google takes the average, and multiplies it by ten to come up with averaged scores.

One person comment on Schwartz’s article, “People understand star ratings. Any kind of visual rating (progress bars, stars, thumbs-ups) just works. They don’t understand numbers. And when higher ratings are in red… it’s even worse. Numbers in red usually mean danger. Anything in red means danger unless it’s properly used to grab attention and visibly labeled as a call to action. It’s freaking common sense.”

It would be interesting to know the local SEO effects of Googe’s move to the Zagat system. Survey results released this week indicate that many of the top ranking factors are directly related to reviews.