Search Engine Marketing Blog: piloSEO

There has been a lot of discussion regarding malware and hackers infecting individual sites and Google’s results this week

If you follow the latest news on search engines and the Internet you are probably aware that there has been a lot of news about hackers hijacking sites to install spam and malware sites showing up in the Google search results. This issue can be a huge problem for users, the major search engines, and individual websites. Here are the problems that can arise.

• Problems for Users: As far as users it is fairly obvious. Users who are searching the major search have a certain level of trust that their sites listed will be free of malware and viruses. If they click on a link they don’t expect a malware or spyware program to be installed without consent. This recent attack has left the average user vulnerable. Of course this leads to a problem for Google and the other engines who can’t protect their users.
• Problems for Search Engines: This affects Google and the other engines in more than one way. First and foremost they lose the trust of their users. If a users machine is infected by clicking on a Google result they are not going to trust Google anymore. In some cases users may actually believe Google is behind the malware themselves. While this is not true less experienced Internet users may not understand how this works and blame Google. Either way many users will not trust Google to provide them with safe results. Another problem that Google has is on the hackers injecting spam into other sites. The recent hacking of the Al Gore site highlights this issue. Al Gore’s site is a trusted site and hackers installed links to other sites, which are totally irrelevant. These links from Al Gore’s sites are trusted by Google and the sites that were linked to shot up to the top of Google’s results. This compromises the relevance of the Google index and when users find results that are not relevant or simply not as good as the other engines Google can lose more users. Again, like the malware issue Google users lose trust in the results and move on to other engines who provide better results or don’t infect their computers with malware.
• Problems for Site Owners & Bloggers: Site Owners and bloggers are hurt because when hackers get into their sites and set up links to spammy sites they may face a Google penalty or complete ban. Since these links are hidden and being sent to bad neighborhoods they are violating more than one Google Guideline. Search Engine Roundtable reported on a site that met this fate and thankfully was placed back in good standing. Not only is there an issue with penalties, many sites were hacked to include malware and spyware and if they are not banned Google could put the “This site may harm your computer” disclaimer in the SERP snippet and keep users from clicking on it.

These hacks and malware attacks affect everyone’s Internet experience

Hackers and spammers who engage in these tactics can negatively affect everyone’s Internet experience and can seriously damage the reputations of the hacked site owners as well as the search engines who are being spammed and displaying malware containing results. Make sure that you keep an eye on your logs and watch for any weird outbound links or activity. If you find a site that is installing malware use the new malware reporting form in Google so they can clean up their index.

Here are a few links that highlight the latest attacks.

• November 26, 2007: BREAKING: Massive amounts of malware redirects in searches
• November 27, 2007: Update: Subverted search sites lead to massive malware attack in progress
• November 28, 2007: Google expunges malware sites from search results
• November 28, 2007: Google’s Malware Warnings Not Working?
• November 28, 2007: Al Gore’s Site Hacked
• November 29, 2007: Google Announces Malicious Software Form

Popularity: 21% [?]

What Chia-Pet can Teach us about Search Marketing Strategy?

The increased frequency of Chia-Pet commercials are a sign the the holiday season is here. As it gets closer and closer to Christmas it will become more difficult to get that insipid Cha-Cha-Cha-Chia song out of my head. And just as I am about ready to go over the edge and destroy every Chia-Pet I see at the store it will all end. As I was watching television last night and saw the Chia-Pet commercial once again I realized that there is something that search marketers can learn from their marketing strategy.

Chia-Pets and Mens Razors spend more on holiday advertising than any other time

In fact, I would be willing to bet that they spend more in the few weeks leading up to Christmas than what they spend in total for the rest of the year. From what I can tell Chia-Pet only spends money on television advertising durning the holidays. Now I do see commercials for mens razors throughout the year but they really ramp it up during the holidays. The reason is simple. In the case of Chia-Pets people are looking for cheap gifts that are easy to buy in a pinch. As for mens razors it is probably a case of not knowing what to buy dad but since he has to shave a razor is an easy choice. These marketing efforts put the products in the minds of consumers when they are trying to figure out what to get everyone on their gift list.

So how can this help search marketers?

The answer is fairly simple. You want your message to reach consumers at the right time. Most people would never consider buying a Chia-Pet in the middle of the summer. They might by one if they are on their way to the company holiday party and forgot to buy something for the gift exchange. They may remember that Chia-Pet commercial and stop and grab one. Again, because it is quick, easy, and cheap. If search marketers take the time to understand what people want at different times of the year they can craft their campaigns around those wants.

Some sites sell products specific to different seasons and obviously it is fairly simple to create campaigns focused on the seasonal products. However some companies sell products or services that are not necessarily seasonally specific. In that case it is important to create campaigns the make the product relevant for that specific season. If you sell skin care products you should focus on how the wind and cold can affect your skin in the winter and how heat and sun can affect it in the summer.

Think about what people want depending on the season and create campaigns based on that

In almost every industry people are looking to fulfill different needs depending on the time of year. Make sure you understand what they are looking for and develop campaigns based on what they want. Chia-Pet is a great example. People might not actually be looking for it but they know about it during the holidays and may pick one up. By crafting campaigns based on customers needs for that time of year you can make sure they know that your product or service can keep it in the front of their minds when they are ready to make a purchase.

Popularity: 18% [?]

Local real estate sites have a hard time competing in the SERPs

Being involved in the real estate industry I am keenly aware of the problems that many local real estate sites have competing against the national brands and the likes of Zillow and Trulia. Of course it is going to be difficult to beat the big guys on terms like real estate and homes for sale but the local sites should be able to outrank the big sites on their local keywords. Keywords like Nutley Real Estate, Toledo Real Estate, etc should be dominated by the local real estate sites. Searchers are looking for sites focused on their local area and the local realtors have the detailed knowledge of that locale. So why do searchers have to trudge through the big national sites to get what they want instead of finding their local realtors on the first page of a web search?

Why do the local real estate sites have such a hard time competing?

Many realtors believe that they have no chance against the big national brands, Zillow, and Trulia for their locally focused keywords but the fact is they could very easily move up to the top of the SERPs. The reasons they don’t compete well are varied but much of the problem is within their control. I spend a lot of time visiting real estate sites and I continue to be surprised at how behind the times many are. Now I understand that most realtors do not have the time to stay on top of SEO trends but most would be surprised at how many more leads they would get if they put some time or money into optimizing their sites.

What is wrong with local real estate sites and how can they be improved?

• Template Sites: Now there is nothing inherently wrong with using a template site in general although some of the real estate sites are just beyond repair. The problem is using the template site and not customizing it at all. All of these sites have the same pages, links, content, etc. There is no real discernible difference and when most of your competitors are using almost duplicate content none of you are going to compete against the big guys.
  • How to Improve: You can use the template site but customize it as much as possible. Use different pages, update your internal links using proper anchor text, don’t join in on the link farms that many of these template sites have built in, and add unique locally specific content. Don’t just add listings. Add information about the local area. Include information about parks, neighborhood highlights, restaurants, local amenities, etc. Make yourself stand out as a top resource for your local area.

Why can’t this site rank well. I exchanged links with hundreds of other sites?

• Reciprocal Links: This goes back to the template site issue. Many of the template sites sold to realtors include terrible reciprocal linking in the template. They are all part of a reciprocal linking scheme. Not only are there link pages full of irrelevant links many of the template sites include a bunch of image links right on the front page. Again, this situation is duplicated across many real estate sites. On top of that too many realtors are stuck in the belief that the best way to get links is to trade them with every other site willing to do so. Not only are the front pages loaded with link exchanges many sites also include multiple link exchange pages which contain links to sites that are in no way related to real estate. Earlier this year these link exchanges were penalized and a number of real estate sites were pushed down in Google and removed by Yahoo for engaging in link farms.
  • How to Improve: Get rid of the link exchanges and stop seeking reciprocal links. Reciprocal links are fine as long as they are not making up your entire link profile, you are linking to relevant sites, and the links are useful to your users. Linking to some realtors who you have relationships with or a near your local area is great for users as is linking to sites offering related services like mortgage lenders, inspectors, etc. Linking to every real estate agent in the US or a casino site is not natural, does not benefit users, and will raise a red flag to the search engines. Especially when they link back to you.

My keyword meta-tag is full of my main keyword but I still don’t rank for it.

• Bad SEO: I suppose the first two points qualify as bad SEO but things can get much worse. I see too many real estate sites using outdated spammy tactics that have not worked in a long time (if they ever actually worked at all). Many of these tactics may have worked in the past but they were spammy then and are detected right away by the engines now. Some of the common bad SEO techniques I see are ridiculous keyword stuffing, loads and loads of repeated keywords in the meta and title tags, and hidden text. The problem is that many realtors are getting advice from the template site sellers or others who know what SEO means but really don’t know anything about it. These people can talk the talk but they don’t know what they are talking about.
  • How to Improve: Learn about SEO. At least learn enough to make an educated decision when hiring an SEO professional to work on your site. Quality SEO comes at a substantial cost but competent SEO work will pay you back big time in terms of leads and clients. If you are going to spend a considerable sum of money you should at least have a basic understanding about what you will be getting. There are a lot of great resources to learn about SEO and some of the best are included in my blogroll. There are many others besides what I have provided so do some research and check multiple sources to make sure you are getting good advice. There are a few things to avoid such as.
    • Avoid companies that offer submissions to search engines
    • Avoid anyone who guarantees a top ranking
    • Avoid companies that say that they have a huge network of sites that will link to you.
    • Be wary of an SEO that claim you will not need to make any changes to your site.

GET A BLOG!!!!

• You Need to Blog: Finally, if you don’t have a blog get one but make sure you add a blog to your site. Having a third party blog is OK but you will miss out on a lot of the benefits blogs provide if you don’t have the blog under your main URL. Blogging is a great way to add unique and compelling content and interact with your community. You can blog about homes for sale in your area, upcoming events, provide advice to buyers/sellers, or just about anything you want. With a blog you also get the added bonus of feedback from potential clients and fellow realtors. With a blog you enable yourself to stand out from the competition and provide something that the big sites don’t have and that is your extensive knowledge of your local area. Utilize that knowledge and become a resource for real estate information in your community.

Local Real Estate Sites can compete if they do things the right way.

Just because the big national sites have more money does not mean that local real estate sites can’t compete. The local sites just need to leverage their local knowledge forget everything they know about SEO. Take the time to do some research, at least enough to make an informed SEO hiring decision, get your site cleaned up, add a blog, and give the users what they want. Do that and you will be on your way to capturing quality leads from those users who are looking for your expertise and experience.

Popularity: 13% [?]

Google Webmaster Help Group is an excellent resource

If you spend any time at the Google Webmaster Help Group you know that there are some great people there offering great advice for webmasters who need help. It is a good resource for webmasters who are looking for answers to problems they are having with indexing and ranking, webmaster tools, sitemaps, and even offers a place that allows users to make suggestions. One of the problems with Webmaster Help is that there tends to be a lot of questions that come up all the time. The regular members there are happy to answer these questions but they sometimes knock more unique questions off of the front page, which means that they do not get answered. So with this post I would like to provide some answers to the most frequently asked questions. That way those who have common questions can get them answered right away and the members can spend some more time answering the more unique questions that require more time and effort.

Answers to the most common questions at the Webmaster Help Group.

• Can I get a Googler to look at the issues I am having with my site?
  • Probably not. While there are reps from Google somewhat active in the groups you will very rarely get a direct response from one in regards to specific issues with your site. Now there are exceptions and you may actually get some feedback most of the help you are going to get will be from the regulars in the group. This is not a bad thing as most of the regulars who offer advice are very knowledgeable and can identify and offer suggestions for most problems. As always be careful because there are always a few people who offer bad advice but in most cases this is corrected quickly in the group. So if you do get advice make sure you check back to see if others have advised against what you are told. If there is a strong consensus against the advice you can be pretty sure that you should avoid the actions suggested.
  • Now Googlers will sometimes step in and help out. In most cases they will offer assistance when there is a common or widespread problem and there assistance can help a number of different websites. Many times they will also step in to offer their approval for good advice or their disapproval for bad advice. Of course if you yell long enough and hard enough you may get a response from a Googler but this is not a good idea because it will draw the ire of everyone else who is trying to get help.
• I have submitted my site to Google but it is not in the index.
  • Submitting to search engines is a waste of time. Half the time the submissions tools are broken and even if they are working they really do not do much to get your site indexed. Google and all of the other crawler based engines want to find web site naturally, through links. The best way to get found and indexed is to get links from other sites. There are many ways to do this but you have to make sure that the sites are indexed and they should be relevant to your site. You can get links from quality directories (the best would be dedicated to your niche or at least well categorized with a relevant category), sending out press releases, etc. Just get a few quality links from indexed sites and you will eventually get crawled and as long as you have good content Google will index your site. And if you come across an SEO that mentions submission to search engines especially multiple submissions run the other way.

  

• When I check the link:domain it shows a few or none of my links
  • The link: operator in Google does not show all or even most of the real backlinks to your site. It only shows a small sample or sometimes nothing at all. To get a more accurate report on the links pointing to your site you need to sign up for Google Webmaster Tools and verify your site. Yahoo Site Explorer also provides some good link data. Be aware that the Webmaster Tools link function still does not necessarily provide all of your links. It also does not show only the links that are passing Page Rank to your site. You can get a good idea about how many backlinks Google knows about but it won’t be complete and it will not tell you if a link is actually passing any value.
  • But when I check link: domain I get a lot of sites? As this is usually asked with the original link questions I wanted to answer this too. When you check link: domain.com with a space between the : and the domain name you are no longer conducting a valid link operator search. This search is simply looking for sites that have your URL somewhere on the page along with the term link. Running a search on link: domain is the same as running a search on the keywords link domain.
• http://mysite.com is not in the index but when I check www.mysite.com it is. Why do they show different results?
  • You have canonical domain issues. What that means is that Google sees vwww.mysite.com and http://mysite.com as two different sites. In most cases it filters one version out and uses the version with the most link juice. This is not a penalty but it can still lead to poor rankings. You need to set up a 301 redirect to the version that you want in the index. If one version is outperforming another you obviously want to redirect the poor performing version to the indexed version. If your home page has any other versions like index, home, etc you will want to make sure they are redirected with a 301 as well. It is also a good idea to set up the version you chose as the preferred domain in Google Webmaster Tools. If you can you should also try to have the links pointing to the redirected version changed to point to your chosen version. For more information on 301 redirect visit Jaan’s 301 redirect resource page.
• Some questionable sites have linked to my site. Will this hurt my ranking?
  • If it is Google you are worried about don’t. You can’t control who links to you and you can’t be hurt by a random link or two from questionable sites. At worst those links will do nothing to help you. Now, if you are linking back to them or Google notices that it is part of an obvious link network that you are involved in your could face some problems. If you have some links from weird sites and are not involved in any shenanigans you will be fine.
• Bonus: W3C Validation is great and you should strive for it but most of the time has no impact on Google rankings.
  • Look, I believe that having a valid site is an excellent goal. It is easier to crawl and it will render correctly in all browsers including mobile applications. Go ahead and look at the top sites on any number of keywords in Google. I am willing to bet that there are a lot of them that do not pass W3C validation. Matt Cutts has come right out and stated that validation is in no way a part of the algorithm used to rank pages, (starts at 2:40). So, go ahead and work on your site so it is valid because it is better for your site and users but if you are having problems in the SERP you should figure out why that is and put validation on hold. Because unless you have a crippling error (which is very rare) invalid markup is not the reason for your sites ranking problems.

Popularity: 12% [?]

Apparently there is a bug in Website Optimizer for experiments that were developed prior to November 9th. If you are using Google Website Optimizer you may want to check out your code to make sure you are not using the code that makes your pages vulnerable. I just logged into my AdWords Client Center and found a notice that there is a bug in Website Optimizer. Here is the notice I received. You can learn more about the bug here and how to fix it here.

Website Optimizer Bug Requiring Immediate Attention

On November 7 (PST), we became aware of a bug in Website Optimizer that makes your experiment pages vulnerable to tampering. We have now identified the problem and created a fix (information below). However, to correct this problem you must manually modify the control scripts on all of your experiment pages. You should implement this fix as soon as possible on all past and present experiment pages. Note that this bug only affects experiments created before November 9 (PST)

Popularity: 17% [?]