Google Caffine

Google is in the process of changing it's search algorithm. This will potentially effect every website listed on the search engine.

This latest update, called Caffine, was announced in August last year, but when the switch will come is not certain, although the general precdiction is that sometime around now is probable.

So what changes will Google make in the way it sorts it's results?

Google focuses on the end user, and their experience surfing the web so:

Speed - we want faster results and we don't want to wait an age for a site to download. Slow loading sites could find themselves drifting down the rankings. Want to check the spped of your site? Try this nifty free tool - www.tools.pingdom.com/fpt/

Content - site content and its relevance to the search terms will probably gain more weight.

Mixed Formats - results from Social Media sites like Twitter, MySpace and Facebook will almost certainly be included in the mix, promoting active sites while also giving 'real time' popularity to site rankings.

Domain - the links to the domain, domain age and the keywords contained in it will probably become more important.

So do you need to panic that your site will shortly disappear from Google's searches? Well, no, not if your site is well designed and ethically optimised. But slow loading sites need to look at methods to speed up. There are plenty of ways that this can be achieved by using CSS, minimising Scripts and optimising images.

And if you aren't aware of Social Media Marketing then you need to start paying attention and grasp the basics. This is often more difficult for smaller businesses with fewer resources but it may be necessary to get that Facebook page working and start Tweeting to stay ahead of the pack.

What is Bounce Rate?

I often find myself talking to clients about ‘Bounce Rate’ and pages with a high or low BR. So what exactly is Bounce Rate and why is it important?

Bounce Rate is a term used in website traffic analysis to represent the percentage of visitors to a website who "bounce" away to a different site, rather than continue on to other pages within the site. It's expressed as a percentage so a BR of 40% would indicate that four out of ten visitors 'bounced'.

It’s well known that visitors arriving on the landing page of a new site spend only a few seconds deciding whether or not to stay. If they don’t like the page, they go.
A visitor can bounce by:

• Clicking on a link on the landing page to a page on a different website
• Closing the window or tab
• Typing a new URL into the address bar
• Clicking the Back button to leave the site
• The session timing out

So Bounce Rate is a really good indicator of how ’sticky’ a website is. If the content is compelling visitors will stay and look at more pages on the site and will not be a ‘bounce’. The big question is why do visitors bounce away.

• Page taking too long to load
• Not the information they were seeking
• Poor designed landing page
  
• Only need information from the landing page (eg. company telephone number or email address)

At the top of the list is what I think is often the main culprit – slow loading pages. If visitors base their decision to stay or go within the first few seconds of landing on the page and it takes 20 seconds to load, many are not going to wait.

So if you have a site with a high Bounce Rate check your page loading times first. There are a number of free tools to do this like Dr. Watson - www.watson.addy.com - which will also check links and html.

So what is a good Bounce Rate?

According to Google.com analytics specialist Avinash Kaushik :

"It is really hard to get a bounce rate under 20%, anything over 35% is cause for concern, above 50% is worrying."

Although this is a reasonable benchmark it depends on the how broad the site is – or how much of a niche it covers. The former will probably have a higher Bounce Rate because in SEO terms it probably throws a wider net, while the latter should be lower. Much will depend on the keywords targeted and marketing methods.

If you are having a problem with a high Bounce Rate don’t panic! Look at other indicators. Average time spent on the page, keywords used to get there, are these visitors new or returning, referring sites, etc. These can give you a greater insight into where your visitors are coming from and why they are bouncing away.

5 reasons to build a relationship with an SEO specialist

The best results of any SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) campaign are usually achieved where the SEO consultant and business director/manager/department head work together. This sounds obvious but doesn’t always happen. The pressures of running a business often impact on communication and the SEO can be treated as a ‘bolt-on’ rather than a part of the marketing process. But there are 5 basic reasons why it's worthwhile developing good communication with an SEO specialist.

1. You know your business

You know your business, probably better than anyone else and all that information you have about your customers, the competition, sales and your product or service can’t be communicated to an SEO specialist in a brief meeting. Regular communication provides the time to get the basics and the subtlies of the business across.

2. He/She knows SEO

You know your business but you may not know much about Search Engine Optimisation and Marketing a website. Regular communication with your SEO specialst will soon change that and as the relationship builds you will gain a greater understanding and gain your own insights into the type of marketing that will work for your business.

3. Exchange ideas

Exchanging ideas on how to tackle a campaign or a problem can be beneficial for both parties. Sometimes something that seems obvious to one will be a moment of enlightenment for the other.

4. Look Long Term

SEO is more a marathon than a sprint so take time to allow campaigns develop. Develop short term targets but don’t loose sight of the long term aims.

5. Be realistic

Working with an SEO specialist will give you a better insight on what can be achieved. It may be more than you thought possible and will help you to move beyond the ‘We will get you to number 1 on Google’ sales patter so liked by many companies who promise an instant fix for your website’s marketing woes . . . but rarely deliver.