Sunday 14 January 2018
Friday 12 January 2018
5 Outdated Myths About SEO for Small Business
SEO can be confusing – which is the correct way?
How many times have you received those emails telling you that your website is not appearing on the first page of Google so you will never be found. Panic! They promise they will get you the top position in Google for your industry, so you hand over your money willingly for them to ‘fix’ this problem (often at either far too cheap or overly extortionate rates). However nothing changes and you are still so far down the search rankings you wonder if they did anything at all. You have come to the conclusion that SEO is a big con and you won’t waste money again!
Well, if done incorrectly, spending all of your marketing budget on SEO can indeed be a waste of time. However if done correctlySearch Engine Optimisation (SEO) can give a positive boost to your business, increasing your visibility to your target market and most importantly, providing revenue from your website in terms of actual sales or leads generated.
I have put together the top 5 myths about SEO to help small business owners make sense of an ever changing landscapeand help them to display their site page, for example best armor in bloodborne, in the first position of Google.
1. We must be No. 1 on the first page of Google.
Firstly, doubt any SEO company that guarantees to get you the number one slot. There are no guarantees of this! Google themselves won’t even guarantee it. A more realistic aim is a position on the first page of Google, as high as possible within the top three results. These positions continue to gain the higher percentage of clicks. This doesn’t mean that if you are on other pages you won’t get any traffic either, it has been shown that those on the top of subsequent pages still get clicks, or if they include rich snippets such as author profile (those ones with a photograph). Of course if the company you choose is reputable they will inevitably get you top positions for your important keywords in a focused and ethical way, as a result of hard work and determination. There are no quick fixes!
2. Build as many links as possible.
The SEO landscape has changed, Google released it’s Panda algorithm update which reduced rankings for low quality sites and those which copy content. This means that whist the number of links are still important for your website’s authority, you should focus on quality, not quantity. You need links on relevant websites which lead back to the great content you have provided such as blog posts, lead generation offers and guest posts. If you focus on good quality content, the links will come naturally.
3. Keyword density is important.
Not so much anymore. Another algorithm update, known as Penguin, meant that it would also reduce the rank of websites that were seen to be ‘keyword stuffing’ or providing irrelevant links to outgoing content on your page. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use keywords within your website content, but include them within the natural flow of the text. Your keywords don’t need to be exact match either, as Google will intelligently pick them up when presenting relevant search results to the user. So write a natural headline for your article, not one that’s awkwardly formed around a keyphrase. Finally, contrary to some opinion, there is no ideal keyword density for your page. Just ensure they are included in your page title, headlines and at least once throughout the content.
4. Geographic keyphrases must be used for local SEO.
Ok, still fairly important and it won’t harm your site if you do, but remember Google and other search engines are capable of knowing where you are located (especially on a mobile device). They provide results these days specific to the users location. You should also make sure things like title tags, reviews and social media (especially Google+ Local) clearly state where you are located.
5. SEO and Social Media are separate.
Not at all! The relationship between the SEO and Social Media are becoming increasingly combined and known as ‘social search’. If you provide great content the theory as above is that it will naturally be shared, and any social content that is connected to you will be prioritised in social search. This means anyone you are linked with on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin etc. If they are social media influencers, even better. Some social networks such as Pinterest and Instagram even aid your quality link building efforts and are shown to increase traffic considerably. Google now includes social within it’s analytics program where you can see how many visitors have come to your website as a result of social search. If you have conversion tracking enabled you can even see how many of these social visitors have contributed to a sale. So make sure you include some social media marketing in your digital strategy and you can’t go wrong!
I hope this helps you as a small business owner to banish some of the myths surrounding SEO, and to gauge whether a current or potential agency is working to best practice for you. If you have any questions or would like to discuss how to improve your strategy then let me know below!
How many times have you received those emails telling you that your website is not appearing on the first page of Google so you will never be found. Panic! They promise they will get you the top position in Google for your industry, so you hand over your money willingly for them to ‘fix’ this problem (often at either far too cheap or overly extortionate rates). However nothing changes and you are still so far down the search rankings you wonder if they did anything at all. You have come to the conclusion that SEO is a big con and you won’t waste money again!
Well, if done incorrectly, spending all of your marketing budget on SEO can indeed be a waste of time. However if done correctlySearch Engine Optimisation (SEO) can give a positive boost to your business, increasing your visibility to your target market and most importantly, providing revenue from your website in terms of actual sales or leads generated.
I have put together the top 5 myths about SEO to help small business owners make sense of an ever changing landscapeand help them to display their site page, for example best armor in bloodborne, in the first position of Google.
1. We must be No. 1 on the first page of Google.
Firstly, doubt any SEO company that guarantees to get you the number one slot. There are no guarantees of this! Google themselves won’t even guarantee it. A more realistic aim is a position on the first page of Google, as high as possible within the top three results. These positions continue to gain the higher percentage of clicks. This doesn’t mean that if you are on other pages you won’t get any traffic either, it has been shown that those on the top of subsequent pages still get clicks, or if they include rich snippets such as author profile (those ones with a photograph). Of course if the company you choose is reputable they will inevitably get you top positions for your important keywords in a focused and ethical way, as a result of hard work and determination. There are no quick fixes!
2. Build as many links as possible.
The SEO landscape has changed, Google released it’s Panda algorithm update which reduced rankings for low quality sites and those which copy content. This means that whist the number of links are still important for your website’s authority, you should focus on quality, not quantity. You need links on relevant websites which lead back to the great content you have provided such as blog posts, lead generation offers and guest posts. If you focus on good quality content, the links will come naturally.
3. Keyword density is important.
Not so much anymore. Another algorithm update, known as Penguin, meant that it would also reduce the rank of websites that were seen to be ‘keyword stuffing’ or providing irrelevant links to outgoing content on your page. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use keywords within your website content, but include them within the natural flow of the text. Your keywords don’t need to be exact match either, as Google will intelligently pick them up when presenting relevant search results to the user. So write a natural headline for your article, not one that’s awkwardly formed around a keyphrase. Finally, contrary to some opinion, there is no ideal keyword density for your page. Just ensure they are included in your page title, headlines and at least once throughout the content.
4. Geographic keyphrases must be used for local SEO.
Ok, still fairly important and it won’t harm your site if you do, but remember Google and other search engines are capable of knowing where you are located (especially on a mobile device). They provide results these days specific to the users location. You should also make sure things like title tags, reviews and social media (especially Google+ Local) clearly state where you are located.
5. SEO and Social Media are separate.
Not at all! The relationship between the SEO and Social Media are becoming increasingly combined and known as ‘social search’. If you provide great content the theory as above is that it will naturally be shared, and any social content that is connected to you will be prioritised in social search. This means anyone you are linked with on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin etc. If they are social media influencers, even better. Some social networks such as Pinterest and Instagram even aid your quality link building efforts and are shown to increase traffic considerably. Google now includes social within it’s analytics program where you can see how many visitors have come to your website as a result of social search. If you have conversion tracking enabled you can even see how many of these social visitors have contributed to a sale. So make sure you include some social media marketing in your digital strategy and you can’t go wrong!
I hope this helps you as a small business owner to banish some of the myths surrounding SEO, and to gauge whether a current or potential agency is working to best practice for you. If you have any questions or would like to discuss how to improve your strategy then let me know below!
LG ThinQ: The Latest Smart Speaker Gadget to Hit the Market
In the last few years we have seen a number of smart speakers hitting the market with Amazon’s Alexa being one of the best that was out there. Now the LG ThinQ gadget is LG’s response to the smart speaker market due to be released at the Consumer electronics trade fair coming up soon.
Other than the norm that is having an assistant attached to the gadget that answers to your every need and fancy LG’s ThinQ boasts of doing much more. As of now there is not much by way of price or specifications. The company plans on making a full reveal of the gadget at the Consumer Electronics Trade show.
What does the LG ThinQ Gadget do?
Besides the obvious voice control feature that is there in all smart speakers, this gadget also seems to work as a premium speaker as well with a premium audio experience and support for lossless high resolution audio courtesy of Meridian audio technology.
With Meridian audio technology this LG gadget promises to put out more natural and warm music.
The gadget has the Google assistant on it and can be used to control all of LG’s smart gadgets under the ThinQ banner like their smart dishwashers, dryers, refrigerators, vaccumcleaners lineup. The smart devices can also be controlled through a voice app from LG.
The LG gadget also supports a number of voices so that all of the house hold members can use the LG ThinQ.
With all the smart speakers out there like the Amazon Echo, Google’s home lineup or to be released Apple’s HomePod and without much info on the specs and pricing of the LG gadget, it is unclear as to how this gadget is going to fair in the market place.
The LG gadget comes as part of a number of AI gadgets that LG plans on releasing in the current year. Future LG devices may also be supported for Voice control.
Other gadget releases with the LG ThinQ:
LG also teased about a new fun and portable PK speaker that can be carried anywhere and give high res audio due to the Apt-X HD bluetooth standard. The PK speaker can stream 24 bit music with original sounding audio.
LG also plans on releasing a party speaker that has karaoke, DJ capabilities and 1800 max output along with releasing a soundbar at the CES expo.
The SK10Y soundbar is a 5.1.2 channel support gadget with Chromecast support, lossless audio, Dolby Atmos processing and meridian high elevation standard to put the sound at the level of the TV.
More about these gadgets will be known at the consumer electronics expo to be held in Las Vegas on Jan 9th of this year.
Other than the norm that is having an assistant attached to the gadget that answers to your every need and fancy LG’s ThinQ boasts of doing much more. As of now there is not much by way of price or specifications. The company plans on making a full reveal of the gadget at the Consumer Electronics Trade show.
What does the LG ThinQ Gadget do?
Besides the obvious voice control feature that is there in all smart speakers, this gadget also seems to work as a premium speaker as well with a premium audio experience and support for lossless high resolution audio courtesy of Meridian audio technology.
With Meridian audio technology this LG gadget promises to put out more natural and warm music.
The gadget has the Google assistant on it and can be used to control all of LG’s smart gadgets under the ThinQ banner like their smart dishwashers, dryers, refrigerators, vaccumcleaners lineup. The smart devices can also be controlled through a voice app from LG.
The LG gadget also supports a number of voices so that all of the house hold members can use the LG ThinQ.
With all the smart speakers out there like the Amazon Echo, Google’s home lineup or to be released Apple’s HomePod and without much info on the specs and pricing of the LG gadget, it is unclear as to how this gadget is going to fair in the market place.
The LG gadget comes as part of a number of AI gadgets that LG plans on releasing in the current year. Future LG devices may also be supported for Voice control.
Other gadget releases with the LG ThinQ:
LG also teased about a new fun and portable PK speaker that can be carried anywhere and give high res audio due to the Apt-X HD bluetooth standard. The PK speaker can stream 24 bit music with original sounding audio.
LG also plans on releasing a party speaker that has karaoke, DJ capabilities and 1800 max output along with releasing a soundbar at the CES expo.
The SK10Y soundbar is a 5.1.2 channel support gadget with Chromecast support, lossless audio, Dolby Atmos processing and meridian high elevation standard to put the sound at the level of the TV.
More about these gadgets will be known at the consumer electronics expo to be held in Las Vegas on Jan 9th of this year.
Thursday 11 January 2018
Targeting Myopia through Next Gen Contact Lenses
New age contact lenses to bring respite to the people suffering from myopia
Millions of people are suffering from variety of eye disease one such popular eye deteriorating condition is myopia. But a team of researchers from Brisbane has successful developed the next gen contact lenses which can help in changing the loss of eye sight in the long run. This new contact lens has been developed with the partnership between the world’s largest contact lens manufacturer Johnson & Johnson Vision and Queensland University of Technology’s professor Michael Collins. This helped in boosting the research being conducted by the professor into myopia and helps in enhancing the contact lens design to the next level.A collaboration to last for two decades
This enhanced contact lens is a result of the 20 year collaboration between these two in which 12 years will be given towards supporting the university’s research program for the global myopia epidemic. Professor Collins has stated that this collaboration will help them in understanding the development as well as the progression of myopia. It is worth noting that there are more than two billion are suffering from myopia globally and it affects almost 4 million people in Australia.Currently the team of researchers are working towards finding better strategies to slow and stop this disease before finding a perfect way to prevent it. In upcoming next few years they will be focusing on developing new optical designs specifically for the next gen contact lenses which has the potential to slow down the eye growth.
What is myopia and how it affects you?
Myopia or nearsightedness is one of the most common ‘refractive error’ for the eye. It is caused by the eyes growing too long eventually resulting in reproduction of blurred images. In this condition people have difficulty reading and seeing distant objects clearly but they are able to see the close up things well enough without any issues.People suffering myopia will have huge difficulty in reading signs too far away like billboards, road signs but reading books will be a simple task for them and in some cases using computer wouldn’t require spectacles.
Saving the human eyes with next gen contact lens
Professor Collins has asserted that his research isn’t just focused towards reducing and preventing the rise of myopia but towards helping people in seeing better and clearer than ever before. It should be noted that the people suffering from myopia area more likely to develop other eye problems as they get older. They are at the risk of contracting eyes problems like retinal degenerations which can eventually lead to the partial blindness.Therefore it becomes vital to slow down the myopia progression right at the younger age. He even states that the two main causes of the myopia are genetic risk and environmental causes. People who happen to do a lot of near work like reading, spending time indoors, or looking at the computer screens longer duration are likely to develop myopia.
This next gen contact lens will help the people suffering from myopia to start their way on the road to slow progression rather than sharing the risk of partial blindness in later years.
Tuesday 9 January 2018
Researchers Chart the ‘Secret’ Movement of Quantum Particles
The secret movement of the quantum particles is a secret no more
Quantum mechanics is a secretive domain which doesn’t give out everything at once rather scientists have to dig deeper to make new discoveries. This time around scientists has been able to come up a theoretical way of mapping the secret movement of the quantum particles which has been done earlier.It is worth noting that the basic and quite fundamental idea associated with the quantum theory is that all of the quantum objects has the ability exists both like a particle or wave and they don’t even remain present in the manner unless they are being measured. The way quantum objects are present were famously described by Erin Schrodinger through his experiment which asked whether the cat is dead or not dead in the box.
Finding and measuring the quantum objects
Most of scientists assumes that quantum objects remains present in the wave form which helps in using mathematical tool and come up with rational representation of the quantum particles as they appear in the nature. Therefore it was necessary to map or track the secret movement of the quantum particles to know the exact nature of the quantum objects.
Every particle is expected to interact with the environment and when it does so it is registered as a tagging activity. A group of researchers has simply happened to outline a way in which these very tagging interactions can be tracked without even the need of looking at it.
Telepathy is a reality
Earlier quantum scientists put forward the idea that information can easily be transmitted two different persons without even the need of particles moving in between them. It might appear to be a figment of imagination or taken right out of a science fiction fantasy as it strikes just like telepathic connections.
However quantum scientists have a newly coined word for this phenomenon which is called counterfactual communication. The naming of this term is quite unusual as this mode of communication simply goes against long stand way standard way of communication wherein information has to be transferred between two different sources and in order to make it happen ‘particles’ have t move.
Now it is vital to measure this new method of communication and this can only be done through exactly finding where the particles when information is being transferred between the two different objects. The task of pin-pointing the particles in the quantum world isn’t a simple and usual task therefore scientists came up with the tagging method which allowed them to chart the secret movement of the particles in the quantum world. This method only helps in tracking the movement but it give any insight into what particle is doing.
A number of prior research showed that these particles might have the potential to do some non-classical things when they are not being observed and this non-classical thing could be the ability to remain in places at the same time. Using the tagging scientists will be soon uncovering the mystery surrounding the quantum particles when they are not being observed.
