Typically, when typing a search query into Google, Google will list relevant search engine results  in Google’s search engine results pages (SERPS).  Over Time, Google is getting more sophisticated including exciting algorithm updates including Social Search, and Personalized and Real Time Search.

While watching game 6 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals Boston Celtics vs Orlando Magic, I was curious as to know the height of the most exciting NBA player in the 2010 playoffs, Rajon Rodo. Naturally, I opened my blackberry and Googled, “how tall is rajon rondo.” I was pleased to find an answer to my question NOT in the form of a link. See below:

How Tall is Rajon Rondo?

Understanding that Wolframa Alpha is marketed as the “computational knowledge engine,” I figured I would do the same keyword search on Wolfram Alpha.  I was surprised to find out that Wolfram Alpha’s search engine didn’t actually answer my question, rather provided basic information.

How Tall is Rajon Rondo - Wolfram Alpha

Google’s search engine results surprised me.  It seems as though Google read from multiple “sources” that Rajon Rondo is 6 feet 1 inch tall.  Google lists the “sources” that provided the answer to Rajon Rondo being 6’1″ and allows the searcher (me) to see all sources that they found and trust to give the answer.  See Below:

Breaking down the search engine result, you can see that “RAJON RONDO HEIGHT – 6-1” is bold and the websites that Google trusts to answer my question are listed as Answers.com, nba.com, draftexpress.com, and chacha.com.  Notice next to those website “sources” you see the answer to my question in bold 6-1. Very, Very interesting.

It seems as though Google’s search engine is becoming more of a decision engine.  Have you seen similar search engine results?  I would love to hear  of instances like this where there is no link in the first search engine result on Google’s first page, rather, a link-less answer to the search query.  Happy Searching!

This article originally appeared on HubSpot’s Internet Marketing Blog on Monday, May 3rd 2010.  See the Original Article on Social Search.

Late last year, Google launched real-time search into its algorithm. What does real-time search mean to Googlers? When you perform a Google search, there is a very good chance that the most recent and relevant blog articles, news, and social media conversations related to the search query will show up in Google’s SERPS (Search Engine Results Pages). Social networks ARE relevant in the eyes of Google! Now that Google is indexing social media content in real-time, how can you leverage blogs and social networks to rank on Google?

How to Use Social Media to Rank on Google

1) Trending Topics – How do you discover keywords and trending topics? A few good places to Discover Trending Topics are: Google Trends, Twitter Trending Topics and Yahoo’s Trending Now. Consistent themes across all of these tools reveal pop culture, breaking news, and sports. Once you discover a particular trending topic related to your business, the next step is to determine how you can create remarkable content that can be indexed by Google and potentially show up in their real-time SERPS?

2) Relevance: Understand the target audience for your content. What do they like? What types of activities do they enjoy? Is your target audience local? Is the target audience Gender/Race/Age Specific? Think about ways in which you can relate the trending topic to your business and prospects.

3) Schedule in Advance: Know events that will be coming up so you can create content and analogies relating your business to the local event/pop culture event/breaking news event. Major events often become the focus of trending topics. because these events are planned far in advance it is possible to create content ahead of time and publish it as the events becomes a trending topic.

4) Breaking News: When you can’t schedule in advance, you want to have your finger on the pulse of real-time search and understand what is going on in your industry. Internet marketer, business owner and blogger, Barry Schwartz recently reported Google’s real-time search results included a “top links” section for the keyword “plane crash” after the tragic news of Poland’s president and over 90 others killed. The Top Links section shows the most popular and authoritative links based on the search query.

I am not advocating creating content around every trending topic related to pop-culture, sporting events and/or breaking news.  Rather, think about those trending topics and how they may relate to your business. Can you create content around one of these topics that provides value to your customers?

While there is no “guarantee” that you will show up in Google’s real-time search results, you want to understand what topics will trend and be covered by major media outlets, bloggers, and talked about on social media networks and then create remarkable content that is relevant to your business AND the event.

In May 2009, I bought a domain name, hosting and decided to start blogging using WordPress.  Armed with no coding knowledge, I bought the Thesis Theme to customize my blog.  This post is meant to help those who are new to the Thesis Theme.

Step 1.  Follow the Thesis Theme Users Guide

When I buy a product, my natural inclination is to read a manual or guide on how-to use the product purchased.  Yes, the Thesis Theme comes with a 6-Step User’s Guide, SO READ IT!

Step 2. Leverage the Thesis Theme Support Forum

If you are like me, you may be worried about editing your blog for fear of actually BREAKING it.  Fear Not.  The Thesis Theme comes equip with a customer support forum managed actively by a few Thesis Theme Experts.  The Thesis Theme community is growing each and every day and I can happily say that members of the Thesis Theme community are willing to help with just about any question/issue.  The Support Forum has a section of Resources and Tutorials (written and video) where most beginner questions can be answered.  Read and Watch these Tutorials before asking a Thesis Expert for help.

Step 3.  Connect with the Thesis Theme Community on Twitter by using (#ThesisWP) in your Tweets

There are many active Thesis Theme bloggers on Twitter that use the hashtag ThesisWP (#thesiswp) in their tweets.  Interacting with the Thesis Theme Community on Twitter is just that simple.  Tweet anything with #thesiswp in the tweet, and there will likely be a response in a very short period of time.  Don’t be “that guy” that spams the #thesiswp community.  Just because you know there is a way to get support and connect with the Thesis Theme community on Twitter, doesn’t mean that you should be spamming #thesiswp.

Step 4.  Follow These Thesis Theme Experts on Twitter

1. @Pearsonified:  Chris Pearson – Co-founder of the Thesis Theme, coding-jhetti, and a very dangerous scrabble player.

2. @Copyblogger:  Brian Clark – Co-Founder of the Thesis Theme, Teaching Sells, and Lateral Action.  Brian is a Blogging and Copywriting Expert.

3. @godhammer:  Godhammer is active in the Thesis Theme Support Forum, problem solver, and all around excellent resource.

4. @girliegeek:  GirlieGeek is an active Thesis Theme Support Forum moderator, and responds quickly to questions in the forum.

5. @Matt425:  Matt Langford is a Thesis Theme Expert.  Matt has a tech blog where he has many helpful Thesis Theme Tutorials and resources.  Bookmark his blog if you are serious about Thesis. Period.

6. @GregRickaby:  Greg Rickaby is a Certified Thesis Designer and WordPress Expert.  He is the creator of “The Times” Premium Thesis Skin.  If you want a NewsPaper layout for your blog, buy The Times!

7. @matthodder:  Matt Hodder is a freelance web designer, Thesis Theme Skin creator.  Download his Thesis Theme Skins at http://thesisthemes.com/.

8. @mattonomics: Matt Gross is the creator of http://www.thesistutor.com, one of my favorites Thesis Resources.  Matt has many thesis Video tutorials and created his own Thesis Skin!

9. @kingdomgeek: He created the Thesis Openhook Plugin to save each and every Thesis Theme user time and effort customizing the aesthetic look and feel of your website/blog.

10. @howtomakemyblog: Marco Saric is the creator of the ever popular http://howtomakemyblog.com and thesis expert!

If you don’t have the WordPress Thesis Theme yet, then stop what you are doing and get The Thesis Theme for WordPress!

<Insert Self-Props> On January 1, 2010, I checked my Google Page Rank and was excited to see that http://rbeale.com jumped from a PR 2 to PR 4! </End Self-Props>  Sure enough, on December 31, 2009 Google updated their Toolbar Page Rank.  I started to think what the implications were with respect to Google Page Rank and Google’s algorithm update to  include Real-Time Search Results.  This post will examine short term and long term SEO implications of Content Freshness and Google Page Rank.

In case you missed it, Google recently updated it’s Search Engine Algorithm to include Real-Time Search:

What is Content Freshness?

While Wikipedia does not have a dedicated web page defining Content Freshness, I am referring to “Content Freshness” as newly created content on the internet that has been indexed by Google. Now that Google includes real-time results in its Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs), there is more competition to rank for particular keyword phrases. Businesses should understand the value of Real-Time search and incorporate a short-term SEO strategy that is to continually create fresh content to be indexed by Google, which will offer new opportunities to rank for relevant keyword phrases.

What is Google Page Rank?

According to WikiPedia,

PageRank is a link analysis algorithm, named after Larry Page,^[1] used by the Google Internet search engine that assigns a numerical weighting to each element of a hyperlinked set of documents, such as the World Wide Web, with the purpose of “measuring” its relative importance within the set.

Google Page Rank is a measurement of web domain authority (a scale from 0-10, 10 being the best). If 2 web domains are optimized for a particular keyword phrase, Page Rank is a way for Google to determine which web domain has more authority and thus should show up higher in the SERPs.  A way to gain authority in the eyes of Google and increase Page Rank is to attract quality and relevant inbound links on an ongoing basis.

Content Freshness and Google Page Rank for SEO in 2010

It is not a new concept that content freshness is a part of Google’s algorithm.  What is new is Google’s introduction of Real-Time search.  Companies that understand the value of inbound marketing and ranking on Google for particular keyword phrases will want to develop a strategy for short-term SEO and long-term SEO.  If I were a business owner and wanted to rank on Google for particular keyword phrases, I would create a short-term SEO strategy to continually create fresh content and create a long-term SEO strategy around link building.*

*The amount of content created and link building would depend on resources

The Bottom Line

Creating keyword-optimized, fresh content and having a high Google Page Rank will give businesses a better chance at ranking on an ongoing basis.

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Matt Siltala’s Tweet (see blow) mocking the frequent and controversial “SEO is Dead” Headline prompted some rather obvious SEO link bait observations and a chuckle.

Matt Siltala Link Bait Tweet

Before I explain what I deem to be the perfect storm for SEO Link Bait in December 2009, I should define “Link Bait.”  The LunaMetrics blog has the following definition for Link Bait:

What is Link Bait?

Link bait is content on your site to which other sites link because they want to, not because you ask them to. Traditionally, links are hard to get, requiring you to sacrifice your first born child (and at least link back, which nullifies their value in some search engines.) But with link bait, you “bait” your content and sit back and wait.

Why Should You Care About link bait?

Links are the currency of the internet.  A very large portion (approx greater than 75%) of SEO consists of the quality and quantity of inbound links to your website.  If the content that you create online entices others to link to your content, you are telling search engines that your content is relevant and important.

SEO Link Bait Perfect Storm

The first half of the Link Bait Perfect Storm is the TIME OF YEAR.  With 2009 quickly coming to an end, bloggers will be creating “Best” and “Worst” Lists of 2009 and making predictions for 2010.  A common Link Bait Strategy is to write “Lists.”  For Example, 10 easy ways to do XYZ.  [It is implied that the conent produced after the headline adds value.]

The second half of the Link  Bait Perfect Storm is a Major EVENT occurring.  Major events open the door for strong opinions and opportunity to create compelling link bait headlines.  Google’s Recent Launch of Real Time Search (December 7th, 2009) have SEO implications (some think major implications, some think otherwise).

With 2009 coming to an end and Google launching real time search, internet marketers are making bold statements and creating compelling link bait for SEO.  Some of the best SEO link bait in December of 2009 are:

1. 2010: The Year SEO isnt important anymore? by Robert Scoble (Really? This post generated heated debate from the SEO community.)
2. Is SEO Dead?  1997 Prediction, Meet 2007 Reality by Danny Sullivan (Reaction to Scoble’s bold blog post)
3. Ignore the Silly Man, SEO Still Matters for SMB’s by Lisa Barone (Reaction to Scoble’s bold blog post)
4. SEO is DEAD, Long Live SEO by Patricio Robles (written prior to Scoble’s blog post.)
5. 8 Predictions for SEO in 2010 by Rand Fishkin (2010 Prediction by SEO Expert Rand Fishkin. Many factors to consier including a predicition on the future of Google’s real time search.  Read it.)
6. Google Enables Real Time Spam and More by Rae Hoffman (Reaction to Google’s Real Time Search Algorithm Upadate)
7. 10 Ways Social Media Will Change in 2010 by Ravit Lichtenberg (Great read.)

Predictions that “SEO is Dead,” have been running rampant since 1997.  SEO should be a part of every businesses strategy for the forseeable future.  More SEO Link Bait content will be created before 2010 as a result of the time of year and google launching real time search.

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Google recently integrated personalized and real time search into their Search Engine Results Pages.  Since roughly 70% of searches occur on Google, it is imperative that Internet Marketers know and understand Google’s recent update to their Search Algorithm.  After reading through many articles on the subject dating back to early 2007, I wanted to share the articles that I thought were most relevant to the topic.  They are listed below in chronological order.

13 Google Personalized and Real Time Search Resources for SEO and PPC

1. SearchEngineLand.com:  Google Ramps Up Personalized Search by Danny Sullivan on February 2, 2007
2. SearchEngineLand.com: Google Personalized Search, Google Bookmarks & Link Building by Eric Ward on March 5, 2007
3. SEOBook.com:  Search Personalization Will NOT Kill SEO by Aaron Wall on January 29, 2007
4. SEOBook.com: How to Turn Google Personalized Search Results Off Without Logging Out by Aaron Wall on June 9, 2007
5. AimClearblog.com: How To Exploit Personalized Search for SEO by Marty Weintraub on November 29, 2009
6. SearchEngineLand.com: Google Launches Real Time Search by Danny Sullivan on December 7, 2009
7. Huomah.com: SEO Guide to Google Personalized Search by David Harry on December 7, 2009
8. AriOzick.com: Why I’m Not Worried About Personalized Search or Caffeine (and Why You Shouldn’t be Either) by Ari Ozick on December 8, 2009
9. OutSpokenMedia.com: Google Enables Real Time Spam and More by Rae Hoffman on December 9, 2009
10. MediaPost.com: How Real-Time Search and Personalization Influence PPC and SEO Campaigns by Laurie Sullivan on December 9, 2009
11. SearchEngineLand.com: Search and Real Time Madness by Danny Sullivan on December 10, 2009
12. SearchEngineWatch.com: The Demise of SEO Wont Be Caused By Personalization by Chris Boggs on December 11, 2009
13. MediaPost.com:  How Will The Real-Time Web Influence PPC Keyword Pricing? by Laurie Sullivan on December 11, 2009

How will Google Real Time and Personalized Search effect SEO and PPC?  I’m sure there are many questions surrounding this topic and how to leverage Google’s real time and personalized search for success.  Many tests are undoubtedly under way as I type and I bet certain SEOs are already benefiting from the new Google Algorithm Update.

Were these links helpful?  Please let me know of any article that you would like to add to this list of Personalized and Real Time Search Resources for SEO and PPC.

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In May, 2009 I bought a domain name and started my personal blog on Internet Marketing, Sales and Sports.  This was in fact, my first go-around at blogging and I had no idea how to build or edit a website.  A former co worker recommended that I use WordPress as a content management system and blogging platform as it is free and easy to use for non-technical people.

During my due diligence process on WordPress I realized that there is a huge market of developers building custom “Themes,” for WordPress websites.  Some Themes were free and some Premium WordPress Themes cost a fee.  I wanted the ability to build my own website without having to pay a developer a fee, but I also wanted the Theme to have Search Engine Optimization-Friendly functionality and a forum where I could ask questions when I needed help. Enter Chris Pearson’s Thesis Theme.

Thesis Theme by Chris Pearson & DIYthemes

The Three Main Reasons Why I Bought The Thesis Theme for WordPress: Web Credibility, SEO, Community

WordPress Thesis Theme Web Credibility

What makes Chris Pearson’s Thesis Theme credible?  Which websites run on Chris Pearson’s Thesis Theme?

• Matt Cutts’ Blog runs on the Thesis Theme.  For those of you who are not familiar with Google, SEO, or Internet Marketing, Matt Cutts is empoyed by Google and is well known as Google’s Anti-Spam Czar.
• Aaron Wall’s Blog runs on the Thesis Theme.  Aaron Wall is a professional SEO, Founder of SEObook.com and internet marketing entrepreneur.
• Brian Clark’s Blog runs on the Thesis Theme.  Brian Clark is a professional copywriter and Founder of Copyblogger.com.
• Chris Brogan’s Blog runs on the Thesis Theme.  Chris Brogan is a NY Times Best Selling Author of “Trust Agents” and Social Media Maven.

WordPress Thesis Theme is SEO-Friendly

One of the main reasons that I started my blog is because I was fascinated by how Search Engines (read: Google) decide which websites are impressed upon search queries (also known as keyword phrases).  I wanted to know how to rank on Google and other Search Engines for particular keyword phrases.  Approximately, 25 % of Getting Found on Search Engines has to do with on-site SEO Factors including the placement of keywords in Title Tags, Page Slugs, Headers and content of each individual web page.  The Thesis Theme allows for a non-technical, non-web savvy person to easily edit and customize individual web pages for SEO.

Thesis Theme Community Support via DIYthemes Forum

Even though internet marketing thought leaders Matt Cutts, Aaron Wall, Brian Clark and Chris Brogan’s blogs run on the Thesis Theme, I was still not convinced that a non-technical, non-web savvy, mere mortal like myself could easily build and customize my website with the Thesis Theme.  Plain and simply, I needed help building and customizing my website.  Fine.  Chris Pearson is one step ahead of the game.  He has a Forum for all Thesis Theme users that is managed by expert web developers 24/7 to answer all questions .

I ended up purchasing the Thesis Theme Personal Option for $87.00 and the education I have received from other Thesis Theme users and developers on the DIYthemes Forums has far exceeded the fee.  A Big Thanks to Chris Pearson and his killer staff at DIYthemes for creating such a value-added product.

Not convinced that Thesis Theme is for you? Thesis Demo Site — See the Thesis Theme in action!

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Don’t Stop with SEO.  Yes, I said it.  Optimizing your website for Search should not be your sole focus.  Reading SEObook.com author Aaron Wall’s blog post “Google to Clone Lending Tree,” drove this point home.  If Google is entering high margin businesses such as loan aggregation services, it is only a matter of time before they launch into other high margin, online businesses.

I am convinced that the future of marketing lies within a diverse Inbound Marketing Strategy.  In my opinion, a diverse Inbound Marketing Strategy includes an allocation of resources to developing Free Value-Added Products/Services, PPC Advertising, SEO and Social Media Marketing.  When done correctly, allocating resources to Free Value-Added Products/Services, PPC and SEO will generate high quality leads for any business.

Simply relying on one inbound marketing strategy is extremely risky.  Giving away a free product or service is an excellent way for like-minded people to engage with you.  For Example, Copyblogger‘s Brian Clark recently released “Teaching Sells,” a 22-page report on how-to build an online teaching business FOR FREE!  What happens when an authoritative figure such as Brian Clark releases a free “how-to” report?  Like-minded individuals willingly give their email addresses and names in order to read and link to this excellent content (like I just did).

Another way to generate high quality leads for your business is through PPC Advertising.  One avenue for PPC Advertising is purchasing keywords on Google AdWords.  Purchasing keywords on Google AdWords allows you to target a specific persona/audience and measure the results.  Optimal PPC Campaigns will have well organized and relevant keyword taxonomies which are turned into AdGroups, compelling ad copy that speaks directly to those keywords in the aforementioned AdGroups, an efficient bidding strategy and sending prospects to relevant landing pages (SEO).

Landing pages should be optimized for search.  Identifying high quality, specific keywords related to your industry is the first step in authoring quality content for on-site SEO.  High quality content is king and will generate links to your site.  As the number of links to your site increases, the search engines reward your site by increasing your page rank for particular keywords/search queries.

Please don’t be mistaken.  Solely focusing on blogging and authoring content is not enough.  Focusing efforts solely on content 5 years ago was probably enough to generate enough links to rank for particular keywords/search queries.  But, The world in changing.  Social Media Marketing and micro-blogging have played and will continue to play a vital role in spreading high quality content quickly to target audiences.  The emergence of social media communities like Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn have provided a forum for bloggers, authority figures, consumers, businesses, and individuals to express their opinions and communicate with one another like never before.

Google, the 800 lb Gorilla will do as they please, and enter high margin businesses like loan aggregation in order to add revenue streams.  What does that mean for the majority of businesses?

Watch out!  And Pay Attention!  Protect your business by diversifying your inbound marketing strategy.  Think one step ahead of your competition.  Author high quality, relevant content on your blog, give away something that prospects want, and listen to your prospects.  Have a conversation with them.  Be Transparent.  Your prospects and customers are talking about you online.  It is time to engage, interact and manage your reputation with the goal of establishing yourself as an authority figure in your field so you will have the last laugh.  Not Google.

Thoughts?

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Diverse Portfolio of Stocks

First,  I would like to give a Great Big “THANK YOU” to everyone live blogging #ASE09 and #SESSJ.  I especially would like to thank Lisa Barone, Chief Branding Officer of OutSpoken Media for the excellent coverage and comedy at #ASE09 and Virginia Nussey, Associate Writer at Bruce Clay Inc for her complete coverage of #SESSJ.

This week is one of the most important weeks of the year in Search Engine Marketing.  The Affiliate Summit East 2009 Conference was held in New York City and The Search Engine Strategies 2009 Conference was held in San Jose.  Both of these events had agendas packed with educational sessions covering the latest topics and trends in Internet Marketing.  I am based out of Boston, MA and could not make it to either conference this year but I was eager to learn the new trends in PPC, SEO, Social Media Marketing and Web Analytics, so I turned to my conference-attending liveblogging friends.

There are many benefits to Liveblogging and I am not talking about the obvious free education that myself and every other non-conference-attending-knuckleheads interested in internet marketing consumes.  Blogger Benefits to Liveblogging include:

1. On-Site SEO: New Compelling Content is great for readership (new and returning readers)
2. Off-Site SEO: New Compelling Content tends to attract backlinks from bloggers interested in the same topics
3. Social Media Marketing: People with common interests will discover your blog through Social Media sharing

Engaging new readers gives you the ability to establish yourself as an authority figure in your industry.  Brian Clark, also known as The CopyBlogger recently published a Report on the shocking power of authority called “The Ten Rock-Solid Elements of Effective Online Marketing.” If you have not yet read his report, please STOP READING and read Brian’s Report.

Here is a comprehensive list of liveblogging for #ASE09 and #SESSJ.

Affiliate Summit East Conference LiveBlogging

1. OutSpokenMedia’s LiveBlogging Coverage for all 3 days: http://outspokenmedia.com/internet-marketing-conferences/liveblogging-affiliate-summit-east-09/

Search Engine Strategies San Jose Conference

1. SearchEngineLand Aggregated Day 1 liveblogging coverage: http://searchengineland.com/ses-san-jose-day-one-live-blog-coverage-23842
2. SearchEngineLand Aggregated Day 2 liveblogging coverage: http://searchengineland.com/ses-san-jose-day-two-live-blog-coverage-23935
3. SearchEngineLand Aggregated Day 3 liveblogging coverage: http://searchengineland.com/ses-san-jose-day-three-live-blog-coverage-23987

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Apparently, Microsoft has integrated Bing and Twitter Search with it’s BETA launch of  BingTweets.  After Reading a Search Engine Journal Article, I decided to check out Microsoft’s rebranded search engine, Bing.   More importantly, I wanted to test Bing’s search results with respect to the new integration with Twitter.   I went to Bing and searched for “BingTweet” and returned the following results:

"BingTweet" Keyword Search in Bing shows 4 results?

4 results show up.  Really?  Not 1 of the search results returns their own Bingtweets site.

Now let’s see what happens when we search Google for “BingTweet:”

"BingTweet" Keyword Search in Google retunrs 4870 results, including BingTweets.com on page 4

A link to http://www.bingtweets.com shows up 39th out of 4870 results.  Which search engine do you use?

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