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Did J.C. Penney Wear An SEO “Black Hat?” The Story and How to Do It Right

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Everyone wants their website to be ranked first by Google, but how far would you go to make that happen?  J.C. Penney learned the hard way that you better follow Google’s rules or your website will be buried, literally.  The New York Times article, The Dirty Little Secret of Search, exposed how J.C. Penney’s website was using “black hat” methods to appear first in search results. Once this was brought to Google’s attention, J.C. Penney’s website dropped in search results from the number one result to page five or six depending on the search term.

So how do you legally improve your websites search rankings?  Google protects their search algorithms like your grandma protects the secret family recipe, so there is no magic answer.  However, Google does tell you where to find their Webmaster Guidelines and Webmaster Tools which serve as great places to start when you want to improve your search results.

If you have suggestions for future Social Media News posts, want to ask questions or share thoughts, please feel free to email me. Thanks! – Laura

How Does a Googlebot Crawl Your Website? Trends vs. Insights? What Was “Googled” the Most in 2010?

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Google’s Hidden Gems in This Week’s Social Media News

Most people are aware of Google Analytics and how it can help you monitor your website’s activity, but have you ever used Google Webmaster Tools?  I am by no means a “webmaster,” but the tools offered are easy to use and it gives you a behind the scenes look at what a Googlebot sees when it crawls your page.   Disclaimer: You will need to own the site in order to verify it and have access to all this great information.

Google Trends is an interesting tool for the general public to see what the world is searching for, but it doesn’t give many details that businesses can use. Enter Google Insights for Search, which is like a supped up version of Google Trends.  Insights can compare search volume patterns across specific regions, categories, time frames and properties. Although it’s still in beta it looks like a great tool that I know GCAI is going to use in the future.

Last, but not least, Google has finished its annual Zeitgeist 2010: Year in Review video that shows what the world searched for in 2010.  It’s a fun three minute break from work.  If you have more time to kill check out Google Zeitgeist 2010 which is an interactive graphic that allows users to find out details about what was searched for most in 2010. Did your top searches make the list?

If you have suggestions for future Social Media News articles, want to ask questions or share thoughts, please feel free to email me. Thanks! – Laura

P.S. Happy holidays and to celebrate check out The Digital Story Of The Nativity.