It was in the headlines last week. Trust you’ve read the news (https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-may-be-forced-to-reveal-its-search-algorithm-to-an-seo/359536/) of Google’s predicament! Either way, it looks like Google is being cornered in a legal battle against Foundem, the UK based price comparison website. Well, let us leave it to the courts to decide on an appropriate and just judgment.

Having said that, let us briefly see what it means or rather what these look like for the SEO industry at large.

Form the article we can gather that the possible scenario could be that the Court asks Google to give access to the algorithm to all SEOs, keeping in line with the below argument of Google.

“The integrity of Google’s ranking processes relies upon all webmasters or website owners having the same degree of access to information about Google’s ranking… This will no longer be the case if the information of this kind is made available to some individuals offering commercial services to assist companies to improve their search ranking.”

At the outset, Google’s algorithm available to all appears to be an exciting thing! But, the interpretation of the algorithm may not be quite as simple as we think. This is like owning a Gold mine, but not having the tools to get the gold in a sale-able condition!! We may do some progress, by getting help from algorithm experts. To begin with, it may help us to know what are the ‘factors’ involved. But, how far can we make it to an advantage for our websites?

Hence, though it is good to know the factors, the key would lie in knowing how much weight is given for each factor. This is something that we will be able to find out by the test-running algorithm against a few websites and keeping on altering each SEO factor in the websites and comparing the result against the others.

Given, the vast majority of the SEO’s capabilities, it is almost an impossible task for a regular SEO individual or a company to figure this out and arrive at some solid conclusions. However, big-time and serious companies like MOZ, Ahrefs, etc. and of course, the other search engines like Bing, Yandex, etc, with its heavy availability of resources may be able to get it done.

The bigger question, however, is “After having put such efforts, will these companies be willing to put this information about the findings out as free?”

Anyone’s wild guess would be that these companies would rather monetize their information. It would do a typical marketing strategy of throwing a dog bone and saying it as free and then charge for the remaining. Before all these rolls out, we can also see how their high-paying clients end up taking the spots in the first positions of the search ranking. This can make the market to be uneven and put a huge number of SEOs at a disadvantage, even though the information is available.

Will we get the Latest & Best from Google? 2006 algorithm vs 2020 algorithm. 

Let us not be very thrilled! Even if the ruling is that Google has to release the algorithm to all the SEOs, are we going to know things as it is now? Our take is, it need not be. Based on the period of the case, Google may be forced to give the algorithm, yes, but as it was in 2006!! For analysis of the algorithm, given the context of the case, Google may need to only reveal how the algorithm performed in 2006. This doesn’t help much, does it?

Now, Google stands vulnerable at this point, if they have not done any major changes from 2006. But we all know that this need not be the case. For example, Panda came later than that, and since then, so many improvements came after 2006. Hence, instead of Google being vulnerable, etc, it would be that we may end up having a rather silly and immature algorithm (compared to the current one that is running) in our hands.

An Outdated Algorithm – What can we make out?

What are we then going to do with such an outdated or useless algorithm? Again, companies like MOZ and others have to push the algorithm against multiple factors and simulation and do a herculean task of building on top of it to figure out what Google is doing now. But, with huge resources and backup, companies like them and Yahoo, Yandex, etc., may be able to figure out something, this would make them have something better than others.

Conclusion: 

Leaving all the speculations apart, at this stage, we would rather have the algorithm remain as an unknown. This would keep the SEOs healthy guessing and continue the trial & error and the reverse engineering experiments to be kept On. Given the sheer numbers and capabilities of the SEO companies, this would be far more a viable choice rather than the information about the algorithm being known for only a few companies and creating an uneven advantage over the vast number of others. This can, however, work as an advantage for all of them involved if some open-source efforts can be organized and built. 

Hence, unless a concept of open-source can be convincing enough for any of these big-time companies, the results may not be very pleasant for the vast majority of the SEOs. The competition can become a very one-sided one!

Rankings dethroned by a Google Algorithm update? Or need a FREE SEO Audit?

We at Macronimous can help you with our expert SEO team support.

Feel free to inquire us today for a no-obligation SEO Consulting. Contact now

The post Google case in the UK, SEO Algorithms and what it means to an SEO Company first appeared on Macronimous Blog.

To get business online, the first step is to build a website. But having built one does not guarantee Business Conversions. This both of us know. The real deal begins when we start marketing and see the clients come through. But, given that there are thousands of websites, of which, 100 odd ones are in your own niche, and that too in your own neighborhood, how do we stand apart!! 

Let us accept. The competition is tough. But, still, we need to beat the competition. But how?

Thankfully, I have been in this game for more than 20 years and I have seen the markets and trends change, players come and go. One thing that keeps me up and running is that I’ve been careful to work according to the trends of the market. Trends and strategies in SEO are changing and keep changing. Endurance in SEO learning is what helps us in Macronimous to run and catch up with the changes. Also, to apply those changes in Strategies!

If you will, let me share with you one key SEO strategy that I have been working on. This, if you can share it with your clients, it may prove beneficial. 

There are prospects out there in the online space. But how do we navigate to reach the right client is the key question to be answered. Having helped companies for a long time get their business conversions, I have some insights to share with you for the year 2020. 

There are around 6 major online platforms today when we speak of marketing a business online. They are Google, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest. I’m sure you know it. Today, I want to share “what” needs to be done on these platforms, especially in Google, for conversions. Our SEO guys call it “ROI driven SEO”

Irrespective of the business vertical, Google is a key player where we need to tap in. With around 3.5 billion searches we have a lot of potentials to tap. So, what to do in Google?

SEO – Search Engine Optimisation First things first. Nowadays, SEO has become a necessary pain in internet marketing. Without optimizing your website, in other words, make it Search-Engine-Ready, we don’t even start anywhere! 

Why? – As a user understands what my website is, what are my business offerings, Google (algorithm) also understands, in fact, a bit more. It understands my website to the extent that, it decides whether to show my website to a certain person’s query or not. To help Google understand my website, I make sure that my website is Search-Engine-Ready. 

How? – Making my website Search-engine-ready is where I “begin”. To do this, my team carefully analyses the major points as per Google guidelines and makes my website compliant to it. This is a careful effort that my team puts in with regards to Keyword Research, Content Optimisation, Website structuring, Back-end compliance, Page Speed, etc. 

What Else? – I know that in every business vertical, the competitors also make their websites Search-Engine-Ready! So what difference do I make? Hence, to have an upper hand in this, my team works towards a strategy called Link Building, where my website gets mentioned (links get submitted) in other relevant sites. Google algorithm picks these data and understands that my website has many mentions too. 

ROI? – Having a Search-Engine-Ready website is my ROI improving? When people search, is my website available right in front of their eyes or not? Making sure that my website is shown by Google in front of relevant people when the search is my KPI for SEO. 

There are scores of a website which are in no shape or form near to anything like this. Why not we help these sites to be Search-Engine-Ready and then up the game by using my team to do Link Building in a consistent manner?

The other strategies like Google Ads and other marketing are done on Youtube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, etc I will share some other time. 

The post The why, how and what else of ROI driven SEO first appeared on Macronimous Blog.

Why Still do SEO?

Its 2020! I remember the first time I heard about the word SEO, it was June 1999 when I started my career as a web developer at StylusInc (Currently, Insight Consultants). SEO is still green. The business of SEO is greener at Macronimous, as we continuously managed to learn the changes in the realm of Internet marketing.

SEO Strategy, which is a continuous investment in SEO, is a long term game plan for marketing your business online. SEO is going to stay here for a longer period in the market. Why do we say it?

Statistics from Forbes says the spend in the SEO Industry will be $80 billion! Hence there is no doubt that SEO is still the primary means of online marketing in the future. Even if you are doing well in other means of digital marketing, say Social Ads, businesses cannot ignore SEO. If you have not started yet, or stopped in the middle, you should think about restarting, now!

In the age of Viral marketing, people invest in other online marketing techniques and keep forgetting SEO, or give less importance. But as you read, you will find the need to start investing in SEO, especially in the Google platform.

Business conversions with SEO

Crazy Egg says, SEO can bring in a very good conversion rate of 14.6%, if your site is in the hands of expert agencies. Hence, it is high time to find the right SEO company for your business. Did you know that Outsourcing SEO work is still a cost effective option. This is particularly true when you think of serious SEO implementation and ongoing marketing efforts for your website.

Your Web site structure matters for SEO

Businesses spend a lot on killer web designs. This is good for websites that already have plenty of visitors. This idea of ‘grand web design and graphics’ may not work for all the websites. So, it is time to rethink your design strategy for SEO.

A quick, fast loading website with no-nonsense navigation can make the site loveable for both users & search engines. It should help retain visitors in the website. Websites with several script based dynamics will not be effective for small business websites. So, trying to ‘wow’ the visitors with large graphics, visual treats may work negatively.

Also, make sure to focus on website speed with lesser load in the front-end, with minimum number of server calls.

Keywords as business drivers

Google recommends long tail keywords. Long tail keywords are primarily for voice search. An every day user does not use voice for business queries. Especially business to business queries. Desktop users who work from an office and find businesses online, still key in the queries in Google search box or in the browser address bar.

Identifying the right keywords and using them efficiently is still challenging and important. For small business websites using Keywords in Page Title is of supreme importance.

How many words in Keywords?

According to Smart Insights, 3-4 words in the title results in higher CTR in Organic SEO with Google. So, investing on right tools on keyword research is important in 2020 and beyond.

With a one-word keyword query searchers are less like to get any good results. They will be forced to use a 2-word keyword for quality results. But, B2B users may not get the kind of results they want with these. So they have to refine it using 3-word keyword phrases or occasionally 4-word phrases. This has been working well for our clients for years, even after the wave that Google created with Long tail keywords.

SEO vs Social Media

A survey from Search Engine Land says that even in 2020, Search engines drive 10 folds of traffic to ECommerce sites than social media. This shows that SEO results are sustainable, and works very well on the long run. According to Internet live stats 3.5 billion searches per day and 1.2 trillion searches per year worldwide. You can check it for yourself here.
Also a survey result from eMarketer says that 35% of product searches start on Google. So, if your site depends only on Social Media, its time to consider Google ’s organic search users and SEO.

Clearly spending through paid media brings short term benefits. Assume you are selling some seasonal products, Social Media ads or Google Adwords are more appropriate. But, if you have an Ecommerce site (with both seasonal and non-seasonal products) or a service that you are going to offer for years, investing on SEO is a wise bet.

Google first

In the mid 2000s Google started dominating and it still continues in 2020. We can expect this to continue for many more years to come. As a website owner or a SEO in-charge, there is nothing wrong if you focus only on Google. Unless you are in China or Russia, you can continue to follow Google’s algorithm updates and what Google brings up with each roll-out. Other search Engines like Bing or DuckDuckGo are less likely to pickup. Whether it is good or bad, websites should be ready for Google unless something revolutionary comes up.

According to Statista (Oct 2019) Google is dominating with a whopping 87.96% of the search engine market share. So, investing in Google SEO, that too, in Organic will never let you down.

Mobile first and Mobile friendly

Now, remember that if you are going to launch a brand new site in a brand new domain, it should follow Mobile-first approach. Mobile-first indexing means Google predominantly uses the mobile version of the content for indexing and ranking. Assuming you are planning new visitors through organic Google search results. If you are planning for a redesign there is nothing wrong in planning a mobile-first approach.

Especially, if you are a local store or a business targeting customers within your region (Area/town/City etc), then your website should be Mobile friendly and invest in Local SEO strategies. Even redesigning with Mobile-first approach will bring long term benefits.

AI is here, But still SEO is about Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence is here, but to help SEO and not to replace SEO. Search Engine algorithms are still understood primary by human brains. The SEO budget of a client and to find the right SEO strategy is still very much human. People use AI to build the right tools to help SEO professionals. We at Macronimous use such tools. But everyday we plan for our client’s website with deeper thinking, discussions, knowledge exchanges and continuous learning the SEO Techniques.

The above few are some factors that convinced us in Macronimous to keep investing in SEO, especially in the Google platform and produce organic results. SEO is going to continue for years, and investing in SEO is also going to continue. We found these factors are really required by the website owners and SEO professionals to help Google to bring better results. So, when you plan to hire an SEO company (Yes, we are one of them), think SEO as your long term online marketing. Make sure you invest accordingly.

The post SEO strategies for long term online marketing investments (2020 and beyond) first appeared on Macronimous Blog.

Mobile-first websites

According to UXPin, Mobile-first design strategy is designing for the smallest screen first and working your way up to bigger screens. Google announced its indexing strategy The various ways in which people have been accessing the internet have changed drastically over the years. Statistics suggest that around 68 million around the world come from mobile devices every hour.  

In an update, Google announced majority of the sites are ready to go for mobile-first indexing. Google says, 70% of the sites shown in Google’s search results have already shifted over.

What is a mobile-first website? 

Mobile-first is a strategy which goes in favour of the staggering statistics which suggest that people prefer accessing sites through mobile browsers. According to this, they design a website for the smallest mobile device possible first. 

The developers then scale upwards to adapt the website to relatively larger dimensions like a desktop. 

Why mobile-first strategy is important for SEO?

Google mobile-first indexing means that its algorithms will look for the mobile version of the website for indexing and ranking. This will help their primary user group – mobile users. 

What may interest you is that a mobile-first design is basically a content-first approach. A mobile screen crams you up for space. Attracting audience attention within these parameters is a challenge. Hence you need to focus on content a lot 

How to achieve Mobile-first design? 

First, you have to create a content inventory – a basic excel sheet map of all the things you would want on your final layout. 

Second, you got to figure out compatibility. A uniform and seamless experience needs to be provided from each element on the page (for both desktop and mobile version)

Also, check Google’s best practices for Mobile-first websites. OR- Feel free to contact our experts for a free mobile-first design consulting.

Then, go with the smallest possible dimension you can work with. Orient your layout to those specifications and upscale thereon. 

Carry out steps like validating robots.txt, checking the server log files, and keeping track of the indexation status. Also, avoid the use of mobile interstitials and too much animation in the site. 

Write to us if you like to get free consulting on Mobile-first design or make your site mobile-first.

The post How to achieve Mobile-first design first appeared on Macronimous Blog.

What is SSL?

SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer. It is the standard technology for keeping an Internet connection secure. This also helps to safeguard any sensitive data, including personal details, that is being sent between two systems. This means, this sensitive data sent cannot be modified by others’ intervention.

What is HTTPS?

HTTPS is Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure. This is an extension of the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (http). It is used for secure communication over a computer network, and is widely used on Internet.

From above, an obvious question that we need to ask is “What exactly is the difference!” But that is for another article and is a bit more tech savvy one, which may not be of much significance for this article.

What matters is to know whether SSL/HTTPS affects SEO?

Here we have mentioned 3 Key Reasons why we think this affects SEO.

However, one take-away that we get from above definitions is that, it has to do with Security. But then, SEO & Security seems to be unrelated terms. But, quite not so. Here are 3 reasons why it is not so. (There are many more):

1. Site Abandonment:

Let’s assume an e-commerce site with awesome and valuable products and has not implemented SSL/HTTPS, i.e. it is not a Secure Site. Let us consider a user visits such a website and tries to do a purchase. He or she before entering the Credit Card or PayPal credentials, finds that it is a “non-secure” one. This just zaps away the confidence to key in such confidential information, like credit card details, to go forward with the purchase.

The result? Site Abandonment.

This affects not only the sales. The users immediately opt for a similar or competitor website for their purchases. This results in a big drop in traffic in the future for the one reason — This website is a non-secure one.

2. Browser Intimation:

If the user is using a Chrome browser, then an intimation like the below is shown.

This points out to the user that the web page is “insecure”. This discourages the user from proceeding with the website.

You may say: “Hey! But who cares! I don’t have an e-commerce site and doesn’t affect me.” 

Well, irrespective of the type of the site, most users will shy away from an insecure website. They will not be spending much time on your website. This would result in a spike in the bounce rate, directly affecting the ranking of the website. Going forward, the ranking in the search engine for the respective keywords will fall.

3. Google’s SSL/HTTPS Algorithm:

Let us see how SEO gets affected from a Search Engine’s perspective. Way back in 2014, Google had intimated about a ranking boost to Secure HTTPS/SSL Sites. Over the years, we have observed websites with SSL/HTTPS shown in first page results.

Now, it is 2019, and is shocking for us that scores of websites have not been migrated to SSL/HTTPS. There are many more reasons that we can cite to prove how SSL/HTTPS affects SEO. However, we often wonder whether it is the lack of a good SEO expert’s advice the reason why this transition has not happened yet.

If you are finding yourself in such a position, do not relent to move your website to a secure one. If you need help in moving your website to SSL/HTTPS, reach us here.

The post Does SSL/HTTPS affect SEO? first appeared on Macronimous Blog.

While running a business, irrespective of its size, there is one aspect which is detrimental. That is Client Reports. Here we are trying to help understand the Key Factors and Steps to consider while creating Client Reports.

1) Install Analytics – Google Analytics

It all begins with our ability to pull information about what is happening with the website. The right thing to do in this direction is to install an Analytics tool. Here we suggest Google Analytics (GA).

Installing GA is the toddler step for creating an effective report. As complicated as it may sound, this is a piece of cake, as long as you know where to go and to do what.

Visit GA Webpage:

As step 1, head on to http://www.google.com/analytics/. For those of you who do not know what GA (Google Analytics) is, this page will help.

Note: One email id with Gmail is good enough to access all the services that Google offers.

Add a Property:

As step 2, go ahead and add a property. Don’t get confused. In the GA context, Property is basically a website.

You will be asked many questions while setting this up. Please read this before you embark.

For those who already have a GA account, add this client’s website too.

Tip: In case you are a Web Agency or a Small Business involved in Digital Marketing, you can add other properties (website) in your GA account, thereby checking all your client websites at one place. Trust me when I say this. You will save lots of time if you can keep this as a principle.

2) Set up Goals

Campaigns do not make sense without setting up a goal. Rather Campaigns make sense with a Goal(s) associated with it. Within Google Analytics, there is an option to set-up Goals. This would be our next main step.

To do this, go to your freshly setup Analytics Dashboard. Click on Conversions as shown below.

Once you start, you will be asked quite a few details. Fill them up accordingly.

3) Fix the KPIs:

This becomes the extremely critical step, when it comes to determining the quality of your campaign. When done well, it doesn’t restrict as a Campaign quality determining factor of the campaign. Instead, it also empowers the business owner to take informed decisions.

Depending upon the work that you do for the client – SEO, PPC, Social Media Marketing, Email Marketing etc, the KPIs vary. The internet is replete with KPIs and so are the chances to get confused, especially when you begin to do this. Clicks, Rank, Price, CTR, etc are a few obvious and important KPIs.

As a simple rule, the KPIs need to substantiate the goals and further help in pulling out additional useful data for either the campaign or to the business owner.

In case you have no idea, just head over to the Customization menu in GA.

Then check out the Dashboard option and choose either the “import from gallery” or the “Starter Dashboard” option.

You will find a handful options that can be used.

4) Report Templatization:

As much as it is important to create meaningful reports and create the right impression with your clients, you cannot afford to lose time over this. The key to this is Templatization, where you create beautiful report templates and update the data every month. Thankfully, GA has got options to do it.

Head over to the main menu in GA and click on Customization.

Since each client and project is different, Custom Reports is what will be useful. However, if you have a stereotypical SEO or PPC Clients, there are standard reports which you will get by a simple Google search or as mentioned earlier, use the ones under Dashboards.

The post Client SEO Reports – Key Factors and Steps to Consider first appeared on Macronimous Blog.

When every WordPress website owner is figuring out what the latest WordPress 5.X version and Gutenberg editor is, we are thrilled to give you the 5 steps to do the upgrade.

1.Check Compatibility:

Before proceeding with the upgrade, first check whether your theme and installed plugins are compatible with new Gutenberg editor.

1. If you have premium theme installed, check with the theme author’s website whether its compatible with Gutenberg; if no information available, its better to contact and confirm.
2. Same for plugins – check each and every plugin’s pages and confirm about its compatibility.

2.Backup:

Before we kick-start any of the upgrade work, first we need to backup both the files as well as the database. To do this,

1. First login into your hosting cPanel.
2. Search for ‘File Manager’ and open it.
3. Select all the WordPress related files, right-click and select ‘Compress’ – wait until the ZIP created.
   
4. Now its time for database backup. Search for ‘phpMyAdmin’ in cPanel and open it.
5. Select your WordPress database in the left window (if you have more than one database, you can identify your WordPress database by opening ‘wp-config.php’ file in root in define(‘DB_NAME’, ‘wordpress’);).
6. Go to ‘Export’ tab of phpMyAdmin, change any options (but we recommending to keep default options) and click on ‘Go’. Wait until your database exported.
   

3.Upgrade WordPress:

Now we have come to the most important step – WordPress upgrade.

1. Login into your WordPress admin panel using Administrator credentials.
2. Navigate to ‘Dashboard > Updates’ from the left panel.
3. Click on ‘Update Now’ button below ‘An updated version of WordPress is available.’ section.
   
4. Wait until WordPress upgrade to latest 5.X version.
5. Clear the cache if you have any cache plugin installed.
6. Check the site once whether everything works fine – like sliders, contact forms, etc.
7. Also, the important one – check the admin panel whether everything gets saved if you edit anything.

4.Upgrade Plugins & Themes:

The next important step is the Plugins and Themes upgrade.

1. Login into your WordPress admin panel using Administrator credentials.
2. Navigate to ‘Dashboard > Updates’ from the left panel.
3. You can see the updates available seperately under ‘Plugins’ and ‘Themes’ section.
4. Select all plugins and click ‘Update Plugins’ – wait for all plugins update.
5. Select all themes and click ‘Update Themes’ – wait for all themes update.
6. Some plugins and themes may ask you to upgrade the database or settings (which would be probably shown at the top of admin pages) and don’t miss to apply those.
7. Clear the cache if you have any cache plugin installed.
8. Again check the site once whether everything works fine – like sliders, contact forms, etc.
9. Check the admin panel toowhether everything gets saved if you edit anything.

5.The New Gutenberg Editor:

Now you are ready to experience the all new Gutenberg editor.

1. Navigate to edit page of any of your post or page and you will see the new editor.
2. In default, it will show the old content as a single block and you can convert into individual blocks (which was the basic purpose of Gutenberg editor), by clicking ‘Convert to Blocks’ option from the last hamburger icon.
3. Click ‘Update’ button and check whether its proper in front-end.
4. Also if you have any custom fields added (by using some plugins like – Advanced Custom Fields), ensure that its layout was proper and everything gets saved when you update.
   

6.Troubleshooting Issues:

Issues during WordPress 5.X upgrade is something that you can expect, given the list of compatibility cross-checkings that need to be done. Missing any one can trigger issues and the upgrade may fail. This means your website is not shown anymore! That would be pretty bad and during such times, we need to roll back the website to the previous state.

We are giving you this additional step in case you face such issues during the upgrade.

1. Identify whether the issue was with a plugin or your theme.
2. Check the developer’s documentation for any fix (may be in beta release and we can fix that temporarily by directly editing theme or plugin file – but should be very careful).
3. If no luck, you can switch to the classic editor via ‘Settings > Writing’ by selecting ‘Classic Editor’ in ‘Default editor for all users’ which should fix the issues.
4. Worst case, if no luck with above all, we need to revoke to old WordPress version using the backup we have created initially – just extract the ZIP file using the hosting cPanel’s ‘File Manager’ and import the database via ‘phpMyAdmin’.

As of now (Jan 3, 2018) – WordPress has the new version 5.0.2 for your upgrade.

We trust you will enjoy doing the upgrade. Feel free to write to us for any queries.

Still not confident doing it yourself? Do you require help in upgrading your WordPress blog or WordPress website to WordPesss 5.0 Gutenburg Edition?

Our expert team of WordPress professionals can help you

Feel free to inquire us today for a no-obligation quote.

contact now

The post Step by Step guide to upgrade your blog or website to WordPress 5.0 Gutenberg first appeared on Macronimous Blog.

“Ok Google, tell me what I can do tomorrow in Paris”
Or
“Ok Google, where is the nearest gym”

I’m sure that a similar scenario has already occurred to you by asking Google or Siri to find the nearest supermarket or to show you the way to reach your office partner in New York.

Voice Search is the query we ask the search engines by speaking to it. These are the questions that we express orally instead of writing. Until recently, all searches were done by writing in the search engine box. but on your mobiles and tablets, you can use your voice by activating one of the voice assistants available in the device.

Moreover, with a smart speaker, you can search for your favorite music, check home appliances, order dinner, a pizza, or you can buy tickets for a concert. Voice assistants are now a reality and those involved in SEO should know how fast the natural language searches are increasing.

What is Google Voice Search and how does it work?

This vocal search was impossible until a few years ago and until 2015, the level of understanding was unsatisfactory. Today, the level of understanding of voice assistants, as explained by Mary Meeker, has reached 95%. This accuracy is equivalent to a human voice assistant.

Google’s voice search uses a technology called Natural Language Processing(NLP). This technology includes the voice of the speaker and the process which deciphers the context and makes explicit meaning by giving an answer. The answer or the result is not the results list (SERP). In fact, it is a unique and unequivocal answer chosen by Google itself.

The purpose of technology, based on natural language, is to interpret the speaker’s research intentions. Let’s say, that a form of artificial intelligence also includes the history of previous research and the context in which it is made. The more vocal searches are performed, the more the system learns and the more the system responds in a relevant way. Apple Siri, Windows Cortana, and Amazon Alexa use a similar technology and it is wagered that they will do their best to achieve better results than their competitors.

Voice Search: a trend or a new habit?

Siri, Google, Cortana, Alexa – Voice search is not just a rising trend; it is an important investment that the major players in the sector are doing in a new and even simpler way to give access to the information on the internet. If you think of the ease, with which people have adopted voice messages on Whatsapp or voice search on Google Maps, it is natural to think about how to take advantage of it for your online appearance.

Not surprisingly, according to Google, 72% of those who own a device that activates with the voice claims to use it as part of the daily routine and according to ComScore, by 2020, 50% of searches will be vocal. Furthermore, it is rumored that Google will soon create a separate section in Google Analytics to measure the performance of voice search for websites.

So, if your most important channel is your website, you can ask yourself what impact this new trend will have in the rise of your organic traffic, as well as on the business sector in general.

Let’s start from the most “technical” details

If you have decided to invest in the creation of content optimization for the vocal search for the services you offer, then here are some technical details that will make you comfortable to know.

According to a recent study on Backlinko, vocal searches that analyzed 10,000 Google Home Results for voice search claimed the importance of SEO optimization in the following scenarios:

• The speed of page loading: It plays a major role even in the case of voice search. The first result for the voice search has an average upload speed of 4.6 seconds (52% faster than the overall average).
• Conciseness: The result of the vocal search is typically brief, short and concise. According to the study, 29 words is the average length of voice search responses.
• The simplicity of expression: On average, vocal search results have a level of first-year high school expression.
• Performance on social networks: Even if Google keeps repeating that it’s not the Socials that make the difference but their weight on the search algorithm is more than clear. Even in voice search, higher engagement content tends to perform better with an average of 1,199 shares on Facebook and 44 on Twitter.
• No correspondence between questions and title tags: There seems to be no correlation between the exact questions and the results of the voice search. So, the Backlinko discourages the creation of specific content for each research question.
• Length of contents: The results of the voice search in Google have an average of over 2300 words but it does not seem to be the length that makes them the favorite. Rather, the probability in a longer text is higher to find the answer to the research questions.
• Featured Snippet: 7% of all voice search results come from a Featured Snippet which could become a further point in favor of optimization in this direction.

How to optimize the content of your website for voice search?

According to recent studies, the first organic search result on Google can get up to 35.35% of clicks.

In a voice search, the list view is reduced and the first positions in these cases play a fundamental role.

Taking a cue from a recent article published on Searchenginejournal, here are the five steps to start a successful Voice Engine Optimization (VEO) strategy:

1. Optimize your local business profiles

It is essential to update your business listings with your name, address and phone details with all current information.

2. Accelerate your website

The site speed is critical for voice search because users are on the move, so looking for immediate results. Speed upgrading is a very important factor for Google, as evident by the recent updates of its algorithms.

The optimal loading time of a web page should be less than 3 seconds

For this, you need to make the site fast.

3. Focus on the questions

People who use voice assistants, send commands if they were talking to a friend. Likewise, the way in which they conduct a voice search is also different from that by keyboard.

In the voice searches, people do not say keywords. They ask questions.

To meet this type of user, you need to structure your content differently. It is advisable to use colloquial key phrases and write in a natural way, that is as close as possible to the speech made.

4. Provide answers

Here are some tips to optimize the content for Voice Search

• Create texts that answer questions (such as the FAQ page);
• Update the contents often;
• Use the correct HTML attributes: the questions must be marked with the <h2> tag;
• Answer all questions in the Google My Business Questions and Answers section ;
• Ask questions about your products and services to guide users to conversion

5. Test

How to test the voice search function:

• Try different devices;
• Check the results generated and the sources from which they were taken;
• Analyze the positions of your competitors.

If we want to summarize in a nutshell, how to optimize your content for the vocal search of the services that you offer, we can say that:

In writing the texts, you must prefer:

• The division into paragraphs.
• Short and simple sentences.
• Words in common use.

Furthermore, you must never forget to consider:

• Optimization for the Featured Snippet.
• Use of the FAQ section – particularly useful for describing your services as well as the services you offer.
• The direct connection between optimization for voice searches and local searches.
• The impact of the use of mobile devices on the phenomenon.

To conclude, consider that: 42% of voice searches, according to Google, involves information about events and activities that are going to occur in near future.

As the use of the smartphone is increasing, sooner or later the research done by voice will replace the typed search, partially or totally. It’s just a matter of time.

Looking for an Expert Voice Search Optimization team?

Our Expert SEO team can guide you in making your website ready for Voice Searches.

Feel free to inquire us today for a no-obligation SEO Consulting.

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The post A Complete Understanding of Google Voice Search and How To Use it for Voice Search Optimization? first appeared on Macronimous Blog.

How HSTS can reduce load speed by avoiding http to https redirection, instead, accessing the site directly from https? This blog explains it and the SEO advantages with Google.

If you are serious about your site SEO or working as an SEO for your client’s website, this article has something for a serious consideration. You know the site security is something Google taking as a serious thing, which has become indirect, if not direct SEO consideration that every SEO professionals should consider. If you like to know how HSTS (will be explained shortly) can help your website SEO, this blog is for you.

Today, webmasters are facing a deluge of attacks from all fronts – unauthorized hacks, credit card info theft, and continued attempts to break into its security barriers. It is no wonder that they are looking for measures that counter these threats effectively. HTTPS implementation is one such measure that seeks to protect the website owners from unwarranted attacks.

The problem with an unprotected layer of security

In the traditional setup, HTTP uses third-party servers or routers to relay the requests between the source and the destination networks. This means that these in-the-middle servers have complete access from both ends. So if John wants to log on to HDFC Bank, John’s PC and HDFC Bank servers do not communicate directly; instead, they communicate via the in-between servers.

Now the data being transmitted via the HTTP protocol is unencrypted plain text, hence these in-between servers can be prone to hacks to divert the transmission illegally. The outcome? The end user, John, may be redirected to a phishing site where he will enter the login details and this will be captured by the hackers to gain unauthorized entry or siphon off money.

How does HSTS come into the picture?

The HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS) policy makes sure that all responses have to compulsorily be transmitted through HTTPS connections instead of the regular unencrypted HTTP. This way, the complete channel is encrypted prior to any data being sent. As a result, hackers find it impossible to read or update the data in transit.

It is important to note that simply updating the SSL certifications to HTTPS won’t close all the vulnerabilities. You still need to take steps to ensure that only secure connections are made online with/by the site. This is where HSTS comes into the picture. By using this header, the site authorizes the browser to make only secure connections.

How does it work?

The first step is to add an HSTS response header in an HTTPS reply

Strict-Transport-Security: max-age=expireTime [; includeSubdomains]

The ‘expireTime’ (in seconds) is the amount of time the connection needs to remain open using the HTTPS connection. So once the request is sent, the browser will remember the secure connection for the number of seconds mentioned in ‘expireTime’

Now when the browser connects with the website server it sends out the HSTS header; After it receives the HSTS header and deems the connection to be secure, the browsers send a HTTPS request.

It is important to note that if your browser sees the HSTS header for the first time, it will first see the HSTS header and then do the redirect from HTTP to HTTPS. To overcome the potential delay because of this first-time mandatory redirection, popular browsers like Mozilla and Chrome have created a list of HSTS preloaded sites. This list will inform the browser that ‘yes, the site has HSTS header enabled, so go straight to the next step of HTTPS connection.

How does HSTS improve security?

As mentioned before, just HTTPS implementation will not make the site 100% hack-proof.  So if the server initially calls the HTTP version, the hackers can divert the unencrypted request and prevent access to the HTTPS protocol.

With HSTS, the site is forced to load just the HTTPS version and not the HTTP version. As a result, the browser will load the secure version of the site on priority and thus leave no room at all for hackers to intercept the transmission in between.

How does HSTS improve SEO?

Google has placed a lot of emphasis on page load speed. With a massive proliferation of mobile, Google too has updated its algorithm to say the ‘mobile-first’ philosophy. It is clear that a lot of purchases and decision making is happening via mobile web, but sites that take more than 3 seconds to load aren’t a part of this proposition. Hence HSTS becomes vital. With this policy, the browser will straight away request for an HTTPS site and not first requesting an HTTP site and then for an HTTPS site.  The difference between the two set of actions is just milliseconds, but frankly, that’s all it takes to elevate user experience online and generate business.

Now, I trust, your mind can connect the dots!

To sign off

It is proven that HSTS provides a better shield for data transmission over an SSL certification encryption. Get total protection from the Man in the Middle (MITM) attacks by securing your site with the HSTS policy.

More reads:

https://searchengineland.com/why-websites-should-be-using-hsts-to-improve-security-and-seo-304380

https://www.rapidsslonline.com/blog/what-is-hsts-why-should-i-use-it/

Do you require help in implementing HSTS on your website? Or a FREE SEO Audit?

We at Macronimous can help you with our expert SEO team support.

Feel free to inquire us today for a no-obligation SEO Consulting.

contact now

The post How to Implement HSTS to Improve SEO and Site Security? first appeared on Macronimous Blog.

A recent Forrester research shows that almost 70% of the respondents either use or are planning to implement a content management system (CMS) in one form or the other.  But unfortunately, the pace at which CMS tools are evolving is slower than the rapid strides taken by technology evolution. So it is not uncommon to see new age tech like mobility and IoT finding it difficult to see total integrations with the monolithic CMS architectures.

This is precisely why developers are popularizing the use of headless CMS. Interested to see what it is and how it benefits the development project? Then read on and be informed.

Introducing the concept

Traditional CMS tools consisted of a backend and frontend to work. Decoupling the two would denote a headless CMS. So while the backend tech will still be integrated with the CMS, for front-end integration, it will make use of an API. This approach will help developers to deliver content as a service (CaaS) via an API.

In simpler terms, the backend and frontend will now be managed by two different servers. CMSs like Drupal and WordPress typically have the frontend presentation integrated through the multiple themes available to developers. But now the preference is for a headless CMS, where developers can focus on content management, administrative, and editorial activities while requesting front-end access via an API.

Characteristics of a headless CMS

We see the following differentiating characteristics with a headless CMS architecture-

1 .Front end decoupling

With the flexibility to disassociate front end, developers can handle presentation in a number of ways including interactive Angular JS, to static generators, or even mobile apps.

2 . Content as a Service

In this framework, content is available through a RESTful web-service API

3 . Backend Similarities

Just like traditional CMS, a database-driven CMS is maintained by developers to have an administrative interface behind the scenes.

Why headless CMS needs to be a part of smart development?

A number of advantages prompt developers to go for headless CMS:

1 . A Better scope of the functionality

The same content can be delivered to a website, an app, or any actuator/ connector that is a part of IoT architecture.

2 . Better development focus

Every project needs a different frontend framework based on its distinct technical specification and use case. With a headless CMS, developers can focus more on the creation of content rather than its management.

3 . Better security

Vulnerabilities like DDoS attacks can be effectively countered with the headless CMS policy. This is driven by the fact that the content publishing front-end is not directly available from a CMS database and both are hosted on different servers.

4 .Better flexibility

Headless CMS allows for only creation, retrieving, updating, or deletion (CRUD) of the content. As an outcome, you can use any front-end tool to present the content correctly – from smartwatches and wearables to IOT and mobile apps.

Enterprise headless CMS to watch out for

Do you know? Even WordPress CMS can be converted headlessly (Yes, and we do it as a service at Macronimous!) Also if you have a Drupal CMS, we can make it headless. Apart from them, there are some emerging headless CMSs and Here are the top 5 headless CMS solutions worth exploring for the developers:

1.hygraph

hygraph, formerly known as GraphCMS  has become popular because of the short learning curve it presents. It allows the quick and easy building of content APIs for use across multiple types of front end platforms. It uses GraphQL instead of REST.

2.ButterCMS

The company delivers full headless CMS to allow for simplified CMS development with features like custom content types and WYSIWYG editing capabilities. The CMS seeks to make DevOps easy by handling the infrastructure side of development.

3.Directus

In case your development project needs deeply customized databases, then Directus can be a good choice. It provides RESTful APIs and comprises of power-packed features like internal extension points, asset management, versioning, and commenting.

4.Contentful

Contentful offers a range of features at a cost-effective price point. This makes it a popular option for startups and SMEs. For those who are used to working with the traditional architecture, getting used to the decoupled system may take time as developers would need to familiarize themselves with terms like content modeling.

5.DNN Evoq 9

This CMS too offers a ‘liquid’ state of front-end integration via API. As a result, the content can flow into any channel. It also offers features like email marketing integration and drag-and-drop content modeling.

To sign off

With the rising demand for headless CMS, we can expect to see a lot more exciting launches happening in the near future. Stay tuned as we bring more updates about headless CMS in upcoming posts. 

Do you require help in building a headless based CMS Or a Convert your WordPress CMS to Headless?

We at Macronimous can help you with our headless CMS expertise.

Feel free to inquire us today for a no-obligation Consulting and Contact us now.

The post Why Should Headless CMS Be on Your Radar? first appeared on Macronimous Blog.