SearchInfluence

Pinning for SEO: Pinterest Can Boost Your Rankings

Pinterest is a hot topic right now, and not just for people wanting inspiration for their future wedding. While blogs, websites, and the big-name social sites get all the SEO airtime, Pinterest can get overlooked, even though it has huge potential to boost your company’s rankings. With the right tactics, you can start pinning your way to greater exposure, one infograph or product at a time.

Sneak In Keywords

Earlier this month, Google started slowly rolling out the new Google Places For Business Dashboard which includes an updated interface, deeper integration with Plus, and a promise of faster updates. The dashboard is now available to all new users in the U.S. To help better understand the new features, we have compiled a great list of resources on this much-needed updated.

From Google:

• Improving the look and feel of Google Places for Business – Google – Qasar Younis

• More details about the improved look and feel of Google Places for Business – Google – Joel Headley

Recently, Pinterest launched its Web Analytics, allowing for businesses with verified accounts to track how many users are pinning from their site, the number of impressions from each pin, and incoming site traffic that is being generated directly from Pinterest.

Outside of SEO and social media campaigns, many may argue that there is no way to successfully tracking branding and traditional advertising efforts.  Pinterest will argue this as this data now allows businesses to successfully track how users are interacting with their pins, products, and most importantly – how they are most likely to convert.

For those of you who don’t know, before Hurricane Katrina ripped through the Gulf South, New Orleans was on a steady rate of decline. However, the city we love to call home here at Search Influence is in the middle of a major renaissance. News sources across the nation have reported New Orleans is the fastest growing city in America.

• Population in April 2010: 343,829
• Population in July of 2011: 360,740
• Change in population: 4.9 percent (national average 0.73%)
• Unemployment rate May 2012: 7.2%
• Unemployment rate December 2012: 6.8 % (national average 7.8%)

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1. How does social media affect your SEO? – Search Engine Journal

Does Google really pay attention to social signals? As more and more users share content through social networks, Google is taking note to what gets shared and has even trying to capitalize on that by starting Google+. Some users may use social media to see what is newsworthy, but you definitely have to watch how your company manages its social presence. How are you taking advantage of social media for your business?

PPC Questions & Answers for Small Businesses

I get a lot of questions from clients about starting or maintaining a paid search or Pay Per Click (PPC) campaign. While we at SI are undoubtedly convinced of the positive impact a paid search campaign can have on a small business, others need more information before committing. Some of the most frequently asked questions about a paid search campaign include:

• “What are the advantages and disadvantages of a PPC campaign?”
• “Why should I do PPC if I rank in the first position organically?” in the same sense, “Should I start a PPC campaign until I start ranking organically?”

Search Influence was named in the first Flyover 50, a list compiled by Five Elms Capital to highlight the 50 fastest-growing companies in the central U.S. 

Topping the list is Appcore, a company based in Des Moines, which provides cloud computing infrastructure. To be considered for the inaugural Flyover 50, companies applied or were nominated, and the top companies were determined by a percentage of growth in revenue.

In order to qualify, a company’s revenue must have exceeded $1 million in 2011 and be based within a 20-state area in the central United States.

Take Seven Steps to Social Media Heaven today! 90 million users can’t be wrong: Google+ is the newest and fastest-growing social network, recently opening its doors to small businesses. The multifaceted integration with search, social discussion and sharing, and the rise of a platform for authority has made Google+ a must for any business.

Using Google Plus for Business

Want to know how to leverage Google Plus for Business? Download our free eBook now!

We’ll walk you through:

• Setting up your Google+ page
• Designing a compelling targeted profile
• Sharing meaningful content and interacting with your users

Are we not men?

The new kid on the block has opened itself to businesses in two principal ways. Unlike Facebook, which focuses on admin-managed pages, and Twitter, which couldn’t care less if a person, place, or animal is represented in a feed, Google initially maintained its focus on people in its business-level implementation of its social network, not announcing any kind of branded pages. Then Monday’s announcement of Facebook-style business pages opened a new avenue for marketers, if only those in selected niches. Both new tools allow for the implementation of the “authority” metrics hinted at in numerous Google quality documents.

Shutting down the ability for these sites to advertise online...

As expected from page 21 of the May 10 quarterly report to the SEC, Google will pay for a Department of Justice investigation into the use of American ad space for illegal Canadian pharmaceuticals. Finding that from 2003 to 2009, Google “both allowed and helped” Canadian pharmacies that tried to sell to US patients, this DOJ settlement avoids criminal prosecution. It’s also one of the largest forfeitures in US history, according to Rhode Island U.S. Attorney Peter F. Neronha. Crimaldi argues that Google may see long-term reputation damage from the case, which butts heads with the mantra of “Don’t be Evil.”