Apple Education Announcement

19. January 2012 Nick

Rumours are spreading that Apple is going to digitize textbooks. The iPad will become the classroom’s computer – notebook – textbook(s). Seems like the right way forward to us. The announcement has just started in the US – will keep everyone posted with the latest that come out of it.

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SEO predictions for 2012 – The impact of social signals on rankings

16. January 2012 janina

Hello world of search!

This is my first blog post here at Tug. I’ve read quite a lot of SEO predictions for 2012, the most common being “Change of the search engine’s algorithm in favour of social signals”.

In my opinion this is a fairly safe prediction with Google heavily pushing their own social network Google+ (“Search Plus Your World”) and both Google and Bing having already confirmed that they take social signal into account. Even though we don’t know for sure how/if social signals have a direct impact on rankings there has been confirmation by some research that social signals have a correlation with higher rankings (but remember: correlation ? causation… There are some fairly plausible reasons why websites that are being liked, tweeted, +1ed etc. rank better even if those signal aren’t an offical ranking factor (e.g. they are usually updated more frequently). It would be interesting to measure this correlation and see if it increases over time.

So what will happen if social signals have more of an impact on SERPs? That probably depends on how big that impact actually is. Let’s just imagine that in 2013 Panda had devaluated most low-quality links and it has become harder obtain links that push the rankings. Social signals have become the new ‘link gold and all webmasters and SEOs put their efforts into getting those social signals to improve their rankings. Would this put a stop to SPAM like Google hopes? I doubt it, I think it would just take on another form. There will always be ways that those who chose to wear dark headgear will try to manipulate rankings by spamming. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a hunt for likes, +1s, comments etc. for rankings. Whilst this would not necessarily be a bad thing, just as some ways of link building are not (link bait, high quality directories, links earned by giving free stuff away or donating to charity etc.) there is always room for abuse. We already see competitions that can be entered by tweeting, liking etc. and I’m sure we will see more of that – much more. Whilst this will certainly be considered white hat, I don’t see why some people wouldn’t try to “buy” those signals from influential people in their industry (I assume authority will measure the value of those signals. No doubt if it happens we will get the benefit of many more tools and rankings that measure social signals)…

Another possibility I could see is that certain websites only allow you to access certain content of their site if you give like, +1, tweet (…) them, just as with paid for ‘pro’ content. In that case it might become hard to participate in a lot of stuff on the web for those who decide to not sign up on social networks (I’m sure there are still a lot of people who don’t like them for privacy or other reasons. Certainly not many people in the SEO industry but I’m thinking of the average Internet user).

It used to be keyword stuffing and then link spam that black hat used to manipulate their rankings. Of course I don’t know, but predictions are fun when you look back to them after a year and see what actually happened – whether you were right or wrong…

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WordPress Launches WordAds

13. January 2012 turan

A partnership between WordPress and Federated Media Publishing gives bloggers another monetization option, with an opt-in ad program available exclusively to WordPress.com bloggers, designed to rival Google’s AdSense.

The percentage of ad revenue paid to bloggers is unknown. In response to a question about how ad revenue is split between WordPress and publishers, founding developer Matt Mullenweg responded, “Our primary goal is to create something that rewards bloggers for their hard work and the quality of their work, and do so at a higher level than generic Adsense would, not optimize around a particular revenue share.”

To qualify for the WordAds program, blogs must be publicly visible and have a custom domain. Applying to the program doesn’t ensure acceptance; WordPress will choose participants based on the type of content, and traffic/engagement levels.

WordAds will be a welcome alternative for AdSense publishers affected by Google’s recent payment system/account interface bug and other issues that prevented timely payouts.

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Google launches Search plus Your World

11. January 2012 Ben Romberg

The final piece in the social media puzzle for Google – integrating its social network Google+ into its search results – slotted into place yesterday in the form of “Search plus Your World“. Launched to a background of mixed reviews  and a critical statement from Twitter, it seems that the decision has so far proved unpopular.

Starting today for people who enter an English search term into Google.com logged into their Google account, they will see results featuring posts and content from their wider Google+ network alongside worldwide search results. Below is an example of what happened when Neil searched for “Tug” while logged into his Google account.

You can see the top result indicates that there are 400 personal results in his Google+ network. Then the second and third results are personalised with a figurative logo in blue next them to indicate this is the case.

Image searches also fall under this category and the name of the friend who has posted this image appears in the thumbnail link, showing the name of the person who posted the picture to your network.

You can switch between your personal search results integrated with worldwide results and pure worldwide results using two new buttons that appear on the right hand side of the search bar.

This means you can filter out the social feed and opt to use natural Google search at the touch of a button.

Search plus Your World will impact the way Google users search for content online and highlights a sea-change in the importance of social media when considering your SEO strategy.

To talk to Tug about social media drop me a line at ben.romberg@tugsearch.co.uk

Or follow us on Twitter @tugagency

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Axe Launches New Fragrance with a Comic Book

10. January 2012 hannah

Axe has gone for a new original approach for the launch of its new fragrance line, Anarchy. The brand is introducing two scents, one for men and one for women, with a graphic novel, which is to be generated via the input of Facebook fans.

I’m not sure it would make me buy it but it’s an interesting idea, have a look…

AXE ANARCHY: THE GRAPHIC NOVEL

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Top 5 SEO tips for Mum Bloggers

6. January 2012 Carlo Pandian

Thanks to Claire from BrightonMums, i am happy to share some SEO expertise with UK mum bloggers community. Feel free to connect with Tug, the marketing agency I am working for and learn more about how to promote your site.
Drop me a tweet @Tugagency if you have any questions!

Firstly, I would recommend you to use these suggestions carefully as you shouldn’t change your editorial style in order to be SEO friendly. Let’s get straight to the practice and see how a mom blog can meet Google standards:

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Series of Fun Facts: Part V

6. January 2012 rainelda

 

It is 2012 with many promises, predictions and wishes. Naturally with the new year new features, stories and discoveries appear:

Are you a complete coffee addict? I tried to limit my love for coffee and was successful for a month, but getting back to work makes you sleepy in the mornings, so coffee is back in my life again. Anyway, when you are getting to work, you usually stop at the near by coffee shop just to grab that life saving cup, right? Do you get late to work sometimes because of that? Well, now there is a solution! If you love Starbuck’s coffee, live in the UK and you are an owner of an iPhone, from the 5th January you are able to use the unique Starbucks App on your iPhone. This app will help to locate your closest Starbucks coffee shop, choose a drink, manage your Starbucks Card balance, top-up direct from your iPhone or iPod Touch AND pay for your drink using the virtual Starbucks

Card just by swiping the barcode at the till. Isn’t that super convenient? Did I mention that the app is available for free from the Apple App Store? They say that an Android app will follow later in the year. The app is well placed to take advantage of Starbucks’ loyal customers – one in five UK customers already pays using a Starbucks Card, so if the app will save a lot of time to Starbucks customers, no doubt it may become a hit as well in the UK.

 

 

The app proved to be a success in the United States with 26m purchases made since it was launched in January 2011.

 

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Facebooks trouble with worms

6. January 2012 hannah

Apparently a computer worm has stolen 45,000 login credentials from Facebook. It has said to have largely affected accounts within the UK and France. The malware responsible is the well known ‘Ramnit’, which has been invading computers and stealing bank details since it was first discovered in April 2010.

In order to spread the virus at a higher pace it is suspected that Ramnit is using stolen credentials to hack into accounts and subsequently send malicious links to friends.

Social networks are like a hub of personal information and for this reason they are especially appealing to viruses.

“It appears that sophisticated hackers are now experimenting with replacing the old-school email worms with more up-to-date social network worms. As demonstrated by the 45,000 compromised Facebook subscribers, the viral power of social networks can be manipulated to cause considerable damage to individuals and institutions when it is in the wrong hands,” said Security firm Seculert.

Seculert has estimated that between September and December 2011 over 800,000 machines were infected with Ramnit. The problem is that it is not always visible that Ramnit has passed through your computer. It is stealing passwords with no announcement of its presence. The advice given is to run your anti-virus software and hope for the best!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Series of Fun Facts: Part lV

23. December 2011 rainelda

Last day before Christmas Eve and the office is so calm. I guess a lot of people are in the festive spirit. I am more excited about the New Years Eve – want to see the fireworks in London. They say it will be fantastic this year, so can’t wait.

Just because it is the 23rd December, here are some festive fun facts for you:

• I always thought that every year the most popular Christmas songs would be ‘Last Christmas’ or ‘I’m dreaming of a white Christmas’ but it appears that in 2011 two boys are at the top: Michael Buble with his song ‘Christmas’ and Justin Bieber with his song ‘Under the Mistletoe’. Nevertheless, if you would ask random people to sing a Christmas song, no matter what year it is, I strongly believe that they will start to sing something from the classics, rather than the new songs.
• Just like for every massive occasion, Christmas is one of those when companies are making TV, video adverts and trying to put a creative note to them. Top Christmas video adverts this year were made by Iceland, Argos and my personal favourite John Lewis Christmas advert - it’s just very, very cute. I first saw it in the cinema and the ending just created a huge “Awwwww!” wave from everyone in the room. Thumbs up to John Lewis for creating such a great video.
• Do you have the struggle to choose Christmas gifts? Personally I really get confused and tired of trying to find something really good. Apparently in 2011 the most popular Christmas gifts are Tablets, Lego and Travel Mugs. So if you are doing you last minute Christmas shopping today or tomorrow this try to consider those three options.

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The Irish are angry at Facebook

22. December 2011 hannah

The Irish data protection commissioner has strongly recommended Facebook take a long hard look at the current privacy status of Facebook, with special attention made to how data is used on the site.

Facebook Ireland was given responsibility for all non-US and Canadian data back in September 2010 hence raising the significance of these findings. Facebook now has six months to consider and implement these new changes.

Facebook apparently welcomed the review, saying: “We are pleased that the report demonstrates how Facebook adheres to European data protection principles and complies with Irish law.

“Of course, the report highlights some areas where we can improve and reach best practice.”

The report suggested widespread changes, including:

• a mechanism for users to make informed choices about how their information is used and shared on the site, including in relation to third party apps
• increased transparency and controls over how personal data is used for advertising purposes
• transparency and control for users via the provision of all personal data held to them on request and as part of their everyday interaction with the site

A second formal review will be carried out in July to check up on the progress.

 

 

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