Google Has Released Hummingbird - Is Your Website Ready to Take Flight?

Your Website Can Be Nectar to the Hummingbird!

by Deborah Moore

Google announced this week that their latest algorithm update, which they call "Hummingbird" was released about a month ago. According to Google, this update is intended to improve conversational search, making their search engine more human in it's ability to understand semantic language.

In essence, this means that the update is expected to return more useful search results by taking in the whole meaning of the user's search input, rather than focusing on a terms within the query. The update addresses the trend towards mobile search as well as voice. It is widely expected to improve the search experience for Google users. As with all Google algorithm updates, Hummingbird will see some collateral damage in many websites losing their search engine positions. Sites that have been intensively focused on keywords and keyphrases may see a quick descent to the bottom of page 8 while well written, thoughtful and engaging content should rise to the occasion.

How Can Your Website Attract the Hummingbird?

There are a number of things you can do to add some nectar to your website and make the Hummingbird happy, as follows:

1. Make your site's pages are shareable. This can be accomplished through the use of free tools that add dynamic links allowing visitors to share your content on social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and others.
   
2. Make your site's design responsive. This means that your website will automatically resize itself for optimal viewing based on the type of devise the visitor is using. This is best accomplished by switching to Wordpress or other content management system, and using a pre-designed responsive theme that you can customize.
   
3. Keep adding fresh content to your website. There are a number of ways to do this, including blog posts, question and answer sections, running contests, polls, commenting on news related to your industry and more.
   
4. Make sure that your site is error-free, and that your pages load lightning-fast. Google rewards sites that can perform at Hummingbird speed.
   
5. Engage your users. Invite them to provide testimonials. Ask them for feedback. Get them to offer suggestions for improving what you offer. Empowered visitors are more likely to share on social media, and "word of mouth" advertising is still the gold standard.
   
6. Connect to social media. In this day and age, all websites should have a presence on Facebook, Google Plus, Twitter, Linked In, YouTube, Pinterest and others. This is very important. You can no longer ignore it.
   
7. Make sure your website is using Google Analytics and Webmaster tools, at the very minimum. These free tools help you monitor how your website is performing, including gains you are making, as well as technical problems that you can fix. They can also help you identify opportunities that you can pursue.
   
8. Get local. Make sure your website is listed on Google's local listings, as well as Yelp, Yellow Pages, and a host of other local business directories that offer both free and paid listings. You can find a list of 50 good ones here.
   
9. Get visual. Visitor engagement rules the webs. Visitors like to see video and good quality photos, which are also highly prized by Google. Studies have shown that visitors are much more likely to share content that has an interesting photo or video included.
   
10. DO NOT PANIC!!! Pour up a cup of chamomile tea and don't do anything until you are completely calm and rational.

Today's Internet is extremely competitive, and to rank well for search terms related to your business, website owners need to work at it every day. If approached sensibly, with a concise plan and clear goals in mind, you can attain and keep a firm foothold on Google and other search engines, no matter what animal they release in the future.

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Social Media "Gold" for your Pet Site.

O.K. So you've finally accepted that social media will help your pet related business. You have a Twitter account so that you can announce new litters and let people know that the new arrivals are almost all spoken for. Good for you! You have a Facebook company page and were very careful not to make it a regular Facebook page so that fans can like you and not just make friends with your company. So what is next? How do you take things to the next level? Here are some relatively simple ways to stand head and shoulders above the competition.


1. Photos! Big Beautiful Photos!!  (Facebook cover images)

That's right. Visual pages get people talking and on Facebook, talking will get people talking about your page and liking your business.
Facebook already encourages you to use a big bright photo for your "Cover" image - so you would be wise to start there. These images are a very wide format, about 800 x 300 pixels - if you want to think in inches or centimeters...it's the same thing, the shape is the key! This wide image often ends up enlarged when you upload it, so you will have to focus in on what is happening in the middle of your photo - the things at the top, bottom and sides are likely to be partially left out when the photo is uploaded as a "Cover" image. Facebook warns you to stick to images and try to avoid adding too much text in a cover photo.
Remember too, don't use fuzzy photos or small images, because when they are magnified, you are not likely to like the result yourself. Always start with professionally taken images if you have them. If you only have images that you shot yourself, then they should be well-lit or daylight shots. Many web-page builders or graphic designers can help you to tweak an image that has a minor flaw or needs a color adjustment. So if somebody built your web-site for you, they might just have some tools to help turn a good image into a great one!

2. Think "Action" and "Fun"!

When choosing images to use either on your cover image or elsewhere on your Facebook page, try to find photos that have happy, playful pets. Anybody can see from a photo that the subject is having fun, and if you have a photo that captures the fun, people will smile and comment. The most popular images on the Internet are photos of cats doing funny things. Not far behind are photos of dogs doing funny things. It does not take a scholar to know that photos of your dogs or your cats having fun are going to be "liked" on Facebook and shared. If you are selling products for pets and their owners, then a photo of it being used is vital! If you have puppies, then get down on the floor and take shots of them playing from the puppy's point of view. Other things that make for great photos are puppies eating, getting a bath, sitting on a lap, or posing next to something that will show off the pup's size or color. Never forget about the colors! A great photo will have a splash of color to draw the eye to it, so pose your animal or product near a wall or background that makes a good contrast.

3. Avoid Using Photos That Are Not Your Own.
Sure, you feel that you don't have a high quality image to really grab the eye of visitors, so what is wrong with buying a stock image? The answer is that you want to avoid using images that are found elsewhere, because (a) it makes your page less distinctive to visitors and (b) because Google tends to ignore images or text that is used on many different web-sites. You certainly want to show off your own products or litters - so using another site's image is going to be counter-productive! In some cases, it might even land you in hot water. Companies and photographers who sell images regularly do searches to see where their images are being used online. New software makes it pretty easy. If you have just gone and copied an image from another site, then chances are good that you will eventually get a bill or a letter from a lawyer. There really is no reason to put yourself in that spot. So use your own photos or those of a friend where possible and be sure to give credit to the photographer/rights owner.

4. Video - The Difference Maker!

Video can make a huge difference for your Facebook page or your web-site. You Tube itself is owned and promoted by Google and can be very valuable in getting noticed. If you have ever used Google, you may have noticed how the search engine gives you options to search for "everything", "images" and "video" among the search options. A site that is ranked on the 5th page of an "everything" search, may easily climb to the top spot in the "video" searches because, quite frankly, few businesses, or pet breeders take advantage of this to post videos on their site. If you want to climb the rankings quickly, this can be a big boost for your site. The text that you input when uploading a video to You Tube also figures into the ranking of your web site by Google. So having it hosted on an external site like You Tube should act the same way that another site linking to your page might. It's all good for you!

If you are selling puppies or kittens, you have to know that the playful antics and cuteness are something that potential buyers love! You likely have home video of your pets playing and it does not take much editing to turn such video into useful clips to share on You Tube. Those clips can direct people to your web site and help to build enthusiasm for visitors who can then see how much fun they might have. If you are a breeder, video also helps you to turn simple things like "feeding your pet", "grooming your pet", "exercise for your pet", or "the demands of this breed" into valuable instructional videos. Google loves instructional videos and people love to see how something works rather than read a long page of text. A good editor should be able to create 4 or 5 very interesting short videos. Try to keep it between 1 and 3 minutes if at all possible. Some people don't like to invest their time in watching very short or very long videos.

If you can add a little background music and a good clear narration track, then you can very easily have the sort of video that will get recommended to people through social media. The music must be soft and not overpowering the voice. If you don't feel comfortable doing this yourself, then you can very easily find voice-over specialists on-line these days. Again, many small companies that are branching into social media are looking for video and voice specialists to work pumping up web-videos. Contact the people who built your web page or do your SEO - they may have recommendations if they don't do it themselves. Firms who specialize in Social Media marketing will also offer this service, but you may be wary of the price tag. A general rule of thumb is that larger firms usualy charge more to keep prices in line with their high-end clients. So a little shopping around will help you to get the most bang for your buck.

5. Pinterest  - You Say That You've Got Photos? Can I show my friends?

   Many people wonder about Pinterest. "What is it?" It is pretty much an online scrapbook  where users collect their favorite photos by pinning them to a virtual wall under a topic heading. (This is called a 'board" on Pinterest.)  Each photo links back to the web-site that posts the original image.  If you are thinking like a web-browser, then each of these "Pins" is a link to a web-site that helps direct visitors. Popular sites get pinned a lot, and Search engines take notice when looking for the best sites to send people to.  For you,  if you have products or kittens,...puppies or paintings...these are all things that can be attractive to look at and put into an album or a catalog. In short - you have the makings of a nice Pinterest board!    Once again, quality counts. You will want pretty pictures and professional photos if you have them. You will want to pay close attention to lighting and colors if you plan to take your own photos. Ideally, these images will be passed around far and wide and many new visitors will find your site through the lovely photos.  Pinterest is something to explore if you hope to go to the next level.


6. Past Customers.  Each Reference or Photo Is Treasure!

 If you are selling happy healthy puppies or kittens - people will want to know what they will be like when they grow up.  They will try to establish whether you and your business are reliable. They will also be thrilled to see positive comments and photos from real people who can offer a positive story about dealing with you.  If you go back to the popularity of  fun photos - then you know that images of happy customers playing with their pets will be powerful.  People love to talk about their pets, and if you ask past buyers to send you photos or tell cute stories about their pets, you may be surprised at the ease of  getting some priceless help in promoting your site.  The truly beautiful thing about this is that these contributors will be enthusiastic to share their comments with their friends too. In turn, you may discover these past clients may come to identify with you and work very hard at helping you to do well.  If you are selling products that help people and pets, then you can expect a similar response.
 It is well worth the extra effort in maintaining good customer relations.







 

3 Website Mistakes That Dog and Cat Breeders Make

Cat and dog breeders have a huge advantage over other businesses online when it comes to creating a compelling website with a constant stream of new information and pictures. Unfortunately, however, many breeders do not understand the importance of this "content" and how it can help their website move higher and higher on the search engines.
 
In today's competitive Internet marketplace, there are more websites than ever vying for that valuable 1st page real estate on Google, Yahoo, Bing and other search engines. Getting your website to move up even a few positions on these indexes can make a monumental difference to your traffic and sales. And what many breeders fail to realize is that the key to upward momentum is right at their fingertips.

As a website designer, creative writer and search engine optimization specialist working for cat and dog breeders for more than 14 years, I have noticed that most breeders make the following oversights with their websites. Once these small issues have been corrected, these websites often see a 200% increase in traffic, and move up on the Google ladder dramatically. I am happy to share these tips with you, and hope they help you with your online marketing efforts.

The Three Top Website Mistakes Cat and Dog Breeders Make

1. Not Jumping on the Social Media Bandwagon.
   
   Facebook, Twitter, Linked In, Pinterest and other "social media" websites are often avoided by breeders. Sometimes there is a misconception that these services will draw the attention of "internet trolls" and "anti-breeding" fanatics.
   
   Thankfully, social media websites allow you to have a great deal of control over the content, and comments posted on your accounts. These sites offer you a fantastic way of connecting with and keeping in touch with past, present and future customers. They are also a great way to capitalize on word-of-mouth advertising.
   
   You can connect your website to your social media accounts, and promoted your website on your social media accounts. If you are not all that computer saavy, hire a professional social media manager to take care of it for you. A small investment into social media will make a huge difference to your online sales.
   
   
   
2. Not using your photos and videos to their full advantage.If there is one thing dog and cat breeders have in abundance, it's fantastic photos of dogs and puppies, cats and kittens. These images are "online gold", and should always be "optimized" to their full advantage.
   
   Here's how to do it:
   
   
   • Be sure to crop, resize and resample (reduce the dots per inch ratio) your photos before adding them to your website. An image displayed on a website should never be larger in dimensions than 600 pixels wide, and should be compressed so that the dots per inch ration (dpi or resolution) is 75 dpi. Many people think that pictures need to be saved at a higher resolution to look better, but this is a fallacy. High resolution images are only needed if printing an image.
     
     So remember: Crop, resample and resize BEFORE you upload. Save your photos as jpeg (.jpg) files.
     
     
   • Make use of "alt tags", file names and captions.
     
     Every photo on your website has a file name, and every photo on your website should also make use of the alt tag feature, and sport a caption. Search engines weigh photos heavily when determining how relevant your website is for a certain search term, so be sure to take the extra time to make your photos count.
     
     Alt tags are simply a feature intended to help visually impaired visitors understand what is on the page they are viewing. So, if your photo shows a Black Labrador Retriever puppy, and you are located in Phoenix, Arizona, your alt tag might look like this: alt="Picture of black Labrador Retriever puppy from Suzie's Labradors in Phoenix, AZ"
     
     File names for photos are often misused. Instead of naming an image 008ldk.jpg, try to name each image for what it is. For example, a photo of a black Labrador Retriever puppy should be named: black-labrador-retriever-puppy.jpg. That tells the search engines, again, what the photo depicts, and helps make your site relevant for people searching for a "Black Labrador Retriever Puppy".
     
     Captions are important, too. A "caption" is a line of text placed beneath an image that tells the viewer what the images is of. They can be as descriptive as you like, but be sure to try and include the keyphrase you hope to rank for, as long as that is what the image is of. For example, for the image mentioned above, your caption could be: "George is an adorable Black Labrador Retriever puppy. He is currently available for sale."
     
   • Don't delete your photos once your puppies or kittens have sold. You wouldn't throw away real gold, so don't dispose of your "website gold". Keep all of your pictures - just move them to a "gallery" page. Little do most breeders realize, their photos get links and likes from visitors. Remove a photo file, and you lose out on those valuable (and very natural) incoming links, and you also create broken links, which Google hates.
     
     Think of your website as a constantly growing garden of great content, and make sure you don't weed out the flowers. :-)
     
   • Got some cute kitten or puppy videos? Post them on YouTube, then display them on your website. Videos draw the interest of visitors, and links from YouTube are better than Gold - they are Platinum.
     
3. Not using web page file names to your advantage.
   
   Every page in your website has a unique "address" that is called a "URL". It looks like this: "http://www.website.com/file-name.html". The URL for every page in your website is very important. You should try to give each page a URL that includes the search term that the page is relevant for. For example, if you were to create a page that is all about grooming Labrador Retrievers, you should name the file: grooming-labrador-retrievers.html.The page title should match the URL file name, too.
   
   This is a great way to be sure that Google knows EXACTLY what the page is about, and can have a very positive effect on your site's position. It also helps you to rank for all kinds of different search terms related to your website.
   
   NEVER change the URL for a web page! This is just like changing your phone number without telling your customers, or having it updated in the yellow pages. So if your pages are not named as suggested above, just leave them alone.
   
   In a perfect world, you would have followed the instructions above with existing pages in your site, but don't rename them if they are already doing well. Just use the naming trick for new pages you create going forward. Search engines "index" every page in your website, and if you change the URL, the search engines will still send visitors to the "old address" for the page. This annoys your users, and creates "401 errors" which count against your website in the great scheme of things.

These three simple changes to the way you work on your website take only a small amount of additional effort on your part, and will pay off handsomely. And there are many more things you can do that will make a difference - these are only the tip of the iceberg. Take that little bit of extra time every time you add a litter to your website - or write a blog post or informational page and you are sure to achieve - and maintain - that coveted position on Google's first page.