Sploggers, copycats, scrapers, knock-offs, mimeos, ringers… no matter what you call them, they are out there duplicating your content. Almost every website has to deal with them or even their own onsite issues, so we wanted to give some ways to make sure you can keep ranking for your own material.

How Search Engines Determine the ‘Real’ Content

When search engines see two duplicate pages on a site, they mainly look at three different things:

• URL metrics: this is determined by PageRank, link diversity, how many and who are pointing their information back to that page on your site.
• Domain metrics: which domain is more ‘authoritative’ by more sources across multiple sites.  High-quality backlinks are a great way to ‘show’ the major search engines value and trust.
• Link attributions: single links back to your site by the websites that are copying your information may not provide much help, but when there’s many links sending that attribution back to your site, it can be extremely helpful. These links shouldn’t just go back to your homepage though, they need to go to the exact URL with the same content.

How Much Is Not ‘Damaging’

The aggravating issue surrounding this heated debate is that there is no single, solitary answer. The reason for this is simple. The major search engines are constantly changing their algorithms, so if there was a finite number today, it’ll probably change tomorrow. The method to follow is to make sure you are creating your content uniquely. By just changing the small ‘when’, ‘where’, ‘what’ and ‘whys’, you are still running the risk of getting penalized. If you are worried about duplicate content, find a way to leverage your uniqueness in a scalable way.

One way to get this is by user generated content. Ratings, reviews, voting — all of that information is unique to you, so use it to your advantage. Take for example an Amazon.com page. A lot of the content is taken directly from the manufacturer, but Amazon’s unique content comes from all of their reviews and comments thus helping them stay ranked for information that has been duplicated.

Another way is to have some sort of in-house editing department. If you are not equipped (or lucky enough to have in-house writers) you can hire an intern to let loose on your duplicate content. For each page written, they receive compensation based on the amount done. It is important to note that there are inexpensive ways to get the job done.

Explanation of Being ‘Filtered Out’ By Duplicate Content

There are some gray areas with the filtering of content, but what it basically means is that a certain page has been penalized and has no chance of ranking. The other aspect that a page loses is all of the link juice. Essentially, it looks like you are linking from a 404 page. All of the links going to that page as well as out are considered useless.

The most important aspect of what you put out there (even if it’s unique) is to make sure it’s valuable. If you’ve gotten past the duplicate content issues, offer information that is informative to people and try to ensure that it’s quality content. We all unfortunately have to deal with duplicate content issues, whether they are self-inflicted or not. The best way to deal with them if offer up unique, quality content—that is ultimately the only way to keep yourself out of the sandbox and in the index.

After looking at the many changes Facebook rolled out last week, it looks like small businesses now are at somewhat of a disadvantage on the 700-million strong social networking site. Many small businesses were relying on Facebook as a free platform to develop a loyal following that might “like” and “share” and “comment” in the hopes that others would see and do the same, and ultimately be converted into a regular customer. Facebook has just made that harder for small businesses, especially if these businesses are new to the social site, have under 500 or so fans, and are not an advertising partner.  I would encourage every small business owner to look at the new changes so they are up-to-date. It’s going to be vital to go out and revisit Facebook to overcome the roadblocks that have been put in place and look at what opportunities are now available.

Initial Changes

Looking closely at the changes, it’s apparent that many of them are designed specifically to benefit developers and enterprise level advertisers. The new “open graph” encourages daily users to post more information about themselves and connect to friends’ information on a whole new level. Facebook is asking massive advertising partners to find ‘key influencers’ and their communities and start creating ‘experiences’ for those communities. Developers can create applications that get users to share even more information around a certain subject and spend more time linked to Facebook. Users will be able to not only play games and buy products but also watch movies, TV, listen to music, read the news, without leaving Facebook.

Facebook has now separated newsfeed and ‘boring’ news in a users’ feed. Because of this separation, Facebook has changed the way everyone receives information to benefit those two important groups. It’s not clear yet what algorithms are used to determine these separations and rank stories.

Here are some of the roadblocks for small business owners:

1. Learn / Re-learn: These changes are going to require small businesses to quickly learn the new system. Get past the inconvenience and dig in. Read everything you can and educate yourself. Change is a constant in social media, and you’ll have to scratch out some time for learning.
2. Study Facebook Insights. This data will help you determine what works and what doesn’t. Learn what days of the week you get the most interaction, what types of posts people like and comment on, what the demographics of your fans are—and start keeping track, either by hand or on an Excel spreadsheet.
3. Find The Key Fans. Small businesses that rely solely on organic growth (your fan numbers growing naturally) may fail in the new system. Identify key influencers in your fan base and begin to learn how to use them (and reward them) for amplifying your messages.
4. Content is KING. Familiarize or reach out to Triangle Direct to help with providing quality content. Develop an actual social media strategy. By creating a strategy and continually providing content on a regular basis, you can successfully increase your online presence — not just on Facebook.

And now for the good stuff! Here are some of the opportunities!

1. Facebook is not the only place to present your business online. Think about developing an online presence other places as well. Do some research and contact Triangle Direct to figure out other channels  and look at what other businesses like yours are doing. Create an optimized blog, set up a Twitter account and use it to search what’s going on there–you don’t need to tweet to be there.  Check out YouTube for ideas on how you can use video.
2. Everyone loves a great party. Social media is great for events, especially with location-based applications. If you haven’t already, start taking advantage of the event piece of Facebook.  Claim your physical venue on Foursquare and learn how to use it. Become familiar with Twitter hashtags for events and experiment using them.
3. The ABC’s of Search Engine Optimization. Discover the power of learning more about SEO. Our proprietary software (SEOtool) is one of the most powerful platforms to solve the onsite issues on any website. If you have an unhealthy site, your social optimization plans may be fleeting.
4. Mad Scientists are not the only ones that conduct experiments. Does posting out to a blog on a weekly basis work for you? How about strategically-placed ads focusing on your competition? Try different things and keep track of what works and what doesn’t. Even though social media is a science, it’s not rocket science. Don’t be afraid to try something different, and don’t be afraid to dump it if it fails.

Remember, “Action and reaction, ebb and flow, trial and error, change – this is the rhythm of living. Out of our over-confidence, fear; out of our fear, clearer vision, fresh hope. And out of hope, progress.” Bruce Barton

The Internet Retailer Conference & Exhibition (IRCE) in San Diego broke its own attendance record this year
attracting 7,318 participants and allowing many IRCE participants to get a sneak peek of Triangle Direct ‘s  latest version of SEOtool.

We love sharing new, relevant studies and trends with our blog readers. Below is a forward looking study where Top Rank Blog polled more than 200 Internet Marketing decision makers on which Internet Marketing Channels they planned to invest in for 2011. While we know most of our clients are currently focused on gearing up for this Christmas Season, we did want to share the future trends of web spend and where budgets are going. If you’re already planning or discussing budget allocation in 2011, please take note.  In total, more than 40 different Internet Marketing vehicles received responses but the overwhelming favorites were #1 Search Engine Optimization, #2 Social Network Participation & #3 Blogging.

While we are biased towards our own offerings, it is exciting to see that 3 of Top 5 channels that will receive the highest percentage of Internet Marketing Spend in 2011 are our 3 Primary Areas of Expertise!

• Search Engine Optimization (via SEO tool, SEO Consulting & link building campaigns)
• Blogging (via blog design, blog marketing & link building campaigns)
• Content Marketing (via educational/authority content & distribution services that generate quality backlinks)

Do you know where your business and its website(s) have the greatest areas for improvement?  Market share opportunity?  Competitive Advantages? Feel free to include your thoughts and comment on this post.  You can go here for the full study & additional commentary.  If you’d like to discuss your 2011 Internet Marketing Initiatives and where your budgets are best spent, we’d love to talk to you!  Don’t be shy, contact us.

Link building has been a major force in the SEO industry for the past 5+ years.  Google led the way with its PageRank algorithms and other major players have followed — by recognizing links as “votes of confidence & trust”.  Unfortunately, all votes (or links) are not counted equally.  The brain trust at SEOMoz, has just released one of the more insightful articles on links we’ve read in quite a while, specifically addressing 10 Major Factors that Influence the “Valuation of Links” by Search Engines.

If your business is constantly trying to get its website ranked above the fold in Google, Yahoo & Bing — then you know the importance of link building.  Below is a recap of the Top 10 Factors discussed in the SEOMoz article.  As you read this list, think about your own link building practices and determine if your company is heading in the right direction.  The types of link building services we provide to online retailers, fortunately, meet the majority of these criteria and our clients’ ranking results speak for themselves — that’s why we’re such a fan of supporting this list!

• Links Higher Up in HTML Code Cast More Powerful Votes
• External Links are More Influential than Internal Links
• Links from Unique Domains Matters More than Links from Previously Linking Sites
• Links from Sites Closer to a Trusted Seed Set Pass More Value
• Links from Inside Unique Content Pass More Value than Those from Footers, Sidebar, Navigation
• Keywords in HTML Text Pass More Value than those in Alt Attributes of Linked Images
• Links from More Important, Popular, Trusted Sites Pass More Value (even from less important pages)
• Links Contained Within NoScript Tags Pass Lower (and Possibly No) Value
• A Burst of New Links May Enable a Document to Overcome Stronger Competition Temporarily (or in Perpetuity)
• Pages that Link to Webspam May Devalue the Other Links they Host

There are obviously many other factors that influence the Link Graph and Value of Backlinks in a competitive landscape — but take the above list to heart when auditing the successes or failures of your past link building efforts and look towards the future with a closer eye to detail.  After all, SEO is all about the execution and standing apart from your closest competitors.

The North American search marketing industry is projected to grow by 14% in 2010 and reach $16.6 Billion, according to a newly release report called “The SEMPO State of Search Report 2010″, published by Econsultancy  The full report costs $299, but for a sneak preview, visit here. We’ve posted before about SEO stats, but this newest report just adds more fuel to the SEO budget argument.

Other key highlights important to the search marketing space, in particular SEO include:

• In 2010, companies expect to spend 43% more on SEO than they spent in 2009 — the big question is where is this extra spend going?  To be competitive, it should go towards strong link building and ongoing SEO site analysis
• Social media marketing budgets are still small in comparison to SEO & PPC spend — so spend wisely and don’t get sucked into the social media craze!
• 90% of respondents actively engage in search engine optimization — which has remained steady since 2007.  See bullet point #1 — it’s about to get much more competitive!  Are you ready and are you investing the in the right SEO opportunities?
  • 31% of companies are spending $25,000 – $150,000+ per year on SEO
  • 17% of companies are spending $150,000 to $3,000,000+ per year on SEO
• The Top 3 objectives companies have for SEO are (based on #1 priorities & in order of importance) — nothing new here, but consider that generating leads & selling products/services is a function of ranking well for mid-tail and long-tail keywords; not exclusively the top 3 keywords in your industry.  Smart marketers rule the day.
  • #1 – Generate Leads (34%)
  • #2 – Drive traffic to website (32%)
  • #3 – Sell products, services, or content directly online (26%)
• 67% of Companies have at least two (2) people responsible for search marketing — this is very interesting to say the least. If your company doesn’t want to carry the overhead of another employee OR needs to increase productivity per employee, you really need to do yourself a favor and check our our SEO technology (SEOtool) — it’s proving to be an invaluable “employee” for objective SEO analysis and ongoing QA on a site-wide basis for in-house marketers.

Without question, the SEO industry continues to experience fast growth as more and more advertisers pull marketing budgets from print advertising and other traditional vehicles which just can’t compete from both a scale, visibility, monetization and measurability perspective.  SEO is hear to stay — granted the landscape will keep shifting —- but companies who spend wisely and in the right SEO strategies WILL be successful.  Contact us to learn more about how dominant our clients have become in their own natural search competitive landscapes and in what ways we can accelerate your business objectives.

We’re proud to announce that our proprietary technology, SEO tool, has been selected as a DEMO Showcase finalist for the Internet Summit event.

Here’s the official release:

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/triangle-direct-medias-seotool-selected-to-present-at-internet-summit-2009-demo-showcase-68850962.html.

If your company has a focus on improving its search engine optimization, then you should speak with us about SEOtool and the unmatched intelligence and SEO metrics it can uncover for your website(s).  We’re biased, but we strongly believe there is not a single web-based platform that can deliver the amount of insight and depth that SEOtool provides to both in-house SEO teams, agencies and web development firms.

Learn more about SEOtool:

http://www.seotool.com

http://www.triangledirectmedia.com/seo-tool.htm

Channel Advisor just released its bi-annual study titled “How Consumers Shop Online”.  As an industry leader in shopping comparison engines & product feeds, CA knows a thing or two about consumer shopping trends for the advertiser’s they serve.  The study comprised 850+ individuals in nearly 30 states, ages 18-65 years old.  To access the full report, click here.

Here are some key takeaways for online retailers to strongly consider as they plan for the Holiday Shopping season and into the future:

• “81 percent of consumers begin their product searches with Google and 11 percent begin with Yahoo”
• “Consumers are using more sophisticated, specific searches to seek out the exact products and deals they want. As a sign of this trend, Google recently reported an eight percent increase in searches comprised of three words or more.“
• “Free shipping, peer reviews/ratings, free returns and the ability to view products from multiple angles are the most influential purchase drivers on
  a retailer’s storefront”
  
• Advertisers are using a diversified mix of shopping comparison engines to help promote their brands and other primary traffic sources such as Google, Yahoo, Bing, Email marketing, etc.  Below is a breakdown of where CA customers are investing in comparison engines:
  

As this study indicates, search engines continue to lead the way for online retailers as a source of traffic, product research & comparison, finding deals and finding new brands.  Of that source, search optimization should continue to be a focal point for retailers as it’s the greatest area for improvement, yields the best ROI and provides the longest term impact.  It is important that eTailers consider ways to sell more through a multi-channel approach such as shopping comparison engines, affiliate marketing, email marketing, etc.  Use some of this proven information as outlined above to plan your efforts for the holidays & going into 2010.

A recent study by PPC management firm EngineReady presents alot of great data for retailers to consider regarding order sizes, conversions & other purchase metrics important to eCommerce.  The study was summarized by InternetRetailer, which can be found here.

The problem with this study, as many studies & surveys in the online marketing industry, is that it is SKEWED to the target audience.  Below are some reasons why the study is wrong in its claim that PPC is more likely to bring buyers than SEO.

Key findings from the study included:

• The conversion rate from paid search is 2.03% versus 1.26% from organic search, according to the study, which is based on traffic to 26 e-retail sites in the 12-month period that ended June 30.
• Paid search visitors bought the most, with an average order value of $117.06 versus $109.27 for those coming from other sites, $106.64 for visitors from organic search and $95.29 from direct referrals, such as from a bookmark or direct entry of a URL.

The known trends (SEO vs PPC) from many other industry studies that have been overlooked in this study, thus skewing the claim that PPC can bring more buyers, include:

• MORE visitors are reached through SEO as consumers are significantly more likely to click on organic listings over PPC listings (recent Hubspot researched showed 75% of clicks are to SEO listings, 25% to PPC ads)
• Due to the sheer volume of traffic delivered through organic search, odds are the conversion rate will decrease.  SEO delivers the masses (3-4X reach of PPC) — so conversion rates logically would be somewhat less.
• PPC will have a higher conversion rate due to the sophistication of landing pages purely for PPC.  As a holistic strategy, SEO can’t really operate with depth of landing page refinement that PPC can.
• In aggregate, SEO typically has higher ROI due to rising PPC costs and the fact that SEO clicks are “free”.  Granted, you do pay a retainer fee for SEO services to get you & keep you ranked.  (SEOMoz study found that 88% of budgets go to PPC, while 12% go to SEO). Net-net, what’s the better ROI?
• PPC is the equivalent of renting a house.  SEO is like owning a house.  The investments in SEO have significantly stronger long-term benefit than PPC.

At the end of the day, PPC has tremendous value for advertisers, and is a powerful mechanism when combined with successful SEO.  The study discussed here does have useful findings, but it’s missing important data for eCommerce decision makers.  When one looks at the complete reach of SEO, cost-analysis and long-term value —- the benefits of a well run SEO campaign outperform PPC and in sum, bring more buyers.

Microsoft & Yahoo have announced a 10-year partnership to take on Google and its search engine market share dominance.  For those companies keenly interested in successes in organic search, this announcement states that Bing’s search engine will power results for Yahoo Sites.  How is your website ranking in Bing for your most important keywords, themes & topics?  It’s about to be reflected in Yahoo.com organic listings, so plan accordingly!

While Google is still king of the mountain in terms of search engine market share (65%), one can reasonably conclude that Bing’s search engine will now reach approximately 28% of US search engine users! This is derived from June 2009 comScore numbers where Yahoo garnered 19.6% and MSFT 8.4%, of the US search engine market.  With the continued advertising push by MSFT for Bing.com on prime-time television and other media outlets, these numbers could keep rising as most feedback has been solid for the Bing ‘experience’.  It’s obvious Yahoo likes their advancements!

Online marketers who are experiencing success in Bing.com, with mediocre results in Yahoo, should have an added level of excitement and anticipation with these latest announcements.   In contrast, if you’re “off the grid” in Bing.com, you might want to get your act together sooner than later as Yahoo results are about to experience quite the makeover —- which sounds best, “BingHoo” or “YaBing”? ;-)  Stay tuned for more to come on this partnership or contact TDM’s new media marketing staff with any questions and how this affects your website’s future.