SEO Headlines 07/16/2008

More Insights Into Google’s Algorithm

Google’s really making good on its promise to be more transparent with today’s post on the technologies behind Google ranking. As Amit Singhai explains, Google is about understanding three things: pages, queries and users. Yeah, I got that.

The information discussed in the post probably won’t be too revolutionary for search marketers and those who frequently keep an eye on Google, but I still think it’s worth a read if only to confirm that the things you thought were true are actually true and that there isn’t some sort of mystery curtain Google’s working behind. I think it’s “normal” site owners that these posts are really great for, though.

Here are some snippets from that post that stood out to me.

• Search in the last decade has moved from “give me what I said” to “give me what I want”. User expectations from search have rightly increased.
• Google tries to associate concepts to pages, even if those concepts aren’t clear from the language on the page.
• Google has made several notable advances in understanding queries including a best-in-class spelling suggestion system, an advanced synonyms system, and a strong concept analysis system.
• The same query typed in multiple countries may deserve completely different results. A user looking for [bank] in the US should get American banks, whereas a user in the UK is either looking for the Bank Fashion line or for British financial institutions.

Being Smart Enough To Ask For Help

Problogger had a great post today about ignoring that little part of you that wants to be shy and knowing when its time to reach out and ask for help. Despite what you probably think, I’m actually quite shy in person, which is why I think this post struck such a chord with me. I’m always the last to ask for help writing, promoting or just for a hand in general. I simply don’t like burdening people. But sometimes you have to. We all do.

It’s okay to ask your customers for feedback, to (wo)man up and ask that A-lister for an interview, to go to the streets looking for help promoting a great piece of link bait you created. It’s not always easy, but the rewards are great.

Get over the fear and realize that we’re all connected and we’ve all had to do it. Those A-listers were once nobodies, your customers have customers of their own. Like Darren Rowse and your mother always told you, you never really know until you ask. And sometimes the answer is yes.

Fun Finds

I’m not sure if this is funny or just scary but Hitwise reports that Twitter UK’s traffic up 485 percent this year, making it 70 percent higher than it is in the United States. I has no words.

Lisa Barone is a writer, content marketer & VP of strategy at Overit Media. She's also a very active Twitterer, much to the dismay of the rest of the world.

See Lisa's author page for links to connect on social media.