Rich Snippets – no more boring search results

What are Rich Snippets?

You can mark up your structured HTML content any of three formats: microdata, microformats, or RDFa. You can use whichever standard you prefer.

A schema is basically a shared markup vocabulary (in HTML) which webmasters can use to markup their pages in ways recognized by major search providers.

On-page markup enables search engines to understand the information on web pages and provide richer search results in order to make it easier for users to find relevant information on the web. Markup can also enable new tools and applications that make use of the structure.

Google Authorship

For a while Facebook looked like it was going to win everything. Microsoft even bought a small %. But Google launched Google+ and now the game is completely changing. For a while it looked like the world was defocussing on search and refocussing on social media.

Google+ is about to enable unprecedented personalization of search results and the focus is going to fall back onto searches.

Personalization of search results

It’s absolutely important that you rank highly on Google… like on the first page, right?

 

but with social + personalized search that is becoming harder and harder.

Enlarge your online business

Maybe you have a website already but you want more sales from it. This is what you need to know… this how you get more customers through your website.

If Google loves your website, then it proudly displays your website on it’s front page results. If Google doesn’t love you, no one will know you exist. I they can’t see you, then they can’t visit you and buy from you.

You need Google to love your website – and that’s what we do for you.

Please read our 6 page PDF document (500kb in download size) which explains in down to earth language what it is that we do and why we are so very successful. Simply click the PDF link below…

 Our Approach (Version 2)

After reading this document please view our client list, visit their sites and contact one or two of them, asking them if they

You have to be social (WP, AddThis, Dlvr.it)

If you have the time, take a look at this very detailed research report: Leetaru Culturomics 2.0 (If you don’t have the time, hire me to do these things for you.)

Based on that report I make three suggestions in this post which relate to SEO and website design:

1. The world is finding their data online
2. You have to be connected
3. How to get connected – if you use WordPress or even if you build your own website

The image below shows the trend of where researchers find their data. As you can see, the growing trend is for them to find their data online.

Jewellery website designs

Just in case you get the impression that I only do B&B designs, here is a more recent client who sells custom made and perosnalized jewellery online.

Forget Me Not Jewellery
http://www.forgetmenots.co.za

Forget Me Not Jewellery

This is a fantastic jewellery idea and the feedback from the client and from the visitors to the site is that the design is superb.

Design and SEO considerations:

• In the feature area (the green band across the top) is a lovely image of a “forget me not” flower. That sets the tone for the emotional mood of the site.
• As they say: a picture is worth a thousand words… therefore I show three picture examples of the actual jewellery prominently so that potential custmers can see immediately what kind of jewellery is being described.
• This site has been registered with Google Webmaster Tools, Google Analytics, Bing Webmaster, Yahoo SiteExplorer and other related services.

B&B website designs

In my last post I share two success stories. Today I will share another design which had a very good reception by the customer.

This is Pine Cottage B&B:
http://www.pinecottage.co.za

Pine Cottage B&B

I love the “friendly” nature of this page.

Design and SEO considerations:

• In the feature area (the green band across the top) has three images which show the accommodation clearly. This means customers don’t have to hunt around the site but immediately get to see what they searched for. These images are neatly feathered alongside each other and the blue band draws the visitors eyes to this feature area. The image at the bottom of the page also gives the site an “African” feel.
• On the left in the menu bar area we provide instant and basic information about the B&B. More detailed information is provided on other pages. This overview is provided so that visitors can begin to make a snap decision.
• When the visitor is ready to make an enquiry the email and telephone number is always available in the top-right hand corner of all of the pages.
• The use of three flowers creates a “friendly” atmosphere for the visitor with one of the flowers “peeking out” from behind the feature area.
• This site has been registered with Google Webmaster Tools, Google Analytics, Bing Webmaster, Yahoo SiteExplorer and other related services.

Inbound links are vitally important

Inbound links are links that come from other websites.

Add snippets of your content to Facebook pages, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube content and make sure they have links that point back to your website.

Inbound links are absolutely crucial, but even more valuable are links from existing websites in your own industry. Contact all your partners and customers and encourage all of them to link to your website.

Facebook and YouTube videos help to get you indexed

Getting your domain indexed by Google so that you simply show up when someone searches for your exact URL/domain is easy, thhat happens almost immediately. But to get your content indexed so that you show up in search results on the keywords and phrases that you have used… that can take months.

The reason for this is that Google places more value on websites that have other existing/mature websites linking to them.