As if these two changes weren’t enough for SMEs to handle, last week Google announced the introduction of Google Instant Preview. This new feature allows users to actually view a website before they click on it, by hovering their mouse of an entry in the home page search results list.
Google Instant Preview is all about putting as much information on the home page as possible so users don’t have to click on the links they don’t want to visit.
If users don’t like the look of your page, there is no reason for them to click on it. However, Greenlight pay per click manager Jim Warren says SEO plays a part when the look of your site suddenly impacts traffic.
“You can be sure a negative reaction to a site layout or colour design of a website in Google ‘Quick View’ would have an effect on online advertisers’ percentage click-through rates,” he warns.
As a result, businesses may find their click-through rates will begin to fall even without them doing anything. Warren warns factors such as “colours, log positions and site layout… are just some of the things that will need to be taken into consideration when building landing pages”.
“A negative reaction to a website could in itself prove costly, not only to online advertisers but also to brands with an online presence,” he warns, adding that a drop in click-through-rates will affect your ranking.
In fact, the Google Instant update may affect your ranking without you having to do anything at all. If a site ranked in third-place manages to gain more clicks because of a better-looking landing page, then it will soon rise to the top.
SEO experts including Chris Thomas from Reseo and Monte Heubsch from AussieWeb say they are considering how to recommend changes to their clients.
“The big implication is around AdWords. If you have a crappy landing page and no one is visiting you based on these previews, then you are going to see click-through-rates drop and your ranking will suffer.”
Lisa Taliana, chief executive of Taliana Designs, says this is mainly a design issue and businesses need to start working with their developers if their pages need a once-over.
“The new Instant Preview feature Google has implemented is an excellent idea, however if your site is not up to scratch, then maybe it’s time to rethink your home page. After all, it is the first impression an end-user gets of your site.”
“I would make sure that your home page is clean and clutter free. Ensure anything that is absolutely relevant to your site, make it appear on your home page (and that does not mean moving everything to the home page).”
Taliana also recommends users stick to a grid system – try and keep your content in two or three columns so users’ eyes aren’t distracted by too much information.
“Keep the colour scheme limited and try not use every colour available in your palette. Stick to your corporate colours.”
But does this mean you need to change your SEO strategy? Not quite, according to these experts. Google Instant Preview is something you need to speak about with your design team.
“If Google’s preview system ‘Quick View” is to stay, then the SEO game will, to an extent, change again. Another factor to consider and another area to optimise, but the core SEO principles stay the same as always.”
Tailoring your SEO strategy to these new changes isn’t just about throwing some more money at AdWords and pinning yourself on a map, according to Asigno. He says Google is now aggregating as much content from as many different sources as possible, and businesses need to keep throwing up content to remain relevant.
“What Google is doing now, is putting all of the relevant content together and then placing it in the main results page. So when you search for something, you’re not just getting pages, you’re getting maps, videos, blog listings and other searches as well.”
“It is so extremely important for your brand to be available through all of these channels now, because if you’re not taking up that screen real estate, then your competition is taking it and you’re being left behind.”
As you would have noticed on the previous Google Places page, updating your business isn’t just about throwing up some phone numbers and an address. Google wants to know everything about you, including opening hours, descriptions and other information.
But Google Places also wants photos of your business, and it wants videos. It doesn’t matter if you aren’t a photography studio and you don’t produce tutorial videos – it doesn’t matter. There is at least one photograph you can use – your logo – and businesses are constantly thinking up new ideas for videos.
In the United States, blender manufacturer BlendTec gained a massive YouTube following after it started the “Will It Blend” series of videos. They aren’t meant to produce money, (although some have gained thousands in advertising), they are meant to show off the business and get people’s attention.
Matt McGee, who runs SEO firm Matt McGee Consulting, says businesses now must ensure they have multiple points of contact on the internet, whether that be on YouTube or Google Maps.
“Where it used to be enough to do one or the other and get some measure of visibility – either up in the map-based local listings or down below in the web page listings – that doesn’t work anymore.” he says.
“You have to cover both bases: claiming and optimising your Google Places business profile, and doing great local SEO on your web site.”
SEO experts warn this is a tumultuous time for search engine marketing and SMEs need to be at the top of their game. Thomas says businesses should be checking for updates and working with SEO experts to make sure their rankings don’t suffer due to an update they were never aware of.
“We’re taking a cautious approach. We know there are some big changes here but we think Google is still playing around with the changes and it will take some time for everything to settle down and for businesses to catch up.”
Patrick Stafford is a freelance journalist and a former deputy editor of SmartCompany.
