Soon, talk of the ‘ten blue links’ could become a thing of the past as they look to scrap the page system and follow the scroll for results mechanism that people are already familiar with when searching down Twitter and Facebook. This way of delivering search results has already been rolled out onto Google Images and looks set to implemented on the web results page anytime soon.

This will obviously have far reaching implications in terms of how people search and how they interact with the search results before them.

From an SEO point of view I believe there will be an increase in the number of sites previously on the 2^nd or 3^rd page of Google getting clicks. Previously the user would have to make the decision to move on a page, however, with this taken away, I believe the user will search deeper in to the results. This will in turn have a negative impact on sites listed 6 to 10 who had previously been benefactors of the page system. As a SEO’er I will certainly be watching with interest the keywords I have listed between 11 and 30 and would expect these to start generating much more traffic for my clients. It would also be a very good idea to take advantage of this increased exposure and review all the descriptive text that gets displayed in these positions as a good enticing bit of text could be make you stand out from the crowd.

So why has Google decided to take this step, if indeed the rumors remain true and they eventually do?

I believe that mobile has a great deal to do with this.  With people now so au fait with checking Twitter and Facebook on a mobile and tablets and the touch screen making it much easier to scroll down than click to change pages, I believe Google is preparing the landscape for what they see will eventually be the primary devise in accessing their search results. As even few people will go beyond the 1^st page when searching on a mobile than on a desktop, they want to be able to maximise the number of options their users are faced with.

Also, imagine how many Adwords they could now display (or am I just being cynical?)

Facebook’s “Like” button came out a year ago and spread across the web like wildfire, so it is no surprise that Google have developed their own tool to act in a similar fashion as they have seen social recommendations becoming more and more important to how people search for what they are looking for.

Just like Facebook’s “Like” button, all the sites you “+1” will feature on the user’s personal Google profile forming a public list of recommended links, similar to that of Delicious, whose future looks uncertain and I’m sure won’t welcome this latest Google development.

The video below explains +1 in more detail

The basic idea is a good one. While searching you’re able to see what other people and friends recommend right in the search results page, and although Google have said that +1 doesn’t affect the algorithm for creating a page’s rank (for the time being anyway) it will surely affect individual users when they use Google. Sites that might sit 3rd on Google’s 1st page of results might start to see an increase in traffic because there are recommended by more people than the 1st and 2nd results. The feature also applies to Adwords, meaning that sponsored results/adverts can also be recommended.

This latest development by Google is a good step forwards but I feel it doesn’t fulfil the requirements of people using Google. Facebook’s “Like” button was designed to share information that someone finds interesting with their friends, while the +1 button acts as a recommendation for the website and this begs me to ask, “What are they recommended for?”. I might come across a website through certain keywords or a phrase and see a website that has been recommended, which is all fine as long as that recommendation came from someone who was searching for the same thing as I was. Are people recommending that site for the same search term I found it with or the product page I was deep linked into or that site in general?

Please let me know your thoughts?

For too long now events like this have been the property of London, dragging the digital world to capital and delivering a thoroughly mediocre affair. It’s about time the North had a platform to attract an international audience, and show our selves off a bit.

SAScon is a truly international event, with celebrated practitioners from the US, Spain, Holland, Belgium and Iceland sharing the stage with some of Manchester’s own, Paul Fabretti from Gabba and Neil Hardy from the Co-operative group to name but two. Personally I can’t wait to hear some more on the darker arts of SEO from Ralph Tegtmeier, who, according to Aaron Wall, is “one of the most insightful minds and original voices in the search game”.

A great deal of credit needs to go to SEMPO and Manchester Digital for delivering SAScon at a time when the digital landscape in the North demands it. We have some of the most innovative minds and cutting edge ideas, not just with the digital agencies, but with the digital departments of our regions forward thinking companies.

Up here in’t North have always been willing to take a punt, always keen support and embrace new initiatives, happenings and events, as the success of Manc Twestival proved. SAScon has the potential to be a permanent fixture on the digital calendar for digital marketeers from around the country. If you can make it, please go, it will be great to see you there.

www.sascon.co.uk

@sasconference

#sascon

One of the big topics of January was the battle between Google and China over it’s censorship of search results. It started with a cyber attack on Google originating from China, believed to be aimed towards Human Rights Activists involved in issues, such as Tibet.

• Google lifts censorship on China’s search results

Internet Explorer (IE) took a hit from the German and French governments when they both advised their people to find alternatives to using Microsoft’s browser in order to protect themselves from online attacks.

• Germany & France warn against using IE

Google also featured heavily in the news thanks to the launch of its first smart phone, the Nexus One. Many smart phones on the market use Google’s operating system Android, but this is the first attempt by the Mountain View Giant to enter the handheld market.

• Google launches Nexus One

Social Media websites, such as twitter, have caused problems for sports teams when their players share too much. In the summer Darren Bent was tweeting about his potential transfer to Sunderland and recently Ryan Babel vented his frustration about Liverpool’s selections on his twitter account. This resulted in both Manchester United and Manchester City banning their players from having twitter accounts.

• Manchester United ban Twitter
• Manchester City ban social media sites

Finally we have to mention Apple’s big announcement of January, the iPad. Apple once again got the world excited and sitting on the edge of their seats awaiting for Steve Job to take to the stage and reveal the latest toy.

• Apple launches iPad

Now all that is left is to wait and see what February has in store for us.

The Sun has drawn first blood with the sensational headline “Labour’s lost it”. The online version of this article is juicy enough link-bait to already hit the first page of Google for the search term “labour”.

There it is, at the time of writing, in fifth position (not counting news results). Ouch.

As well as associated articles, dossiers and microsites that can be found on the sun website, they are also using PPC as part of their attack strategy.

The terms labour, labour party and labour conference all bring up one of the following ads linking to the topic dedicated Feeling Blue section of their site.

And they seem to be pre-empting a response by buying up their own name.

It’s not been all one way traffic, though. Labour were pretty quick to respond with their own ad that plays on a pretty emotive anti-sun topic: Hillsborough. I took this screenshot this morning:

The gloves are off.

However, Labour don’t seem to be buying as many or as broad search terms. If they want to compete, they should be buying up all the search terms the Sun is and directly attacking the paper on its own turf. That could require some deep PPC pockets. In fact, as I check now the ad isn’t showing. Has the budget dried up already?

The US presidential election digital campaigns demonstrated the importance of rapid response to on and offline trending topics. In particular the paid search campaigns for both camps had to respond quickly and effectively to online buzz and breaking news. Eric Frenchman, the guy in charge of John McCain’s PPC has blogged about using search for political or news rapid response.

So now it’s the UK’s turn and although I hope the tactics might not get quite as… dubious as in the American election, I think Search and social media will be two areas where the battle will be viciously fought.

Interesting times lie ahead.

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Update: It seems Labour didn’t have anything directly to do with the Hillsborough ads, the Telegraph reports. The ads stopped showing around 2 the afternoon. Either there was a very small budget allocated or they were pulled. Over enthusiastic supporters or plausible deniability? Either way it’s a shame, I’d have liked to see a real scrap!

I’ve found another blog post here on the same topic that discusses the Rules of engagement for political parties.