by Felicien | Nov 21, 2018 | Education
Experts estimate that as many as 42% of websites may have been impacted by Google’s Medic update that dropped mid-summer. And, as with so many Google algorithm changes, it came out of nowhere, leaving a wake of destruction.
Did you see your own company website’s ranking plummet as a result of the Medic Update? Here’s what you need to know to determine if you were affected and how to fix damage from the medic update.
Were You Impacted By Medic Update?
Do you want to know the truth? You very likely were impacted in some way even if you didn’t feel the brunt of it. It’s known as the “Medic Update” because it disproportionately affected health-related websites early on. But as the waves continued to roll, other industries and sites felt the aftermath:
Fashion
e-Commerce
Local businesses
Affiliate marketing websites
Among others
Chances are that you fall into one of these categories. If you saw your search engine rankings dip — even slightly — in August 2018 with little to no recovery, you’ve very likely felt the wrath of Medic. Like many updates, it’s rolling out in sections so the decline may not be over.
While it never feels good to see your website lose ground in Google searches, know that Medic continues Google’s goal of elevating the highest authority websites which can best answer a searcher’s query. These are the ones that deserve those coveted top spots on page one.
If you take steps to adapt to the Medic Update, you have the potential to outrank the many websites that don’t. You could actually come out better than you were before when you learn how to fix damage from the medic update.
Step 1: Align Content with Searcher Intent
Before websites were impacted by the medic update, searching for a product or service may have sent you straight to a sales page. But this doesn’t reflect the modern buyer’s journey. Google knows that. This appears to be at least one thing that this algorithm change attempted to rectify.
70% of the buying decision is made before a person reaches a sales page. The Medic updates reflect this by pulling up more informational pages that help a potential customer make that decision.
If your website strategy largely revolved around the end of the buyer’s journey (sales), it’s time to put more focus on helpful content like blog posts, videos and interactive tools on your website.
Step 2: Utilize Google Shopping Ads
Ad clicks don’t directly impact your search engine ranking. But they do help you stay top of mind and build brand awareness over time when combined with a comprehensive brand awareness strategy. Google shopping ads have enjoyed a 47% increase in visibility year over year.
Don’t blame Google. It’s one of the main ways they make money. Increasing you pay per click (PPC) marketing budget will help you take advantage of this increased visibility and restore organic ranking indirectly.
Step 3: Check Your Link Profile
The number and quality of inbound links is still a known ranking factor. Relevant links from high authority websites help establish with Google that your company has an authoritative website. But Google search is getting smarter every year. It can more easily spot unnatural links that were likely purchased or otherwise unscrupulously acquired to manipulate your ranking. The aftermath for sites using questionable link-building strategies was swift and brutal.
It’s time to revisit your links using Google Search Console and more advanced link analysis tools like AHrefs, SEMrush or Moz.
Look for links coming from low authority and spammy websites. Disavow them using Google Disavow Tool.
Step 4: Be Clear About Ownership
Do you have a sneaky agenda for your website? You probably don’t. But some websites do. They leave it unclear who owns the website. For example, a business could create what appears to be a 3rd party review website and then review their own products. That’s not full disclosure.
Learn how to fix damage from the medic update on sites where ownership is unclear. Add your contact information to every header or footer. Or create a detailed “About Us” and “Contact” page. Make sure every page on any owned site has a link to these pages.
Step 5: Build Credibility
Some of those most impacted by medic update was giving health advice when it was unclear what credentials they had to do so. But this applies to any industry.
Consider adding a full, short bio on each blog post or informational page. Clearly, state the education and/or experience that qualifies the person to write and publish this content.
Remember E-A-T with every piece of content you produce. That’s…
Expertise – Your content demonstrates that you’re an expert in your field and you have the credentials to prove it.
Authoritative – Being authoritative is more about outside recognition. Do others in your industry recognize you as an authority? This may come in the form of reviews, links to your website, awards or ratings from organizations like BBB, Pulitzer or JD Power. Showcase this social proof of your authoritativeness on your website and work to get more recognition off-site.
Trustworthiness – Trustworthiness comes in many forms. For one, you should be careful with the facts you communicate on your site. Stretching the truth or failing to cite sources doesn’t evoke trust. Second, trustworthiness comes in the form of your physical site. Your site is secure (HTTPS), easy to navigate and looks professional.
Step 6: Do Historical Optimization
Have you learned a lot about how to build a better website over the years? Most businesses have. There was a time when you could fairly easily rank low-quality content that wasn’t mobile-friendly or on a fast-loading page. But those days have passed.
You may have content on your website that is so far below your current standards, that it should be removed from the site. But you’re also likely to find pieces of content that would be excellent if you:
Make them a little longer – the average blog post on page one is now over 1000 words. In some industries its over 2000.
Beef up the content – Thin content that doesn’t really add value doesn’t rank well. Add real value, not fluff.
Get rid of ungrammatical keyword usage – Google hasn’t used “exact match” keywords for some time. Google disregards unnecessary words and even many prefixes and suffixes when ranking websites. Keywords like “Luxury furniture Houston” that can’t grammatically fit in a sentence should be changed to “luxury furniture in Houston.” If the content used keywords unnaturally or every 100 words, find a synonym.
Interlink – Content should link out to some reliable websites and interlink with one or more other relevant pages on your website.
Connect with the target audience – Did your hook fall flat? Did people bounce off your website? Then you may need to evaluate how you’re connecting with that audience.
Visuals – Pages that have more relevant images rank better.
If you’re not doing these things in current content, then it’s time to update your website.
How to Fix Damage from the Medic Update
The Medic Update hit a lot of websites hard. But the good news is that when you adapt by applying these 6 steps, you can come out on top. To learn more about marketing, follow our blog.
by Felicien | Nov 21, 2018 | Education
The festive season is fast approaching, and it is a well-deserved opportunity to celebrate with friends and family. However, the joy of the holidays can quickly turn tragic if you are not careful. Emergency rooms visits and the number of calls to first responders see a sharp increase during the final few weeks of the year. It is possible to avoid a holiday disaster by following a few simple guidelines to help safeguard you and your family.
Ways to Stay Safer During This Year’s Holidays
Avoiding Decorating Disasters
Inspect your holiday decorations before putting them out. Even if you took the time to double check your decorations before storing them, look again. Check for frayed wires, loose connections, broken bulbs, and other fire hazards.
Ensure outside decorations are weather-resistant. Never assume that all decorations are suitable for hanging both indoors and outdoors. Look at the tag and make sure that the item has an outdoor rating from Underwriters Laboratory (UL) before using it anywhere it may get wet.
Don’t put yourself at risk for injuries. While decorating your entire home in lights and figures may look amazing, don’t try to do more than you can do safely. Make sure you know what you are doing before you try to climb a ladder or secure a holiday scene to the top of your roof.
Stay away from candles. While no one can deny that real flames add a magical warmth to your home, burning candles can significantly increase the chance of a house fire. You are more at risk if you have young children or pets at home. There are many LED candle lights which offer a similar, but much safer, candlelight effect.
Don’t leave your decorations on the entire night Besides saving energy and money, using a timer switch to turn your decorations off at a reasonable time each evening can prevent a fire from breaking out while you sleep. Homeowners who have plans to go away for the holidays should completely unplug decorations until they return home.
Don’t Cook Up a Disaster
Keep kids out of harm’s way. Cooking with your kids during the holidays can be a great experience. Prevent little ones from being injured by ensuring they stay away from the stove and never allowing them to use sharp knives. Instead, give them simple, safe tasks like kneading dough or decorating cookies.
Watch your food temperatures. Many cooks only cook large roasts or whole turkeys during the holidays. For cooks with less experience, it is easy to undercook the meat resulting in serious illnesses. Always follow a recipe and use a meat thermometer to ensure the food thoroughly cooked.
Make sure your stove and oven are off. It is easy to become distracted and forget to turn appliances off. Do yourself a favor and double check before going to bed for the night.
Keeping Healthy and Secure During Holiday Travels
Give yourself plenty of travel time. Driving during the holidays often means huge delays, so leave early enough so you won’t need to rush to get to where you are going on time. Take the time to plan out food and bathroom breaks before hitting the road. This step is particularly helpful if you are traveling with children or other passengers who may need special considerations.
Always use seat belts and properly installed car seats. Seat belts and car seats save lives, so there is no excuse not to use them correctly. Buckle up even if you are only heading down the street to pick up a last-minute gift.
Never use a cell phone while driving. Increasingly people are depending on driving apps to find the best way of getting to their destinations. Although these apps work well, they can become a distraction if you need to interact with your phone physically. Set your destination before leaving or have a passenger handle the navigation and concentrate on the road.
Be extra careful when driving in neighborhoods. During vacations from school, expect to see more children outside at all hours of the day and night. Reduce your driving speed and stay alert for people who may dart out in front of your vehicle.
Even one drink may be too much. If you are planning to attend holiday parties where they serve alcohol, imbibe responsibly and never drive unless you are completely sober. It is always a better idea to have a designated driver or use an alternative means of getting home to avoid a life-changing accident.
Keep these tips in mind this holiday season, and we wish you a joyful time full of beautiful memories.
by Felicien | Nov 21, 2018 | Education
Google launched its Google Maps web mapping service in February 2005. The service stood out as innovative for the times, providing users with detailed satellite overviews of countries, cities, and streets. It provides a “bird’s eye” or “top-down” view of an area using satellite imagery as well as aerial photography taken from between 240 and 460 meters. Images used in Google Maps are no more than three years old, with frequent updates performed.
The core functions of the program includes an API (application program interface, a set of building blocks used by programmers to create a program such as Google Maps) that allows maps to be placed on external websites (such as those of an Australian business) and a locator service for companies to provide information, including URL (uniform resource locator – web address).
Interestingly the initial program for Google Maps was developed by a pair of Danish brothers, Lars and Jens Eilstrup Rasmussen and their company Where 2 Technologies. Where 2 Technologies was a start-up mapping related business that is based in Sydney. The company’s mapping technology, which became the engine for maps, was acquired by Google in October 2004.
Google Maps as a Social Network
Social networks, such as the popular ones like Facebook and Twitter, and business-oriented networks like LinkedIn, provide a perfect avenue for facilitating communication locally, regionally, nationally, and globally. The ability to cross borders in a seamless matter allows businesses a way to broaden their appeal, gain additional market share, and extend boundaries for their products and services.
The thought of a mapping service as a social network entity is not as far off an idea as you may think as your business’s IT thought leader. More than half of smartphone users (either iOS or Android) have used Google Maps and its companion service Google Earth. This makes the service one of the most widely used apps by mobile users and a further indication that its use as a social networking medium should be strongly considered by businesses.
Add also Google’s Local Guides service and businesses can use the functionality of maps to post information about just about anything and everything that there is to know about the company. The service provides a real-time (or near real-time) way to interact with maps users, post searchable links, and provide users with valuable information about your business, products and services.
Social Network Usage in Australia
Consider these metrics when deciding if the use of Google Maps is an appropriate consideration for you doing business in Australia. Facebook is the most extensive social network used by Australians. It is reported that more than 60 percent of the population are active Facebook users and that more than half of the country’s population logs into the platform at least once in a day. Based on information from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, this number of active users represents a population of about 25 million.
Other platforms popular in the country (based on monthly active or unique users) include YouTube, the video sharing platform, with an estimated 15 million monthly active users and Instagram, the photo-sharing platform, with also an estimated 15 million unique users. These numbers are good signs for those businesses engaged primarily in delivering their goods on a business-to-consumer (B2C) basis. For business-to-business (B2B) providers, there are approximately 4.5 million monthly active Australian users.
How Australian Businesses Utilize Google Maps as a Social Network Tool
Using Google Maps as a social network tool should receive strong consideration by businesses across Australia. The tool’s design as a locator service provides businesses with a way to direct potential customers to their doorstep and provide imagery and other enticing data points to bring in more business. Maps are designed to create a greater interactive experience with a higher-level prospect as the user who accesses this service primarily for information or directions.
Whether B2B or B2C or both, tapping into the potential Google Maps offers as a social network platform unleashes unlimited potential. Linking maps with your other social media outlets, such as the popular Facebook and Instagram apps for B2C contacts or LinkedIn for your B2B connections, provides business with a dual messaging threat. Information supplied via casual social network contact on one of the country’s popular platforms can direct users to maps for specific company information, driving instructions, and real-time location-to-location mapping. In these terms, Google Maps indeed represents the potential to become the next great social network for Australian business.
by Felicien | Nov 20, 2018 | Education
Tax compliance is a matter that many people try to adhere to in Canada. That means that when one receives a call asking them to immediately clear apparent tax deficits or face arrests, they merely comply. It is often impossible to tell apart the scammers from real CRA employees as they use masking technologies that make it seem like you really are getting a call from the CRA. This problem is so rampant that millions of dollars have been transferred to these scammers leaving many unaware Canadians cheated.
Over the years, many individuals have come forward to make complaints on their losses. This has however posed a rather unique problem to the Canadian police force. This owes to the fact that these scammers are international and not being Canadian citizen’s makes the law unable to cater to these woes. These scammers have gotten away with it for so long that at this point there are several call centers established in many towns in India.
These scammers have been getting away with this matter for many years even with a government that is aware of what is happening. With corruption a big problem in the Indian police force, there is no doubt that some of these scammers have merely paid off the police officials to keep away and let them proceed. The result is a scam that forces many unsuspecting Canadian citizens to lose their hard earned money thinking they had tax deficits.
How they scam Canadian citizens
This is a very large operation in India. As there are so many scam call centers in India, you find that they have narrowed down their targets to either the elderly or immigrants who are yet to get acquainted with how tax collection works in Canada. This unfortunate matter is conducted in a manner that has kept the operation alive for several years and expanded the operations.
The scammers generally call using a robot. Most of them mask their numbers that they appear as a CRA number. After the person on the other end picks up the call, they identify themselves CRA employees. These then progress and they firmly inform you that you owe a certain amount of money. They then begin pushing and prodding asking that you send the money.
They don’t always ask for money, sometimes they ask for apple gift cards as well as an incentive. People get threatened that they will face jail time or lose property by auction to cover their costs. They will target anyone that they think might not be aware that it may be a scam. One businessman admitted to having been scammed over a hundred thousand dollars from his business.
How they collect and hide the money
The scammers hide the money in different ways. Most of them are known to use financial cartels from overseas who are usually given around 40% of the cuts. They also tend to use different cartels to keep their operations as untraceable as possible. The operation is an extensive network that originates in the streets of Mumbai and other Indian towns. The popularity that the call centers get by the locals has made many more young people venture into scamming as a primary source of income.
The biggest motivators and continuers of this are young people in their twenties usually. They are people hoping to make a lot of quick money for they quickly try to make pacts with local cops who are generally happy to receive a bribe to ignore the illegal activity. Since the call centers are the only place to trace where this scam originates, it is difficult for a Canadian citizen to know who scammed them or for these scammers to be linked to specific cases.
Efforts to stop the phone scammers
In the past, there has been little to no effort to prevent this kind of scam. Canadian citizens have learned to ignore or easily recognize a fraud. The people who are most likely to be victims of this are people who are not well versed with how the CRA works as they actually communicate by use of mail. This makes elderly people who may be unaware of changes to be victims as well as newcomers.
There has however been a recent progression in solving this. The local Indian police in cohorts with the RFPD have begun to search for these call centers. They have been identified and raided on national TV to show these people that the time to end these operations has come. This raid has led to many operations being revealed and there is hope for this massive operation to be brought down once and for all. Many Canadians have fallen victim to these scammers and more will continue if the word is not given to them.
by Felicien | Nov 20, 2018 | Education
As individuals, we’ve been using 4G LTE to connect to the internet for years. 4G LTE can benefit all school districts, and it is a particularly good choice for districts with schools in a wide or rural geographic area. It also offers a type of flexibility that wired connectivity doesn’t have. But how can this mobile wireless technology benefit school districts, from students to faculty and staff?
How Can 4G LTE on School Buses Strengthen Districts?
Some school districts are installing 4G LTE on their school bus fleets with program names like “WiFi on Wheels.” Each bus in the fleet receives an in-vehicle LTE wireless solution that can be used while students are riding the bus to and from school.
The most prominent results from “WiFi on Wheels” initiatives are coming from school districts in widespread, poor, and rural areas. One California school district’s 100-bus fleet covers 1,250 square miles.
Many of the district’s students lacked internet access at home and also had long bus rides. After implementing 4G LTE on district buses, students became more academically engaged. In one year, graduation rates in the district increased from 70 to 80 percent.
4G LTE on buses has also been shown to increase student safety and reduce incidences of violence and bullying. From a resource management perspective, 4G LTE on school buses supports telematics to improve cost-efficiency and GPS that shows the location of buses at all times for fleet management.
Can 4G LTE Strengthen School Communications and IT Support?
Districts with widespread facilities and campuses can use 4G LTE to manage digital signage and communications. Instead of localized programming, district-wide messages can be sent instantly.
Remote tech support and troubleshooting can also be improved by 4G LTE technology. Wireless 4G LTE networks can enable remote solutions and inter-school conferencing.
If your district uses sites that aren’t typically connected to the internet, like gyms, sports complexes, and temporary classrooms, 4G LTE enables these buildings and locations to be flexibly included in the school network as needed.
How Can 4G LTE Benefit Campus Safety and Security?
In the same way that districts implement “WiFi on Wheels” on buses, campus safety vehicles can use 4G LTE for communications, monitoring, and reporting. Security and real-time communications for students, faculty, and staff can be supported through 4G LTE cameras and other monitoring devices.
Because 4G LTE technology is wirelessly delivered, security within the system is also important to prevent intrusion and hacking. 4G LTE technology enables districts to isolate their own data and cloak any personal information that’s going through the district’s devices. The district can define its own information perimeter using software, limiting the network’s use to authorized students and staff.
How can Wireless WANs Support Parents and Student Volunteers?
Parent groups who are holding music, athletic, recreational, cultural or theater events can use the network remotely to process credit card payments. Student leadership groups can process payments for dances, campus events, and year-end activities. 4G LTE technology enables these transactions and events to be conducted safely and securely.
There are many good reasons to consider 4G LTE technology for school districts and campuses. From improving school bus safety and increasing student academic performance to connecting remote campuses and enabling remote IT support, connecting a district and all of the people in it with 4G LTE can be an effective, efficient communications choice.
