Category: Miscellaneous

During your online searches, you may have noticed that Google ranks videos differently than YouTube. If you enter a search query into Google, you’ll come across an entirely different set of video results than if you enter the same search into YouTube. According to a Stone Temple Consulting report, video rankings vary between Google and YouTube about 57 percent of the time. Experts at a leading San Diego SEO firm discuss key features of the report.

Researchers at Stone Temple Consulting discovered that in queries that return multiple videos, the first videos listed on Google and on YouTube don’t match 64.8 percent of the time. In queries that return just one video on Google, the Google video doesn’t match the top YouTube result 52.7 percent of the time.

Eric Enge, CEO of Stone Temple Consulting, suggests Google and YouTube show different search results because the two sites have different goals and KPIs. Google’s primary goal is to find helpful, informational, and relevant content for users. YouTube, on the other hand, mostly tries to entertain viewers. The two sites also have different requirements and priorities for video optimization.

YouTube places emphasis on user engagement. They consider how long a user watches a video, whether or not the viewer watches another video, how many views a video has, how many times a video has been shared, and how many subscribers a channel has. To optimize videos for YouTube, creators should make a compelling and engaging video with relevant tags and a detailed video description.

Because Google focuses more on information than on entertainment, they prioritize informational videos, tutorials, and how-to videos. Like YouTube, keywords, titles, and descriptions are also important for optimization.

Although Google and YouTube have different systems for ranking videos, businesses should try to optimize their videos for both platforms. When making a video production strategy, consider the algorithms for both sites.

For high-quality digital marketing and SEO services, turn to Saba SEO. From video production to web design and social media marketing, we offer a range of services to help our clients boost their search ranking. Our commitment to quality, attention to detail, and professional experience makes us a premier San Diego search engine optimization agency. If you want your business to enjoy high rankings across multiple search engine platforms, call us at 858-951-1717 today.

There are times when it doesn’t make sense to have a webpage considered for ranking purposes. An example of this is the “thank you” page that sometimes appears after a purchase is made on a website. Sometimes there’s confusion over what tags to use to control the items Google considers for ranking purposes. Google recently provided some clarification on the noindex directive that can be used to tell crawlers what not to index. Here’s what San Diego web design experts know about Google’s stance on the noindex directive so far.

Noindex Doesn’t Control Crawling

Google’s John Mueller, the same person who remarked, “we make changes every day” when referring to the company’s approach to ranking, recently clarified what noindex means. In a recent tweet, Mueller described noindex as an indexing directive that does not control crawling.

Why Crawling of Noindex Pages Is Necessary

The Robots exclusion protocol (REP) is often used to control indexing behaviors. The “no-follow” directive can impact what Google reviews for ranking purposes, but the noindex directive is different. The noindex directive simply identifies pages you want a search engine to block and not index. However, pages identified as “noindex” still need to be crawled so Google can identify which pages to index and which ones not to index.

Practical Use of the Noindex Directive

Going back to the “thank you” page example, pages that appear after someone fills out a form or places an order can help you track your lead submissions and goals. You wouldn’t want “thank you” pages to show up on search engine results pages (SERPs) because it doesn’t make sense to direct searchers here until after the desired action has been taken.

The noindex directive is often paired with the no-follow directive, which is specific to links. Noindex tags draw attention away from web pages that don’t need to be considered for ranking purposes, but they don’t prevent crawling altogether. You can use the noindex directive to complement other methods that do affect crawling behavior in a way that makes sense for how you want your content presented online.

Among other web designing and marketing companies, San Diego businesses and others throughout the world prefer Saba SEO. Our dedicated web designers and SEO specialists can help you bring your vision to life, boost your business’s search ranking, and increase conversion rates. We offer a team of experts who can deliver promising results well within your marketing budget. If you want to boost your site’s online ranking and acquire new leads and customers, give us a call at 858-951-1717 and get started.

Google’s Street View technology, first launched in 2007, is constantly expanding and improving. The search engine juggernaut recently announced its algorithm can now pull business names and phone numbers from its Street View pictures to update business info that displays on Google.

If you’ve ever seen one of the Google Street View vehicles on the go or looked at your own neighborhood on Street View, you may have wondered how often they update images or how long you will need to wait to show off your new landscaping on Google.

Here’s what experts at one of the leading San Diego SEO Company know about updates for Google Street View.

Can You Get Google to Update Your Street View?

At present, you cannot request that Google send a Street View vehicle to any location to update images. However, if you aren’t happy with how your home or business looks, you can take a 360-degree photo with your smartphone or create a photo sphere with Google’s photo tool app and upload it to Street View with the Google Maps app as a workaround strategy.

Where Will Street View Update Next?

Google prioritizes getting Street View images in places where they currently have no photos. Along with its standard fleet of Street View cars, Google also uses cameras attached to backpacks in the Street View Treks program to capture images in areas that vehicles cannot travel to. The Treks program allows users to submit panoramic user-generated images that can be used in Street View.

The search engine company has stated that it tries to frequently recapture or update its images, but this is usually done with a priority toward important places or areas that change often like major metropolitan cities. If you live in a rural or remote area, it may take years for Google to send anyone to update your Street View. In residential areas, images are usually updated every two to three years.

Google maintains an interactive map showing where it has collected Street View data and where it will be driving next. The upcoming destinations can be sorted with an estimated date range by region and district.

As one of the leading search engines in the world, Google rolls out new changes to its search engine algorithm every now and then. Partnering with a reputed digital marketing agency can help you navigate through the complexities of SEO and boost your online ranking. In San Diego, SEO professionals at Saba SEO work tirelessly to help businesses expand their outreach. Whether you need a tailored digital marketing strategy or a quick update on recent search engine algorithm changes, we’re here to help you every step of the way. To schedule an appointment with one of our experienced SEO Managers, call us at 858-951-1717 today.

The best hotels are often categorized by comfort, location, and price on search engine results pages. Fluctuations in hotel prices often change the itinerary of a traveler’s trip. If you are ready to take your next vacation, you should be looking at the best deals available. Now, you can take advantage of pricing deals by connecting to technology, as the new Google Hotel Ads app shows nightly price trends. Experts at a reputed San Diego SEO agency provide an insight to this new technology.

This application is available with a mobile widget, and it is activated when you begin to search for hotels. You can look at your destination and dates to find the fluctuations in pricing. The application shows weekly fluctuations with high and low numbers of different hotels and sites that offer amenities, and these numbers continue to fluctuate as the demands in travel increase or decrease. By using this widget, you can tap into savings with real time results. You can also receive the daily average of the destination you are interested in, so you can properly prepare.

Not only can you filter the results with pricing, but it is also possible to look at the hotel ads for your unique interests. If you require specific amenities, you can change your search. The hotels you are interested in can be contacted directly from the Google search, cutting the amount of time it takes to search for your stay. More important, it targets the needs you have during your travels so you can relax and enjoy your vacation.

Now you can use technology to stay in your budget while you are traveling. This innovative search tool guides you to the proper amenities while helping you save money. With the new Google ads available for mobile devices, you will have more money for your trip while enjoying luxurious hotels at the best available prices.

If you’re running a hotel business and looking to benefit from this new feature on Google, turn to Saba SEO. As a reputed San Diego search engine optimization company, we specialize in designing comprehensive SEO strategies, customized PPC ads, and other marketing solutions for a variety of industries. For over 10 years, we have helped several businesses benefit from winning digital marketing strategies, enjoy higher conversion rates, and manage their online reputation. Call us at 858-951-1717 to learn about our marketing plans.

If your opponent is coming from the east, attack from the west, unless there are potential customers in the east. This variation of Sun Tzu’s philosophy highlights the importance of keeping tabs on your competition, especially when they’re going after the same consumers. One of the leading San Diego SEO companies shares a few tips on how to analyze your SEO competitors.

Identify Who Your Competitors Are

You may think you know who your online competitors are, but there are always new businesses entering into the game. Start by searching for your own business on Google like a typical customer would do. Make a list of all the businesses that come up along with yours. These are your competitors. Don’t count the large retail brands like Walmart and Amazon. Instead, focus on competitors within your niche.  

Check Their Traffic Flow

SEMRush is one of several sites you can use to observe the organic search traffic for your competition. Link Research Tools is another important data platform you can use to dive deep into your competitors’ SEO profiles. Metrics to pay attention to include:

• Domain authority and age

• Social shares

• How often other sites link back to theirs (link velocity)  

Evaluate Your Competitors’ Content

Take a look at the specific types of content your competitors are distributing and how much engagement they’re getting from it. Check out their websites, blogs, social media pages, and directory listings. Explore even further and read the comments on their social pages and on review sites. This will give you an idea of how your customer base views the competition. Also consider the points listed below:

• How many active followers they have on each social account

• Incentives they’re offering, such as coupon codes and promotions

• What topics they’re discussing in their blogs and social posts

There will always be other businesses going after the same audience online. At Saba SEO, not only can we help you find out what’s working for your competitors, but we can also help identify the needs you may be overlooking for your own company. With a team of professional SEO experts, we can fine-tune your existing engagement efforts to boost your ranking and attract high-quality leads. If you have an SEO plan in mind, give us a call today at 858-951-1717. We’d love to help you achieve it.

The motives behind searching for a particular brand online are different from what someone has in mind when doing a “regular” search. There are equally different expectations for the search results likely to be delivered. The staff at Saba SEO, a San Diego SEO company, helps businesses effectively present their brand, products, and services online. Here are a few ways searching for brand is different from using the search engine.

Search Motives

People searching for products and services are likely to be in the early stages of making a purchase decision. Therefore, they may be concerned about features like price and whether or not they can save an extra 10 percent with a coupon code. However, people searching by brand are likely not just looking for a deal. They’re more likely ready to make a decision because they already know they want something specific from your business.

Detached vs. Personal

Even if familiar brands show up in general search results, someone not looking for a particular brand is likely to be open to other brands. Brand searches tend to be personal. People feel connected to a brand because they believe that particular company shares their values or has certain desirable qualities.

High Potential for Engagement

People searching for brands can be receptive to the content beyond your website, since they may be looking for fresh, relevant content related to your brand. There’s a high potential for engagement with your social media pages, video posts, and blog posts.

Although you can’t control whether people search for your products or services online or actively seek your brand, the search engine marketing specialists at Saba SEO can boost your brand’s online visibility. From high-quality content creation to effective social media management, we use a variety of tools to create a tailored online marketing plan for your business. If you’re looking for new ways to increase online engagement or to manage your brand effectively, give us a call at 858-951-1717.

Digital marketing in San Diego is a competitive field, and one of the best ways to stay ahead of the game is by reading industry-related publications on a regular basis. But with all the information on the internet, where do you start? Here’s our pick for the top marketing blogs.

1. Copyblogger

This is a great blog for content marketers. This go-to resource has just about everything you could need regarding content marketing, copywriting, and content curation.

2. The Sales Lion

Marcus Sheridan, also known as the “pool guy”, is a well-known speaker in the marketing industry who shares his personal marketing knowledge on how to get your business noticed. Best of all, he’s honest and doesn’t make marketing sound like something that just happens.

3. Moz

We couldn’t make this list without including Moz, known to most as the top authority on all things SEO. The Moz blog has just about everything you could want to know regarding digital marketing, from Google updates to social media marketing tricks and everything in between.

4. Web SEO Analytics Blog

If you’re looking for tips, tricks, or just general advice on improving your SEO campaigns, this blog is for you. It offers a wealth of information on moving up in the rankings, building links, and even analytics.

5. HubSpot

You’ve likely heard of a gem called HubSpot. Whether you are just getting started in online marketing or can run campaigns in your sleep, this blog has advice, tips, and information for everyone.

6. Social Triggers

Derek Halpern helms the ship that is Social Triggers. This blog offers tons of information on how to be persuasive and increase product profitability. He’s also got some good info on sharing content and building your network. There are hundreds of good blogs out there, so read a few and find what works for you.

If you find that putting together a comprehensive marketing campaign is more than you bargained for, reach out to Saba SEO, a leading San Diego SEM company. We can plan and manage everything, from your social media to your paid advertising. Call (858) 277-1717 and ask about a free website audit today!

While you may not realize it, chances are you’ve already experienced some form of social engineering. In a cyber context, social engineering is the art of manipulating online users to divulge private information, such as a username and password.

While hackers employ various strategies, social engineering is often accomplished using something like a standard online verification process or through a similarly unsuspecting method. Fortunately, given the largely non-technical nature of this form of deception, hackers’ success hinges on users’ decision making. By understanding what social engineering is, who is at risk, and how it is typically attempted, you can better defend your information from this evolving threat.

Given that an increasing amount of business and daily life activities rely on digital services, systems, and information, it is important to understand the many forms of social engineering. These attacks can come via email, web browser, or a program users trust. A common approach, termed phishing, involves, for example, a hacker sending an email that explains a fabricated problem, which requires the recipient to verify their personal information to resolve. This type of scam often also includes a warning of what will happen if the user fails to act quickly, thereby encouraging them to do so without thinking. Another frequently used scheme, called baiting, is often seen on peer-to-peer platforms and usually involves enticing users to, for instance, download a popular movie, and in doing so gives hackers access to their information.

While these threats and mechanisms are ubiquitous, online marketing agencies in San Diego point out that users are still in control when it comes to social engineering. To avoid sharing sensitive information, simply slow down, research the information provided in suspicious emails or messages, and delete or reject any unsolicited messages offering help or requesting personal information. As the internet of things evolves, make sure that you evolve with it.

Saba, Inc. is a trusted name in online marketing and specializes in SEO, social media, PPC, and website design and development. Reach out today by calling (858) 277-1717 to learn more or request a complimentary website audit.

Have you recently searched for a home or business using Google Maps? If so, you may have noticed a new icon in the bottom left hand corner of the map, next to the Street View option. If you think this icon looks familiar, you’re right! It’s an image of the classic video game, Pac-Man.

As an April Fool’s “joke”, Google is turning your favorite city streets into a live Pac-Man game, which has already gotten a lot of attention on the web. Wired.com has even released the top 15 spots to play Pac-Man in Google Maps – with number one being Lombard Street in San Francisco.

While not every street can be turned into the Pac-Man game (mostly due to lack of cross streets in more rural areas), users have been able to collect cherries and escape chasing ghosts around some pretty iconic landmarks like the Taj Mahal and the Champs-Elysees.

The game is not available on mobile devices, only desktops, which is interesting since Google just released information regarding an upcoming update about mobile-friendly websites. Just kidding, we know Pac-Man for Google Maps is all in good fun!

Of course, Pac-Man won’t have any impact on your local SEO, and more importantly, it won’t last long. Be sure to play a game in your favorite city before it’s too late!