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On May 4^th, Google started its first day of a several week rollout initiative for its new core algorithm update. There have now been two core updates since 2020, the first one being in January. Both updates have been substantial with significant moves in website search engine placement ranks (SERPs) in nearly all industry verticals.

While January’s update only produced an average of 8 volatility points, a few days after the May 4^th rollout, SERPs saw volatility rates from 9 to 9.4 points. Thus, the May 4^th core update seems to be significantly more substantial and more influencing of SERPs and their positions. Broad core algorithm updates are designed to bring about noticeable changes within all search results across all countries and languages. We can only really know the full impact of the updates influence several weeks after the process has begun.

The coronavirus added another layer of intense SERP fluctuation as search volume was dramatically affected in nearly all industries due to the nationwide stay-at-home orders and mandated non-essential business shutdowns. We expected to see user queries related to travel, tourism, live events, restaurants, etc., to be significantly down. Not surprisingly, many of the category’s volatility did just that.

Unfortunately, this update’s highest impact has occurred across several industries that were already affected by the pandemic. The most influenced categories are Travel, Real Estate, Health, Pets & Animals, and People & Society – this is for both desktop and mobile searches. The top verticals with the best SERP performance are News, Business & Industrial, Online Communities, Arts & Entertainment, and Health. The biggest winner of these is the news industry. As everyone has been shut-in for quarantine and fixated on the latest pandemic updates, it’s no surprise that news outlets have come out on top.

On the other end of the SERP coin, websites that services and orchestrate travel and events have dropped to the bottom of the search volume barrel. When you’re locked in your home with limited options for essential services, your last thought is that vacation or trip you want to take. 

What can you do if your site has been negatively affected?

May 18^th marked the last day of completion for the update and the following weeks will allow us to assess the full extent of the changes that have taken place. It’s important to review your Google Analytics (website traffic), to see if there have been any significant changes to your site traffic in May.

Keep in mind that negative ranking does not always indicate that something is wrong with your website. However, in case it does, Google offers a list of questions to consider if the core update has adversely impacted your site. Visit  https://searchengineland.com/google-advice-on-improving-your-sites-ranking-for-future-core-ranking-update-320184 for more information. If you have seen a noticeable drop in traffic in the month of May, it is beneficial to read this article prior to making any website changes.

If you need assistance in improving your website and increasing your digital footprint and marketing, we are here to help! Our team of staff is locally employed, in-house, with a dedication to detail. Call Creative Programs and Systems; open Monday – Friday 9 am to 5 pm (810) 224-5252.

There are many digital marketing activities that can expand your brand’s presence and increase your visibility online. The most recognizable way to increase your brand’s search authority (non-digitally) is television, radio, billboards, and direct mail. However, these channels tend to be unaffordable for most small businesses. Below is a list of alternative marketing avenues that can create brand awareness at affordable prices.

1. Remarketing – Is when display or text ads are shown to a user after they have visited a website. Remarketing ads are usually called “the walking billboard” and can be a great way to maximize your brand exposure without spending a fortune. 

2.      Social Media – Facebook is the 2nd most popular website in the world, with billions of logins every day; it just makes sense to get in front of this audience. The cost-per-click (CPCs) are significantly less expensive than Google search ads and can be highly effective in growing your brand, website traffic, and followers. 

3.      Webinars – Are a great way to feature your expertise to your prospects and can be very informative. They also allow you to connect with your audience in a way that cannot be done with any other vehicle. Webinars can later be used for social posts or advertising campaigns. 

4.      Email Marketing – Email is still a very powerful medium in today’s digital marketing world and is an excellent way to communicate with your customers. The good thing is that it is still relativity cheap to send out thousands of emails and strengthens customer loyalty.

As mentioned, there are many other types of traditional marketing strategies that a small business owner can partake in to expand their brand recognition. Still, they are typically cost-prohibitive and hard to track in terms of ROI. The digital marketing channels mentioned above are an excellent way to grow not only your digital footprint but also your customer base at affordable prices. 

If you are interested in learning how we can help you expand your online presence, or if you have questions regarding Digital Marking, give the professionals at CPS a call. Our team of staff is employed locally, in-house, with a dedication to detail.

Creative Programs and Systems, open Monday – Friday from 9 am to 5 pm (810)224-5252.

COVID-19 has forever changed the U.S. and the world. Even though these current times may seem isolating and somewhat distressing, we can still help our fellow friends and family members. Our state and local community patrons could use our help too.

Here are several ways we can all help:

For Michigan:

The COVID-19 Community Response Fund: Hosted by United Way in partnership with corporate, nonprofit, and foundation entities. This fund will allow you to rapidly deploy resources to community-based organizations that are offering emergency relief to families and individuals in need within the southeastern Michigan areas. Learn More.

Become a Michigan Medical Volunteer: If you are a qualified health professional or related to the health industry, Michigan could use your help. If you are willing to support Michigan’s efforts in volunteering, go to Michigan.gov  to complete your registration. The state does not guarantee positions for any medical personnel, but they will contact you should the need arise.

CDC Foundation: The CDC Foundation Supports the critical health protection work of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC Foundation is raising emergency response funds to enable the CDC to conduct its responses to COVID-19. Learn More.

For Your Local County:

The American Red Cross: Due to the cancellation of blood drives, the American Red Cross faces severe blood shortages and could use your donation. Call 1-800-RED-CROSS to find a local donation site. Go here to learn how you can help.

Local Food Banks: People more than ever before are at risk for hunger due to this pandemic. Most school districts are continuing their breakfast and lunch programs, which disperses food to children who qualify even while school is closed. Local food pantries are available in almost every county. Go here to find one near you. https://ampleharvest.org/find-pantry/

Reach Out: We could all use a pick-me-up, especially during these times, and a personal phone call can go a long way in cheering someone up. So, pick up the phone and make that call!

Michigan and the United States may be reaching the peak of the outbreak, but our job as caring human beings has just begun. We can do this, and a little help can go a long way!

The coronavirus continues to spread worldwide, causing panic and uncertainty for everyone as we deal with the pandemic. With health and safety remaining a top concern during this time, people continue to stay home and avoid commuting to work and going to stores, restaurants, and other public places. Customers are now secluded to their homes, spending more time on their computers and phones than ever before.
 
In-store foot traffic has almost completely disappeared, which is why digital marketing may be the best answer to business advertising options. According to this article, businesses and brands that are e-commerce based will most likely do better than traditional brick-and-mortar companies. As many of us are working from home, our shopping habits will start to develop into more online-based buying patterns that could stay with us even after the pandemic.
 
Online retailers and marketers need to use proper tools, knowledge, and strategies to meet customer expectations effectively. As the pandemic continues to change elements of our life daily, your marketing team must also be ready to act quickly when new obstacles come into this unstable business environment.

Monday, February 24th marked the 9-year anniversary that Google unleashed the first Panda algorithm update. On February 24th, 2011, the Google update – later known as Panda, rocked the SEO world. Highly regarded as one of the most significant algorithm updates in the history of Google, the Panda update drastically changed the SEO landscape and how Google deems a website (and page) to be relevant in search results.

According to this article from Search Engine Land, 12% of Google’s search results were drastically changed on that cold day in 2011. Google made it clear in the SEO space that they aimed to drop sites that had “low quality” and “shallow” content. The change had a significant impact on a lot of sites making money and relying on organic traffic as their bread-and-butter.

In fact, Google used to run Panda updates quite frequently during that period. The aim was to hit new websites (several times) that didn’t fit into the new standards of how Google qualified useful sites and quality content. As Google kept running the Panda algorithm over questionable or low-quality sites, their rankings would drop lower and lower – eventually making a low-quality site become “unsearchable.” Now, Panda is a part of the core ranking algorithm and Google does not run standalone updates for Panda anymore.

One of the main things that Panda ended up influencing was how website owners approached their site structure and wrote content for their pages. It forced website owners to not focus on keywords and dubious ranking strategies (grey/black hat SEO) to manipulate Google’s ranking factors. Website owners and content creators now had to take the emphasis off ranking strategies and more on quality, original content, and user experience.

The Coronavirus continues to spread throughout the world and now a new computer virus is dispersing because of it through online circuits. IBM X-Force and Kaspersky have found that hackers are sending spam emails to people under the disguise of information related to Coronavirus in hopes of infecting users’ computers and smartphones. The emails are sent with urgent titles to people in Japan, and they think soon to other countries, including the U.S., saying that the country has been taken over by the infection and to click to open and read more. It is common for hackers to use current events with enticing verbiage to get a person to open, download, or click attachments to gain people’s private information. Hackers also track the open and click rates inside each email campaign to obtain information on a select group so they can reproduce the scams that perform best for them. Read the article to learn helpful tips that can keep you protected against these attacks.