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The Shifting Legal Landscape of Google AdWords: From a Canadian Perspective

Helen — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 12:39:51 +0000

WebFuel welcomes back James Katz, Ottawa Lawyer with BrazeauSeller LLP., as our guest blogger. This is his fourth blog post in a regular series related to legal search issues in Canada. WebFuel blogs about AdWords, one of our core services, but this topic is related to trademarks from a legal perspective.

Guest Post by: James Katz

In my last blog post, I focused on legal issues that can arise by the unethical use of Google Places listings, such as the use of a third party’s trade-mark in order to draw attention to what is in fact, a competitor’s website. As I indicated back then, there is no Canadian case law that deals directly with this ever more common scenario. As a result, I was forced to go to recent case law from the Courts of Australia for guidance, which can provide us Canadians with some indication as to what a Canadian Court would decide if faced with such a scenario. Well, it’s time for us to go Down Under again in order to shed legal light on how a Canadian Court might deal with a dispute concerning Google AdWords.

Many of the legal issues surrounding the misuse of AdWords overlap with those that can arise with Google Places. These disputes generally involve allegations that an advertiser has misled the buying public by the use of AdWords that are comprised of the names or trade-marks of competitors. It had already been decided in Australia and other jurisdictions that in such cases, there was no doubt that the advertiser (the person selling their products or services online) can be held liable in such cases for breaches of various unfair competition laws. But, thanks to an interesting April 3^rd Court decision, again from Australia, it now turns out that someone else could also be liable for such illegal Internet content: Google.

In a unanimous decision from a panel of three judges, the Australian Federal Court ruled that Google had engaged in misleading advertising, contrary to Australia’s Trade Practices Act, when it allowed advertisers to use competitors’ trade-names as AdWords keywords which then triggered their own advertisements. The complete decision can be found here. The provisions of that law at issue (which has since been repealed and replaced with new legislation) basically stated that it was unlawful for a business to engage in conduct that is either misleading or deceptive or likely to mislead or deceive. Google’s main defence to this charge was that it was only a passive (and therefore innocent) conduit for the activities of the advertisers in questions (who had all been found liable in earlier proceedings). It was therefore Google’s position that, as an ad hosting platform, only the advertisers that misuse the AdWords system should be held to account. After all, Google argued, it was the advertisers that put in place the AdWords which turned out to be deceptive, not Google.

The Court, however, rebuffed Google’s arguments in their entirety, and found that Google was no mere passive conduit for the advertisers’ activities. This finding, which was key to the whole case against Google, was in turn based on several findings of fact made by the judges, which included: 1) The contents that appear on a Google web page in response to a user’s query is Google generated content. More specifically, it is the program that Google employs that generates the search results page, pursuant to the AdWords facility that is made available to the advertisers by Google; 2) An ordinary and reasonable user of Google’s search engine would conclude that it was Google that displayed the advertisers’ sponsored links in response to the user’s search query. Critical to this finding was also the fact that what is in fact occurring when a user executes a Google search is that a) the user is asking a question of Google, and b) the search results (whether misleading or not) are Google’s response; and 3) the conduct in providing a URL in response to a search query (which in turn leads to the advertisers’ website) is Google’s. In all, the falsity of the conduct engaged in by Google is that, in response to a searched keyword phrase which identifies a competitor, it is Google that displays the misleading URL in its sponsored link search results. This is, the Court concluded, very unlike the typical case of a passive advertiser who simply disseminates words and images as an agent of its advertising client (which would generally not attract liability), simply because it is Google (more accurately its computer program) that created the message that it then represents.

It is assumed that, given the ramifications of this decision, Google will be appealing to Australia’s High Court, mainly because this decision could form the basis for other similar decisions in the Courts of the UK and Commonwealth.

Shifting back from Down Under to the Great White North, it is difficult to say whether or not Google could end up facing a similar decision in Canada. Although Canada’s Competition Act contains language that mirrors that of Australia’s trade law, it does differ in one material way: it requires showing that the person who makes the misleading or deceptive statement in its advertising did so either knowingly or recklessly. This requirement of subjective proof that Google was either aware of the misrepresentation being made by an advertiser or wilfully blind to that activity taking place would be a significant bar to someone trying to successfully sue Google for committing an unfair trade practice. Further, Google would likely argue that, under Canadian law, by requiring advertisers to agree to its terms and conditions of use which specifically prohibit forms of deceptive conduct, such as the misappropriation of a competitor’s trade-marks for an AdWords campaign, it would be entitled to rely fully on the available defence of due diligence.

So, we again see that, when it comes to the Internet, the legal landscape in Canada is murky at best. Although we draw on the legal experience from other countries to see how things will shape up here, until we get a decision from a Canadian Court, consumers and advertisers here will just have to continue using good (ethical) judgment and common sense in how they market their goods and services online.

Do Rankings Really Matter?

Helen — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 16:14:18 +0000

At WebFuel, we like to celebrate milestones. And… here is a BIG one! This is our 200th blog post. Our official blog launch was on November 26, 2007 and our first post was titled: Blogging, Eh?. We actually got a chuckle out of reading it again (you might also). What was really interesting to us was at that time, SEO was all about rankings – and how high you ranked on various keywords in the Search Engines. This was how we, as Search Engine Optimizers, were measured in terms of success. We would have never, ever guessed that one day we would be blogging about whether rankings still matter. The short answer is “yes”, but not in the same way.

How Have Search Engine Ranking Changed?
Like everything else related to Search, there have been many changes over time. In the early days (mid-1990’s), a SEO would ensure that the Search Engines could find your website. It was quite simple if you understood how the major engines worked and the fact that there was minimal keyword competition. In the formative years of Google, web searchers would actually take the time to visit the top three Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs). Today they rarely go past the first search results page. Page one ranking became a must for many businesses – and the higher you ranked (top positions) the better. It was the way to get that online competitive edge. SEOs, like myself, would focus on this goal, run off ranking reports, and were measured on this metric by our clients.

Then…. along came countless changes including Universal Search, Personalized Search, Local Search, Social Search, Mobile Search (just to name a few). Add to the mix, the addition of Paid Search Ads (i.e. Google AdWords), Google Suggest and all the many, many SERP display changes.

The Result?

“Google basketball... bounces UP and DOWN just like your search results.” Source: Search Engine Round Table

To sum it up…. Rankings do matter; but in a different way. You must be visible in search results based on web searchers that need to find you, their keywords and where they are searching. And… then you need to get the click – or who cares? (I’ll save that for another post).

Are you still measuring SEO success on just rankings?

Do Rankings Really Matter? is a post from: SEO Ottawa | Search Engine Optimization and Internet Marketing Agency | WebFuel

SEO, PPC and Google Sitelinks

Helen — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 17:30:12 +0000

Google Sitelinks are not new. The Search Engine began experimenting with them back in 2005 – and started rolling out organic sitelinks officially the following year. Sitelinks are an option in paid search as well. Google AdWords sitelinks follow the same basic format. And… all the sitelinks, of course, appear in a Google search result page (SERP).

Sitelinks: What are they?
Sitelinks are the additional links that appear in Google below an organic listing or an AdWords ad.

Organic Sitelinks
In the early days, Google displayed a website listing that simply included a title, short description and the site address in the search results. Eventually sitelinks began to appear below the listing to specific pages within the website. These were based on brand name searches (and variations thereof). This process of generating these links was completely automated by the Search Engine. Sitelink selection and ranking can change from query to query, allowing for more of a variety of optimized results. Over time, Google Canada has increased the number of links displayed and expanded them (to include a short snippet) giving much more visibility for one’s website in the SERPs.

Paid Sitelinks
Unlike the organic sitelinks, these additional links are generated by AdWords. These extra landing page links allow for more text ad real estate (up to four links). They are generated by the advertiser – not by Google (however the search engine needs to approve them). And… they can be based on branded as well as non-branded keywords.

Here is an example of sitelinks based on a Google Search for “WebFuel Ottawa”.

You will note from the example above, the two different types of sitelinks.

In the Paid Search section (which appears first in the search results), the sitelinks are “SEO” and “PPC”, which are our core services. This will allow us to give more visibility to relevant key web pages related to the ad (and track the results).

In the Organic Search results, the set of links include “About WebFuel”, “SEO Site Audit”, “Google AdWords”, “Google Analytics”, “Blog” and our “Contact” page. These additional internal links will drive web traffic to specific web pages within our website.

So… what does this have to do with PPC and SEO?

In terms of PPC, Google AdWords management can include implementation and optimization of sitelinks via the ad extension feature. Using this strategy allows for quick visibility on a Google results page – and should improve the paid keyword traffic. Improving natural (unpaid) web traffic would involve SEO. Optimization of those sitelinks relates to organic algorithm factors (including site architecture), visible results takes longer and requires (in most cases) advanced SEO techniques.

Are you taking advantage of sitelinks?

SEO, PPC and Google Sitelinks is a post from: SEO Ottawa | Search Engine Optimization and Internet Marketing Agency | WebFuel

How the World Googled in 2011

Helen — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 18:08:15 +0000

Google rolled out many (too many) new Search features and algorithm changes in 2011. It’s been quite the year – especially for those of us that work in Search. Google turned 13 this year, and in our opinion, the search engine displayed some teenage behaviours (ugh!). While there were many new challenges in the SEO industry, Google also entertained us with it’s many Google Doodles. Using Google Canada today, you’ll be able to enjoy their “2012 New Year’s Doodle”. And… every year-end, also a WebFuel favourite, Google published Zeitgeist. It’s based on how the world searched (or Googled) during the year. From a global perspective, the engine created this awesome video capturing the year based on popular as well as trending search terms from 48 different countries.

We predict that the use of Search will only continue to grow in 2012. Search On!

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How the World Googled in 2011 is a post from: SEO Ottawa | Search Engine Optimization and Internet Marketing Agency | WebFuel

SEO Horror Stories: From a Canadian Perspective

Helen — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 16:54:25 +0000

In the spirit of Halloween, we’ve compiled a few chilling tales that we have seen over the past several years as a SEO agency. Usually we blog about SEO myths and scams, but this time we decided to share with you real horror stories we have uncovered for our Canadian clients or those targeting the Canadian Search landscape.

As the Search Strategist for WebFuel, I respond to the company’s SEO inquires and unfortunately hear many horror stories. As a result, I work more and more on resolving serious Search issues on behalf of newly acquired clients. Most of the time, what has been done from a SEO perspective (previous to hiring us) is a mystery. So…. like a Search Detective, I work to solve the case.

Here are the top most startling Search issues.

Not in the Google Index (at all)
This sadly happens too often. We have had to resolve this type of Search issue more than any other – and it is serious. The most common reason is that the client did not have a Search Engine Friendly website built. In other words, the Search Engines cannot crawl their site. This means no indexation – and they will NOT show up in a Google SERP (Search Engine Results Page). You should hear the client’s blood curdling scream when this is brought to light.
Disappearing from Organic Search
This is horrifying!!! One day key high-ranking web pages, or even worse, an entire website, no longer appears in Google SERPs. And… even more terrifying, this is often not noticed for quite a while as no one is even monitoring this.
Wrong Geographic Area (not your target location)
Yikes!!! We see many variations of this frightening issue. Canadian businesses targeting the United States – Google.com but appearing in Google Canada (Google.ca). This requires lots of expertise to resolve (not simply hiring an American SEO Agency). Or… equally disastrous, Canadian companies whereby the target location is Canada – and Google displays their search results in the USA on Google.com. At the local level, Search Engine repositioning is required due to wrong city (i.e. Nepean Search rather than an Ottawa Search) or not entire geo-graphic region (i.e. province).
Stolen Web Traffic(that should belong to you)
This issue is rarely known by the website owner (how chilling) – and only discovered when we audit the account. The most popular perpetrators are the client’s competitors (or the agency that was hired by the competitor), the business themselves (due to a poor online strategy) – and the worst violation, in my opinion, a third party supplier for the client. We have seen a huge increase in this type of scenario over the past year. The 3^rdparty vendor steals (and some are big well-known brands) your web traffic in order to improve their results on your behalf.
Bad SEO (Black Hat Techniques)
Call it bad SEO practices or unethical standards it’s quickly becoming the norm (now that is scary). In our SEO Audits, we have discovered keyword stuffing, hidden text, duplicate content, cloaking, doorway pages, improper use of redirects and extremely questionable linking strategies – including invisible links on a page and inbound links from bad neighbourhoods (how creepy!!!).
This is mostly due to the inexperience of the Search Engine Optimizer and simply not understanding the complexly of SEO. But we also see many cases whereby the SEO strategy is based on intentionally “tricking” the Search Engines. This is known as “Black Hat” techniques. The real horrifying story here is businesses most don’t know that they have hired a Black Hat SEO Agency.
Keywords Scams, Myths & Issues
This list is endless… SEOs selling organic keywords “you can buy these two”, rank for keywords that no one searches for, translating researched keywords from English into French (this doesn’t work) or hiring an agency that also works for your keyword competitors (no non-compete clause or they don’t honour it).
Google Ban (Organic & Paid)
This is the worst horror story from our perspective. Not adhering to, or in compliance with AdWords policies resulting in a permanently suspended account. Yes – this means no Ads on Google. Or likely an even worse nightmare, violating Google Webmaster Guidelines – and getting banned from Organic Search. As a result, your website no longer appears for branded & non-branded keywords. You are now invisible in a Search!

Got your own SEO horror stories? Please share your chilling tales.

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SEO Horror Stories: From a Canadian Perspective is a post from: SEO Ottawa | Search Engine Optimization and Internet Marketing Agency | WebFuel

SEO & The Anatomy of a Google Places: From a Canadian Perspective

Helen — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 11:08:27 +0000

According to Google, location-based searches and the use of geo-targeted keywords are on the increase. Currently one out of five searches on Google is related to a user’s location. Google’s local services have gained more visibility in the SERPs over the past year. We predict that the importance of Local Search will continue to rise and this (of course) has put local search marketing on the map!

What is a Google Places Page?

Formally known as Google Local Business Center, Google Places is like the Yellow Pages of the Internet. Think of it like a Google local web page or an online listing of your business. This local listing can display information about your business in text, image & video format and is tied into Google Maps. According to Google, 97% of consumers search for local businesses online. And… over the past year, the Search Engine’s local algorithm in Canada has resulted in more visibility for local organic search results on Google.ca.

Google Places and Google Maps appear in a Google SERP in the organic section. It’s important to understand the placement. In a previous blog post, we addressed the layout of a Canadian Google Search Engine Results Page in terms of Organic Search vs. Paid Search as well as where the engine displays Google Maps and Places. It is very prominent. Check it out if you require better understanding.

With Halloween just around the corner, and people searching for pumpkin picking farms in Ottawa, we decided to feature a local Places page.

Here is an example of a Local Ottawa Google Places Listing:

Google Canada Place Profile for a Pumpkin Farm in Ottawa

Business Information Section
This section is ideally provided by the business owner. It includes the name of the business, relevant categories, a short description, address, website and photo number. A web visitor can phone you, visit your website for more information and get directions via Google Maps (Canada).

Photo Section
Business owners and Google users can upload photos. These photos generally include storefront, products sold and people behind the business. They must, of course, follow Google’s guidelines. Videos can also be uploaded.

Review Section
“What people are saying” about your business in a review format falls under this section. Reviewers must have a Google account to post. Owners have the ability to respond to positive as well as negative reviews.

Related Content Section
Related places that appear in this area of your profile are generated by Google. It’s based on the Google Places algorithm. Google displays other related Places pages in your geographic area. If you are positioned properly in Local Search, you will also appear on your competitor page in this section.

Google Maps Section
This section is also generated by the Search Engine based on your Places listing. Google displays a street view with a map icon to indicate your location. Web visitors can click on the map for a large view and get directions by car, bus, walking or by bike (if applicable).

Google Ads Section
Unlike your listing that is free, this section is for paid ads. This is where Google Ads (known as AdWords) are displayed. While you cannot remove these ads, you can certainly place your text ads on Places Pages.

How does this relate to SEO?
From a SEO perspective, your Google Places profile page can give you visibility in the SERPs beyond your website. Think of it as an additional web property. Depending on your industry, and relevancy from a Google perspective, your Places listing can even outrank your website based on a local branded geo-search. You can also rank in Places for generic searches based on related local non-branded keyword queries. And… your business listing can send you qualified web traffic via the inbound link on your page (SEOs’ love this!).

Your business can also appear on other Places pages under related places and/or in the ads section. From our perspective, this means more visibility in local search!

At least 20% of Canadian searches are local. People search Google.ca and Google Maps to find local businesses. Claim it, optimize it, monitor it -and measure it!

Can you get found?

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SEO & The Anatomy of a Google Places: From a Canadian Perspective is a post from: SEO Ottawa | Search Engine Optimization and Internet Marketing Agency | WebFuel

Google Says Ethical SEO is Not Spam

Helen — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 12:50:34 +0000

Matt Cutts, Google’s head of web spam fighting team, has publicly stated that Google does not consider Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to be spam.

According to Matt, there are plenty of good SEOs out there (also known as White Hat SEO). He explains that Search Engine Optimization basically means trying to make sure that “your pages are well represented within Search Engines”. He also acknowledges that are plenty of “White Hat” SEO strategies that can be implemented. They include helping out with the initial site architecture, URL structure, making sure the website is crawlable, finding the right keywords, ensuring fast website speed and optimizing content to convert.

He did add that there are bad SEOs out there, known as Black Hat SEOs that can produce web spam. Unfortunately for our industry, this is true.

Here is Google’s first video on the topic: Does Google Consider SEO to be spam?

And… just in case you are wondering, WebFuel is an ethical SEO agency.
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Google Says Ethical SEO is Not Spam is a post from: SEO Ottawa | Search Engine Optimization and Internet Marketing Agency | WebFuel

SEMPO Ottawa Google Event: Mobile Marketing Recap

Jason — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 15:41:17 +0000

Last night marked the inaugural SEMPO Ottawa Meetup at The Hard Rock Cafe in the Byward Market. Dozens of Ottawa area marketing professionals and students gathered for a night of networking, education and discussion. WebFuel in association with McGill Buckley and SEMPO Ottawa hosted Google Canada’s Agency Lead Nectarios Economakis who spoke about the emergence of Mobile Marketing and why it’s still not too late to be early. Working the registration table I got a chance to see a lot of familiar faces, as well as meet many new people. Thank you to everyone who made it out, and for those who couldn’t attend, here is my recap of last night’s event.

Mobile Marketing: it’s still not too late to be early

The event’s MC Steven McGill of McGill Buckley took the stage at 7:00 pm sharp to welcome everyone to the event and to introduce our speaker, Nectar Economakis. Dressed in a sharp suit, he exuded confidence. Despite some minor microphone problems, Nectar captivated the crowd with his calm nature and strong voice. Nectar began by asking the crowd “Who owns a smartphone?”. Pretty much everyone. The majority had iPhones. Another sizeable chunk were BlackBerry users and one or two people used Android. But remember, this crowd is unique – we are mostly marketing nerds and geeks (sorry, but it’s true). Look at our entire population as a country – by the end of 2014, half of Canadians will own smartphones. That’s pretty incredible. Furthermore, mobile is expected to exceed desktop usage in the next 3-5 years.

“Mobile is ramping up faster than any other technology we have seen in the past” – Mary Meeker, Kleiner Perkins

He goes on to explain that in past years, the trend with desktop usage is that it drops during the holidays – people are busier, they are out shopping, at family events, etc… But so is not the case with mobile. In fact, Mobile usage actually increases during the holidays. People’s mobile device have become their own personal shopper to help them find stores, items, best prices, reviews, etc. Also, how easy is it to pull out your mobile device at the table and show everyone a funny Christmas commercial on YouTube? Very easy. The thing with mobile is that it is always on, and is always on us. It allows constant connectivity.

So how is Google adapting to this shift?

Google operates under the assumption that people carry their mobile device with them everywhere. Based on that assumption, Google wants to build applications that will allow people to be more productive and entertained. Bottom line is that mobile should always come first. The mobile device has become an extension of the body. The camera is it’s sight, the microphone enables hearing, the speakers enable voice and the screen allows touch.

Nectar went on to show us a few video examples of how people are being both productive, and entertained using some of Google’s mobile applications. My favourite example was a video that featured a group of kids playing the classic game “Chubby Bunny” using Google Voice as the referee. Not only did this video make us laugh, but it showed the power of Google’s apps.

Key Mobile Trends Moving Forward

What does Google see for the future of mobile? The first has got to be entertainment. People don’t stand in lines anymore. They stand in lines and browse their smartphones. Here are a few stats for you – 125 years of Angry Birds is played everyday and there are 200 million mobile playbacks a day on YouTube. Wow!

Mobile is also immediate. At any point in time we can pull out our phones and make a call, write a review, send an email, book a hotel. We have so much immediate power at our fingertips.

Mobile compliments other media. During the SuperBowl in February, mobile searches on GoDaddy.com increased 315 times compared to 38 times on desktop. Why? People saw the ads and were intrigued. But when you’re sitting in the living room with your buddies watching the game, you’re not going to get up and go to your desktop – you’re going to pull out your smartphone.

Mobile is local. In fact, 1 in 3 mobile searches are local. After looking up a local business on a smartphone, 61% of users called and 59% visited. That is pretty amazing.

Last but not least, mobile is the ultimate shopping companion. 74% of users have purchased due to using their smartphone while shopping and 79% of smartphone users use their smartphone to help them shop. Whether it’s reading reviews, finding directions to a store or comparing prices, your mobile device is hands down your best shopping companion.

Three purposes for accessing the mobile web

Entertainment – make the brand experience fun with a game or engaging video content
Information – provide consumers with information about brands and product categories
Transaction – help consumers get what they want, faster and easier

Five Steps to Get Started with Mobile

So as a business owner, what can you do now? Nectar outlines these five steps to getting started with Mobile – remember, it’s not too late to be early!

First and foremost, create a mobile specific site. Nothing is more frustrating as a mobile user as when a website is not optimized for mobile.
Next, think local! Create hyperlocal mobile-only ad campaigns. Studies have shown that these ads yield higher number of calls and a lower cost-per-click than desktop ads.
Get creative with your creative. Using campaigns with click-to-call ads generally see a 6-8% increase in click-through-rate. Why? Because it is unique, and it is easy.
Always track mobile independently and iterate. Mobile and desktop are two different platforms, and use two different strategies and campaigns. So be sure to always track independently, and compare results.
Last, but not least, be integrated. 86% of mobile phone owners use the mobile internet while watching TV. How can you take advantage of a stat like this?

So, where do we go from here? Nectar puts his money on mCommerce (Mobile Commerce). This involves using your mobile device as a form of payment, which means no more wallet.

How has mobile changed the way you life your every day life? As a business owner, have you taken advantage of mobile? If not, it’s still not too late to be early!

WebFuel, McGill Buckley and SEMPO Ottawa would like to thank Nectar Economakis for taking time to come speak on behalf of Google. We would also like to thank everyone who attended our inaugural event and we hope to see you at our next one!

Check out our photo album on Facebook of last night’s event!

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SEMPO Ottawa Google Event: Mobile Marketing Recap is a post from: SEO Ottawa | Search Engine Optimization and Internet Marketing Agency | WebFuel

SEMPO Ottawa, Google & Mobile Event: From a Canadian Perspective

Helen — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 14:59:43 +0000

WebFuel, in partnership with McGill Buckley, is thrilled to announce an upcoming SEMPO Canada Google Event in Ottawa. We are inviting all professionals in the marketing industry, as well as digital professionals – and anyone interested in Search, Mobile and Canadian trends to attend this amazing event.

SEMPO Canada / SEMPO Ottawa Meetup

Date: Thursday, October 13, 2011

Time: 6:00 – 9:00PM

Location: Hard Rock Café in the Byward Market (Map & Directions)
The bar will be open (and food orders can be placed)

Presenter: Nectarios Economakis
Agency Lead at Google | Montréal, Canada

Mobile: It’s not too late to be early
Mobile is ramping up faster than any other technology we have seen in the past. Your mobile device is a better shopping companion because it is personal, interactive, local and dynamic. Come learn about what is driving the growth of mobile, the key trends and how you can take advantage of mobile right now. We will look at Canadian mobile trends as well as Canadian Search habits on mobile devices.

Agenda

6:00PM - Event Registration & Networking

7:00PM - Nectarios Economakis Presentation (and Q & A session)

8:00PM - SEMPO Ottawa Meetup & Networking

Cost: $10.00/per person

SEMPO Members (free)
Just pay in advance and we will reimburse you at the event. You must be listed on the SEMPO Member Directory.

If you are not a member, join SEMPO now and attend for free. Plus receive all the benefits of a SEMPO membership for 12 months! Be sure to select the Canada Chapter when you sign up.

Student Admission (free)
Calling all students! We want you at our upcoming event featuring Google Canada’s Nectar Economakis. So much so that we will pay your way in. That’s right. We know that money can be tight. We were all students once. And besides, we don’t want you to miss out on this great event!

Just pay in advance and we will reimburse your money at the door – with a valid student ID that is. Courtesy of your friends at WebFuel & McGill Buckley.

Hashtag: #sempoottawa

Space is limited. Register for this event now!

Online registration is available until: Tuesday, October 11th (or until all tickets are sold out).

About SEMPO Canada
SEMPO Canada is a working group of the Search Engine Marketing Professionals Organization (SEMPO). We have meet-ups across the country, in Ottawa, Toronto, Edmonton and Vancouver. To learn more, please visit the SEMPO Canada website – and join our group on LinkedIn (English & French).

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SEMPO Ottawa, Google & Mobile Event: From a Canadian Perspective is a post from: SEO Ottawa | Search Engine Optimization and Internet Marketing Agency | WebFuel

Google Canada Expanded Sitelinks

Helen — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 10:35:23 +0000

Last week Google launched an update to sitelinks in Canada. These changes have been rolled out in a Google Canada English Search but not yet in the French language version. And… it is important to point out that the expansion of sitelinks can be viewed using the latest web browsers such as Chrome, Firefox or Internet Explorer (Version 7). Sitelinks generation is determined by the Search Engine.

What are Sitelinks?

Sitelinks are the additional links that appear underneath the first search result. They allow Google searchers to go directly to specific pages that are deeper within the website. They appear in organic search results based on search queries on branded terms.

Here is an example of sitelinks in a Google SERP (Search Engine Results Page) that have not yet been expanded. You will note that there is a single row of links. In this case, a total of four links to key web pages within the site appear.

Here is an example of the new sitelinks layout. The first search result listing remains the top domain and the same in terms of format (title, URL and short description). The new additions relates to the extended listings in this full two-column sitelinks layout. Rather than just a link, it now includes a title, URL and one line of the text snippet. The maximum number of individual sitelinks that can appear per query are now 12 (up from 8).

How does it work?

Google determines sitelinks based on their algorithms. They are generated and ranked based on link structure of your website. Yes – site architecture has just become even more important if you are serious about Search.

Why sitelinks?

This addresses the issue that some web searchers still use broad queries such as “government of canada” rather than more specific search keyword phrases in terms of what they are attempting to find. This can also be very valuable for improving the visibility of unique sections of large and complex websites. In addition, a link could send traffic to directly to their portfolio of photos (IE sites with image galleries such as a wedding photographer). As you can see, this goes far beyond the regular results from a few years ago. And… it will, of course, help you understand your web traffic from a Google Analytics perspective.

Like all things Search-related, generating good sitelinks, and optimization thereof can improve your website conversions.

Got Sitelinks? Are they optimized?

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Google Canada Expanded Sitelinks is a post from: SEO Ottawa | Search Engine Optimization and Internet Marketing Agency | WebFuel