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I'm not sure why this Financial Advisor is advertising for the keyword "orion group". Should I contact them and see if they know what their PPC management company is up to?

Like I said, I’m not sure what fa.smithbarney.com has to do with “orion group”.

Your thoughts on this?

It was a pleasure walking through this Wisconsin-based plastic injection molding company and seeing their huge machines that turn plastic pellets into things final product in less than 30 seconds. Small items like makeup containers, fan casings, and complex products with unique serial codes and RF identification capabilities.

Before today I never really understood the concept of lean manufacturing. I’m happy that my first exposure to this world of plastic injection molding was with a world-class company like Sussex IM. Not only is their equipment and process impressive, they also have some great ideas about how employees interact with each other. It’s a true atmosphere of collaboration and teamwork – both values that Orion Group (the Milwaukee Internet marketing firm behind this blog post) attempts to practice every day.

The reason we want to clarify when and where BBB Accreditation does and doesn’t help is so you might have a better understanding of the benefits it can bring to a business on the Internet.

The BBB listings that appear in the Google search results are more optimized for and relevant to visitors searching for a company name in Google. It is not geared toward visitors searching for general products and services.

What does all this mean and why should I care?

In the recent past, a BBB rep told me that “the hyperlink (seal of trust) BBB logo will benefit your search in Google“. I was interested in clarifying this statement, because there is more ambiguity and potential for misunderstanding that the untrained eye might see.

There are three parts to this statement that need to be broken down:

1. the hyperlink
2. the seal of trust
3. the benefit

Here’s an example, so you can put it in context before I explain in more detail:

When some people do a search on Google, they don’t know which company they are looking for… let’s use the phrase “home builders in Milwaukee” as an example again. When someone does a Google search for “home builders in Milwaukee”, it usually means they have not yet decided which home builder they want to use. They most likely have already done Google searches for “what is the home building process like” or “how to find a reliable home builder”. Those kinds of searches represent someone who is researching or dreaming about the possibility of building a home.

However, the search for “home builders in Milwaukee” usually represents a person who is deeper in the buying process. An accredited company’s BBB listing is not likely to show up in the Google search results for the phrase “home builder in Milwaukee”. It is more likely that the BBB listing will show up when a person already knows the name of the home builder they are looking for. The person might do a Google search for ‘ACME Building Company’. When that type of a ‘branded search’ is made, the BBB listing of ACME Building Company is likely to show up in the search results.

Now, to explain “the hyperlink”, the “seal of trust”, and “the benefit”…

The Hyperlink

When reputable websites link to your website, Google counts it as a vote of sorts. The more reputable website that link to your website, the more likely Google will rank your website higher in the search engine, which means a possibility of receiving more visitors. The higher a website is found in Google, the more visitors it is likely to receive. However, “the hyperlink” should now be confused with using the seal of trust on your website. These are two completely different things. It is possible, that when you place the BBB logo on your website, you can link it to the BBB website so your visitors can click on the logo and review your BBB credentials on bbb.org.

When a website links to “good neighbors”, like the BBB, it’s a good thing. Google likes when websites link to other reputable websites. Google does not like it when websites link to “bad neighbors” — for example, spam sites, and websites that contain viruses. When bbb.org links to you, it has the potential to count as a strong “vote” when Google is considering whether or not to rank your website higher. However, one more clarification should be made.

The BBB claims that their website has a PageRank of 8. In reality, their homepage has a PageRank of 8. PageRank is Google way of weighing various web pages on the Internet and assigning a relative value to it. PageRank works on a page-to-page basis. It does not apply to an entire website. While the homepage of bbb.org might have a PageRank of 8, the hyperlink from bbb.org to your website might only have a PageRank of 1 or 2. In this case, the value that link passes to your website is much less than what the BBB might advertise. Getting a link from bbb.org to your website can “benefit your search in Google”, but not in the way that the BBB claims when they say “the hyperlink (seal of trust) BBB logo will benefit your search in Google”.

The Seal of Trust

As I clarified earlier, the hyperlink and the seal of trust do not have not much to do with each other. the hyperlink refers to the link from the BBB website to your website. The seal of trust refers to the actual logo that you would place on your website to show your visitors that you are a BBB accredited company.

The BBB would have you believe that using the seal of trust logo on your website will help your website show up higher in the search result and bring your website more visibility in the search engines. The truth is that simply placing a logo on your website will not help your rankings. It might help bring credibility to your company when visitors see the logo on your website, but it doesn’t actually benefit your Google rankings in itself.

The Benefit

Myth: Using the BBB logo will get your more visitors. (This is just not true in an of itself, alone.)

Myth: When you link to the BBB, it will directly increase your Google rankings. (it is possible that Google might see that the BBB is linking to you, and it might throw that into the mix of 200 other ranking signals that make up the ranking algorithm, but it does not directly impact your rankings to the degree that the BBB might insinuate.)

Myth: When the BBB links to you, it will increase your Google rankings. (it is possible that Google might see that the BBB is linking to you, and it might throw that into the mix of 200 other ranking signals that make up the ranking algorithm, but it does not directly impact your rankings to the degree that the BBB might insinuate.)

Fact: Using the BBB logo on your website can increase your level of credibility.

Fact: Getting a link from the BBB website can increase the number of visitors your website receives.

In conclusion, a business does have the potential to get more exposure in Google if they are BBB Accredited. The BBB is a great resource that both protects the consumer and serves the business owner. When talking to a BBB rep or if you are considering accreditation for your own company, keep in mind what the real benefits are, and don’t just blindy accept what the BBB tells you during their sales presentation.

- – -

On Aug 25, 2010, at 4:09 PM, Janet wrote:

Hi Scott,

I’d like for you to do a google search for Swick Technologies LLC. They put the BBB hyperlink logo on the “Home” page of their website. This illustrates how a business is viewed, more times than not, in a “Google” search if they are BBB Accredited using the link. Also note that their BBB listing on bbb.org came up right after the website in the Google search. When you click on either the hyperlink on the webpage OR the bbb.org listing, it puts someone on that businesses individual report.

Janet

- – -

On Aug 25, 2010, at 3:30 PM, Janet wrote:

Hi Scott,

I just wanted to reconnect with you about the idea of BBB Accreditation … I think that this program would be a great fit for your business. The hyperlink (seal of trust) BBB logo will benefit your search in Google, as well as let people know that your business is trustworthy and stable.

Thanks so much for your consideration Scott. I’ll look forward to hearing from you.

Janet

- – -

From: Scott
Sent: Thursday, August 26, 2010 2:13 PM
To: Janet
Subject: Re: Better Business Bureau of Wisconsin

Janet,

I disagree with your statement that “the hyperlink (seal of trust) BBB logo” will benefit your search in Google”. While it is true that having the logo on a website helps instill a sense of trustworthiness, the logo presence of the logo itself does not improve Google rankings.

Yes, the fact that the bbb.org website links to the accredited company’s website does help that company’s Google rankings, in that it is a link from a reputable website, however the link itself is not coming from a page that has a high PageRank. PageRank measures the popularity and strength of individual “web pages” not entire “web sites”.

For example, the bbb.org homepage ( http://www.bbb.org/Default.aspx ) has a PageRank of 8, but the individual company review page that links to the company’s website is a PageRank of 1.

I believe you are misinforming your prospects by telling them that the “seal of trust” logo will benefit the company in the Google search results.

Yes, having a link from a reputable website such as the bbb can help a website’s rankings in Google, but I believe you are misinforming your prospects by telling them that using the “seal of trust” logo will benefit them in the Google search results.

Sincerely,
Scott

- – -

On Aug 26, 2010, at 2:21 PM, Janet wrote:

Hi Scott,

If a website has the bbb link, there is greater probability that the website will get higher recognition in that Google search. Maybe I’m explaining this incorrectly. I’d like to talk with you on the phone if that is ever possible. Thanks so much.

Janet

- – -

Janet,

In the article you sent me, Google states: “We use more than 200 signals, including our patented PageRank™ algorithm, to examine the entire link structure of the web and determine which pages are most important… By combining overall importance and query-specific relevance, we’re able to put the most relevant and reliable results first.”

PageRank is the strength of an individual web PAGE on a website, not an entire web SITE. PageRank is only a small part of Google organic ranking algorithm. There are over 200 other signals that factor into Google’s choice to rank a website higher than another website in the search results.

Google says: “PageRank reflects our view of the importance of web pages. Pages that we believe are important pages receive a higher PageRank and are more likely to appear at the top of the search results.”

What I feel you (the BBB) are telling me in essence is that chickens lay eggs, so that means chickens ARE eggs. If the homepage of a website has a high PageRank, it does not necessarily mean that all pages on that websites are weighed equally by Google. In your previous email to me, you stated, “the hyperlink (seal of trust) BBB logo will benefit your search in Google”.

Yes, the quantity and quality of links coming into a website, including 200 other factors, can effect how Google ranks a website, but this is not the same concept as placing a hyperlinked BBB logo on your website”. Simply placing the BBB logo on a website does not make that website rank better in Google.

You attempted to clarify your statement by saying, “If a website has the bbb link, there is greater probability that the website will get higher recognition in that Google search.” I’m not entirely sure I can agree with that statement. It should be noted that a link from BBB to the accredited company’s website doesn’t have much to do with the accredited company using the “seal of trust” logo itself (expect that a paid membership with the BBB does allows the accredited company to use the BBB logo in its marketing materials). Using the logo really has no impact on search results by itself.

In your email to me, you also included information about the “BBB Accredited Business Locator” plug-in that highlights accredited businesses in search results. Your website explains that, “When the BBB logo appears next to one of your search results, you’ll know it is a BBB Accredited Business you can trust. Click on the logo to review the company’s BBB Reliability Report.”

The BBB Accredited Business Locator plug-in is an optional extension that people can install on their browsers to help them see which websites and company’s are BBB accredited and which aren’t. I’m sure there are people who have downloaded and installed the plugin and find it useful, however from my own experience, this plugin doesn’t function reliably.

It should also be noted that using the BBB Accredited Business Locator plugin does not alter, improve, or influence the order that websites appear in the Google search results, it only serves to show people who have the plugin installed and activated which websites are owned by BBB accredited businesses and which are not. (Remember, a chicken is not an egg. The BBB Accredited Business Locator plug-in can help bring people’s attention to BBB accredited companies’ websites, which, in essence can “benefit your search in Google”, in that it can possibly improve a visitors search experience, but it does not mean that the website will rank better because it using the BBB logo.)

Scott

- – -

On Aug 27, 2010, at 9:06 AM, Janet wrote:

Hi Scott,

It’s unfortunate that you don’t see the other value to this program. I would advise for you to browse on wisconsin.bbb.org to check out your competitors. Call me when you’re ready Scott.

All the best to you and your business.

Janet

- – -

Janet,

I’m not saying I don’t see the other value it can bring. I agree with you that it brings credibility. What I’m saying is that you are explaining it incorrectly to your prospects.

Scott

- – -

More followup here: Debunking the BBB Seal of Trust Myths

Supporting screenshots:

Update:

I asked SEOmoz, a Search Engine Optimization Expert, what their thoughts were on this matter. Jane Copland replied with the following:

Hi Scott,

You display an entirely accurate knowledge of how PageRank works. A “PR8″ site is indeed a misnomer: SEOmoz is about a PR8, but not all links out from the site come from PR8 pages. That said, it’s worth arguing that a link from a PR2 SEOmoz.org page is worth more than a link from a home page PR2 on a small, untrusted site. This takes trust into account: sites are judged on more than just the gross number of links they have. Case in point, I took over consultancy for a site about a year ago that had a PR7 on its home page but was penalised. It ranked for nothing. The reason was that its massive number of links had been flagged as spam (unrelated: a reconsideration request took care of it, as they weren’t spam).

Thus, the BBB are right that a link from their site is likely a good idea, even if it’s from a deep page. However, they shouldn’t sell people on the idea of “PR8 links”, since the link doesn’t come from the home page and yes, the entire domain isn’t credited with the PageRank of its home page.

They’re also incorrect that the logo link from your site benefits your rankings. If it’s a followed links from your site, it actually benefits theirs instead. The link back from their site is what passes PageRank, but it’s also equally valuable to argue that the links create a reciprocal link situation, which Google also tries to cancel out.

Download a full version here: 2010 Social Media Landscape

Original data found here:
Beginners Guide to SEO: Chapter 2

An April 2010 study by comScore found:

• Google led the U.S. core search market in April with 64.4 percent of the searches conducted, followed by Yahoo at 17.7 percent, and Microsoft at 11.8 percent
• Americans conducted 15.5 billion searches in April. Google accounted for 10 billion searches, followed by Yahoo at 2.8 billion, and Microsoft at 1.8 billion

A July 2009 Forrester report remarked:

• Interactive marketing will near $55 billion in 2014. This spend will represent 21% of all marketing budgets.

Webvisible & Nielsen produced a 2007 report on local search that noted:

• 74% of respondents used search engines to find local business information, 65% turned to print yellow pages, 50% used Internet yellow pages, 44% used traditional newspapers
• 86% surveyed said they have used the Internet to find a local business, a rise from the 70% figure reported last year (2006.)
• 80% reported researching a product or service online, then making that purchase offline from a local business

An August 2008 PEW Internet Study revealed:

• 60 percent of Internet users who use email on a typical day
• The percentage of Internet users who use search engines on a typical day has risen from 33% of all users in 2002, to 49%

An EightFoldLogic report from 2009 on click-through traffic in the US showed:

• Google sends 78.43% of traffic
• Yahoo sends 9.73% of traffic
• Bing sends 7.86% of traffic

A Yahoo study from 2007 showed:

• Online advertising drives in-store sales at a 6:1 ratio to online sales
• Consumers in the study spent $16 offline (in stores) to every $1 spent online

A study on data leaked from AOL’s search query logs reveals:

• The first ranking position in the search results receives 42.25% of all click-through traffic
• The second position receives 11.94%, the third 8.47%, the fourth 6.05%, and all others are under 5%
• The first ten results received 89.71% of all click-through traffic, the next 10 results received 4.37%

Conclusions:

• Search reaches nearly every online American, and billions of people around the world
• Being listed in the first few results is critical to visibility
• Being listed at the top of the results not only provides the greatest amount of traffic, but instills trust in consumers as to the worthiness and relative importance of the company/website
• An incredible amount of offline economic activity is driven by searches on the web

Pete Prodoehl
Pete is into technology, music, web dev, and collaboration. He is active in the web community in Milwaukee. Pete has been “blogging” since 1997.

Nikol Hasler
Nikol is passionate about cooking, books, parenting, autism, politics, and more. She enjoys word games, social networking, thrift store treasure hunting, and all sorts of nerdy nonsense. Nikol has a straightforward and sometimes sarcastic approach to nearly everything, especially sex.

Frank Madden
Frank started Brew Hoop along with Alex in 2007. Aside from following the Bucks, Frank is a fan of the Brewers and FC Barcelona. He also enjoy indie rock concerts, Mountain Dew, and being a mediocre hockey player.

Erin Chase
While she is not from Milwaukee, I still had to include her in this post, because, I don’t personally know any other blogger who can go from 0 visitors a day to 4,000 visitors per day in the span of two years. I think on one day in April 2009, she got around 39,000 visitors in one day. If you are interested in saving $ on meals, check her blog out.

Pete Prodoehl

Scott Offord: Where do you see yourself (blogging-wise) in the next 6 months, and 5 years down the road?

Pete Prodoehl: I’ve actually got a renewed interest in blogging at RasterWeb! as of the past few weeks, and I’m going to try to blog even more. I’ve been doing it since 1997, and I don’t plan on stopping any time soon. At a very minimum, I need to blog longer than Dave Winer does!

Scott Offord: What is the ultimate goal for a blogger in your opinion?

Pete Prodoehl: To be heard. To get thoughts an opinions out there for the world to see. At least, that’s what I’ve done. I’ve been involved in publishing (starting with print) for nearly 25 years, and I love doing it. For others, I think it really runs the gamut. Some see it as a way to speak their minds, some see it as a way to keep a (public) journal, and some see it as a way to make money, promote their business, or ideas, and try to gain fame, fortune, or whatever.

Scott Offord: When you don’t feel like blogging, what do you do?

Pete Prodoehl: I don’t blog. I write posts when I’m motivated to. Lately I’ve been more motivated to, and I hope that continues. I think one of the great things about blogging is, it doesn’t have to be forced. If you don’t feel like writing a post today, maybe you will next week, or next month. Of course some people take too much time off and end up never blogging again! Sometimes it’s a shame when that happens.

Scott Offord: What is the best thing about your blog design?

Pete Prodoehl: Hmmm, I haven’t had complaints about the redesign in the last 5 years! (Of course I haven’t redesigned it in the past 5 years!) Seriously though, as far as the design, I don’t know… I think it’s usable, but I am planning to overhaul the theme soon.

Scott Offord: How diverse are your blogging topics?

Pete Prodoehl: I’ve tended to say RasterWeb! is a blog about technology and life, and I think I’ve stuck to that pretty well. Obviously being a web developer over the years has produced a lot of posts about web-related technologies, but most of my interests have had posts written about them in some form or another.

Scott Offord: Do you have an idol in the blogging world, or someone to look up to?

Pete Prodoehl: Well, I have what I consider friends, or colleagues. As far as inspiration, Dave Winer and Cameron Barrett were very inspirational to me in 1997, and are part of the reason I started blogging. I’ve also got a fondness for all the early bloggers from the 1997/1998/1999 era, who worked on creating what is now known as blogging. I consider myself lucky (and just a little proud) to have been a part of it.

Scott Offord: Why did you decide to start a blog? What was your introduction into blogging?

Pete Prodoehl: Dave Winer was a big influence on me. His “24 Hours of Democracy” project, as well as his software and his own publishing and blogging got me excited about the possibilities.

Scott Offord: If you could choose only one blog to read for the rest of your life, and that blog would provide you with all the education and entertainment you’d ever need, what blog would you pick and why?

Pete Prodoehl: Wow, I guess based on some of my previous answers, I’d have to say scripting.com might be it. I’d be tempted to say something like engadget.com except I’m a little hesitant to call that a blog. I mean, I know it is one, but it’s really just this super-face-paced rapid-fire news site that runs on a blogging platform and often has tons and tons of useless comments on each story, er, “post” I mean. (If you asked me this question 10 years ago, I would have said Slashdot.)

Nikol Hasler

Scott Offord: How do you interact with your blog readers, other than on your own blog?

Nikol Hasler: I write an advice column, so that’s direct interaction right there. However, I also update my FB fan page just as often as my regular page and talk to people who post things there. Really, I have three main pages and use about every social network, and the only line I draw is on my personal FB page, where I don’t accept friend requests from strangers. It got to a point where people were pestering my friends and family and things were getting weird, so for their sake I did a mass de-friending.

Scott Offord: When you don’t feel like blogging, what do you do?

Nikol Hasler: I can’t say I ever get an overwhelming feeling to do any blogging. I’m fortunate because I write, and people pay me to do it. I get to write about things that interest me, and that helps. But sometimes I get serious writer’s block. A few hours treasure hunting at thrift stores or working out usually clears my head.

Scott Offord: In regards to blogging, what’s one thing you don’t really like doing? When will you finally do it?

Nikol Hasler: I don’t like begging people to leave comments. I know that the editors at the sites that pay me would appreciate it if people left comments, so I encourage it, but I’d like people to comment because they have something to say, not because I begged them to.

Scott Offord: What is the best thing about your blog design?

Nikol Hasler: I think NikolHasler.com has a really sweet, clean look. A close friend of mine designed the theme for me and drew the cute cartoon me overlooking the site. I wish WordPress supported each offshoot page being blog style. (Are you listening, WordPress?)

Scott Offord: How diverse are your blogging topics?

Nikol Hasler: Meh. Mostly it’s sex. Sex, Honestly, which is on crushable, is a straight up sex column for girls. Love, Sex, Etc, which is on MilwaukeeMagazine, is an advice column. Now that I’ve got NikolHasler.com up and running, I have a feeling I won’t be using it to write about sex very often. Those blog posts will just be my rambling. But on other sites, like Beatweek.com I get to write about technology and music. That makes me pretty happy.

Frank Madden

Scott Offord: Where do you see yourself (blogging-wise) in the next 6 months, and 5 years down the road?

Frank Madden: I’ve never viewed blogging as a stepping stone to bigger things–just a way to channel my passion for the Bucks and hopefully add a useful perspective that other fans find interesting and worth reading. We’ve grown our readership steadily over the past three years and hopefully that continues going forward, but I also realize that the market for a Milwaukee Bucks blog is by definition fairly narrow. It’s definitely a small niche, but I think it’s good to be focused as a blogger–I’m not a good enough writer to be a generalist!

But will I always be able to blog as much as I do now? Probably not. I’m 29 and have always had a day job that’s far removed from sports and journalism, which I think is probably the best balance for me. Working for a team or writing about sports full time would probably take too much of the enjoyment out of it for me, but blogging as a hobby feels just right. That said, I imagine that there will be a day in the future when my family or career will demand more of my time, and hopefully when that time comes I can scale back my writing without giving it up entirely. Fortunately, Brew Hoop has always been about more than just my opinions, so I think we’ll manage to adapt and grow regardless of how my role evolves.

Scott Offord: What is the ultimate goal for a blogger in your opinion?

Frank Madden: I started writing because I was a) passionate about something and b) didn’t feel like my view was really being captured by what was already out there. I assume most bloggers share some of that feeling, regardless of what it is they’re writing about–whether it’s politics, food, or an under-appreciated Milwaukee sports team. You see a niche and go for it, and hopefully your voice finds an audience.

Scott Offord: How do you interact with your blog readers, other than on your own blog?

Frank Madden: My Brew Hoop relationships are virtual in almost every respect. We’ve been fortunate to develop an active base of community members that comment on our posts, send us emails, and write their own blogs on our site, but almost everything is through the website. I’ve never met any of them and many are on different continents (notably Australia), but I suppose that’s just the beauty of the medium. Heck, I didn’t even meet my co-writer Alex Boeder until about six months after we started Brew Hoop together.

That relationship with our community has been perhaps the most rewarding aspect of blogging. When I first started writing it was very much a one-way street–I would post something and often have just a couple comments at best. But I always tried to respond to comments and make myself available to our readers, and now we’ve reached the point where we regularly have hundreds of comments per post. I’m continuously amazed at the depth of analysis and ideas we get from our readers, to the point that at this point I often feel more like a forum moderator than a blogger: I throw out a topic and then we just start out conversation from there.

Scott Offord: In regards to blogging, what’s one thing you don’t really like doing? When will you finally do it?

Frank Madden: It’s difficult to find time for original analysis and commentary posts during the regular season because Alex and I preview and recap every game. The previews can be especially annoying because they’re more formulaic than writing game recaps, commenting on news, or writing an analysis piece. I’m also a bit of a perfectionist, so I often let myself get bogged down in details when I’d best off keeping it simpler.

Scott Offord: What is the best thing about your blog design?

Frank Madden: I can’t claim credit for any of it–Sports Blog Nation does all our site design and handles all of our back-end. All I do is write and interact with our community, which is great from a writer’s perspective. That said, my favorite aspect of our design is how easily it lets readers interact with us. Our commenters can use their accounts on any of SB Nation’s 250+ sports blogs and post their own blogs and links right on our front page, which I think makes the whole site more dynamic and interactive.

Scott Offord: How diverse are your blogging topics?

Frank Madden: We’re very narrow–while I have many interests beyond the Bucks, I don’t think readers visit our site for my thoughts on music, other sports, or even other basketball teams. Plenty of people are better at that than I am, so I keep it simple and just stick with the Bucks.

Scott Offord: Do you have an idol in the blogging world, or someone to look up to?

Frank Madden: Not really, though that is probably in large part because I don’t have a journalism background. That said, there are definitely basketball writers/bloggers I really respect and enjoy reading–Yahoo’s Kelly Dwyer and ESPN’s Henry Abbott certainly come to mind–so I probably subconsciously incorporate some of their styles into the way I write. Mainly I love how those guys bring an analytic mindset and objectivity without losing their personal voice and passion.

Scott Offord: Why did you decide to start a blog? What was your introduction into blogging?

Frank Madden: I moved to Wisconsin in 1989, latched onto the Bucks shortly thereafter, and even after I moved to Boston for college, I kept following the Bucks with NBA League Pass and Christmas breaks planned around the Bucks’ home schedule. Starting in 2005, I started reading and commenting on the RealGM.com Bucks message board, and like many people there I was always underwhelmed by coverage of the Bucks at the time. So on a whim I started blogging in June 2007–just me and my Blogspot address–not knowing whether anyone would read or how long I might have the stomach to do it. To be honest, I was almost embarrassed about blogging on some level (why should anyone really care what I thought?) and I didn’t tell most of my friends and family for about three months.

In that span I was linked a few times on ESPN’s TrueHoop, which led to SBN recruiting me to be their Bucks blogger and the birth of BrewHoop.com in its current form. At the same time I also knew that it would be difficult to make the site work on my own, so I asked Alex Boeder to co-write the site with me and make it easier to manage from a time perspective. Alex and I had never met at that point, but he had also been blogging on his own about the Bucks and I thought he was a great writer. Our backgrounds were also fairly complementary. Alex has a journalism background and is credentialed at every home game, while I studied economics in college and just finished my MBA.

Erin Chase

Scott Offord: Where do you see yourself (blogging-wise) in the next 6 months, and 5 years down the road?

Erin Chase: I imagine that I will be blogging away in 6 months, as well as promoting my second cookbook. Will blogs be around in 5 years?!? Will we have moved on to some other platform?! If they are around, I’ll still be blogging.

Scott Offord: What is the ultimate goal for a blogger in your opinion?

Erin Chase: My ultimate goal as a blogger is to encourage and inspire others with what I am learning each day about cooking, recipes, saving money and finding great deals at the grocery store. I hope that others will learn from me and be able spend less on their groceries, while still making healthy wholesome meals.

How do you interact with your blog readers, other than on your own blog?

Erin Chase: I interact with readers on the site, as well as on Twitter and Facebook. I feel like social media is just an extension of the website and the community that has formed as a result of the site.

Scott Offord: When you don’t feel like blogging, what do you do?

Erin Chase: Blog anyways!

Really, I keep ideas for posts in the drafts portion of my dashboard, so if I don’t feel like writing or if I come up against writer’s block… then at least I have some content and ideas to work with.

Scott Offord: What’s your biggest distraction, and what do you do to get rid of it?

Erin Chase: While social media is an integral part of the $5 Dinners community, it can also be a distraction. I find it best to shut down all social media outlets while writing and working on photographs.

Scott Offord: If you could choose only one blog to read for the rest of your life, and that blog would provide you with all the education and entertainment you’d ever need, what blog would you pick and why?

Erin Chase: Big Mama… written by an IRL friend from TX… and she is just hysterical!

Why did Google create a new indexing system? Google says it is because it will help them keep up with the shear size and growth of the web with the “advent of video, images, news and real-time updates” and due to the fact that “the average webpage is richer and more complex”. These days, searcher’s expectations of how a search engine should perform are much higher. People want the latest content. They would rather see result that are published more recently than end up landing on an outdated, stale webpage that is no longer relevant.

Source: Official Google Blog on June 8th, 2010

Google has dubbed the new indexing system as “Caffeine”. Caffeine allows Google to index websites more efficiently now. They believe that Google “Caffeine is a fresher, more robust foundation that can scale along with the rest of the web.

Staying up on the latest search engine optimization tricks can be tough. Orion Group exists to help you stay on top of the newest algorithms and continually finds new ways to gain more exposure online for your business.

Query Matching in the Domain Name

• Exact match domains appear to continue their powerful level of influence
• Google actually has a higher correlation with ranking exact match domains higher (when they appear on page 1 of the results) than Bing
• Hyphenated exact matches appear to be less influential
• Keywords in the domain name has a positive impact

Exact Match Domains by TLD Extension

• Exact match benefit seems to have the biggest impact when using a .com extension
• Bing values non “.com” exact matches more than Google

Keywords in Subdomains

• Keywords in subdomains aren’t nearly as powerful as in root domain names
• Bing may be rewarding subdomain keyword more than Google

On-Page Keyword Usage

• The alt attribute of images appears to still be useful in both engines
• Placing keywords in the URL string has some benefit
• Simplistic on-page optimization doesn’t appear to be a big factor

Link Counts & Link Diversity

• Links are still a major part of the algorithm
• Bing may be slightly more naive in their usage of link data than Google
• Diversity of link sources remains more important than raw link quantity

TLD Extensions

• .gov, .info and .edu don’t receive special ranking bonuses or penalties
• .com is still probably the best extension to us in most cases

Length of Domain, URL & Content

• Shorter URLs are likely a good best practice (especially on Bing)
• Long domains might not be ideal
• Don’t overfill your page with text for the sake of search engines.
• Search engines want what the users want – for your site to be useful and informative

Website Homepages

• Bing has the stereotype of ranking homepages much more so than Google
• Homepages on Bing have double the amount of weight than on Google when compared to subpages

Anchor Text Link Matches

• Many anchor text links from the same domain likely don’t add much value
• Anchor text links from diverse domains are ideal
• Link attributes have much higher correlation with rankings than on-page or domain related elements

Source: Google vs Bing Correlation Analysis of Ranking Elements

If you would like help improving the rankings of your website, or getting more exposure from online marketing, call Orion Group today.

• bielinski.com
• wolterbrothers.com
• westridgebuilders.com
• badgerhomes.com
• kingswayhomes.com
• lemelhomes.com
• brookstonehomes.com

Here are the results:

Research for the Wisconsin Home Builder Online Niche by Orion Group. Click image to view full size.