What do search engines value in websites or web pages in order to rank them higher? This is the million-dollar question. No doubt that anyone who could definitively and conclusively give a complete and correct answer to this question could become an instant millionaire. But it basically is a trick question because anyone who can answer it, would only be able to answer with regard to how one particular search engine’s algorithms work, not all, and even that is an ever-moving target. The answer valid today would be obsolete tomorrow… or soon thereafter. It is a question over which SEO professionals obsess and marketers distress. And the question to which few will confess that what is believed is as much supposition and speculation as insight and intelligence.

The truth is that except for the computer engineers who work at the major search engines such as Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc., most people don’t entirely know all the variables or and weighting given to the myriad of signals used to determine a website’s rank by any search engine. It’s like the secret recipe for a great stew. There is a clear sense of what the main ingredients are, but not necessarily all of minor ingredients or the exact measurements for each or how they come together. So what are the most important ingredients and why keep them such a secret?

Anyone who is not deeply entrenched in the world of search may wonder why search engines are so secretive about how they do what they do. Why not just tell everyone how pages are ranked? The reason is simple. Search Engines keep their ‘algorythyms’ under wraps to prevent (or at least limit) people cheating, manipulating or skewing search results for their own benefit. Nevertheless, most SEO gurus agree that there are certain basics every website should have in order to rank well. Does your company’s website have them all? Continue reading →

Last week, we looked at the psychological drivers and emotional triggers that can cause a video to ‘go viral.’ Specifically, we looked at Kony 2012, a video that had been viewed nearly 80 million times, shared 8+ million times and generated 650,000+ comments (at the time of the writing of the article nearly 10 days ago). In addition to being #1 on the video viral chart for the last two weeks, the same video with Spanish subtitles is also ranked #11 on the Video Viral Chart.

What was interesting about the Kony 2012 video was that it wasn’t selling a product or service. The video’s goal was to raise global awareness about Joseph Kony (who has been indicted by the International Court of Justice for crimes against humanity… particularly against children) and lead to his capture. In that regard, the Kony video was a call to action. From a purely marketing perspective, the video’s message was successful in generating strong emotional responses from viewers, educating viewers on a little-known topic, and aligning itself with a cause to which most people could easily identify and support. These are considered some of the key psychological drivers that cause a video to be widely shared.

One may wonder, though, if brand-generated videos (such as a webisode or a commercial) could possibly generate such strong emotional responses as the Kony 2012 video did. The simple answer is yes. Even brand-generated videos can and do ‘go viral.’ But it doesn’t happen automatically. There are factors that spur the viral effect. Read more to understand why some videos go viral. Continue reading →

Arguably the biggest challenge that businesses face today is for their brand to be ‘known’ — seen and heard – by clients and potential clients despite the onslaught of marketing noise bombarding our eyes and ears from all directions. Newspapers. Magazines. Television. Radio. Social media websites. Emails. Blogs. Even if someone tries to ‘turn off’ the noise and disconnect from telecommunications, it would still be impossible in the industrialized world to completely avoid marketing messaging. Billboards. Bus benches. Street signs. Unsolicited circulars (a/k/a junk mail). Marketing is everywhere. The challenge for any businesses, then, is to cut through the clatter so that potential customers can receive their specific message.

Yet, some messages are being delivered to millions of people with little cost or effort. That is what happens when a video ‘goes viral’. Case in point. One 30-minute video posted on March 5, 2012, just 13 days ago, has been viewed 77,384, 697. That same video has also been shared on Facebook 8,012,263. Since the average FB user has 120 confirmed friend connections, that means that potentially, in time, 961,471,560 people may end up viewing that video. (Note: Studies also show that people will remain watching a video three times longer when it has been shared by a friend, as opposed to finding it online themselves.) Additionally, that video has been posted on 7,472 blogs and has had 643,616 people post comments about it. Indeed, that video is currently the #1 video online, according to the Video Viral Chart. What causes a video to ‘go viral’ (marketing-speak meaning to spread like a virus)? Opinions abound. But new research provides some real insight on what causes a video to ‘go viral.’ Read on to learn more. Continue reading →