Jun

30

Post-Panda SEO

Featured / Web Strategies

As many of you probably know already, search engine optimization, more commonly known as SEO, is the process used to improve the visibility of a website in search engines. As search engines have become so integrated into daily life, SEO has become not only an incredibly useful tool for webmasters trying to get ahead of the curve but also a huge industry. In March of this year though, Google changed the game with “Panda.” Today I’m going to give you some tips for improving your post-Panda search results, but first, let’s talk a little about how Panda works. Very basically, Google has upped their ability to scale machine learning algorithms, which allows them to now compare websites using a number of things, such as projections of what their “quality raters” like and usage metrics. The sites people like more go up; the sites people don’t go down.

So how can SEO’s deal with this to keep their websites high on search engines? Well here are a few tips:

  • Improve user experience and design. Obviously this is nothing new, but with Panda it has become all the more important. It’s become that much more vital for your website to flow well and look great; otherwise it will suffer the consequences.
  • Improve your content quality. Panda is programmed to recognize formatting with the sole intention of SEO and consequently pushes such sites down. You need to make your content really distinguishable from other sites; if Panda doesn’t think people would want to care about it or share it, it won’t.
  • Lastly, you need to optimize usage metrics; i.e. you have to improve how people are using your website. If they’re not staying for long, or are only looking at one of your pages, Panda will penalize you for that. On the other hand, increase your click-through and browsing rates and you may be rewarded.

 

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Jun

14

A New Way to Research Your Everyday Purchases

Cool Startups / Featured

With all of the information on the internet these days, it’s become increasingly more common for consumers to do some serious research before they spend their money. From movies to restaurants, sites such as Rotten Tomatoes and Yelp have long eased such research by amassing reviews and ranking items in these markets. Until recently though, buyers have had to scour the internet to research consumer goods. The new startup Consmr looks to change that.

Founded by Ryan Charles (formerly of Zagat) Consmr ranks consumer goods based on reviews by consumers, bloggers, and several editorials, including Men’s Health and Women’s Health. Although Consmr exists only in its online at the moment, they are planning to someday release a mobile app which would allow consumers to access their database in-store and make more informed purchasing decisions on the spot.

 

Calacles L.L.C. is not affiliated with Consmr.

 

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Jun

08

Build Your Brand with Twitter

Social Media

Your twitter account can be more than just a way to advertise to your current followers. By utilizing it well, you can turn those followers into “brand ambassadors” says Mashable’s Lauren Drell. Here are six simple ideas that can help achieve this goal.

  • Offer free items to your followers via twitter. Nothing builds more love from consumers than giving them freebies!
  • Give them control. Host contests via your twitter account letting a follower take the reins.
  • Give your followers a shout out. They’re giving you attention, so why not return the favor? Not only is it free and easy, but it’s a simple way to build appreciation and loyalty.
  • Teach your followers something. Whether it’s a trivia fact or something a little more substantial, it will add a nice enlightenment factor to your followers twitter time.
  • Let your fans have an inside view of what’s going on behind the scenes. By lending them this behind-the-scenes view, you make them feel like they’re part of your inner group.
  • Add a little laughter to your twitter stream. Help brighten your follower’s day and encourage them to keep coming back.

So now that you know how some tips to build your following, go out and do it! The original article can be found at the following link http://mashable.com/2011/06/07/reward-twitter-followers/

 

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Jun

08

Better Buying Through Location-Based Apps

Cool Startups / Featured

Over the past decade or so, websites such as eBay and Craigslist have revolutionized transactions between common people, allowing strangers to connect online to buy and sell goods and services from each other. Recently though, a few startup companies have begun bringing these transactions back to the local arena by utilizing modern, location-based technologies.

SideSell, one of these startups, is attempting to take a bite out of the market by allowing consumers to see a map of local items for sale. They’re not just mapping garage sales; anything you could possibly want, from tickets to real estate, can be seen. Speaking of garage sale though, SideSell could help revolutionize them as well. Instead of driving from house to house looking for that certain item, you can message the poster and simply ask if he/she has it.  And the kicker, this is all from your smartphone.

Other companies have jumped into the fray, targeting more specific areas, such as the real estate and job market for example. Regardless of the designated market, all of these services have one key element in common that the established market leaders lack: mobility. They all allow you to not only locate on the go, but locate period, which they believe, will push them to the front of the field.

Check out the original article here: http://mashable.com/2011/06/07/online-marketplaces-apps/

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Nov

02

How Calacles Got Google to Put La Jolla Back on the Map!

Featured

In August of 2010, we at Calacles were notified by multiple clients that when La Jolla was searched on Google, La Jolla was being placed in Orange County (in Fullerton to be exact.) Our clients were dismayed that their business locations were not being correctly located on Google search results(for good reason!). Many of our clients had contacted Google and left messages on Google’s Help forum, but after months navigating through red-tape–they found no results. We decided that we needed to try to do something about it.

On August 20, our Operations Manager, Will Harris, wrote an article mocking Google’s mistake. We felt that sometimes the best way to get large internet companies (like Google) to pay attention is to embarrass them. In this case, Google had embarrassed themselves and we tried to get them to realize their mistake through our article.

Here is a snippet from the article:

“It if Official. The Jewel of San Diego, La Jolla, once nestled on a prime stretch of Pacific, has taken root in a new exciting? location. With the help of Google and its location-based search, La Jolla, rated by the Robb Report as the Best Place to Live in America, has uprooted itself from its San Deigo base and found itself in Fullerton, CA….A major concern of the move has been the effective decrease in property value as La Jolla’s new location under the 57 overpass in Fullerton has found La Jolla’s housing market stifled to say the least. At its coastal location, the median home price sat around $924,000. In its new location near Fullerton, La Jolla’s average home price is teetering around $380,000.”

Using our connections across the country, our article was featured on localseoguide.com, a search engine optimization blog that reaches an audience of whose-who in the SEO world.   Using SEO blogs as our megaphone, Google apparently heard, as the computer error had been corrected within a week of our efforts( on September 8, 2010).  

To view an article about this in the La Jolla Light, Please Click Here.

Our mentions on the localseoguide.com:

La Jolla Takes a hit From Google Maps

La Jolla Back from Google Maps Purgatory!

To read our full article to Google, Please Download Here.

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