By Ian Magwire

So what do you do when you become a victim of click fraud?  Call the cops?  You call Google.  Who profits from click fraud?  Google.  Conflict of interest much?  I’ve read the Tuzhilin report, and I’ve never heard of someone with such credentials use the word “reasonable” as an excuse for a conclusion so often or so egregiously.

In a nutshell: Google makes a profit from click fraud, so their system of filters designed to prevent click fraud stay about as up to date as Google wants them to.  Google refuses to give over any details about, or the identity of, those who commit click fraud for fear of piracy.

Piracy in this case is being defined as someone using specific information about previous acts of click fraud to reverse engineer Google’s filters.

So then are we to believe that Google’s plan is to just keep the identities of the perpetrators quiet until they come up with a backup plan?  News flash, they’ve already got the backup plan, they’ve already figured out every
possible outcome.  They have filters to deal with the possibility of the reverse engineering of the filters they already have in place.

So don’t feel surprised if they don’t exactly send a CSI team to collect DNA swabs every time you get a “Click Quality Adjustment”.  So if you do happen to look at your itemized AdWords bill and see a “Click Quality Adjustment” just know that the phrase you are reading is a nice way of saying:

“somebody stole x amount of money from you (sorry we can’t tell you exactly how much or how often or when the fraud occurred) so here’s a sum we found reasonable to compensate you with.”

Go get yourself a hot dog.

Google’s Click Fraud Protection is a post from: Sober Intellect - SEO Consulting Services

My favorite comment in their presentation is “Never Optimize for search engines, Always optimize for better user experience”.

Internet Marketing Strategy – VisaPro is a post from: Sober Intellect - SEO Consulting Services

Marketing Data and 50+ Charts is a post from: Sober Intellect - SEO Consulting Services

So how do you get it?  You can follow the directions below, or If you would like to run a test without a plug-in try zoompf.com.  This site will allow you enter in the URL of a site of your choice and run a page speed analysis.

To use Page Speed (Highly recommended)

1. You must have Firefox
2. Download the Firebug plug-in
3. Download Google’s Page Speed add-on

Here are a few additional tools that are very helpful as well

• YSlow, a free tool from Yahoo! that suggests ways to improve website speed.
• WebPagetest shows a waterfall view of your pages’ load performance plus an optimization checklist.

Search Engine Optimization is important for users to find your site, but once they are there usability becomes the most important factor.  You want them to return, right?  Your site should have a good balance and your SEO strategy should include some type of survey or feedback mechanism in order to determine what exactly the users are looking for and expecting.

How to Test Page Speed is a post from: Sober Intellect - SEO Consulting Services

Search Engine Optimization is more important now than ever. Keeping up with technology is difficult as it is, and without a properly positioned website it will be more difficult to catch up in the future.

Our SEO Consulting team can help.

The Future of Technology is a post from: Sober Intellect - SEO Consulting Services

Do you optimize in Yahoo or Bing? is a post from: Sober Intellect - SEO Consulting Services

There are several different types of results where a business can appear on the first page.  Often times the types of results are contingent on the type of business and the products offered.  For example, a non-profit would not trigger “shopping” results.

• Paid Search
• Organic Search
• Local Search
• Images
• News
• Shopping
• Videos
• Latest Results (Twitter Feed)

In order to understand the difference between these, it is important to understand the anatomy of the search results page.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is about using these multiple channels in order to get your site positioned toward in the best possible places.  A strong online marketing mix will aid your organization in achieving the results you desire.

What does SERP mean? is a post from: Sober Intellect - SEO Consulting Services

<title>Best Buy</title>
<meta name=”keywords” content=”<!– –>”>
<meta name=”description” content=”Best Buy’s online source for electronics, televisions, DVD players, home audio, car audio, computers, cameras, music, movies, software, GPS, video games and more. Research, compare and buy securely online; pick it up in a store.”>

In the image above you can see where the meta tags are visible.  The <keywords> meta tag is never visible and not as important as the <title> and <description>.

• The title tag should be concise and specific to the content of the page.  It is recommended that it be no longer than 60-70 characters.
• The description tag should be consistent with the title tag and content of the page.  It is recommended that this description be no longer than 160-170 characters.

Both the <title> and <description> tags should contain the keywords that the page is targeted for.  DO NOT REPEAT THE KEYWORD IN ORDER TO FOOL THE SEARCH ENGINES! This is considered to be “keyword stuffing” and could get your page penalized.

Do not repeat the same title and description across your entire site.  This can cause “duplicate content”.  Duplicate content is not rewarded and could actually depreciate the value of your page.

How do you change your meta tags?

This can be done in your content mangement system (CMS) or by using an HTML editor.    The easiest way to achieve this is by asking your webmaster to do it

If you have any additional questions about online strategies or online consulting send us an email.

What are META tags is a post from: Sober Intellect - SEO Consulting Services

Now for even an easier way to check your site, try Website Grader.  This tool will give you a quick and simple assessment of your site.  The Website Grader will help you identify some of the algorithmic factors that search engines use to determine your sites placement.  After your site has been graded, you should have a very topical understanding of the work that needs to be done.

At Sober Intellect, we offer a wide variety of services that help your business achieve its objectives.  It doesn’t matter if your just beginning or if you have a well established site.  We can help position your site in front of your consumers, or we can use analytics to identify the highest converting consumer behaviors trending on your site.

Our design and consulting team has a vast array of experience and has been trained by the best in the industry.  Contact us today!

Website Analysis? Does your site need a tune up? is a post from: Sober Intellect - SEO Consulting Services

here.

• Do you have questions about ranking your website?
• Do you need an explanation of a particular strategy?
• Would you like to find out some easy tips and strategies to enhance your website?

Share you thoughts and ask advice from an SEO professional here.

SEO Advice is a post from: Sober Intellect - SEO Consulting Services