Many of my clients have asked me about whether Bing is a credible alternative go Google in the UK when it comes to search engine marketing. Well, based on these figures for April 2013 from Statcounter and brought to us by The E Word, I’d say the answer to that is an emphatic ‘NO’!

It’s all very well saying that you don’t want to rely on Google and put all your eggs in one basket but the other search engines are very much also rans.

The one area where Bing had a chance to get ahead of Google was in Local. Google Places/Plus/Local or whatever they are calling it this week is a mess. And it’s been a frustrating mess for over a year now.

Bing had the chance to step in and provide a useful Local Places listing to businesses. But what did they do? They outsourced it to Nokia and Here.com who can’t even provide a category for jewellers – probably one of the best represented businesses on the High Street.

And there is no phone support to ask anyone questions. It’s like going back to Google Places when it first started out and was like the Wild West.

The big G is a little less dominant in the US with almost a third less of the market. Yahoo, Bing, Ask and some others are taking up a lot more of the pie – but still not really enough to give Google a run for its money.

It becomes more and more obvious that business owners have to look at other ways to get their products in front of new customers – Social Media, Networking, email marketing and direct mail are all useful ways of spreading the job of building brand awareness without being totally reliant on Google.

This

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It was a question that came up during one of my High Visibility Social Media training courses in Essex and again when I was doing some one-to-one tuition with Synergise.

But the answer is not obvious. If you click on the padlock at the top of your profile page, it doesn’t mention photos. If you click on the cog and go into Privacy Settings from that dropdown menu, again, no mention of photographs.

I searched online and there was a video but it became apparent that, even though it was made in 2013, it was now out of date because the functions mentioned were no longer visible.

The Facebook Help Centre also gave no answers!!!

By some trial and error, this is what I discovered.

How To Set Facebook Privacy To Control Who Sees Your Photos

First, you need to go into your photo albums.

Click on Photos in the timeline navigation bar under the cover image on your personal page.

For each album listed, in the bottom right hand corner of the image, you will see either the little image of the world – which indicates privacy is set to public – or a cog setting – which means that you can access each photo individually to set the permissions as to who can see that image.

Obviously Cover Images will be set to Public by default. My Timeline photo album has the cog setting but is actually controlled by the timeline settings that I have set within my main privacy settings to friends only. So I don’t need to change individual photos there. However, if your timeline privacy is set to public by default, then you will have to go through this laborious process.

As I was undertaking this exercise, I also noticed that my timeline setting had been reset to public. Facebook gave me the message that this was due

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After you’ve installed WordPress and covered the basics of improving WordPress for SEO and the user experience, it’s time to go a bit deeper. Many great plugins are available to help your WordPress site when it comes to SEO, usability, and conversion. Here are 10 great plugins – most of which are available for free.

1. WordPress SEO by Yoast

http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wordpress-seo/

Download this plugin now and use it on every WordPress site you own. This plugin, in my opinion, is as important as the WordPress installation itself. It’s also extremely easy to use.

Also, if you haven’t already, make sure to use Yoast’s Google Analytics plugin.

2. Simple URLs

http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/simple-urls/

This plugin is great. You can track outbound links and control them completely right within the WordPress backend. If you add Disallow: /go/ into your robots.txt file it will also stop any authority from passing through the link itself.

You can use this plugin to keep track of these outbound links. For example, if you have affiliate links on your site, you can calculate a conversion rate from knowing the number of clicks to the number of people who purchase something via the affiliate link.

3. RB Internal Links

http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/rb-internal-links/

Although this plugin hasn’t been updated in more than two years, it still should be included in every WordPress installation. This plugin helps with internal linking.

RB Internal Links is great because it uses the post ID to link internally rather than the URL itself. This means that if you want to change the URL of a page or post, then the URL will be updated dynamically.

This cuts the risk of internal 404 pages that can harm SEO for internal pages, as well as ensuring that no visitor reaches a page that does not exist.

4. NextGen Gallery and Lightbox Plus:

http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/lightbox-plus/
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/nextgen-gallery/

These two plugins have been combined into one entry because they work hand-in-hand. Lightbox Plus uses Colorbox – a lightweight jQuery image gallery script that is the friendliest for performance and doesn’t hinder on-page SEO. Although Lightbox is included as an option within NextGen

Read More at: http://searchenginewatch.com/article/2268750/10-Essential-WordPress-Plugins-to-Improve-SEO-Usability

Matts Cutts says that just about every SEO needs to watch this video. Don’t believe us? Here you go.

Pretty much every SEO should watch this video: goo.gl/K0CPE (unless you prefer surprises)

— Matt Cutts (@mattcutts) May 13, 2013

We know a few readers might fall into that category, so here you go.

Related Posts

• Google Points Out 5 Common SEO Mistakes [VIDEO]
• Google’s Panda 2.2 Is Live and It’s Hungry!
• Google’s SEO Essentials for Startups
• Explaining Google Search in Under 8 Minutes
• The Free Google Ride is Over for Lazy SEOs Keyword Domain Names

Read More at: http://www.marketingpilgrim.com/2013/05/matt-cutts-says-pretty-much-every-seo-should-watch-this-video-so-watch-it.html

At today’s Google I/O here were the updates on Google+ which are going to start rolling out today.

Every day, we connect with others with a smile or a laugh, but the meaning often gets lost.

So the G+ project was designed to share the things you love with the people you love. To explore the stuff you’re into and get together.

Today Google+ are rolling out 41 new features across 3 major areas:

Newly designed stream
New hangouts experience
New photo functionality

Newly designed stream for Google+

They are rolling out a modern design across many devices. Today’s feed is flat – it’s easy to see a long list of things that have been shared like a never ending newspaper.

But you might want to go deeper on things that interest you and the new stream is about design and depth

Depending on the size of the screen, you will get 1, 2 or 3 columns – but you can still choose to have just 1 column.

Posts like videos and photos can span multiple columns. It will be fast fluid and fun with animations throughout the products, posts that flip over for more information and menus that slide in and out to get out of the way

Depth
Currently, it’s often hard to go deeper on a topic that you care about so Google + are introducing related hashtags.

Google will analyse the content of a post and put on the approptiate hashtag. Then flip the ‘card’ over to show related items from important sources and proximity to you.

The example was of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, but nowhere is the term Eiffel tower mentioned in the post or comments. Google does image anlaysis and the knowledge graph. These recognise important landmarks so Google knew it was about the Eiffel Tower and tagged it. If you flip the post over, you can see other images and posts about the Eiffel Tower.

Having said that, they deeply respect the content producer so you can tell Google on

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Facebook changed the rules on cover images back in March.

Whilst we are now allowed to include calls to action like ‘Like our Page’ and ’40% off’, QR Codes and contact information in the cover image of our Facebook business pages, Facebook’s rules say that it can include only a maximum of 20% text.

There is some leeway on this in terms of whether the text is contained within additional graphics or actual products on the site since it is a natural part of the photo and not a text overlay. In our example, Lauren had the writing actually on her TShirt.

The 20% text rule applies to both cover images, images in Boosted (was Promoted) posts and Facebook ads themselves. It does not apply to unpromoted photos that you post on your page – these can have any amount of text.

Because not all images will be reviewed by a human, there is room for error when cover images and ads are assessed. Their automated system may not be able to tell the difference between text on a product or in a logo and some businesses may have their cover image rejected.

Facebook 20% Rule for Cover Images, Boosted/Promoted Posts and Ads

According to their help centre:

For ads and sponsored stories that appear in News Feed, the amount of space the text in your image takes up may not exceed 20%. Examples of promoted content this applies to include promoted page posts, app install ads, offers or any other ad or sponsored story with placement in News Feed. For example, event ads use the event’s photo for its image, so your event’s photo should not have more than 20% text if you plan to promote it in people’s News Feeds.

This 20% text policy does not apply to pictures of products that include text on the actual product. Photos of products in real

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As the SEO rumor mill spun this week with murmurs of the arrival of yet another significant Google update, I began to think back on all this year’s changes and then back to all the algorithm changes of years past and it started me thinking about what people call the “Good Ol’ Days of SEO.”

You know, the “Good Ol’ Days” when you could manipulate Google’s algorithm (and others) like a ball of clay and out came whatever you made of it. Wanted to rank of Viagra? Casinos? Insurance? Put in the magic SEO machine, throw a few techniques at it, and out came rankings, traffic, and cash.

“Ah those were the days”, I hear it so often quipped at conferences. So for a moment, let’s take a walk down memory lane, revisit the SEO of yesteryear, and see how Google has adapted and why you may not have.

SEO Wild West

No Panda, Penguin, or any other cute furry creatures back then, nope! Wanted to rank number one on searches for Viagra? It just took some savvy, a bit of money, and a touch of perseverance. Next thing you know, there you were, all pretty and shiny ranking at the top, bringing in the big bucks.

The thing is, these techniques of yore should have gone by the wayside years ago or at least this year – at least on sites you aren’t prepared to burn if caught. But have they?

Then and Now – Adapt or Die

Let’s take a trip down memory lane and revisit some of those almost ancient SEO techniques, see what the current day equivalent might be, and see how Google has learned to adapt and as we do ask yourself the question, have we?

The Good Ol’ Way #1: Keyword Stuffing

Back in the day (which might just be last year), keyword tag stuffing was simple. Some SEOs would take a keyword and put it everywhere they could find a place to put it.

Keywords were stuffed in title tags, meta tags, navigation, content, anchor text, URLs, domains, if there

Read More at: http://searchenginewatch.com/article/2266919/5-Ways-You-May-Be-Stuck-In-the-Good-Ol-Days-of-SEO

In the same way that you can add a Facebook Admin to a page, there may come a time when someone needs to be removed. They may have left the business or it may be that you have changed your social media manager. Or, as a social media manager, it may be that you are no longer helping that business and would like to remove yourself as an Admin. It can get quite tricky when you are managing lots of pages and there is a need to have a bit of a clean up to keep those pages you are helping to the fore.

How To Remove An Admin from your Facebook Business Page

The drop down menu from the Edit Page section at the top of the dashboard on your Facebook page has changed slightly. Click the drop down and then select Manage Admin roles.

You will see a list of those Facebook personal profiles which currently have admin privileges for your page – at whatever level of authority.

Against the personal profile that you want to remove, you will see an X. If you click that X, the picture and name of that personal profile will become faded.

If you are sure you want to remove this person, then you should click the save button at the bottom of the page.

That person will then receive a confirmation from Facebook that they have been removed as an Admin from your business page.

Email From Facebook confirming removal as Admin

What you should always remember is that any Admin can remove any other Admin from your Facebook Page.

If you receive an email like this from Facebook and you have not asked to be removed as an admin from your business page, you need to investigate further. The email will give you the

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Why one earth would I want to find a local sports massage in London W1 when an aspirin or a beer will take the edge off my back ache, sore shoulder or neck pain? A sports massage is for when you’ve run a marathon or been overdoing it on a hiking holiday! How can sports massage help with everyday aches and pains?

There are two commonly held misconceptions about sports massage that are not only incorrect but also prevent regular members of the public from accessing effective pain relief for everyday aches and pains. The irony is that if you’re in the area and suffer from work related aches and pains you really should be looking for a local sports massage in London W1! But first here’s some sports massage myth debunking…

Sports Massage is only for runners and other sporty people

WRONG! Sports massage is used to the treat injured muscles of all kinds of sportsmen and sportswomen it’s true. And a good sports massage therapist will do a great job of helping these individuals with their sports injuries, true. BUT the deep tissue and remedial sports massage treatments work beautifully for back ache, sore shoulders, neck pain and more everyday aches and pains.

Pain relief is soothing whether the pain comes from sporting over exertions and injuries or everyday over exertions or injuries. Your sports massage therapist will help soothe your pain whether you get it running a marathon or slouching at your desk all day. Pain relief is pain relief!

Sports Massage in London W1

Sports Massage techniques hurt

WRONG! Okay, while sometimes deep tissue massage can be a little uncomfortable it certainly isn’t always so. In fact, you are in control, if the discomfort is a little too much let your therapist know and he/she will ease off on the tender spots and work round the problem, literally.

Besides, you will intuitively feel that any discomfort is not doing you harm. Rather, you can feel how it eases out knots in muscles, releases the tension of spasms and helps

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Many small business owners are looking for specialists who can help them with their local marketing in Essex. But how can you work out which ones have the experience to help you to increase your brand awareness and get the telephone ringing with new customers who are ready to buy?

Local Marketing Experts

Local marketing experts don’t always offer a complete service. Sometimes you have to split the marketing of your local business into its component parts:

A Graphic Designer to help you to build a logo and brand that will make your business instantly recognisable, whether people see it on your website, your social media profiles, on flyers or business cards.

A Printer who can make that design a reality with your marketing literature.

A Photographer – you need someone with the vision to produce compelling images of you as the business owner, the team around you and the products or services that you supply.

A Videographer – YouTube is the world’s second largest search engine. Marketing your business through video requires skills and knowledge of the visual requirements of your target market to position you in the best way.

A Web Designer with the skills to take the vision of the Graphic Designer and put your business onto the world wide web. But, more importantly, in a form that makes customers want to look through your site and then pick up the phone to find out more.

An SEO specialist who knows how to direct traffic to your website in the form of targeted customers who are ready to buy. You can have the most beautiful site in the world but, if no one knows it’s there, it’s a huge white elephant in your marketing arsenal. Building trust with Google and the other search engines that you can provide the best and most relevant answers to the questions they are being asked in search is vital.

A Social Media Manager with hands on experience of how to make the most of all

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