App Store Optimization

App Store optimization, a new mobile optimization technique for Apps. App Store Optimization is similar to Search Engine Optimization. Now a days many of the people are interested in different kinds of App which they can get over their iPhone, ipad, Android phones etc., Did anyone know how only specific apps would be displayed in your mobile app store? That's because of App Store Optimization, many people compete to get their apps displayed in the android or iPhone market. If they rank high in search result and if they get more downloads then that app is going to be in the app store.

As the number of apps in app stores has grown, the difficulty of any one app being found has dropped. This has led app marketers to realize how important it is to be noticed within an app store.As marketers started working on ranking highly in top charts and search results, a new discipline was formed. This is similar to Search Engine Optimization where in people would be competing with each other to get their website in top of search engines for the search terms. Similar way App marketers would also compete with other people so that their app gets more visibility and chances would be also high to get listed in the app stores.

Its an young and evolving field and the methods to optimize this effectively is yet to know. App Store Optimization tools provider MobileDevHQ broke App Store Optimization into three distinct parts: finding the right keywords, ranking highly for those keywords, and converting visitors into users. Nevertheless, ASO is not limited to keyword related tactics only, it actually involves all meta data available and accessible in the app stores, like icons, screenshots, description and update texts and others.

Even in ASO we have white hat and black hat techniques. White hat techniques the downloads and ratings would be by genuine users but where as in black hat ASO includes falsifying downloads or ratings, perhaps by using bots, or other techniques to make app stores believe an app is more important and influential than it actually is. And you know what Apple has been proactively fighting against black hat ASO. In February 2012, Apple release a statement as reported by The New York Times "warning app makers that using third-party services to gain top placement in App Store could get them banned from the store."

Penguins All Over the Way!!!!

Now-a-days even in India we can see penguins all over the way. I am talking about the Google Penguin Updates taking place. So, what do you think is the main reason of Google releasing this new algorithm? Is that people doing over SEO for their websites and getting all the irrelevant links to their site? Or Do they have enough time to release all the new algorithms? The answer is Over SEO Optimization. Yes, you heard it right it's Over SEO optimized website's are getting penalized.

Did you observe any drop down change in the traffic or all your keyword position rankings has been dropped? Then you are getting affected by this Penguin. Just stop getting panic and calm down yourselves and take precautionary measures to stop penguin coming to your site and hitting you badly.

There are many steps which you can follow to overcome your site from Penguin Effect. In this blog I am going to tell you the different steps to keep your site away from this algorithm.

Just keep this points in mind and start updatisng your websites right away!!!

(1) Check your On Page: Initially people used to stuff all their main keywords either in Title or Description or in their URL's. This is actually wrong way, now you need more concentrate on using the more generic keywords. And keep on updating the On Page Meta Data.
(2) Cloaking: Another major problem is if you are using doorway pages or cloaking. If you are doing this then stop it immediately, it would badly affect your website.
(3) Avoid Exact Anchor Text BackLinks: If you are acquiring few good exact anchor text backlinks then Google thinks that its a Grey Hat SEO. Instead of exact anchor text prefer for long tail or descriptive anchor texts.
(4) Get Quality BackLinks: Sometimes the back links which you get from authority website may be
spammy link because they might use black hat technique and this can effect your site too. So, be careful while submitting your link in authority websites.
(5) Don't Over Do Off Page SEO: If you keep on doing off page SEO continuously then your links might get into SPAM folder. So, do off page SEO at constant intervals.

So, before another update getting released please keep in mind that you should not get penalized. Just follow this simple steps and you would be safe.

I hope this blog helped you in some or the other way. Please leave in your comments if you feel I missed anything.

Duplicate Content

Duplicate content generally refers to substantive blocks of content within or across domains that either completely match other content or are appreciably similar. Mostly, this is not deceptive in origin. Examples of non-malicious duplicate content could include:

* Discussion forums that can generate both regular and stripped-down pages targeted at mobile devices
* Store items shown or linked via multiple distinct URLs
* Printer-only versions of web pages

If your site contains multiple pages with largely identical content, there are a number of ways you can indicate your preferred URL to Google. (This is called "canonicalization".) More information about canonicalization.

However, in some cases, content is deliberately duplicated across domains in an attempt to manipulate search engine rankings or win more traffic. Deceptive practices like this can result in a poor user experience, when a visitor sees substantially the same content repeated within a set of search results.

Google tries hard to index and show pages with distinct information. This filtering means, for instance, that if your site has a "regular" and "printer" version of each article, and neither of these is blocked with a noindex meta tag, we'll choose one of them to list. In the rare cases in which Google perceives that duplicate content may be shown with intent to manipulate our rankings and deceive our users, we'll also make appropriate adjustments in the indexing and ranking of the sites involved. As a result, the ranking of the site may suffer, or the site might be removed entirely from the Google index, in which case it will no longer appear in search results.

There are some steps you can take to proactively address duplicate content issues, and ensure that visitors see the content you want them to.

* Use 301s: If you've restructured your site, use 301 redirects ("RedirectPermanent") in your .htaccess file to smartly redirect users, Googlebot, and other spiders. (In Apache, you can do this with an .htaccess file; in IIS, you can do this through the administrative console.)

* Be consistent: Try to keep your internal linking consistent. For example, don't link to http://www.example.com/page/ and http://www.example.com/page and http://www.example.com/page/index.htm.

* Use Webmaster Tools to tell us how you prefer your site to be indexed: You can tell Google your preferred domain (for example, http://www.example.com or http://example.com).

* Minimize boilerplate repetition: For instance, instead of including lengthy copyright text on the bottom of every page, include a very brief summary and then link to a page with more details. In addition, you can use the Parameter Handling tool to specify how you would like Google to treat URL parameters.

* Avoid publishing stubs: Users don't like seeing "empty" pages, so avoid placeholders where possible. For example, don't publish pages for which you don't yet have real content. If you do create placeholder pages, use the noindex meta tag to block these pages from being indexed.....

I really thank to Airmekah for posting such wonderful posts...

Is Bing Overtaking Google?

Do you know that the number of US searches conducted on Microsoft’s new Bing search engine has risen 7% in the past four weeks, while Google fell 1%, according to new research from Hitwise. Does that mean Google is dropping down when compared with Bing???

Percentage of U.S. searches among leading search engine providers

Domain September 2009 October 2009 Month-over-month percent change

www.google.com 71.08% 70.60% -1%

search.yahoo.com 16.38% 16.14% -1%

www.bing.com* 8.96% 9.57% 7%

www.ask.com 2.56% 2.62% 2%

Note: Data is based on four-week rolling periods (ending Oct. 31, 2009, and Oct. 3, 2009) from the Hitwise sample of 10 million U.S. Internet users.

*This includes executed searches on Bing.com, Live.com and MSN Search but does not include searches on Club.Live.com.

Source: Experian Hitwise

Bing Maps Steals The Cool Crown From Google

Recently I have read a blog my Airmekah and he stated that Microsoft has had a collection of mapping tools and assets that haven’t been fully utilized or received the play (or usage) of Google Maps. But in an announcement today Bing Maps breaks new ground in online mapping even as it plays a bit of catch up with Google.

First, Bing Maps is introducing “Street Side” in 56 US metro areas, with the ambition to go global eventually. This is the Microsoft answer to Google Street View: immersive street-level photography that, like Street View, allows users to “walk down the street” and explore neighborhoods in cities. Microsoft began Street Side at roughly the same time as Street View but hadn’t released anything (to date) other than this limited demo site.

The environment that Microsoft has created is richer than Street View and brings “augmented reality” into Maps in a compelling way. Microsoft has also utilized its 3D mapping assets in creating the new experience. Here’s how the Microsoft press material describes the technology behind the new Maps experience:

Photosynth and Silverlight are the underlying technologies in Bing Maps that connect everything and help provide the more seamless experience. Based on Seadragon and Photo Tourism concepts, Photosynth lets us literally “stitch” together photographs to provide more realistic view of locations as they appear in real life. Photosynth-enabled Streetside imagery is built on geometric models that are reconstructed underneath the imagery to provide a truly 3D experience that shows locations as they are in real life.

The one “catch” is that you need to install Microsoft Silverlight to make it all work. But once installed the new Bing Maps beta site enables a wide range of experiences, search and discovery tools that haven’t been available (or maybe possible) previously.

In addition there’s an “apps gallery” that enable data overlays directly on the map. All of the current modules are Microsoft created but the company will enable third parties to integrate their content into Bing Maps (e.g., Yelp reviews) in the near term.

It's really nice to read this....

Bing Features

About Bing

Bing is a new search engine designed to do more than merely help you find information. Bing organizes search results and provides refinement tools that help you overcome information overload, get things done and quickly bring you to the point of using that information to make an informed decision.

Microsoft also found that 66 percent of consumers are more focused on using the Internet to get things done, rather than to simply find information. Therefore, with Bing we created much more than an Internet search engine. Instead, we created what is essentially an Internet decision engine that will help you navigate through the rampant excess of information and find the shortest distance to an informed decision.

Check out the Videos, Search Progression, Product Guide or Microsoft PressPass for additional information about Bing and the vision behind its development.