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Some recent updates to Google’s Local Guides Program expand it to offer more levels and more ways to contribute. It will also bring new perks and overall improve the program for both contributors and users. Here’s what you need to know. What is the Local Guides Program? Local Guides is a program that allows anyone […]
The European Union has fined Google a record $2.7 billion (2.4 billion in euros) fine for skewing search results in favor of Google’s own shopping site. But that may be only a fraction of the ultimate costs of the EU’s demand for Google to cease and desist.
Although Google has plenty of cash to keep it afloat, it may lose much more than the $2.7 billion due to a potential loss of ad revenue along with a regulatory backlash against Google’s other services, including restaurant reviews, maps, and more. This, in addition to the EU’s threats for more penalties.
The decision, brought by Margrethe Vestager, the EU’s antitrust chief, brings a 7-year investigation to an end. The investigation came in the wake of accusations from both small websites and well-known sites like News Corp., Microsoft, and Springer SE. While politicians in Europe have called for sanctions against Google, or even demand that it be broken up, U.S. critics challenge the accusations by claiming that EU regulators are deliberately targeting successful American companies.
A binding order from the EU demands that Alphabet Inc., Google’s parent company, must “stop its illegal conduct” and start giving equal treatment to competing price-comparison services, and notify the EU of its plans to do so within 60 days. It’s up to Google how it wants to accomplish this.
The ultimatum was issued by Vestager, imposing a 90-day deadline to incorporate the changes and give smaller price-comparison competitors a chance against the Google shopping ads that appear alongside search results. The EU states that it plans to monitor Google over the next five years and “may impose stiffer fines in the future” up to 5 percent of Google’s daily revenue if the demands aren’t met.
Kent Walker, Google’s general counsel, shared that the company disagrees with the EU’s findings and may decide to seek an appeal.
According to the EU, Google has promoted its own comparison-shopping service as far back as 2008, putting its own services at the top of search engine results when shopping for a new item. Comparison-shopping rivals only have results popping up on page four, putting them at a distinct disadvantage, since the first page garners 95 percent of all clicks.
A lawyer at the Parisian Firm Simmons & Simmons declares that it’s normal for a private company to favor its own services. But the EU’s decision imparts obligations to Google that one might expect for a water or power company. Such companies were once considered a state monopoly.
The fines levied on Tuesday may only be the first in a series of heavy penalties aimed at Google by EU antitrust committees. This comes at a difficult time for Google, which is already fighting for its Android phone software and its AdSense internet advertising service. Vestager hinted that she may also look into Google’s travel, maps, and restaurant reviews, which have also engendered complaints.
In spite of the recent record-breaking penalty, Google is unlikely to be fazed by the $2.7 billion fine when it holds a cache of $90 billion. More concerning is the way EU regulators are trying to force Google to change its online shopping search results, one of the biggest revenue sources for the internet giant, and one of the greatest weapons in its arsenal of online competitors.
At SEO Houston Pros our SEO Experts in Houston confirm that although this ordeal with Google may seem like a bump in the road, we have addressed similar issues in the past. We take pride in keeping ourselves ahead of the curve and by doing so are able to keep ourselves up-to-date on all new algorithm changes. More importantly, SEO Houston Pros spends rigorous hours studying those changes brought to Google’s search engine platform.
We at SEO Houston Pros are incapable of taking on every client, as we only work with 1 client per niche in any given area, but to see if you are a good fit for our services, contact us now by filling out our contact form, or to expedite the process for consideration fill out our discovery application to see if your business qualifies for our service, and one of our executive SEO architects will be back with you promptly.
It might feel like an elusive goal to build brand awareness. To keep your Houston business running smoothly you have so much work and very limited time. You might be wondering about the best use of your marketing budget. Here are 7 important tips on the impact of a company blog on your brand.
Here are 7 important tips on the impact of a company blog on your brand.
A company blog is an incredibly powerful tool to help you build your brand. Your company website helps establish your web identity while a blog is responsible for drawing people to you. It is your direct channel of communication with your clients. An opportunity for enduring opportunity. Consider the 7 benefits below of a company blog for your brand:
The content on your website probably does not change all too often. Chances are that you just have a handful of pages that stay constant over extended periods. This makes sense. Web design is important but you need to think about this: each blog post is a new page for the search engines to pick up. It is another hook in the water for fish to find you. Quality content posted frequently will continue driving traffic to your website.
Blogs are typically not places to sell products. They are a great platform for connecting with clients. However, if you add a call-to-action, each blog post provides a great opportunity for lead generation. Especially if you provide value and high-quality content on topics that your target audience would be interested in. The role of the call-to-action is to prompt the reader to engage with your brand in one way or another. It could be a webinar, free eBook, or just a “Contact Us for additional information.” The call-to-action on your blog will help generate more leads for the sales team.
Consistent valuable content is what distinguishes you as an authority to your clients and in your industry. The more valuable the content, the more it will enhance your authority. Think of the blog as a platform for answering common questions your target audience and clients will love. If you generate valuable content consistently over time you will establish yourself as an authority in your field. Your clients will be coming to you.
4. Supporting Various Social Media InitiativesFrequent quality content is the key to a successful social media marketing strategy. You can draw from other sources but a blog will provide a steady flow of content to share. Each blog post you share on social media will point readers back to you and not just them but also everyone that they share it with too. It is an opportunity that you would not like to miss.
A blog can be considered a way to add a human touch to the business. You can use it to touch people’s hearts, make them laugh, and even engage their minds. You can address the issues that your clients are concerned about. You can use it to give clients an inside look into your company values and culture. A blog can give your company a voice and personality and will make you more approachable.
Your clients will appreciate the content that you provide over time and will start looking to you as a leader in your community. You will facilitate ongoing conversations and the clients will participate if you offer them the chance. Pay attention to comments to your posts and respond to them. Make an effort to know your clients and allow your brand to connect with the target audience.
Blog analytics can provide valuable insight into the interests of the target audience. You can note popular topics, track readers, keeping an eye on comments and shares, and recording click-throughs. You can use the data to find out what makes the target audience tick and will guide future marketing decisions and blog topics.
You might be tempted to use blog posts as written commercials but you shouldn’t do it. The goal is for the target audience to decide to read the content you provide. You can be sure that they are not interested in reading sales material. Provide them with valuable content, which is interesting, funny, or heart-warming and they will keep coming for more.
Brand awareness is a critical part of a long-term Houston internet marketing strategy. A blog is one of the best tools available to you when it comes to building brand awareness. Do not miss this opportunity for connecting with the target audience. Consider starting a blog. We are your resource for digital marketing, branding, and generating high-quality content. If you would like to learn more about digital marketing or to get started with your business blog, contact us.
