Hope all the Dads are having a fab day; did anyone notice Google get in on the act with their Father's Day logo?

We're getting a few calls about this at the moment, so I thought I'd write a blog post about it. Bear with me because it is quite long.

There could be many reasons for you to want content removed from Google – it could be that Google has 'cached' a page on your site with the wrong info or prices, or that an old version of your website is still hanging around. It could be that something is written on another site about you that's untrue or defamatory, or it could be one of many other reasons.

Whataver the reason, there are two areas to this – is the content on a site you have control of or not? The answer to this dictates the steps you take.

How do I remove content from Google's cache that is to do with a site I own?

This is the easiest. The steps are simple.

1) Remove the pages or site that you no longer want to appear (or add a 'no-archive' meta tag or a 'no-index' tag.)

2) Open up a Google Webmaster Tools account if you don't have one already

3) Within Webmaster Tools follow the steps to 'verify' that you own the site (this is done by either uploading a file, or adding a META tag)

4) Navigate to 'Site Configuration' –> Crawler Access and you'll see a tab titled Remove URL

5) Click on 'New Removal Request', add the URL of the page or site and submit. Give a reason for removing, and submit again – the URL will now show as pending removal. It can take a while, but check back regularly and the content should be removed

If you don't own the content, it's a little trickier.

How do I remove content from Google's cache if it's on someone else's website?

1) In the first instance you will need to approach the owner of the website that houses the information and ask them to remove or block it with the no-archive tag as above. Without this being done, Google will not remove the URL upon your say so – otherwise we'd all be removing our competitors' websites form the index on a constant basis!

2) Visit the Google Public URL Removal Tool and request that the page is removed. You have to give a reason, and please note that THE PAGE HAS TO BE BLOCKED OR REMOVED FOR IT TO BE CONSIDERED. Google will not even attempt to remove something form their index that isn't blocked or removed.

What if I can't get the website owner to remove the content, but it's illegal?

Google say on this page:

If a site that appears in Google's search results contains content that you believe violates your legal rights, please contact the webmaster who is responsible for that content. Once the webmaster revises or removes the page, you can submit a request for Google to update its search results so that the old content does not appear.

If you cannot resolve the issue with the responsible webmaster, there are some cases in which Google may be able to remove the page from its search results. This is not the preferred means of addressing a problematic website, because the content will still exist on that website and be available for people to see. The site may also still appear in results from other search engines. Google processes web search removal requests based on applicable law.

You can then fill in a form to give them more information, but as they say:

Please note that this form is solely for legal concerns about web search results. We will not be able to respond to non-legal communications submitted through this form.

What if the content says bad things about me but I can't get it removed?

It's possible we can help. It's not cheap and it's hard work, but we may be able to help you restore your online reputation. Email nikki@nikkipilkington.com for more info and an informal chat.

We’ve been adding Google Analytics to clients’ Facebook fan pages over the past couple of days, and they’re loving it!

It’s not difficult to do – all you need is:

• A Google Analytics account
• A Facebook Fanpage
• The FBML application
• Some generated code
• 10 minutes spare

There’s a fantastic guide to it here: How to add Google Analytics to your Fan Page

The basic premise is:

1) Add a new profile in Google Analytics

2) Use the Analytics Tracking code here to generate some code

3) Install the FMBL application on your fan page

4) Add the code generated in step 2 to the FBML page you want to track.

5) Check stats tomorrow!

The guide in the link above is great, and walks you through the process easily.

If, however, you’re having problems and can’t get it installed, then we’re offering a basic no frills installation in return for a donation. You can purchase it below. Why a donation? Because although it takes next to no time, we can’t offer it for free or we’d be inundated and have no time for ‘real’ work. This way, if Leigh spends 6 weeks adding Analytics code to Facebook pages, at least she’ll get paid for it! You can choose the amount you pay, so just pay what you think it’s worth.

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It’s not always easy knowing which keywords and phrases to target when optimising your website – and as I say in my latest blog over on Birds on the Blog, it’s all too easy to fail to see beyond high traffic and high competition phrases.

So why not try asking other people what THEY would use to search for you? This great tool from Seed Keywords allows you to set up a scenario (eg “If you were searching for a website that sells XXXXX, what would you type in to Google?”) and then invite people to contribute, anonymously.

If you can get enough people to contribute, you can get a great overall picture of the type of things that current and potential customers could be typing in to find you – and I bet there’ll be a few surprises!

Set up your ’scenario’ then promote it via:

• Email to current customers
• Your Facebook fan page
• Twitter
• On your blog
• In your email signature
• On LinkedIn
• Everywhere!

In fact, why not post a link to your scenario below and I’ll promise to drop and make some suggestions on each and every one.

I’ve been talking about this for a while, but this is the first chance I’ve had to put thoughts into words properly, so hopefully it will ring a few bells with some of you!

We’re all pretty much aware by now that one of the first things a potential client does when considering working with you is to ‘Google’ you – they’ll head off to google and type in your company name, maybe your director / owner’s name, and probably look through a few listings to see what others are saying about you.

The results that are shown here form the basis of what I call your ‘Circle of Credibility‘. Your Circle of Credibility is the extent to which you appear to be credible online. When someone searches for you, what’s the impression you get?

Without a doubt your company website should be appearing on the front page of those results, whether the search is for your company name or your boss’s name, but what else can appear in that search result to help compound the good feeling the potential client is going to get? And just as importantly, what can appear that can make you look bad?

The Good

- Your company website. Ideally your website will be in the number one position, and if you’re lucky, you’ll have prominent links showing to the main areas of your website, including testimonials.

Your website is probably the first thing someone will be looking for, so make sure it contains some great testimonials / reviews, and shows you at your best. Case studies, examples of work and quotes from happy clients are great for showing you in a good light.

- Your blog. Whether your blog is attached to your website, or a separate entity, it gives any potential client a flavour of your thoughts, opinions and expertise. A quick read through a corporate blog can often tell you much more than a company website, as a blog tends to be more informal and have more of a ‘personality’ – make sure yours is visible and showing the side of you that you want people to see.

- Your Twitter profile. Of course, this is only a good thing if you WANT people to find it, and if you’ve thought about your company image and brand while posting tweets If your Twitter profile is full of ‘Got a hangover and don’t know the name of the man I woke up with this morning’ then it’s probably best if you give it a different name

However, if you use your Twitter profile as part of your company brand then having it show up as one of the results for your company name is a good thing.

- Your LinkedIn and online networking profiles. Along with places such as UK Business forums, UK Business Labs, Xing, WeCanDo.biz, BT Tradespace and more, your LinkedIn profile shows that you appear in various places online that are related to business. These profiles, especially if very active and up to date, show that you’re not just a fly by night, and that you can be tracked down in the event of any problems. This is especially important if you’re a ‘virtual’ company, in my opinion.

- Articles you’ve written. Whether they are articles on your own site, or articles on somewhere authoritative such as Ezine Articles, having your content easily findable shows you spend time promoting yourself, and those articles could be the difference between you showing your expertise or becoming just another ‘also ran’ in the competition for someone’s business.

- Interviews. If you’ve been asked to do interviews and the transcripts or audio files are online, then they’re a great way for a potential customer to learn more about you – if you’ve not been asked to do interviews, start making it known that you’re available!

- Videos. Whether it’s your very own YouTube channel, or videos on your site, having videos show up in the search results for your company name is a good thing. Not everyone likes reading reams of text about how great you are

- Your Facebook profile and / or  Fan Page. This is only a good thing if you’re aware that your Facebook profile could be seen as part of a ‘fact finding’ mission by potential customers. If your profile is available to all (and Fan Pages are by default) then make sure it shows your best side, not just your wild and possibly drunken side

Basically, you want the search results for your company or your name to show a well rounded promotion of your company and services. When people see your website, your blog, your Twitter profile and Facebook Fan Page, numerous articles written by you, interviews, videos etc, they see that you’ve been around a while, that you’re not going anywhere and that you’re probably the person that they want to deal with.

That’s why we always recommend to our clients that they have up to date profiles in as many places as possible, that they blog and write articles regularly, and that they bear in mind their Circle of Credibility, no matter what they’re doing online.

Tomorrow we’ll look at some of the things you DON’T want showing up when people search for you online, and how to avoid it happening.

I received the following request this morning:

I am looking to start a blog that is free (or very cheap) to run, is easy to edit and write on and add photos etc.

I want this blog to be fully search engine optimised, so it comes up close to the top of google for all relevant search terms as well.  I also want some ad space on the site so I can start earning straight away.

How much would you charge for this?  I just want to be handed a blog that is at the top of google and is ready to go when you are finished…

If anyone is handing these kind of blogs out, let me know please. If you have a spare Johnny Depp, I’ll have that too

This question is popping up more and more in my inbox – and the answer is yes.

Google tells us:

There are five Authorised Google AdWords Resellers in the UK:

• BT Business
• Yell
• Infoserve
• Portfolio Europe (automotive dealers only)
• ReachLocal

There is one Authorised Google AdWords Reseller in Ireland:

Yodel

These companies are authorised by Google to resell Adwords to you, and they are the only companies that can claim to be an authorised Google Adwords reseller.

This is different to a company such as ours, selling you Google Adwords Management – we make our money by charging for our time, and you pay your clickthrough costs direct to Google.

What does a company have to do to become an Adwords reseller?

Again, from the horse’s mouth:

The AdWords Authorized Reseller Program is not a good fit for everyone. We work with a wide variety of businesses, but we do find that our most successful partners share these traits:

• A dedicated direct sales force who can actively sell AdWords to local business customers with a goal of achieving at least 500 accounts
• Customer support for advertisers, including AdWords account management to handle questions and requests
• A reporting system for keeping advertisers informed about the performance of their AdWords advertising
• A billing and collections system for customer invoicing and payment collection

Will NikkiPilkington.com become an Authorised Google Adwords Reseller in the future?

It’s unlikely, to be honest. We’re a small agency, and we like it that way. We don’t work locally on the scale that Yell and Reach Local do, and we don’t have the sales or support resources to handle 500 accounts. We do offer Google Adwords account management, but we don’t want to be the conduit for payment for your clicks. To us, it’s much better if you pay Google direct and just pay us a management fee. We do offer reporting, on a monthly basis, as well as support for questions and requests.

I think it’s clear, from looking at the companies who ARE authorised resellers, that this appeals to a certain type of company and their clients – and we’re not that sort of company.

Hope that clears the issue up, but do remember that if you get a phonecall from someone claiming to be a Google partner, Google representative or Google subsidiary, and they’re not one of the above companies, it’s probably a Google scam.

It’s a simple question with a not so simple answer – my answer is “Maybe”

Adding more content to your site is a great thing to do, from a visitor perspective and from a Google perspective, but only if it’s done properly. Simply adding meaningless content for content’s sake is never going to be a good thing.

Well thought out content can be really good for higher Google listings though, for a number of reasons:

• If well written and optimised, you have a better chance of writing specific content for different keyphrases you are focusing on
• More content = more pages, and gives Google more to index
• The more pages you have indexed for different phrases, the more likely you are to show up in long tail searches
• The more well thought out content you have, the more useful your site becomes to visitors
• The more useful your site becomes, the more likely it is to be passed on, Tweeted, Socially Bookmarked, etc

So, yes, more content can be good – but think it through. Badly written, over optimised content written purely for search engines won’t do you any favours at all.

Have a think about what you could add to your site right now to make it more useful to visitors AND help with those higher Google listings.

(photo credit: shioshvili)

I know, I know, I’ve posted about this before – but it rears its ugly head all the time and it really really bugs me.

This time someone on a forum I participate in tells how they received a sales call from a company purporting to be called ‘Chrome’, who are allegedly a ’subsidiary of Google’ and can offer GUARANTEED front page Google listings for a tiny amount per month (about £125, small money for the business he’s in). Apparently this is a ‘one off offer’ and ‘only being offered to one company’.

Luckily the person receiving the call knows a bit about online marketing and realised this was rubbish. Even more so when he asked them to email him the info and they refused, saying that they couldn’t email info as it was only open to one person and they didn’t want lots of info going to different people.

O-K….. so let’s look through this properly here:

• False claim number 1: “We’re a subsidiary of Google called Chrome”

  Google themselves say in their Webmaster Help: “Beware of SEOs that claim to guarantee rankings, allege a “special relationship” with Google, or advertise a “priority submit” to Google. ”

  Also, Chrome is the name of the Google browser – I’d say these people are counting on reaching website owners who know Chrome is ’something to do with Google’ and will fall for their ’subsdiary’ tactics.

• False claim number 2: “We offer GUARANTEED front page Google listings”

  A couple of things here really. I covered a lot of the ways in which a guarantee can be made but not quite true in my “When Is A Guarantee Not A Guarantee”:http://www.nikkipilkington.com/internet-marketing-articles/when-is-a-guarantee-not-a-guarantee-nikkipilkingtoncom-internet-marketing-expert-uk article, but Google, as always, get the last word on this one:”

  No one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google“

  There you have it – from the horse’s mouth.

• Dubious claim number 1: “We can’t email you info, you have to buy on the phone as this is only offered to one person”

  What sort of a company selling Internet advertising of any kind (and there are many reputable ones out there) would refuse to email information over and insist you buy on the phone without looking into their company? One that has something to hide, maybe?

I could go on, but I’m conscious that all I’ve done recently on this blog is have a moan – there’s plenty to smile about in the SEO and Online Marketing world, so maybe I should lighten up a bit

I’ll leave it to you the reader to have a look through the rest of the comments Google themselves make about choosing your SEO expert. Just be aware when you’re on the end of a phone call guaranteeing anything and alleging a special relationship with Google, all isn’t necessarily as it seems…

Regular readers know that in the last few months we’ve taken to including cartoons in our newsletter – we use Mike Flanagan of Flantoons and he’s fab

This month our newsletter will focus on Google Adwords help, and our September special offer, which is a Google Adwords Healthcheck for just £40.

One of the things that we find a lot of when doing these healthchecks is that people are often getting thousnds of clicks on their ads per month, but no sales from their site. Obviously this could be for a number of reasons, but one of the reasons we come across a lot is that thy simply haven’t thought their keyphrases through properly, and haven’t made sure that they’re not getting clicks that were meant for some other product or service.

To illustrate this, Mike came up with 2 cartoons – and we love them. The first one is below, as although it makes me (Nikki) giggle every time I look at it, I have the feeling that some of our more staid readers may not like to see it in their inbox

We’ll probably go with the other cartoon (sign up to the newsletter if you want to see it!) but I think the above one does a great job of showing just one of the mistakes you could be making with Adwords – it might be worth having a Google Adwords healthcheck to find out if you’re making more!