Here’s an example of a recent search I tried that was current, possesed broad appeal and had big enough national names that I thought, “Surely, this search will be easy”.

I’d heard a good segment on NPR. It was about running and its’ restorative powers.
It had only been a couple of days and I wanted to send the article to a runner-friend.

Since it had been so recent and on such a well known news outlet with good online presence, this one was going to be easy to find, right?

Attempt Number One:
SEARCH: “running and age NPR”

Surely my search would give me the most current and recent entries. They would be authoritative sources with objective, proven, trusted and honest content, and not dubious, popular clickbait sources.

Boy, was I wrong.
Instead of my easy-find article, I got two-year-old running and age studies.
I got radically irrelevant results too:
1) about the 2012 Presidential Campaigns (running)
2) and about the death of Tom Magliozzi, one of the host brothers of NPR’s CarTalk. (NPR, age)

And this strange oddity:
How Do I Hate NPR? Let Me Count the Ways | Miscellany …
“Last year, when NPR was running a long, long, long series of stories on local … one morning on a topless dancer suing a Dallas club for age discrimination.”

So much for Google’s authoritative, context-based approach.
I searched five pages in and and started anew.

Attempt Number Two:
I tried something more specific:
SEARCH: “running prevents aging study NPR 2015″

I hoped this would more clearly describe exactly what I was looking for. But no. Instead, I got entries as old as 2006 on the first page. Again, I searched five pages in and and I gave up.

Attempts Number Three and Four:
SEARCH: “_________”

I just started to hunt for the needle in a haystack.
Guessing, I went straight to NPR’s Morning Edition site. Nothing.
I guessed at another public radio show, Here and Now and finally found it there with a link to Colorado Public Radio, the originator of the story.

So, search is hard. As much as Google promises, it’s not perfect.  It’s just far too global a network and it can take a lot of ingenuity on the part of the user to be successful, even with items that seem like they should be easy to find.

There are some strategies a local business can use to their advantage to bypass some of the noise of Google searches that we’ll discuss in a future post.

Have you ever had a search leave you frustrated? Leave a comment!

Below is a link to an article that really explains the nuts and bolts of search and does a very good job of demystifying Google logic and its’ algorithms. It also tells the story of being blacklisted by Google for black hat-like SEO methods.

http://boostblogtraffic.com/seo-mistakes/#more-632
Six SEO Sins That Will Put You On Google’s Naughty List. by Jon Morrow.

First published on March 20, 2013, this guide still applies to Google’s most recent algorithm and biggest change in years—Hummingbird.
And the 218 Comments certainly tend to bear the information out.

After going through a lot of don’ts, the very end the article says everything we’ve been hearing for years — it’s all about creating valuable content:

“The Truth about How Google Works:

It’s evolving. All the time.

Every day, they tweak their algorithms to filter out spammers. Every year or two, they also roll out major updates that cause huge shifts in search engine rankings for nearly everyone on the web. … 

(plus, more importantly … )

If you know nothing about SEO, and you’re doing nothing more than publishing awesome content and building relationships with your readers, you’re probably safe. In fact, that’s a good mindset for all bloggers, in my opinion. At least in the beginning.

Instead of trying to figure out how to manipulate the Google algorithm for better rankings, just create content that deserves to be on the first page, promote the hell out of it, and wait for Google to catch up. Their goal, after all, is to move the best stuff to the top of the pile.

In that respect, the real, supersecret, behind-the-scenes strategy for getting your blog ranked on the first page of Google doesn’t have anything to do with link pyramids or keyword density or any of the rest of that complicated nonsense. It’s just three simple steps:

1. Create jaw-dropping content
2. Get influencers talking about it
3. Wait for Google to catch up

Oversimplified? 
Maybe, but it’s exactly what Google wants you to do. So why do anything else?”

Thousands of Green Bay Packer fans became a part of something they believe in today.

In their first stock offering in 14 years, the Packers sold 1,600 shares of stock at $250 per share in the first 11 minutes of the sale.

As espn.go.com reports, “The stock isn’t an investment in the traditional sense: Its value doesn’t increase, there are no dividends, it has virtually no re-sale value and it won’t give buyers a leg up on the 93,000 people on the waiting list for season tickets.”

The Packers have been a publicly owned nonprofit since 1923. More than 112,000 Packers stockholders own a total of 4.75 million shares. No other NFL team is owned by its’ fans.

These lucky Packer fans bought shares to become a part of something they believe in.

Your prospective customers want to know how you fit into their life. They want to know how your brand’s meaning intersects their life and what it stands for. If your brand measures up, they’ll want to become a partner with you as well.

When you’re building your brand nation, test it against the Packer’s fans loyalty.  Offer compelling reasons to believe in your brand. Offer values to live by, ethics, a movement, and a reason to be that your customers will want to become a part of.

These are the brand evangelists who will spread the good news about you and your brand.
These are the people who will become your brand nation.

Making your blog social is easy. Just remember to include content that encourages discussion, comments and sharing. Make your blog post provocative. Offer insights that allow your viewer to think about the topic in interesting ways. Alert viewers to your blog posts through your Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter accounts.

Doing these things will encourage dialog, interaction and comments. In turn, you’ll increase traffic to your web site, your blog, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Facebook accounts.

By making your blog social, you’ll create community, improve your SEO—and build your brand nation.

Along with Google, the popular WordPress web site architecture and SEO plug-ins are helping search engines recognize relevant information and allowing users to create SEO-friendly content within their blog posts as well.

There are two other SEO-defining elements that might be overlooked. These two items will help search engines recognize your valuable content and improve your web site’s SEO.

1) Above the URL area is your web site title. Your title is one of the most important elements of SEO. It should be a concise ten-word description that both defines your product category and states your brands’ unique value proposition. Creating an effective title takes some skill, artistry and time.

2) Your h1 and h2 phrases are like topic sentences or subheads that summarize your value proposition. It’s likely that these will use some terms that are somewhat common and generic to your customer and your product category. The more difficult task here is to begin to incorporate language that differentiates your brand from all the others. And that’s the real art required for writing for the web.

SEO helps your customers find you. It also finds all your competitors as well.
By creating a strong brand, you help define why you, above all the others, are the better choice for you customers.

At first glance, the mysteries of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) seem insurmountable—so much so that it’s proven a gold mine for those who choose to call themselves social media consultants.

But there’s an easy way to think about SEO. Search Engine Optimization simply helps your prospects find you so that you can be part of their consideration set.

When a person makes an inquiry for your product category, you want to be found. You want to be ready with expert information and guidance when they’re in the mood to buy.

Fortunately Google’s search engine algorithms are constantly being refined to enable their users to find the most valuable and relevant content. This means that having valuable content on your website is the most important element in developing effective SEO.

Content is king. Effective SEO will follow naturally if you’re honestly thinking of your customer first, and it’s clear you care that they have all the information they need to make a fair market decision.

In part 2, we’ll talk more about SEO. But soon we’ll realize SEO only goes so far. Once your prospects find you, how do you become memorable? How do you stand out from the stiff competition on the web? That’s the difference between Branding and SEO, and it’s why we need both.

I try to use this phrase as a guide when I’m creating social media posts.
If I can honestly preface my post with this phrase, I feel I just might have created a post of some value.

Social Media is simply about conversation and creating community.
It’s generous. It encourages sharing thoughts and an openness in communication.

When you’re thinking about what to post in your Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter or blog, think about what posts you’ve found valuable. Ask yourself what kind of information you’ve found helpful and appealing.

Valuable information is generous and thoughtful.
It has a clear point of view.
It respects the viewer’s time by being concise and getting on with it.
It is provocative. It offers insights that makes one think about the topic in more interesting ways.
It encourages dialog, interaction and comments.

“Here’s something I thought you might be interested in.”
Be thoughtful, selfless and other-directed.
Create conversation. Comment. Re-tweet. Share links. Share others’ great ideas. Give them credit for those ideas.

And just what is the secret behind social media that is generous?
Your interest in others will create interest in you.

That’s it. I’ve tipped my hand. Sharing is good. It’s the basic principle of social media. And it’s a powerful one.

It’s the best way to think about the daunting topic of social media—a topic that some make more complicated than it needs to be.

There’s no voodoo or snake oil here, though I wish no ill will to those who mystify social media with customized SEO services, “tweet-ups”, and charge a premium for consultation services.

When it’s done well, social media is selfless and generous. It’s about helping people be their best, whether it’s guiding friends to an interesting story, or a new idea in a TED talk or launching a dream project with Kickstarter.

After all is said and done, it’s all based on the principle of sharing.

And sharing is good.