Recently, Google rolled out a few new features that change the way users interact with its search engine.

Many of you are already familiar with Instant Previews, which allows you to see an enlarged picture of every landing page in a SERP by simply hovering over the result. This functionality has been extended to mobile technology as well. More interestingly, Instant Previews have now been expanded to cover video search. Clicking the magnifying glass next to video search results will allow you to view short clips of the video in question. I could see how this could be a time-saver, as it can be a real pain to deal with loading times and pop-ups, etc. for what may be a wrong or disappointing video in the first place.

Likely in response to all the recent bad publicity surrounding their often-lacking search quality, Google is now allowing users to block search results from entire domains. This is so great. I can’t speak to the accuracy of what I’m about to say, but I would assume that this data will be used to assist in future algorithmic tweaks. After all, in a recent interview with Wired, Matt Cutts and Amit Singhal revealed that user surveys were used in developing the “Panda” content farm algo update. If I was willing to have my search activity tracked, I imagine my informational searches would begin to look very different.

A lot of talk has been circulating about Google’s recent algorithm changes, which have still not finished rolling out. Many businesses with prominent organic rankings have taken a dive as of late. Some data from sistrix.com showing just some of the fallout can be seen as follows:

According to the source, the “SISTRIX Visibility Index is an index value calculated from traffic on keywords, ranking and click-through rate on specific positions”. This goes to show how quickly your organic rankings can change with the seasons –typically not for the better. As more and more small businesses turn to SEO as a cost-effective, trackable advertising channel, it is important to realize the value of recurring, professional SEO maintenance.

Once a business is ready to experiment with SEO, it can play out in a few different ways. Knowing the value of search engine visibility, the DIY business owner might comb the web for instructions. Contractors, who are pretty resourceful people, are a great example of this. What he/she would find is mostly outdated information from wannabe SEO’s who took up the profession for a week after getting a life-changing “MAKE $5,000 A WEEK WORKING FROM HOME!!!” e-mail. Then there’s the 60-90 day wait in anticipation of results that never come.

Another breed of proprietor might find the DIY approach to be unreliable, and decide to enlist a professional agency. Unfortunately, this guy doesn’t do his homework before selecting an agency–one that might even be getting him great results. Before you know it, this seemingly legit company has gotten Joe Contractor’s site removed from Google altogether with spammy tactics. His business ends up taking a very real hit with no recourse against some kid in a satellite nation who never gave him legit contact info to begin with.

With a low cost, comprehensive reporting, a brick-and-mortar (US based) location and an army of dedicated account managers, you might find Outrank.com to be a good fit. We make small businesses visible on the internet, which tends to get your phone ringing. If you sign up with us and aren’t happy for any reason, there’s no monthly contract. For a free consultation, call (877) 332-4321.