Getting Hacked: A Cautionary Tale
If you’ve been in the IT industry for a few years, then you’ve had the wonderful experience of dealing with hackers. Whether it’s a small, simple hack into your theme to mess with your links to a larger infiltration to takeover your website, hacks are a common occurrence and one every website faces. ChocolateSEO is no different. Although we’ve been safe since our inception in 2012, our strong run was marred recently by a mid-level hack that crashed our hosting and lead to the hackers being able to verify ownership of C.SEO in Google Search Console.
RankBrain: An investigation of a Search AI
RankBrain.
It sounds like some snake oil concoction an SEO thought up to help sell the local mom and pop shops on SEO. But, it’s not. It is actually one of the top ranking factors for Google. It’s existence was announced in October of last year, although the patent was submitted in 2012.
So, what exactly is “RankBrain” and what does it do?
RankBrain is officially considered an artificial intelligence system. Reason being is that it “naturally” evolves; growing in “intelligence” as time passes and it accepts search data. What search data you say? Your search data. Online search is considered natural and organic when users perform search actions without other input and as a way to find answers to their questions (queries). RankBrain’s intelligence is focused on evaluating the way organic search is being used, semantic web activity, events, and much more. So there are no worries about this AI developing sentience and enslaving us all. RankBrain is an artificial intelligence program, not a ‘true’ AI in the traditional Terminator or I, Robot sense.
Yext adds Google+ Support, Finally
For those of us marketers that have used Yext, the need for easier integration of Google local pages has been a sticking point for years. Although support has existed for setting up Yext to allow business owners and web marketers to allow Yext access to their Google+ profiles for posting to the Page of their choice, it has never synced listings on Google. The difference is around the valuable NAP information used to ensure citations align to the business in question along with promoting specials, the website, and other pertinent information. NAP stands for Name, Address, and Phone number and sometimes website (just like “Y” in the alphabet). However more often than not, the website is a key element.
Instagram expands advertising and support with Instagram Partners and connects Facebook
Instagram started as a simple photo sharing site. Once Facebook got involved, purchasing the 2-year old company for $715 million (first reported as 1 Billion), their intention was always to turn a profit. With the creation of Instagram Partner Program, Facebook/Instagram steps into their next evolution. Instagram started as an iPhone app on October 6, 2010. Ads, more of a type of sponsored posts, went live on Instagram on a few weeks ago, going global on September 30, 2015. (more…)
Google & Yahoo working on a 3-Year Deal
Today, during a call with investors about earnings, the Yahoo management team presented the investors with a bit of a confidence booster in news of a partnership with Google. According to the press release containing details on Yahoo’s business highlights:
In October, the Company reached an agreement with Google that provides Yahoo with additional flexibility to choose among suppliers of search results and ads. Google’s offerings complement the search services provided by Microsoft, which remains a strong partner, as well as Yahoo’s own search technologies and ad products.
Facebook Cuts The Fat – No More Fakers
Have you noticed a drop in your Facebook likes and/or your followers? If so, you are not alone. On March 12th, Facebook implemented a trim to there system to reduce the number of spammers, inactive accounts, and fake accounts. In doing so, many pages saw a drop in 5-12% of their likes and followers. The numbers for everyone is different but everyone may have seen some sort of drop. (more…)