In our blogosphere recap we examine four blog posts from last week that discussed images and SEO, more than half of sharing happens on Facebook, search trumps social in local searches, and Google releases their Zeitgeist 2011 data. Below are some of the highlights from these articles:
- Content pages with images have 94 percent higher page views than those that only have text.
- 52 percent of all sharing happens on Facebook.
- Google has released their Zeitgeist 2011 data, allowing you to compare results of any two queries on each list across various sliding time spans on an interactive graph.
- When it comes to finding information about local businesses, 51 percent use the internet.
Images Can Help Content Marketing, SEO Campaigns 
Brafton News | Staff | 12-12-11
According to PR Newswire, businesses leveraging content marketing campaigns for SEO should consider including photographs on their article pages, PR Newswire recently reported. The use of images optimized with captions and other tags that include related keywords provide more SEO opportunities. The captions and other metadata included with the photographs increase SEO, while effective use of the pictures will give a website higher quality feel. When a prospect lands on a page and sees a compelling photograph, they are a more likely to have a positive perception of the website, increase the company’s authority as a news provider.
Key Takeaways:
- Content pages with images have 94 percent higher page views than those that only have text.
- Labeling the photograph with an appropriate title tag will increase the likelihood that it appears in various Image Search tools offered by search engine.
- Images should follow the same best practices for SEO as other forms content. Any instance of keyword stuffing in a photo title or caption will negatively impact search ranking and the overall quality of the website.
52% Of Sharing Happens On Facebook; Google +1 Has Plateaued, AddThis Says
Marketing Land | Matt McGee | 12-13-11
Fifty-two percent of all sharing online happens on Facebook, about four times more than Twitter’s 13.5 percent. And Google +1 sharing “has plateaued.” Google +1 sharing grew 373 percent during the year, but “has plateaued” now; there’s no data offering clarity on what exactly that means. The report also included another interesting statistics including mobile sharing grew by 600 percent this year.
Key Takeaways:
- Facebook owns 52.1 percent of all online sharing.
- Twitter represents only 13.5 percent of sharing on the web, but that’s a whopping 577 percent higher than a year ago.
- Sharing on the iPad surpassed iPhone sharing in June. iPad sharing grew 598 percent.
Search Trumps Social For Local Business Information
Search Engine Land | Greg Sterling | 12-14-11
The internet and search engines in particular are the top sources for information about local businesses, according to a new survey from the Pew Internet & American Life Foundation. What’s interesting is how many people rely on print newspapers and how few seem to rely on social media for local information, according to the survey data. Pew surveyed just over 1,000 US adults by telephone in January, 2011. What it found was that 55 percent of people “say they get news and information about local restaurants, bars, and clubs” and 60 percent “say they get news and information about local businesses other than restaurants and bars.”
Key Takeaways:
- When it comes to finding information about bars, restaurants and clubs, 51 percent use the internet overall, using search engines 38 percent of the time and social media only 3 percent of the time.
- When it comes to seeking information about other types of local businesses, 47 percent use the internet, using search engines 36 percent of the time and social media only 1 percent of the time.
- People used roughly 14 different kinds of sources to get local information. A large percentage used or “relied upon” multiple sources. In addition, 47 percent of respondents said they got “local news and information” on their mobile phones.
Google Zeitgeist 2011: Rebecca Black, Google+, Ryan Dunn Top Searches
Search Engine Watch | Miranda Miller | 12-15-11
Google has released their Zeitgeist 2011 data, complete with the top 10 search queries in sports, entertainment, news, and more for 48 countries. Zeitgeist’s lists allow you to compare results of any two queries on each list across various sliding time spans on an interactive graph, with hyperlinked icons indicating where news articles are available. Global data shows that Rebecca Black was the fastest rising query in the world, with searches for her name increasing more than 10,000 percent in 2011. Google+ and Ryan Dunn were the next fastest growing queries worldwide.
Fastest Growing Queries – Global 2011:
- Rebecca Black
- Google+
- Ryan Dunn
- Casey Anthony
- Battlefield 3
- iPhone 5
- Adele
- TEPCO (Japanese electric utility company)
- Steve Jobs
- iPad2
