Can Google reviews influence local search results?
Absolutely yes they can! Your Google reviews make up approximately 15% of your Google algorithm (the method Google uses to rate your web pages) and include:
Design: 07931 376 255
Absolutely yes they can! Your Google reviews make up approximately 15% of your Google algorithm (the method Google uses to rate your web pages) and include:
Following up from our news blog about Google shutting down its web design services [March 2024]
Google have recently decided to reduce it’s online web design commitment and close it’s ‘Business Profile’ web designs.
Looking back on the most popular websites, there are some big names that disappeared!
2 days after publishing this news blog [oasthousemedia.co.uk/web-browser-trends-have-changed – 16-8-22] it went top of Google out of 2.22 million results, this was probably a Google reaction to a popular ‘news’ search on an active website. We’ve blogged about this Google search algorithm in the past, it’s call ‘Query Deserves Freshness (QDF)’, a Google re-ranking function that ranks popular subjects (ie: news) in order of ‘freshness’. What this means is if you use WordPress’s powerful post publishing feature you can put your web pages top of Google even if the competition is corporate and the results in millions. Unfortunately it’s a brief moment of fame that will be replaced by the...
Did you know you can search for images using an image? ‘Google Images’ is a search engine that analyses an uploaded image using color, orientation, pixel patterns and size. It was created by Google in 2001 due to a search spike for pictures of the green Versace dress worn by Jennifer Lopez in February 2000 [full story]. Further development of the search algorithm enabled Google to reduce exposure to offensive imagery and add value to search depth including illegal image use. Here at Oast House Media we are very careful not to compromise copyright and IP law, sourcing our images from copyright free (creative commons) libraries How to use the...
What web browser do you use? Firstly, what is a web browser, “A web browser (also referred to as an Internet browser or simply a browser) is application software for accessing the World Wide Web” (Wiki) [see how this news/blog beat 2.22 million other web pages to number 1 on Google! – more] Most PCs are supplied with the Microsoft web browser called Internet Explorer (IE) which 10 years ago was the most popular access app for the internet, but trends have massively changed. As you can see from the world map, in 2012 Bill Gates had managed to saturate the PC market with his IE browser, you’ll also notice...
As we all know Google is the biggest and most popular UK search engine enjoying over 90% of the UK search market. But did you know you can claim a FREE Google ‘My Business’ page? You might already have a free listing you know nothing about! That’s because many wears ago Google listed millions of businesses to get the service going and by using the ‘claim’ process you can take over your My Business page and edit the information Google has already given you. Recently we’ve completed two ‘claims’ for local businesses, assisting with the new content and verification process. But you can do it yourself… search your business name,...
What gives you the most up to date road map when you’re travelling, your car sat nav or Google Maps? The problem with the car sat nav is if you don’t keep the software up to date the map information can be wrong, whereas Google Maps is live using Android phone data. Just under 50% of all phones use the Google Android OS (operating system) in the UK. When an Android phone is turned on their Google Maps app with GPS location is enabled. Google already know what average road speeds should be from historical data and sensors on the roads, so when that changes with crowd sourced live streaming...
Google have announced that their Chrome browser will soon be monitoring websites that are slow loading. A warning message will be displayed to let you know the website they are attempting to view could take a while to load. This will typically affect websites with large amounts of content especially images. We see this as a bit of a retrograde decision with so many countries now enjoying quick broadband speeds but there is a possible data use issue so lite websites could save Google a lot of money. Here at Oast House Media we have been aware of image size for some time and filter all images supplied for our...