Is Google MayDay Affecting You?

Any time Google makes an update to its algorithm, it’s a big deal for webmasters. Following this trend, the Web community has reacted strongly to MayDay, a recent algorithm update from the search engine.

As Google’s Matt Cutts explains to WebProNews, one of the primary goals of MayDay was to address the people who do the “bare minimum” to avoid being classified as spammers. This type of content is often referred to as content farms. Due to the many complaints Google received about these content farms, the search company made changes to its algorithm to ensure that it returns the best sites for users.

“We’re trying to spot what are the signals for quality for pages or sites that really are going to be good for users,” says Cutts.

If webmasters find themselves affected by these changes, Cutts suggests that they re-evaluate their content to make sure they are providing the highest quality content. According to Cutts, the sites most readily affected are those with auto-generated pages.

On the topic of Caffeine, Cutts compares the index changes as moving from a bus to a limo. Back in 2003, the updates were slow, but with Caffeine, the index is faster, fresher, and richer. He says as soon as a document is documented, it is indexed.

In this interview, Cutts also encourages webmasters to submit video sitemaps. Just as regular sitemaps are important to help Google discover pages, the search company wants to be able to have a comprehensive view of all the videos on the Web as well.

Branded Storytelling Moves Online

Brands and advertisers are discovering a new space in Web video and sponsored Web videos. Although there are many opportunities in this space, there are some challenges since it is still relatively new.

While at SXSW, WebProNews spoke with Andrew Hampp, a reporter with Advertising Age, about this space. Because there are very few standards, he said Web video is one area of the Web that is often perceived as the Wild West. It is now up to brands and advertisers to determine how they can produce a series of sustainable videos online and generate revenue from them.

According to Hampp, audiences expect TV quality online; however, most brands do not have big budgets to support it. On the plus side, digital spending is increasing. Additionally, people like former NBC co-chairman Ben Silverman are bringing bigger and better talent to the space.

As Hampp points out, as long as there is TV quality talent on the Web, then there would be a TV audience for it as well.

What are your thoughts on this matter?

comScore Talks Mobile, Retail, and Chatroulette

While we were in New York for SES, WebProNews had the privilege of visiting the NYC offices of comScore. We sat down with comScore Search Evangelist Eli Goodman and picked his brain on a variety of topics including mobile, retail, Chatroulette, and more.

First of all, there is no question that mobile is currently one of the hottest topics, since it provides users with accessibility anytime and anywhere. On the search side of mobile, Goodman explains that most searches are done at a local level; however, he expects search behavior to extend beyond that trend in the future.

He also points out that, in many cases, mobile is the only way other countries are able to access to the Web. As a result, these countries have produced many innovations. Moving forward, he believes these countries will have a strong influence on the U.S. in the area of mobile.

On the topic of retail, Goodman indicates that it is picking up after the downturn in 2008. Although small-to-medium sized businesses had an especially hard time during the recession, they are rebounding as well.

In order for the SMBs to compete successfully against large retailers, Goodman advises them to establish loyalty, quality service, and personal understanding. He says they can do this by being active in social media.

Lastly, if you haven’t heard about Chatroulette yet, you probably will see it soon, since it is a growing trend. Essentially, it is an online video streaming service that allows users to connect randomly with other users from all over the world. comScore became interested in the service when it grew from 109,000 users in January to 960,000 users in February.

Interestingly enough, males are the largest users of this trend, primarily the 18-24 year-old males. comScore data also indicates that Chatroulette is driven by college students and the unemployed. As for the future of this latest phenomenon, Goodman says, “[the] jury’s still out.”

Keep watching WebProNews for our next segment with comScore’s Eli Goodman in which he talks about the future of search and how personalization and social media will influence it.

The Secret to Viral Videos

Everyone wants their video to go viral, but is it really possible? According to Margaret Gould Stewart of YouTube, people need to, first of all, understand what types of videos go viral.

As she explains, most viral videos happen by accident. There is, however, another category of content that could go viral. People producing this type of content create it on a regular basis in order to build a sustained audience.

When it comes to actually creating viral content, Stewart says, “It really is about great content. It’s really difficult to make content that is not interesting or exciting go viral.”

Another factor in creating viral content is knowing your audience. Content producers need to understand who their audience is and build sustainable relationships with them. In addition, Stewart points out the importance of attaching metadata to the content.

Just as SEO is important for Google, it is also important for the second largest search engine, YouTube. Ideally, the best content is at the top, but you can help it by making titles clear and direct and putting in the right tags. If you do this, searchers will be able to find your content easily when they search for it.

Lastly, content producers need to make sure they are enabling the embedding capability on their video. Stewart says that as a video starts to go viral, the largest amount of traffic comes from other sources in the first 48 hours.

In the end, all viral videos do not receive one million viewers. For businesses especially, a video can be viral as long as it reaches its target audience.

Are you applying these valuable tips for producing viral content?

Dynamo Player: New Option for Content Producers

At SXSW in Austin, Rob Millis and Will Coghlan launched their Dynamo Player. WebProNews caught up with both Millis and Coghlan to find out just how the player works.

As the two explain, the online video player has an integrated micropayment system that allows any producer, small or big, to upload content. The unique thing about this player is that it allows the content producers to set a price for their content and get paid immediately.

Up to this point, the primary revenue model for online content has been through advertising. But as Millis points out, this model does not work for all content. Both he and Coghlan believe now is the time to evolve to the next level, which is why they created their on-demand player.

The Dynamo Player is currently labeled as a distribution tool and can be embedded anywhere. Millis and Coghlan said they would eventually like to build a destination home for the player.

To learn more about the Dynamo Player and how you can sign up for the private beta, visit dynamoplayer.com.

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