There’s a new tool for webmasters that was recently unveiled by Google and it’s called “Change of Address”. The tool, which can be found in Google’s newly revamped Webmaster Tools, allows webmasters to tell Google when they are moving to a new domain from their old one. Essentially, it lets Google index the new pages faster to ease the transition of the domain change.

Of course, webmasters still have to follow the usual protocols for redirecting their old pages to the new ones. For instance, making sure all of the 301 permanent redirects are configured correctly to tell both the search engines and users the location of the new pages is still of the utmost importance. Also informing webmasters to update any inbound links to your site still has to be part of the checklist of “moving items”.

What impact will this have on SEO? For one thing, webmasters can now rest assured that their hard work in setting up the new site will not be in vain. Providing they follow the other recommendations for site redirection, Google has provided this as a sort of insurance policy to make sure the user receives the most current search results.

In the future, Google and other search engines may make it even simpler to specify newer domains for webmasters. Search engines in general are getting much savvier in specifying the correct URLs to show in the results pages. This makes it better for both the user and webmasters. Webmasters can now focus on getting to the important business of optimizing the website and not be as concerned as to whether Google is indexing the correct URL.

Anyone participating in online marketing, particularly search engine optimization (SEO), knows how frequently the search engines make changes and tweak their algorithms in an effort to offer the best experience for the searcher.
 
One change that Google has made recently is with their sitelinks. Google states that sitelinks “are meant to help users navigate your site. Our systems analyze the link structure of your site to find shortcuts that will save users time and allow them to quickly find the information they’re looking for.
 
We only show sitelinks for results when we think they’ll be useful to the user. If the structure of your site doesn’t allow our algorithms to find good sitelinks, or we don’t think that the sitelinks for your site are relevant for the user’s query, we won’t show them.”
 
Most likely you have seen sitelinks that look like something like this:

However, with the most recent update that occurred earlier this month, you may have also seen sitelinks that look like this:

These are known as one-line sitelinks.  These one-line sitelinks are located just above the URL of the page included in the search results. Up to four sitelinks can be listed and they serve a similar purpose, to help users navigate through the website, especially to interior pages. 
 
Prior to this update, only one result (the first result) could have the two-column sitelinks for any search query. However, with this recent update, many results displayed can have these one-line sitelinks.  
 
Sitelinks provide value for website owners by potentially bringing more traffic to the site. They are also great for the searcher by differentiating the results and assisting them to find interior pages.  If there are two results listed for a search query, and there are site links listed for both results, the searcher will have more information about both site’s interior pages and what they might be looking for, improving their overall search experience.
 
So now that you are aware of this update, you might be asking yourself, how do I get these sitelinks and how can I choose what pages I want to have as sitelinks?
 
Unfortunately Google won’t tell us exactly how they decide which websites have these sitelinks or how they go about selecting the links to show in the search results, however, it seems that having a good site structure that is easily crawlable by the search engines can help.

It is likely that we will all start to see these one-line sitelinks more frequently within the search results.  One-line sitelinks could potentially show up for more search queries other than first position results, site homepage results and brand name searches.
 
While I think this update is great news for all website owners, if for some reason you do not want a particular sitelink to show up with your listing, you can block a page from appearing as a site link for 90 days through Webmaster tools.

Pass me a Kleenex.
Put it in the Fridge.
I need some Halls for my throat.
Can I have a Coke?
Twitter me.
Catch me on Facebook.

My guess is, you are able to understand exactly what each of these statements mean. They are simple phrases which pack a huge branding punch. When I just say the word “Kleenex”, an image pops into your mind of a tissue. How about Facebook? You’re probably thinking of social media. Branding is about creating a specific thought or emotion in a consumer’s mind, leaving a deep impression.

Here’s an interesting and fun way to see how effective branding can be. Below are some random words which are associated with a company, service or product. What do they make you think of?

Mustang
French Fries
Tall Mocha
Just do it
MP3
Green Giant
Windows
Walt
Apple
Super
The quicker picker upper.
Dominos
Dolphins
To infinity…

Now we come to “Google”. The word “Google” itself has become an everyday household name, synonymous with search. Instead of saying, “Can you search for something on the internet?” many people just say, “Google it!” This type of branding is every Marketer’s dream come true.

Until next time, stay true to your brand, and your brand will stay true to you.