First Google Update of 2013

Posted in News on January 31st, 2013 by Helene Hall

Google rolled out a further Panda Update on January 22nd 2013, making it the 24th Panda update. This time the update is set to make a noticeable impact on 1.2% of English queries.

The SEO industry, forum and leaders are all seeing “quite dramatic” fluctuations in the search rankings leading up to and around the announcement.

Google have reiterated the need to build “high-quality” sites which benefit the searcher. Expanding on some of the signals Google takes into account when analysing the sites are:

• Would you trust the information presented on the site?

• Does the site have duplicate, overlapping, or redundant articles on the same or similar topics with slightly different keyword variations?

• Would you be comfortable giving your credit card information to this site?

• Are the topics driven by genuine interests of readers of the site, or does the site generate content by attempting to guess what might rank well in search engines?

• Is there social activity surrounding the brand/site?

• Are there strong engagement signals such as time on page, page depth and bounce rate?

• Are the articles short, unsubstantial, or otherwise lacking in helpful specifics?

• Are the pages produced with great care and attention to detail vs. less attention to detail?

• Would users complain when they see pages from this site?

Google is continually tweaking their algorithms resulting in regular fluctuations in the search engine results pages, ultimately trying to increase the positive User Experience of the sites they display.

Gravytrain are dedicated to building great content with a strong focus on gaining high levels of engagement and social signals as naturally as possible to ensure success within organic search.

Figaro Digital Marketing Conference 2012

Posted in Conferences, News, Speaking Engagements on July 16th, 2012 by Steve

Last Thursday the Gravytrain team were in full force at the Figaro Digital Marketing Conference. With hundreds of digital marketers all converging on one place, this was one of the biggest conferences of the year and one not to be missed. We certainly enjoyed the day, whilst the after party drinks were an added bonus!

The conference was packed full with talks from a wide range of the industry’s professionals, both agency side and client side, while the conference also included the fabled Figaro21’s – this is where a series of speakers rattle through 21 slides, each of which last just 21 seconds. It’s an intense struggle against time and it makes for very entertaining, yet informative viewing! Billed as the session to make grown adults weep, we nominated our own Head of Search, Matthew Oxley, to kick off the 21’s.

Matthew’s talk detailed the rise of mobile and tablet and how device segmentation is now key for all paid search campaigns. Matthew outlined that by the end of 2013, it is predicted that mobile web usage will actually overtake desktop web usage. Mobile is seemingly dominating our lives more and more as we have a constant need for information and data.

The mobile phone has become such an integral part of our lives and with the addition of the tablet, searching while on the go has become even easier than ever before. So, it is little surprise that mobile web usage will soon surpass desktop web usage.

Furthermore, there were other notable presentations, such as Jack Lundie, from Save the Children, who acted out a conversation with himself. The slick nature of his delivery and creativity of his presentation made for compelling viewing!

Then there was Peter Wood from Steak who deserves a mention simply for his incredible jacket! It sparked quite a response on Twitter…He did give a fantastic presentation too about the merger of SEO and Social Media, what he called “SEOcial”.

With the digital marketing landscape constantly evolving and more digital marketers becoming savvy to the rise of mobile web usage, the overriding theme of this year’s Figaro Conference truly was device segmentation and the importance of it. “Ignore mobile at your peril” was one particular quote that stood out for me!

Matthew Oxley speaking at the Figaro Digital Marketing Conference

Posted in Conferences, News, Speaking Engagements on June 20th, 2012 by Angelina

We are excited to announce that Matthew Oxley, Gravytrain’s Head of Search, will be speaking at the Figaro Digital Marketing Conference on the 12th July 2012. The day-long event will be hosted at the Royal College of Physicians, which is set to bring the latest insights and innovations from the whole digital marketing industry.

You can expect the presentations to cover mobile, email, social media, video, search and display, from some of the UK’s leading agencies, brands and technology companies.

Matthew’s talk is part of the Figaro 21s presentations – a fast and focused format of presentation. He will be talking about how to make the most out of device targeting options in paid search and will be explaining why it is crucial to any business.

Tickets are priced at £345 +VAT but we can offer you tickets at just £195 +VAT. To book a place at the conference please call Figaro Digital on 0207 870 3380 or email conferences@figarodigital.co.uk.

Please visit Figaro Digital for more information.

Let us know if you will be attending the conference! You can follow and tweet Matthew on Twitter @Moxley.

Gravytrain’s Moonlit Ride across London

Posted in Charity, News on June 18th, 2012 by Angelina

Well done to Kevin, Craig and Matt who completed their 100km moonlit ride across London for Nightrider 2012!

Setting off at Crystal Palace at 12.20am on Sunday 10th June they cycled past the National Maritime Museum, Tower Bridge, St Paul’s Cathedral, City of London, Canary Wharf, Mile End Stadium, Emirates Stadium and finished their journey at Alexandra Palace.

It was a huge challenge for them and after getting a bit lost, struggling up hills and admiring the views and sites; they finally finished at 7am!

They raised a huge £780.00 for African Revival on Just Giving – thank you to everyone who donated and supported the team.

We’re looking forward to seeing what their next challenge is!

Gravytrain does Nightrider 2012

Posted in Charity, News on April 30th, 2012 by Angelina

We love doing our bit for charity and this time we are raising money for our friends at African Revival who are based around the corner in Hampton Hill.

African Revival is a wonderful charity that believes in the power of quality education in order to change lives. By building schools, training teachers, providing resources that schools need, African Revival helps break the cycle of poverty and offer inspiration and opportunity to Africa’s future generations. They currently work with over 25 schools in Uganda, Zambia and South Sudan.

To raise money for our chosen charity, we have put Kevin, Craig and Matt R to the challenge. They will be doing a 100km bike ride around London at night time, alongside 3,000 other cyclists! On the 9th June 2012 at midnight, they will be starting off at Crystal Palace and will cycle past London’s iconic landmarks including the National Maritime Museum, Tower Bridge, St Paul’s Cathedral, City of London, Canary Wharf, Mile End Stadium, Emirates Stadium and finish their journey at Alexandra Palace.

They have been training hard for the event, through wind and rain, and would love to get some sponsors on board to get them motivated.

Please help support the guys on their gruelling 100km cycle around London by sponsoring them on Gravytrain’s Just Giving Page.

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