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Google Mugshot Update

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On October 24, 2013

In Tech Buzz

October 24, 2013

The NY times article titled “Why Google Should Crack Down Harder On The Mugshot Extortion Racket” by Jonathan Hochman served as a “major spark” for Google’s latest update, the Mugshot update, according to Google’s head of search spam, Matt Cutts. The algorithm, which was released on Thursday, is Google’s attempt to take action against rampant mugshot sites, which are structured in a way that made them rank at the first position for search results of the names of people whose mugshots have landed on these sites.

These websites work by gathering information of convicted individuals from law enforcement websites and government databases, and publishing these arrest details and photographs on their landing pages. In most cases, the arrests do not lead to guilty charges or trials, but this information is not included on the mugshot sites. This leads to a paid unpublishing scam, since when the individuals in question search for their names on Google, and see these results coming up, they are often ready to pay huge amounts to bring them down. This procedure involves paying multiple “mugshot removing” websites amounts ranging from $30-$400 to have the information removed, which is a clear violation of the personality rights of these individuals.

The update is causing these mugshot sites to lose a huge amount of their traffic, and search results for names of affected individuals no longer include the mugshot sites. This comes as a huge relief for people who have their mugshots online, since this came in the way of everything, right from getting a job to renting an apartment. What was worse was that several people reported that their mugshots became available on several other mugshot sites after they paid to get them removed from one.

Google’s mugshot update will go a long way in giving these people, many of whom were found innocent, had charges dismissed, had committed a minor crime, or had their record expunged on completing a treatment program, a second chance at a normal life. Before the update, people had to worry about being tainted online long after they were declared clean by the law. Even though several states including Florida, Georgia, Texas, and Utah have been trying to pass laws against what is rightly described as the “Mugshot Extortion Racket”, most of these laws are still hanging midway, awaiting court rulings. Google has successfully managed to bring an end to the long wait, solving the problem in a single sweep.

How To Use Trending Data From Twitter To Promote Your Business

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On October 17, 2013

In Internet marketing, SEO Marketing

October 17, 2013

As a business owner with an online presence, you are probably aware of the impact that trending hashtags have on the online world. For the uninitiated, a hashtag is a phrase or a word following the symbol “#”, which gained immense popularity on Twitter, and have now spread to other social networking sites like Facebook and Google Plus. So how can you use these trending topics to promote your business? The first thing that you need to understand is that trending hashtags change in real time, which is why it is important to keep track of what is trending at a certain point, before using it to promote your business.

When you notice a trend that relates to your business, you can participate in it by using this tag. Having a trending tag in your content update helps you to spread your message to a wide audience, spreading beyond your fans and followers. While this is a great way to get your few invaluable seconds of fame on the web, you need to pay heed to social media etiquette while using trending tags to promotes your business. As a ground rule, you should never spam trending hashtags by over-posting trending tags, or posting tags that are not related to your business.

At present, Twitter and Google+ are the only social networks that allow you to view trending topics on their sites. However, the trends on these websites are easily transferable to Facebook, Instagram, and even Pinterest, making it possible to integrate this marketing strategy on all your social media networks. Apart from viewing trending topics directly on Twitter and Google+, you can also make use of other online resources to explore more in-depth trending tag opportunities. Some such websites include Trendsmap and Hashtags.org.

The effective use of trending data on Twitter and Google Trends for your business can help to gain followers on these sites. However, remember to stay away from political or news-related hashtags, as even though these might result in increased traffic for your website, they are sure to generate an equal amount of negative publicity, leading to the backfiring of your marketing strategy. Even if you must choose a trending tag that does not directly relate to your business, do so smartly.

Centex Technologies provide Internet Marketing Services to its clients. For more information on how to use Twitter in your marketing strategy, call us at – (855) 375-9654

Tips On Planning A Big Office Network

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On October 11, 2013

In IT Support, Networking

October 8, 2013

The first step while planning a big office network is to evaluate the capacity needs of your current network. For this, you need to perform an inventory of all your network locations, which should include the available internet bandwidth, internet access type (VPN, DSL, etc.), and the location name. It is also important to take into consideration the building blocks of your office, which might influence the strength of a wireless network. You must consider the number of access points and bandwidth that your business will need to achieve the expected productivity gains. Along with this, you must also take into account the long-term maintenance of these access points, through centrally-managed controller appliances.

Once you have decided on the number of WLAN access points for your large business, you need to determine the power requirements of these access points, which is usually less than 15 watts. You can consider using power injectors placed along the line within 100 meters, as these provide greater flexibility than conventional power sources.

The next important consideration should be the security of your network. This is critical, considering that you depend on your network for a vast majority of your business functions, including communication, billing, inventory, sales, and trading. A network security breach could cost you heavily in terms of lost revenue and customer litigation.

While it is important to ensure that your network is highly secure, you must ensure that the security of the network does not come in way of its usability. Having a well-drafted network security plan is a good way to ensure effective network security. This should include all the major aspects of network security, such as email and communications activities, identity policy, remote access policy, encryption policy, password policy, antivirus policy, and acceptable use policy. Your network should be equipped with security technologies like firewall, Virtual Private Network (VPN), identity management, content security, and compliance validation.

Avoid interchanging home access points with multiple access points at the office. Even though these might be cheaper, they are likely to interfere with the seamless connection required at the workplace. Also, remember that just because an access point is at an easy location, does not mean it is the best location.

We at Centex Technologies design and implement computer networks for medium and large businesses. For more information call us at – (855) 375-9654

Google’s Hummingbird Update

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On September 30, 2013

In Internet marketing, SEO Marketing

September 30, 2013

Along with a Google Doodle that had the world going crazy with their spacebars, Google also introduced an exciting new update to mark its fifteenth anniversary. Named “Hummingbird”, this update is centered on Google’s algorithm, aiming to refine search results, and help Google respond to complicated queries with more accurate answers. This is made possible by broadening the use of Google’s Knowledge Graph, which helps the search engine to decode the concepts behind user searches, instead of merely providing keyword-based results. Google Hummingbird update is believed to affect 90% of search queries.

Here is a look at how the update is expected to refine search results:

  • A search query that does not have a simple answer will now return a comprehensive set of relevant facts. An example of this is the results that show upon searching for “impressionist artists” on Google.
  • This update has a significant impact on voice searches, as Google will now try to decode the meaning behind the search, instead of simply focusing on the keywords. For example, if you are searching for “best place to buy pizza in New York”, Google will now show up results for pizza restaurants in New York even though “restaurant” was not a part of search term.
  • Google now links a subsequent search to the previous search. For instance, if you had searched about for “images of the leaning tower of Pisa”, and your next search is “When was it built”, Google will understand that your second query is in reference to the previous one.
  • An example of how search results after the update are superior to previous results is a search for “prescription for acid reflux”. While this previous turned up a list of drugs, the search results for this query are now more user friendly, even questioning the need of drugs for the treatment of this disorder.

The Hummingbird update is bigger and huger than Google’s previous updates like the Panda and Penguin updates. This is because while those were merely modifications in the existing algorithms, this is a complete replacement, structured to meet the search requirements of today- as opposed to those of ten years ago. While the Hummingbird update is expected to take the search engine experience a step ahead, there has been no major impact witnessed on website traffic so far, as was the case with Google’s past updates. The thumb rule remains- keep publishing high-quality content and Google will reward you.

To know how Google’s Hummingbird update will affect your online business, call us at – (855) 375-9654

SEO Benefits for Texas Based Businesses

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On September 23, 2013

In SEO Marketing

September 23, 2013

SEO, or search engine optimization helps you take your business venture to the next level, by making you visible on the first page of search engines for keywords specific to your industry. This is done by applying a combination of techniques and strategies, which help to achieve a high-ranking placement on search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo.

Along with improving your organic search rankings, good SEO practices also lead to a website that is faster-loading, and more user-friendly. Since SEO does not involve payment as is the case in PPC advertizing, it offers a cheap and reliable way for businesses to work on their online presence. The list below explores the various benefits that SEO has for Texas-based businesses:

  • SEO empowers the purpose for which most businesses have a website, which is to be able to reach out to a wider customer base. It ensures that the website that you have built is actually visible to the right users when they search for keywords of services that you provide.
  • Right from social media platforms to mobile marketplaces, you can explore a wide range of new online markets through effective SEO practices for your business.
  • SEO-optimized websites means websites that are easy to navigate and adaptable to a wide range of platforms, including mobile and tablet devices. This helps to achieve a higher conversion rate for your business. For instance, if a person is searching for, say, “good restaurants in Austin, Texas”, you can expect to get a customer on your website willing to order food, if your site is optimized for this keyword.
  • Better rankings help to build better brand awareness, since the average web user is more likely to trust a website that appears higher on SERPs.
  • Hiring a reliable SEO company helps you to make the most of SEO for your business, by adopting coming-of-age practices, such as social media optimization, along with proven SEO techniques like RSS feeds and newsletters.
  • SEO gives your business a chance to stand out among your competition, and gain a significant advantage over similar businesses with non-optimized websites. For example, if your website is search engine optimized, a user performing a specific search such as “hardware stores in Killeen, Texas”, will be able to quickly locate your business and retrieve your contact details.

In a nutshell, SEO offers round-the-clock promotion for your business, helping to increase the ROI for your business through targeted traffic and long-term positioning.

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