CCNA has grown to become a widely popular information technology certification in 2017. The certification’s primary focus lies on developing relevant role-based modules to match the rapid deployment of technologies in the current sophisticated networking environment. Companies both large and small are investing in new tools including infrastructure to ensure they keep up with current technologies.
As the sophisticated network process increases, there will also be a strong need to increase the level of skills, which include: security, voice and wireless. A CCNA certification means that you will have the capacity to build on the core networking skills you have acquired in network administration thanks to the highly specialized concentration paths developed by Cisco to springboard your career in both current and developing technologies. The CCNA certification will benefit the employee as well as the employer. Thanks to the valuable learning processes provided by the state-of-the art modules in networking systems offered by Cisco.
CCNA certification concentration paths
The CCNA certification concentration paths consists of three distinctive learning tracks that will equip you – the learner – with tools, skills and resources to help you work with ease and possible earn more money. Namely: •CCNA Security •CCNA Voice •CCNA Wireless
CCNA Security certification involves troubleshooting as well as monitoring network devices to ensure the availability, integrity and confidentiality of data. When you become A certified CCNA Security expert, you will be qualified to work as a security administrator, network security specialist or a network support engineer. Since the rapid increase in demand for cybersecurity, Cisco has taken the lead in designing technologies to combat cyber-attacks. Network equipment manufacturers understand this fact. When companies purchase or lease computers, they are informed about Cisco’s products and technologies.
CCNA Voice certification is a course that equips networking professionals with skills in VoIP, which includes IP telephony, IP PBX, handset, voicemail solutions and call control. Some available roles that you might be hired to do could be a voice manager, voice administrator and voice engineer. Saving money through the use of a strong Internet based phone system is a major priority for organizations and businesses both large and small. This certification path creates true value for any employer who needs this set of skills.
CCNA Wireless involves using Cisco equipment in configuring, implementing and supporting wireless LANs. A wireless expert is qualified to work as a WLAN project manager and also as a wireless support specialist. WIFI is now a marketing tool for companies who are building strong customer relations. Understanding this technology creates a valuable employee.
All of the above CCNA concentration paths require that you have a basic CCNA certification together with additional networking certifications and work experience in computer repair and junior level network administration . Many students ask me if passing the CCNA Certification is really worth it for networking professionals? The following are reasons why the answer to this question is a resounding Yes!
CCNA certification concentration paths will separate the networking chaff from the wheat.
A recent survey completed by Cisco through Forrester Consultants showed that training and certification programs are a critical part in recruiting and hiring the right candidates for specialized roles in a company’s networking system. It was later noted that professional certifications tie many four-year degrees as a requirement for specific job qualifications. Vender certifications were 51% whereas four-year college degrees 49%, which makes CCNA certifications one of the determinants that employers use in the United States to separate the technical chaff from the wheat.
Would you like to learn more about how a career in network administration with Cisco certification will change your working life? If so, it’s time to contact ABCO Technology. You can reach our campus by telephone from 9 AM to 6 PM Monday through Friday at: (310) 216-3067. Email all questions to: info@abcotechnology.edu Financial aid is available to all students who qualify.
Join the group of networking professionals who are Cisco certified today!
Microsoft was the first company to offer vender certifications in the information technology industry. Don’t just take my word for it: Steve Jobs said exactly the same thing when he and Bill Gates were interviewed on stage together in 2007.
It follows that Microsoft was also one of the first companies to launch a vendor-managed training and certification program for software products. Microsoft rolled out its Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) program in 1992, with the first exams covering Windows 3.1, LAN Manager, and SQL Server.
Microsoft realized early on that linking professional certifications to specific products would enable established veterans and the new breed of IT professionals to help validate their skills with Microsoft software.
Microsoft’s meteoric growth acted as the perfect promoter for the MCP program. As Microsoft products took over the market, increasing numbers of IT pros became interested in earning an MCP credential. Microsoft expanded the MCP program to include designations targeted at specific IT job roles — database admins, network admins, and software developers.
Things became a bit difficult for the Microsoft certification program during the dot-com era. The enthusiasm for everything technology or Internet-based led to a mad gold rush for IT certifications, especially those from major industry players like Cisco, Novell and Microsoft. A glut of freshly-certified but predominantly inexperienced technocrats stormed the industry, lured by the promise of high wages, free lunches, and stock options that would make them millionaires before they were 28.
The reputation of Microsoft’s MCP program, and other vendor-managed training and certification programs, took a hit during the irrational tomfoolery of the dot-com boom and bust.
The passage of time has restored some much needed sanity and stability to the IT industry, and has also re-established an appropriate value for Microsoft certifications. There is now a much healthier relationship between Microsoft, its certified professionals, and the companies hiring these professionals to support their technical infrastructure.
Today, the Microsoft Learning program is a popular and well-respected source of IT credentials. The company has worked hard to make its certifications challenging and relevant to the IT industry. And the industry has responded.
Some quick facts from the Microsoft Learning website reinforce the value of MS certifications in the working world:
● In a survey of 900 IT networking professionals, 60% said that earning a certification led to a new job. ● Some 67 percent of IT hiring managers rate certifications as having extremely high value in validating the skills and expertise of job candidates. ● On average, Microsoft certified technologists earn 15 percent more than their uncertified peers.
The advantages granted by achieving a Microsoft certification are obvious. But which Microsoft credentials are currently in the highest demand in the industry?
To answer this question, we ran through job listings at Dice, Monster, and other large IT career sites. We consulted the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and looked at the latest numbers for projected high-growth job categories. We also consulted several information technology managers who have been hiring our students. The managers ABCO talked with have an average of ten years of managerial experience in our industry.
Here is a breakdown of our ten picks for the most in-demand Microsoft certifications. Please note that this is not a ranked list. Any of these 10 certs can impact your marketability and earning power in the current IT landscape:
Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert: Server Infrastructure
The MCSE has been a highly sought after and well-regarded industry credential since it was introduced. The acronym originally stood for Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer, and the certification was primarily concerned with creating and administering Microsoft-based networks.
The MCSE has since been split into several different specializations, but the MCSE: Server Infrastructure is the certification that remains closest to its august progenitor. Fast Fact: The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (USBLS) predicts a solid 8 percent growth in employment for network and computer administrators between 2014-2024.
Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate: Windows Server 2012
The MCSA was introduced with the release of Windows 2000, and was meant to be an intermediate certification that covered mid-tier Win2K client and server support. Like the more advanced MCSE credential, the MCSA has been split into other specializations over the years. The MCSA: Windows Server 2012 certification covers installing WS2012, administering the network(s) built on it, and configuring advanced network services.
Microsoft Certified Solutions Developer: Application Lifecycle Management
The MCSD certification has been Microsoft’s premier designation for software developers over the last 15 years. The MCSD: Application Lifecycle Management credential adds some specific components taken from that particular discipline, including software testing. Fast Fact: The USBLS is predicting a strong 17 percent job growth rate for software developers between 2014-2024.
Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate: SQL Server
Years ago, Microsoft had a certification called the Microsoft Certified Database Administrator or MCDBA. This certification was eventually retired, and Microsoft’s SQL Server product was represented by different credentials here and there. Today, the MCSA: SQL Server certification is aimed at database developers and analysts working with SQL Server 2012 or 2014. (As well as, very soon, SQL Server 2016.) Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert: Data Platform
The second MCSE certification in our list is the MCSE: Data Platform credential. It is an advanced step up from the MCSA: SQL Server designation, which is a prerequisite for this higher-tier certification. The MCSE: Data Platform certification includes more advanced emphasis on developing databases with SQL Server, as well as designing entire database solutions. Fast Fact: The 2015 median annual pay for database administrators was $81,710, according to the USBLS.
Microsoft Specialist: Windows 7
This selection may surprise some readers, but a very large contingent of government, military, and corporate enterprises are still very reliant on Windows 7 as a client OS. These organizations did not make the move to Windows 8, and they are not ready or willing to jump to Windows 10.
Microsoft retired the MCSA: Windows 7 certification, likely as a prompt to IT professionals and other stakeholders. What remains is the Microsoft Specialist: Windows 7 credential, which can be earned by passing one of three currently active exams. Fast Fact: Windows 7 is still the installed OS on more than 48 percent of all desktop PCs, according to the latest figures from Net Applications.
Microsoft Certified Solutions Developer: Web Applications
The mobile computing boom has created a massive market for web apps. Consumers can’t seem to get enough new apps, and they have high expectations for continual development and improvement. The MCSD: Web Applications certification focuses on programming in HTML5, JavaScript, and CSS3. It also requires knowledge of developing software using Microsoft’s cloud computing platform, Azure.
Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert: Private Cloud
For being such an ephemeral thing, you can’t turn a corner without bumping into the Cloud. Your path to the MCSE: Private Cloud certification starts by first earning the MCSA: Windows Server 2012 credential. Candidates must then pass two exams based on working with private clouds created using Microsoft System Center 2012.
Microsoft Office Specialist
Many IT professionals look down their noses at the Microsoft Office Specialist certification, considering it to be of little value. Don’t you believe it — the MOS is a highly respected credential for entry-level and higher level employees. Fast Fact: According to research quoted by Microsoft, “Holding a MOS certification can earn an entry-level business employee as much as $16,000 more in annual salary than uncertified peers.”
Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate: Windows 10
It’s new. It’s improved. It’s Windows 10, and if Microsoft has its way — which it probably will, eventually — Windows 10 is coming to your enterprise sooner rather than later. The MCSA: Windows 10 certification will eventually become Microsoft’s premier network client OS credential. The certification is still under development as of this writing; only one of the exams is currently available, with another due to come online later in 2017.
Microsoft certifications are an excellent path for a new candidate to enter the information technology industry. ABCO Technology has experienced counselors and admissions representatives who will help you to determine, which certification path is the best one for you. Call our campus between 9 AM and 6 PM Monday through Friday. You can reach ABCO Technology by phone at: (310) 216-3067.
Email your questions to: info@abcotechnology.edu Financial aid is available to all qualified students.
ABCO Technology has moved. We are now located at 11222 South La Cienega Blvd. STE 588 Los Angeles, Ca. 90304. Phone: (310) 216-3067. Call us today to get started on your new career.
Employment for Certified Ethical Hackers Jobs available for Certified Ethical Hackers, want one?
Have you ever had thoughts of becoming a hacker, an ethical one that is the key question? The EC-Council has released a certification called Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH). Its goal is to certify security practitioners in the methodology of ethical hacking. This vendor neutral certification covers the standards and language involved in common exploits, vulnerabilities, and countermeasures.
If you have been to a bookstore in 2017, you’ve most likely seen that there is an abundance of books on hacking and “how to hack.” Until now, few organizations have worked toward quantifying ethical hacking, defining its legalities, or specifying its useful role in modern organizations. This is what the EC-Council is attempting to do with this certification. Keep reading if you want to learn more about this exciting opportunity.
Is port scanning legal?
Port scanning remains a questionable, legal subject. There is little debate that it’s usually the first step in any cyber-attack penetration. By itself, it may not constitute an attack. It’s not very different than going from house to house knocking on doors. As a question of its legality, the Georgia District Court case of “Moulton vs. VC3,” the judge declared a port scan in the case legal because it did not “impair the integrity or availability of the network.” The judge ruled that since there was no damage to the target, it could not be illegal.
Not all states, service providers, or organizations share that view. Some ISP’s will terminate the service of individuals performing port scans. Prudence is the best course of action. It’s best not to perform a port scan without the consent of the network owner. It’s interesting to note that if you search on “port scanning,” the popup ads displayed tend to be those of law firms and legal aid providers!
Why Must We Have Ethical Hackers?
Organizations must secure their IT infrastructure and networks. Just as corporations employ auditors to routinely examine financial records, so should corporations audit security policy. We have all seen the havoc that a lack of real financial audits can cause. Just as accountants perform bookkeeping audits, ethical hackers perform security audits. Without security audits and compliance controls, no real security exists. This is a big problem.
There are plenty of individuals waiting to test and probe your organization’s security stance. These individuals range from government and corporate spies, to hackers, crackers, script kiddies, or those who write and release malicious code into the wild. Their presence in your network is not a great thing!
Who Are Ethical Hackers?
An ethical hacker is most similar to a penetration tester. The ethical hacker is an individual who is employed or contracted to undertake an attempted penetration test. These individuals use the same methods employed by hackers. In case you were unsure; hacking is a felony in the United States. Ethical hackers have written authorization to probe a network. Only then is this attempted hack legal, as there is a contract between the ethical hacker and the organization. In 1995, long before today’s more stringent guidelines, one individual received 3 felony counts, 5 years’ probation, 480 hours of community service, and a $68,000 legal bill for failing to insure proper authorization. Don’t let this happen to you!
How is Ethical Hacking Performed?
Primarily, ethical hackers are employed in groups to perform penetration tests. These groups are commonly referred to as “Red Teams.” These individuals are being paid by the organization to poke, prod, and determine the overall level of security. Again, what is important here is that they have been given written permission to perform this test and have detailed boundaries to work within. Don’t be lulled into believing that the penalties for illegal penetration are low, it is a serious felony!
What is on the Test?
The Certified Ethical Hacker exam consists of 21 domains covered in 50 questions. It has a two-hour time limit. These questions are multiple choice. During the test, you are allowed to mark questions if you’re not sure of an answer and return for a later review. The format of the questions is choose one or choose all that apply. The domains were compiled to evaluate the full range of security testing. One must also demonstrate how hacker tools work and demonstrate knowledge of professional security tools, as well as how these tools are utilized. The 21 domains are as follows:
1. Ethics and Legal Issues 2. Foot printing 3. Scanning 4. Enumeration 5. System Hacking 6. Trojans and Backdoors 7. Sniffers 8. Denial of Service 9. Social Engineering 10. Session Hijacking 11. Hacking Web Servers 12. Web Application Vulnerabilities 13. Web Based Password Cracking Techniques 14. SQL Injection 15. Hacking Wireless Networks 16. Virus and Worms 17. Hacking Novell 18. Hacking Linux 19. IDS, Firewalls, and Honeypots 20. Buffer Overflows 21. Cryptography
These domains comprise a full body of ethical hacking knowledge. It’s good that the exams first domain is centered on ethics and legal issues. This is an important domain. Always make sure you have written consent to perform any type of penetration test or security audit. Want to Learn More?
There is not an all in one study guide online or review for this test at the current time. ABCO Technology offers a complete certification course, which will prepare you for this exam. ABCO Technology presents this material in a practical manner so you will acquire the needed skills to succeed in this field. If you live outside of Los Angeles, there are many ways to start obtaining the knowledge needed to pass the exam. One point of review is the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). NIST-800-42 is a good foundational document on ethical hacking. It even includes recommendations for tools intended for self-evaluation. NIST breaks penetration testing down into 4 primary stages:
Security Testing Methodologies
All security-testing methodologies have similar elements. These include: Plan, Organize, Gather Information, Test, Analyze, and Report. To learn more about security testing, review the following documents.
Octave – Operationally Critical Threat, Asset, and Vulnerability Evaluation
OSSTMM – Open Source Testing Methodology Manual
NIST sp800-26 – Self assessment guide for information technology
NIST sp800-42 – Security Testing
TRAWG – Threat and Risk Assessment Working Guide
•Planning – As the old saying goes, success is 90% preparation and 10 % perspiration. What’s the point? Good planning is the key to success. Know where you are going, what your goals are, what the time frame is, and what the limits and boundaries are! •Discovery – This stage is broken down into two distinct phases: •Passive – During this stage, information is gathered in a very covert manner. Examples of passive information gathering include (1) surfing the organization’s Web site to mine valuable information and (2) reviewing their job openings to gain a better understanding of the technologies and equipment used by the organization. •Active – This phase of the test is split between network scanning and host scanning. As individual networks are enumerated, they are further probed to discover all hosts, determine their open ports, and attempt to pinpoint their OS. Nmap is a popular scanning program.
•Attack – At this point, the ethical hacker will attempt to (1) Gain Access, (2) Escalate Privilege, (3) Browse the system, and finally (4) Expand influence. •Reporting – This may be the final step listed, but it is not least in importance. Reporting and documentation should be carried out through each step of the process. This documentation will be used to compile the final report. This report will serve as the basis for corrective action. Corrective action can range from nothing more than enforcing existing policies to closing unneeded ports and adding patches and service packs.
Final Thoughts
I am glad to see the EC-Council release this certification. This is an area where continuing education is needed. Several ABCO Technology students recently took this exam, they passed, and believe the test is adequately challenging for a baseline of skills. The bottom line is that if you have some security experience, have taken the CompTIA Security + or the TICSA exam, and have an interest in penetration testing, this would be a solid career next step. ABCO Technology offers the Certified Hacker class. If you are interested in working in a fast growing field of cyber security, it’s time to contact ABCO Technology. You can reach our campus by telephone at: (310) 216-3067 from 9 AM to 6 PM Monday through Friday. We are located at: 11222 South La Cienega Blvd. STE # 588, Los Angeles, Ca. 90304. Email your questions to: info@abcotechnology.edu Financial aid is available to all qualified students Become a certified ethical hacker today!
Optimizing webpages for user intent. basic strategies
User intent. Also known by marketers as searcher intent, is a theory that actually stands up to the more primitive pre-Penguin and Panda tactics of optimizing purely for keywords.
User intent and optimizing for it has come into being via a combination of three key important factors: ◾Latent Semantic Indexing, Hummingbird, Rankbrain. All have fantastic and mysterious sounding names but all underpinned by the fact that Google’s algorithm is made up of much more than high school algebra. Google is clever, very clever. The algorithm understands more than just the specific keywords that a user types into the search bar. ◾As a result of the aforementioned ability, people trust Google. They may not trust them as a business that will pay their fair share of tax but they trust the search engine to understand their query and as such will ask more complex questions rather than utilising pure keywords. To ‘Google’ is a verb in the Oxford English Dictionary! ◾The internet and Google (among other search engines) have made unfathomable amounts of information accessible to the masses. As a by product, Google is often the first port of call for more than just purchasing actions. More on this later.
Voice search has further raised the bar for user intent with more types of unseen searches due to the conversational nature of voice search. As such, if you are still basing your SEO strategy around keywords you should probably start to think much deeper about user intent.
Finally, and this is an important one. Optimizing for user intent is not just about providing solutions or using synonyms. The majority of SEO campaigns are built around driving revenue and whilst rankings are great and indicative of campaign success, in reality you won’t retain clients without providing ROE and ROI.
Fully optimizing for user intent requires an understanding of how your potential customers buy via your inbound marketing channels. As a result, make sure that you have identified these sales funnels as they are crucial for capitalizing on optimizing your website for user intent in search.
User intent: An overview of the basics
What is user intent? In short it is the reason why someone is searching for something in Google. What are they actually trying to achieve as a result of typing (or saying) that search term?
Traditionally, the intent has been categorized as either navigational, informational or transactional although some like to define commercial intent or use different terminology such as ‘to buy something’, ‘to do something’, ‘to find something’, ‘to learn something’, ‘to go somewhere’ and so on.
These questions or intents can then help you to identify your Buyer Personas and the stage that they are at within your inbound funnels. Again, various inbound funnels utilize different terminology, but I am a fan of Hubspot’s methodology:
How do you figure out what the user intent is behind a search term? Honestly, it’s pretty easy. Just about everyone uses Google. Put yourself in the searcher’s shoes and ask yourself, “if I used that search term, what would I be looking to do?”
Also look at the types of search results that Google returns for a given search term; this is a great indicator of the user intent that Google itself attaches to that particular query.
Focus on VALUE for the user
Even if you don’t read on, here is a very simple tip that should permeate your entire SEO strategy. Ask yourself this question:
Does what I’m doing here add value for the user and if so, how can I make it as valuable as possible?
If you are taking into account what your user is looking to achieve and therefore providing as much value for the user as possible (forget SEO and rankings for one second), you will put yourself in a great place to have a successful campaign both now and into the future.
It is the primary focus for Google as a search engine, so you should make it your focus as well!
An easy place to start is evaluating each piece of content that you are writing. Does it complete the journey that the user is taking? If not, are there quick call to actions to pages that will make your customer perform the action you want them to perform? Your content will preferably be the former, providing solutions and value directly to the searcher.
In addition, if you continue to put the user first (instead of being keyword-focused) you will naturally create better, deeper, more complex and solution led content, thus satisfying the aforementioned LSI, Hummingbird and Rankbrain. Write for search engines first and you run the risk of lowering the content quality, in turn lowering the quality of your results.
How to align your SEO strategy with user intent
Targeting transactional search terms
For years SEOs have focussed on the sharp end of the funnel. and for good reason: the search terms with transactional intent bring in revenue. Let’s be clear, these search terms should remain a staple of any website focussed on ROI.
However, there are a few optimization tips associated with transactional search terms. As above, they are all focused around value for the user: ◾How easy is it to make a purchase from that specific page? ◾Are the call to actions clear? ◾Have you provided the user with all the information required to make that purchasing decision? ◾Is the language used focused around the purchase?
As SEOs, we have to make it abundantly clear to Google that if someone types in a purchase based search term, that our page is the best result for that particular search term.
I hate to hammer it home, but it is the webpage that will complete the desired outcome for the user and therefore offer the most value.
Targeting informational search terms
This is where a sit down with your stakeholders and the drawing up of a content strategy that is aligned to your user intent (and therefore inbound funnels) can unlock serious content marketing magic.
Real results you say? Surely informational searches only result in you giving away free information? Exactly.
Let me take you all the way back to the inbound methodology and the fact that people use Google as a source of information. Creating great informational content can have the following impact:
Providing value earlier in the consumer buying process
They may be wanting to research a product or service prior to making that buying decision. The more awesome information you give them the more aligned with your brand they become. When the time comes for that purchasing decision guess who they will lean more favorably towards? Of course there is a little caveat in that all other things are equal.
Earning links
Even if no sales come as a result of your informational content (unlikely), if it is good enough it will earn links as people reference the content…actually enough to provide further value for their own users. These links will subsequently improve the authority of your website and help you rank for transactional search terms. It’s a warped digital version of karma.
Understand your user flows
This is particularly relevant for transactional and informational search terms. Top notch SEO incorporates more than just onsite optimization, content creation and link building. It should pull in all marketing channels, including design. It’s all well and good generating traffic, but it counts for nothing if the website does not convert them.
Identify your key user flows and actions that you want your users to complete on your site according to where they are in the funnel. Are they an informational searcher? The website needs to encourage them to continue their hunt for information on your website or start to transition them further down the funnel to a purchasing decision.
Really understanding user intent and user flows will only help you with your conversion rate optimization.
Adjust your appearance in search
In the same vein as design supporting CRO, your appearance in search should be aligned with the user intent. The two standard influencers here are your title tag and meta description, although additional factors such as schema markup can also be implemented.
For example, if the search term is transactional make sure that the metadata is enticing and is communicating purchase driven vocabulary. Whereas if the search term is informational make sure that it hints towards how the information on the corresponding web page will solve the searchers’ problem.
Use your outreach skills
I thought we were talking about content here? Yes, on the whole we are but there are opportunities within link building as well. Some users will turn to Google not simply to provide them with the best result, but also a list of the options available to them. Common examples of how a small change to the wording can result in this alteration to user intent are as follows:
Tailor New York City > Best Tailor New York City Or Tailor New York City > Tailors New York City
The addition of an adjective or the plural version of a keyword can often result in lists being supplied by Google. Not all of the results will be these lists, but for those not already in the top results they do offer an opportunity.
Contact these sites to get listed – we saw a considerable increase in conversions by doing this for a software platform client recently. Don’t forget local search
Mobile search vs desktop search is a mainstream conversation nowadays, with some stats showing that mobile search has a 75% chance of action being taken by the user.
With this in mind, don’t forget to optimize your local listing in order to sweep up all of the traffic (over 50% globally now) using Google via mobile devices.
Some useful tools
Keyword research is critical in identifying valuable search terms, whatever the corresponding user intent is. We have listed a few options below, hopefully you are already using these tools alongside Google’s Keyword Planner, Moz’s Keyword Explorer or whichever tool you use to look at traffic. These tools can provide content ideas that will drive your campaign:
Answer The Public
Using a who, what, when, why, how style format, Answer The Public will give you a list of search terms. Use these prompts to create content ideas.
Keywordtool.io
In a similar vein to Answer the Public, Keywordtool.io will display search volumes (if you pay for it) and commonly asked questions that relate to your keywords.
Buzzsumo
Buzzsumo allows you to view the most shared pieces of content via social for a given subject. Don’t just rely on data fed to you, check how popular these subjects are in real life!
Google Autosuggest
Use Google’s own user oriented functionality to understand the commonly asked questions and search terms for a given subject. Start typing and let Google do the rest.
Impressions via Search Console
We always warn against purely using Search Console and Google Analytics data as the basis for decisions moving forward, purely because it is reactive data.
However, you can look at search terms for which you are gaining impressions but potentially a low CTR and adjust the content accordingly. It may be as simple as making your metadata more attractive in the SERPs.
Horses for courses
The base theories will have to be adapted slightly to suit your particular needs. Some businesses may focus on impulse buys where others are deemed comparison goods and will benefit more from informative, longer sales processes. It is a ‘horses for courses’ scenario.
If you understand what you are trying to achieve via your SEO campaign, the journey taken by your user during the buying process, the various relevant searcher intents and align your strategy accordingly, it will place you in a great position to increase organic traffic and also your conversion rate.
ABCO Technology offers a comprehensive program for Certified Internet Webmaster, which includes SEO and Social Media strategist. If this is an area of information technology that interests you, contact ABCO Technology. Reaching our campus is easy. Call us by telephone from 9 AM to 6 PM Monday through Friday at: (310) 216-3067.
ABCO Technology is located at 11222 South La Cienega Blvd. in STE # 588. Los Angeles, Ca. 90304.
Email your questions to: info@abcotechnology.edu Financial aid is available to all qualified students. Learn to build highly successful webpages today!
Cyber Security job demand red hot, another day, another Hack Attack
The HBO hack may have been worse than the initial leaks of a few unaired TV show episodes suggested by the network. A security company hired by HBO to scrub search results for the hacked files from search engines has told Google that the hackers stole “thousands of Home Box Office (HBO) internal company documents.”
The disclosure came as part of a DMCA take-down notice sent to Google Tuesday to force the search engine to take down links to the leaked files. For our readers who are not familiar with DMCA, it stands for the Digital millennium Copyright act, which protects copyrighted material from being illegally published. The take-down notice also detailed that the hackers did away with “masses of copyrighted items including documents, images, videos and sound.”
The company in question, IP Echelon, is frequently being used by HBO to remove links to infringing material from Google. An HBO spokesperson declined to comment on the take-down notice and the nature of any files stolen by the hackers when contacted by several news organizations Wednesday “due to an ongoing investigation.”
Word of HBO getting hacked first broke Monday morning, when the hackers approached media outlets with the news that they had broken into HBO’s networks and released episodes of “Ballers,” “Insecure,” and “Room 104” as well as the script for an upcoming episode of “Game of Thrones.”
Also released by the hackers: Two episodes of “Barry,” the hit man comedy starring Bill Hader that is not scheduled to air until 2018 on the network.
The hackers appear to have also leaked personal information of a senior HBO executive. That information, published online in a text document, contains access information to dozens of online accounts, including paid newspaper subscriptions, online banking, and personal health services. At least one of these accounts may also have given the hackers access to the executive’s work email.
The perpetrators of the hack have claimed that they were able to access some of HBO’s key network infrastructure, and steal a total of 1.5 terabytes of data, and have suggested that they will release additional information in the near future. An image file published as part of the leaks seems to corroborate at least the first part of that claim, as it appears to show screenshots of HBO’s internal administration tools, listing employee names and email addresses and their functions within the organization.
Thousands of potentially sensitive internal documents, employee data and possible access to internal corporate emails were removed by hackers. All of this brings back memories of the famous Sony hack. Back in 2014, a group of hackers thought to have been backed by North Korea broke into the networks of Sony Pictures. The group subsequently released tens of thousands of emails, as well as scripts and video files, contributing to the ouster of Sony Pictures chief Amy Pascal.
HBO acknowledged the hack on Monday, and said that it was working with law enforcement and private firms to remedy the situation. “Data protection is a top priority at HBO, and we take seriously our responsibility to protect the data we hold,” the company said in a statement.
Cybercrimes of this type, create strong demand for cyber security professionals. Cyber security pros are becoming extremely valuable in the job market of 2017. HBO will hire additional network administrators who have cyber skills. Society is storing vast amounts of data online and that data needs to be protected.
cyber security jobs do not require a college degree, however in many cases the correct certifications will take the place of a four-year college degree. Ensuring that you receive the correct certifications, which will provide employable skills is the job of a solid ACCSC accredited computer training institution who is familiar with what it takes to join the increasing work force of cyber security professionals.
If you are interested in a career in cyber security, it’s time for you to contact ABCO Technology. You can reach our campus by telephone from 9 AM to 6 PM Monday through Friday. Call us at: (310) 216-3067.
Email your questions to: info@abcotechnology.edu Financial aid is available to all students who qualify. ABCO has moved to a new and modern facility located at: 11222 South La Cienega Blvd. in STE #588. Los Angeles, Ca. 90304.
Classes are held seven days per week to accommodate those who are working during the week.
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Most online sites at some point in their business development will want to expand, and one of the most recognized tactics to accomplish this goal is by offering products to an international audience.
However, it’s not a simple task by any stretch of the imagination. This post will help you understand the risks, research and steps involved in expanding your business into a global market.
Considerations and research
Is it the right time to go international? Is there a need to go international? This question depends on your focus for the future and the current needs of the business.
If you are increasingly having visitors to your site from international locations, now may be the correct time to start implementing an international SEO strategy.
There are, of course, a few things that you need to take into account – such as: ◾Are you able to implement ALL technical fixes? ◾Do you have the resources to carry out the work and manage each variation in the future? ◾If targeting a different language, do you have a competent person to translate? ◾Is the business ready to carry out international orders and process transactions?
Once you have checked all the above, it’s essential to conduct further research. As with any new website idea or build, it’s all about making sure it’s a worthwhile venture.
One of the biggest research areas will be around keyword research to find out if there is demand in the locations that the business will be expanding into. It’s important to note that the keyword research should be done in the language you will be targeting, and location.
If all the above is confirmed and ready to go, the next stage is to plan the implementation.
Website structure
You may have seen a number of different implementations of international SEO, each having different pros and cons. I tend to lean towards using subdirectories; however, it strictly depends on the type of targeting you will be using.
These are the main structure types: ◾ccTLD – Domain variations such as example.fr, example.au ◾Sub domain – fr.example.com, au.example.com ◾Subcategory – example.com/au/, example.com/fr/
We have provided code illistrating the set up for a website using the subcategory URL structure for the UK and France. It’s important to note our main website is sitting on a .com as this tends to be the norm now. However this would work in the same way for .co.uk.
We’ve done this with variations that include both language and location, but this can be done with just language or simply location.
This would mean that we add the following code to our website:
We can also add an X-default tag to this piece of code to be safe. This will tell search engines that if there is a URL that is not using this structure that it should default to the URL specified. This would change our code snippet to:
It’s important to note that this is only for the homepage of our example website. Internal links will also need to use this code but with the URLs changed so they reference the specific URL rather than the homepage.
We have also left the homepage as a dot com because in the past we have seen drops when a site has also used the new URL structure for the homepage. If we were to change example.com to example.com/en-gb/ it would mean example.com having to pass through a redirect.
It’s much easier to do this within the CMS you are using; however, if needed you may use a bulk href lang tool.
Sitemap implementation
When people talk about using sitemaps and international SEO, they tend to be referring to implementing localization through the use of sitemaps. This is another way of accounting for different languages and countries if hreflang is not a possible solution.
The solution works in a very similar way to hreflang, but sits within a sitemap rather than in the website’s source code. We tend to only suggest using this method if hreflang is completely out of the question.
Metadata & content
We have already carried out our keyword research to find out where the demand is based on different languages, this is where new metadata needs to be used for each language variation. It’s also important that the right variation of the word is used, for example when targeting the USA from a site that uses UK or Canadian English.
The on-page content also needs to reflect the language that the user is on. If the hreflang is marked up to say the page is in French, it needs to be written in French. It sounds simple, but you would be surprised how many people get this wrong.
It’s also very important to make sure you have the in-house resource or outside help to be able to get this all done before launch. Yes, it is possible to gradually amend the content, but for users this could be extremely annoying – imagine their frustration in landing on a language they cannot understand.
As well as translating the content, it should reflect the audience you are targeting and their behaviors. User behavior varies from country to country and is something that needs to be taken into consideration when generating on-page content.
There are many differences that may not be apparent straight away. However, the best tip I can give is to not translate directly from English as what you are saying may not make any sense in another language.
It’s also highly important to take cultural differences into account when writing new content or trying to sell a product in a different market. People from different countries will look at areas of the website in different ways such as: security, payment gateways, type of language used, shopping cart structure and many others.
This is why it’s worthwhile speaking to people from the country you are trying to target and getting somebody local to write the content and provide feedback. It all comes back to doing your research beforehand.
This section is very much dependent on the type of business you run. However if you have a physical location in the new countries you will be targeting it’s very important.
Google My Business allows businesses to create a listing giving full details of their company along with the location. This will be important in building up an organic search presence in a new location. There are plenty of posts on local SEO so I won’t go into it too much here, but these are the main steps:
◾Create the location here https://www.google.co.uk/business/ ◾Add as many details as possible ◾Add the address to the most relevant page on your website ◾Mark the address up with local schema ◾Obtain links from relevant websites in the area or region
Carrying out the above steps will help the new location build up a stable base of links that can be built on top. I would also suggest creating relevant social profiles and local listings if relevant.
Summary
Making sure you are fully prepared is by far the biggest step in scaling a business to target an international market. Without the correct preparation, there is a strong chance that you won’t achieve what you initially set out to do.
International SEO is not a simple process by any means and it can easily go wrong. However, if you are in the position to expand your business into an international set-up, there is lots of money to be made.
ABCO Technology offers a comprehensive program for website development, which includes search engine marketing. Call our campus between 9 AM and 6 PM Monday through Friday. You can reach us at: (310) 216-3067.
Email your questions to: info@abcotechnology.edu Financial aid is available to all qualified students. Learn to build international websites today!
During the last thirty days there has been a reinvigorated discussion surrounding artificial intelligence, with “AIO” (Artificial Intelligence Optimization) raising its head on agency websites and blogs.
HTTPS and mobile first seem to be cooling as topics, so attention is turning to Rank Brain.
The reality of this paradigm however is that artificial intelligence optimization is seemingly a paradoxical notion. If we imagine that Google is a child, when the child goes to school and reads a book, we want the child to learn and understand the information in that book. If the book isn’t “optimized” for the child to learn – structured information, images, engaging, positive user experience etc. – then the child won’t learn or understand the content. It is important to design your webpages with this frame of mind.
Optimizing for Rank Brain isn’t something new, or complicated. So why is there this need to turn Rank Brain optimization into a product of its own, when the practices aren’t anything new?
In this article I’m going to explore exactly what Rank Brain is, and isn’t as well as how the pre-existing concepts and practices of good SEO (as outlined by Google’s guidelines) apply to Rank Brain.
What is Rank Brain?
Rank Brain uses a form of machine learning and is used by Google to process unfathomable amounts of qualitative data (written content) into quantitative data (mathematical entities), vectors that the algorithm and other computers can understand.
15% of all queries that Google processes are new, so it’s common for Rank Brain to encounter a query or phrase it hasn’t seen before. Using previously processed data in vectors and shards, Rank Brain looks to make an intelligent guess based on similar queries and meanings.
The number of new queries has reduced by 25% in 2007, but volume has increased exponentially thanks to the rise of smartphones and increased internet penetration rates globally.
Simply put, Rank Brain: ◾Interprets the user query ◾Determines search intent ◾Selects results (items) from the databases
What is machine learning?
Machine learning is a computer science and was defined in 1959 by Arthur Samuel as follows: “Machine learning gives computers the ability to learn without being explicitly programmed”. Samuel conducted the initial research into this field, which evolved from pattern recognition studies and computational learning theory.
Machine learning in essence explores the construction of algorithms and makes predictions based on data and statistical frequencies. Machine learning has been used in a number of software applications prior to Rank Brain, including spam email filtering, network threat and intruder detection and optical character recognition (OCR).
While this is a form of artificial intelligence, it’s not a high functioning form.
Association rule learning
ARL (association rule learning) is a method of machine learning for discovering relationships between variables in large databases using predetermined measures of engagement.
This has previously been used by supermarkets to determine consumer buyer behavior, and is used to produce loyalty coupons and other educated outreach methods. For instance, through store loyalty/points cards, a store can gather data that when analyzed can predict buying patterns and behaviors.
ARL can also be used to predict associations, for example if a user buys cheese slices and onions, it could be assumed they are also going to buy burger meat. Rank Brain uses this principle in providing intelligent search results, especially when a phrase can have multiple meanings.
An example of this is an English slang term “Dench”. If a user searches for Dench it can have three meanings; the slang term, a line of clothing, or the actress Judi Dench. The term can also be associated with individuals, such as professional athlete Emmanuel Frimpong and rapper Lethal Bizzle.
As the query is ambiguous, Google’s own search quality evaluator guidelines explain that the search engine will show as many variations as deemed possible in order to satisfy the users search intent as best they can.
Concepts of association rule learning
The main concepts and rules of ARL are Support, Confidence, Lift and Conviction, but for the purposes of Rank Brain I’m going to focus on Support and Confidence.
Support
Support in ARL is the measure of how frequently the item in question appears in the database. This is not the same as keyword density, or the number of times keyword variants appear.
Confidence
Confidence of ARL is a measure of how often the rule has been found to be true. This is based on associative terms, i.e. if a user searches for “POTUS”, then there is an X% chance that they may also search for, or find, Donald Trump a satisfactory result. They may also find Barack Obama, George Bush or Abraham Lincoln satisfactory results.
Confidence can often be confused with probabilities, as the two principles with regards to organic search are quite similar (if a user searches for X, then Y and Z can also be valid).
Rank Brain uses association rules to satisfy user specified minimum support, and user specified minimum confidence at the same time, and both support and confidence are generally split into two individual processes:
1.Minimum support threshold is established and applied to all frequent items in the database. 2.Minimum confidence constraints are applied to the frequent items, in order to form rules.
Using these rules, Rank Brain helps Google prioritize which ranking signals are most relevant to the user query, and how to weight those signals.
Rank Brain and SEO
Rank Brain was launched in a dozen or so languages (as confirmed by Gary Illyes on Twitter in June 2017) ranging from English to Hindi, and its sole purpose is to help Google provide more accurate results and an overall better search experience for users, satisfying their queries.
The main difference between the pre- and post- Rank Brain world is that before RB, Google’s team of software engineers would amend and alter the mathematical algorithm(s) that determine search results and rankings, and this algorithm would remain constant until an update was made. However, Rank Brain is a part of the core algorithm and is used by Google for all searches (as of 2016), meaning that there is constant change and fluctuation.
This means that search results are now reactive to real world events, as well as a lot more volatile outside of the big algorithm update announcements.
“Optimizing” for Rank Brain
Given how Rank Brain interacts with the core algorithm and other ranking signals, there may be a need to change strategic focus (especially if the strategy is built on backlinks). But Rank Brain is not a “classic algorithm” like Panda and Penguin.
With the classic algorithms, we knew how to avoid Penguin penalties and thanks to guidelines, we know how to satisfy Panda. Rank Brain on the other hand is an interpretation model that can’t be optimized for specifically. There are, however, a number of standard SEO practices that are now more relevant than ever.
The idea of writing content with a “focus keyword” and producing one page for one keyword are outdated. The Hummingbird updated killed this in 2013, and Rank Brain has taken this one step further.
I’ve seen this practice still being used in a number of sectors. When creating content and URL structures, both user experience and keyword matrices should be used, with the focus being on creating high value and resourceful pages.
Different queries = different weighting factors
Because of the way Rank Brain has changed how certain variables and ranking factors are weighted for different queries, it’s no longer a practical approach to take a one size fits all approach with queries (and query categories).
Taking queries that trigger Venice results and the map pack out of the equation, some queries may demand high velocities of fresh content, shorter content, longer content, lots of links… The new weighting model that Rank Brain presents means that there will need to be deviations from the standard best practice.
Internal linking structures
We know from Google’s search quality evaluation guidelines that Google considers main and supplemental content when ranking a page; this extends to pages within a URL subdirectory and pages linked to from the main content.
It’s standard to optimize internal linking structures so that link equity is passed to key pages on the site (as well as deeper pages), but it’s also important to include a good number of internal links to improve the user experience.
What does the future hold?
When Rank Brain was first launched in 2015 it only handled around 15% of queries, but by the same time 2016 Google’s confidence in the algorithm had grown, and it let Rank Brain loose on all queries. This will have been a phased rollout and responsible for a number of changes we saw in 2016.
As Rank Brain learns on the job, it will only get better at understanding semantic and concepts, and relationships between topics and queries. This will benefit voice search results accuracy as well as traditional search results pages and now cards.
In summary
In conclusion, a number of leading figures in the SEO community (including Gary Illyes and Rand Fishkin) have come out in various ways highlighting that Rank Brain isn’t something that can’t be specifically optimized for.
That being said, understanding how the Rank Brain algorithm works is important to understanding the ranking volatility in your (or your client’s) verticals.
Optimizing webpages for the real world is more important in 2017 than at any time in the past. If you want to join a growing group of web designers who have superior search engine skills, it’s time to call ABCO Technology.
ABCO Technology is now located at our new facility at 11222 South La Cienega Blvd. in STE #588.
You can reach our campus by telephone at (310) 216-3067 from 9 AM to 6 PM Monday through Fridays. Email your questions to info@abcotechnology.edu Financial aid is available to all qualifying students. Learn to build web sites for the Internet of things today!
It is fair to say that public opinion does not favor most online ads — ABCO Technology’s research confirms this fact. In a recent study, we collected open-ended responses to understand what truly makes or breaks an online advertising experience. From the 200 responses we received, comprised mostly of negative comments, combined with our insight from a presentation by Charles Pascal and Bob Castaneda at ABCO Technology’s User Experience class in 2017, we were able to distinguish five user requirements for interacting with advertisements. Complying with these will make your ads less insufferable and may even make customers like you:
•User control •Instant gratification •Placement •Predictability •Relevance
User Control
One of the 10 usability heuristics is user control and freedom. Not surprisingly, people complained when the ad took control of the interaction and forced them to perform actions (e.g., watch a video ad) against their will. In contrast, they expressed positive affect when the ad was triggered by their action or when they could opt out of the interaction.
For example, if users clicked a button to play a video and the video started with an ad, they were less annoyed than if the video had started playing by itself (autoplay). Additionally, being given the option to skip or dismiss an ad was a valued capability which gave users a sense of control.
Not surprisingly, modal ads, which take away user control and interrupt the current task, while requiring users to interact with the ad — either by dismissing it or selecting a call to action within the ad — were among the most disliked ad types both on mobile and on desktop.
Examples of user comments: •“The best ads are the ones that you can simply click on to close and you don’t have to view them anymore while you’re on the webpage.” •“I like ads that do not obstruct content. I can glance to the side and decide if I want to open [them] but am annoyed when I don’t have that choice.” • “I hate having to close something to seek content on a site. That is nonsense — I didn’t ask for that and I tend to dislike the company even more.” •“I strongly dislike ads that I’m forced to watch…”
Instant Gratification
Respondents often complained about ads that “delayed” or “blocked” access to content of interest. Examples of such ads include prevideo advertisements, modal ads, or ads that slowed down the loading of the page. The inability to skip an ad hinders access to primary content. The additional load time and delayed content delivery divert attention from the main task, increase cognitive load, increase time between interaction and feedback, and often do not support the user’s primary task.
Examples of user comments: •“Any ad that makes a page difficult to load or read is annoying.” •“Video ads before a video you want to watch are okay as long as they are short and give you an option to skip after so many seconds.” •“I dislike especially the ones that start and don’t let you close for 5 seconds”
Placement
This dimension refers to physical obstruction of content. For example, a modal advertisement with a dark background will obscure the primary content, and a persistent banner will physically occupy many pixels on a page, thus pushing information below the fold — especially on a mobile device. On the other hand, an advertisement in the right rail does not impede the use of primary content, and is in a location conventionally used for advertising. Respondents often complained about ads taking up “space” or “covering” the desired content.
Examples of user comments: •“I hate disruptive advertising. An online ad should be no more intrusive than a standard magazine ad. That is, it should not flash, demand action, or be placed in the middle of an article. Off to the side or below is best.” •“I am fond of links to the side and at the end of my pages. I can’t tell you why, but I like them and am much more likely to click on them and check them out than anywhere else.” •“Since ads are a necessary evil, they must exist. I can tolerate ads that just sit in the right-hand side of the screen, and do nothing. Ads in the middle of Facebook, are okay, unless I see the same one often.”
Predictability
Predictability relates to the user’s ability to anticipate the behavior and response of a site (and is related to the user’s ability to feel in control). Typical unpredictable interactions involve videos that start playing automatically when the user lands on a new page (thus violating the users’ expectations that audio will only play after they have initiated an explicit “play” interaction), or text that gets shuffled around to make room for an ad that was just loaded.
ABCO Technology’s ratings data shows that ads that were highly predictable and easily identified as ads (e.g., appearing in the right rail) were less disliked than others.
Examples of user comments: •“I hate when ads pop up in the middle of a page while I’m already trying to read, making me lose my place.” •“Least disruptive are ads that don’t make any noise, or fit well into social media timelines.” •“Videos that suddenly start as you go to a page can be very disruptive, and shockingly sudden. These also are embarrassing if you are in public and your volume is not turned off.”
Relevance
Relevance refers to whether the ad is related to the user’s goals or interests. Relevant ads are perceived as less annoying than completely unrelated ones. For example, social media advertisements and retargeting ads tend to be based on user’s previous “likes” — which increases the likelihood that the advertisement will be similar to the user’s interests.
This effect is only true to a point. Ads which are “too” relevant tend to become annoying and intrusive, and lose their perceived value. Additionally, if the ads were once relevant, but are no longer relevant (i.e. the item was already purchased or the user did not want the item anymore), the value of the ad (and the brand) was diminished. Those retargeted red shoes that you see on every website quickly become annoying, and after a few weeks turn the corner into being infuriating.
Related links are, by definition, relevant to the user’s current goal. Not surprisingly, they were rated as the least disliked ad type — both on mobile and on desktop.
Examples of user comments: •“And I know lots of people think it’s frustrating to have ads show up with items you’ve been searching for, but I like it!” •“… I always find it unnecessary when I see ads for the exact product I was searching, it would be better if they showed similar products instead.” •“I HATE that something you searched for pops up later on other websites. Way to ruin Christmas!”
Violating User Requirements Increases Annoyance
As discussed above, based on user comments, we identified 5 factors most likely to affect users’ annoyance. The top most disliked advertising techniques in ABCO’s study violate at least 3 out of these 5 factors. For example, modal ads take away control by interrupting the current task and requiring the user to take an explicit action in order to dismiss them. Their placement also covers content of interest and are usually unpredictable.
Autoplay video ads violate user expectations of predictability — audio suddenly starts, startling and embarrassing the user. Often it forces her to fumble around, trying to locate the source of the noise and a way to shut it down. Autoplay video prevents the user from controlling the presentation of content (the ad plays when the system dictates, not when the user does) and delays gratification by adding an extra step: locate the source of the audio, close it, and continue to primary content.
This exercise can be applied more broadly to all of the ad types: the greater the number of expectations violated, the greater the likelihood that the ad will be hated. On that same note, the fewer requirements violated, the greater the likelihood the ad will be tolerated. Thus, if user experience practitioners wish to create engaging ad campaigns, it is in their best interest to meet as many user requirements as possible, while using contextual information to provide meaningful experiences at the right time. Here are some practical guidelines that may help advertising professionals as they design campaigns:
1.Be polite. Ensure your user consents to seeing the information being presented. Consider your current designs and identify the circumstances in which your advertisements are presented. Do they interrupt your readers mid-sentence? Do they dive into an audible monologue while your customer is busy doing something else? In short — pretend your advertisements are uninvited dinner guests. You wouldn’t want your dinner guests to waltz in, unannounced, and burst into a prepared speech before you know who they are. Let the user decide when to listen. Don’t use autoplay audio or video. Don’t use modals to barge in on the user’s main tasks. Use the periphery to allow your advertisements to make themselves known, so that your users can view and interact with them on their own terms.
2.Don’t delay the delivery of primary content. Don’t slow your users down. Acknowledge when your users might be more open to novel information; usually this doesn’t happen when they’ve just landed on your site. Wait for them to walk around and find some content of interest, gain their trust, and then present ads. Be nonobtrusive by placing the ad on the right side or bottom of the screen. Better yet, if your advertisement enables them to reach the desired content more quickly, they might be more inclined to view it, but calling an extra step by another name doesn’t change the fact that it is still an extra step to reach content.
3.Prioritize high value interactions when considering advertisement placement. While your stakeholders might insist that conversions are the highest-priority interactions, it is a designer’s responsibility to balance the priorities of the business with the priorities of the user. If your most valuable screen real estate is being used for intracontent advertising and persuasive modal dialogs, beware of the potential to convey the wrong message: that the company’s revenues are more important than your users’ goals. After all, we cannot even begin to accomplish business goals until we accomplish user goals.
4.Consider platform conventions; limit any unwelcome surprises. When you are courting a potential customer, you are essentially building a new customer relationship and establishing trust. Unconventional and unpredictable behavior (in a person or in a product) diminishes trust over time. In the effort to be creative, designers sometimes create interactions that are uncomfortable and jarring. In order to win over and put new customers at ease, make it easy for them to locate primary content and your advertisements. If users are confident that they can find what they’re looking for, they will be in a state of cognitive ease, and will be more likely to trust the advertisements you present.
5.Don’t compete with primary content. Enhance it. Relevance can be hard to achieve, but if your user is looking at a piece of content, it is in your best interest to amplify the current content rather than to compete with it. Using a user’s personal information is potentially beneficial, but runs the risk of being intrusive and even ruins holiday and birthday surprises for some users and their families. Which is more certain: that a user will still need that pot she’s been shopping for this past week? Or that the user may be interested in the article she is reading right now? Use the current content as a basis for how to shape your advertising content.
Conclusion
Even though our discussion in this article has been focused on 3rd party advertising, the guidelines are equally applicable to a site’s own promotions for its own products and services. In fact, self-promotion is even more likely to generate distrust and dislike if done too aggressively, because users have nobody to blame except your company for every single annoyance triggered by your own promos.
For regular advertising, the blame for any user annoyance is shared between the site hosting the ad and the brand being advertised. Both parties have an interest in avoiding antagonizing their customers: •The website will eventually lose traffic if users decide that the pain and suffering imposed by aggressive ads aren’t worth the trouble. Loyal users are the way to build a durable business on the Internet, but you won’t foster loyalty if ads virtually muscle their way through (or over) content every time a user visits. •The brand will build a negative reputation if users consistently hate its advertising. Why pay to erode the integrity of a brand and make that brand less valuable?
E-commerce is the future of retail. While bricks and mortar jobs are on the decline, online retail jobs are growing. If you want to join this group of professionals who have skills, which are in demand, it’s time for you to take action and change your working life. You can accomplish this goal by contacting ABCO Technology. Reaching our campus by telephone is easy. Call us between 9 AM and 6 PM Monday through Friday at: (310) 216-3067. Send your questions to: info@abcotechnology.edu Financial aid is available to all qualified students.
ABCO Technology has moved. We are located at 11222 South La Cienega BLVD in STE #588. Our mailing zip code is 90304. Build exciting websites, which will bringtraffic and sales today!
According to a study conducted earlier this year by Dice, the tech career site, 93 percent of hiring managers are looking to employ Linux professionals. If you want one of those high paying jobs, a great way to increase your chances to get that job offer from that company of your dreams is to go to human resources with either the CompTIA Linux + or as a Certified Red hat Network Administrator.
Linux-based-certifications
The fact that Linux jobs are in demand has not gone unnoticed. According to Dan Brown, The Linux Foundation’s PR & Marketing Manager, “The Linux Foundation’s Intro to Linux courses, which can help with basic prep for the CompTIA Linux + or Red Hat Systems administrator Exam, has had over 270,000 registrations from 100+ countries.” That has made this course the biggest ever for Linux. The enrollments show a high employer demand. Candidates wouldn’t be taking these courses unless they were told to by human resource departments.
Why are some many people interested in obtaining Linux certifications?
The answer boils down to one important area of information technology, which the media reports about as Cyber security.
Cybercrime is on the rise. Linux is an open source operating system, which network administrators can configure in certain ways to make it very difficult for hackers. Hackers want easy targets and a system using Linux, which is properly configured, is not an easy target. Therefore, companies are turning to network administrators who are proficient in both Windows and Linux operating systems. In many large companies, Linux runs in the background. The average employee working at one of these companies will believe the company’s operating system is Windows when in fact the system’s back end is operated with Linux. Complex systems using dual operating systems create jobs, which only the right trained information technology professional can fill.
While these Linux Foundation certifications are designed to be complementary to the lower-level Linux Professional Institute (LPI) certifications, they’re more comparable to high-level certifications such as Red Hat’s Certified System Administrator (RHCSA) in that they’re quite difficult to pass.
If you are someone interested in working with open-sourced information technology, getting those certifications will be your key to success. The best way to accomplish your goal is to find a school who offers instructor led hands-on training. Hands-on training offers many benefits, especially when the training is taught by a live instructor. Live instructors will pass on their actual work experience. With most certification exams, the methods for performing a particular on the job task are very different from what is on the test. In order to successfully pass this exam, a candidate must learn the material with two mindsets.
The first being to acquire the knowledge and skills to do the job. The second path is to learn how to past that exam, which will stand in your way if you don’t understand the procedure.
If you want to become certified for Linux, it’s time to call ABCO Technology today. You can reach our campus by telephone at: (310) 216-3067 from 9 AM to 6 PM. Email your questions to: info@abcotechnology.edu
Financial aid is available to all students who can qualify for the financial assistance. Apply for a great job today, get trained and certified in Linux!
The key question I am constantly asked in my classes is: What is semantic search? Broadly speaking, it’s a term that refers to a move towards more accurate search results by using various methods to better understand the intent and context behind a search.
Or as Alexis Sanders very eloquently explained it on the Moz Blog, “The word “semantic” refers to the meaning or essence of something. Applied to search, “semantics” essentially relates to the study of words and their logic. Semantic search seeks to improve search accuracy by understanding a searcher’s intent through contextual meaning. […] Semantic search brings about an enhanced understanding of searcher intent, the ability to extract answers, and delivers more personalized results.”
Google is constantly making tweaks and changes to its documentation and features linked to semantic search. Many of these involve things like structured data and Schema.org, rich results, Knowledge Graph and so on, and the vast majority go unannounced and unnoticed – even though they can make a significant difference to the way we interact with search.
But there are some eagle-eyed members of the search community who keep tabs on changes to semantic search, and let the rest of us know what’s up. To aid in those efforts, I’m rounding up five recent important changes to semantic search on Google that you might not have noticed.
100% of the credit for these observations goes to the Semantic Search Marketing Google+ group (and specifically its founder Aaron Bradley), which is my source for all the latest news and updates on semantic search. If you want to keep in the loop, I highly recommend joining.
Videos and recipes are now accessible via image search.
Earlier this week, Google made a telling addition to its documentation for videos, specifying that video rich results will now display in image search on mobile devices, “providing users with useful information about your video.”
A mobile image search for a phrase like “Daily Show YouTube” (okay, that one’s probably not going to happen organically, but I wanted to make the feature work) will fetch video thumbnails in among the grid of regular image results, which when selected, unfold into something like this:
You then need to select “Watch” or the title of the video to be taken to the video itself. (Selecting the image will only bring up the image in full screen and won’t redirect you to the video). So far, video rich results from YouTube and Wistia have been spotted in image search.
Google’s documentation for recipes also now features a similar addition: “Rich results can also appear in image search on mobile devices, providing users with useful information about your recipe.” So now you can do more than just stare at a mouthwatering picture of a lasagna in image search – you might be able to find out how it’s made.
Google’s documentation gives instructions on how to mark up your videos and recipes correctly, so that you can make sure your content gets pulled through into image search.
Rich cards are no more RIP, rich cards. The term introduced by Google in May 2016 to describe the, well, card-style rich results that appear for specific searches have now been removed from Google Developers.
As identified by Aaron Bradley, Google has made changes to its ‘Mark Up Your Content Items’ on Google Developers to remove reference to “rich cards”. In most places, these have been changed to refer to “rich results”, the family of results which includes things like rich cards, rich snippets and featured snippets. There’s no information as to why Google decided to retire the term; I think it’s usefully descriptive, but maybe Google decided there was no point making an arbitrary distinction between a “card” and a “non-card” rich result.
It may also have been aiming to slim down the number of similar-sounding terms it uses to describe search results with the addition of “enriched search results” to the mix – more on that later.
Google launches structured data-powered job postings in search results
Google has added another item to the list of things that will trigger a rich result in search: job postings.
This change was prefigured by the addition of a Jobs tab to Google’s ‘Early Access and partner-only features’ page, which is another good place to keep an eye out for upcoming developments in search.
Google also hinted at the addition during this year’s Google I/O, when it announced the launch of a new initiative called ‘Google for Jobs’. In a lengthy blog post published on the first day of the conference, Google CEO Sundar Pichai explained the advent of Google for Jobs as forming part of Google’s overall efforts towards “democratizing access to information and surfacing new opportunities”, tying it in with Google’s advances in AI and machine learning.
“For example, almost half of U.S. employers say they still have issues filling open positions. Meanwhile, job seekers often don’t know there’s a job opening just around the corner from them, because the nature of job posts—high turnover, low traffic, inconsistency in job titles—have made them hard for search engines to classify. Through a new initiative, Google for Jobs, we hope to connect companies with potential employees, and help job seekers find new opportunities.”
The new feature, which is U.S.-only for the time being, is being presented as an “enriched search experience”, which is another one of Google’s interesting new additions to semantic search that I’ve explored in full below.
And in a neat tie-in, reviews of employers are now due to be added in schema.org 3.3, including both individual text reviews and aggregate ratings of organizations in their role as employer.
Google introduces new “enriched search results”
Move over rich results – Google’s got an even better experience now. Introducing “enriched search results”, a “more interactive and enhanced class of rich results” being made available across Google.
How long have enriched search results been around? SEO By the Sea blogged about a Google patent for enriched search results as far back as 2014, and followed up with a post in 2015 exploring ‘enriched resources’ in more detail.
However, in the 2014 post Bill Slawski specifically identifies things like airline flights, weather inquiries and sports scores as triggering an enriched result, whereas in its Search Console Help topic on enriched search results, Google specifies that this experience is linked to job postings, recipes and events only.
According to Google: “Enriched search results often include an immersive popup experience or other advanced interaction feature.”
Google also specifies that “Enriched search enables the user to search across the various properties of a structured data item; for instance, a user might search for chicken soup recipes under 200 calories, or recipes that take less than 1 hour of preparation time.”
Judging by this quote, enriched search results are a continuation of Google’s overall strategy to achieve two things: interpret and respond to more in-depth search queries, and make the SERP more of a one-stop-shop for anything that a searcher could need.
We’ve seen Google increasingly add interactive features to the SERP like new types of rich results, and Google Posts, while also improving its ability to interpret user intent and search context. (Which, as we established earlier, is the goal of semantic search). So in the recipe example given above, a user would be able to search for chicken soup recipes with under 200 calories, then view and follow the recipe in a pop-up, all without needing to click through to a recipe website.
Needless to say, this could be bad news for website traffic and click-through – even more than featured snippets, answer boxes, the knowledge graph, quick answers and other rich results already are.
Google makes a whole host of changes to its structured data developer guides
Finally, Google has made a wide-ranging set of changes to its structured data developer guides. I recommend reading Aaron Bradley’s post to Semantic Search Marketing for full details, but here are some highlights: ◾Guides are now classified as covering the following topics: structured data, AMP, mobile friendly design ◾Structured data has a new definition: it is now defined by Google as “a standardized format for providing information about a page and classifying the page content.” The old definition called it “a text-based organization of data that is included in a file and served from the web.” This one definitely seems a little clearer. ◾Twice as many items now listed under “Technical guidelines”, including an explanation of what to do about duplicate content ◾There is now less emphasis on the Structured Data Testing Tool, and more on post-publication analysis and testing – perhaps Google is trying to get users to do more of their own work on structured data markup, rather than relying on Google’s tool? ◾All content types are now eligible to appear in a carousel. If you want to improve your webpage’s performance, it’s time to contact ABCO Technology today. Visit our new campus located at 11222 South La Cienega Blvd. in STE #588 Los Angeles, Ca. 90304. Or call us at: (310) 216-3067 from 9 AM to 6 PM Monday through Friday. Email your questions to: info@abcotechnology.edu Financial aid is available to all qualified students. Join the Internet of things revolution today. Build Webpages, which will attract traffic and increase return on investment.
