Tag Archives: Holiday

Happy 15th Birthday to Google

This entry was posted on September 27, 2013 by Team Eminent SEO.

Google – Are You Really 15 Already?

Believe it or not, this Friday, September 27^th marks the 15^th birthday of Google! For a search engine, that’s like being a 90-year-old human.

Because it serves up the search results better than any other search engine currently available, Google has a dominant position in the marketplace. How dominant is it really? The numbers are staggering (according to Statcounter, a service like the Nielsen ratings, except for the web)

Google has 89.93% of the world’s search market, with Bing coming in second at 3.89%
It controls 78.32% of the US search market, with Bing taking 11.87% and Yahoo 7.96%

Astonishing, no? But, just like every other company, there was a time where it was just another idea. How’d Google go from an abstract concept to one of the largest corporations in the world?

Google’s Story:

1996 – Larry Page and Sergey Brin begin a research project as PhD students in Stanford that attempts to create a single, universal digital library. During the process, his supervisor, Terry Winograd encouraged him to stick to the idea of studying the number of nature backlinks to pages on the web (sound familiar?). Page and Brin eventually came to the conclusion that using “PageRank” was a better method for ranking web pages than ranking pages based on how many times a search term appeared on each page.
1997 – Google.Stanford.edu is brought into existence
1998 – Google is incorporated. Andy Bechtolsheim, co-founder of Sun Microsystems, writes out a check to help fund Google before it even exists!
2003 – Microsoft approaches Google, discussing a partnership or merger, but it never materializes. Aren’t we all thankful that didn’t happen?
2004 – Google goes public, despite some hesitation from Page and Brin who did not want to give up control of their company.
2013 – Google is now worth $292.5 billion and strives to not only dominate search, but also to become an all-around technology leader.

Even Google is Capable of Disasters…

Even though it dominates search and has what is clearly an exceptional idea, Google has done many things that haven’t worked. Check out a couple ideas that fizzled:

2010 – Google Buzz – This integrated into Gmail and allowed users to share photos, links, messages, and updates. A Harvard student actually ended up suing Google, claiming Buzz violated many privacy laws. The idea has since been scrapped in favor of Google+.
2009 – Google Wave – Wave promoted its ability to allow users to collaborate and edit work in real-time. It never attracted a significant following and eventually went by the wayside.
2005 – Google invests in AOL – Back then, Google sunk $1 billion into AOL to take control of 5% of the company. It later sold that stake in 2009 for $283 million.

Google Still Does Search the Best

Even though not every idea Google has tried has worked, it still does search much better than any other engine. Let’s all be thankful for that, wish Google a happy 15^th, and look forward to what the company comes up with next.

Team Eminent SEO

Eminent SEO provides strategic SEO campaigns with measurable results along with expert website design, development, pay per click, content and social media and organic website marketing. 800.871.4130.

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Labor Day: The History of the Holiday and Unique Ways to Celebrate

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This entry was posted on August 30, 2013 by Jenny Weatherall.

Happy Labor Day Weekend!

Did you know that at 1,790 hours per year, Americans work the 11^th most hours of all developed nations in the world? This data comes from 2012 and is according to the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development. If you’re a stats freak, you can check out the full table here (source since removed).

By the way, if you want to work less, move to the Netherlands or Germany – people work less than 1,400 hours per year in each of those countries!

You know how busy life gets. It seems like one week you’re sure you’re going to finally finish that big project… and then six months later it finally happens. Labor Day presents you with the opportunity to take a bit of break and stop being so busy! But, do you know why Labor Day is actually a holiday in the first place? No? Keep reading….

Where Does Labor Day Come From?

Interestingly, even though our nation industrialized heavily in the early 1900’s and became a leading economic powerhouse during those years; Labor Day came about in the late 1800’s. Even before our nation became famous for our work habits and material success, we already had a proud tradition of celebrating the contributions workers make to our country.

Labor Day actually has an interesting, and controversial, origin. Some argue Matthew Maguire, a machinist, proposed the holiday while he served as secretary of New York’s Central Labor Union in 1882. Others say Peter J. McGuire of the American Federation of Labor founded it in May of 1982. No concrete evidence has been found to make one or the other the official founder.

Following these proposals, Oregon was the first state to pass Labor Day into law on February 21, 1887. Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York followed suit later that year. By 1894, a total of 31 states had made the day official through legislative acts.

Despite the obvious national support for such a holiday, the Federal government still hadn’t made Labor Day an official national holiday. But, the Pullman Strike helped light a fire under federal officials. The American Railway Union, frustrated with wage reductions and layoffs, organized a strike against the Pullman company, most other main railroad companies, and the federal government.

Eugene Debs led the strike, which at its peak involved 250,000 workers in 27 different states. The federal government secured an injunction ordering Debs and the workers back to work, but they refused. Violence broke out nationwide, killing 30 strikers and wounding 57. President Grover Cleveland ordered 12,000 United States Army troops to restore peace across the nation.

To make a long story short, President Cleveland signed Labor Day into national law just 6 days after the strike ended in 1894.

How People Celebrate Labor Day

Whew – glad all of that is behind us! If you’re like most, you probably think of barbeques, beer, and parades on Labor Day. You are certainly welcome to celebrate however you want, but we thought it’d be interesting to take a look at some unique ways Labor Day is celebrated across the nation:

Minnesota State Fair – Minnesotans don’t mess around. They celebrate Labor Day with their 12-day state fair, which is attended by 1.8 million people, making it the largest 12-day event in North America.
Georgia – Georgians hold the Sky High Hot Air Balloon festival. This fantastic show kicks off with the Friday Night Balloon Glow and continues the entire weekend.
Arizona – In our very own Arizona, there’s a ton of ways to celebrate. Highlights include the Rendezvous of the Gunfighters in Tombstone (runs from 9/1 – 9/3) and the Labor Day Rodeo in Williams (9/1-9/2).
Los Angeles – If it’s unique you want, it’s unique you’ll get if you’re in the LA area. There’s the Los Angeles County Fair, Long Beach Greek Festival, the Annual Art Deco Festival on the Queen Mary, and the Queen Mary Delicious Chili and Brew Fest, among many others.

Keep It Light and Fun This Labor Day Weekend

At Eminent SEO, we like to keep things light and fun in all our daily endeavors, and we’d like you to do the same. If you’ve been working long, hard hours for a few months, give yourself permission to kick back and relax this Labor Day weekend – your body, mind and family will thank you for it!

What are your Labor Day plans?

Jenny Weatherall

CEO, Business Consultant, Researcher and Marketing Strategist

Jenny Weatherall is the co-owner and CEO of Eminent SEO, a design and marketing agency founded in 2009. She has worked in the industry since 2005, when she fell in love with digital marketing… and her now husband and partner, Chris. Together they have 6 children and 3 granddaughters.

Jenny has a passion for learning and sharing what she learns. She has researched, written and published hundreds of articles on a wide variety of topics, including: SEO, design, marketing, ethics, business management, sustainability, inclusion, behavioral health, wellness and work-life balance.

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4 Ways To Celebrate The Fourth of July

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This entry was posted on July 2, 2013 by Team Eminent SEO.

Who’s ready for some sun, good ol’ barbecue and sparkler action this 4th of July?! If you’re stumped on how you can celebrate we’ve come up with 4 ways to make this the best 4th of July yet!

Who’s ready to Grub?

Pinterest.com – So many awesome and creative recipe ideas ranging from appetizers to full course meals submitted by peers.

Epicurious.com – Offers food recipes with an interesting twist like, “Red, White & Blue Potato and Beet Chips.

Foodnetwork.com – Food network has created a “grillin’-and-chillin’, flag-waving feast” of ideas just for the occasion.

Sparklers, Roman candles, and history oh my!

NSC.org – National Safety Counsel with a plethora of safety tips to be cognoscente of this holiday.

FactMonster.com – Little rusty on the history of Independence Day? Maybe it’s time to brush up on some facts and the meaning behind the fourth.

Ourdocuments.gov – Why not check out the official, signed Declaration of Independence.

MuseumLink.com – While everyone is roasting their bodies and food, you can enjoy the air conditioning and learn something in the process at your local museum.

Get in touch with nature

Worldwildlife.org – Celebrate the 4th by taking a bald eagle under your wing via the Adopt an Eagle program.

NPS.gov – What better way to get in touch with nature then camping. What a park lacks in fireworks, will be made up for in uninterrupted views of the stars and the crackle of a camp-fire.

GetMyBoat.com – Don’t own a boat? No problem. You can check out boats that are available for rent. Or if boating isn’t your thing don’t forget there are other water-bound activities like tubing, rafting, etc.

AmericanTrails.org – For our fitness lovers, picking an early hike for the 4th while it’s cool may be just the right way to celebrate. Be sure to hydrate!

Hide Out at Home

Imdb.com – Pick from this list of 4th of July themed list of movies to watch on Netflix or rent online.

GrubHub.com – Don’t worry about heating up the house or standing outside to bbq. That’s what delivery is for. Enter your address and food type and voila- you’re in action.

MarthaStewart.com – Martha still has a thing or two of that sleeve of hers when it comes to DIY activities for the kids to do indoors and keep cool.

Have another fun idea or family tradition for the 4th? Please share with us in the comments below!

No matter how you decide to celebrate, please be safe. Happy 4th from Team Eminent SEO!

Team Eminent SEO

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Halfway to Thanksgiving

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This entry was posted on May 16, 2013 by Chris Weatherall.

May 16^th is the halfway point to Thanksgiving and I want everyone to take time and reflect on something to be thankful for. Sure the weather is warm and sunny, resembling little to nothing like it will in 6 months, but that’s no reason to not get in the spirit. Health, family, love, peace and cashews! Yes that’s my cookie cutter list to “thank-bomb” on but the list below is full of those other things that spring up and put a smile on my face during the months with no major holidays.

In no particular order …

1. George Takei

I won’t forget how awesome he was as Mr. Sulu – helming the Enterprise through life and death Klingon jerk situations in weekly reruns throughout my entire childhood. Nowadays he is awesome on his Facebook Fan Page (Facebook.com/georgehtakei) rehashing his deep voiced coin phrase “Ohh My” and posting hilarious pics while fighting for equal rights and maintaining the same haircut since 1966. Seriously I get 2 LOL’s per day minimum and endless “Ohh My” shenanigans every trip in front of a mirror. Thank Him.

2. Suck UK Punching Bag Laundry Bag

The dark ages ended one thousand years ago, yet they still claim it was impossible to carry laundry in a masculine way – until this bag. Every guy who owns one of these should give thanks for feeling like they’re filming an 3. Old Spice Commercial while doing laundry. There has to be macho cupcake bakery on the horizon soon, I can feel it, but hey… this post is about giving thanks…

4. The Cloud

There was a time when everything I purchased was real… those times are over.

My movies, music, pictures and games were on memory cards and discs. This would have lasted forever except for the fact that children wish they could fly. Since children can’t take to the skies themselves they make sure that your discs do… amazingly well. Most of the huge entertainment monopolies are getting their act together and more than just music is available in the cloud. Now I find myself passing on purchases if the content isn’t available for download. Forget about the disc I just want the digital copy. Recently my Android tablet took to the skies and even though the device was broken, all of my content, pics, settings and apps are available to me (through the cloud) when I replace it. All of my video games are now on the Steam digital delivery service and available on any computer that has internet. Toss That Kiddos!!!!!!! Oh Damn 🙁

5. Hovertrax Is Going Into Production Soon

This invention is amazing to me. You can roll around looking at other people walking with their own feet like a sucker while not feeling like a tool because this doesn’t have handle bars or wheelchair tires. I can balance, who da man?

HoverTrax

Look at you using your feet. SUCKER!

6. Internet Food

Right now internet bandwidth isn’t at the point where we can download a 12 inch sub sandwich and that’s sad. You can, however, get ideas and recipes that you could never have imagined on your own. The resources have literally reached one billion. Pictures, recipes, tutorials, (epic) videos, forums, blog feeds… All of the information is there for you and every angle is covered from healthy food to goodies that can double as transportation. I asked my mom why we never had certain things growing up and her reply was that she didn’t know or have access and that was valid. Now I’m thankful that excuse is gone and in my house all I have to say is “I’m lazy, cook these things for me.”

Every work day at Eminent SEO is an opportunity for me to be creative and work on tons of various ideas. That is something that I’m thankful for this Half Thanksgiving BIG TIME!

What are you thankful for? Share in the comments.

Chris Weatherall

President and SEO Strategist Chris has over a decade and a half of website development, SEO and organic link building experience. He manages the strategy for each client and drives the search engine rankings and traffic Eminent SEO is known for. When you hire Eminent you hire Chris, which means you have a veteran organic search expert on your team. Oh, and he’s funny too!

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Vol. 17: Better Late Than Never: What’s New at Eminent SEO

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This entry was posted on February 19, 2013 by Team Eminent SEO.

February: A Month for Love

We celebrated Valentines with a few free Valentine’s Day card printables. Missed our post?

Check out all the cuteness on our blog: Free Printable Valentine’s Day Cards from Eminent

What’s Happening around the Eminent SEO office…

Eminent SEO Gives Back
This month Eminent SEO donated to the United Nation Refugee Agency. The NNHCR helps the uprooted and stateless, protecting refugees and helping people restart their lives. To learn more about the cause and what you can do to help, visit them at http://www.unhcr.org
What does your company do to give back?

Eminent SEO Offices Get a Face Lift
Since we spend so much of our lives at the office, we thought it would be nice to spruce it up a bit. This month we had Painters Plus, a local Arizona painting company, come by and paint the outside of the office. It’s looking pretty snazzy and we are happy with the results. We love to support other local businesses, so if you are in Arizona and need a painter, these guys are affordable and do great work: http://paintersplusaz.com/

Interesting Marketing Stats from 2012

Did you know:

For every $92.00 spent on acquiring new customers only $1.00 is spent on actually converting them?
(source: Econsultancy)

38% of online consumers abandon shopping carts when their delivery estimate exceeds 7 days.
(source: ComScore)

Facebook posts that include the word “should”, “would” or “who” get more comments.
(source: Hubspot)

Articles that contain images get 94% more views than articles without.
(source: MDG Advertising)

Good to Know in SEO:

As we reflect on what we’ve learned since 2012 about SEO, we feel it’s important to emphasis one very important change that every website owner should incorporate into your 2013 marketing strategies:
Anchor Text Distribution in Linking – If you are a current Eminent SEO client, then you have probably heard me talking about anchor text distribution and how important it is to pay attention to it this year. Traditionally, organic SEO marketers focused on targeting specific keywords in the anchor text of their inbound marketing strategies. Although keyword targeting remains a powerful strategy for improving your organic search engine rankings, the Google algorithm updates in 2012 have forced SEO’s to change the way they incorporate it into inbound linking campaigns. Overuse of any one exact match keyword phrase in your backlink index can result in a BIG red flag with Google. Instead, it’s more important to focus on anchor text diversity, creating a more organic (authentic) backlink index that contains mostly direct click, URL and branded anchor text as links.

If you have received an artificial link warning in your Google Webmaster tools and you are concerned you might have too many inbound links for a target keyword – call us! We can evaluate your backlink index, help you scrub your “bad links”, build new links using the appropriate anchor text distribution and get that warning removed!

Team Eminent SEO

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This entry was posted in Newsletter and tagged Holiday.

Free Printable Valentine’s Day Cards from Eminent

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This entry was posted on February 13, 2013 by Team Eminent SEO.

Are you ever too old for Valentine’s Day Cards? Call us a kid at heart but we still love the novelty. Below you can print our one of our free Valentine’s Day Cards and share the love.

Enjoy and have a Happy Valentine’s Day this February 14th!

Feel free to print and enjoy!

Feel free to print and enjoy!

Team Eminent SEO

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Happy Holidays from Team Eminent SEO

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This entry was posted on December 21, 2012 by Jenny Weatherall.

Jenny Weatherall

CEO, Business Consultant, Researcher and Marketing Strategist

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This entry was posted in Industry News & Events, Workplace and tagged Holiday.

Your Not So Typical Holiday Card Generators

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This entry was posted on December 10, 2012 by Team Eminent SEO.

Ready to spread your own brand of ‘Holiday Cheer’? MyType, is a super simple, yet fun way to create your own online greeting card with a lot more customization options.

If you weren’t aware there are some words that are blacklisted with Google. If you feel like sending a not so typical yet offensive greeting card this holiday season, you will surely get that with Google Black Christmas.

JibJab has always been a holiday favorite, since releasing their well known Elf Dancing card awhile back. Their selection of Holiday ecards, has definitely broadened and you can find a little bit of everything while incorporating the faces of yourself and/or your loved ones!

Have you found an awesome Holiday eCard generator site? Feel free to share the link in the comments below and happy card creating!

Team Eminent SEO

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This entry was posted in Design & UX Optimization, Workplace and tagged Holiday, Humor.

Vol. 15: Goodbye 2012, Hello 2013… and Happy Holidays from Team ESEO

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This entry was posted on December 4, 2012 by Team Eminent SEO.

2012 was an exciting (and somewhat tumultuous) year for SEO and Marketing professionals. This past year has seen many changes in Google’s approach to rating and displaying website results within their SERPs through a series of algorithm updates, specifically called: the Penguin and Panda algorithm updates. These updates initially frustrated website owners and internet marketers alike, but as the dust settled, we all got a clearer view on how to successfully rank and market websites… for now.

The Benefits of Change

While all change will assuredly come with some growing pains (trust me, we felt them), the changes in the SEO industry did actually result in a few definite benefits for the web as a whole.

For Marketers:
The stricter guidelines imposed by new updates have actually sparked more competition on the internet, with certain business sectors seeing an increased need for cutting-edge marketing techniques. Before these changes, less-competitive markets could have websites accidently become a ranking authority without using a marketing strategy to achieve their goals. Now, marketing has become more of a necessity, as literally every single market has increased in levels of difficulty with all of Google’s changes.

For Web Searchers:
Another benefit of the 2012 changes is the increase in the quality of web content that search engines are returning. Websites listed in high search rankings are becoming increasingly more appealing, both visually and in content – from written word, to video and images. Google wants to serve up fresh AND relevant content, so if your site is outdated or lacking, it might be time for a facelift.

The Combination of Traditional and New Media Marketing Techniques:

For the past decade, there has been a big separation between traditional marketing and internet marketing. Advertisements for print were on a slow decline while internet marketing still seemed limited to those who have been practicing traditional marketing for many years successfully. 2012 brought these two forms together; as visual websites and apps, such as Pinterest and Instagram, became popular. They opened up a new format where visual advertisements could find a home. Without size limitations and high print prices, these social media apps and sites allow for traditional style advertisements to be broadcast to large audiences cheaply and effectively.

*NOTE: If your brand is not using these new outlets for advertising, let Eminent SEO consult you on how you can take advantage of these social sites that are growing rapidly in popularity. Just drop us a line give us a call.

Eminent SEO | All-in-One Services

In November, Eminentseo.com launched a brand new “services” area to our website. This new page lists all of the specific services that we offer; from Website Audits to Custom Design and Development to Website Marketing. Visit our new Website and SEO Services page to see all of the many individual services that we offer to help your brand, site and business excel in the New Year.

Highlighted Services | Website Audit

A website audit is the perfect way to assess all aspects of your website; from functionality to on-page optimization to offsite marketing. We take a thorough look at your website and deliver a report on all areas that are exceeding, areas that could use attention, as well as areas that could be causing extreme conflicts with search engines or users. Call us today to begin a quality check of your web properties.

Goodbye 2012, Hello 2013!

As 2012 comes to a close, we just want to say thank you to our clients, our fans and our friends. 2012 had its ups and downs… as does any year. Google kept us on our toes, but we are happy to report we are better for it. As a team we have grown tremendously and we are excited to see what 2013 has in store for Eminent and our clients. Wishing you and yours a wonderful holiday season… and as we like to say here at the Eminent SEO offices “See ya online!”…

Team Eminent SEO

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Digital Design &
Marketing Blog

Tag Archives: Holiday

Happy 15th Birthday to Google

Google – Are You Really 15 Already?

Google’s Story:

Even Google is Capable of Disasters…

Google Still Does Search the Best

Team Eminent SEO

Labor Day: The History of the Holiday and Unique Ways to Celebrate

Jenny Weatherall

4 Ways To Celebrate The Fourth of July

Team Eminent SEO

Halfway to Thanksgiving

Chris Weatherall

Free Printable Valentine’s Day Cards from Eminent

Team Eminent SEO

Happy Holidays from Team Eminent SEO

Jenny Weatherall

Your Not So Typical Holiday Card Generators

Team Eminent SEO

Why spend any more time, energy or money on marketing that doesn't work?

Please fill out the form below to see how we can help:

Eminent SEO

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Started Now

Google – Are You Really 15 Already?

Google’s Story:

Even Google is Capable of Disasters…

Google Still Does Search the Best

<img decoding="async" style="float: left; margin: 0px 20px 20px 0px;" src="//www.eminentseo.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Feb_Cupid_Max.png" alt="" />February: A Month for Love

What’s Happening around the Eminent SEO office…

Interesting Marketing Stats from 2012

Good to Know in SEO:

The Benefits of Change

The Combination of Traditional and New Media Marketing Techniques:

Eminent SEO | All-in-One Services

Highlighted Services | Website Audit

Goodbye 2012, Hello 2013!

Happy Fall from Max and the team here at Eminent SEO.

Why spend any more time, energy or money on marketing that doesn't work?

Please fill out the form below to see how we can help:

February: A Month for Love