MENUMENU
  • Services
    • Services
      • Search Engine Optimization
      • International Search Marketing
      • Local Search Marketing
      • Pay Per Click Advertising
      • Social Media Marketing
      • Email Marketing
      • Conversion Rate Optimization
      • Public Relations
      • Website Design & Development
      • Reporting & Analytics
      • Amazon Marketing Services
      • Digital Marketing Strategy
      • Franchise Marketing
  • About Us
    • About Ignite Visibility
      • Careers
      • Clients
      • Our Values
      • Our Story
      • Our Team
      • UCSD Extension Courses
      • Diversity & Inclusion
  • Thought Leadership
      • Our Blog
      • Podcast
      • SEO: The Movie
      • Social Media Marketing: The Movie
      • Book: The Forecaster Method
      • Attend Our Next Digital Marketing Event
  • Contact
  • 619.752.1955
Home / Blog / Amazon Beats Google as a Starting Point for Product Searches

Amazon Beats Google as a Starting Point for Product Searches

July 1, 2016 By John E Lincoln

SEO Buzz 7.1.16

This week: It looks like a new Google update rolled out last month, product price isn’t a ranking signal, and wait until you learn how many search results include sites using HTTPS.

Here’s what happened this week in SEO.

  1. Looks Like a Google Update Occurred in June

According to Glenn Gabe at G-Squared Interactive, there’s strong evidence that a Google algorithm update occurred last month.

“It’s pretty clear that Google rolled out a major algorithm update in June,” he said, noting that search rankings seemed to have shifted the most on June 1, 8, 21, and 26.

According to Gabe, the update is Panda related.

Here are the specific changes that he noticed:

Burying content below sponsored posts: A site that included a number of link thumbnails to sponsored content at the top of articles ended up getting hammered in the search results.More ads than content: A site that featured two-thirds ads, and one-third content, ended up seeing a significant drop in search results.

Thin Content: A site focused on Q&A ended up seeing a drop in search results, most likely because it contained many pages with thin or irrelevant content.

Generic Content: A site that provided very generic content for the topic it covered ended up seeing a drop in search results. The content consisted mostly of rewrites of information that could be found elsewhere on the web. It probably didn’t help that the content was filled with ads as well.

Indexing Issues: One site that saw major fluctuations in search results is one that had indexing issues based on the site’s robots.txt file. This could have led to Google not being able to properly crawl the content on the site.

  1. New Study Reveals Top Local Ranking Factors

A new study conducted by the University of California Irvine’s Center for Statistical Consulting with Local SEO Guide offers new information about what it takes to rank for local search.

Here are the top ranking factors, in no particular order:

  • Links – according to the study, links are “the key competitive differentiator even when it comes to Google My Business Rankings.”
  • Website Signals – keywords, long form content, etc.
  • GMB Signals – photos, reviews, an Owner Verified profile, etc.
  • Toolbar PageRank – yes, even though PageRank is “dead,” the study found a high correlation between strong PageRank and a high rank.
Ranking in Local Search

Ranking in Local Search

The study also found the citations and geo text don’t do a whole lot to help a page rank for local search.

  1. Survey Shows That Amazon Beats Google as a Starting Point for Product Searches

According to a survey of 1,000 U.S. consumers conducted by PowerReviews, online shoppers prefer to begin their product search at Amazon.

Google was a close second.

Here’s how the numbers broke down:

  • Amazon — 38 percent
  • Google — 35 percent
  • Brand or Retailer Site — 21 percent
  • Other eCommerce Marketplaces — 6 percent

Amazon shoppers preferred the e-commerce giant because of the variety of products offered on the site as well as the free shipping option.

Why Shoppers Start on Amazon - Search Engine Land

Why Shoppers Start on Amazon – Courtesy of Search Engine Land

  1. Google: Product Price Isn’t a Ranking Factor

Apparently, some SEOs were under the impression that product price might be a ranking factor.

It’s not so.

This week on Twitter, somebody asked John Mueller the following question: “Is product price a ranking signal?”

His response: “not in web-search.”

Of course, Google users can still sort by price on Google Shopping, but that’s a paid listing.

  1. Google Is Testing a Larger Font Size in the SERPs

Google is always testing and tweaking.

One of the latest tests involves the font size in the search engine results pages (SERPs).

google-larger-fonts-seo roundtable

Google is Testing Larger Fonts. – Courtesy of Seo Round Table

It looks like Google is considering boosting the font size up two points (from 18 to 20?).

Time will tell if Google moves forward with the larger fonts.

  1. More Than a Third of All Google Search Results are HTTPS

Last week at SMX, Google’s Gary Illyes said that 34% of all Google search results are HTTPS. That’s the secure counterpart to the HTTP protocol.

Google started indexing HTTPS sites back in December.

It’s also worth noting that much of Google’s first page rankings include HTTPS links.

Illyes also said that, as more and more of Google’s index becomes filled with HTTPS sites, that ranking signal can be turned up more.

 

About John E Lincoln

John Lincoln (MBA) is CEO of Ignite Visibility (a 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 Inc. 5000 company) a highly sought-after digital marketing strategist, industry speaker and author of two books, "The Forecaster Method" and "Digital Influencer." Over the course of his career, Lincoln has worked with over 1,000 online businesses ranging from small startups to amazing clients such as Office Depot, Tony Robbins, Morgan Stanley, Fox, USA Today, COX and The Knot World Wide. John Lincoln is the editor of the Ignite Visibility blog. While he is a contributor, he does not write all of the articles and in many cases he is supported to ensure timely content.

You may also like:


  • Linkable Assets For Your Digital PR Campaigns

  • Advolution: How to Build a Systematic, Self-Improving & Future-Proof Digital…

  • YouTube Specs: All You Need to Know About YouTube Video…

  • Should You Pay for Twitter Verification?

Search Here

NEWSLETTER // SIGN UP NOW

About The Editor

John E Lincoln, CEO

John Lincoln is CEO of Ignite Visibility, one of the top digital marketing agencies in the nation and a 6x Inc. 5,000 company. Lincoln is consistently named one of the top marketing experts in the industry. He has been recipient of the Search Engine Land "Search Marketer of the Year" award, named the #1 SEO consultant in the USA by Clutch.co, most admired CEO and 40 under 40. Lincoln has written two books (The Forecaster Method and Digital Influencer) and made two movies (SEO: The Movie and Social Media Marketing: The Movie) on digital marketing. He is a digital marketing strategy adviser to some of the biggest names in business. John Lincoln is the editor of the Ignite Visibility blog. While he is a major contributor, he does not write all of the articles.

LEARN MORE ABOUT JOHN

Contact Us. Let’s Chat!

  • Hidden

Marketing Guides

SEO In 2020: How To Prepare For Major Disruption

"SEO: The Movie" - Have You Seen Our Film? Watch Now

"Social Media Marketing: The Movie" - Have You Seen Our Film? Watch Now

Amazon Seller Central vs Vendor Central

Listen To The Podcast Featuring The Best Minds In Marketing

John Lincoln Interviews Global Director of Digital Marketing & Strategy at Qualcomm, Jessica Jensen

Check Out 227 Free Online Marketing Classes

The 2020 Guide To Dominating SEO With Advanced Schema

Learn More About Our Digital Marketing Agency

Learn More About Our SEO Services

Learn More About Our Paid Media Services

SELECT CATEGORY

Become A Contributor

Interested in writing for Ignite Visibility?

APPLY NOW

Services

  • Search Engine Optimization
  • Pay Per Click Management
  • Conversion Rate Optimization
  • Website Design & Development
  • Social Media Company
  • Public Relations
  • Amazon Marketing Services
  • Franchise Marketing
  • International Services
  • Digital Marketing Agency Services

About

  • Our Team
  • Our Values
  • Clients
  • Reviews
  • UCSD Extension Courses
  • Careers
  • Tools & Resources
  • Sitemap

Contact

4250 Executive Square, Suite 100
La Jolla, California 92037

619.752.1955

Join The Newsletter

Sign up for our newsletter to get the latest from Ignite Visibility.

google parther logo

©2023 Ignite Visibility. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy