Google Search Gets a Makeover

No, Google’s classic keyword-search system isn’t going away, but within the next few months users will benefit from an upgrade. In order to provide more relevant results, Google plans to incorporate a new technology known as “semantic search”, which will allow the search engine to interpret the actual meaning of words.

Top Google search executive Amit Singhal explained in a recent The Wall Street Journal interview that the search engine will better match queries with the company’s database of hundreds of millions of “entities” (people, place and things). This is because semantic search has the ability to associate different words with one another, such as a company (Google) with its founders (Larry Page and Sergey Bring).

How will this new search engine system work? Say you search for “Lake Tahoe”. You will soon see key “attributes” that the search engine picks up about the lake, such as its location, altitude, average temperature of salt content. If you were to search for “Lake Tahoe” today, you’d find only links to the visitor bureau website, its Wikipedia page, and a link to a relevant map. Ask Google a more complex question such as, “What are the 10 largest lakes in California?”, and it may provide the answer instead of just a list of links.

Google is blending semantic-search technology with its current system to better evaluate the information on websites. This will help to determine which sites it will show in the search results. Rather than looking only for keywords, Google spiders will indentify information about specific entities referenced on a webpage.

The new search engine function may inspire millions of website owners to change the markup language, making it easier for Google to locate their sites under the new system. One Google insider told The Wall Street Journal that the shift to semantic search could directly impact the search results for 10% to 20% of all queries, or tens of billions per month.

Google search ads, which appear next to search results, may also be affected. If the search engine better understands the intent behind a query, Google may be able to serve up more relevant ads. And as Google’s “entity” database grows, there will be more pages on which marketers can place ads.

Be on the lookout for a bigger and better Google this summer!

Holiday Dinner

December has been a busy month for our company. We've welcomed new clients and expanded to our offices in Miami and North Carolina. However, we can still make time for fun!

This year we held our Holiday Dinner at Serpas.  The staff was great and the food was excellent.  They even created a personalized menu created in our honor:

Per company tradition, everyone participated in a white elephant gift exchange during appetizers.  There were a lot of great gifts including chocolate covered Oreos, season one of "The Big Bang Theory" and wine.

The mark of a great Holiday Dinner is delicious food and a lot of laughter.  It was definitely a success. Michele was able to get some great shots of our hardworking team.

Puneet and Ronell

Wood, Amy and Cindi

Chris E., Chris F. and Puneet

Cindi, Doug and Ryoko

We all wish you and yours a happy holiday season.  Stay tuned for more updates in 2012!

CamiCakes for all!

Here at Meta Media, Inc., we LOVE cupcakes. This has been proven time and time again based on the short amount of time between cupcake arrival and a completely empty box.

Atlanta is a wonderful city for many reasons, but the fact that it has tons of local bakeries to chose cupcakes from is a definite highlight! Michele, our VP of Marketing & E-Commerce, brought in a dozen of delicious cupcakes from CamiCakes.

Rest assured, they were devoured in a matter of minutes.

Meta Media Halloween Party

This posting is a little late. However, it's because we've had a lot of exciting things happening here at Meta Media, including several new projects and welcoming our new talented designer, Ryoko!

The Halloween Party was a great success! There was a Halloween Trivia Challenge, games, endless amounts of food and of course great conversation. Amy dominated Halloween Trivia, earning herself new ipod speakers.

Doug displayed the most Halloween spirit and won the costume contest for his superb portrayal of a "Jersey Shore" character.

Stay tuned for more blog updates.

New Report Indicates SEO is the Best Way to Generate Leads

According to the 2011 State of Digital Marketing Report by Webmarketing123, search engine optimization is the first source marketers utilize to create new business leads.

SEO tactics ranked higher than PPC and Social Media.

Review the Search Engine Land infographic for more details.

We at Meta Media, Inc. understand the value in creating SEO enriched websites, but also provide our clients with PPC campaigns and social media. Using SEO, PPC and social media enhances a client's overall Internet presence, which is an important step in reaching a broader audience and differentiating one's business from competitors.

Has Marketing Gone Too Pink?

During the month of October, pink products dominate store shelves. The popularity of Breast Cancer Awareness month has resulted in various industries supporting the cause with their products, everything from dressed up tubs of lunchmeat to special edition eyelash curlers.

The plethora of products has activists questioning the integrity of these marketing campaigns. How many companies are really contributing to the cause? How many are just marketing an easily recognizable cause for profit?

This ongoing debate raises excellent questions for those in the marketing industry. Supporting cancer awareness is trendy and with every trend there’s a risk for consumer backlash. Although some companies may be using pink as a marketing ploy to increase profits, if the demand decreases as a result, it could negatively impact the genuine campaigns, thus losing support for the cause.

http://www.newser.com/article/d9qabtko1/some-women-question-pinkwashing-is-breast-cancer-awareness-more-marketing-than-health.html

We're Hiring!!

Meta Media, Inc. is looking for an experienced Project Manager to join its growing team. The Project Manager will be responsible for overseeing a segment of the agency's marketing, website design and website development accounts. The Project Manager will meet with the team regularly, create timelines, and ensure that projects meet a client’s goals and are delivered on time. Agency experience preferred!

The Project Manager will also work with clients on strategy as well as execution of crucial deliverables. The Project Manager should preferably have e-commerce, web, and/or online marketing experience, with the ability to efficiently manage and implement multiple, simultaneous projects for our clients – on time and on budget.

Client projects may include:

- Website redesign

- Landing pages and micro-site development for local clients

- Usability/ site updates and enhancements

- Admin tool development

- Website coding, development and other web-based IT projects

- SEO copywriting and linking, including directory and map listings

- Paid search implementation and management on Google, Yahoo/Bing and other second-tier search engines

Requirements for the Project Manager position include:

- Relationship building both internally and with new/ existing customers.

- Direct experience with an agency or e-commerce company as a Project Manager, or Marketing Manager

- Ability to review and make decisions based on Web analytics programs like Google Analytics or CoreMetrics

- Understanding of usability, information architecture, and the web user experience

- Demonstrated ability to manage both technical and non-technical details for all types of web projects

Other information:

- The position is full-time

- Competitive salary based upon experience

ABOUT OUR COMPANY

Meta Media, Inc. is a growing, fast-paced interactive marketing agency that caters to companies that want to effectively market their products and/or services on a local and/or national level. As a one-stop shop for all our clients’ needs, Meta Media, Inc. provides a comprehensive suite of strategic services, including website design/ creative/ usability, e-commerce platform development, custom IT solutions and ROI-based marketing strategies such as e-mail, paid search, social media and SEO.

Meta Media, Inc. stands out from other agencies in the space due to our customized, ROI-focused solutions and high level of personalized customer service for each client. In addition, we track all campaigns down to the last dollar, and engage in a multi-tier process that includes ongoing refinement and optimization. You can read more about Meta Media, Inc. online at www.metamediainc.com or check out our blog: http://metamediainc.blogspot.com.

If interested, please send resume and cover letter to info@metamediainc.com with "Project Manager Position" in the subject line.