Google publicly stated that they do in fact use what they call Social Signals to help determine a websites ranking in Google in December 2010

... remember this is "old information", 6 months is an eon in "internet marketing time"

Real Time Search
Google has played with real time search results and has had a love/hate relationship with it.
GOOG needs to have real time search but there is no effective method of preventing "black hat" spamming methods from skewing search results.  The 2009 Iranian election protests brought twitter to the forefront of news delivery. In the time that has passed since then Google and Twitter have parted company in incorporating real time search in current search results.

So the real time search button has disappeared, does that now mean Twitter is not worth investing your time in?

Yes and No
Local SEO and wanting Google to trust your domain

Just because real time search pops in and pops out of current G results doesn't mean twitter and other social networks can't boost your domain's trustworthiness

Google assigns a trust factor to your domain... we purport our websites to be about our genre, Google assigns an internal score to determine which domains are trustworthy.

If you do business in one county and everytime you drive from one end of that county to the other end of it... and you "check in" using a smartphone: You have established in the algorithm's eyes that you do, in fact, have "something" to do with that county

... on the other hand, if you operate a "get moving quotes" type website, meaning your offices are in one state but you want to rank in the other 48 states, Google knows you haven't even visited those states, let alone "do business" in those states.. well Twitter isn't going to help you with that one.

Attempting to curry Google's favor on a national scale VS a local scale
Local is a LOT easier...

GeoLocation Social Sites such as Foursqure, Twitter, Identi.ca and Facebook Places all incorporate a post twitter feature all serve to establish, in the algorithm's eyes that you do in fact do business in the geographical area you purport to do business in.

So in answer to the question: Does Twitter Improve Your Ranking?

Ranking a company website Nationally? perhaps a lot less than it did before

In local SEO my battle testing is showing me that it does help.

Google Trustrank or Why Some Sites Stay On Top In Search Results

Why do some websites stay on the first page of Google search results for what seems an eternity? Much has been written on the subject of Google Page Rank, the patented algorithm Google uses, in part, to determine what sites should rank high and what sites should rank lower.

From Google itself: "The heart of our software is PageRank™, a system for ranking web pages developed by our founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin at Stanford University. And while we have dozens of engineers working to improve every aspect of Google on a daily basis, PageRank continues to play a central role in many of our web search tools.

"Real Page Rank" vs the little green page rank bar graph 

Page Rank was seen as the holy grail by those of us in the SEO ranking business, we pursued page rank so much that it distorted Google's search results. Worse, any website with a "high page rank" would jack up the fees charged for advertising on its high page rank website. Not good for Google's end users, the searcher using Google to find what they wanted.

In Short.. Page Rank or how ever Google scores it internally or publicly has been replaced by Trust Rank

What is Google Trust Rank?

If Google Determines, to IT'S satisfaction that your company website is Trustworthy... you will rank

Ranking in Google is ONLY THE FIRST STEP, ranking alone does not make the phone ring, the "sales copy delivery system" begins only AFTER you rank

Measuring SEO tactics nationally has little to do with "does an SEO tactic work for local Google Advertising.

What it takes to rank in local SEO or local google search results is a lot different than what it takes to rank nationally. Your company website needs to have content about your local community, not your product or service.

Yes we are for hire and have a good, better, best plan for you to choose from

How To Leave A Google Places Review Now That Google Changed The Process

I actually sent this to a new local Google advertising client of mine ( I subcontract to web designers)  a moment ago and thought it prudent to repost here:

Here's what needs to happen before we can start on your Local SEO:

We (the client and me/us) need to research what keyword phrase to target.

I can take suggestions from them (what do they *think* they want to rank for) THEN plug those into several keyword tools to garner our best guess (I know that's not what you or the client wants to hear but big G does NOT reveal exact #'s on exact querys)

Then we pick from that research. I *could* just "Pick A  Target" based on my experience

We need to make the client happy...

Here's a potential problem: the client typically wants to rank for what THEY think people are searching for... often the client has no clue (not unlike a person who wants to sell their home but is asking for an unrealistic selling price)

OR... the client wants to rank for everything under the sun... not good

The way Google "passes out" Google trust is like this:

A) you gotta rank for SOMETHING before you can rank for anything
B) sell one thing... but sell it well
C) AFTER and only after you rank for the first "target" (which is what I call keywords, they're targets to me), THEN we tackle what I call an "adjacent keyword phrase" and I'll explain why:

It takes Googlebot roughly 6 weeks to index the entire planet/ every country, every language... that's a baseline
It takes 6 MORE weeks to compare the baseline to the increase in inbound links/ social media mentions - likes- subscriptions - buzz created etc

This time frame is like a computer hard drive's File Allocation Table: without a baseline to compare intervals from a starting point, there is no way to determine a position, If I handed you a map and said take 40 steps to your right... You'd have to first know where YOU are to figure out where 40 steps to your left is.

In plain English: one keyword phrase per 12 week cycle

perhaps not what the client wants to hear

... don't shoot the messenger, it's Google's DoJo, I'm just telling you how the algorithm works.

 

Yes we are for hire and have a good, better, best plan for you to choose from

8hrs of 1 on 1 face time to teach you how to out perform your competitors on social media $700 in Frederick Maryland and Montgomery County Maryland. We can do joint web conference if you are not located in Frederick County or Montgomery County Md – remote log in where we can both move the mouse, we can hear each other on the phone, you can ask questions about what you see me do etc.

Client List Testimonials available upon request. Consulting includes creating profiles and optimizing them specifically to improve your company website’s ranking in Google.

NOTE: we do not accept everybody that requests our services, the first hour is free to determine if we want to accept you and if we can do anything for you. We do not accept a client if we don’t think we can do something for you.

Business Blog Creation: WordPress blog hosted on your domain and SEO optimized- $500 we hand the keys to you

Blogger Supporting Blog Creation: Feedburner set up, SEO optimized – $200 we hand the keys to you

Google Places ranking starting from $2400 annually to $12000 annually.

Full portfolio displaying current rankings of existing clients, a proven track record, don’t take our word for any of this… call each one of our customers and ask them. Phone numbers and contact emails available on request.

Managed Company Facebook Pages $500 Month and up

Ghost write content for the supporting blogs we create, get each of them to rank in Google and create content for your company Facebook page and get the company Facebook Page we create and manage for your company to rank in Google:

$1000 upfront: between $500 month and $1000 month for retainer fee and content creation/management. Fee’s vary depending on the competitiveness of your target market. We can hit any target, some targets are harder to hit than others.

Typical Fee is $15000 annually ideally for criminal lawyers, divorce attorneys that want to dominate the local search pages for the geographical area they practice law in.

National SEO Rankings: fees vary depending on competitiveness of the selected keyword phrase. Fees range from $1,000 per month to $10,000 per month (depending on the strength of the competition)
Local Google Advertising Strategist David Bruce Jr of Frederick Web Promotions

240 397-9804

Free 1 Hour of SEO Consulting For Facebook Fans of Frederick Web Promotions

There are several parts to a Youtube in terms of marketing, there are also 2 separate but related "marketing targets" you are competing with in terms of YouTube:

1) SEO... a YouTube video WILL RANK IN GOOGLE (if you know what you're doing that is), Google OWNS YouTube, Google LIKES IT when you use their tools

2) Social Media Marketing: YouTube is "social", meaning it's purpose is to cultivate relationships, you WANT people to leave comments, you WANT people to WANT to subscribe (to pull that off you've got to be offering something of value TO THEM)

The "parts" of a YouTube are:

Your videos

Those videos go on what YouTube calls a "Channel"

Your Favorites (stuff you favorite shows up in a separate RSS feed)

Your Playlists (advanced SEO tactics you're going to have to ask me on Frederick Web Promotions Facebook Page to get me to spill those beans)

About your YouTube Channel:

Name it the keywords you'd like to rank for in Google... do NOT name it "Your Name"

Nobody gives a damn what your name is.. Stop Branding Your Ego

Frederick County Real Estate Market Report

Baker Park Fountain

for July 2011 provided by the Highland Group,

Here are the highlights:

Note:  There are currently 1240 listings for sale in Frederick County.  That makes roughly a 5-6 month inventory, a balanced market.      13% of sales were cash deals, reflecting mostly investors.   25 to 30% of monthly sales continue to be short sales and foreclosures.

*Other notable sales statistics: Sellers got 92% of list price on average, compared to 92% at this same time last year. We’re seeing the market stabilize.

Compare to Frederick County Real Estate Market Statistics for June 2011

*MRIS – Mid-Atlantic Regional Information System – These statistics are not guaranteed but are considered accurate.

Computer Repair Frederick Md

• Backing Up your Computer Data

  Reading time: 3 – 4 minutes As all technology ages, there will always be some failure. This might come as no surprise, especially if you have had something important such as your computer or laptop crash. Because there really is no way of knowing when this might happen, it is very important to make sure [...] - 2 weeks ago

• Slow Computer Fix in Frederick Maryland

  Reading time: 3 – 4 minutes System crashes.  Viruses.  Freezes.  Fried hard drives.  Anyone who’s spent much time with a computer lately will be familiar with at least one of these headaches.  As a result, having a reliable, available, experienced and trustworthy computer repair company to turn to is extremely valuable—if not essential—these days. Computers [...] - 2 weeks ago

• Online Computer Help and Support Frederick MD

  Reading time: 6 – 9 minutes Here you will find information and local resources for Computer Repair in Frederick, MD that will assist with online computer help and support. Get the information and expertise in Frederick you are looking for about computer support services. Do the research before you make any investments or decisions regarding [...] - 2 weeks ago

• How To Talk To Your Computer Repair Tech

  Reading time: 4 – 6 minutes Once you have decided to hire a local computer repair professional, you must figure out exactly  what your computer’s problem is and how to explain it to the professional. Don’t  worry if you don’t know where the issue or issues are coming from, just be sure  you can talk [...] - 2 weeks ago

• Computer Viruses And What To Do About Them

  Reading time: 3 – 4 minutes Computer viruses are scary, mysterious, and often misunderstood.  Many people have had at least one nightmare experience involving a virus, leading to heightened curiosity about malicious software.  If you’d like a mini-education on the subject, keep reading: • Despite investing in the best anti-virus software, you can still be infected.  [...] - 3

a fist fight for who gets to edit "above the fold"

Text rules Google's Roost

(a total waste of the first 22 characters of the most valuable real estate on your company website)

Five Adventures to Have in Frederick Maryland

Frederick Maryland is becoming a destination location for residents and visitors to Central Maryland. For several years city planners have been hard at work creating a beautiful downtown linear park that has created the perfect environment for businesses, restaurants, museums and celebrations of all kinds. From the center of the historic district to the outlying parks, Frederick Maryland has much adventure to offer for a day trip or a weekend get-away.

Frederick Maryland is located 50 miles from Baltimore and 50 miles from Washington DC, like the third point of a triangle. Surrounded on the North and West by the foothills of the Appalachian chain of mountains, and by rolling hills and farmland on the South and East, Frederick is ideally located for commuters to the City, and visitors from Central Maryland. Here are just a few of the many attractions that Frederick offers.

Isabella's Delicious Paella

Culinary Adventures abound in Frederick. Our little city has many unique, non-chain restaurants to boast about, including Volt, of “Top Chef” fame. The downtown restaurant strip has charmed Bar-b-que lovers at The Black Hog, wine-lovers at The Tasting Room, and a myriad of Regional food-lovers, from Indian cuisine, Italian, American, and Contemporary Fusion fans. We have two local brew-pubs, four locally owned Irish Pubs, and plenty of places for organic and vegetarian cuisine. Trust me, when you visit Frederick, there is no excuse to leave hungry. Check out my Google Map of Frederick Restaurants.  Our work is cut out for us fellow foodies!

Adventure in shopping, sans the dropping, is guaranteed during a visit to Frederick. The Historic District has been carefully preserved to create one of the largest (50 square blocks) and most quaint shopping district on the East Coast. There is a ratio of roughly 9 to 1, of locally owned shops verses chain stores. If you’re looking for something unique to buy for that person who has it all, you’ll find it in Frederick. And you’ll enjoy your stroll through the district filled with restored Federal and Victorian architecture.

Adventures of Historical proportions are waiting for the history buff who visits. Frederick Maryland is located in the center of an area filled with Civil War history. The Civil War Medical Museum is located in downtown Frederick. The churches of Frederick were used as hospitals for wounded soldiers during several Civil War Battles. Surrounding Frederick, are Monocacy Battlefield National Park, Antietam Battlefield National Park and Gettysburg Battlefield National Park. There are several architectural museums in Frederick, including the Beatty-Cramer Architectural Museum, Rose Hill Manor Museum, and the Shifferstadt Architectural Museum. Frederick is a must-see stop on the Civil War Discovery Trail.

Frederick is a lively scene for Adventures in the Arts. There is a growing theater district in the downtown area which includes the Weinberg Center for the Arts, a historic theater, the MET, Maryland Ensemble Theater, and the Maryland Shakespeare Festival, which performs in their 2nd Street Theater. The Way Off Broadway Dinner Theater is a lot of fun for children. There are several Art Galleries and Museum Shops in Frederick. On the first Saturday of every month there is a lovely Gallery Walk in downtown Frederick, which includes exhibit openings, guest artists and live entertainment. The Delaplaine Visual Arts Center offers exhibits and classes, as well as local artists’ work on sale.

Frederick’s location affords many Adventures in the Wild for residents and visitors alike. Surrounded by the beautiful views of the mountains, there are several state parks to enjoy: Catoctin Mountain and Cunningham Falls State Park on the north, Gambrill State Park, with its 42-acre man-made lake and beach, Gathland, and Greenbriar on the west. It’s great fun to bike the C & O Canal Trail along the tow-path by the Potomac River, as well as enjoy fishing and boating. Frederick has many local parks where sports leagues of all kinds play. And if you’re like me, and prefer watching, come out to enjoy our minor league baseball team, the Keys, at Harry Grove Stadium.

Frederick Maryland has a host of adventures to offer residents and visitors. There truly is something for everyone to enjoy, whether you’re the active adventurer, or the thoughtful historian, and all within an afternoon’s drive. But be careful, if you visit for very long, you might be tempted to stay, because Frederick is a great place to live, work and play.

Frederick County Real Estate Market Report

for May 2011 provided by the Highland Group,