12 Ways to Rapidly Improve Alexa Rank of Your Blog

12 ways here to be introduced to increase Alexa rank of your blog. Hope some will be helpful for your situation.
1. Install Alexa toolbar and set your blog as the home page. As you know, Alexa rank is determined on the basis of the information collected by the Alexa toolbar. Only the click of the visitor who has it installed will be counted when he visits your website. As the webmaster of a personal website, the first thing you should do is to install it on your own browser and set your blog to be the home page so that every time you open IE, you make a little contribution to your own site for Alexa rank improvement.
2. Install Alexa toolbar on all computers you can touch. And set your blog as the home page. Encourage all people you know to install Alexa toolbar.
3. Put up a Alexa counter widget on your blog. When it is clicked, it will be counted as traffic by Alexa, even if the one who clicks it does not install the Alexa toolbar.
4. Write some articles about Alexa on your blog. You can even open a Alexa column. Many webmasters would like to see these things. If you write good articles, they are likely to republish or link to them, which also can bring you traffic and hence help to increase Alexa rank.
5. Go to where webmasters often visit and post the URL of your blog there. Generally, webmasters have Alexa toolbar installed. You may go to some webmaster forums to write posts promoting your blog.
6. Tell friends to vote for your blog on Alexa website. Though it is not sure how much this will benefit your blog's Alexa rank, it is better to have a good rating.
7. Write the columns that webmasters would be concerned about, such as an SEO column, to attract more webmasters to visit your site.
8. Use Alexa redirection function.
9. If possible, go to some foreign forums or websites to promote your blog, for foreign surfers often install the Alexa toolbar.
10. If you have sufficient funds, you may consider buying some pay-per-click ads for your blog. That can bring abundant IP.
11. Add links to Alexa relevant content in your most popular articles on your blog, or use Alexa redirection to link to other places of your blog.
12. Buy professional service to boost Alexa rank. Of course it is stable, safe and effect-guaranteed.

More information at http://improvealexaranking.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sophia_Zami

How to Use Social Bookmarking for Backlink Building

Social bookmarking or social tagging is one of the most common methods used by webmasters to build inbound links. This technique is a powerful addition to your search engine optimization campaign and can improve the visibility of your website on the Internet. There are literally hundreds of social tagging sites that allow users to share their favorite web pages. Getting your content ranked well on these sites is a surefire way to get a flood of traffic and links to your website.
How Does Social Bookmarking Work?
The most important social tagging sites are Digg, Technorati, Propeller, Reddit, and Stumbleupon. People create bookmarks to web pages that they want to share with others. These websites are very well regarded by the search engines. The actual "social bookmarks" are links on a social networking site that have been added into a specific category by including the URL, description, title, and keywords that apply to the bookmarked website.
The Benefits of Social Bookmarking
Bookmarking is great for making your content easier to share, as well as for increasing social signals and driving targeted traffic to your website. Being more popular on the Internet is good for press and public relations, but now it's even more important since it has a direct impact on your search engine rankings. Sharing your blog posts and articles on social tagging sites increases the likelihood that people will discover your website and buy your products.
Social Bookmarking Tips for Link Building
The first step in using social tagging websites for link building is to set up a profile. Most sites allow you to include a short description with at least one link to your content. Interlinking your social profiles will increase the value of your link. Encourage people to share your content by adding social sharing buttons to every page of your website.
When you share your latest blog posts, make sure your keywords show in your title, the description and in the link. Don't add all of your bookmarks at once. Search engines don't like you building hundreds of links in one day. Participate in the community and interact with other users. The more fans and followers you have, the more people will visit your website. Do not regularly bookmark your own pages. Share other people's pages as well.
Create content that is worth sharing. Each article you write is a representation of your brand. If you post links to low quality posts, you will flagged as spam and have your account shut down. Share your most valuable posts and include a call-to-action. Content is only valuable if people see it. Use the highest quality social bookmarking sites and include relevant keywords in your text links.

Using social bookmarking for backlink building is a tedious process. If you want to save time and money, hire a professional who specializes in link wheel SEO and link building. An expert can promote your website more effectively and drive qualified traffic to your pages.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Teresa_A_Douglas

Link Building - Edu Backlinks

Of all the SEO strategies, building backlinks has been identified as a very effective way that will greatly aid in your endeavor of topping the website rankings. Backlinks can be said to be links that are considered inward bound and which connect to a web page or website. As a matter of fact, even before search engines came into the picture, backlinks were the primary tool of web navigation. In the current setup, backlinks are used to enhance the rankings of a site in the major search engines which include MSN, Google and Yahoo. Edu backlinks have presented a very formidable means of utilizing backlinks. Edu sites are linked to edu backlinks.
Perhaps you have been plagued by low rankings that have affected your website. If this is the case then you might only have very limited options. These include identifying another way to get to your target audience or better still identifying a working SEO strategy. Edu domain websites are a top notch tool that can significantly increase traffic to your website if used properly. They are capable of generating thousands of edu backlinks that are credible to your struggling site and therefore boost it. This is because edu domains have been known to be a lot more credible than other domains e.g. .com, .net, .org etc. Building backlinks affiliated to edu domains is not without requirements and conditions and therefore not everyone can secure an .edu domain. Only institutions of learning that are affiliated to the U.S Department of Education and that are properly accredited to the same are eligible for a .edu domain since early 2001.
Edu backlinks in .edu domains are mainly of two types. These include 'dofollows' and 'nofollows'. This is how the two type of links work, 'Dofollows' links come up with a jump in all major search engine standings while 'Nofollows' links have absolutely no effect on the standings of a website. The trick that most professionals involved in building backlinks advocate for that will guarantee you of easing up the search engine optimization business is to try and locate links considered as 'DoFollows'. This is however easily said than done as the top notch search engines regularly change the algorithms which make it a tad difficult for these professionals to get hold of these top rankings.
Your solace should however lay in the fact that edu backlinks and all strategies that are involved in building backlinks with an .edu domain will always be greatly rewarded. 'NoFollow' links do not adversely affect your website rankings among the search engines and as a result, you will not be penalized. Building backlinks using edu websites increases your website's credibility beyond your wildest imagination. This is because edu backlinks ensure that you generate the required traffic as most people tend to trust information that they find in .edu sites. It is a closely held view that information in a .edu site is thoroughly crosschecked before being availed to the general public for consumption. Edu backlinks are the way to go in case you crave for those top page rankings.

If you need an SEO backlink service, contact a professional at: http://seoarticlewritingservice.net/seo-backlink-service/ or call / text John at (716) 579-5984.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Halasz

SEO: Five Important Points You Must Know About Backlinks

Link building is very important in search engine optimization. Google and the other major search engines are not oblivious to the variety of SEO methods both ethical and unethical, used by website owners to rank high in the search engine results pages (SERPs). Google and the major search engines hire some, but not all of the most brilliant minds in the world to come and work for them. These employees make sure that when you type something in your search engine's browser, nothing comes out but quality content.
We, as website owners are fully aware that getting backlinks to our sites is an integral part of ranking high in the major search engines. Currently, the present view dictates that the one with the most number of links ranks high. Unfortunately, there is much more to be learned than just having numerous backlinks. Below are five important points you must know about backlinks.
1. The anchor text matters. We all know that Google likes variety. When you create the links to your pages, make sure that you use a variety of keyword rich anchor text for your links. Having the exact same anchor text for your links will look unnatural. Google and the other major search engines don't like unnatural.
It makes perfect sense if you think about it. If the different links to your sites were created naturally, the degree of similarity of having the same anchor text is very small. Here is a simple and effective way on how you can get away with your links having the same anchor text. Use the exact keyword you're trying to rank that page for in eighty percent of your links while the remaining twenty percent are variations or different versions of this keyword. By variation, you can intentionally misspell the keyword or simply just a variation of the main keyword you're targeting.
2. Some of the webpages that contain links pointing to your pages should contain links that point to them also. In order to look natural in Google's eyes, this must be added to your backlinking techniques.
3. Some website owners don't like to allow other people to place links on their sites. They have No Follow switch on. This informs the search engines to pay no attention to links leaving the page. Of course this setting will not help us rank higher in the search engines. To look natural, you also must have some No Follow sites. If all your incoming links came from Do Follow sites, the search engines will view this as unnatural.
4. Avoid linking back to sites that have low reputation or are of low quality. What I mean by this is that when low reputation sites have links pointing to your sites, don't worry. Just make sure that you don't reciprocate those links. It will not seem natural. Sometimes you can't avoid it if they have links towards yours. Don't worry. Google will not penalize you for that.
5. Lastly, it's very important to stress that SEO isn't an overnight thing. It means that what you think you did wrong today will have an immediate effect on your site's ranking tomorrow. For example your site's ranking dropped the following day after you tried something new to increase its ranking. The result of your site dropping isn't caused by the new thing.
To summarize, whatever you do with your links, it's most important to make a conscious effort to make them look natural in Google's eyes and the other major search engines. Above all, never hurry when building your backlinks. Patience has its rewards.

For the entire package of SEO solutions and not link building, contact us, Michigan SEO Firm. We provide a wide range of SEO services to raise the ranking of your website.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ina_R_Seno

The Google Over Optimization Penalty and My Google Penalty Checker Checklist

SEO is all about walking a tightrope of doing just enough but not overdoing the optimization of your site. The latter part of that statement is punishable by the Google over optimization penalty.
It got to this point because initially rudimentary search engines needed people to blatantly use tags to identify what their content was so that the search engines could organize it accordingly. Like with everything else in life, eventually enough people found a way to exploit the variety of factors which search engines used to rank a web page. Enter the Google over optimization penalty.
The reasoning for this penalty is straight forward and understandable. Google doesn't want to reward a website whose sole purpose appears to be satisfying Google before their users. Example, "my content is crap BUT I've still got tons and tons of links to my content... don't ask me how I got them".
This looks and feels fishy, and Google considers links as one of their Google ranking factors, so they don't like giving out high and visible rankings to crappy sites and only finding out after the fact that they did this, so they've tightened up on over optimization.
Google Penalty Checker
Here is my Google Penalty Checker Checklist - a list of things which can get you in trouble in terms of over optimization.

• Don't use the exact same anchor text when creating links back to a page, vary it up a bit with variations and LSI keywords.
• If you are creating lots of links to your site from the same IP address, this tells Google that it's one computer which is spamming, AKA this does not look natural.
• If your website uses one or multiple unscrupulous SEO techniques to boost rankings, Google can catch on to it and punish your site. This includes cloaking, doorway pages, buying links, using spammy link building tools, keyword stuffing, and other unnatural link building techniques.
• Building links too quickly or out of character for your site, meaning you average 5-10 new links to your site each day, then out of nowhere you pick up hundreds or thousands of links the next day.
• Anything which doesn't look natural in terms of SEO. No matter what you're doing when involving SEO with your site, make it (or make it look) as natural possible.

Again, remember that the user comes first in your mind and the search engine second, do this and you'll remain unpenalized and will enjoy rewarding rankings in time.

Don't get left out of the loop (and page one of the SERPs). Acquaint yourself with the important Google ranking factors to learn what exactly Google is looking for to rank a web page high; then refer to this post on LSI keywords for more information on how to effectively create your content.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Paul_M_Ventura

Exactly How to Rank Websites in Google in 2012, Right Now

This is just a short article about Search Engine Optimization, or SEO for short and is the most important research that anybody who owns a website, or is thinking of setting up a website should implement on a consistent basis. Most importantly it takes in Keyword research and people should spend a lot of time on this item.
if you're like most people who have websites, you've probably noticed drops in your Google ranking over the past year or so. This maybe because you may have been a bit set in your ways and took your eye off the ball. In this year 2012 it's very important time to re-evaluate your website or sites and examine your SEO strategies for the rest of the year.
If you don't know what Google wants right now and beyond, you can bet other websites are going to outrank you and take the traffic that you could have potentially obtained. I constantly keep learning and I have various mentors that I respect.
You should always try and keep track of all the new ideas that are about and constantly keep researching. Time consuming I know, but worth it.
Here"s my Top Tips for 2012.
Bear in mind we are going back to basics. Treat this article as more of a refresher or beginners course. Apologies to all the SEO experts, this item is probably not for you!
1) When you create a site, make sure you have unique but valuable content. Google loves content. For example if you are starting a blog, just start with a couple of pages, but with plenty of content. This is the first stage as you want to be indexed.
2) As I mentioned earlier, make sure you do your keyword research, not only for main, but secondary key words, using Google's own Free Keyword Tool.
3) In your first post or page make sure you have your main keyword or words and any secondary keywords in the first couple of paragraphs and then spread evenly the words through your post. Aim for 7% to 10% density.
4) Make sure you also have your keywords and relevant keywords in all the correct areas, i.e.: Title, Header, Meta Tags etc.
5) If you are using WordPress, there are some beautiful themes to use, but do not over do it. I personal prefer something simple, even the default theme with its blue header is ideal for some niches, but I want visitors to my sites that can navigate round the pages easily, and find what they want and if interested buy products and services.
6) There are many sites now that offer links free of charge to your site. Obviously linking is important, but you need good quality links, so do not get involved in this, as search engine sites, such as Google, Yahoo etc class this as link spamming and they do not like it. This also goes for cloaking (hiding) links. Avoid!
7) Submit your pages to the most popular search engines and directory sites. It will cost, but it will be worth it in the long term. However do a manual submission, not one of those automated ones.
8) If you are using WordPress (doesn't everyone, for Google loves WordPress) make sure you change the default setting of your URL. You want your keyword in the name, not some horrible number. Log into Dashboard or your domain name/wp-admin and go to settings. Click on permalinks. Select custom structure and enter/%postname%. Save and this will improve your SEO .
I hope you find some of these tips useful for it is so important to keep abreast of new techniques as Google is constantly moving the goal posts.

Hadrian here:
I mentioned my Mentors in the article and these are Brad Callen, of SEO Link Monster fame and George Brown with his Google Sniper program.
For more information and to read all about SEO, free bonuses etc visit my website http://www.seolinkmonster.co.uk.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Hadrian_Royd

Tips on Avoiding a Google Penalty

At times, the smallest of things terrify a website owner more than the odds of being penalized by Google. Lack of conviction and faith is responsible for that fear. Almost nobody is aware of what will amount to violating the rules of this vast search engine. Therefore, most of the genuine webmasters, time and again, accept that a penalty applies even while it does not.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is one of the most important outlets of promoting businesses online. However, while conducting these exercises, one important subject that has to be particularly tracked is the way to avoid Google penalties, known as sandboxing.
Google is the most frequently used and favored search engine around the world. Hence, Google optimization is the fundamental element of any SEO strategy. It is therefore vital to take a place in the good books of this search engine. Nevertheless, while searching for top ranking, most individuals fail to see the possibility of incurring penalties on their websites and end up paying large amounts of money for the same. There are a few tips on how to avoid from the problems of Google.
Link with Caution
While placing the links on a website for a different site or vice versa, there should be enough buoyancy about the other domain being engaged in ethical conduct. Very often connections to black hat SEO operators can be the reason for demise. So it is essential to build and place links with caution.
Avoid Cloaking
Cloaking means padding of keywords on a webpage in an effort to make it SEO friendly. With fresh and enhanced etiquette, Google is able to recognize the difference between a genuine page created for users and the one that is meant only for the search engines. Hence, it's best to keep away from such methods.
Error 404
In case there are pages that are missing on a website, there is a huge penalty applied for the same reason. This is because most of the times a website will reroute or sidetrack that page to the Host Site, which can be a bad sign for the search engines because it breaks down the weightage or relevance of the former site.
Last but not the least, it is helpful to look at Google's webmaster guidelines and also have a good amount of access to forums that offer assistance. In this manner, Google penalty can be avoided and ensure that the SEO process runs efficiently. Always remember that Google optimization policies aren't affected because of the wrong reasons.

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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=J_M_Dawson

Google Is Forcing You to Change Your Thinking

If you run a Search Engine Optimization business it is time to close it down and do something else. Google is about to change the game dramatically. But if you don't run a SEO firm, you still have to change. The shift in what Google is doing is of seismic proportions and will require anyone doing business online to radically re-think what they are doing.

For several years Google - and other search engines - have been tinkering away on the whole notion of "semantic search". This is the "holy grail" of search. Rather than searching for what you typed in, the search engine understands what you "mean" by your typing and presents results for that instead. For example, let's imagine I typed in "book publishers reading". At the moment, Google does not provide me with a list of book publishers based in Reading, UK. But the "new Google" would understand that with those three words, that's what I meant.

The change is being introduced gradually by Google over the coming months. This means that not everyone will see it straight away and it may be towards the end of this year before your Google searches start including semantic results. But your customers and prospects could start getting semantic results any moment now. And that is going to be crucial for your business.

Already we know that the "number one" position is very attractive to searchers. Even though people do frequently go beyond the first page - much more frequently than SEO firms might tell you - the "number one" position is still the most popularly clicked on item. However, the "new number one" is going to become the semantic result; Google will present this before any other keyword-based listings. And that spells danger - real danger. Consider the "book publishers reading" examples. With semantic search, Google will know what you mean by those keywords and will discover that the real answer to your question lies on page 96 of a book which is a directory of UK publishers. When that kind of result is presented as number one, you won't look elsewhere because it will be exactly what you want.

This presents two issues. Firstly, with the improved accuracy of semantic search results people will very rarely click on the keyword listings. They will get used to realising that the semantic result is almost always exactly what they want. Secondly, no amount of improving your Title Tags or other SEO fiddling will help. Google's semantic system will be searching deep inside things in order to match meaning to results.

The result of all this will be the need to reconsider the way your business uses the web to attract business. Focusing on SEO as the key pastime of website owners will die - except for Pay Per Click, thereby costing you even more money. Google will be looking so far inside your site it means your content will finally be King. But that content will have to be high quality in order to answer the questions semantic search raises. So we can also wave goodbye to those mass-produced sites with articles and blog posts of dubious quality and those which have been "spun" to say the same thing using different words, often with grammatical errors.

So, what does this mean for your business? It means you can no longer think of the web simply as a promotional tool. It means you have to think of it as an information tool - and that means your business has to focus on providing up-to-date, relevant and useful information. You can soon forget keywords.

Graham Jones is a psychologist who has investigated the way people use the Internet. His research can help you make the most of the Internet, particularly if you are hoping to make money online.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Graham_Jones

Changes in SEO Strategies After Google Panda Update

Google is one of the most innovative and powerful technology companies in the world. Google is synonymous with online search as it controls more 80 percent of internet search market. Online entrepreneurs around the world are aware of Google Panda, the software that Google uses to index and list different web-pages in its search results. Recently when there was an update to Google Panda, many websites around the world had to suffer and some even ended up losing 80 to 90 percent of their traffic.

People who used unfair and illegal SEO strategies, like using junk or duplicate content, SPAM content etc. had to suffer due to this new update to Panda. Illegal SEO strategies will no longer yield any results as Google will only index pages based on the popularity and originality of the content of the website. On the other hand, this update will help internet users around the world as they will be redirected to genuine sites where they can get the answers to their queries.

In order to survive this Google Panda update, people have to make changes to their SEO strategies and stop all illegal or unfair means of traffic generation or SEO. Here are a few ways through which people can make sure that their websites are not banned by Google Panda:

1) Give importance to quality over quantity - Do not just fill your website with junk content that will not be beneficial to the visitors. Instead, opt for high quality content which will be informational and will not be off topic. The readers should be attracted to your website because of the quality of the content, so that they will visit the site, again and again. Google also gives an option of rating the website and the websites with higher rating will get a higher rank in Google search results. Out of the all the SEO strategies, creating quality content is the most important one.

2) Avoid duplicate content - Google Panda will penalize and ban all websites that have duplicate and copied content and so, it is advisable that you do not include any duplicate content in your website. If you want to include anyone else's work, you must take their prior permission. Avoid plagiarism at all cost and always provide the sources for all the articles that do not belong to you.

3) Efficiently use keywords - the keyword density should be within 1 to 2 percent. Websites with extremely high keyword density will not be indexed by Google Panda.

Following the above mentioned SEO strategies will be helpful in maintaining the position of your website, after the recent Google Panda update.

I am a SEO expert, consultant and a writer with more than 14 years of experience. I provide all kinds of web related solutions like SEO services, article writing, blog writing, article rewriting, ghostwriting etc. Please visit my site, http://seopage1.net/about-us-2/ for further information.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rajot_Chakraborty

5 Secrets For A Successful Website In 2012: Google Panda 3.0 and Other Things

When Google announced changes to their search engine that were eventually known as "Panda" last February, thousands of website pages crashed. People lost 60-100% of their income. The changes were so serious that webmasters, site owners, internet business gurus, and even internet writers faced a decision: change their thinking on SEO, or get a new job.

In 2012, Google will be implementing more Panda. There's a Panda 3 on the horizon. And for your website to succeed this year, it's essential to know what Panda means for you.

We've listed the top five SEO changes that Google is focusing on this year, after scouring the web and pages of tech guru advice.

2012 SEO SECRET #1: Less keyword focus, more information. This might be the only secret here that comes as a surprise. Keyword research has always been huge for people. But today, it's the article with the most information instead of the article with the most keyword density, in Google (and Panda's) eyes. If your website has too many articles that are focused on keywords alone, it's time to rewrite the content - if you want to rank high in 2012. Content is still king, but this year, you should switch focus from keywords to providing information in every article. Experts are saying that the keyword density you include should actually be LESS than 2-3 keywords per article...and the focus should be on alternate keywords, and the subject itself. Example: If you are writing about "auto insurance," Google won't pick up your website if you have 100 500-word articles on the subject with 10-20 appearances of the keyword. Use the keyword twice and then use "vehicle insurance, motorists' insurance," etc. Stuck on synonyms? This is where a seasoned writer comes in handy!

2012 SEO SECRET #2: Improve usability for all users - mobile phone, iPad, iPhone, Tablet, Android...you name it. 2012 is going to be another year of serious web-surfing electronic users. And they're going to be accessing your website from a myriad of devices. You might have your website pruned and ready for Apple iPhones: but have you included Android? Make sure your webmaster is updating your website's scripts, usability and layout so that everyone on any device will be able to access it. Your content matters too. Make sure your main landing page is easy to read, not bogged down with too much information, and can be scrolled through in a flick of a finger.

2012 SEO SECRET #3: Blog more and socialize your blogging more. Tech and SEO experts are saying that Google Panda puts a lot of weight on how much blogging AND social media you're using. Do both more, and you rank higher with Google. Are you updating every blog you (or your writer) post on Facebook, Twitter and Google+? Hootsuite is a free handy tool that allows you to send out a universal post instantly to all your social media profiles.

2012 SEO SECRET #4: Google wants at least 400 words. If you're familiar with EzineArticles, you know that they don't accept articles below 400 words in length. There's a reason: Google doesn't want less, either. Make sure you or your writers are shooting for 350-400 words in every website page or blog. Rank higher by simply adding more quality content, articles or blogs to your existing website.

SEO SECRET #5: Absolutely NO article spinning, farming, or copying. Google is not tolerating any of this for 2012. Countless websites were penalized for this when Google Panda 2.5 came out in the latter half of 2011. Get rid of your article spinning software, and if you're not sure what "farming" means, keep it that way. This is the biggest thing about website content if you want your website to succeed - make sure, above all, you (or your writers) are using 100% original content (and lots of it).

Outsource your 2012 web content work today to Express Writers, founded by Julia Spence, a professional freelance writer and sales marketer. With hundreds of successfully completed writing projects, from creating voice over scripts to SEO web content, and a price budget to fit anyone, Express Writers is the perfect web content team for you.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Julia_E_Spence

Google's Policy Changes - What Do They Mean for You?

For awhile it's been known that Google was about to consolidate its privacy policies into one large, all-encompassing policy. On 1st March 2012 these changes went into effect.

In a nutshell, what do the changes mean? Basically it means that Google will now share the data it stores for you between all their services. They won't be sharing anything new with outside parties; just among Google's many services. Google has been adamant these changes are only being made to make their products better than ever and display even more relevant content and advertising to each personal user.

Alma Whitten, Google's Director of Privacy, wrote in a blog post recently

"As you use our products one thing will be clear: it's the same Google experience that you're used to, with the same controls," "And because we're making these changes, over time we'll be able to improve our products in ways that help our users get the most from the web."

Alma outlined out 3 important points to keep in mind regarding these changes.

• Google's Privacy Policy is now much easier to understand.

• Google's Privacy Policy will enable them to build a better, more intuitive user experience across Google for signed-in users.

• Google's privacy controls aren't changing

Pablo Chavez, Google's Director of Public Policy also discussed in a January post five things that aren't changing.

• Google will still keep your private information private -- they're not changing the visibility of any information you have stored with Google.

• Google will still allow you to do searches, watch videos on YouTube, get driving directions on Google Maps, and perform other tasks without signing into a Google Account.

• Google are still offering you choice and control through privacy tools like Google Dashboard and Ads Preferences Manager that help you understand and manage your data.

• Google still won't sell your personal information to advertisers.

• Google are still offering data liberation if you'd prefer to close your Google Account and take your data elsewhere.

It must be said that Google did a fantastic job on trying to usher this in quietly. They hammered home that these changes are being made to simplify things. For most people this is good enough to satisfy them. The average person on the street might not know (or care) but there is no question that many people are concerned. The changes have drawn the attention of many privacy watchdogs. The Japanese and EU governments have also expressed concerns. A member the FairSearch Coalition (which made up of Google competitors), sent a letter to the National Association of Attorneys General expressing concerns with the changes.

Privacy issues around Google's past are only fuelling the fire of controversy and adding strength to claims this is a huge deal. Stuff-ups like the recent story around Safari and the launch of Google Buzz a couple years ago have tended to stick in people's heads.

But despite the warnings will the changes really affect you? Is it really as big an issue as some media are suggesting?

What you need to know Google is not collecting more information, just using it in a different way.

There is a huge misconception that Google will suddenly have access to information it didn't have before. That is incorrect. In reality Google have always collected your data for all of its services. They've been using that data to personalize your experience already, and isn't it a great service?

All that changes now is that data collected from your activity across their services, say between YouTube and Google Search, will be used to provide a further personalized experience across all of their products.

You will be tracked. No matter what you do.

Up to today many tech experts have suggested you should clear your Google Web History to increase your privacy. But it's become clear now that this is not going to stop Google from collecting your personal data. You can clear and stop the tracking of your activity, but you'll only prevent Google using that collected data with your Google account, it won't stop Google from tracking your web activity. Your searches will still be followed and stored on their servers, even if you're not signed in. The information can still be used to build a profile about you will allow Google to sell ads that are specifically tailored to you.

Is it really a big deal?

Some privacy experts are outraged while others exclaim, "Who Cares?" Both are right.

A lot think that this isn't a big deal, Google is collecting the same information that it always has and it's just being used now to improve the users' experience. Who cares if the data is used for advertisements? You will always see ads, but now the advertisements will be closer to your interests. Google need to make money from advertisements, so from my point of view they might as well be accurate.

On the other hand, privacy experts and lawmakers are up in arms about the policy. It is a grey area as The United States has very few laws about the collection, use, and distribution of user's data.

The US Government has proposed a consumers 'privacy bill of rights' that will protect people, allowing them to decide what information is collected about them, and how this information is used. But as it stands no current laws can stop Google's unified privacy policy.

Can I do anything?

Well you can just stop using Google services... Good luck, in today's world this would be almost impossible!

You can however, follow some simple tips to minimize how much data is collected about you, such as performing searches on Google without signing in.

Karl Rooney, managing director of Online Expression.

http://www.onlineexpression.co.nz

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