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Little XFactor and single post sites on their way out?

by Adam Roy
21 replies
As we all know Google is always upgrading their search engines, their algorithms, and user experience.

I can't help but notice their most recent addition to the infamous Google, the website 'preview' pop-up in the search results.

Now everybody who's searching for something, gets to see a sneak preview of the site before they visit.

You know what that means for those green and black Xfactor themes? They might not drop in search engine rankings, but I'd bet they'll lose traffic and CTR's because they're not super attractive.

Now people have the opportunity for 'visual' stimulation before entering your site - Which could result in decreasing traffic to simple sites with no images, pictures, video or unique design. But on the other hand, a majority of searchers might like to see a 'text' based potentially info packed site rather than one with a bunch of images...

Many marketers are going to have to make every blog more visually appealing, it's not just about showing up in the results and getting traffic anymore. Now you have to show up in the results, AND have a site that's more attractive to the searcher than your competitors at first glance.

In my opinion, that's a big game changer to making money online with SEO and XFactor/Google sniper style websites.

My advice, spice up all of your niche websites, add pictures and/or video if you haven't already because your first impression is no longer just your 'title' and 'description' in the search results.

This could be a simple, yet big change to making money online with the SEO game and Google, but only time will tell.

What do you guys think about the new upgrade?
#post #single #sites #xfactor
  • Profile picture of the author Fraggler
    I don't think it will be used too much by regular people. Someone searching often wants a solution to their query. The preview images don't provide any info that will help them with their problem so I think that the novelty will wear off (if they even notice the preview in the first place).
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    • Profile picture of the author ej2012
      I completely agree with Fraggler. I think it's a non issue. The preview is still to small to give you your answer.

      I've asked a couple of friends of mine in the offline world about the new preview function(actually walked outside and talked with them) and almost everyone either has no clue it's there or has clicked on it of curiosity and said its a distraction more than a help. I agree with that too.
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  • Profile picture of the author Adam Roy
    I definitely agree with the distraction part. I can't stand the google instant, or the preview feature.

    I do think that there's going to be that handful of traffic however, that will use the preview feature to help make their decision. Maybe not a huge percentage, but I'm sure some searchers will begin utilizing it.
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    • Profile picture of the author ej2012
      I agree, a small percentage of traffic will use that to make their decision. Like a quick glance and then I guess based on how well organized the site is they go there.

      I would use it if I was looking for multiple products. For an example, maybe I am looking for shoes. By looking at the previews, I can see multiple pictures(not clearly), but I can see the quantity of choices I have at a glance. If in the preview I only see a 2 or 3 choices, but the site below it has 10 choices, I may be more inclined to go towards the site with more choices, based on glancing.

      Just thinking through this, that right there could impact xfactor type sites if images aren't being used, then all I would see is content and really I am looking for the organization of products to make my choice. But it comes back to "how many will use this function and is it enough on a daily basis to impact my earnings?" Maybe a very little impact in my case, but not enough to make me spend more time on my sites "beautifying" them to get those extra few visitors that may not even contribute to the overall income of the site anyways. I guess time will tell.
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      • Profile picture of the author Adam Roy
        Originally Posted by ej2012 View Post

        I agree, a small percentage of traffic will use that to make their decision. Like a quick glance and then I guess based on how well organized the site is they go there.

        I would use it if I was looking for multiple products. For an example, maybe I am looking for shoes. By looking at the previews, I can see multiple pictures(not clearly), but I can see the quantity of choices I have at a glance. If in the preview I only see a 2 or 3 choices, but the site below it has 10 choices, I may be more inclined to go towards the site with more choices, based on glancing.

        Just thinking through this, that right there could impact xfactor type sites if images aren't being used, then all I would see is content and really I am looking for the organization of products to make my choice. But it comes back to "how many will use this function and is it enough on a daily basis to impact my earnings?" Maybe a very little impact in my case, but not enough to make me spend more time on my sites "beautifying" them to get those extra few visitors that may not even contribute to the overall income of the site anyways. I guess time will tell.
        Right. I would presume there will be some sort of stats available eventually regarding it. Maybe Google will issue a press release
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  • Profile picture of the author DivaOnline
    I still have not seen this preview box and I'm using google daily.
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    • Profile picture of the author ej2012
      haha, it's right next to the clickable title part of the listing, its a little magnifying glass. It's size probably is a direct relation to it's importance.
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    • Profile picture of the author Krieger
      Originally Posted by DivaOnline View Post

      I still have not seen this preview box and I'm using google daily.
      Also, you must have Javascript turned on. Check if you run any browser plugins like NoScript. And to the right of the search bar on the result page, it must say "Instant is on". You can also manually turn it off there.
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  • Profile picture of the author kevinw1
    Many of my sites are totally boring-looking information sites without even a header image. Most of them have been increasing in traffic the last while, since this preview thing started, when I would have expected the opposite. Maybe sometimes people are attracted to a site which is obviously all information, no fluff.
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    • Profile picture of the author Adam Roy
      Originally Posted by kevinw1 View Post

      Many of my sites are totally boring-looking information sites without even a header image. Most of them have been increasing in traffic the last while, since this preview thing started, when I would have expected the opposite. Maybe sometimes people are attracted to a site which is obviously all information, no fluff.
      That's true as well. There could be a majority of people who like to see something information based in the results.
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      • Profile picture of the author paulgl
        Originally Posted by friend View Post

        That's true as well. There could be a majority of people who like to see something information based in the results.
        You mean sites like craigslist, wikipedia, etc? Good point!

        paul
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  • Profile picture of the author LeeLee
    Funny I just discovered the magnifying glass today. I like it. I was googling one of my own sites doing some research and I am number two on page one and my site is the most eye appealing of page one if I must say so myself.

    To me the xfactor green and black sites are spammy but I don't object to them nearly as much as those sites that are nothing more than links to other sites. You don't often see those on page one. I run across them all the time when researching domain names though.

    Does anyone know what the star is for?
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  • Profile picture of the author Owen Smith
    It will not make any difference. If I want to click on a website for information, I do not care about the look of the website.
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  • Profile picture of the author LeeLee
    Sorry for the second post but something else occured to me. If Google is killing mini spammy sites, a lot of good domain names are going to become available for people who want to build real sites. But the sale of domain names is likely to go way down, thus affecting another industry.

    I read something similar yesterday about how if all the meat and fat eating societies suddenly started eating healthier with more produce, meat and fat producing countries would be in big trouble.
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  • Profile picture of the author simbat
    The sneak preview of the site will not give you a clear vision of the content, So the one who is really searching for an answer will not stop there .
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    • Profile picture of the author willoh
      So eventually someone will figure out how to intertwine neuroscience and visual appeal of a website, and come out with a course, and we will learn it and live happily ever after
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      • Profile picture of the author ej2012
        how about brainwave activity that points to the emotional state of the visitor based on "like" vs "dislike" of a site. Like you have polls 80% of people that visit this leave in a happy emotional state, while the other 20% left in a not so happy state of mind. I would wonder why that site is making others feel happy about their visit and want to find out myself.
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      • Profile picture of the author Adam Roy
        Originally Posted by willoh View Post

        So eventually someone will figure out how to intertwine neuroscience and visual appeal of a website, and come out with a course, and we will learn it and live happily ever after
        Hey, ya never know.

        Think about it this way. Say, 5% of Google users (who are not marketers) begin using the preview feature to decide what they want to visit.

        So 50 out of every 1000 searches, will take the previews into account. But of those 50 people, what do they want to see is the question. In the case where 50% of the 50 people want information based, and the other 50% want images and video, it would just break even and the feature wouldn't make a difference!

        However, if one could do some testing and determine, what the majority of those 50 people preferred to see in the preview, it would at least be a small increase in overall sales, traffic and profit!
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  • Profile picture of the author Andy Money
    My sites look better than my competitor's so I <3 the previews
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  • Profile picture of the author LeeLee
    Unfortunately we have been conditioned by marketing to value the package as much if not more than the contents within. Back in the day before automation people put up some of the ugliest sites with great content on them. How many ugly sites do you see today?

    When I commented about my own site, it looks professional and inviting. I do have good content on it. So the look may get the door open but the quality gets 'em to come in and set a spell.

    If I am searching for myself, even if I don't use the magnifying glass, I click away immediately from link sites and one page spammy looking sites. There could be something good there but if the site builder is too lazy to put up a nice site and is making hundreds of template sites, odds are they are too lazy to put up any good content either. Why should I waste my time sifting thru the litter box?
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    • Profile picture of the author Adam Roy
      Originally Posted by LeeLee View Post

      Unfortunately we have been conditioned by marketing to value the package as much if not more than the contents within. Back in the day before automation people put up some of the ugliest sites with great content on them. How many ugly sites do you see today?

      When I commented about my own site, it looks professional and inviting. I do have good content on it. So the look may get the door open but the quality gets 'em to come in and set a spell.

      If I am searching for myself, even if I don't use the magnifying glass, I click away immediately from link sites and one page spammy looking sites. There could be something good there but if the site builder is too lazy to put up a nice site and is making hundreds of template sites, odds are they are too lazy to put up any good content either. Why should I waste my time sifting thru the litter box?
      Very well put, I must agree.
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