Found Agency Tumbles in Google Rankings
The Found Agency’s website has tumbled down the Google rankings for key phrases it used to dominate after the search giant apparently invalidated the vast majority of the site’s inbound links. “The site has taken a big hit, that’s for sure, although we were surprised it lasted so long where it was – it should have happened a long time ago,” said Found co-Founder Zak Asani. Why? “Because we had just started our business on a shoestring budget and we pushed the boundaries a little bit on that site with linking” to rank highly in the Australian market for phrases such as Search Engine Optimisation and Search Engine Marketing. They shot straight to the top of the charts, dominating the Google splash page on both counts. Some in the industry estimate that www.foundagency.com.au has up to 50,000 inbound links from all sorts of sites. Asani didn’t dispute this but denied industry talk that the website has been blacklisted by Google. “What’s happened is that Google is not counting all the site links (so) we’re still indexed but just ranking poorly at the moment. “We’re not really that concerned. “We’ve got three backup sites with good age and good links. I think they will be breaking into the top 10 (for key phrases) in the next six months.” News of Google’s action, which it declined to comment on, has become something of an industry sensation and rival companies have been quick to call Found Agency’s clients with the news. But Asani said no clients had defected or were perturbed by the developments. “I don’t believe our reputation will take a hit,” he said. “You have to go to the boundaries to find out where they are. We’ve got between 1500 and 2000 websites running at any one time that we use to test the boundaries. “Our clients understand we would not do that with their site.” The site’s Google tumble comes at a pivotal time in the evolution of the company. In early March, Asani and co-founder Tim Macdonald sold 51% of the Found Agency to the Photon Group for A$1.6 million. Photon has an option to acquire the remaining 49% by September with performance incentives through to 2010. The Found Agency has 15 staff and is based in Sydney. Its clients include realestate.com.au, travel.com.au, Last Minute, Wotif, ABN-AMRO and Club Med. Search Engine Room Latest News
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Events
Australia’s original search marketing and optimisation event, Search Engine Room, is returning to Sydney with a fresh theme and approach. Highlights include:
Search Engine Room an Australian-owned event that strives to reflect the market in which it operates while embracing international trends. It’s outward rather than inward looking, taking great care to incorporate consumer and marketing priorities into innovative and provocative programs. The program will be launched the week beginning July 21. Informative, educational, provocative and sometimes controversial, Search Engine Room is the leading event for Australasia's rapidly-growing search industry. It's held annually, attracting widespread industry support, and has a reputation for quality content, excellent event management and staging. The program focus is on respected, well-connected speakers delivering topical, relevant information. Search engine optimisation and marketing is well-covered, while broader industry issues are also addressed through interviews with leading search industry figures. There are case studies and debates, plus panels led by informed journos. Audience interaction is encouraged and Search Engine Room always makes an effort to be forward-looking, tracking the latest search and digital trends. Consumers are also given the once-over, enabling delegates to gain a better understanding of their customers. This format has great appeal and delegates come from around the country. Apart from search marketers, marketing managers, e-commerce managers, online business owners, senior management, digital media executives and agency types predominate. Companies large and small from diverse industries are represented. Some have been in the game for years, others are just starting out. A good way of keeping in touch is to subscribe to Search Engine Room News, which is packed with original content and comes out every five or so weeks. If you have any questions, please call Martin Kelly on 612-9882-1575. Meanwhile, here are some images from the 2007 event.
Bookings are now open for TRAVELtech 2008 - Australia's leading online travel marketing, distribution and tech event. This year's theme is the open-ended Year of Living Dangerously? It can be taken a couple of ways ... the obvious: oil, inflation, interest rates and marketing costs up - challenges ahead. But it's also a question, and the good news is there's increasing evidence the online channel may be the place consumers turn at times like these. Find out more at TRAVELtech 2008. Confirmed speakers are listed below, while the latest program has just been posted - it's packed with industry leaders and topical content.
TRAVELtech, founded in 1999, focusses on the latest online travel marketing and web-based innovations. It has a well-established reputation for delivering relevant, high-quality content and excellent networking - more than 300 delegates attended in 2007. If you have any questions, suggestions or would like to sponsor, please call Martin Kelly on (612) 9882-1575. Please visit the TRAVELtech photo gallery to see some photographs from the 2007 event. |
