Your Domain Name Does Matter in Search Results – Microsoft Says So!

stumbled upon a study conducted by Microsoft eons ago back in the paleolithic era of search; 2012… It is about how "premium domains" are perceived by the consumer when seeing them in the search results compared to a lower value "non-premium" domain. I like to use quotations sparingly, but I felt it was necessary because the varying opinions on premium v non-premium domains is a bridge I do not want to cross in this post.

I decided to take the study and turn it into a short story. If the story encourages you to read the study, there is a link to it at the bottom of the post.1

You've paid a web developer to build a website. You have developed considerable amounts of high-quality, relevant content for your industry. You have done everything the SEO gurus (White Hat, of course!) have told you, and everything looks great. You're off to the races. Maybe not.

Even if you do everything right, and your website starts climbing the ranks on Google, you may not get the clicks you deserve. This might be because of something called "domain bias."

What is Domain Bias?

Domain Bias, a term coined by the Microsoft study "Domain Bias in Web Search," which is a phenomenon where Internet users are more likely to click on search results that come from a particular domain that is trusted and reputable. This sounds obvious, but it goes against our collective understanding of how people use search engines.

Our traditional understanding of search engines is that we click on pages that are:

Relevant

Positioned near the top of the page

Contain keywords in the snippet

Domain bias is a fourth factor that drives clicks. In some cases, it's even stronger than relevance.

The Study

In a blind test, Microsoft found that domain trust sometimes overrides relevancy in a search result. In the study, they tested search results for the query "One of the most common types of heart disease" from genetichealth.com and webmd.org. They found that, when the results were shown without the domain name listed, users preferred the result from genetichealth.com. However, when the results were shown with the domain, users preferred webmd.org. The researchers also flipped the domains by showing the genetichealth.com snippet with the webmd.org domain and vice versa. In this case, users preferred the result showing webmd.org, regardless of the search result.

According to Microsoft, "the [domain] bias manifests itself as leading a user to perceive the same document as more relevant when it is attached to a more reputable domain than a less reputable one. Its existence is established beyond a reasonable doubt through a series of carefully controlled experiments."

Trust Has Important Consequences

This means that Internet users are savvy and trust certain domains over other domains. And that trust has important consequences for search engine clicks.

Back to the example from the beginning of the article… Say you did everything right with your website, and you have some of the best content out there. But you're still not getting clicks. The problem? Your domain is Loans-for-you-in-Boston.com. This domain looks like spam, and users are less likely to click this domain, even if it's highly relevant and positioned near the top of the page. Users will be more likely to click a domain they trust; something like Loans.com. See the difference?

Domain Bias in Web Search (Microsoft / 2012

Digital marketing is the key to relentless modernization in one of India's oldest liquor companies

  When it comes to marketing, India's wine industry faces unique challenges.

The legal restrictions on advertising alcoholic drinks, companies have to go the extra mile to reach their target audience. And with the rise of digital media, promotion of liquor products has moved from the telly screen to online platforms such as Facebook, and Instagram targeting young tipplers.

One of Indian oldest liquor companies the 76-year-old Radico Khaitan which counts brands like 8PM whisky, Magic Moments vodka, Contessa rum, and Old Admiral brandy in its portfolio, knows this too well.

Amar Sinha, the company’s chief operating officer says expertise in digital and data analytics is a must-have for marketing professionals in the liquor industry. In a country like India, drinking habits vary greatly, and an analytical mind is required to understand the diverse consumer preferences, according to Sinha. “The role of a digital marketer is going to be prominent, given the demographics and psychographics of our target group,” he says.















In a conversation with Quartz, Sinha spoke about how important the role of a digital marketer is in his industry and the key skills that his organisation looks for while hiring. Edited excerpts:

What is that one job that will be most important for your organisation in the near future?

Marketing liquor in the country has always been challenging owing to stringent advertising regulations. Therefore, the role of the marketing department continues to be of utmost importance in the industry. I believe this will continue to be the focus area in the future as well.

Digital marketing provides us with opportunities to encourage engagement and personalised interaction with potential customers. Going forward, the role of a digital marketer is going to be prominent considering the demographics and psychographics of our target group.

Are there any particular skills that are most important for Radico Khaitan?

Understanding the market dynamics in a country where the language, the culture and even the drinking preferences change every 100 km, is the foundation of our business. Impeccable analytical skills is what we look for in every new hire.

Do you think there is enough talent available in India vis-à-vis industry requirements?

All Indians are extremely smart, with a high risk-taking capacity. They are skill-hungry and the available talent pool is keen on acquiring new skills. The talent available in India is big enough for every job that exists in the industry. This is the reason why the Indian workers are always in demand abroad. The need of the hour is job creation for talent that’s not engaged in productive activities.

Do you feel the Indian academia is doing enough to ensure that the available talent pool is employable, particularly for your industry?

Yes, absolutely. They are not only playing an important role in creating an employable talent pool, but are also helping to upskill the existing workforce. To keep pace with changing workplace demands, it is becoming increasingly important to upskill and reskill. Continuous learning is necessary to fit into the roles that are dominated by new-age technologies.

How do you keep pace with the changing technology landscape and evolving customer demands?

Amar Sinha.
As the world moves towards digitisation, we are relentlessly modernising to keep up with the changing technology landscape. We have brought in state-of-the-art technologies at our manufacturing plants to minimise the scope of error in any process. We are operating in a rapidly changing world where digital connectivity and social media is a critical part of business operations and consumer engagement.

We are constantly enhancing our digital outreach and footprint to gain valuable analytics and insights into consumer behaviour and preferences. Digitalisation is the key to our present and future initiatives in every vertical.














How do you leverage data to offer consumers a superior product?

So far, in our industry, the basic strategy for launching a new product was due diligence (market assessment etc). With the availability of a large pool of consumer data, we are leveraging it (data) to gain better market insights. Data analytics plays a significant role in helping us assess and better understand issues such as loss or gain in market share, loyalty among buyers, and pursuing future expansion. Before launching a new product, we use data analytics to evaluate the market and determine the target audience. It also helps us develop new products that provide greater consumer value and minimises the risk of failure during the launch.

We also use data to optimise the operational aspects of our distribution chain, right from packaging to planning delivery schedules. The company gains valuable insights into consumer behaviour and preferences through data collected via social media.

What are the key initiatives the company pursues to retain and promote talent?

We, at Radico, have been investing in employees to retain them for the long-term. Employees’ career development and growth is our biggest agenda. We provide our employees opportunity for professional advancement though corporate training. Training programmes are aimed at fostering the acquisition of new skills, learning new technologies and processes. Furthering our employees’ education also helps them feel valued and invested in the company.

It is extremely important to have an open-door policy at work. Senior management helps promote employees' commitment to accessibility and transparent communication policy organization.  We are also flexible in our work arrangements.  For example, we encourage employees to work remotely.  This can especially help working parents balance their parents and work duties.

  In Future Series Jobs, quartz writers have talked to CXOs at some of India's largest companies and ask them about a job that will be important to their companies in the years to come.

6 ways technology is changing digital marketing

There’s no doubt that technology is changing and affecting every aspect of our lives. We talk to digital assistants to book tables, we chat with bots to get banking stuff done, and we use search engines to look up literally everything.

There are countries and cities where most people don’t have access to drinking water, but carry a (somewhat) smartphone. Because we’re so tied to our devices, digital marketing has become indispensable to any business’ marketing strategy.

Without social media outreach, a well-designed website, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and useful algorithms, no business could possibly succeed. People everywhere, regardless of their tax bracket, will pull out their devices to find what they’re looking for before reaching for a phone book.

Therefore, every business should have an elaborate digital marketing strategy, and this means they can’t leave anything out. Websites must be designed for both desktop and mobile; apps must have great UX design; everything needs to be up to speed and seamless.


















It’s a necessity
If you have a business and cut corners in the digital marketing department, your business will barely close any deals. You could be the best at what you do, but if you don’t have an outstanding online presence, you’re not going very far.

One striking example is the 2008 US election. Barack Obama put himself out there, connected with voters on social media, and interacted with the community. Hillary Clinton, relying on her household name, didn’t have the know-how to do that. We believe Obama’s impeccable digital strategy is what got him the seat.

Having said this, technology has evolved quite a bit since then. We’ve put together a list for you on how technology has been and still is, changing digital marketing over the years.

Everything has to be instant
We’ve lost our patience because of technology. Nobody stands in line anymore; we get things done on our banking apps. We don’t wait to enter information on paper, and we have screens with digital signage that immediately interact with us and show us what we’re looking for.

We chat with chatbots and get our questions answered within seconds, instead of calling customer service agents and staying on the line for what feels like two eternities and a half. Social media pages and chatbots allow companies to specifically market to their niches and interact with them in the blink of an eye.

Data. Mine it. Analyze it. Use it.
We’re no longer just social media’s consumers; we’re also its product. Use that to your benefit. Figure out who in which area searches for what – market to your niche, and only your niche. No backpacker wants to see ads for baby cribs, use technology to know where to market yourself.

Data shows you which channels your customers are using, which keywords they’re typing into their search bars, and what makes them bounce back from your website. This means you need to run a lot of A/B tests to get a grasp on what keeps customers coming and what doesn’t.

Furthermore, collecting and analyzing data helps you personalize your messages and your ads, which has proven to work wonders on closing leads. As a species, we’ve become more and more individualistic over time, and nobody wants a canned message anymore.

Influencers influence. Love them. Use them.
Since we’ve got our eyes glued to our screens most waking hours, we all have influencers we know and love. They are regular people, we can identify with them, and they’re more interactive than big stars.

This digital age phenomenon is splendid news; you can use that to your advantage. Do you make backpacks? Find famous backpackers on Instagram, contact them, send them a free sample of your product, and ask them to talk about it in their videos.

Most influencers wouldn’t bad mouth a product if they got it for free, but if they like it, they will rave about it. There’s nothing more powerful than having someone that everyone identifies with rave about what you’re trying to sell.













Moreover, they will only rave about it to the people you’re trying to reach. Nobody who would never buy it will see it. That way, you’re allocating your advertisement money in the right direction, and aren’t wasting your marketing budget on people who don’t need your product.

Businesses are more interactive
Nobody has the time, patience, or energy to wait on the line because they’re the next caller, and their call is important to who they’re calling. Every successful business has a chat system on their website, with AI-powered bots responding to their customer needs.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is the new PR. If your company doesn’t interact with its customers on social media, digital signage screens, and per email, it won’t make it very far.

It’s important to treat them as the individuals they are and interact with them regularly, keep them engaged, and provide them with useful, wholesome content.

Go online, Stay up-to-date, and keep improving
Now that you know the importance of utilizing technology to make your marketing strategy more efficient, there’s no excuse. Chatbots don’t ask for raises or time off. Algorithms are made for you to use them.

Customized messages, interactive social media pages, and personalized marketing is the future of advertising. Your business website will start generating more leads than you’re ready for if you create a solid digital marketing strategy that uses data and algorithms to get you the results you deserve. 

Google Pixel 4 smartphone next year

Google Pixel 4 smartphone next year — here's what it may look like
a hand holding a cellphone:

  A small yet surprisingly good and useful Motion Sense feature is
  swiping your hand above the Pixel 4 to snooze an alarm - no
  looking at the screen to make sure you tap the right button.
  Plus, Motion Sense can tell when your hand approaches the phone
  and reduces your alarm's volume, too. This may seem
  inconsequential while you're reading this wide-awake, but it
  feels like a pretty great feature in the mornings, let me tell
  you.

  Apart from that, the only other Motion Sense feature so far
  allows you to switch to the next track, which can be cool but
  gimmicky, and doesn't always work well. Otherwise, that's about
  all you can do with the gesture controls on the Pixel 4 so far.
  It's pretty limited, and you can already do a lot with your voice
  and Google Assistant, including switching to the next track.

  It would be great to swipe your hand up or down to change the
  volume, for example. Or maybe use different finger gestures to
  navigate around the entire Android operating system and apps.

  It's something that Google will surely improve over time, and I'd
  bet money that more comprehensive controls will someday come to
  the Pixel 4 or future Pixel phones. It's a pretty safe bet




















  Overall, Motion Sense is good because it's starting off slowly
  with just a few little features and functions. It's not
  overpromising anything, and it seems to have the best chance out
  of any other company's attempts to make motion gestures a
  "thing."
© Crystal Cox/Business Insider
A small yet surprisingly good and useful Motion Sense feature is swiping your hand above the Pixel 4 to snooze an alarm - no looking at the screen to make sure you tap the right button. Plus, Motion Sense can tell when your hand approaches the phone and reduces your alarm's volume, too. This may seem inconsequential while you're reading this wide-awake, but it feels like a pretty great feature in the mornings, let me tell you.

Apart from that, the only other Motion Sense feature so far allows you to switch to the next track, which can be cool but gimmicky, and doesn't always work well. Otherwise, that's about all you can do with the gesture controls on the Pixel 4 so far. It's pretty limited, and you can already do a lot with your voice and Google Assistant, including switching to the next track.

It would be great to swipe your hand up or down to change the volume, for example. Or maybe use different finger gestures to navigate around the entire Android operating system and apps.

It's something that Google will surely improve over time, and I'd bet money that more comprehensive controls will someday come to the Pixel 4 or future Pixel phones. It's a pretty safe bet, as Google has already said that Motion Sense at the Pixel 4's launch is just the start.

Overall, Motion Sense is good because it's starting off slowly with just a few little features and functions. It's not overpromising anything, and it seems to have the best chance out of any other company's attempts to make motion gestures a "thing."

Google can release a cheaper version of the Pixel 4, which will have an all-screen design with a headphone jack, a single-camera and a hole-punch-sized cutout for the selfie camera.
  This is according to a new leak of technology blog 4 Mobile and Online, which has provided accurate information about unpublished gadgets in the past.
  Pixel 4A will be a follow-up to Google's Pixel 3A, as its name implies, the less expensive version of the company's Pixel 3 flagship smartphone over the past year.
  Visit the Business Insider homepage for more stories.
  A cheaper version of Google's flagship Pixel 4 smartphone might work, and a new leak gives it a glimpse of what it might look like.

  Images claiming the design of a less expensive Pixel phone have recently appeared in front of technology blog 1 Mobile, showing a device that is seen in most cases with the Pixel 4, but there are a few important differences.  The website said it had published the pictures in partnership with Twitter account OnLix, which provided accurate information about unpublished gadgets in the past.

  The phone, which is expected to be called Pixel 4, will have a headphone jack, a single camera instead of a dual camera sensor like the Pixel 4, and a smaller hole-sized cutout for the front-facing camera, according to 91 mph and Onyx.  This shit-punch-like cutout is in line with Samsung's look for the Galaxy S10, a more affordable version of the Galaxy S10 that the South Korean tech giant released earlier this year.

  These national features represent the departure from the Pixel 4, which featured only a USB-C port and lacks a headphone jack.  The Pixel 4 has a thinner border above the display than a round cutout for the speakers and selfie cameras.  Another feature that can distinguish the Pixel 4A from its pricier counter is a fingerprint scanner located on the back, a sensor that the Pixel 4 lacks.

  Despite these differences, the leak indicates that the Pixel 4A would otherwise be very similar to the Pixel 4, although it is expected to have only one camera, the Pixel 4A's camera module has a larger, square design similar to the Pixel 4's.  .  And its screen will be scaled diagonally to 5.7 or 5.8 inches, making it roughly the same size as the 5.7-inch Pixel 4













It is unclear whether the Pixel 4 will have the motion sensing capabilities of the Pixel 4, it uses the sensor when you are nearby so you can perform some actions using the gesture without touching the device's screen.

  The launch will come after the release of Google Pixel 3 last spring, starting from 2018 that will be the cheaper version of its flagship Pixel 3 smartphone from 2018.  The Pixel 3 retains several of the Pixel 3's standout features, such as its ability to take better pictures in the dark, but is made from less expensive polycarbonate material than the Pixel 3's metal build and runs on a less powerful processor.

  Watch the video below from 91 mobile and onyx below:

  Google did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment on the Pixel 4A design, and the company did not publicly speak about its future plans for the Pixel smartphone lineup.  However, Google's Mario Quiroz, who recently oversaw the company's Pixel product line before taking on a new role at CEO Sundar Pichai, previously said it was Google's strategy to bring premium features to cheaper phones.

  In an interview with Business Insider, Quiroz previously said, "We think there are a lot of people who want to have these experiences, but they can't do it now because these phones cost $ 1,400," Quiroz said earlier in an interview with Business Insider.

  It's unclear when the phone will launch, but 9to5 Google has announced that it may debut in the spring around Google's annual developer conference like the Pixel 3A.

Making health goals for 2020?

Amey Vance, Live Well Published 9:58 a.m. MT Dec. 27, 2019 | Updated 9:59 a.m. MT Dec. 27, 2019

About half of American adults have one or more chronic diseases — often related to poor diet. Eating healthy is important to maintaining health and reducing the risk of disease. Everything we eat and drink each day and over time really does matter.

Christie Benton, a registered dietitian at the St. George LiVe Well Center. (Photo: Intermountain Healthcare/For The Spectrum & Daily News)

Make 2020 the year to focus on eating healthy, and eating well. There is no better way to get healthier. The Intermountain LiVe Well Center in St. George can help. Dietitians and healthy cooking classes are available to help you live well, eat well, and feel well in 2020 and beyond.

“At the LiVe Well Center we want to show people how to eat well and enjoy food,” said Christie Benton, RDN, CD, a registered dietitian at the St. George LiVe Well Center. “There is no time like the present to start making better food choices. 2020 will bring new changes in USDA dietary guidelines, new nutrition labels on processed foods, new LiVe Well cooking classes, and plenty of opportunities to make more informed and healthier choices about the foods we eat.”

USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans are updated every five years to reflect new and current research about nutrition to help people make healthier food choices. Current guidelines focus on whole fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat or fat-free dairy products, low-fat proteins, and drinking and eating less sodium, less saturated fat, and less added sugars. 2020 guidelines will likely contain similar information. Watch for new MyPlate messages in 2020 and into 2021.











“Recent nutrition research has been focusing a lot on meat,” said Benton. “Processed meat in particular will be the subject of continuing studies throughout 2020. Plant-based diets will continue to gain popular approval. It is important to remember that there is no one perfect diet for everyone. Everyone needs to find what works for them, their families, their food preferences, and health situations. Talk to your healthcare provider or a dietitian if you need help understanding what foods you should eat or avoid in your particular circumstance.”

More: Food trends for 2020: Plant-based continues to sprout, focus on mood-boosting ingredients

The Nutrition Facts Label that appears on packaged foods has undergone a transformation for 2020. It will make it easier to make informed food choices to support a healthy diet. The new updated label reflects current scientific information and is already appearing on many on the foods you eat.







“Serving sizes on Nutrition Labels have now been updated to reflect what people are actually eating,” Benton said. “Ice cream, for example, has gone from a ½ cup serving to 2/3 cup serving. The calories per serving will also appear bolded-out on the new label. People will easily know how many calories are in that scoop of ice cream, and they may decide they can’t afford to eat it. It will be interesting to see what impact the new food label will have on consumers and their food choices.”






Grams of added sugar and an updated nutrient list are also required on the new Nutrition Facts Label. Added sugars include sugars added during processing such as sugars from corn syrups, honey, and table sugar. Scientific data shows that it is difficult to meet nutrient needs if consuming more than 10% of daily total calories from added sugar. Vitamin D and potassium are now required on the label because Americans do not always get the recommended amounts of these nutrients.

“One of the best ways to learn how to navigate all this new information is to learn how to prepare healthy meals at a LiVe Well cooking class,” said Benton. “The LiVe Well Center in St. George offers a monthly cooking class. In January, a local doctor will demonstrate how to lower the salt and fat content of recipes without compromising taste. In February we will have a Heart Healthy Cooking class featuring vegetarian choices. And in March a Dixie Regional chef will teach important skills necessary to prepping healthy meals.”

Benton summarized: “We want people to live well, eat, well, and feel well in 2020. Focusing on eating healthy, enjoying good food, and remembering to use moderation in all food choices, is sure to make 2020 your healthiest year yet.”

The LiVe Well Center of St. George wishes the community a healthy and happy New Year!