Wednesday, June 1, 2011

AdWords Quality Score FAQ Continued: 5 More Questions About Quality Score

We received the following questions during our recent webinar, "Improving Quality Score." For more help with understanding and improving Quality Score, check out these resources:

Do site links improve CTR and Quality Score?

According to data from Bigmouth Media, "ads that run with Ad Sitelinks typically result in an average click through rate increase of 30%." RKG reported similar results: "To take seasonal shifts out of the picture, I looked at the brand performance since the links were launched, and compared this data to the same time period last year. We are seeing a 30+% lift in brand CTR year over year. One client in the mix is enjoying a 99% lift in CTR!"

So yes, using sitelinks can improve your click-through rates. However, according to Google, clicks on sitelinks have "no measurable impact" on your Quality Score. (But ads with high Quality Scores are more likely to display with sitelinks.)

I have seen ads in search results with little to no related keywords that are in top positions. How is this possible?

It's possible because some advertisers use broad match across a wide array of keywords and have very large PPC budgets (think Amazon). If there are no competing ads that are sufficiently more relevant, those advertisers can get top rankings just by placing high bids. Most companies, however, can't afford to bid their way to the top, so it becomes important to focus on relevance and Quality Score.

What is a good click-through rate? 5%?

In the past, Google has encouraged advertisers to aim for a click-through rate of 2%. Other PPC experts recommend 2-5% for competitive industries and 5% for less competitive niches. It's important, however, to monitor your CTR as well as your conversion rates and cost per conversion. Clicks aren't free, so a higher click-through rate isn't always better. You might find that you're paying for more traffic that doesn't convert. Learn more about what constitutes a good CTR here.

How do you balance the need to qualify leads vs. getting a high CTR? We are a B2B company that provides custom projects, so we need to weed out clients looking for a commodity, but it sounds like this could affect our Quality Score.

One approach is to try to qualify leads through the keywords you bid on instead of with your ad. Longer-tail keywords reveal more intent, so by focusing on long-tail keyword research, you may be able to get high CTRs while also ensuring that your traffic is qualified. For example, if your business provided custom carpentry services, you could focus most of your budget on long-tail keywords like "custom cabinet installations" instead of broad terms like "cabinets" and "carpentry." This way, you'll know that the people who are seeing your ad are in the market for services and not a commodity.

Negative keywords are another way to filter out low-value, non-converting traffic; this is why people often set "free" as a negative keyword. This will help keep your PPC costs down, but keep in mind that negative keywords don't affect Quality Score, because Quality Score is only calculated for exact-match queries.

I can't find clicks information at the match type level in Google Analytics. So how do I determine which of my match types for the same keyword is performing best?

All other things being equal, your Quality Score for the same keyword in the same ad group will be the same regardless of the match type – Google only calculates Quality Score for exact matches.

In terms of other performance metrics for different match types, you can see them in AdWords Editor or a PPC platform like WordStream. In Google Analytics, you can view certain AdWords metrics, like how different keywords and match types perform in terms of bounce rate and time on site (in fact this is data you can't see in AdWords). However, many of the metrics that you’re used to seeing in AdWords, like cost per click, aren't in there. So you can't rely on Google Analytics alone to get the full picture of your PPC keyword performance. By syncing AdWords and Analytics, you can get more information in the Clicks and eCommerce tabs.

If you have more questions about Quality Score, please drop them in the comments!

This post originated on the WordStream Blog. WordStream provides keyword tools for pay-per click (PPC) and search engine optimization (SEO) aiding in everything from keyword discovery to keyword grouping and organization.

Source: http://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2011/06/01/adwords-quality-score-faq-continued

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SEO For Designers, Developers & Managers

SEO on your own site is straightforward, at least in terms of the politics. SEO'ing a site that a team works on is another matter.

You will come up against barriers. These barriers are often put up by designers, developers, copywriters and management. Frustrating as it is for the SEO, this is the reality of working on a site alongside other people, all of whom have agendas and requirements that may differ markedly from your own.

So how do you navigate this space? How do you ensure your SEO objectives can be met when other people may be resistant to change, or openly try to block you? In this post, we'll take a high-level, conceptual look at the challenges the SEO faces when working on a client site, and talking-points to help explore and clarify concepts.

1. Why Are We Doing SEO At All?

SEO is a pain.

It's complicated. It gets in the way, particularly when it comes to design. Why do we need headings and a lot of text when a picture tells a story? SEO appears to be an arbitrary, dark art with little in the way of fixed rules, and the client probably doesn't care about it anyway.

The thing is - if SEO is done well, a client may throw a whole lot more money at the site in future. Everyone likes to build on success, and that means more business, and more exposure, for everyone involved. On the internet, traffic = success. Traffic = money. A site that few people see, no matter how well executed, will likely fail, just like a site that fails to engage and convert visitors will fail. The client may not know they want SEO now, but you can be certain they'll be asking questions about it after launch.

If SEO is done poorly, the site may not be seen by as many people as it otherwise would. What use is a beautiful design that is seldom seen? What use is great code that is seldom used?

The value proposition of SEO is that it helps get a site seen. It's a powerful marketing channel, because most people use search engines to navigate the web. Sites that deliver what the search engines want stand to gain a lot more traffic than sites that do not undertake SEO. If your competitors are undertaking SEO, this puts your work at a competitive disadvantage. Their site will be seen more often by search visitors. Their web agencies will likely get more business as clients see greater returns on their investment.

That's why we do SEO. To be seen.

Of course, a site can be seen by other means. Word-of-mouth, social media, links, brand awareness, and offline advertising. A site doesn't need SEO, but given that it is a relatively easy win in terms of cheap traffic acquisition, the extra effort involved is negligible compared to the upside benefits. It's like being given a choice of having a shop located on main street vs a location way out in the desert. Much the same effort involved in building, but significantly different traffic potential.

2. SEO Is A Design Element

Just as copywriters require space to insert paragraphs and headings, SEO's require space to do their thing.

If you're a designer, an SEO will likely provide you with a list of their requirements. These requirements need not be onerous, any more so than leaving space for copy is considered onerous.

There are two key aspects where SEO needs to integrate with design. One aspect is the requirement for machine readable text, provided in a format the search engines are able to read, and derive meaning. Search engines "think" mostly in terms of words, not pictures. Make design allowances for copy that includes lot of headings and sub-headings, a technique which also dovetails nicely with usability.

The other key aspect is crawl-ability. A search engine sends out a spider, a piece of code that grabs the source code of your website, and dumps it back in a database. It skips from page to page, following links. If a page doesn't have a link to it, or no crawlable link to it, it is invisible to the search engines. There are various means of making a site easy to crawl, but one straightforward way is to use a site map, linked to from each page on the site. Similarly, you should ensure your site navigation is crawlable, which means using standard hyperlinks, as opposed to scripted/executable links. If you must use scripted links, try and replicate the navigation elsewhere on the page in non-scripted form, or within the body of the text.

For most sites, that's pretty much it when it comes to design considerations. In summary, the inclusion of machine readable text, and a means for a spider to crawl easily from page to page.

An SEO may also wish to specify a page hierarchy and structural issues, where some pages are given more prominent positions than others. Of course, this needs to be weighed against navigation considerations for visitors who arrive at the site via other means.

3. SEO For Developers

Like design, there are two key areas of integration.

One is tagging. SEO's will want to specify title tags, and some meta tags. These need to be unique for each page on the site, as each page is an entry page as far as a search engine is concerned. A search visitor will not necessarily arrive at the home page first.

The title tag appears in search results as a click able link, so serves a valuable marketing function. When search visitors consider which link to click, they'll use the title tag and snippet to influence their decision.

The second aspect concerns URL's. Ideally, a URL should contain descriptive words, as opposed to numbers and random letters. For example, acme.com/widgets/red-widgets.htm is good, whilst acme.com/w/12345678&tnr.php is less so. The more often the keyword appears, the more likely it will be "bolded" on a search results page, and is therefore more likely to attract a click. It's also easier for the search engine to determine meaning if a URL is descriptive as opposed to cryptic. For an in-depth look at technical considerations, see "SEO For Designers".

One workaround if the database needs unique codes is to translation at the URL level, using URL rewriting.

4. SEO Is A Marketing Strategy

The on-page requirements, as dealt with above, are half the picture.

In order to rank well, a page needs to have links from external sites. The higher quality those sites, the more chances your pages have of ranking well. The SEO will look to identify linking possibilities, and point these links to various internal pages on the site.

It can be difficult, near impossible, to get high quality links to brochure-style advertising pages. Links tend to be directed at pages that have reference value. This is a strategic decision that needs to weighed during site conception. Obviously, few sites strive, or want to be, Wikipedia, however there are various ways to incorporate reference information into commercial sites where the primary purpose of the site is not the publication of reference information.

For example, include a blog, a news feed, publish the e-mail newsletter to the site, and/or incorporate a reference section within the site. It doesn't matter if this section isn't viewed by visitors who navigate directly to the site. It provides a means to get a lot of information-rich content into the site without disrupting design and other commercial imperatives. Think of it as a "mini-site" within a site.

Not every page needs to be for the purposes of SEO. SEO can be sectioned off, although this is often less ideal than more holistic integration throughout the site.

5. Strategic Factors For Managers

Concept, design and development can screw-up SEO.

Poor integration can result in loss of potential traffic. This traffic will go to competitors. The longer a site doesn't use an SEO strategy, the harder it is to ever catch the competition, as a head-start in link building is difficult to counter.

If your aim, or your clients aim, is to attract as much targeted traffic as possible - as most site owners do - then SEO integration must be taken as seriously as design, development, copy and other media. It may influence your choice of CMS. It may influence your strategic approach in terms of how and what type of information you publish.

Whilst SEO can be bolted-on afterwards, this is a costly and less-effective way of doing SEO, much like re-designing a site is costly and less effective than getting it right in the planning stage. If SEO is integrated in the planning stage, it is reasonably straightforward.

The time to incorporate SEO is during site conception. SEO is a text publishing strategy. Design and development will need to make minor changes to the way they approach a site build. Doing this retrospectively, whilst not impossible, is more difficult, and therefore more costly.

Coda: Flash Workarounds For SEO

There are various workarounds to existing search-unfriendly design, but I'd advise to avoid the problem in the first place.

Flash, whilst a useful tool for embedding within sites, should be avoided for the entire site. Flash is a graphics/animation format, whereas search - and the web in general - is primarily a text format. If you build an entire site using Flash, then your competitors will overtake you in terms of search visitors. The formats simply do not gel.

One work around is strategic - split the site in two. Use Flash as a brochure site, and create a hub site that is text based. Consider including a "printable" version of the site, which will give the search engines some text to digest. Whilst there are technical and strategic ways around Flash, they are often clumsy and tedious.

The search engines can make sense of most sites, but if you're expecting to get rewarded by search engines, then it pays to stick as close to their technological strengths and weaknesses as possible.

Categories: 

Source: http://www.seobook.com/seo-designers-developers-managers

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Beyond Times and Arial - The New Web Safe Fonts

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/amDG/~3/XkCUf33Bp3Q/beyond-times-and-arial-new-web-safe.html

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Dealing With Online Customer Reviews

 

Dealing with online customer reviews is a vital issue every business owner, small or large, must address.  The bane of many business owners existence, online reviews often seem like a thorn in the side rather than the marketing opportunity they represent. One thing is certain, doing nothing is a terrible strategy.
 
Complaining customers are nothing new, but thanks to the Web all these unhappy people have a megaphone. And they are using it. Justifiably angry customers or serial complainers have Google, Yahoo, Angie’s List, Yelp, and a thousand other places to bitch, moan, vent, gripe and warn others about you. According to information from Pew Internet, a quarter of Americans (24%) have posted product reviews or comments online.
 
Here are some more statistical tidbits from the 2010 Social Shopping Study done by Power Reviews and the e-tailing group:
  • Customer reviews are the #1 social media tool having a positive to significant impact on buying behavior.
  • User-generated reviews are the most important capability for retailers to have on their website.
  • Shoppers continue to consistently read reviews always or most of the time before making a purchase decision (64 percent in 2010 versus 65 percent in 2007).
  • Shoppers today are spending more time reading reviews before making purchasing decisions. 64 percent take ten minutes or more (as compared to 50 percent in 2007) and 33 percent take one half hour or more (as compared to 18 percent in 2007).
  • 39 percent of consumers read eight or more reviews (as compared with 22 percent in 2007) and 12 percent read 16 or more reviews (as compared with 5 percent in 2007).
  • Top factors that degrade trust in product reviews are: not enough reviews (50 percent of respondents say this degrades trust), doubt that they are written by real customers (39 percent) and no or limited availability of negative reviews (38 percent).
 
Used to be that a satisfied customer would tell a friend or two and a dissatisfied one would tell ten others. It is probably not an exaggeration to say this dynamic has increased exponentially. Someone who just had a good experience may “Like” you on Facebook, Tweet about it, or write a blog post praising your business. While the angry person does not have any more channels to share in, they tend to be more motivated to share...much more.
 
What are you going to do? How will you respond? Here are some best practices and Be-attitudes for dealing with customer reviews.
 
Be Aware
 
People like a business that seems to listen. You should be monitoring (a.k.a. listening) for new reviews and responding, whether the review is good or bad.
 
On sites where you have claimed your business listing there is typically an option to receive notification when a new review is posted. There are tools to help you monitor customer reviews and mentions.  MyReviewsPage.com allows you to keep an eye on a handful of the major sites in one place. Google Alerts is comprehensive and will catch references to your business or product in forums and on blogs as well. It is also priced right (free).
 
Google recently started allowing business owners to respond directly to reviews. A few others do as well. For those sites that do not, there is not much you can do. This is why having a steady stream of reviews is important. (If you have nothing but bad reviews, then you have bigger problems.) Sometimes it may be appropriate to contact a reviewer by email.
 
Responding immediately is not necessary but come up with a reasonably actionable definition of “timely.” (somewhere between one hour and one month)  This is an opportunity to exceed expectations, assuming that is important to you.
 
Be Grateful
 
This unhappy person, whether for good reason or not, has given you the opportunity to demonstrate what kind of “person” your business is: considerate, respectful, polite, understanding, etc…. You get to back up claims like:
 
“We Put Our Customers First”  and “We Treat Our Customers Like Family”
 
Bribing people to leave good reviews is a bad idea. However, rewarding those who do with a coupon or small token of appreciation (I like Starbucks Cards.) might be a good idea.
 
Be Understanding
 
You may not agree with them. They may be lying about your business or performance or exaggerating, but you can acknowledge their pain and frustration. This does not require admitting or not admitting fault.  In this conversation, body language will not help communicate to the other person that you are hearing them. Make sure your words communicate this message.
 
Be Positive
 
No matter how angry you are, or how wrong this complaining lunatic is, be nice. Show some class (pretend, if you don’t have any). You can be polite without conceding an argument, which reminds me, do not be argumentative.
 
Regardless of the issue, you will not win an argument with an angry customer (online or offline). Do not do battle via comments or enlist others to do it for you. Your “win” comes in the form of making a good impression on everyone. Keep it real, but keep it positive.
 
Be Brief
 
Again, acknowledge the reviewer’s pain or problem. Do not lecture. Do not launch into an in depth defense of your position. (Didn’t I tell you not to be argumentative?) If you can offer a quick solution, do so, but it is probably in your best interest to take the discussion to a private channel as soon as possible. Your initial acknowledgment will satisfy the need to let the public know you are listening and addressing the complaint.
 
Hopefully you will be able reach a satisfactory resolution. In that case, it might be possible to get the person to post some follow-up comments about how well you took care of their problem. It doesn't hurt to ask.
 
Be Smart
 
Depending on the circumstances, there may be legal issues. Kenan Farrell is an Indianapolis attorney who advises businesses on matters related to technology and new media. He says, “Honesty and transparency are highly valued in today's business environment. Small admissions of liability that don't expose you to significant legal risk can show the "human" side of a company and generate goodwill with customers.
 
Kenan advises that a business owner should consider the following questions before admitting any liability:
 
1. Did an error really happen?
2. Was the error the cause of any harm?
3. What are the chances a lawsuit could be filed by the customer?
4. Who is the best person to deliver news to the customer?
5. Have you consulted your insurance company before making an admission of responsibility?
6. Are you admitting the error out of benevolence/sympathy or as an attempt to negotiate a settlement or compromise?
 
Statements about fault, liability, or false claims need to be carefully considered. Getting real advice from an attorney is the smart move. As the old adage goes, “If in doubt, don’t.”
 
It is not likely that you will be able to resolve every problem or that you can convert an unhappy customer into a happy one. Some people are committed to being angry and perpetually in conflict. The main reason you make the effort and take the time to respond is because of what it communicates to your potential customers.
 
Below are some helpful articles and blog posts. Please share yours as well.
 
 

 

Source: http://www.deepripples.com/blog/dealing-with-online-customer-reviews

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YouTube Celebrates 6th Birthday With 3 Billion Views Per Day

youtube 6 months infographicYouTube is celebrating its 6th birthday this month, and in a thank-you message to its users, the user-generated video site revealed a couple of amazing statistics:

  1. More than 48 hours (two days!) of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute. This constitutes a 37% increase over the last six months, and 100% over the last year.
  2. YouTube has surpassed the 3 billion views-per-day mark. This accounts for a 50% increase over views last year.
YouTube is the flagship video sharing website, recently ranking as the top 4 website by Compete.com for April 2011. For sharing anything from families' home movies to video campaigns for social change, YouTube is the go-to site for many users looking to publicize their video content.

Marketing Takeaway:

As YouTube's increased usage indicates, people are increasingly turning to video as a way to share and consume content. Whether it be in the form of case studies, podcasts, interviews, how-to's, or music videos, many businesses are experimenting with ways to use video to achieve marketing goals and contribute to their content strategy.

With the ever-growing usage of mobile devices like smartphones and tablet computers for digital content consumption, the need for businesses to create multimedia content is growing, too. Companies that pay attention and respond to these industry trends will stay ahead of the curve -- and ahead of their competitors -- and video is a great type of content for on-the-go business prospects.

With all of the easy-to-use video hardware and editing tools available today, you don't need a degree in film to point, shoot, and produce quality video content. Start experimenting with video, and you'll soon learn how easy, fun and rewarding for your business it can be!

Webinar On-Demand: Beginner's Guide to Video Marketing

Webinar On-Demand: Beginner's Guide to Video Marketing

Connect with HubSpot:

HubSpot on Twitter HubSpot on Facebook HubSpot on LinkedIn HubSpot on Google Buzz 

 

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/HubSpot/~3/JtEGAUcfa3g/YouTube-Celebrates-6th-Birthday-With-3-Billion-Views-Per-Day.aspx

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Online Marketing / Social Media Manager / Easton-Bell Sports / Scotts Valley, CA

Easton-Bell Sports/Scotts Valley, CA

Easton-Bell Sports is like no other sporting goods company in the world, and we are looking for experienced professionals up to the challenge of filling the available career listed below. At Easton-Bell Sports, you will find a unique corporate culture, with a rapid pace and the freedom to truly express yourself.

We believe that attitude is everything and encourage a safe and open environment where all employees understand their roles, receive honest feedback, contribute ideas, ask questions, learn, grow, and are recognized for their contributions. Working as a team, we take great pride in being Easton-Bell Sports.



Job Description:

Reporting to the Director, Digital Marketing & Commerce, the Online Marketing Manager will be responsible for day-to-day management of Easton-Bell Sports Action Sports web sites (Bell, Giro, Easton Cycling and Black burn), Social Media, and external marketing and consumer engagement initiatives. Responsibilities will include but are not limited to, overseeing on-site content and product promotions, content population and syndication, development and optimization of integrated marketing programs such as social and email marketing, online media and other direct response marketing programs. Oversight of key performance analytics and reporting tools for continuous site and campaign optimization is critical to this role





Website Management - Content Creation / Population

�?� Working with Brand teams, effectively manage the front-end website experience, landing pages, content, product placement and overall user experience, keeping the websites fresh and relevant on continuous basis

�?� Develop and manage content key marketing schedules/timelines for product promotions by working in partnership with sales, brand marketing, product, operations and creative teams, internally and externally, to develop content, features, promotions and landing pages to build buzz and consumer engagement opportunities

�?� Create and own master content/promotions production calendar with project plans and schedules for site content delivery, ensuring all site assets and promotions are timely executed, up-to-date and approved for publication

�?� Recommend and lead site optimization and future development based on user feedback, key performance metrics and/or industry trends that support recommendations and opportunities to continuously evolve our efforts to reach core demo

�?� Some copywriting required

�?� Prepare and communicate �??wireframes�? or �??creative brief�? documents that help communicate design and development strategy to design/development teams including aesthetic look and feel as well as desired feature set.



Online Marketing / Brand Building

�?� Work with Brand marketing to oversee and execute online marketing strategies that drive improvements in brand awareness, site visitation, sales and consumer interaction

�?� Implementation and optimization of marketing programs to increase traffic, loyalty and overall sales including, but not limited to search engine marketing, affiliate networks, retargeting, online media, partnership/sports marketing synergy, CRM, viral and social marketing initiatives

�?� Interact with internal marketing teams and 3rd party vendors to facilitate creation of marketing assets including banner ads, promos, email blasts, landing pages, etc.; preparing outlines and wireframes where applicable to facilitate design and development process

�?� Communicates effectively with all stakeholders; anticipates and resolves issues regarding schedules and deliverables, as well performance of online initiatives



Social Media / Content Syndication

· Outline and execute strategic vision to grow social media presence and consumer engagement efforts through internal and 3rd party platform marketing channels

· Work with Director, Digital Marketing to define and achieve campaign and overall SM goals

· Work closely with marketing and PR teams to facilitate all content syndication, and outreach efforts through key SM and other 3 party channels, including product promotions/ stories, Viral and product education videos, banners and related assets

· Identify and recommend new websites, mobile applications or other SM channels based on internet trends that contribute to Easton's consumer engagement efforts within this space

· Stay abreast of growing internet and mobile trends and competitive

· Retail Partner Support

· Work with Brand Marketing, Sales and design/development teams to plan and facilitate production and distribution of key product and catalog assets to support online Retail Partners

· Work with Sales leadership to define and execute unique partner marketing programs for Key accounts

· Analytics & Optimization

· Track and evaluate site user behavior; make recommendations to improve user experience/usability and key performance metrics

· Oversight of web site, media and outreach campaign metrics to optimize effectiveness and deliver regular KPI reports to key stakeholders

· Identify opportunities for new marketing tactics, site-conversion functionality and improved user experiences

Job Requirements

Education and Training:

· BA/BS in marketing, business or a related field

· Minimum 4-6 years experience in Online marketing and web site production including content development, creative design, quality assurance testing and key performance metrics.

· Demonstrated ability to lead projects and develop Web initiatives is required: Organizing, planning and executing projects from conception through implementation

· A thorough understanding of search engine and social media marketing strategies is preferred

· Must intimately understand the social media universe including YouTube, Facebook, Flickr, Forums, Twitter, Wikis, and blogging.

· Experience with Google Analytics

· Experience with Social Media Dashboards

· Passion and deep understanding of Action Sports world, can engage consumers with an authentic voice for the brand

· Hands-on knowledge and/or Agency oversight in placing, tracking and maintaining of paid keyword campaigns , affiliates, retargeting and media is preferred

· In-depth knowledge of Online and user experience best practices, experience managing Online stores and promotions

· Strong analytical, project management, problem-solving, verbal/written communication, leadership and multitasking skills.

Desired Skills:

· Passion for Digital Marketing and e-commerce.

· Ability to embrace change, wears many hats, and thrives in an environment similar to a start-up.

· Should be highly collaborative and comfortable working with cross-functional teams and various levels of management

· Strong project management skills a must.

· Must have ability to influence others outside immediate span of control.

· Strong written, verbal and presentation communication skills.

· Demonstrated ability to work in a dynamic environment

· Experience in youth marketing and/or sports a plus

Apply To Job

Source: http://jobs.searchenginejournal.com/job/online-marketing-social-media-manager-scotts-valley-ca-easton-bell-sports-e9464083b8/?d=1&source=rss_page

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The votes are in for the Google Science Fair Finalists and People?s Choice Award Winner

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/MKuf/~3/CIxvgACyApg/votes-are-in-for-google-science-fair.html

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