Klout-verified Snapshots on Bing

Published on 6 Nov 2013 at 8:23 pm.
Filed under Informative,Search Engine Optimization,Social Media.

A Klout-verified Snapshot lets you influence the way you appear in Bing search results. Snapshots add social media info to results on Bing.

Klout is a social network dedicated to measuring online influence. It is primarily driven through the information you share on social media networks. At this time it does not use Google Authorship to rank influence on accounts outside of Klout’s pre-defined networks. Basically this means that content on your self-hosted blog does not yet influence your score. The number of likes, tweets, and +1 to the link you share for you blog posts count.

You must constantly post on these networks to remain influential. Expect to see your score drop if you cut back on social media posting. In the last few weeks I have cut back on travel, and thus decreased my FourSquare check-ins, since breaking my arm. I have also been working late on a project for work which has reduced my postings to Google+, Twitter, and Facebook. Put them together and my Klout score has declined.

Earlier this year they announced that searches on Bing influence your Klout score. Klout added this feature because they recognized that there are people in the world that have vast importance but do not actively engage in social media. With the new Klout-verified Snapshots feature you can manage how you appear in Bing search results.

What does a Klout-verified Snapshot gain you?

My results in Bing after I signed up for a Klout-verified Snapshop.

When Bing recognizes your name in search results over on the right they will display a “See results for” section. This section displays your name as a link along with your LinkedIn profile image and current position. Clicking on this link will direct users to a new search that is mostly focused on your Klout account. The right hand section displays the following:

• Your LinkedIn summary, work experience, education, and profile image.
• Your Klout score, influential topics, and a certification mark.
• Links to your social profiles on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
• Two of your most influential moments from Twitter or Instagarm.

Those are the only definitive statements from Klout about how Klout-verified Snapshots work. Here are some of my observations:

• Bing rewrites the page description for certain links.
• Bing is constantly updating. I took the screenshot for this blog post less than 24 hours ago and Bing has updated their logo in that time.
• LinkedIn always appears near the top.
• Facebook and Twitter profiles do not appear on page one except for the buttons on the right.
• Your other social profiles appear in the search results list.
• Your activity on said networks does not influence their location in results.

The first bullet point is the most strange to me. Bing has rewritten the description for the Brand Builder Websites home page. This is what they display.

A leading w ebsite design and development company in Rochester NY providing the most useful and simple tools for effectively managing your website

That is not a botched copy and paste job just now. They did insert a space between the ‘w’ and ‘e’ in ‘website’. I don’t know where that description came from. It’s not one that I remember us ever using. Especially not on the home page. It’s not the description for any page on our site. I do appreciate that Bing feels that we have the most useful and simple tools for effectively managing your website. 😉

Here’s the current description for the home page:

Learn how Brand Builder Websites provides small business websites in Rochester, NY access to our custom web design, CMS software, and mobile website solutions.

That description explains who we are and what we offer. It does not talk about web development (which of course we offer). Normal search results receive that description. This is something to look at once you have a Klout-verified Snapshot.

The last bullet point is very strange. When MySpace re-launched I activated my account to check it out. I have not posted there in years and yet it’s ranked higher than my active Google+ profile? I think there is some bias in the search results.

I recommend you sign up for your Klout-verified Snapshot. It’s easy to do and lets you to influence search results. You’ll present users with a better experience. Shouldn’t that always be your goal?

This post was originally published as Klout-verified Snapshots on Bing for Brand Builder Websites.