Spoiler alert: No, I didn’t get the job in the end, but that is another story.

The Plasma Science and Fusion Centre department of the Massachussets Institute of Technology (AKA M.I.T.) provides the following definition of Plasma:

“Plasma is often called “the fourth state of matter,” along with solid, liquid and gas. Just as a liquid will boil, changing into a gas when energy is added, heating a gas will form a plasma – a soup of positively charged particles (ions) and negatively charged particles (electrons)”.

In another way, Plasma is an ionised gas, meaning it consists of highly charged particles known as ions and free electrons. Plasma is created when gas is subjected to extreme heat or when a strong electric field is applied, causing the gas atoms to lose electrons and become charged. In a plasma state, the atoms of the gas break apart, resulting in a mixture of positively charged ions and negatively charged electrons. This separation of charges allows plasma to conduct electricity and be influenced by magnetic fields, making it a unique and versatile state of matter.

Why Plasma is important for the Industrial applications?

Plasma can be artificially created and controlled in laboratories for various applications, such as fusion research, plasma cutting in metalworking and nano electronics. In particular:

• Thin Film Deposition: Plasma is employed to deposit thin films of materials onto various substrates. This process is widely used in the production of microelectronics, solar cells, optical coatings, and other advanced materials.
• Plasma Etching: In semiconductor manufacturing, plasma etching is used to remove specific layers from microchips during the fabrication process. This helps create intricate patterns and structures on the chip’s surface.
• Plasma Sterilisation: Plasma is used for sterilisation in the medical industry and for various sensitive equipment. It provides an effective and chemical-free way to kill bacteria and other harmful microorganisms.
• Surface Modification: Plasma treatments can alter the surface properties of materials, such as making them hydrophobic or hydrophilic, improving biocompatibility for medical applications, or enhancing wear resistance in mechanical components.

What is a Plasma sensor?

Every research, industrial processes, and technologies that involve working with plasma has a Plasma sensor to detect, measure, or analyse plasma. It can provide valuable information about plasma parameters, allowing researchers and engineers to monitor, control and calibrate plasma-based systems effectively. Some common types of plasma sensors include:

• Langmuir Probes: Langmuir probes are widely used in plasma diagnostics. They consist of small electrodes inserted into the plasma, and by measuring the current-voltage characteristics of the plasma-electrode interaction, they can determine properties like electron temperature, electron density, and plasma potential.
• Optical Emission Spectroscopy (OES) Sensors: OES sensors use the light emitted by excited atoms and ions in the plasma to analyse the plasma’s composition and temperature. Different elements emit characteristic wavelengths of light when excited, enabling researchers to identify the elements present and their concentrations in the plasma.
• Electrostatic Probes: Electrostatic probes are similar to Langmuir probes but operate based on the electrostatic potential difference between the plasma and a collector electrode. These probes can provide information about plasma potential and electron temperature.
• Magnetic Probes: Magnetic probes, also known as magnetic field probes or magnetometers, are used to measure the magnetic fields produced by currents in the plasma. These measurements can help understand the behavior and confinement of plasma in magnetic fusion devices.
• Microwave Interferometers: Microwave interferometers measure the density of the plasma by analysing the phase shift of microwaves passing through it. Changes in density cause variations in the microwave phase, which can be used to determine the plasma density.
• Residual Gas Analysers (RGA): RGAs are mass spectrometers used to analyse the composition of gases in plasma chambers or vacuum systems. They help identify the presence of different elements and molecules in the plasma environment.
• Plasma Optical Density Sensors: These sensors measure the optical density of the plasma, providing information about the plasma’s opacity and its interaction with light.
• Plasma Current Probes: Plasma current probes measure the electric current flowing in the plasma. This is particularly important in magnetic confinement devices for studying plasma stability and confinement.

If you arrived here at the end of the page, well done! Maybe now you learned something new. As for me, probably even if I knew the answer, I wouldn’t have gotten the job anyway.

Till the next weird post, take care yourself!

The post What is Plasma? Why should you know? appeared first on Donald Piccione.

The first step towards avoiding scamming and frauding is to stay vigilant. Then get familiar with and implement these preventive measures to safeguard your finances and personal information.

Payment Card Fraud

Payment card fraud involves the unauthorized use of stolen or counterfeit payment cards for direct purchases, cash withdrawals, or online transactions. What should you do to protect yourself against payment card fraud?

• Keep your payment card in a safe place at all times and report any loss or theft immediately to your bank. If you use your bank app in conjunction with your card, you can block the card in one click online using the app.
• Safeguard your Personal Identification Number (PIN) by not writing it down, keeping it separate from your card, and not sharing it with anyone. Do not put into your wallet with the card.
• If a card or PIN is not received as expected, notify your card issuer right away.
• Sign new cards upon receipt and destroy old ones securely.
• When making in-store purchases or using ATMs, cover your PIN to prevent it from being observed by others.
• When using ATMs to withdraw cash, I personally check that the ATM doesn’t have attached or installed extra parts or devices on top of the original parts (banknote dispenser, card slot, etc) trying to detatch these parts. If they are firm and don’t move easily it is a good sign that the ATM has not been tampered with.
• Try always to withdraw cash from ATMs that are located inside banks or financial institutions, rather than ATMs located on streets. This will decrease the chances of being tampered.
• Ensure your card remains in sight when paying for goods or services.

Invoice Redirection Fraud

Invoice redirection fraud targets businesses by convincing them to change the bank account details of legitimate suppliers. As a result, payments meant for genuine suppliers are redirected to accounts controlled by fraudsters. To avoid falling victim to this type of fraud:

• Educate all staff members about invoice redirection fraud and instruct them to bring any requests to change bank account details to a supervisor for verification.
• Establish a procedure that involves making direct contact with known contacts at suppliers to verify any requested changes to bank account details. Independently verify the contact information instead of relying on details provided in emails or by the sender.

CEO Fraud

This particular fraud targets people working in a company. It involves criminals impersonating the Chief Executive Officer of a company and manipulating junior employees in the finance department into processing substantial payments. Protect against CEO fraud by:

• Conducting comprehensive training for CEOs, senior executives, and staff members to raise awareness about this type of fraud.
• Empower staff to question and verify requests of this nature.
• Implement clear policies and procedures for verifying payment transfers or high-level requests from senior management.
• Encourage additional verification processes, such as making a phone call to the CEO or using visual communication, to confirm the legitimacy of a transaction.

Email Fraud (Phishing)

Email fraud, commonly known as phishing, encompasses a range of deceptive tactics used by criminals to obtain personal or financial information or install malware on devices. Follow these measures to protect yourself:

• Avoid opening unsolicited emails.
• Never respond to unsolicited emails that request personal, financial, or security information.
• Refrain from clicking on links or attachments in unsolicited emails.
• Remember that if an offer seems too good to be true, it probably is.
• Independently verify the authenticity of emails by contacting the purported sender through alternative means.

Phone Fraud (Vishing or Smishing)

Phone fraud, known as vishing or smishing, involves criminals contacting individuals by phone or text, pretending to be a trusted organization or entity, and attempting to extract personal or financial information such as credit card details. Protect yourself from phone fraud:

• Decline unsolicited calls or texts requesting private information, such as your name, address, date of birth, family details, bank account numbers, PIN, or passwords.
• Independently verify any requests for information using contact details that are independent of the caller or texter. You can also check online for their phone number. There are many online databases where you can check if it is spam or fraud.
• Do not trust callers solely because they possess some personal information about you.
• Are you expecting a phone call from an organisation or a business? If not, it is possible to be a phone fraud. Remember, if it is a legit organisation they won’t have any problem providing more information where to verify them.
• As deterrent, you can also install on your smartphone specific apps to filter unsolicited calls or user flagged phone numbers that block incoming phone calls. You can find these apps both for iPhone and Android. I personally use an app called “Should I Answer?” but there are many out there and free of charge.

Advance Fee Fraud

Advance fee fraud tricks victims into making upfront payments for nonexistent goods, services, financial gains, or prizes. To avoid falling victim to advance fee fraud follow these advice:

• Be cautious of unsolicited offers or benefits that seem too good to be true.
• Always independently verify the identity of the person or company you are dealing with, and terminate contact if verification is not possible.
• Never share personal, financial, or security information unless you have confirmed the legitimacy of the recipient.
• Exercise caution when asked to transfer money to non-identifiable locations or through money transfer companies instead of secure bank accounts.
• If you feel something strange or your instinct tells you something is wrong, refrain from dealing with the counterpart and inform the authorities.

By staying informed about the various types of fraud in Ireland and implementing these crime prevention measures, you can protect yourself and your business from falling victim to fraudsters. Remember, vigilance and skepticism are essential in safeguarding your personal and financial well-being. If something is too good to be true, means it is definitely a scam.

The post Top Six most common types of fraud in Ireland appeared first on Donald Piccione.

However, it’s important to note that using the One4all digital gift card at Tesco stores might not be as straightforward as you expect. Additionally, depending on the store you visit, you may encounter staff members who are unfamiliar with the process. This means you have to wait till you can get somebody who knows on how to process the payment.

In this article, I will provide useful information on how to use your One4all digital gift card in Tesco stores located in Ireland. For the digital gift card, I am referring to the virtual card you receive via SMS message and/or email. Essentially, someone like your employer or friend goes online and purchases a digital voucher to be sent to your email and phone.

How can you use it at Tesco then?

The simple and easy way would be to spend the exact amount of money or less that are topped up into the virtual card. Let’s say you got €20 digital gift and you spend €19.99 . You don’t need anything else to do. You just use your virtual card with your smartphone through the One4all App and that’s it.

What happens if I want to spent €50 and I have €20 digital gift and I want to pay the rest of the amount by cash or debit card?

Depending on the Tesco store where you are shopping, you need to go to a Help Desk or a shopping till and inform them that you are using a One4all digital gift card and state the amount of the digital voucher. They will then split the total amount to be paid into two different payment methods: the first covers the digital gift card (in our example above: €20). Once you have paid with the digital One4all gift card, you will be prompted to pay the remaining amount of money, which, in our example, is €30. Those can be paid by cash or a debit card.

Be sure to check your smartphone settings

Since the virtual gift card by One4all is loaded onto their app, you need to make sure to: 1) enable NFC (contactless payment) on your mobile phone, and 2) authorize the One4all app as your primary digital payment or wallet. Otherwise, when you touch the POS with your mobile, it might load the Google or iPhone wallet, resulting in the inability to pay.

This article has been written to give you knowledge on how you can make the most of using an One4all virtual gift card for Tesco. In case Tesco staff doesn’t know this, you can explain it to them.

Feel free to add below in the comment your experience while using this voucher card in Tesco’s.

The post How to use One4all digital gift card in Tesco stores? appeared first on Donald Piccione.

Until December 31st 2023, An Post will ensure free delivery of all card and letter mail posted to and from residents of Nursing and Care homes in the State. This includes packages weighing up to 1 kilogram.

To take advantage of this offer, consumers simply need to write “FREEPOST” where the stamp would normally be affixed. This will allow An Post to carry their cards, letters, and packages without a postage stamp. Consumers can send these items through the Post Office network and post boxes across Ireland.

An Post’s new initiative has received positive feedback from the public, who welcome this act of kindness towards the elderly population. The elderly, who are often isolated from their families and friends, will now be able to receive letters and packages without incurring additional postage costs. This will help maintain their connection with the outside world and bring a smile to their faces.

An Post’s initiative is a small but meaningful way to show love and support to the elderly population, and reinforces the idea that community is about reaching out with compassion, staying connected, and sending love to each other.

In conclusion, An Post’s new initiative is a fantastic way to show support and spread joy to the elderly population in care homes across Ireland. With this initiative, An Post continues to demonstrate its commitment to building stronger and more compassionate communities.

More information on this initiative can be found directly to AnPost official website

Do you need an idea of what you can send to a care home?

You may not have or don’t know an elderly who lives in a care home, but actually you can still support this initiative. In fact you can just send your gifts directly to the care home without any particular person’s name. They will receive your gifts and distribute to a person who will appreciate your gesture. So, if you need some ideas, an you could send a variety of items in a package or letter to a care home, including:

• Personal notes and letters of encouragement and support
• Puzzles and games to keep the recipient entertained
• Small gifts such as chocolates or scented products
• Personal care items, such as toiletries
• Magazines and books
• Handmade cards or scrapbook pages filled with good words of encouragement

The aim is to bring joy, comfort, and a sense of connection to the elderly who may be feeling isolated and alone. They will appreciate any thought and effort put into the package or letter, regardless of its size or value. Who knows you may get a pen pal friend.

The post An Post Supports Elderly Community with Free Delivery to Nursing and Care Homes appeared first on Donald Piccione.

SSTV stands for Slow Scan TV, which is basically the transmission throught radio frequency of an analogic signal (you can hear a sound), then once decoded into digital (image) shows an image like the following:

The above image was trasmitted by the International Space Station on Saturday 26 June 2021 at approximately 07:45 am UTC on 145.800 Mhz FM. The Station was passing above Ireland and the UK at 425 Km height at the speed of 27,589 Km/h. In the picture, Mike Hopkins KF5LJG and other ham radio amateurs/astronauts using Ham TV. As you can read the RS0ISS is the special call sign used by the ISS to transmit the image.

The following is the “sound” received in order to decode to the image above. If you are interested or want to decode this signal, what you need is just an SSTV decoder, easily available for free as Android App or Iphone App.

Using myself an Android phone I decoded the image with Robot36 App which is 100% free. The mode is PD120.

Interesting to know, that during certain events, if you are ham radio operator, you can also apply for awards or certificates, like the SSTV Awards (official website) and apply for it, upon the proof of reception of a SSTV image from the ISS. This is runs all the year and each month there are new interesting awards and images to be received. This time the topic was about the “Expedition 65 – ARISS Series 18 ISS-Mir-Shuttle” mission. The award was running from 21 to 26 January 2021.

If you want to see more images sent by the ISS during this award, you can check at the ARISS SSTV Gallery Page.

Nevertheless, if you are interested in Ham Radio / Radio Amateur you can contact me or leave a comment below. Also you can check the Irish Radio Transmitter Society web page which is the Official organ of coordination of Radio Amateur activities in Ireland.

The post Ham Radio: ARISS SSTV transmission activities appeared first on Donald Piccione.

As Digital Marketer, I am currently managing the PPC campaigns for the company I am working for. Despite the global trend for many businesses of stopping the paid advertisement,  I believe it is now the right time of spending money because there is less competition. This translates in less Cost per click and more impression share. This is a very valuable opportunity if you run an eCommerce selling items online.

Getting into specific in this instance I am promoting Social Distancing signs, queue management signs and safety posters, either floor or vertical signs. As you can read and check the link, there is no reference to Covid-19 or virus, etc. These are just safety signs for the social distancing, things that doesn’t require to be a GP to sell and actually these might help any Irish business to manage their customer traffic flow who comes in the store and their staff as well who works there for 8 hours or more.

This according to the “novel” Bing Ads “verba” policy it is not permitted while Google Ads, where currently our Ads are active, it seems they are not bothered with this policy at any time. These big giants are from the same sector and location, either in Ireland, they are both in Dublin. So, if it is something “dictated” by the Government, both should follow the same rules.

The post Bing Ads PPC Policy Disallowes all Covid-19 related items appeared first on Donald Piccione.

when hovering on it you can read “Gmail couldn’t verity that domain.com actually sent this message“. This is very common and it is almost related with missing or misconfiguration with your DMARC, DKIM and SPF. Your email could end up into the spam folder.

There are various servers and different set up so I wouldn’t be able to cover all the cases. What I can write you is what I did in my case. Also, I take for granted that you have already the DKIM Key on your server, usually it is generated by default so hopefully you don’t need to set up one.

I am using CPANEL

I manage a domain that is hosted in a virtual server I purchased on Altus Host (more info on this company here) which uses CPANEL. I set up the email account like info@domain.com and I got the pop and smtp configuration for the mail client. I did a test sending one email to Mail Tester website. This is a free online tool that analyzes your email, telling if it is spam or not. The result was absolutely horrible: 2.9/10 that means I was considered a spammer 🙂 As you can see now from the header image above, after fixing this, I got a 9.2/10 which is perfect.

Using this tool you get also the report of all the issues you can fix such as:

• SPF: Sender Policy Framework (SPF) designed to prevent email spam by detecting email spoofing, a common vulnerability, by verifying sender IP addresses;
• DKIM: DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) is a method for associating a domain name to an email message to claim some responsibility for the message. It uses a private and a public key to match the autenticity of the message sent by you. This is the official site for the DKIM organization
• DMARC: it is a policy that allows a sender to indicate that their emails are protected by SPF and DKIM, and give instruction if neither of those authentication methods passes. More information about this policy can be found on the official website dmarc.org

These above are the main areas where you can be flagged as spammer. Therefore you need to fix it.

What access you need to fix this

• DNS settings page, in my case I use Cloudflare. It is free and it works great. You might have the DNS settings with your domain registrar, so you need to log in to your registrar (eg. Register365, GoDaddy, etc) and go to the DNS setting section (dns management);
• CPANEL page: you need to be the administrator;

On the CPANEL scroll down to EMAIL section and click on “Email Deliverability”

Once the new page has loaded, you will see something like the following image. If you have more than one domain, you will see first a list of domains. Clicking on the interested domain it will load this page:

DKIM configuration

As you see above, you have 2 fields, one is the Name and other is the Value. On your DNS you have to add a new TXT record default._domainkey (in the image above advice default._domainkey.domain.com but you can just omit the domain.com) and assign the value which is the string of the public DKIM record. In this case it starts with v=DKIM1…etc. Save the record.

SPF configuration

Scrolling down the same page you will see a similar image below. In my case, as I took this screenshot after configuring, it tells me that it is properly configured. In your case will show a message that is not configured (such as the other image above).

Again, you have to go to your DNS settings and create a new TXT record with the name equals your domain address and copy the value provided into your Cpanel. As you can see, the value in this case starts with v=spf1 +mx +a etc. Save the record. A complete and official documentation about SPF can be found here.

DMARC configuration

This is a policy that you need to create regarding the DKIM & SPF. You can find this info on the Spam Testing Result page of the tool mail-tester.com. Usually you need to create a new TXT in the DNS record called _dmarc and assign the value of v=DMARC1; p=none

Questions

I don’t have a DKIM key? What should I do? There are websites on the Internet that offers a free Key generator, such as Socket Labs. If you need others who do the same service, please let me know in the comments. The case that you need a DKIM key it is pretty rare because if you run a virtual server usually it is included into the service and generated automatically once you start the set up as above.

After I added the new records to DNS I still see errors. Why? If you set up properly, wait at least 12 hours for the DNS propagation, then test it again.

If you have further questions please leave it in the comments.

Donald

The post Email: How to Setup DKIM SPF and DMARC if you use CPANEL appeared first on Donald Piccione.

The main reason as a business to join Groupon and offers a discounted price is usually because the business’s revenue is lowered, having fewer customers. So here the main idea is to drive customers to the business location.

One practical example can be a restaurant in Dublin, where in the last 3 months lost customers. The restaurant offers a set menu at a 60% discount compared with the normal price. Is it the solution to gain new customers? To consider also that usually, the restaurant not only has to reduce the price but also they have to pay a commission for each voucher sold on Groupon platform.

When Groupon may be useless for your business?

A first mistake that a business does is thinking that driving customers and offering a cheaper set menu, would mend the loss of revenue. Instead, a business should understand first why they are losing customers. Getting back to our restaurant it could emerge that:

• Food is not compelling
• Staff is not friendly or prompt in serving the customer
• The chef is not suitable for that restaurant (too slow or too distracted in preparing the food)
• Cleanliness of the location is not enough
• Place too noisy
• Wrong customers (too young, families, singles, couples, etc)

You got the point. If for example, the service or the food was not above the standard, customers wouldn’t come back again. So even if you drive new customers with a 50% discount on the menu, they will just eat once and then won’t be back.

What can be worse than that?

In the case of bad service or bad food, a business may risk also to get a negative review on Google Maps, TrustPilot, Facebook etc. So in practice, a business pays a commission to get a bad review. Crazy isn’t it?

So, What to do before creating a campaign on Groupon if you are a business?

It is very important that you do your own homework and you study why your customers are leaving and not coming back. Assess every “moment of truth” in your business (touchpoints where the customer interacts with your business). Don’t be afraid to talk to your customers, asking them what can be improved, rather than asking if “Everything is ok?”. Go online and search for your business name. See if there are reviews where you can get insights. Either you see a bad or good review, take it as a point for improvement or strength. “Fix” everything as much as possible. Again, ask your customers or create survey cards where customers can write on it and leave it at the table or put into a box. It is priceless when you start getting vital information. Sometimes we think we are doing all well, but in reality, in the eye of the customer, we are missing something. Once your business ticks all the boxes, you then are ready to use Groupon to nurture new customers. Next step will be to let them return to your place.

From one-off purchase to loyal customers

You have now the chance to convert all your new clients into potential loyal customers. How to do it? Imagine again, you are a restaurant. First of all, engage with them, chat with them, let them know you, let them listen to your story. Transform their experience into a personal journey you share with them. They want to be entertained, they want to be happy, not just eating food. Give them happiness, the best experience.

Another trick up your sleeve, create a special promotion for all your new customers. Once they register on Groupon they will leave their email address. While they make a reservation online they will leave their phone number. There are several ways to send them a special promo. By email or by SMS. Let them feel special.

If all is done according to plan, they will be more than happy to leave a positive review online and also recommend to their friends and come back.

If you are a restaurant owner and you would like to chat with me about marketing strategy for your business, you can contact me using this form or reaching me on LinkedIn.

The post When Groupon may be useless if you run a food business? appeared first on Donald Piccione.

Still, we keep making mistakes. Still, the website doesn’t get traffic and mostly nobody cares about you and your brand. So next phase is usually start making things with no clue why and these are the top 5 mistakes I see often non/bad marketers do:

1) Backlinks desperation or depression

You read some expert online that tells you “You must have backlinks or you are useless”. So, you feel desperate and depress because you read that “Google loves backlinks”. What do you do then? You go to some link farm websites and buy backlinks. That’s sound nice. You just wasted your money and be in the chance to win a trip to penalization (nowadays is rare but still applies sometimes). Another very bad thing you can do it, is to go to some 5 bucks service website (sounds familiar to you?) and purchase a service for 1000+ HQ backlinks. Yeah. That must save my life, you think. Nothing far from the reality. See the previous point for the outcome.

Solution: Start writing excellent, expert content and offer useful information. Know the “pain” of your audience and propose solutions. Be an expert in your niche. In simple words: Don’t build backlinks, earn backlinks.

2) Keyword anxiety

You have to put keywords everywhere. So you create a page with lots of keywords and start writing unnatural sentences. The page is not easy to read. This doesn’t attract traffic/users and the few they are landing on your page they will just leave. You missed the opportunity to get the few users and transform into many.

Solution: Write genuinely, get inspirational content. Use keywords wisely, don’t stuff a page with keywords and use only one related with the topic. Don’t write for the keywords, write for the content and message you want to share with your readers.

3) Social Media: know your limits and resources

You have limited resources, but you want to be on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, etc. If there is a new Social Media channel, you have to be there too. The story ends with you having very huge gaps in time posting so nobody will follow you.

Solution: It is better to have one channel than many while you are unable to keep up with fresh original content. I have seen people re-posting same content on different social media channels but honestly I don’t see that such a big strategy. At the end it is just duplicate content.

4) I do Advertisement because of all they do it

This is another situation where you don’t have a clue about advertisement, PPC, CPM but you have to do it. Let’s spend some money on that. You think that because you are spending money on advertisement you will get something back in sales. Well, did you track your campaigns correctly or at all? Did you create segments and you know what is your audience? Who you are targeting and what message you are communicating? It is not just about paying. Do it wrong and you will get an opposite effect.

Solution: Depending on the nature of your business and the product/service you sell you need to study who your customers are and what they do. Only then you can come up with an advertisement strategy.

5) You don’t focus on customers

Another common idea is that Marketing is seen solely as Search Engine Optimization and Paid advertisement, while on the top level there is your customer. Remember that. Treat your customer well. Don’t see them as just one off purchase but as a recurring transaction. When a new enquiry appears to your inbox or you get a phone call, your company has to provide with the best customer experience. Let them feel special always! It is useless to invest in digital Marketing activities if then the product, service, pre and post sale you provide is aweful or not competitive.

Remember the good old traditional marketing too as the “word of mouth”. If a customer is happy they will spread the word to other friends. You might get, know knows, even out of the blu brand ambassadors who will start telling people how your product or service is excellent. On the contrary, if this is not, you will get the opposite effect, bad pubblicity and bad online reviews.

Do you have something to add? Please do in the comment section below.

The post Top 5 Marketing Mistakes you still doing in 2019 appeared first on Donald Piccione.

Although trying this now on Bing.com it doesn’t seem to work anymore 🤔 .

But Searching the same 🍎 on DuckDuckGo.com it works 😛

Coming back to the emoji SERP story, almost 2 years after, Google woke up and started to support emoji search too. See here a current example searching for a red apple.

Now the question and topic of this post is to ask yourself if you are currently using emojis into your meta title so that it might appear in the SERP. It has been said by many that this helps with increasing the Click Through Rate (CTR) while other SEOers see this “technique” as just a desperate measure to climb up the page ranking ladder with no results. Who is right? My answer is nobody. It all depends on what is the purpose of using it and what value you are going to bring when using it. Read more below.

This year (2019) Search Engine Journal wrote about this emoji SERP topic, telling that Google might not show them in their search result page all the time. This would dipend, according also to Google’s Senior Webmaster Trends analyst John Mueller if the emoji in the website is relevant with the user’s query.

We don’t always show exactly what is listed in the description and title. So that might be playing a role there.

With regards to emojis we also filter some of these out in the search results. So, in particular, if we think that it might be misleading, or looks too spammy, or too out of place, then we might be filtering that out.

So depending on what you’re showing, and what you’re seeing otherwise in the search results, if the same emoji is being shown in other sites then we could be able to show it for your site as well.

It’s probably just a matter of us picking up the title and description and actually showing that to users.

John Mueller

Being said that, first thing to keep in mind if you want to use emojis in your title or description is to be relevant with the topic of your content. Adding something that doesn’t improve the value and it is there just to try catch attention of the user it is just considered too spammy or too out of place. Also it depends on what kind of business you are. Emojis are mostly used in an informal context and towards a young audience. Best to do is analysis and A/B tests. This will be based on analytical data. Start from just one page to see if you can get results.

My Test using a red heart ❤️

I  did test on this Irish website called Moitif where it sells home furniture. This website is online since September 2019, so still fresh in organic traffic. Another reason why I wanted test it. I choose a page with low traffic , “Bed furniture” so to be sure that in case of bad results it won’t impact the current performance. I modified the meta title into: “Beds ❤️ Bedroom Furniture – Moitif”. Here is the screenshot of the current SERP in Google, either using the “site:” query or the normal query. This means that currently Google is happy with the emojii and it doesn’t see as spammy. Why?

My hypotesis is because there are currently no competitors using emojis for this market so there wouldn’t be any sort of war between two or more similar meta titles. Also, the heart emoji might represent something like “lovely beds” or “your favourite beds”, so that doesn’t spam the title. Another more practical conclusion is that currently that page it is not ranked on the first page, so saying that, it is also out of the Google’s radar to even be spending time to filter it in the SERP 😀 . Having said that, this could be the starting point for a a title optimisation with emojis when your page is not under the radar rather when your start climbing the ranking. Also now it is for me better to conduct experiments and A/B tests.

In conclusion, the use of emojis in the title of a page might be worth a try to see if your target audience might love more that not having any. But who knows, Google might also change its mind and get back to the standard text, as in many other cases it deprecated some SERP features in the past.

If you did some experiments on this and you got something to share please do so in the comment section.

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