Making sure that your company website is optimized for search engines is important, which is why having a significant amount of content that makes your page a worthwhile visit for readers is an absolute must. Creating content on an ongoing basis may seem like a fundamental task when it comes to SEO, but you would be amazed how many sites neglect this aspect of digital marketing. You can supercharge your rankings for long-tail phrases and support your main keywords by regularly uploading fresh content to your blog. Here’s how blogging supports your SEO initiatives.
Blogging provides fresh content
For the uninitiated, dabbling in the dark art of SEO, better known as Search Engine Optimization, can be a daunting and intimidating task. If you’re unsure of how to navigate the digital realm, don’t let hubris be your downfall and attempt to implement tactics that will only result in search engines rejecting your website. If the words “search engine optimization” seem like sorcery to you, it’s better to hand the keys to your site to digital marketing professionals and agencies. However, if you’re on a limited budget, this guide can be a handy resource on what NOT to do – I’ll keep what you SHOULD do for another time. 😉
Not Developing a Keyword Strategy
Believe it or not, the whole point of search engine optimization is to be found. If you end up building a new website or have one made for you without thinking about how your target audience is going to come across your site naturally via search engines, then you may want to consider having your business owner card revoked. Ouf – I’m sorry, that’s a little harsh, but if you’re going to invest your own money into marketing your business, you need to do it correctly and not screw up during your first at-bat (a baseball reference, btw).
~~Originally published at jbertho.com on June 21, 2018.~~
Relevance is critical in the new digital age, especially in the social media marketing environment. No matter how successful a tech giant’s business model may be, if innovation isn’t at the forefront (or at the very least, acquiring successful operations to absorb fancy features), popular platforms risked being tossed aside like yesterday’s news. For example, how many of you remember Meerkat, Peach, or Jelly?
Well, I do because I’m addicted to social media, but chances are that none of you even remember these three platforms.
Implementing new features is essential to the life-force of major social media platforms. Snapchat’s growth hit a wall when Instagram stole the Stories feature. Let’s be honest: that was a genius AND malevolently ruthless move, which has worked out very well for Instagram, which currently has one billion monthly active users. Twitter increased its character limit to get back into the spotlight last year, which has seen its stock increase steadily over the past year. All major social media platforms made Periscope and Meerkat irrelevant by adopting live streaming capabilities. Peach came and went, bewildering us all for a short period of time. However, one aspect of the social media world has relative remained unchanged: YouTube dominates when it comes to hosting video content.
Developing a presence in competitive niches has never been easier for companies with limited resources. For the uninitiated, however, search engine marketing may seem like a daunting endeavour. It takes quite a bit of experience and experimentation to master SEO techniques that provide tangible results. Unless you’re an inveterate gambler and enjoy playing the odds, you’re unlikely to find success with agencies and contractors that promise results overnight. While the allure of empty promises does seem enticing, there’s a lot more to search engine optimization that requires an investment of both time and resources. Here are some tips on how to improve your SEO efforts, which I have enhanced with the usage of Avengers-related GIFs because I cannot contain my excitement about the new film coming out this month.
1. Master Keyword Research
Keyword research may seem like a fundamental element when it comes to search engine optimization, but the foundation of any SEO campaign should start with a thorough dive into competitive and content research. Investigating search marketing trends and identifying questions users are asking on a monthly basis can help you unearth opportunities that you can exploit to capture organic traffic. However, be strategic when it comes to analyzing keywords based on search volume. Relevancy is critical when selecting your main keywords to optimize for every page on your website. For example, a men’s fashion brand selling dress shirts should focus its efforts on optimizing content around “clothing.” Not only is the term “clothing” completely ambiguous with regards to the gender and type of clothing, but it also will likely not provide the desired ROI for the required investment into optimizing for that keyword. Instead, keywords such as “men’s dress shirts” and “luxury dress shirts for men” are more applicable. (more…)
While Google regularly releases core algorithm updates on a daily basis, it seems like a recent update is making waves around the web. In a Twitter update published on Monday, Google did confirm that a broad core algorithm update had been rolled out the previous week:
Each day, Google usually releases one or more changes designed to improve our results. Some are focused around specific improvements. Some are broad changes. Last week, we released a broad core algorithm update. We do these routinely several times per year….
— Google SearchLiaison (@searchliaison) March 12, 2018
What is involved in a Broad Core Algorithm Update?
In today’s fast-paced business world, building your brand is a priority if you want to differentiate yourself from the competition. Your products and services may be innovative, but if people don’t know about it, your opportunities for growth are limited. If you’re having difficulty developing a strategic advertising rollout, there’s where an experienced marketing agency becomes a necessity. If you’re looking to spread the word about your product and master the all-important digital landscape, finding the right agency is among the most important decisions you can make. Before you start looking, here are a few tips that should help you find an agency that’s just the right fit.
Identify your needs
It’s not a stretch to say that Google has revolutionized online advertising and pay-per-click advertising through their AdWords platform. In 2016, AdWords was responsible for a significant portion of Google’s $89.5 billion revenue. By providing a multitude of advertising options, the service allows businesses to target web users that would most likely be interested in their product, and advertisers pay when the ad is clicked on. Whether it’s product-driving advertising through Shopping campaigns, image-based advertising through Google’s Display Network, or the traditional search ads, Google has developed the Swiss Army knife of media buying platforms. Of course, if you’re new to the advertising realm, you may have some questions regarding the efficacy of your marketing efforts and whether or not your Google AdWords campaigns are truly optimized.
How Effective is my Ad?
Like any other advertising tool, your campaign needs to be targeted to a specific audience and efficient to be successful. One way to ensure that your Google AdWords campaign is up to snuff is by monitoring click-through rates (CTR), which measures the number of times your ad is clicked versus the amount of time it’s served. You can measure the CTR of your campaigns on the whole, or dig deep into the data to measure the CTR by ad or keyword to evaluate which campaign components are not yielding the best results.
Fifty years ago, the idea of talking to a technological device seemed futuristic. Star Trek portrayed characters talking using something called a communicator, which served as a precursor to the current devices that occupy the 21st-century market. Nowadays, the practice of seeking out answers by communicating with a mobile phone, or even a home assistant such as Alexa, Siri, Cortana, or Google is widely accepted and common.
What has ignited the rise of voice search? The advancement of technology over the past 15 years is just remarkable. Back in the day, brick phones and subsequently flip phones were rather commonplace, lacking the technology that current mobile devices contain today.
Facebook live streams. Reddit AMAs. Instagram Stories. Tweetstorms. Teenagers devouring Tide Pods to satisfy their hunger.
The evolution of the social media environment has evolved quite a bit over the past couple of years. Before memes and Donald Trump dominated news feeds, social media marketing consisted of posting text updates to Facebook and Twitter without any real advertising strategy. Life was a lot simpler back then (and some will argue far duller)– if you created intriguing content, it had the opportunity to go viral and propel your brand to new heights.
Years later, the entire structure of the social media landscape has changed. Not only are there new platforms for savvy online marketing professionals to utilize to reach new audiences, but all of the essential social media players have developed sophisticated advertising capabilities that allow you to target niche audiences. Unfortunately, despite all of the tools widely available to all types of businesses, marketing on social media platforms isn’t an easy endeavor if you lack the business experience. Sure, publishing a meme making fun of the New Orleans Saints losing in spectacular fashion is easy, but how does posting on Facebook translate into sales? And does Twittering lead to generating leads for businesses?
As we close the curtain on 2017, we can look forward to the following SEO trends becoming more popular in 2018.
#1 Voice Search
Let’s commence with the most obvious trend that will dominate 2018: voice search. An estimated 55% of teenagers and 40% of adults are using voice search on a daily basis and usage will only continue increasing as digital assistants become more sophisticated. The simplicity of voice search gives users the ability to find content and receive answers to questions without having to unlock their phones. Not only is voice search much easier than typing out queries, but the error rate continues to diminish as usage increases.
What does this mean for search strategists? I bet you’re saying “Isn’t voice search the same as seeking out information by typing it out?” I hate to burst your bubble, but voice search isn’t the same as manually typing out text. Users don’t use voice search the same way they use text search. Regular searching habits, especially from mobile devices, often require cat-like agility, which means truncating phrases to the bare minimum. For example, if you’re interested in finding out what the weather is in Montreal, you might write out “weather Montreal” to save time. However, with voice search, the average user will use a conversational tone and likely ask a digital assistant “What is the weather like in Montreal today?” Semantic search is now more important than ever with the evolution of voice search, which means you need to continue to work on implementing highly informative and keyword-rich content that search engines can process easily. (more…)
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