Why & How to Track Google Algorithm Updates by @MrDannyGoodwin

Use these resources and Google algorithm monitoring tools to track ranking fluctuations and SERP volatility.

The post Why & How to Track Google Algorithm Updates by @MrDannyGoodwin appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

How to Connect Your Content to What Journalists Want for Top-Tier Links by @shelleywalshuk

Learn how to create content that top-tier publications and journalists would want to link to.

The post How to Connect Your Content to What Journalists Want for Top-Tier Links by @shelleywalshuk appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

What Type of Content Is Most Effective for Attracting Website Traffic? [POLL] by @A_Ninofranco

Which content type is the most effective for bringing website traffic? Discover what the SEJ community had to say.

The post What Type of Content Is Most Effective for Attracting Website Traffic? [POLL] by @A_Ninofranco appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

Digital Marketing News: Facebook’s Subscription Groups & Brand Collabs Manager, New URL Tools at Google, & Employee Advocacy Study

Facebook tests ‘subscription Groups’ that charge for exclusive content
Facebook has begun testing subscription-based Groups among a select array of users, which now allow Group managers to charge monthly for exclusive content, and which will open up new possibilities to digital marketers when rolled out to all users. TechCrunch

Google Search Console URL Inspector Tool Is Still Rolling Out
Google has added several features to its beta Search Console that offer greater insight into indexed URLs, including new more detailed crawl, index, and page-serving information, the Internet giant announced this week. SEO Roundtable

Report: Employee advocacy trumps influencer marketing
Employee advocacy has gotten recommendations that are seen as more trustworthy than those of traditional influencers, while the accurate measurement of return-on-investment (ROI) remains a top challenge for social media marketers, according to interesting recent Sprout Social report data. PR Daily

Advertisers will soon have AdWords tools to test & measure creative elements of YouTube video ads
YouTube advertisers will gain a slew of new testing and measurement utilities in Google AdWords (now known simply as Google Ads), when Google rolls out its Video Experiments, Video Creative Analytics, YouTube Director Mix, and Video Ad Sequencing tools, all currently in beta testing but now being made available to an expanded group of digital marketers. Marketing Land

Influencer Marketing Is Going Mainstream With Facebook’s Upcoming Tool, Brand Collabs Manager
With Facebook Brand Collabs Manager, the social media juggernaut has gone all-in with the increasingly important influencer marketing aspect of digital advertising, providing a slate of tools to easily match audience demographics with suitable influencers. AdWeek

Report: Marketing leaders aren’t keeping up with the speed of data
Leveraging customer data and employee empowerment are sizable challenges among marketing leaders, according to new survey data from Forbes Insights and Treasure Data, with just one in four companies reporting that they can adequately leverage their available data. MarTech Today

Facebook opens up Watch to creators & adds video features to take on YouTube
With new additions to Facebook Watch, the world’s biggest social media service goes head-to-head with YouTube, expanding video options to include Facebook Pages, and the ability to monetize videos with an updated Ad Breaks component. Marketing Land

Performance Card In Google My Business
Google has given companies with a My Business account new ways to measure engagement and reach, with its recently-released Performance Cards for Google Maps feature — a move that offers digital marketers expanded analytics capabilities. Search Engine Roundtable

Facebook now running autoplay video ads in Messenger
Facebook has added auto-play inbox video ads to Messenger, which can be hidden but not entirely turned off, offering digital marketers a greater reach potential, the company announced recently. AdAge

Snapchat experiments with sharing ad revenue with creators
Snapchat’s new ad revenue-sharing program has given Snap digital creators a potential monetary boost similar to the benefits offered by YouTube, the platform announced recently. DigiDay

ON THE LIGHTER SIDE:

A lighthearted look at social media policy, by Marketoonist Tom Fishburne — Marketoonist

NES Classic Edition makes its long-awaited return to retail on June 29 — Venture Beat

Google Earth’s new measuring tool is a fun toy for geography nerds — The Next Web

U.S. reclaims top spot for world’s fastest supercomputer — Venture Beat

TOPRANK MARKETING & CLIENTS IN THE NEWS:

• Lee Odden — How can you leverage data to transform social strategy? TopRank CEO Lee Odden spoke with Rival IQ’s Seth Bridges on The Data-Driven Marketer — Rival IQ
• Lee Odden — Are your influencers buying their followers? — Onalytica (client)
• Lee Odden — Influencers and Media Partners: How to amplify the reach of content — SEMrush
• Lee Odden — 18 Expert Tips for Running Your First Influencer Marketing Campaign — Databox
• Lee Odden — Internet Marketing Influencers with the Widest Social Reach [INFOGRAPHIC] — TechWyse

What are your most important content marketing news stories this week?

Thanks for joining us, and please return next week for another array of the latest digital marketing news, and in the meantime you can follow us at @toprank on Twitter for even more timely daily news. Also, don’t miss the full video summary on our TopRank Marketing TV YouTube Channel.

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© Online Marketing Blog - TopRank®, 2018. | Digital Marketing News: Facebook’s Subscription Groups & Brand Collabs Manager, New URL Tools at Google, & Employee Advocacy Study | http://www.toprankblog.com

The post Digital Marketing News: Facebook’s Subscription Groups & Brand Collabs Manager, New URL Tools at Google, & Employee Advocacy Study appeared first on Online Marketing Blog - TopRank®.

Google May Ignore Keyword Stuffing if Content Has Value by @MattGSouthern

Google’s John Mueller revealed that the search engine’s algorithms do not punish keyword stuffing too harshly. In fact, keyword stuffing may be ignored altogether if the content is found to otherwise have value to searchers. This information was provided on Twitter in response to users inquiring about keyword stuffing. More specifically, a user was concerned about a page ranking well in search results despite obvious signs of keyword repetition. Prefacing his statement with the suggestion to focus on one’s own content rather than someone else’s, Mueller goes on to say that there are over 200 factors used to rank pages […]

The post Google May Ignore Keyword Stuffing if Content Has Value by @MattGSouthern appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

How to Write Content Better & Faster: 10 Secrets to Try Now by @malleeblue

Stop making writing difficult for yourself. Start using these 10 tips to write content better and faster.

The post How to Write Content Better & Faster: 10 Secrets to Try Now by @malleeblue appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

Find, Train & Retain Your Ghostwriter Today: Essential Tactics by @ronlieback

Here's how to find, train and retain a ghostwriter.

The post Find, Train & Retain Your Ghostwriter Today: Essential Tactics by @ronlieback appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

How to Develop a Solid Business Case for Hreflang Implementation by @billhunt

Getting budget for hreflang implementation can be a challenge. Here's how to build a solid business case for it.

The post How to Develop a Solid Business Case for Hreflang Implementation by @billhunt appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

6 Reasons Why Google Says Valid HTML Matters by @martinibuster

Google's Gary Illyes tweeted a reminder of the importance of valid HTML, especially in the head section.

The post 6 Reasons Why Google Says Valid HTML Matters by @martinibuster appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

Ecommerce Website Redesign: A Technical SEO Checklist by @Manish_Analyst

This checklist will help you avoid the most common SEO pitfalls during an ecommerce website redesign.

The post Ecommerce Website Redesign: A Technical SEO Checklist by @Manish_Analyst appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

Need Content? Ask Your Customers These 6 Great Questions by @ashleymadhatter

Ask your customers and potential customers these questions to uncover great new content ideas.

The post Need Content? Ask Your Customers These 6 Great Questions by @ashleymadhatter appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

3 Big Ideas That Will Drive a Fresh Back-to-School PPC Strategy by @john_a_lee

These three data-driven back-to-school PPC ideas can positively impact your entire paid search strategy.

The post 3 Big Ideas That Will Drive a Fresh Back-to-School PPC Strategy by @john_a_lee appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

CMWorld Interview: Path to 1M Monthly Readers Has No Shortcuts, Says J.P. Medved

In her introduction to The Ultimate Guide to Conquering Content Marketing, Content Marketing Institute’s Cathy McPhillips draws several commonalities between content marketing and video games: the interactivity, the trial-and-error learnings, the camradery.

But, while many marketers have their own personal “cheat codes” that help them gain an edge, there are no true hacks in content. Certain video games allow you to tap in a series of commands and gain invincibility, or jump ahead to the next level. Content marketers, however, cannot magically produce an audience or monetization out of thin air.

As the Content Director for Capterra, and also an avowed lover of gaming, J.P. Medved understands this reality. His company’s industry-specific blogs have grown to 1 million monthly readers, and it wasn’t because of any secret elixir.

Instead, Capterra’s success owes to a proven, adoptable strategy tethered to the fundamentals of organization, goals, promotion, and experimentation. Medved will explain this formula in-depth during his Content Marketing World session, Better Than Hacks and Schemes: A Proven Approach to Building Your Audience, and was also kind enough to share some insights with us ahead of the September event.    

Medved has a reputation for being sharply honest and entertaining, and those traits definitely came through during our interview with him. Keep reading to find his thoughts on silent content, scalability, documenting strategies, and content marketing lessons learned from his experience writing fiction.

 

What does your role as Content Marketing Director at Capterra entail? What are your main areas of focus and key priorities?

My day-to-day as a Content Director involves a lot of email and meetings, at this point. We’ve grown to a team of nine writers, six of whom I manage directly, so a lot of my time is devoted to supporting them. I join monthly topic planning meetings with all of them, as well as frequent check-ins with the editors and the marketing folks that support the content we produce. I also now spend a fair amount of time in our analytics and various content management systems just checking in and tracking things.

As we’ve grown—and I suspect this is common in most roles—I’ve transitioned away from being a content producer, to being a content manager. I no longer write content myself, and we centralized editing early last year so I no longer edit individual pieces either. Instead I spend more time coordinating long-term content plans and calendars with other teams in the business, managing content experiments or helping new projects get off the ground, and working with the folks on my team to help advance their career goals.

 

Why should content marketers beware of “hacks” and shortcuts when it comes to growing their audience and impact?

The content marketing world, and the digital marketing space more generally, loves the idea of the Cinderella story. That blog that hits everything just right and experiences exponential, “hockey stick” growth and also there’s a royal wedding involved somehow. But our experience, and that of the vast majority of successful content marketing operations I’m aware of, is actually a lot more boring.

Jimmy Daley of the great animalz.co blog calls it “silent content;” that company that has just been plugging away and producing and refining great content for years, and grown a consistent, large audience and strong search position.  

With Capterra’s content, we’ve grown to a million readers a month, writing in an ostensibly boring, B2B software space, and we never had a breakout “viral” hit, or flashy media coverage, or exponential traffic growth (it’s all been linear). We’ve just been working away at it since 2013, publishing consistently and getting a little bit better each month.

I think if you waste all your time and energy chasing new “hacks” and shortcuts sold to you by whatever case study is making the rounds on YouMoz that week, you never get really good at the fundamentals of content marketing; the block-and-tackle of creating and promoting really great, helpful—if unassuming—content. As a result your growth, though it may experience the occasional spike, will actually slow and it’ll take you more time to build a sustainable traffic base in the long-run.

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If you waste all your time and energy chasing new “hacks” & shortcuts, you never get really good at the fundamentals of content marketing. @rizzleJPizzle #CMWorld
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What are the most pivotal roles in developing an effective and scalable content strategy?

Scalability is still something we struggle with, having grown the team 6X in the last four years. The biggest lesson I’ve learned is actually to bring on/promote other managers earlier than you think you need it. Assuming an average writer production schedule of two, 1,500 word articles a week, a full-time manager can effectively manage and edit 3-4 writers. If they’re not editing (you bring in a centralized editing team, or use a round-robin method, or delegate to senior writers), that number goes up to 6-7.  

But you should have someone in place to help you well before you hit that number, not only to give them time to ramp-up and learn management skills, but also to allow you to plan effectively for new hires and content coverage growth.

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The biggest lesson content I’ve learned is actually to bring on/promote other managers earlier than you think you need it. @rizzleJPizzle #CMWorld
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Why is experimentation so critical in the content creation process?

Most of our content fails. Like, over 90% of it. And that’s not at all uncommon in the content marketing world. If everyone knew the exact ingredients to a “viral” content piece, that’s all anyone would produce. But we don’t know. Pieces I think will do really well, more-often-than-not sink without a trace, and pieces that seem like throwaways can take off because they’ve tapped into some pent-up need in the marketplace of ideas.

So we try to test a lot. 50% or more of our content is trying out new topics or channels or formats, and the other 50% is either updating successful past content, or scaling up a content type that our previous testing has discovered works.

I differ here from the current received-wisdom in the content marketing industry. Right now it’s hip to say content marketers need to produce fewer pieces of longer, higher quality content. But I actually argue you should produce a higher volume of content (at least early on) to discover what “hits” with your particular audience, so you can scale that later.

Brian Dean of Backlinko is often the poster-child of the “publish less, publish higher-quality” model, and I love his content and he’s obviously been very successful. But might he have been more successful publishing weekly instead of monthly? Could he have sacrificed a little bit of length to experiment with a broader range of topic ideas earlier on before scaling the ones that worked? I think it’s possible.

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You should produce a higher volume of content (at least early on) to discover what “hits” with your particular audience, so you can scale that later. @rizzleJPizzle #CMWorld
Click To Tweet

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What are the most common mistakes you see individuals and companies make when developing and launching a blog?

The biggest one is not taking content marketing seriously. That manifests itself in two major tactical mistakes: not hiring someone to do content full-time, and trying to squeeze direct revenue out of content in the first year.

If no one’s doing content full-time, then content just becomes a side project for someone at your company who may-or-may-not get to it once they finish their “real work” for the day. We tried this model for years and never got any traction with our content until someone owned it full-time and could devote themselves to thinking about it strategically and producing content consistently.

And you should not try to monetize your content in the first year. It will distort your writing, even if you think you can guard against it, and result in lower-quality, less helpful, more salesy content. Focus on creating content that is genuinely helpful for your audience first, and you will build reader trust for any kind of monetization scheme you want to implement later down the road.

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If no one’s doing content full-time, then content just becomes a side project for someone at your company who may-or-may-not get to it once they finish their real work for the day. @rizzleJPizzle #CMWorld
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Why is it important for businesses to have a documented content strategy, as opposed to an intangible framework?

I think people get intimidated when you say, “You need to have a documented content strategy” because they envision this 30-page document written in corporate buzzwords that will take a month to create. But we literally started with nothing more than a two-page Word doc with some bullet points listing our short and long-term goals/metrics, the type of content we wanted to create, and who was responsible for what aspects.

The benefits to us of even something that basic have been huge. Actually writing it down forced us to think through the specifics and showed us where the gaps in our plan were, having agreed-upon goals and timelines upfront made for easier team and executive buy-in, and it gave us something to refer back to when we had questions about whether a new content idea fit our overall goals.

 

What have you learned in your ‘side hustle’ as a fiction novelist that applies to your day job as a content marketer?

For writing fiction I spent a lot of time studying story structure, and plot architecture, and all the elements that make a story really “flow” and feel effortless to people reading it. What struck me is how many of the same principles apply to a content piece.

You want to start off with a strong “hook” that introduces an element of mystery and makes the reader want to know more, your “climax” needs to deliver a memorable experience or information, and the dénouement has to be satisfying. A novel that doesn’t tie up loose ends in the last few chapters is as unsatisfying as a blog post that doesn’t include a concrete next step or call to action in the last few paragraphs.

 

Which speaker presentations are you looking forward to most at Content Marketing World 2018?

I love video games, so I’m excited to hear Jane Weedon of Twitch give her talk. I’ve also always been fascinated by the science behind online behavior, so Brian Massey’s talk on Behavioral Science for Content Marketers is high on my list as well.

Find Your Path to Content Marketing Greatness

Consistency, experimentation, and getting better each month: They might not be the stuff of Cinderella stories, but in the real world these techniques work and Medved’s team serves as living proof.

He is one of many CMWorld speakers who contributed to The Ultimate Guide to Conquering Content Marketing, so as we look forward to seeing them on stage in Cleveland, make sure to soak in all their awesome advice by clicking through the slides below:

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© Online Marketing Blog - TopRank®, 2018. | CMWorld Interview: Path to 1M Monthly Readers Has No Shortcuts, Says J.P. Medved | http://www.toprankblog.com

The post CMWorld Interview: Path to 1M Monthly Readers Has No Shortcuts, Says J.P. Medved appeared first on Online Marketing Blog - TopRank®.

Google Updates and Consolidates Advertising Products by @martinibuster

Google updated the entire suite of advertising products. Change affects enterprise to small business advertisers.

The post Google Updates and Consolidates Advertising Products by @martinibuster appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

5 Ways to Easily Set Up an SEO Content Strategy by @JuliaEMcCoy

Learn how to build an SEO content strategy that results in powerful, effective content and earns high-quality organic traffic.

The post 5 Ways to Easily Set Up an SEO Content Strategy by @JuliaEMcCoy appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

How to Prevent Call Fraud in PPC Campaigns by @ChandalN

What's the value of PPC calls and how does the industry prevent call fraud in PPC? Find out here.

The post How to Prevent Call Fraud in PPC Campaigns by @ChandalN appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

How Digital Video Advertising Will Dominate the Next Decade by @cchaitanya

Learn how – and why – marketers should pay better attention to digital video advertising.

The post How Digital Video Advertising Will Dominate the Next Decade by @cchaitanya appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

STUDY: How Volatile Are Google’s Featured Snippets? by @MrDannyGoodwin

A new study reveals how volatile Google's featured snippets are and which websites get the most featured snippets.

The post STUDY: How Volatile Are Google’s Featured Snippets? by @MrDannyGoodwin appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

SEO & Quality Assurance: Getting Serious About SEO QA Testing by @therealseoradar

Here's how you can use SEORadar to automate the process of SEO QA testing.

The post SEO & Quality Assurance: Getting Serious About SEO QA Testing by @therealseoradar appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

9 Simple Steps to Creating an Effective Social Media Strategy by @lisabuyer

Use this step-by-step guide to create and document a purposeful social media marketing strategy.

The post 9 Simple Steps to Creating an Effective Social Media Strategy by @lisabuyer appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

How to Write Content for Each Stage of Your Sales Funnel by @krisjonescom

Discover what type of content you should implement at each stage of your sales funnel.

The post How to Write Content for Each Stage of Your Sales Funnel by @krisjonescom appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

3 Ways Content Reuse Can Supercharge Your Marketing by @kevlindsay

Here are three ways content reuse can help supercharge your content marketing efforts today.

The post 3 Ways Content Reuse Can Supercharge Your Marketing by @kevlindsay appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

5 Powerful Types (And Examples) of Link-Worthy Content

Since the inception of the search engine, marketers have spent an obscene amount of time optimizing their content and strategy for search. And while the old days of keyword stuffing and other black-hat SEO tactics are behind (most marketers), there's two constants that remain the same for driving organic search results: The importance of good content and getting credible links to that good content. In fact, Google’s former Search Quality Senior Strategist and current Partner Development Manager, Andre Lippattsev, made it official in a recent interview stating that content and backlinks were the top two ranking factors in Google’s elusive algorithm. As a result, there’s little doubt that we marketers must create something irresistible for searchers and search engines if we want to score good results. via GIPHY To help you create link-worthy content that has the potential to generate credible referrals and backlinks, and give organic visibility a boost, here are five types of content worthy of consideration.

#1 - Original Research

Marketers are always looking for credible facts, statistics, and insights to not only understand more about their industry and keep up on trends, but also bolster their own content. As a result, original research can be an incredibly powerful and link-attracting piece of content. For example, the Content Marketing Institute’s State of B2B Content Marketing Annual Report is a something we often reference and link to in our own blog posts. With statistics that highlight common content marketing trends, patterns, and pain points for B2B marketers, their report helps us learn more about our industry, but also reinforce our some of our own marketing philosophies and present the facts. As a result, CMI’s 2018 report has over 2,000 inbound links. Source: Moz Link Explorer Conducting your own industry research, however, is a time- and resource-intensive task. We know this first-hand from our own experience working with DivvyHQ to create our 2018 Content Planning Survey. To make sure that you’re putting together accurate, quality research, there are some guidelines you’ll want to follow. For instance, you’ll want to get a large enough sample size for your survey or study to ensure that your findings represent your industry accurately—you don’t want to collect only a few responses from people you know. In addition, avoid open-ended questions when conducting research as you’ll want to make sure that your findings are quantitative. And as with any content you create, make sure you have a robust amplification plan in place to drive awareness. In the end, if you’re able to put together fresh, useful research, your audience will find value and insight, and sources who cite your research will be compelled to link to your report, increasing your number of inbound links and (hopefully) rankings.

#2 - Infographics

Original research isn’t the only thing readers and sources rely on to find new, relevant insights that help them tell their stories. As a visual, engaging way to digest a lot of information at once, infographics are another type of linkable asset that resonates with readers and sources alike. Loaded with quotes, graphics, statistics, and more, infographics house plenty of information without overwhelming your audience. Packed with helpful insights, it’s no wonder that other sites will link to a beautiful infographic over a text-heavy white paper. For example, GetVoIP, a cloud communications advisory, created an infographic on “How To Get More Energy At Work.” The infographic resulted in 66 inbound links and was also picked up by Entrepreneur.com. If you’ve already done some original research as suggested above, creating an infographic is a great way to promote or get some additional life out of your research report. However, infographics can also be curated from credible sources representing statistics, quotes, and data in new, visual ways. To create infographics that readers and sources alike will appreciate, look at your existing content for repurposing opportunities. For example, you could take one of your top-performing, stat-packed blog posts and turn it into an infographic for an easy win. Or, find credible sources with data points that support the tips or takeaways you want to share and turn them into fun graphics. And of course, make sure the data and facts included are highly relevant to your target audience, and you have an amplification plan in place.

#3 - Online Tools & Resources

The two previous types of link-worthy content focus heavily on earning links through data. However, data isn’t the only link-worthy type of content. Inbound links are also earned by providing helpful tools and resources to your readers. The more “bookmark-able” resources you can produce, the more links you have the opportunity to capture. What kind of tools or resources are we talking about? Check out HubSpot’s Blog Ideas Generator as an example below. While there isn’t a lot of visible content on the page, there is a lot of value in the tool itself as it can help solve a big pain point among their target audience: writer’s block. And the results of providing something so useful are substantial with the tool generating over 12,000 inbound links and 200 ranking keywords. Source: Moz Link Explorer Besides an idea generator, you could also create a calculator, calendar, or even just a listicle of helpful tools and resources. As an example, our own blog post featuring over 100 Search Engine Marketing Resources is one of our most linked-to pages with 3,114 inbound links.

#4 - Rankings

Rankings are also helpful, link-worthy types of content. People want to know who the best people are to follow on LinkedIn, what tools are best for employee advocacy, or what the top tactics are for generating leads. And creating a ranking is one of the ways you can offer those recommendations. Content that shares valuable, must-know information is what earns the most links, and rankings definitely tick that box. Plus, the individuals or brands featured on your list are also likely to share and link to your ranking in order to promote their accomplishment. In fact, Great Place to Work published their annual list of the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For and received over 350 inbound links in just under six months. When creating your own rankings, make sure you have a set process or methodology. There needs to be a clear rationale behind your choices. This shows your readers and potential link sources how you reached your ranking decisions, adding to the credibility of your list. And again, make sure you have an amplification plan in place before launch.

#5 - Guides & Tutorials

Another type of resource that gets a lot of attention from other sources on the web are guides and tutorials. As the “one-stop shop” for everything you need to know on a given subject or task, guides and tutorials are helpful links for others to add to their content. For example, Blockgeeks, a blockchain training and education platform, created an in-depth guide on Bitcoin containing over 2,800 words. The power page has resulted in over 800 inbound links and 180 ranking keywords for Blockgeeks. Source: Moz Link Explorer To build those in-depth content opportunities, use tools like SEMrush.com to identify relevant variations of a keyword you would like to target. For example, if you want to cover the topic “document management,” the Keyword Magic Tool will give you a list of all of the related long-tail and question keyword variations to tackle in your guide like “document management software,” “what is document management,” “how does document management work,” and “why document management is important.” Those keyword variations should then serve as the outline for your guide, ensuring that you cover all of the relevant questions and topics your audience and sources might like to learn about. And while it’s already been said in this piece, I’ll say it again: make sure you have an amplification plan beyond SEO to drive awareness, engagement, and clicks.

Give Them Something to “Link About”

Searchers and search engines are on the hunt for quality, insightful content to answer questions, bolster their research, and share with their audiences. By strategically creating guides, resources, research reports, or infographics, you can serve up useful, insightful, and link-worthy content that leaves them thinking: via GIPHY Just remember to keep quality and usefulness top of mind when creating your content. As our own CEO, Lee Odden, says:

No matter how many tactics you find here and elsewhere, there simply is no substitute for creating content that others may find useful.

[bctt tweet="No matter how many tactics you find here and elsewhere, there simply is no substitute for creating content that others may find useful. - @leeodden" username="toprank"] Earning backlinks is one of the most important factors when it comes to improving your organic search rankings. Have a highly competitive word you want to rank for? Check out our guide on how to rank for competitive keywords.

The post 5 Powerful Types (And Examples) of Link-Worthy Content appeared first on Online Marketing Blog - TopRank®.

How to Spy on Your Competitors to Capture Similar Links by @annaleacrowe

Here's how to figure out which of the links your competitors have earned are worth pursuing.

The post How to Spy on Your Competitors to Capture Similar Links by @annaleacrowe appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

Why Your SEO Focus Should Be Brand Building by @bsmarketer

It’s time for smaller brands to invest more into brand building to compete with big brands in Google SERPs.

The post Why Your SEO Focus Should Be Brand Building by @bsmarketer appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

Digital Marketing News: Instagram Adds Hour-Long Videos With IGTV, Weeding Out Influencers Who Buy Followers, & Mobile’s Vast Growth

With IGTV, Instagram Takes Aim at YouTube
Instagram has added the ability to upload videos up to an hour long, with the launch of its new IGTV feature, offering digital marketers a much bigger video canvas. Instagram also announced that it has broken through the one billion user barrier. Wired

Unilever stops working with digital media influencers who buy followers
Unilever has ceased working with social media influencers who buy followers, a first-of-its-kind effort to increase influencer transparency, the mega-brand recently announced. Marketing Land

Marketing-driven revenue from mobile apps has grown 80% since 2016
Marketers focusing on mobile may be on the right track, as mobile apps have driven a vast 80 percent marketing revenue expansion since 2016, according to voluminous new report data from Facebook and marketing analytics firm AppsFlyer, detailing major differences among the gaming, shopping, and travel markets. Venture Beat

For $150, Most Users Will Sell Personal Information to Brands
$150 would persuade most consumers to sell certain portions of their personal data to their favorite brands, according to recent survey data of U.S., U.K., and German Internet users. eMarketer

Reddit brings autoplay native video ads to desktop and mobile
Reddit’s traditionally sparse advertising will make way for new auto-play video ads on both its mobile and desktop sites, the increasingly popular social news aggregation, content rating, and discussion website announced recently. Tech Crunch

Instagram’s new shopping bag icon adds e-commerce element to advertisers’ Stories
Instagram has given certain advertisers new e-commerce features that will add a shopping bag icon to Instagram Stories, a move that could eventually be rolled out to all advertisers. Marketing Land

Google replacing video boxes with video carousel on desktop search
Google has moved almost completely to the carousel format for videos among desktop search results, providing new opportunities for digital marketers. Search Engine Land

Twitter Launches New Site to Provide Insights into How to Make Best Use of the Platform
Twitter launched its Twitter Media site to help digital marketers best make use of the platform’s latest features, including case studies and other best-practice-oriented content. Social Media Today

Bing Ads With Enhanced Targeting Settings & Dimensions Tab
Bing rolled out new advertising features including more precise location and device targeting, along with upgraded analytics information with a new Bing Ads Dimensions feature. SEO Roundtable

YouTube Like & Dislike Counts Are Now More Accurate
YouTube updated the way it tabulates video likes and dislikes, in an effort to combat spam, a move than should prove beneficial to digital marketers. Search Engine Journal

Want to Win Over Millennials and Gen Z? Vice’s New Study Says Brands Should Get Spiritual
The key elements marketers most need to tap into when targeting millennials and Gen-Z include surprises such as spirituality, according to new study data by Vice. Vice

ON THE LIGHTER SIDE:

A lighthearted look at the personalization gap in marketing, by Marketoonist Tom Fishburne — Marketoonist

The EU’s bizarre war on memes is totally unwinnable — Wired

Look! Up in the Sky! It’s a Flying Orange Man With Wieners on His Belt! — AdWeek

TOPRANK MARKETING & CLIENTS IN THE NEWS:

• Ashley Zeckman — What’s Trending: Ride the Marketing Merry-Go-Round — LinkedIn (client)
• Lee Odden — The Keys to Successful B2B Content and Influence Programs — WriterAccess

What are your top content marketing news stories this week?

Thanks for stopping by, and please join us next week for another lineup of the latest digital marketing news, and in the meantime you can follow us at @toprank on Twitter for even more timely daily news. Also, don’t miss the full video summary on our TopRank Marketing TV YouTube Channel.

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© Online Marketing Blog - TopRank®, 2018. | Digital Marketing News: Instagram Adds Hour-Long Videos With IGTV, Weeding Out Influencers Who Buy Followers, & Mobile’s Vast Growth | http://www.toprankblog.com

The post Digital Marketing News: Instagram Adds Hour-Long Videos With IGTV, Weeding Out Influencers Who Buy Followers, & Mobile’s Vast Growth appeared first on Online Marketing Blog - TopRank®.