Wednesday, 31 October 2018

Structured Data Google Penalties – 5 Mistakes to Avoid by @martinibuster

Five simple tips to avoid a Google penalty from your Structured Data.

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Bing Ads Introduces Recurring Insertion Orders by @MattGSouthern

Bing Ads advertisers can now create insertion orders that automatically renew after a set period of time.

The post Bing Ads Introduces Recurring Insertion Orders by @MattGSouthern appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

Google Redesigns the Hotel Search Experience on Desktop by @MattGSouthern

Google is rolling out a redesigned hotel search experience on desktop, which mirrors the redesign introduced to mobile search.

The post Google Redesigns the Hotel Search Experience on Desktop by @MattGSouthern appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

Google Ads Introduces “New vs. Returning” Store Visits Segmentation by @MattGSouthern

Google Ads advertisers who measure store visits can now utilize a "New vs Returning" segmentation.

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Twitter Doubling its Character Limit from 140 to 280 Has Not Led to Longer Tweets by @MattGSouthern

It has been a year since Twitter doubled its character limit from 140 to 280. Here's what has changed.

The post Twitter Doubling its Character Limit from 140 to 280 Has Not Led to Longer Tweets by @MattGSouthern appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

19 SEO Horror Stories That Will Scare the Hell Out of You by @alextachalova

19 SEO experts share about the most terrifying SEO horror stories that they had ever faced in their career.

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Are Any of These 3 Things Draining Your Passion for SEO? by @casieg

Here are a few challenges facing SEO professionals and how we can work to address them.

The post Are Any of These 3 Things Draining Your Passion for SEO? by @casieg appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

6 Scary Good Tips to Take Your Content Marketing ‘Beyond the Grave’

Save Your Content Marketing Campaign from the Digital Graveyard

Save Your Content Marketing Campaign from the Digital Graveyard After conjuring all the budget, talent, and creativity you can muster, the moment you release your content marketing campaign into the digital wild is devilishly satisfying. All your hard work comes alive right before your very eyes, and that’s certainly cause for celebration. via GIPHY But after the campaign lives its best life, what will its fate be? Oftentimes, all that spooktastic work is retired to the content marketing graveyard. However, with the right mix of will and witchcraft, your campaigns can be saved from the digital depths of darkness and be given new life. How? Below we offer several frightfully fantastic tips to take your content marketing campaign well beyond the grave.

#1 - Consult your book of spells before going into the wild.

Campaigns create spine-tingling spikes in activity. But that excitement can quickly die out if there’s not significant investment in ongoing organic and paid promotion—or if it falls flat for your target audience. As a result, early-on in the campaign planning process you should consult your documented book of spells—your documented content marketing strategy—to ensure your campaign can contribute to delivering value and insight to your audience and drive toward your objectives. via GIPHY As Robert Rose, Chief Troublemaker at The Content Advisory, told us earlier this year: “As part of the creation process, we have to ask how every piece of content we create delivers value to our audience first, and us second. It is an approach that will never fail.” As you consult your spell book, some questions to ask yourself include:
  • Will this campaign deliver value to my audience now and in the future?
  • Will this campaign help me achieve my overarching marketing goals?
  • How will I amplify campaign content long-term?
  • How will this campaign content lend itself to other marketing efforts going forward?
  • What tactical considerations do I need to consider to extend the life of this campaign?
Read: Better Together: Why Your Content Marketing Campaigns & Always-On Programs Should Work Together

#2 - Identify when, where, and how you’ll spin your web of amplification.

Sometimes, there’s no substitute for the tried-and-true. I mean, everybody knows that garlic is a powerful vampire repellent, right? So, when it comes to maximizing the visibility of your content marketing campaigns, you need to think on-site and offsite. For the former, consider cross-linking as an SEO fundamental. For the later, remember that cross-channel amplification is a must. By creating a plan of cross-linking attack, you can ensure that your campaign content is relevantly represented within existing site content—and that the anchor text supports optimization for search. A good place to start is conducting a mini content audit on your keyword topic area of choice. This will allow you to identify top performing content your campaign can help bolster, as well as potential gaps that your campaign can fill in the blanks for. When it comes to developing your amplification plan, remember that it's not just about social media. Certainly, that can be your starting point, but there are dozens of other tactics to include in your strategy securing third-party editorials or links, writing guest posts for industry blogs, email marketing, and so on. [bctt tweet="By creating a plan of cross-linking attack, you can ensure that your campaign content is relevantly represented within existing site content—and that the anchor text supports optimization for search. #ContentMarketing #SEO" username="toprank"] Read: 50 Content Promotion Tactics to Help Your Great Content Get Amazing Exposure

#3 - Infect the minds of your audience with stunning visual CTAs.

Humans are visual creatures by nature. And perhaps one of the best ways to enchant your audience is through the use of infectious visual CTAs across your channels—particularly on your website. Let’s start with social: Your social media amplification plan should absolutely include visual content and messaging that intrigues and inspires your audience to take action. And to breath new life into the campaign, take the time to refresh the creative. When it comes to your website, our advice is scary simple: Attractive and compelling imagery can and should be used on relevant, high-traffic pages to capture the minds of the visitors you’ve already enticed to come to the site. via GIPHY They’ve already made it to your site, so make the most of it. If you’ve followed the previous tip, identifying some of the right pages will be streamlined.

#4 - Perfect the creature you’ve created.

Whether your initial campaign results are great or grisly, the beauty of digital and content marketing is the ability to optimize on the fly. via GIPHY Is some of your organic social messaging falling flat? Dig into native analytics to see which messages are resonating and look for themes. Then take what you’ve learned to create a new round of messaging to release. Did you work with influencers and want to unleash more reach? Make sure you’ve made it incredibly easy for them to share by providing pre-written messages and graphics. If you’ve done that, follow up with some initial results—and another round of pre-written messaging—to renew excitement. Are you gaining traction in organic search for derivatives of your target keyword? Consider tweaking the on-page and technical SEO content where it makes sense to help widen your search umbrella. The big takeaway here? Always be monitoring results and looking for hair-raising opportunities. [bctt tweet="Always be monitoring your #contentmarketing campaign results and looking for hair-raising opportunities. @CaitlinMBurgess" username="toprank"]

#5 - Resurrect creativity by repurposing content for different audiences.

Campaign content—especially if it includes the unique perspectives and tips of influencers—is a frighteningly fabulous candidate for repurposing. From white papers and eBooks to blog posts and original or third-party research, all of that robust and niche content has the potential to be carved into something new. For TopRank Marketing’s CEO Lee Odden, microcontent is a ghoulish treat. “Snackable content can often be managed and repurposed like ingredients to create a main course,” Lee says. “On their own, short form content like quotes, tips, and statistics are useful for social network shares and as added credibility to blog posts, eBooks, and articles.” Read: A Tasty, Strategic Addition to the Content Marketing Table: ‘Repurposed Content Cobbler’ [bctt tweet="Snackable content can often be managed and repurposed like ingredients to create a main course. @leeodden #ContentMarketing #repurposing" username="toprank"]

#6 - Use paid hocus pocus to get extra lift.

In today’s gravely competitive market, pay-to-play digital marketing tactics have become a spellbinding part of the digital marketing mix, especially when it comes to making a splash with a campaign. If you’re struggling to get traction on your PPC or paid social efforts, start by looking at your keywords and/or messaging and how they relate to the content you’re promoting. Quality, relevant content is the foundation of digital advertising. As our own Annie Leuman points out, “There’s content behind every SERP.” And the same is true for any marketing channel. From there, consider how and where you’re targeting, and implement tweaks. via GIPHY If a campaign is already exceeding objectives and expectations, consider pushing the limits a bit by experimenting with different paid tactics. For example, if you’ve had great success with LinkedIn, consider building a similar audience on Twitter. Or add more budget and expand your audience on the channels that are already working.

Rise Your Content Marketing Campaigns From the Dead

If you’re about to embark on a new campaign initiative, take time to figure out how your new treat will fit in your bag of tricks. In addition, whether you’re mid-campaign or want to resurrect something ancient, embrace tactics such as cross-linking and ongoing optimization that have delightfully haunted the profession for years. Finally, get creative with repurposing and paid tactics to extend the life of your campaign. It takes will, work, and a bit of witchcraft, but your content marketing campaigns can escape the grave. No content marketing campaign is beyond saving. So, get to work—and you’ll see who has the last cackle. via GIPHY Don't let the untapped potential of your content marketing campaigns haunt you. Cure invisible content syndrome with these tips and insights from some of the industry's leading marketers.

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Tuesday, 30 October 2018

Google Celebrates Halloween With First-Ever Multiplayer Google Doodle by @MattGSouthern

Google is getting in the Halloween spirit with a first-of-its-kind Google Doodle.

The post Google Celebrates Halloween With First-Ever Multiplayer Google Doodle by @MattGSouthern appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

Google AdSense Policy Change: All New Sites Need to be Verified by @MattGSouthern

Google is making a change to AdSense that will require every new site to go through a verification process.

The post Google AdSense Policy Change: All New Sites Need to be Verified by @MattGSouthern appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

Should You Disavow a Link That Sends Lots of Traffic? by @jennyhalasz

Should you disavow links from low DA sites? What if they're sending you lots of traffic? Find out here.

The post Should You Disavow a Link That Sends Lots of Traffic? by @jennyhalasz appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

Link Building for Small Businesses: 7 Tactics That Really Work by @amelioratethis

Link building can work for small businesses. Here are seven tactics you can try out now.

The post Link Building for Small Businesses: 7 Tactics That Really Work by @amelioratethis appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

20 More Dumb Jokes for Smart Marketers

Dumb Marketing Jokes

Dumb Marketing Jokes A great pun is like a great digital marketing campaign: If you do it right, it will stick with people until they’re compelled to share it — even the simplest ones require a level of sophistication to make and to appreciate. Every marketer I know is incredibly smart — whether it’s my team at TopRank Marketing, the influencers and thought leaders we work with, or the folks I’ve met at marketing conventions. Marketers are sharp, detail-oriented, intellectually rigorous, and susceptible to flattery. So, if you’re a smart digital or content marketer, take a break from your challenging, rewarding work and enjoy these jokes. And remember: If your colleagues don’t laugh, they’re just not as sophisticated as you.

20 Dumb Jokes for Smart Marketers

1. Q: Why did Dracula add the Creature from the Black Lagoon to his marketing team? A: A-COUNT based marketing…at scale! 2. I made a joke about organic reach on Facebook… nobody got it. 3. My marketer friend quit and started a bakery. I tried to walk in the door and this big swatch of fabric popped up and blocked my way! I backed up; it disappeared. I walked forward, big cloth thing in the way again! “Hey,” I shouted at my friend, “I can’t get in!” “Oh, sorry,” she says, “You have to click on the banner to accept cookies.” 4. I hired an earthworm, a centipede and a millipede to do my email marketing. They’re really good at segmentation. 5. I’ve been retweeted a couple times by Altimeter Group — but I take little Solis in that fact. 6. I’m doing content marketing for a cheese company. We’re creating blog posts and a few grated assets. That Was a Gouda Joke Meme 7. I like to run all my AB tests in reverse after the first round. I call it AB/BA testing. It’s great, but only works if your target audience are dancing queens, young and sweet, only 17. 8. I have this marketer friend who still believes in last-touch attribution. He just opened a brick-and-mortar store. He says his highest-performing sales rep is the counter in front of the cash register. 9. Knock, knock! Who’s there? Documented content marketing strategy! Documented content marketing strategy who? I’m not surprised you didn’t recognize me… Joe Pulizzi was right. 10. I nicknamed my cat “The Vast Majority of Social Media,” because he doesn’t like me, follow me, or share anything. 11. And I nicknamed my dog “Number of Twitter Followers,” because he doesn’t pay the bills but he makes me feel important. Woof, That Joke Was Ruff Meme 12. How many CRO experts does it take to change a light bulb? 100 the first time, 98 the second time, 93 the third time, 104 the fourth time, 25 the fifth time…. 13. I handed Scott Brinker my iPhone and he scratched it! Then he picked up my tablet and scratched it, too! He even put a dent in my Google Home! I said, “Scott, what are you doing?” He said, “What I do best: mar tech!” 14. Knock, knock! Who’s there? Brand standards! Brand standards who? Sorry, knock-knock jokes don’t fit our mission and purpose statement. Could you tell this as a light bulb joke instead? 15. I’ve lined up Scooby-Doo, Rin Tin Tin, and Lassie for my latest eBook. I call it influencer barketing. We don’t have signed contracts, but we shook on it. 16. Have you heard about the tech startup trying to disrupt honey marketing? They go on and on about the  “authenticity” of their bees and their “next-generation bleeding-edge hive.” If you ask me, it’s all buzzwords. 17. I’m trying to get in shape, so every time I schedule a post on social media, I do ten push-ups. I’m already getting Buffer. 18. So a social media marketer lost his job and went to work on a farm. He worked hard, but had one weird quirk: every morning, he would do a belly flop into the hog trough! After a few days, the farmer had enough. “You city folks sure are strange,” the farmer said. “Why are you always floppin’ headfirst into the pig slop?” “Sorry, force of habit,” the social media marketer replied. “I’m trying to make an impression in your feed.” 19. Jokes about amplification are only funny if everyone gets them. 20. Hey, pirate marketer, do you have trouble proving that your campaigns generate revenue? “Arr! Oh, aye.” Parrots, The Original Retweeters Meme

Great Marketing Is No Joke

I said up top that great puns and great marketing campaigns have a lot in common. Here’s one important difference: A joke is a single discrete unit, meant to score a laugh and then vanish so the next joke can hit. Marketing campaigns work best when they’re an always-on, sustained effort that builds a relationship. So, you should use creativity, humor and even wordplay in your marketing. But don’t just toss out individual jokes and expect them to do the heavy lifting. For example, I wrote ten puns just last week for a client, hoping at least one of them would go viral. Unfortunately… No pun in ten did. Ready for more laughs? Fear not. We got 'em.

The post 20 More Dumb Jokes for Smart Marketers appeared first on Online Marketing Blog - TopRank®.

Are Facebook and Twitter Winning Against Fake News? by @martinibuster

Research shows effectiveness of Facebook and Twitter against fake news. But much work remains.

The post Are Facebook and Twitter Winning Against Fake News? by @martinibuster appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

Monday, 29 October 2018

WebSite Auditor Review: One Tool for Tech Audit & On-Page SEO by @linkassistant

Discover a powerful tool that can be used for both technical audit and on-page optimization.

The post WebSite Auditor Review: One Tool for Tech Audit & On-Page SEO by @linkassistant appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

LinkedIn Company Pages Can Now Publish Video Content Directly from Vimeo by @MattGSouthern

Vimeo has announced an integration with LinkedIn that will allow company pages to publish content uploaded to the video platform.

The post LinkedIn Company Pages Can Now Publish Video Content Directly from Vimeo by @MattGSouthern appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

Google Campaign Manager Now Offers LinkedIn Ad Attribution by @MattGSouthern

LinkedIn has integrated with Google Campaign Manager, which will allow advertisers to get attribution for LinkedIn ads across platforms.

The post Google Campaign Manager Now Offers LinkedIn Ad Attribution by @MattGSouthern appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

Google’s Homepage on Mobile Receives a Major Redesign by @MattGSouthern

Google's homepage on mobile devices now contains a lot more than just a search bar.

The post Google’s Homepage on Mobile Receives a Major Redesign by @MattGSouthern appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

5 Ways Ecommerce Brands Should Approach Content Marketing by @Manish_Analyst

Here are five ways ecommerce brands can establish themselves through content marketing.

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11 Ways to Get Started with Chatbots for Facebook Messenger by @KristiKellogg

Discover 11 ways to get started with chatbots on Facebook Messenger.

The post 11 Ways to Get Started with Chatbots for Facebook Messenger by @KristiKellogg appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

How to Boost Your Visibility on Google Images by @lorenbaker

Learn actionable tips that can help boost your images’ visibility on Google Images considerably.

The post How to Boost Your Visibility on Google Images by @lorenbaker appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

B2B Influencer Marketing Interview: Martin Jones, Cox Communications

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Google Shares How 301 Redirects Pass PageRank by @martinibuster

Google's John Muller reveals Google's process for assigning PageRank with 301 redirects.

The post Google Shares How 301 Redirects Pass PageRank by @martinibuster appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

More Things to Do After a Rankings Decline by @martinibuster

A publisher asks what they can do after rankings decline, recovery, then a decline. John Mueller responds.

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Google Tests Double Featured Snippets by @martinibuster

Google is testing Double Featured Snippets, resulting in just 2 organic links in the SERPs.

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Sunday, 28 October 2018

8 of the Best SEO Project Management Tools by @annaleacrowe

Looking for the best SEO project management tool? We give you the skinny on Asana, Basecamp, TeamWork, and more.

The post 8 of the Best SEO Project Management Tools by @annaleacrowe appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

Friday, 26 October 2018

Snapchat Launches a Desktop App for Adding Filters to Streaming Videos by @MattGSouthern

Snapchat has launched a desktop app, called Snap Camera, which lets users add filters to live streams and video chats.

The post Snapchat Launches a Desktop App for Adding Filters to Streaming Videos by @MattGSouthern appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

Google Ads Brings New Features to the Ad Preview and Diagnosis Tool by @MattGSouthern

Google rolled out new features to the Ad Preview and Diagnosis tool, providing more insight into who's seeing specific ads.

The post Google Ads Brings New Features to the Ad Preview and Diagnosis Tool by @MattGSouthern appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

Google Rolls Out ‘.new’ Domains as Shortcuts for Creating G Suite Files by @MattGSouthern

Google has created '.new' domains that people can use as a quick way to create new G Suite files.

The post Google Rolls Out ‘.new’ Domains as Shortcuts for Creating G Suite Files by @MattGSouthern appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

Google Debunks Spooky Google Maps Myths by @MattGSouthern

Are these spooky images captured on Google Maps really as scary as they seem?

The post Google Debunks Spooky Google Maps Myths by @MattGSouthern appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

Top 15 PayPal Alternatives to Power Your Ecommerce Site by @KristiKellogg

Check out these 15 alternatives to the popular online payment processing platform – Paypal.

The post Top 15 PayPal Alternatives to Power Your Ecommerce Site by @KristiKellogg appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

An Influencer’s Guide to Facebook Messenger Marketing by @virginianussey

This guide will help grow your network and influence with Facebook Messenger as your marketing platform.

The post An Influencer’s Guide to Facebook Messenger Marketing by @virginianussey appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

Which Signal Is Most Important When Ranking New Content? [POLL] by @A_Ninofranco

Our Twitter community weighs in on what they think is the most important factor for ranking brand new content.

The post Which Signal Is Most Important When Ranking New Content? [POLL] by @A_Ninofranco appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

Twitter Lost 9 Million Monthly Active Users Last Quarter by @MattGSouthern

Twitter has released its latest quarterly report, revealing its monthly user count dropped by 9 million in Q3 2018.

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Bing Enhances Product Ads With Multiple Images, Ratings, More by @MattGSouthern

Bing introduced a series of enhancements to product ads and shopping campaigns just in time for the busy holiday season.

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Google Enhances Click-to-Message Ads With Email Forwarding and Auto Replies by @MattGSouthern

Google has announced a series of improvements to its advertising solutions ahead of the holiday season.

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Digital Marketing News: Google’s Branded Search Reporting, Bing Connects With LinkedIn, & Facebook’s New Ad Dashboard

The post Digital Marketing News: Google’s Branded Search Reporting, Bing Connects With LinkedIn, & Facebook’s New Ad Dashboard appeared first on Online Marketing Blog - TopRank®.