Do you write content and never see it on page one in search results? Find less competitive keyword opportunities so you can finally win at Google!
The post How to Find Epic Keyword Opportunities That Turn Into Easy SERP Wins by @josephhhoward appeared first on Search Engine Journal.
Google has a lot more in its arsenal than just algorithms to encourage you to follow their Webmaster Guidelines. Here’s an explanation of possible penalties, and how you can recover fast.
The post 5 Types of Google Penalties (And What You Need to Do to Recover) by @IAmAaronAgius appeared first on Search Engine Journal.
“On every world, wherever people are, in the deepest part of the winter, at the exact midpoint, everybody stops, and turns, and hugs, as if to say ’Well done. Well done, everyone! We’re halfway out of the dark.’” -Doctor Who
Last night, I drove home from work in the dark. I hadn’t stayed late putting the finishing touches on another devastatingly brilliant blog post. It was just that, after the long Thanksgiving weekend, the darkness has finally caught up with the end of the work day. And there’s plenty more dark to go before the days get longer.
On the bright side, that means the holiday season is here. There are at least four major holidays and plenty of minor ones to go around.
All this festivity offers us unique chances to make a connection with potential customers. ‘Tis the season for savvy social media marketing.
You don’t have to drape your Facebook page in tinsel or string lights on your Twitter feed to catch the holiday spirit. In fact, the bigger, tackier celebrations are less likely to feel authentic, and more likely to alienate those who don’t celebrate a particular holiday.
It’s better to celebrate the holidays on social media the same way you do everything: With your audience’s needs and wants firmly in mind.
Here are a few ideas for getting your brand into the spirit.
#1: Go Behind the Scenes
Your audience always wants to see the people behind the brand. During the holidays, those who are celebrating will enjoy seeing others celebrating, too. Snap candid shots of decorated desks, bedecked halls, and your annual office party.
Collect memorable holiday stories and favorite recipes from your co-workers, too, and share them with festive holiday portraits. Ugly sweaters and santa hats are optional, but encouraged.
#2: Encourage Your Audience to Share Holiday Photos
During the holiday season, most people’s thoughts turn to happy childhood memories. We recall the warm glow of the menorah, or waking up early to see the presents under the tree–these memories are indelible. For kids born in the 70s and 80s, these precious moments were captured in pictures that look pre-Instagrammed.
Encourage your audience to share their favorite memories and photos with your brand. Create a branded hashtag you can use on Instagram to collect cool retro holiday photos and the stories that go with them.
#3: Shine Light on a Worthy Cause
One of the most powerful ways your brand can get noticed this season is to turn the spotlight away from the brand. Instead, highlight a charity that your brand can support, and offer a way for your customers to lend their support, too.
British retail chain John Lewis came up with a great way to support a good cause last year. Their annual holiday ad campaign centered on helping lonely senior citizens. On the campaign’s landing page, customers could watch a heartstring-tugging video and donate to the charity.
#4: Focus on What Your Customers Need
This time of year consumers are drowning in a flood of holiday-related advertising. Everything from $500 cell phones to $40,000 cars are positioned as perfect holiday gifts. Every retail outlet is playing some variation of Christmas music non-stop.
It seems brands desperately want to put their customers in a holiday buying mood. But that’s not what customers want. They want ways to deal with stress, or help finding the perfect gift, or a moment of silent reflection. B2B companies want help making their budget for next year, closing out 2016, making sure their customers feel appreciated.
Take some time to think about what special wants and needs your specific audience has this time of year. Better yet, ask a few of them. You could end up creating some powerful, useful content instead of more holiday dazzle. For example, last year on this blog we created an online retailer’s checklist to help our audience.
#5: Sum up the Year
Not every consumer spins a dreidel or stuffs stockings this time of year. But the vast majority do celebrate the New Year. It’s a time to look ahead and to reflect over the past year.
If Christmas carols or Kwanzaa lights don’t suit your brand voice, New Year’s is still a safe bet. Take the opportunity to tell your current and potential customers about your brand’s year. Let them know how the company grew, what you learned, and most importantly how you are planning on treating them even better in 2017.
#6: Highlight What Unites Us
This season is about more than lighting candles and giving gifts. It’s a celebration, as the quote up top reminds us, of being alive, being together, and being halfway out of the dark. Your brand can celebrate these ideals–family, togetherness, love–without committing to a single holiday in particular. Instead of singling out a specific group, you can remind everyone we’re all in the same group. Regardless of race, creed, gender, or political leaning, we can all agree Nick Offerman is a national treasure:
Click here to view the embedded video.
What is your brand doing to make the holidays special for your customers? Let me know in the comments.
Stay tuned for pictures from TopRank Marketing’s upcoming ugly sweater and cookie bake-off events. Sound like fun? We’re hiring.
TopRank® Online Marketing Newsletter.
© Online Marketing Blog - TopRank®, 2016. | 6 Ways to Celebrate the Holiday Season in Your Social Media Marketing | http://www.toprankblog.com
The post 6 Ways to Celebrate the Holiday Season in Your Social Media Marketing appeared first on Online Marketing Blog - TopRank®.
Yelp has launched three new features that lets users check-in with a photo, changes the way business images are displayed, and lets users share bookmark collections. Here’s what you need to know about the three new Yelp features rolling out now for iPhone and Android. 1. Check-in With a ‘Yelfie’ What do you get when you combine Yelp with selfies? Apparently you get something called “Yelfies.” Yelp announced that when your customers check in at your location, they can take a photo of your business. Once they’ve done that, the camera will flip they can then add a “yelfie,” along […]
The post Yelp Users Can Now Check-in With Yelfies by @DannyNMIGoodwin appeared first on Search Engine Journal.
A select number of site owners are being invited to test a new feature that allows searchers to message businesses from search results.
The post Google Testing New Feature for Messaging Businesses From Search Results by @MattGSouthern appeared first on Search Engine Journal.
Google’s featured snippets on desktop will now be rendered completely through artificial intelligence.
The post Google’s Featured Snippets on Desktop Now Written By Artificial Intelligence by @MattGSouthern appeared first on Search Engine Journal.
A new and unannounced feature has been spotted in Google search results which highlights popular videos from the web.
The post Google Starts Showcasing ‘Videos From the Web’ in Knowledge Panels by @MattGSouthern appeared first on Search Engine Journal.
Sign up for our 11/30th webinar with Loren Baker to learn more about successful link building strategies in 2016.
The post Learn New Linkbuilding Strategies [Webinar] by @dantosz appeared first on Search Engine Journal.
Google has removed the Content Keywords report from Search Console, a feature which was once the only way to see how Googlebot crawled your site.
The post Google Kills Off Content Keywords in Search Console by @MattGSouthern appeared first on Search Engine Journal.
Bing has introduced a feature to local business search results that allows searchers to chat directly with the business.
The post Quickly Connect With Local Businesses Via Bing’s New Chat Options by @MattGSouthern appeared first on Search Engine Journal.
Considering how to boost the mobile game? Looking to improve mobile search performance and conversion? As a consumer yourself, you know micro-moments well. Today, you’re in the right place at the right time. Seize the moment!
The post Seizing the Micro-Moment by @berniecoleman appeared first on Search Engine Journal.
Facebook may say to the world "All your bots are belong to us" but a good marketer knows how to get in on the action. Learn about the opportunities and challenges of chatbot marketing. Complete with use cases and helpful tactics to help you build your own chatbot.
The post A Marketer’s Guide to Facebook Messenger Bots by @jesstiles appeared first on Search Engine Journal.
As marketers, it’s our job to know our audience. To understand their pain points. To empathize. To provide them with the answers or solutions they’re looking for.
So how do we do all these things? One way is through content marketing.
Over the past few years, content marketing has been increasingly embraced by marketers. In fact, this year 88% of B2B marketers and 76% of B2C marketers said they used content marketing, according to the 2016 Benchmark, Budgets & Trends—North America reports from Content Marketing Institute and MarketingProfs.
But there are still a lot people out there who are searching for some of the content marketing basics.
Our team recently dug into content marketing related keywords and keyword categories, as well as related SERPs and our own data, to identify what people really want to know about content marketing. As a result, we identified five common questions users have about content marketing—and we’ve answered them all below.
Let’s dive in.
Simply put, content marketing is a strategic marketing technique that aligns business and consumer information needs with relevant content.
At TopRank Marketing, we believe in an integrated approach to content marketing, using multiple content marketing tactics to help our clients be the best answer for their customers, wherever and whenever they’re searching.
Wherever your customers are looking, be present, useful and “info-taining.” @leeodden
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From blogging and social media to infographics and eBooks, content marketing is most effective when you employ a variety of tactics to consistently inform, persuade and build rapport with your customers—without trying to sell them something outright.
For a deeper dive into this topic, check out our post What is Content Marketing? Definition, Examples & Resources for Learning More.
Of course, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention the Content Marketing Institute’s (CMI) own resource on what content marketing is. Find that resource here.
A content marketing strategy provides the answers to the why, who and how a content marketing program will help you achieve your business objectives. It’s your infrastructure. Your game plan. Your roadmap.
Without a strategy in place, you’re throwing content out there and hoping it sticks. With a strategy in place, you’re able to plan, produce, promote and measure the effectiveness of your content, and use that information to propel your efforts forward.
Get more on this topic by checking out our post What is a Content Marketing Strategy (And Why Do I Need One?).
“Build an audience first and define products and services second.” @joepulizzi
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Your content marketing strategy is your foundation and it should be uniquely tailored to your brand and audience. Here are some best practices to get you started on creating your content marketing strategy:
Content builds relationships. Relationships are built on trust. Trust drives revenue. @DrewDavisHere
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Resources
In today’s digital world, buyers are self-directed. Research indicates that 71% of B2B buyers get their information online. Content marketing is a way to satisfy your customers’ quest for answers and arm them with the information they need to make decisions. Content marketing also creates signals across the web that build credibility, authority and rapport with your audience, along with many SEO benefits.
In addition, research shows that content marketing is typically more cost-effective than other forms of advertising or marketing, can drive higher conversion rates and increases audience engagement.
If your content marketing is encouraging engagement, that’s a sign of relevance. @JasonMillerCA
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Resources
Content marketing is not just one tactical technique—it involves using a myriad of techniques within your strategy to drive toward your goals. We call this an integrated content marketing approach. Below are just some of the content marketing tactics that you can use:
Writing is thinking. And for us as marketers, good writing is good marketing. @marketingprofs
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For more information on all of these tactics, as well as more than 20 others, check out our post: Content Marketing – Tactics and Best Practices. Here we offer pros, cons, best practices, industry expert insights, examples and resources for 30 content marketing tactics.
Resources
What other questions do you have about content marketing? Ask them in the comments section below!
TopRank® Online Marketing Newsletter.
© Online Marketing Blog - TopRank®, 2016. | We Answer the Top 5 Questions People Have About Content Marketing | http://www.toprankblog.com
The post We Answer the Top 5 Questions People Have About Content Marketing appeared first on Online Marketing Blog - TopRank®.
Google has revealed the latest data on the impact of mobile shopping searches during Black Friday.
The post Mobile Shopping Searches Continue to Surge During Black Friday [DATA] by @MattGSouthern appeared first on Search Engine Journal.
Links are one of the top search ranking factors on Google. So essentially, one cannot rank without link building, right? Or can you? This post has results from our #SEJSurveySays poll on whether or not you can rank without link building.
The post 56% Say You Can’t Rank Without Link Building [STUDY] by @rinadianewrites appeared first on Search Engine Journal.
This list of questions to ask SEO prospects will help to get all the information you need for building the right SEO stratgey and win more clients. Read on.
The post 26 Questions to Ask Potential SEO Clients by @Web_Vibes appeared first on Search Engine Journal.
In this post, we’ll take a closer look at what we mean by seasonal marketing and outline a guide your brand can use to make the most of these consumer trends that only come around once a year.
The post A Complete Guide to Seasonal Marketing by @AndreaMLehr appeared first on Search Engine Journal.
Digital marketers everywhere—especially our friends in the B2C marketing world—have spent the last weeks and months perfecting their marketing strategies for the holiday season. Now that the most wonderful time of the year is officially here, we want to make sure our fellow marketers don’t miss out on deals that can help them perfect their craft.
So, in the spirit of the holiday season, we’ve put together this handy list of Cyber Monday and holiday deals that any marketer would absolutely love to scoop up. From books and conference tickets to free tool trials, you’ll find a variety of great deals.
Depending on your product or business, Bing Ads could be a great way to drive traffic, sales and ROI. If you’re ready to dabble in Bing Ads, the holiday season may be a good time to do it, as the search engine is offering a $100 advertising credit through Jan. 15, 2017.
SEMRush is an incredible tool that can help you conduct SEO and PPC keyword research and track digital marketing efforts, among other things. If you’re thinking about signing on for this tool, now is the time to do it.
Until Nov. 30, 2016, you can get a free one month trial of the PRO plan, which is priced at $69.95 a month. In addition, a free 14-day trial for the GURU plan, priced at $149.95 a month, is also available through Dec. 11, 2016.
Sign up for the PRO deal.
Sign up for the GURU deal.
Yoast, notably known for its SEO plugins for WordPress, is offering 20% off everything on its website on Cyber Monday.
GetResponse is an all-in-one online marketing platform that allows you to create and deliver emails, host webinars, and build, publish and host landing pages, as well as marketing automation.
Currently, the software provider is offering 15% off all plans. But there is also a 12- and 24-month pre-pay discount for EMAIL, PRO or MAX that is up to 40%.
Envato Market offers more than 9 million digital products to design and build beautiful websites. On Cyber Monday, the company is offering 50% off of over 500 different items, including web templates and themes, video and stock footage, and graphic templates. The sale will last until 2 p.m. Dec. 1, 2016.
In the market for a new hosting service? BlueHost might be worth your consideration, especially now that they’re offering over 60% off on their web hosting services. The discount applies to the first term and goes to the regular rate upon renewal.
Check out the deal and the different plans available here.
The next Social Media Marketing World event is set for beautiful, sunny San Diego, CA—and you could get a huge discount on your ticket. The event is offering 100 tickets at $520 discount until Dec. 2, 2016 or until they’re sold out. The normal price of the ticket is $1,597, so you’re getting about a 33% discount.
There are a number of fantastic and inspiring digital marketing books that any marketer would love this holiday season. Below are a few of our favorites. (And you can bet that Amazon will be a great place to get them for a great deal on Cyber Monday).
In this book from marketing veteran (and one of TopRank Marketing’s favorite marketers), Ann Handley, you’ll find some inspiration for writing better content and being a sport in the content marketing world.
In this book, bestselling author and experienced marketer Brian Solis shares why great products are no longer good enough to win with customers and why creative marketing and delightful customer service too are not enough to succeed.
If you didn’t know, TopRank Marketing’s very own CEO Lee Odden is also an author. Optimize, his debut book, was designed to give readers a practical approach to integrating search and social media optimization with content marketing to boost relevance, visibility, and customer engagement.
What other Cyber Monday and holiday deals have you found for marketers? Tell us in the comments section below.
TopRank® Online Marketing Newsletter.
© Online Marketing Blog - TopRank®, 2016. | 10 Kick-Ass Cyber Monday & Holiday Deals for Digital Marketers | http://www.toprankblog.com
The post 10 Kick-Ass Cyber Monday & Holiday Deals for Digital Marketers appeared first on Online Marketing Blog - TopRank®.
People have a lot of misleading information regarding search engine optimization. Beginners make a lot of mistakes with SEO either because they don’t understand it correctly, or they are not aware of some factors. So what are the most common search SEO errors that keep cropping up?
The post The 10 Most Common SEO Mistakes by @alexanderkesler appeared first on Search Engine Journal.
I’m sure that you’ve heard the terms “inbound” and “outbound” marketing, but do you really know the difference between the two?
The post Inbound vs. Outbound Marketing – What’s Best for 2017? by @ChuckPrice518 appeared first on Search Engine Journal.
If you are struggling to find the right gift for the digital marketer in your life you are in the right place. I've rounded up gifts in a range of budgets to make your holiday shopping just a little bit easier!
The post 7 Holiday Gift Ideas for Digital Marketers by @dantosz appeared first on Search Engine Journal.
Retailers Will Get 30% More Social Messages This Holiday Season [Report] What do customers expect from brands this holiday season? 38.8% are looking to brands to spread holiday cheer, followed by 19.5% who are looking for updates on promotions. In addition to looking to brands to help them make purchasing decisions, about 33% of survey respondents said they're likely to post about a gift on social media. The takeaway? It's time to spread that holiday cheer on social -- before and after the holiday. Sprout Social Instagram Launches Live Video on Instagram Stories: Here’s All You Need to Know As part of the now seemingly 'official' war between Facebook and Snapchat, Facebook owned Instagram has released live video on Instagram stories. That's not all -- Instagram also announced the release of disappearing photos and videos from groups and friends. Buffer Online And Mobile Shopping See Seasonal Acceleration The holiday season this year will be a big one for online retailers, according to a recent round of predictions. Shoppers are planning their online purchases in advance, and in great numbers -- 77% of shoppers plan to avoid physical stores this holiday season. Online retailers, take heed: Release your online holiday promotions early, and make sure your team is prepared. MediaPost Moz beefs up Moz Local with new features, distribution and automation Moz local users will be thrilled with this week's news. Moz has announced some awesome new features of their Local suite, including Google My Business automated sync, listing alerts, reputation monitoring/management, expanded distribution via NavAds and improved SEO metrics. Search Engine Land LinkedIn Rolls Out Audience Insights LinkedIn (client) has announced the launch of audience insights on their mobile app, while desktop audience insights are following close behind. SocialTimes reports: "Tapping on the “Me” on users’ content in the LinkedIn mobile app will bring up real-time insights on who has read their posts, what companies they work for, their job titles, their locations and how they discovered users’ content." SocialTimes 
Reap the Benefits of the Most Wonderful Time of the Year All Year Long [Infographic] The holiday season, as we all know, is the most wonderful time of the year for marketers and consumers alike. Then, along comes January to spoil the fun. But it doesn't have to. This infographic shows how to keep that holiday cheer -- and results -- going all year long. Marketo Facebook launches a unified inbox for businesses on Facebook, Messenger and Instagram In response to one of their most frequent requests -- to combine inboxes to make it easier for brands to reply quickly -- Facebook has combined inboxes for Facebook, Facebook Messenger and Instagram to help brands more effectively and efficiently manage their direct messaging. TechCrunch Mobile Apps Capture Consumer Attention 37 Minutes a Day - Up 20% From the Beginning of 2016 A recent report from Opera Mediaworks found that mobile app use duration is on the rise, even since the beginning of this year. This time is reportedly taken from other viewing activities, like TV programming. This report is packed full of app engagement related information. Opera Mediaworks What were your top online marketing news stories this week? We'll be back next week with more online marketing news. Have something to share? Tweet to @toprank or @Tiffani_Allen, or leave a note in the comments.
The post Online Marketing News: Retail Holiday Social, Instagram Live & Online Shopping Accelerates appeared first on Online Marketing Blog - TopRank®.
In this episode of Marketing Nerds, Brent Csutoras, SEJ's Chief Social Media Strategist, joined SEJ Executive Editor Kelsey Jones to talk about how to manage multiple online businesses effectively.
The post How to Own Multiple Online Businesses with Brent Csutoras [PODCAST] appeared first on Search Engine Journal.
Bing will be displaying holiday hours in real time for all holidays going forward.
The post Bing to Begin Displaying Holiday Hours for Local Businesses by @MattGSouthern appeared first on Search Engine Journal.
As the holiday season approaches, marketers are looking for ways to increase profits, drive traffic, and improve business-to-business relationships. One of the best ways to do this is through co-marketing, or in other words, having two companies collaborate in order to get the most out of a campaign.
The post The Beginner’s Guide to Putting a Co-Marketing Strategy in Place This Holiday Season by @seocompanymiami appeared first on Search Engine Journal.
Today is Thanksgiving and for many people around the nation, that means gathering with friends and family to give thanks for the things that they have, and the things they’ve learned.
This year, our team at TopRank Marketing would like to shine a light on some of our clients and give thanks for the many ways that they have inspired and guided our team over the years.
We are incredibly honored and thankful to work with such an amazing group of clients. To celebrate these great people, I’ve reached out to some of our team to share what they are thankful for and have learned from our rockstar clients.
Lee Odden – CEO
I am thankful for our clients, who have placed their trust in our agency team to deliver thoughtful, creative and effective marketing programs. Our clients are our partners in success and without them, we have no business.
Our agency has had a great year and more importantly, created the groundwork for even better growth in the years to come. I am very thankful for the teamwork that has helped make our clients successful and the increasing levels of marketing sophistication and passion for learning that exists amongst our group of professionals. I also appreciate that functions like operations and marketing can be effective whether I am meeting with prospective clients in another country or in the next room.
Last, I am also thankful for an agency management team that works as hard and smart as anyone I know. They quickly adapt to changes in ourbusiness and the industry and help their teams do the same, all with a focus on client success!
Alexis Hall – Director of Client Accounts
I’m consistently impressed with how much our clients know about their current and target customers. The depth of insight that they are able to provide is incredibly useful and allows our team to focus on creating marketing strategies that are tailored specifically for that audience.
Kevin Kotch – SEO Analyst
It is hard to say that I’ve learned just one thing from a client that I’m thankful for. In their own way, each client teaches me how to become a better marketer. However, the team at Sisal Rugs did teach me that a pug can be an awesome taco too.
Leila de la Fuente – Account Manager
I learned that we shouldn’t be scared to deploy B2C tactics for B2B clients. Behind all businesses are people, it’s all in how you approach it! I’m thankful for a new perspective.
Josh Nite – Content Marketing Lead
LinkedIn Marketing Solutions in general, and Jason Miller in particular, taught me that it was okay to show personality in content. I was timid about adding that flair when I first started, but am a lot bolder about it now.
Amie Krone – Operations Manager
I’m thankful for learning the answer is never ‘no’. If you’re creative, determined and willing to put in effort, there is always another way.
Knute Sands – Content Marketing Manager
I am thankful for our clients who are willing to take risks, trust our team and try innovative marketing tactics. Even “best practices” fail from time to time, which means we are constantly tweaking our tactics to get the best results. Trust is a big part of this process.
Ashley Zeckman – Director of Agency Marketing
I am thankful for clients that put their trust in our team, but expect amazing work in return. Having both our internal leadership team and our client teams constantly raising the bar helps all of us strive to be better each day. Knowing that many of our clients consider us partners instead of just vendors allows us to have the easy and the hard conversations, both of which positively impact our ability to deliver great results!
Julia Ramos – SEO Copywriter
I’ve learned that integration cannot stop at the agency level. It takes effective communication and collaboration within the agency-client relationship to realize the full potential of both the information we share and the tactics we recommend.
Caitlin Burgess – Content Marketing Lead
I’m thankful that our clients are passionate about what we do together, which has showed me that passion is a key ingredient in maintaining a great agency-client relationship and driving results.
Tiffani Allen – Account Manager
I’ve learned that sometimes it’s best to disregard conventional wisdom and go for a totally out of the box solution to even a common marketing quandary – especially when it scares you a little bit.
Evan Prokop – Digital Marketing Manager
I’m thankful to our clients for challenging me to be constantly innovating, learning and evolving. Our clients are from a wide variety of industries, but the commonality is that they all come to TopRank expecting great results, and finding ways to help them get there keeps my days interesting.
No matter where you are or what you’re doing, we’d like to wish you a happy thanksgiving. Take this time to love the ones you’re with, appreciate what you have and celebrate what this year has brought.
If there is anyone in your professional life that has inspired you, we’d love to hear more about it in the comments!
TopRank® Online Marketing Newsletter.
© Online Marketing Blog - TopRank®, 2016. | 12 Reasons The TopRank Marketing Team is Thankful for Our Clients | http://www.toprankblog.com
The post 12 Reasons The TopRank Marketing Team is Thankful for Our Clients appeared first on Online Marketing Blog - TopRank®.
