Google’s YouTube Rolling Out New Features and a New Look by @MattGSouthern

YouTube is undergoing a series of changes on mobile and desktop, including a new look complete with a new logo.

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Instagram Now Supports Portrait and Landscape Photo & Video in Galleries by @MattGSouthern

Instagram users are no longer limited to publishing galleries full of square photos and videos.

The post Instagram Now Supports Portrait and Landscape Photo & Video in Galleries by @MattGSouthern appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

Instagram Stories Are Coming to Mobile Web Browsers by @MattGSouthern

When logged into Instagram.com on a mobile browser, you will now see stories at the top of your feed.

The post Instagram Stories Are Coming to Mobile Web Browsers by @MattGSouthern appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

Google AdWords Will Track How Often Your Shopping Ad is Displayed First by @MattGSouthern

Google AdWords will now report on how often one of your shopping ads appears in the top position.

The post Google AdWords Will Track How Often Your Shopping Ad is Displayed First by @MattGSouthern appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

Give Influencer Content Programs a Promotional Edge with Digital Advertising

It happens almost every single time. I’m finally settling in to stream a few episodes before I go to bed for the day. I fire up the old Netflix machine and there it is… options… lots of them.

There are shows I’ve seen before that I might want to watch again. Genres that I’m interested in. Highly rated shows. Maybe I watch one of those trending shows that everyone is talking about? I mean I’ve never seen that Making a Murderer show… did I miss out on that one? My mind continues to jump around with the unlimited options in front of me.

When you have virtually unlimited options in front of you it’s almost impossible to make a choice. This is probably why I’ve watched the American version of the Office about one million times (either that or it’s a really good show).

As marketers we consistently run into situations like this. We are asked to promote a product or a service or a piece of content and when we sit down at our desk we are hit with so many options. We have to choose the right channel, the right audience, the right messaging, the right offer, the right image, the right… Anyone else getting cold sweats just thinking about this?

I want to help you with this problem. Specifically as it relates to influencer content (because that presents a whole new set of challenges that need to be addressed).

Promoting Influencer Content With Digital Advertising

Why focus on influencer marketing? In my opinion influencer marketing is one of the most challenging thing to promote with paid digital advertising. Many people look at influencer marketing and content marketing in general as some magical piece of content that, when published, turns prospects into customers in a completely organic way.

In reality, simply creating great influencer content is not enough. Right now, as I write this, there are over one billion websites (in fact the number grew by about 500 in the time it took me to finish that sentence).

So what does that mean? In very broad and simple terms you aren’t the only one that has to make a lot of choices. So when it comes to influencer content you have to help your audience find it and help them choose it.

5 Steps to Promoting Influence Content with Digital Advertising

The 5 steps below will help you successfully promote your influencer content with digital advertising in a way that attracts and entices your target audience.

Step 1. Change How You Think About Influencer Content

Often marketers don’t change their approach to promotion when deploying an influencer driven content campaign. Instead of thinking of your influencer content as a part of your standard marketing mix think of it as a product.

This is really important. You are not promoting content, you’re not boosting a post, you are selling influencer content. That is your job.

Step 2. Know Your Audience

It seems simple, but is often overlooked. But did you know that now you can really know your audience. For example, if you are using Twitter you can gather awesome insights with Twitter Analytics.

I mean… take a look at this.

The top lifestyle type in my organic audience is “Online Buyers.” I can make assumptions from this. For example, one thing that is often debated is how much info do I ask a prospect to give in exchange for a gated asset? Well an online buyer is comfortable giving over name, phone number, address, credit card info, and more in exchange for goods.

This information can help you determine what to “charge” or how much information you should ask for in exchange for content.

You can gather similar information using tools such as  Google Analytics Demographics and Interests and the Facebook Audience Insights tool.

Step 3. Segment Your Audience

Knowing your audience is important. Segmenting your audience is even more essential.

Don’t make the mistake of lumping everyone together into one audience when promoting your influencer driven content. While this tactic may be necessary if you are working with a really small audience, a larger audience that you can segment will allow you to tailor your message to a smaller, specific group of people.

For example, let’s say that you have created influencer content to target HR professionals. It’s possible that you could segment that audience by tenure in the HR industry.

With an audience like this you could tailor your call to action like so.

• Tenure of 0-5 years – Jumpstart your HR career with….
• Tenure of 5-15 years – Bring your HR career to the next level with…
• Tenure of 15+ years – Learn from the top HR professionals…

Segmenting your audience can help you tailor your sales pitch. Remember, you are selling your content not promoting it.

Step 4. Challenge Your Assumptions

What’s the one thing I have heard more than anything else when it comes to promoting B2B influencer content with digital media? Give up? It’s this, “we are a B2B company so we only want to promote this on LinkedIn.

Well first of all, we are selling the content not promoting it. Second of all, you don’t think those same professionals have a Facebook account?

Facebook is on pace to hit 2 billion users. I’m willing to guess that some of those 2 billion users are in the market for B2B goods and services.

Challenging your assumptions has it’s rewards. Currently I am running a campaign for a B2B company and the results look like this…

Challenging assumptions and running a campaign on Twitter was a great bet!

Step 5. Don’t Fall in Love With Your Bets

It’s bound to happen. You’ll do all of the tips above. You’ll create a segmented audience on a social network that sits outside of your assumptions. You’ll create tailored calls to action and you’ll fall in love.

Then it happens… nothing happens… it fails.

When it fails, one of two things normally happen.

1. Marketers ignore the failure in disbelief
2. Marketers say, “just give it more time. One more conversion will make this look better.”

Neither of these are going to change anything. In this situation only one thing will work.

Make some changes.

Change your ad copy. Broaden your audience. Change your bids. Try to identify why it isn’t working and fix it.

The Keys to Promoting Influencer Content With Paid Digital Advertising

So there you have it, 5 keys to promoting content with digital advertising. Below is a quick recap that you can use of a checklist of sorts to begin guiding your influencer content and digital advertising journey:

1. Remember you’re selling your content not promoting it.
2. Know your audience. Use tools to understand their online behavior.
3. Segment your audience. Tailor your message in a way that speaks to the individuals in your audience.
4. Challenge your assumptions. Try something new. Run tests.
5. Don’t fall in love. Make changes quickly and don’t wait for a campaign to turn into what you want it to be.

I know you have over a billion options to choose from when it comes to internet content. Thanks for choosing this piece. I’d love to hear about any time you challenged an assumption and won or when you fell in love with a campaign. Feel free to share your insights in the comments below.

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© Online Marketing Blog - TopRank®, 2017. | Give Influencer Content Programs a Promotional Edge with Digital Advertising | http://www.toprankblog.com

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What to Do When the .COM You Want Is Taken by @5le

Here are some ideas how you can register a great domain name even when the .COM extension is already taken.

The post What to Do When the .COM You Want Is Taken by @5le appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

Surviving the Great Retail Apocalypse with Google Shopping by @cchaitanya

Find out how you can take advantage of PLAs for Google Shopping – the next big opportunity for online retail.

The post Surviving the Great Retail Apocalypse with Google Shopping by @cchaitanya appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

Final Boarding Call for Content Marketing World: Don’t Miss these 10 Presentations

Does anyone look forward to getting on an airplane anymore? Sure, you may be excited about where you’re going or what you plan to do when you get there. But anyone happily anticipating the screening, boarding, and flying part—well, I’ll have whatever vitamin supplement they’re on.

If you’re headed to Content Marketing World, odds are there’s a flight in your immediate future. Fortunately, this trip is definitely worth the hassle. Just keep in mind how much you’re about to learn, how many amazing marketers you’re about to meet, and you can smile your way through the unpleasantness.

To help you get the most out of your trip—enough to sustain you through a legroom-free flight home—make sure you attend the following ten sessions. These first-class (get it?) marketers have all logged hours of flight time sharing their knowledge all over the world. Each one is uniquely qualified to be your marketing coach (get it?). They’re in a business class (GET IT?) all their own.

So put your tray table up, stow your carry-on, and add these sessions to your schedule. And in the case of a water landing, this post can be used as a flotation device.

Ten Can’t Miss Sessions at Content Marketing World 2017 

#1: Linda Boff

Linda is the CMO of GE, with over 15 years of experience in their marketing department. Under her leadership, GE has been absolutely dominating the content game, with an energy and creativity that’s rare in B2B. Their Instagram has over 300,000 followers.  They did a hit science fiction podcast, The Message. They held a robot rock concert to showcase their electricity infrastructure solutions. In short, Linda is helping make B2B content cool, and I’m excited to hear what she has to say.

The Session: Imagination at Work: Lessons in Storytelling from GE

Linda’s session is a keynote, so you don’t have to pre-register for it. Just set your alarm early and plan to get to the main hall by 8 a.m. on Wednesday the 6^th.

 

#2: Andrew Davis

Andrew is the best-selling author of Town Inc., a sought-after keynote speaker, and a brilliant marketer with a history of fantastic content, from documentaries to blog posts. He’s also the only presenter at Content Marketing World who has worked with the Muppets. If you’ve never seen Andrew speak before, you’re in for a treat: He’s a dynamic presenter who will drop knowledge while keeping the energy level high.

The Session: Show Me: How Inventive Video Marketers Spin Stories into Revenue

We all know that video content marketing is not even the next big thing – it’s the current big thing. But connecting the marketing to the ROI is still a challenge. Andrew’s session should help you find the gold in them thar videos.

 

#3: Amisha Gandhi

As the Global Head of Influencer Marketing at SAP, Amisha is helping to bring influencer marketing out of the “Wild West.” She’s helping develop the best practices that will help marketers reach a higher level of influencer marketing maturity and sophistication. Her insights are a crucial component of our eBook, Influence 2.0.

The Session: Implementing a Global Influencer Program at a Large B2B Enterprise

Amisha is uniquely qualified to lead this session, in that she is currently implementing a global influencer program at SAP. This nuts-and-bolts session is sure to be packed with practical knowledge you can use in your influencer marketing efforts.

 

#4: Ann Handley

A tireless crusader in the war against mediocre content, Ann Handley has helped thousands of marketers find their unique creative voice. She’s the best-selling author of Everybody Writes and co-author of Content Rules, and is the Chief Content Officer for MarketingProfs. She’s also a dynamic, engaging speaker, ever ready to cut through the nonsense to inform and inspire.

The Session: Writing Secrets from Prolific and Productive Writers (The Jerks!): How to Create Better Content When No One Has Enough Time

Ann’s sessions are always (justifiably) extremely popular, so you have two chances to catch her presentation this time around. Make sure to register early! Even if you’re not directly in a content role, Ann’s advice can help improve whatever writing you do.

 

#5: Heather Hurst

Heather is the Director of Corporate Marketing at Workfront, helping create content resources that match with the company’s vision of helping people be more efficient and effective at work. Under her leadership, the Talking Work blog has become a destination for smart content from her team and from experts worldwide.

The Session: Stop Killing Your Content Team: How to Scale Your Work with the Resources You Have

Producing quality content at scale has been a thorny problem for the industry, and Heather is just the person to address it. From prioritization to resource allocation to the power of repurposing, this session should help close the resource gap.

 

#6: Lee Odden

You know that old Wayne Gretzky quote about not going for where the puck is, but going for where the puck is going to be? Lee is the Wayne Gretzky of marketing. He was into SEO before it was cool, was a pioneer of influencer marketing, and is now leading the charge for integrated, holistic marketing. As CEO of TopRank Marketing, Lee has turned a boutique digital agency into a global powerhouse, equally at home working with Fortune 100 companies and local small businesses. He’s also a pretty great boss (we’re hiring). And, should you meet him at one of the networking events: It’s pronounced OH-den, like the Norse god, not ODD-en.

The Session: Big Brand Influencer Marketing – Trends and Best Practices  and Creating an Influencer Marketing Strategy: A to Z.

TopRank Marketing’s philosophy of influencer marketing goes far deeper than one-off endorsement gigs. Lee’s strategy aims to create ongoing, mutually beneficial relationships with the people truly influential to your target audience.

#7: Robert Rose

Robert is the Founder of the Content Advisory and Chief Strategy Advisor at Content Marketing Institute. He’s one of the original masters of content marketing—together with Joe Pulizzi, he helped write the rules of effectively using content to drive business purposes. His latest book, Killing Marketing (co-authored with Joe), is all about achieving the holy grail of content marketing: making it a profit center rather than a budget item.

The Session: Becoming an Audience Company: Moving beyond Media in a Post-Digital World and Return on Audience: Rebooting Content Marketing and Building a Scalable, Measurable Strategy

Not only can Robert’ sessions help you realize business benefits from your content marketing, he can show you how to make content itself a business. And he should know: Content Marketing Institute itself is a prime example of a business built content-first.

 

#8: Adam Singer

Data is what turns content into content marketing. Every content creator should have a handle on the analytics that tell us what our audience is interested in, how our content is resonating, and how our results translate into revenue. Adam is the Analytics Advocate at Google, and he’s tasked with helping marketers understand how to use Google’s tools to make their marketing work better.

The Session: Reporting, Google Data Studio and Data Visualization for Marketers

If you’re a content creator, this session is a great opportunity to round out your skillset. Learn how to dive into the data and generate insights you can use to fuel your next round of content. If you’re already a data nerd, this is your chance to get even deeper inside the Google-verse.

 

#9: Amanda Todorovich

The Content Marketing Institute named Amanda their Content Marketer of the Year last year, and she’s returning this year to share her secrets of creating award-winning content. With over 20 years of experience in the industry, Amanda has both practical knowledge and creative inspiration to spare. She’s currently the Director of Content Marketing at Cleveland Clinic, helping bring compelling content to the healthcare industry.

The Session: The Inside Story of How Cleveland Clinic Health Essentials Drives Consistent Web Traffic and Builds an Audience

Healthcare is a tough industry for marketers, with changing markets and regulations constantly putting pressure on content creators. That makes Amanda’s success story all the more compelling. She’s sure to have ideas you can put into action, regardless of your industry.

 

#10: Tim Washer

Tim has a unique pedigree as a marketer: He’s a stand-up comedian and a comedy writer for shows like Saturday Night Live, in addition to his pioneering work as the Creative Director of SP Marketing at Cisco. He clearly demonstrates how creativity and humor can spice up even the most “boring” B2B content. Simply put, this is a guy who can make hilarious videos about internet infrastructure solutions.

The Session: How to Use Improv Techniques to Improve Your B2B Storytelling

Improv workshops are all the rage in corporate America right now, and it’s not hard to see why: Improv requires quick thinking, teamwork, and extraordinary empathy for the audience to succeed. Tim’s session is guaranteed to crack you up and make your content livelier.

The Captain Has Turned on the Content Marketing Insights Sign

There are hundreds of sessions to choose from at Content Marketing World this year, all of them presented by some of the brightest minds in marketing. The TopRank Marketing team will be there in force, and we’ll be seeing as many of them as we possibly can. Keep an eye on the blog for takeaways, liveblogs, and extra content all next week. And make sure to reserve time in your schedule for these ten sessions.

If you’re attending the conference, keep an eye out for me, Ashley Zeckman, Caitlin Burgess, Tiffani Allen, and Knute Sands. We look forward to meeting all of you!

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© Online Marketing Blog - TopRank®, 2017. | Final Boarding Call for Content Marketing World: Don’t Miss these 10 Presentations | http://www.toprankblog.com

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Google Introduces Video to Google Maps Listings by @MattGSouthern

Searchers will start seeing video content on Maps, as Google introduces the ability for users to capture and upload video.

The post Google Introduces Video to Google Maps Listings by @MattGSouthern appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

Facebook to Block Ads From Pages That Share Fake News by @MattGSouthern

Facebook is banning pages from advertising on its network if they have a history of repeatedly sharing fake news.

The post Facebook to Block Ads From Pages That Share Fake News by @MattGSouthern appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

Google’s Mobile-First Index: What It Is & How You Can Prepare by @askreinhart

The move to Google's mobile-first index is inevitable. Here are five ways you can prepare for the big change.

The post Google’s Mobile-First Index: What It Is & How You Can Prepare by @askreinhart appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

How to Drive More Phone Call Conversions & Boost Your ROI by @lorenbaker

Here's why marketers should track phone call conversions from digital ad campaigns and how they can boost ROI through it.

The post How to Drive More Phone Call Conversions & Boost Your ROI by @lorenbaker appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

Quiz: What Is SEO’s Role in the Digital Marketing World? by @outbrain

SEO overlaps with so many digital marketing disciplines. See how you stack up against other marketers with this online quiz.

The post Quiz: What Is SEO’s Role in the Digital Marketing World? by @outbrain appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

Behind the Marketing Curtain: An Interview with Social Customer Care Wiz Dan Gingiss, McDonald’s

Social media marketing has become an important part of any brand’s digital marketing mix, helping brands of all sizes foster customer connections and engagement. But as more consumers use social media to “ring the bell” and gain access to the person who can help solve their problems, many find the social bell is out of order when it comes to customer service. For social media wiz Dan Gingiss, McDonald’s Corporation’s Senior Director of Global Social Media, customer service is arguably one of the most important pieces of social media marketing. “Social media is the first and only channel where customers can talk back, marketers need to listen and engage,” Dan told me in a recent interview. With more than two decades building up his marketing wizardry, Dan knows a thing or two about ushering people through the emerald social media gates and providing great social care—and no ruby red slippers are required for entrance. With that said, as part of our Wizard of Oz-inspired Behind the Marketing Curtain interview series, today we’ll pull back the fabric and get to know more about how Mr. Gingiss arrived in the wonderful world of marketing, and share insights that can help inspire better customer service within your social media strategy, and perhaps kick a wicked habit or two. Enjoy!

The Man Behind the Curtain

Dan has spent most of his life and marketing career in the Chicago area—that’s his Kansas, he said. “[Well], it’s not quite Kansas, but still the Midwest!” he joked. And while Dan has been a marketer for more than 20 years, his numerous talents aren’t bound to any one industry. He also bills himself as a “pretty decent” pinball player and a grammar nerd—and he’s also a licensed bartender. “[I got my bartender’s license] after taking a two-week night course after college and placing first in the speed drink-making contest,” he explained while also noting that there’s no fire or bottle flipping in his repertoire. Dan is also a huge baseball fan—particularly when it comes to the Chicago Cubs club. But he’s arguably a pretty big Cleveland Indians fan, too; his all-time favorite movie is Major League. “[It’s the] perfect combo of humor, a little bit of romance, and baseball!” he said. As a marketer, he’s built his career as a marketing generalist. Borrowing a phrase from the John Fogerty song “Centerfield”—and keeping in line with his love of the game, Dan said: “I am a ‘put me in coach’ kind of guy. As a result, I’ve enjoyed domestic and global roles in B2C and B2B, product management, loyalty programs, and acquisition marketing.” Over the last two decades, Dan has held positions at Discover Card, Humana, Diner’s Club International, and Mesirow Financial. Earlier this year, Dan joined McDonald’s Corporation as Senior Director of Global Social Media. He’s also a podcaster and the author of Winning of Social Customer Care: How Top Brands Create Engaging Experience on Social Media. So how did self-proclaimed marketing generalist land in a social media-specific role? We’ll cover that in the next section.

Following His Yellow Brick Road

As an undergrad student at the University of Pennsylvania, Dan was majoring in Psychology and Communications—meaning he had no idea what he wanted to do with his life, he said. But, being the grammar nerd he is, he was the managing editor of the college newspaper. One evening, as he was pasting up the next day’s edition, he spotted an ad from MBI, Inc., a high-end collectibles company in Norwalk, CT that operates under The Danbury Mint brand. “The ad promised to teach me ‘everything you need to know about direct marketing,’” he recalled. “So, I applied and they did.” “On my first day of work, I was handed a bunch of product lines and told to create and execute marketing plans in direct mail, package inserts, and the Sunday coupons—that’s how I learned,” he said. Four years later, Dan went back to school for his MBA and took his “first” marketing class. At that point, he realized that his undergrad studies provided the perfect foundation for becoming a marketer. “Psychology and Communications are two perfect majors for a marketer because they are two skills that basically define what marketing entails—understanding your customer, and knowing how to speak to him or her,” he said. But his journey was certainly not over. While spreading his wings as a marketing generalist over the years, in 2012 Dan found his true marketing passion: social media. “[Mike Boush], the Chief Digital Officer at Discover Card, asked me to lead digital customer experience and social media even though I had no professional experience with either,” he recalled. “He recognized something in me even before I did: That I am most comfortable with my ‘customer hat’ on, thinking about every experience through the customer’s eyes. I also immediately fell in love with social media—especially Twitter—and never looked back.”

Dan’s Traveling Companions

Just as Dorothy found dear friends and encouragement in the Scarecrow, Tinman and Cowardly Lion as she made her way to Emerald City, Dan’s yellow brick road was paved with a little help, too. The aforementioned Mike Boush was one such individual who made an impact. “He challenged me to become a “recognized leader” in social media,” Dan said. Another was Jeff Reid, who was Dan’s boss at Humana. “He asked me to create a personal goal (writing a book) and execute on it,” Dan explained. Another mentor that came to Dan’s mind was the late Robin Carey of Social Media Today. “She definitely had courage,” he said. “After meeting me once, she agreed to sponsor my brand-new podcast called ‘Focus on Customer Service.’ It was the first of its kind—dedicated solely to customer care in social media—and I had never recorded a podcast episode previously. Fifty-plus episodes later, that podcast spawned my book.” “Robin believed in me when she didn’t have to, and I’ll never forget her for that,” he added.

Meeting the Wizard

At TopRank Marketing we believe in taking a smart, creative and results-focused approach in everything we do for our clients, as well as our own personal growth. Dan is certainly someone who exemplifies these qualities in his work as a social media marketing wizard. So without further ado, let’s dive into Dan’s tips for better social media marketing. Good witch or bad witch? What’s one bad social media marketing habit marketers should drop? Thinking that customer service is someone else’s problem. When we interrupt people’s social media feeds with marketing messages, we hope that they will engage with our fun and interesting marketing content. But sometimes, all we do is remind them that they had some other problem with our brand. Since social media is the first and only channel where customers can talk back, marketers need to listen and engage. [bctt tweet="#SocialMedia is the only channel where customers can talk back, #marketers need to listen. @dgingiss" username="toprank"] Dorothy’s ruby slippers were the key to achieving her end goal of returning home. What are a few tools you believe are key for social media marketing success? Always be listening. People will generally tell you everything you need to know about your business—what’s working, what needs fixing, and what could be your next big hit. Marketers need to embrace the feedback, including compliments, questions, and complaints. Knowing your customer will definitely help you become a better marketer. There are a number helpful social media marketing and listening tools out there—many of which I covered in the chapter on social customer care tools in my book—that can fit into any marketing budget and are worth the investment. [bctt tweet="#Marketers need to embrace positive & negative feedback on #socialmedia. @dgingiss" username="toprank"] Poppies. Poppies. Poppies will put them to sleep! What creative tactics can marketers use to keep their social audience engaged? Always be engaging, too. I know, so many rules! But consumers want to engage with brands on social media. That’s usually why they reach out in the first place. Companies that engage back can create loyal brand advocates that will tell their friends and followers on social media. We’ve all seen the studies—there’s nothing more believable than an objective friend talking positively about a brand. And I’ve personally seen 1:1 engagement rates even after a customer service inquiry that far surpass any marketer’s wildest dreams. Then scaling that becomes the challenge. [bctt tweet="There’s nothing more believable than an objective friend talking positively about a brand. @dgingiss" username="toprank"] What’s one thing you would ask the all-powerful marketing wizard for? (More budget, more resources, better data?) An end to social media marketers thinking of social as a “special” channel that gets to play by different rules. Other than that consumers can talk back, social is just another marketing channel. It’s not unfair to ask for a return on that marketing investment. It’s not unfair to point out that likes, comments, and retweets don’t mean anything if more people aren’t buying your company’s products. Social marketers need to understand that corporate marketing budgets are finite, and social is competing against more mature marketing channels that have shown results for decades. [bctt tweet="#Marketers need to stop thinking #socialmedia is “special” channel that has different rules. @dgingiss" username="toprank"]

We’re Off to Meet More Wizards

I’d like to sincerely thank Dan for taking the time to open up about who he is, where he comes from and how he approaches content and comedy. Thanks, Dan! Of course, TopRank Marketing’s journey to Emerald City is still underway. In the coming months, we’ll be bringing you more exclusive interviews and insights from industry wizards to add some smarts, heart and nerve to your marketing efforts. Stay tuned for our next installment, my pretty! What’s one thing you’d ask the all-powerful marketing wizard for? Tell us in the comments section below.

The post Behind the Marketing Curtain: An Interview with Social Customer Care Wiz Dan Gingiss, McDonald’s appeared first on Online Marketing Blog - TopRank®.

Broken Link Building: Answers to 6 of the Most Common Questions by @_kevinrowe

Will broken link building help your client or business? This primer answers the most common questions.

The post Broken Link Building: Answers to 6 of the Most Common Questions by @_kevinrowe appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

Digital Growth Hacking Strategies for Companies on a Tight Budget by @cynthialive

Learn six digital growth hacking strategies you can try out that might just do wonders for your company.

The post Digital Growth Hacking Strategies for Companies on a Tight Budget by @cynthialive appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

How to Train Your Creativity & Improve Your Marketing by @seo_travel

Learn 16 actionable things you can do today to train your creativity and improve your marketing skills.

The post How to Train Your Creativity & Improve Your Marketing by @seo_travel appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

Why HTTPS Matters for Content Marketers: Website Security, SEO, and Customer Trust

Full disclosure: As a content marketer, I’m still trying to round out my technological knowledge. The complex inner workings of the internet might as well be some combination of elves, gnomes, and unicorns. As long as it delivers my content (and a steady stream of memes and status updates), it doesn’t matter how the internet works, right?

But it’s time for all content marketers to get at least a little technical. There are new marching orders from our overlords at tech giants like Google, Facebook, and Apple, and they’re going to directly affect your content marketing strategy.

The issue is a web security protocol called HTTPS (Hyper-Text Transfer Protocol Secure). Other terms you might encounter are SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) or TLS (Transport Layer Security).  Or you may just know it as the little green padlock in the top corner of your web browser:

No matter what you call it, HTTPS provides a secure, encrypted channel for a website to transfer data to a browser, and vice versa. It uses digital certificates to verify that each party is who they say they are—and that no third-party is intercepting the data.

It’s easy to see why HTTPS is a good idea—you don’t want some shady character snooping on your passwords and credit card information when you’re online banking at Starbucks. And you wouldn’t want to think you’ve connected with your bank, when you’re actually on www.stealyourmoney.biz.

Beyond the safety considerations, however, the push for websites to adopt HTTPS matters for content marketers. Not having HTTPS on your site can now hurt your marketing efforts in two big ways: search engine visibility and customer trust. Here’s what you need to know.

HTTPS Is an SEO Ranking Factor

Google is one of the major supporters of HTTPS, using its considerable leverage to increase adoption of the protocol. To that end, they have added HTTPS status as a ranking factor in searches. Since Google owns well over half of the search market—and over 90% of mobile search—your site’s ranking on Google has a massive impact on your organic traffic.

If your content is just as good as a competitor’s, but they have HTTPS and you don’t, they’re likely to rank higher on the results page. Over time, the coveted top spots will all go to HTTPS-enabled sites, with unsecure sites fighting for the scraps. This graph from Smart Insights shows just how much traffic you lose by dropping even a single slot on the SERP:

The top result has a 30% click-through rate, while the second gets 12%, and the CTR declines steadily from there.

It’s easy to see why HTTPS matters for content marketers who care about organic traffic (which, let’s hope, is all of us). If you’re trying to create SEO-optimized content that gets viewed and gets results, not having HTTPS on your site can hamstring your efforts from the start.

HTTPS Is a Trust Signal

Let’s say, though, that your content is so useful and so compelling that it still gets a decent ranking, and someone actually clicks through. In the address bar right now, Google Chrome (the most popular browser, with over 60% of all browser traffic) will show a “not secure” warning before your URL:

In future builds of Chrome, that warning will get more dire, with red text and a caution sign:

These warnings may eventually escape the address bar, becoming a popup window that warns people away from your site.

It’s easy to imagine the impact these warnings will have on people’s confidence in your site. When there are plenty of secure websites in the SERP, that warning is enough for your average consumer to hit the back button and find a site with the soothing green padlock.

How to Get HTTPS

In the past, managing even a simple site’s security certificates could be a hassle. But in addition to pushing HTTPS adoption through penalties, Google and many others are also investing in making the technology easier to get. Even if you don’t have a web development team, you can likely get HTTPS up and running with minimal hiccups.

First, check with your internet provider to see if they offer automated HTTPS—many will help you get set up and manage your certificates. For example, our client Pantheon offers free, automated HTTPS to all of its clients. [Ashley: This is true, and useful, but may be overly promotional. Your call.]

If your provider doesn’t offer HTTPS management, I recommend Let’s Encrypt. They’re an open-source, free and automated HTTPS provider (or Certificate Authority), funded by contributions from the major players in the tech industry. If you have a little tech savvy, it’s pretty simple to get set up.

Is It Secret? Is It Safe?

Adopting HTTPS is the right choice for you and everyone who visits your site. But it’s more than just the right thing to do. The decision to adopt HTTPS will make it easier for consumers to find your content, and will give people more confidence in your site’s bona fides. On the other hand, not having HTTPS will hurt both your ranking and your reputation.

Looking for more ways to boost your search engine ranking? Check out these quick SEO research tips.

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© Online Marketing Blog - TopRank®, 2017. | Why HTTPS Matters for Content Marketers: Website Security, SEO, and Customer Trust | http://www.toprankblog.com

The post Why HTTPS Matters for Content Marketers: Website Security, SEO, and Customer Trust appeared first on Online Marketing Blog - TopRank®.

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The post The Next Phase in the Evolution of Data-Based SEO by @LEHoneycutt appeared first on Search Engine Journal.