Welcome to our weekly round-up of all the latest news and research from the world of search marketing and beyond. This week, we follow up on the launch of Google’s new ad label to ask how it will impact marketers, and look at attempts by Google’s tech incubator Jigsaw to clean up language on the internet. Plus, a new study has revealed that 63% of top-ranking websites use keywords in their URL, and Bing has a new function that allows you to filter restaurants by Pokéstop. How will Google’s new ‘Ad’ label impact marketers?In last week’s round-up we reported that after some testing, Google has officially rolled out a new look for its ad labels on the SERP. But the question on everyone’s lips is: how will this affect marketing campaigns? Clark Boyd took a detailed look at the possible implications of the chance for Search Engine Watch this week, including considering why Google has chosen to change the look of the ad labels, the impact it will have on paid search CTR, and the possible effect on organic search. Google’s Jigsaw aims to increase the quality of online conversationsJigsaw, the technology incubator formerly known as Google Ideas, has launched an API which aims to rid the web of bad comments. Called Perspective, the API “uses machine learning models to score the perceived impact a comment might have on a conversation” and can be used to identify and filter out comments that are likely to be “toxic.” When fed the content of a comment, the API will give a percentage rating as to how similar it is to “toxic” comments. Perspective uses machine learning models to determine the likelihood of a comment being toxic. Needless to say there has been some skepticism over how well this model can work, but it’s already being tested out by a number of prominent publishers, including the likes of the New York Times, the Guardian and Wikipedia. Al Roberts took a look at the issue for ClickZ, and considered whether a human issue like online abuse can really be solved by machines. Google’s DeepMind app is saving NHS nurses two hours a dayThere was significant controversy surrounding DeepMind, the Artificial Intelligence arm of Google, last November when it was revealed to be at the center of a massive data-sharing agreement involving the medical information of more than 1.6 million patients. But the NHS Royal Free London Hospital, which is trialing an app by DeepMind designed to detect early signs of kidney failure, has spoken out in defense of the technology and revealed that it is saving nurses up to two hours every day. The logo for Streams, the real-time health information app by DeepMind. Wired UK reported that more than 26 doctors and nurses at Royal Free are using the app, which is “alerting” them up to 11 times per day of patients at risk of acute kidney injury (AKI). According to NHS figures, acute kidney disease costs them more than £1 billion every year – although it’s unknown how much the NHS is paying DeepMind for the use of its technology. “Within a few weeks of being introduced, nurses who have been using Streams report it has been saving them up to two hours every day, which means they can spend more time face-to-face with patients,” the hospital said in a statement. Study: 63% of top-ranking websites use keywords in their URLHow beneficial is it to have keywords in your domain URL? There has been little definitive information to answer this question over the years. Matt Cutts and John Mueller, both of Google, have previously gone on record (one in 2009, and the other in 2016) to state that keywords do make some contribution to search ranking. But what does this look like in practice, and how does it vary across different industries? A study by HigherVisibility, shared exclusively with Search Engine Watch, set out to answer this very question, analyzing the top ranking websites for various keywords across ten major industries. The study found that nearly two-thirds (63%) of top-ranked websites use keywords in their domain URL. Of the industries studied, the debt industry had the highest incidence of keywords in domain URLs with 76%, while email marketing had the lowest, with 47%. Read the full write-up and analysis of the findings. Bing lets you filter restaurants by PokéstopWhat are the qualities of the ideal restaurant? Good food, ambiance…. nearby Pokéstop? If you would pick the last of these, you’re in luck, because Bing now allows you to filter restaurants by whether or not they have a Pokéstop nearby. The SEM Post’s Jennifer Slegg was the one to notice the change, which hasn’t been publicized by Bing in any way. So far the feature is only available in US search, but it could be a boost for some businesses. Wired reported in September 2016 that one in 10 US smartphone users were still playing the game, and a slew of new Pokémon have been introduced since then. Maybe now would be a good time to splurge on a lure or two. Five most interesting search marketing news stories of the week syndicated from http://ift.tt/2maPRjm via Tumblr Five most interesting search marketing news stories of the week
0 Comments
While you can use the data from Google Analytics in infinite ways, you need to understand the four most helpful reports for your content marketing – traffic, navigation summary, traffic from organic search, and conversions. Once you understand what this data is and how to track it, you’ll be able to mix and match insights to take advantage of opportunities with your web-based content, driving more traffic to your website and (more importantly) doing more with the traffic you have. TrafficWhy this report is useful: The traffic report (referred to as Pages report in Google Analytics) looks at the pages getting the most traffic on your website. By default, it also displays metrics such as time on site and bounce rate. How to find in Google Analytics: Go to Behavior > Site Content > All Pages. To expand the list of pages, change the number of rows displayed by going to “Show Rows” at the bottom left of the screen. Also, make sure the report encompasses a sufficient period. I typically look at search volume from the past quarter, six months, or year for this exercise. Click to enlarge How to act on this data: This list of pages is a gold mine! Because so many people arrive on your website through these pages, keep a running list and review them on a regular basis. Remember, though, just because a page gets a lot of traffic does not mean it’s an effective page. That’s why you should review the pages that get the most traffic to: Just because a page gets a lot of traffic does not mean it’s an effective page, says @michelelinn.
Navigation SummaryWhy this report is useful: Though there are several ways to dig into pages to see how visitors are behaving, my favorite report is the Navigation Summary, where you can see 1) how visitors get to a page and 2) where they click once they are there. How to find this data in Google Analytics: When you are in the traffic report, click on any page. At the top of the page, you’ll see an option for Navigation Summary. Click to enlarge This page shows how visitors are navigating to this page from within your website – and you can see where visitors are clicking. Just as you can do with the traffic report, you can adjust the number of rows displayed. Click to enlarge Alternative: You can use In-Page Analytics to view where visitors are clicking on any page on your website, but this report does not show how visitors are getting to the page. When viewing single-page data, this option is next to Navigation Summary or you can download the Google Page Analytics extension for Chrome. How to act on this data: There are two parts of this report to which you’ll want to pay attention:
Traffic from organic searchWhy this report is useful: Not only do you want to know which pages are getting traffic in general, but it’s also useful to understand which pages are popular in organic search. There are two reasons why search traffic matters:
How to find this data in Google Analytics: Go to Acquisition > All Traffic > Channels. You see a list of the channels driving traffic to your web pages. Click to enlarge Select Organic Search and then Landing Page (under Primary Dimension) Click to enlarge To find traffic on a specific page, such as a blog post, search by pasting everything after your primary URL into the search box. You can see the effect of organic search traffic on that page by looking at the absolute number of sessions as well as a percentage of your search traffic. How to act on this data: There are two things to consider with pages that get a lot of search traffic. First, use caution when making changes. Understand that these pages likely rank well in Google. Be careful of how much you change on this page as you don’t want to negatively impact how it comes up in search. I’m not suggesting that you never change anything on the page, but tread more carefully and monitor more frequently how the pages perform after you make changes. For web pages that get a lot of search traffic, use caution when making changes, says @michelelinn. The good news is that there are ways to learn more about why people are visiting these pages. I use SEMrush for this purpose. Here’s an example of how to do this using one of our search-magnet pages – Developing a Strategy. Go to SEMrush and paste in the URL of the page. Scroll down on the page to the section for top organic keywords. In this example, we can see that people who arrive on this page want to learn more about content strategy, content marketing strategy, marketing plan, and content plan. As such, it’s a good idea to make sure the page addresses each of these topic areas. (Note that your high-traffic search-landing pages often are works in progress and should be continually reviewed and updated to best answer searchers’ questions.) See how well your keyword results for the page match your intentions for the page. If you intended for this page to do something else but you see it is working for something different relevant to your business, keep this page as is. Then create a new page that better helps with the initial topic you had in mind.
HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT:
Does Your Content Answer Searchers’ Questions? ConversionsWhy this report is useful: In most content marketing programs, conversions are a critical metric – they are action(s) you want visitors to take when they arrive on your website. Do you want them to sign up for an email? Download something? Attend an event? How to find this data in Google Analytics: How you get this info varies and likely requires manual work. First, you need to set up your goals. Andy Crestodina, my go-to person on setting up goals, outlines the eight-step process in this video, How to Set Up Goals in Google Analytics: Once your goals are set up, you can track them under Conversion > Goals > Overview. You can either look at all goals in aggregate or you can look at which pages are converting to specific goals. How you can act on this data: While the raw number of conversions is somewhat useful, what is even more useful is the number of conversions divided by the number of page views. This results in your conversion percentage. The higher your conversion percentage, the more likely a visitor to that page will convert. These are the pages (which Andy calls conversion champions) that you should share and promote. Share and promote your conversion champion web pages, says @michelelinn. Once you identify your conversion champions:
These are just four ways to use Google Analytics so you can take action. Want more? Read How to Apply Analytics Data to Make Better Content Marketing Decisions. Want more information to make your content marketing measurement easier? Subscribe to our free daily or weekly digest newsletter. Cover image by Joseph Kalinowski/Content Marketing Institute The post 4 Analytics Reports Every Content Marketer Should Use appeared first on Content Marketing Institute. 4 Analytics Reports Every Content Marketer Should Use syndicated from http://ift.tt/2maPRjm via Tumblr 4 Analytics Reports Every Content Marketer Should Use Many tools provide access to their APIs, aiming to facilitate routine work for specialists. APIs can make SEOs’ lives much easier by helping to:
While we all have our favorite SEO tools we use on a daily basis, APIs give us the flexibility no tool can provide by letting us grab the data we need and sort / filter it the way our SEO tasks require. I’m constantly working with keyword research tools and I have had the opportunity to give many APIs a try. So I decided to carry out a small study comparing the keyword research APIs I have looked into, and share my research in a blog post. I took the best-known SEO tools which provide APIs for working with keywords and analyzed how much it will cost to make a call for 1,000,000 units. All-in-one SEO dashboardsSpyfuSpyFu is a platform for SEO and PPC specialists focusing on competitor analysis and keyword tracking. Spyfu is one of the oldest keyword research tools I am aware of — which means its database is actually huge, storing years of data. SpyFu offers three subscription levels: Basic – $49, Professional – $99, Team – $299. An API is included into subscriptions starting from Professional level. All of the subscriptions with an API come with 10,000 API rows/units returned a month. Every additional 1,000 units are charged at $2.00. Hence 1,000,000 units would be $1980 additional in charges. So the final price for 1,000,000 is $2079. Maybe you’ll be glad to hear that SpyFu does not put any limits on the number of requests. Spyfu API documentation is here. To summarize, to get 1,000,000 results via API you’ll have to buy a plan worth $99 and pay $1980 more for 990.000 API units. SEMrushSEMrush offers analysis of organic traffic and paid ads, backlinks, and keywords. SEMrush was the first keyword research tool I ever used. I love their data output. The tool includes three subscription levels starting at $99.95, but an API is only included into Business tariff worth $399.95. But that’s not all. API units are not included into the plan, so you have to purchase them additionally. 20,000 API units cost $1, so to process 1,000,000, you need to pay $50. So with SEMrush you have to pay $449.95 for 1,000,000 of API requests. There are no daily limits. SEMrush API documentation is located here. To summarize, to get 1,000,000 results via API you’ll have to buy a subscription ($399) and pay $50 to use enough API units. SerpstatSerpstat is an all-in-one platform for SEO and PPC specialists providing keyword research and tracking tools as well as on-site analysis and backlink tracking. It includes eight paid plans of different limitations from $19 to $2500. An API is enabled starting from Plan B which costs $69. As I didn’t exactly understand the API conditions, I sent a letter to Serpstat support as well. Turns out Serpstat provides access to API separately from their subscription plans. So you can use the API without actually upgrading to PRO: So with Serpstat you can get 1,000,000 units for $150. Serpstat API documentation is located here. Short summary: 1,000,000 units cost $150 without any additional payments. Pure keyword research toolsWordtrackerWordtracker is a solid keyword research solution with a huge database. They claim to operate the database of 3.5 billion search terms (350 million unique keywords) these days. Their API comes in their Gold subscription level, but to have more flexibility with the API you’ll likely to have to purchase one of the API-only packages. Besides, Wordtracker API access is subject to approval from their team, so it sounds like they may not accept some applications. If their API packages seem confusing to you, you are not alone. I had to contact them to confirm what I need to buy to get 1,000,000 units. From their reply it sounds like the “Enterprise” plan will be enough. Each call is priced for 100 seeds, so for 1, 000,000 terms you’d need 10,000 calls. A simple volume search is priced at 10 units per call so you’d be using 100,000 units. Wordtracker API documentation is here. KeywordTool.ioKeywordTool.io is a keyword selection tool that uses autosuggest results from Google, YouTube, Bing, Amazon, and Apple App Store. KeywordTool.io includes a free limited version and three types of paid subscription levels. The API is available separately from the paid subscriptions and it’s priced as follows: As you can see in the image above, KeywordTool.io API includes three subscription plans of different limitations and prices, starting from $280/month. Looks like their API Lite plan handles the amount of keywords we need. So, for $280 you can handle 1,000,000. Note that you can make only 100 requests per day, so it will take 13 days to conduct the full amount of work. If you need it quicker, you’ll have to purchase a more expensive plan. KeywordTool.io API documentation is available here. Short summary: 1,000,000 API units are available in the API Lite Plan which is worth $280. More APIsI haven’t included a few APIs in my research, so here they are:
The Bottom LineAdvanced professionals who have a lot of projects, and little time, always choose an API for their professional needs. I hope this little research of mine will help you pick a suitable keyword research API:
I cannot comment on the quality of the databases, to be honest. I have been using each of the above tools and I find it great that they all present the information differently. That lets me find what I failed to with other tools. That being said, the more keyword research offered, the better. Screenshots by Ann Smarty. Taken February 2017. Featured Image: johnhain / pixabay Comparing keyword research APIs: Spyfu vs SEMRush vs Serpstat and more syndicated from http://ift.tt/2maPRjm via Tumblr Comparing keyword research APIs: Spyfu vs SEMRush vs Serpstat and more What Would Be The Best Starter Package For GSA/FCS Link Package From Serp Space If You Have 2 Full T3/2/2017 Can We Use Additional Personas With IFTTT Network That Shares The Content From The Branded T1 Via Rs3/2/2017 Is It Ok To Use A Drive Stack In The Same Drive Account Thats Running The Network For A Branded IFT3/2/2017 This post was co-written by Julie C. Lellis, Ph.D. In 2009, whether you were a golfer or not, you likely heard about Tiger Woods. It started with a drama-filled Thanksgiving night with his wife. It ended with a public apology the following February. The superstar’s wholesome image unraveled publicly as one mistress after another came forth. Soon his marriage was lost, sponsorships gone, and fans bewildered. We were left wondering: Who was the real Tiger Woods anyway? Was everything we thought about him just a sham? Woods didn’t need a consultant to help him with his brand. He needed a therapist. He stated this himself in a somewhat bizarre 14-minute public apology. He also could have benefited from a crisis communications expert. But most importantly, Woods needed to figure out his identity – who he was and who he wanted to be. Identity is the foundation for authentic living. Many companies need to refocus on identity as well. When companies don’t have a clear sense of identity, they often act to some degree like Woods. We call this “going zombie.” Just like zombies, companies are often confused about their identities, haphazard in their behaviors, and sometimes downright scary. This leaves customers wondering who these companies really are. Rebranding isn’t a solid fix for this problem. A solid foundation built on identityHere’s how we describe identity in our recent book, The Zombie Business Cure. It differs from brand. Identity is constructed from core values. It’s the foundation that informs both an organization’s culture and its brand(s). When identity is unique – or clear and distinct– an organization will attract an audience that shares its core values. It’s easy to confuse identity with brand, especially because the words are often used interchangeably. The word “brand” has become somewhat tarnished – especially outside the communications industry. For example, in focus groups we led, participants often associated the word “brand” with “spin” or some kind of artificial superiority. This perception has created an additional barrier. It’s now between the group of people who comprise the company and the customers it wants to connect with. Why add an extra layer of complexity if it’s unnecessary? Whether the word “brand” has a positive or negative connotation, it makes a company less human. This can affect customer experiences. Do we want employees thinking about “our brand voice” or just “our voice”? Should we say “Our brand stands for …” or simply “We stand for …?” We think the latter is more powerful and connotes true ownership. People who are interacting with you and buying from you want to know who you really are. Your audiences want to know your identity – not just your brand idea. Your audiences want to know your identity – not just your brand idea, via @julie_lellis @melissaegg. Companies that do not have clear, responsible sets of core values applied effectively come off as inauthentic and inhuman. It doesn’t matter how creative and flashy their branding efforts are. You’ll avoid being a zombie if you refocus on your identity. HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT: How identity intertwines with content strategyContent strategists determine more than how to position a product or idea. They need to know how to get the right message to the right people at the right time in the right format. Part of that right message includes identity. Two identity-driven principles are most useful to content strategists: consistency and originality. Consistency in identity is essential to build trust with customers. Audiences should easily recognize who you are. They should be able to form realistic expectations about what you offer. The specific communication messages and channels you choose may adapt and change. Your identity should not. If you craft consistent messages with your core values in mind, you show audiences that you know who you are. You show that they can trust you to stay in line with your identity. Developing a published communication plan that details your core values will help everyone on your team. Even those outside of the marketing or PR department will benefit. Everyone can stay consistent in messaging, tone, voice, and style when producing content. This will increase consistency even when explaining the company to others. Whether they’re at an internal meeting, a networking event, or even the charity golf tournament, your employees represent your company and its values. A published communication plan that includes core values will help everyone on team. @julie_lellis @melissaegg Your communication efforts must have some form of high-level oversight. This ensures that the same identity comes across in all channels of communication. Are all of your communication efforts supervised by different people? If so, how might you create some way to check for uniformity? Remember lululemon’s botched communication related to its sheer yoga pants? In media interviews at the time, lululemon’s CEO seemed to blame the size of women’s thighs for the see-through fabric. His response didn’t match well with lululemon’s public manifesto about the importance of friendship, kindness, and love. The gaffe left us wondering: What kind of company was actually behind these pricey yoga pants? Moo, the design-focused printing company in London, focuses on being human and friendly in all its communication. From order confirmations to website content, the company feels like one cohesive unit with a clear identity. Content strategist Margot Bloomstein shares an extensive case study of Moo. Check out her excellent Content Strategy at Work book. Originality in communication combines creativity with identity. Originality is about being creative within the identity you’ve already determined for yourself. You should be unique, unusual, and – most of all – you! Any content you produce – be that on your website, in digital ads, or wherever—should not be mistaken for anyone else’s. Any #content you produce should be unique, unusual, and – most of all – you! @julie_lellis @melissaegg It might be creative and newsworthy for an insurance company, for example, to blog about the perils of unicorns. They may share how the company protects customers from unicorn damage. But if that fun idea isn’t in line with how the traditional company normally operates, the idea may confuse customers or fall flat. Discount broker E-Trade Financial achieved originality with its popular baby commercials. The E-Trade baby discusses investments and makes online trades. And nobody will mistake the billboards touting spelling-challenged cows. We know the company behind them is Chick-fil-A. Both E-Trade and Chick-fil-A use distinct strategies and can be easily recognized. Original communication is unusual – either in its style or in offering a new idea. Babies trading stocks … cows trying to convince us to eat more chicken. These are absurd ideas that don’t quite match reality, so of course we will remember them. HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT: Being mindful of identity in content strategyTo be mindful of identity in your content strategy, consider these questions:
Do you have something original to say or do you sound like your competitors, asks @julie_lellis @melissaegg.
Your answers to these questions will show how well you’ve wrapped your identity and content together. Consider your identity in all communications for lasting success and customer loyalty. As we’ve seen with Tiger Woods, after you go zombie, it can be hard to get back on track. But it’s better to step up to the challenge than live among the undead.
HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT:
Go Beyond Analytics to Give Customers the Content They Crave Mindfulness of identity pays offCharles Schwab, the San Francisco-based financial services firm, stands out. Since the start, Schwab challenged the norms of its industry. Since he began the company more than 40 years ago, founder Charles “Chuck” Schwab and his employees have served investors big and small. They distinguish themselves by prioritizing customer needs and keeping costs low. Over the decades, the communications teams at Schwab have supported the business as it has expanded throughout the globe. The company now has more than 330 branches worldwide and more than 16,000 employees. As we interviewed Schwab CMO Jonathan Craig, he struck us as uncommonly dedicated to staying true both to Schwab’s identity and to continuous improvement. His suggestions for success include:
Crispin Porter + Bogusky, an advertising agency based in Boulder, Colorado, helped Schwab develop a new marketing theme. “Own Your Tomorrow” launched in 2013. The language came straight from the mouth of Chuck in the 1970s. The new theme focuses on the power of engagement. The Own Your Tomorrow platform emhpasizes Schwab’s values of transparency and low cost. It has raised awareness and consideration of Schwab by prospective customers to the highest levels in the history of the company. The company reported mid-year results in 2016 that indicated it was on pace to gain $100 billion in net new client assets for the fifth year in a row. The book excerpt and Charles Schwab case are adapted and reprinted, with permission of the publisher, from THE ZOMBIE BUSINESS CURE © 2017 Julie C. Lellis, PhD, and Melissa Eggleston. Published by Career Press, Wayne, New Jersey. 800-227-3371. All rights reserved. A version of this article originally appeared in the February issue of CCO magazine. Subscribe for your free print copy today. Cover image by Joseph Kalinowski/Content Marketing Institute The post Identity Matters: How Content Strategists Build Trust and Loyalty appeared first on Content Marketing Institute. Identity Matters: How Content Strategists Build Trust and Loyalty syndicated from http://ift.tt/2maPRjm via Tumblr Identity Matters: How Content Strategists Build Trust and Loyalty |
AuthorA professional with over 26 years experience working within the advertising and marketing communications industry. Practical knowledge, understanding and experience for a wide range of business disciplines including the financial services, legal, commercial services, retail, online, charitable and civil service sectors. I am managing digital marketing company with 600+ monthly clients. Started with search engine marketing, I have slowly moved into all branches of digital marketing like website design, Email marketing, web development, Mobile Application Development, PPC marketing, Android Application Development. With a unique combination of deep understanding of internet marketing, I have established an outstanding reputation. Personal Links
Hot Spread WordPress Hot Spread Google+ Profile Hot Spread Google+ Page Hot Spread YouTube Hot Spread Blogger Hot Spread Twitter Hot Spread G Drive Hot Spread Tumblr Hot Spread Delicious Hot Spread Diigo Profile Hot Spread Evernote Hot Spread Pocket Hot Spread onenote Hot Spread Weebly Hot Spread Medium Hot Spread About Me Hot Spread Instapaper Hot Spread Disqus Profile Hot Spread Alternion Hot Spread Pinterest Hot Spread Nimbous Hot Spread Ello Profile |