Don't fall short of these common search marketing mistakes
It seems almost too easy at first. It really does. You find a keyword tool and you type in whatever search term that comes to mind. Voilà! Like magic, you find out how many people are searching for your keyword, as well as a whole slew of other useful statistics like the keyword’s average cost per click, competition, suggested bid, and other data – depending on which keyword tool you’re using.
However, before you get too ahead of yourself and pick a keyword to target, know that there is more to keyword planning than meets the eye. There are a lot of nuanced factors you might not have accounted for that can entirely change your keyword strategy. To make sure you get it right from the get-go, here are ten common mistakes that you’ll want to steer clear of.
1. Not realizing that Google…
The voice search revolution is upon us. It’s time to optimize for today and future-proof for tomorrow
Whether or not you were ever skeptical about voice search since its introduction to Google browsers in 2012, you have to admit that it’s now definitely out of its nascent stages. Recent data from NPR and Edison Research shows that 16% of Americans now own a smart speaker. Leaving aside the fact that many people will own a single device together, that’s 40 million Americans with regular access to an in-home voice search device.
And on top of that, consider that all modern smartphones come fully equipped with a virtual assistant, be that Siri, Cortana, Alexa, Bixby, or the charmingly named Google Assistant. Pretty much everyone with access to a smartphone is capable of assistant-powered voice search, so while we might be waiting a while for the voice search tipping point (until 2022, …
Three search trends and implications for marketers
As we move into another new year there are once again a new set of predictions, hopes and concerns as to the direction of digital marketing over the next twelve months and beyond. There are so many exciting developments set to take place and I’m really looking forward to seeing how these take hold in 2018.
One of the interesting areas I’ve observed across many trends is the recurrence of two themes: artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. These two closely related subjects seem to be taking hold across a number of areas, including marketing automation, digital creative, personalization and marketing technology. However, it’s the influence of AI and machine learning on the future of search that I’d like to explore in some detail in this article and the potential implications on business and marketing.
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6 of the best SEO tools to make sure your on-page SEO is optimized
Implementing SEO Services for clients in a wide array of industries, I’ve learned to utilize some amazing tools for on-page SEO – and how much of a difference on-page SEO can make in helping your website rank high on search engines.
Why On-Page SEO Matters
On-Page SEO is critical because it influences the way in which Google and other search engines interpret the content on your page. Your goal is to ensure that your content is fully optimized for your chosen keywords so that the search engine is encouraged to rank you higher.
Without proper on-page SEO, it’s likely that your competitors who have optimized their pages will sail past you in the SERP’s, even with worse content and a less powerful backlink profile.
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How to gain visibility on SERPs for local law firms
As the world goes online, professionals like lawyers, accountants, and dentists are discovering that not as many potential clients are walking through the door and more are searching for them online first. Internet reviews and word of mouth count for more now and up to a third of people research lawyers in their local area before getting in touch with one or more firms to discuss their needs.
Local SEO helps law firms connect with prospective buyers of their services. Whether that’s through seeing their details in a citation listing, finding them on a map of local lawyers, or via content marketing, lawyers can no longer afford to sit idly by and cross their fingers that new clients will magically appear.
Let’s look now at how local SEO can help law firms get…
Great new visual design and usability, but no long-term data (yet)
There has been a fair bit of excitement about the new search console (GSC) since it was first announced, perhaps mainly since it was promised this would give us access to a full 16 months data about search queries to our site rather than the previous 90 days.
Last week took a look, prompted by the many reminders to take a look a the new beta since I asked to join the beta a few months back. Google announced the beta was available earlier in January and it seems most admins will be getting alerts, but if you haven't you can read about the benefits here and see Google's summary of the new search console features.
I was also interested to see whether there would be any new reports or insights which were available.…
Search Marketers Are Embracing Online Reviews
Evidence of the growing importance of online review sites like Yelp, TripAdvisor, Google, and Facebook is hard to ignore.
According to research by ReviewTrackers, 49 percent of consumers always or often check online reviews, and Search Engine Land reports that 72 percent trust reviews as much as they do recommendations from friends and family.
Reviews have also shaped search algorithms. And with Google explicitly indicating that reviews play a role in one of its three primary local search factors, an increasing number of marketers and local SEO professionals have been crafting strategic approaches to reviews in hopes of improving local SEO performance.
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8 areas of innovation to improve your organic and paid search marketing strategy
As part of our digital marketing trends for 2018, we have created a series of posts focused on different channel trends and statistics to help inform the best practices needed to move forward with your marketing strategy in 2018.
Now, in Partnership with Vertical Leap, we have now produced a briefing guide on the latest organic and paid search innovations for marketing managers to review and action.
Click here for the full report 'Search Engine Marketing trends 2018' from our partner, Vertical Leap
Trend 1. Data, analytics, and reporting
In our view, success in SEO has always gone to those businesses and their agencies who have the best data-driven processes and people to give attention to the detail needed to compete. Google has gradually improved their insight data sources and tools to help businesses…
But how slow is too slow?
Providing a high quality and fast user experience has always been a priority for Google - Mobile AMP pages were introduced to do just that (provide a faster user experience).
Yesterday they announced that starting in July 2018, page speed will be an official ranking factor for mobile searches. It has always been debated whether page speed has previously affected search rankings for mobile but now Google has made it official.
The “Speed Update” as Google are calling it, will only affect pages that deliver the slowest experience to users and will only affect a small percentage of queries.
They have stated:
"It applies the same standard to all pages, regardless of the technology used to build the page. The intent of the search query is still a very strong signal, so a slow page may still rank highly if it has great, relevant content."
This shows that relevant…
How to increase conversions with an SEO audit
Focusing on SEO while neglecting your conversion rate is a great way to wind up with a website that ranks highly for keywords your audience doesn’t use or attract a bunch of users who aren’t really looking to buy what you’re selling. That’s why you have to think about choosing the right SEO tools for you and focusing on more than just the technical aspects of your audits.
That’s right: you can use your SEO audits to improve not just rankings, but your conversion rates as well.
Smart Insights have just launched their latest Quick-Win, SEO Technical Audit. Carrying out an audit is often about making small modifications to parts of your website. When viewed individually, these changes might seem like incremental improvements, but when combined, they can make a significant impact on your site’s performance…
