Here’s to another sleepy Friday before we can simply plop into our beds and hibernate. The summer sun is being nicer to us than usual but we know better than to trust it so soon. Until then, let’s pop in some music, grab a large cup of coffee, and read up on all that has been going on in the mystic land of the internet.
Google has been very busy this week and dominates most of the news. Marketers found Panda’s fury unleashed yet again and Google seems to be jumping into untested waters…again.
NEWS
Panda Penalizes Sites Which Block CSS
A recent experiment by Joost revealed that Google is currently penalizing sites which are blocking CSS and JavaScript. Unblocking the elements revealed that the sites which had gone down in the rankings reverted to their original positions. While the accuracy of this test has yet to be proved, it’s always best to refrain from blocking CSS and JavaScript content from your site. Read more at SEO round table.
Google Enters Domain Registration
As if Google didn’t already own most of the internet, they recently announced an entry into domain registration. This move will definitely give sites like Go Daddy a run for their money as they combat a competitor they didn’t yet anticipate. The product is still in its testing phase and can only be utilized through an invitation code. Read more at The Next Web.
In Page Analytics Extension
In our very Google Centric news section, we have yet another amazing update by the search king. This is an update that we are truly excited about as Google announces an incredibly helpful chrome extension. This analytics extension is a godsend for webmasters looking to get information on each page of the website as you browse it. This will allow you to visually analyze each and every aspect of your page for effectiveness. We don’t know what you’re waiting for. Go ahead and download it here. To know more about this amazing new extension, read Online Behavior.
TIPS & TRICKS
Off page SEO and Google Analytics
On-Page and Off-Page data are crucial to the success of any online company. Off-page optimization is just as important as the content that you can see on the internet. Bhoomika Joshi tells us how we can harness the power of off-page data to improve site rankings. She suggests pulling SEO information from the site, creating custom dimensions and uploading datasets. Read more at Tatvic.
Get a free strategy session
Naming Your Business
Naming your website can be as complicated as naming your baby. In fact, with the need for your business name to be unique, this challenge is much more complex than one would think. The name of your company is an extremely important point to consider and is perhaps the first thing that your business will be judged by. When thinking up a name, consider the 5-10 rule, which states that your name should not have more than 10 letters in its name. Another point to consider is how it is going to live in a digital space. When creating a logo and icon, you need to be able to fit it into very small screens. Read more at Entrepreneur.
Getting Content from Your Followers
Follower content is the Holy Grail that everyone on the internet is vying for. Getting your followers to create valuable content, however, can be tricky. Arnie Kuenn tells us how we can engage our customers enough to entice them to create their own content. The very first suggestion is the establishment of a contest which followers can participate in through sharing. Encouraging reviews and partnering with customers in case of small businesses are also great ideas. Read more at LinkedIn.
Identifying Performance Problems Using Analytics
Google analytics is like the Swiss army knife of the internet. No matter what problem you have, they’ll have a tool with the solution. In this case, the Site Speed Reports provided by Google Analytics can be used to measure site performance. This data will include user information such as demographics including location, sex, and gender.
Load times, redirection times, download times, and server response times will also be provided. The speed suggestions section will contain a table which sorts your pages in terms of popularity. In addition, you will also have suggestions on what you can do to improve site speed. Read more at Practical Ecommerce.
Cringe Worthy SEO Stories
We all go through our phases, but no one messes up quite as magnificently as SEO where one misstep can lead you crashing down into the darkened abyss. Google watches everyone with a whip and BMW got a taste of it in 2006 when they implemented doorway links to increase inbound links. On the other hand, Toys R Us may have a hoarding problem evident by their purchase of $5.1 million worth of domains. The kicker however, was when they failed to redirect 301 of these links to their new site. As Google’s cheeky algorithm re-indexed the site, it plummeted down in the rankings, where not even the dust bunnies could see it. Read more SEO disaster stories at Hubspot.
Social Login and CRO
Websites are now giving users the opportunity to login through social accounts which eliminates the need to fill out a sign up form. Users can select to sign up on a site with their facebook, Google, twitter or LinkedIn. This is an excellent way of personalizing the user experience on your site. In fact, 86% of users state that they are bothered by the need to create new accounts on every site and having to remember all associated passwords. 77% of users are of the view that social login is a great solution to the problem. Read some more mind boggling statistics regarding social login at Conversion XL.
Succeeding with Boring Products
In today’s marketing landscape, everything is content-led. While this is great for products with an already dynamic personality and industry, it can be a little more complex for the more boring ones. This, however, doesn’t mean that you’re at a disadvantage; in fact, this may just be an opportunity to bring in another angle in the industry and stand apart from the rest. Matthew Barby suggests the creation of intertwined stories with campaigns and making thought leaders the focus of your attention. Read more at Search Engine Land.
Viral Marketing Tactics That Work
Viral marketing is a very slippery slope to walk on. If done right, it can ride the wave of the marketing effort for a long time and give you more reach than any other tactic. On the other hand, if done incorrectly, it may have quite the opposite effect. The key issue lies within the changing face of viral marketing. While it may have been easier to become viral before, customers are becoming much more aware and such tactics are less likely to work. In addition, the wrong approach can be detrimental to your brand such as Kellogg’s UK’s attempt at going viral with retweets in lieu of food for starving children, read more at Jeff Bullas.
Making Landing Pages Easier
Confusion is always unwelcome. No visitor to your site will want to feel like something is beyond their comprehension. As a marketer, your job is to make your site message as clear as possible. This is why there is a need for consistency in your message. If you’re saying one thing at one point, and then quite another at a different section of your page, it will confuse the customer who will simply close the window. Using consistent headlines and adding them to promotional copy can be effective in maintaining clarity along with the use of the same color and theme in all locations. Read more at Ezanga.
Start-Ups to Keep an Eye Out For
Start-ups tend to come and go, but there are some that leave a definite mark on the industry. Currently, there are some startups that are doing magnificently and are set to take over the industry if they play their cards right. The internet of things (IOT) is an industry which is set to make more than $ 14.4 trillion in profits with companies like Nest creating thermostats connected to the web. Education technology is also finally catching up to the rest of the internet with companies like Instructure generating more than $150 million in contracts. Read more success stories at Mashable.
INFOGRAPHICS, PRESENTATIONS & VIDEOS
Social Media Acronyms to Remember
Everyone seems to be spouting all these cool buzzwords, and being out of the loop can be a little disconcerting. In some spheres, not knowing them may actually look unprofessional. This is why we’re grateful for the amazing Infographic delivered by Brooke Balard which brings everything you need to know within one image. The list contains some well known acronyms as such as APIs, B2Bs, B2Cs, and then some that you didn’t know had acronyms such as IG for Instagram. Read the rest of the list at Steamfeed.
Amazing Presentations to Remember From SMX Advanced 2014
The event of the season, DMX Advanced, in June, came and went with a bang and delivered some of the best presentations we’ve ever seen. Some big names at the location included Jeff Preston from Disney, Anna Hughes from Bing and Joanna Lord of Bigdoor. Lisa Williams’ presentation on “A Mad Men Approach to Social Media for the Search Marketers” is a must view for marketers looking to understand communication through social media. Another presentation to keep an eye on is “How UX Affects SEO Ranking Factors” by Marianne Sweeney. View the presentations at Search Engine Land.
Amplifying Content
Whiteboard Friday is perhaps our second favorite Friday feature on the internet. This week Ben Lloyd and Brian Rauschenbach tell us how to amplify content on your site. Typically, organizations tend to create content promote it initially and forget about it. A study even revealed that content has a shelf life of about 3 hours. This is due to the limited amount of promotion in terms of content. They suggest using social buttons, open graph tags, and twitter cards for social integration. Frequency and timing are crucial for improved social integration. View the entire video at Moz.
Leave a Reply