Hey there our Friday darlings! How are you doing this week? No matter where you are, we are sure you’re doing much better than Brazil. At the end of yet another week of hard work and a little (ok, lots of) procrastination, we have managed to make it through to the other end with minor scratches and burns. What better way to top off this roller coaster of a week than with a round of gossip from around the internet.
This week we find Google joining the Dark Side and challenging giants where they live. Magento, who was rooting for the little guy, just did a 360 and we can barely hold on to our seats.
NEWS
Google No Longer Removing Links to British Articles
Information is a very powerful thing and with Google at the steering wheel, we knew this day was coming. Google recently reversed the decision to remove links to stories that appeared in the Guardian regarding a referee that lied about a penalty decision. This is quite a turn for press censorship where Google came under fire for their implementation of Europe’s “Right to be forgotten” ruling. What is ironic is that Google’s removal of the links had quite the opposite reaction as people started paying more attention to the content. Adhering to these legal rulings and maintaining the balance with press censorship is still a work in progress and until all the details are ironed out, such situations are to be expected in the future. Read more at Global Post.
Magento Shuts Down Services for Small Retailers
Magento, the ecommerce platform owned by eBay was a godsend for smaller retailers but a recent change has left them all flailing their arms in the air. Two of their services, Magento Go and Prostores, which catered to small and medium retailers are now being shut down. While a Migration Center has been set up to help customers make smooth transition to other services, we can’t deny that this is quite a blow for retailers conducting the bulk of their business through the site. This decision will affect about 10,000 retailers who will most likely migrate to BigCommerce who is the official transition partner. Read more at TechCrunch.
Google to Introduce Same Day Delivery
Google just challenged Amazon to an old fashioned duel and their weapon of choice is same day delivery. What has up till now been Amazon’s forte, Google will be expanding their Shopping Express throughout USA in the near future. A source revealed that up to $500 million have been allocated to make this happen. A trial version of the service was also rolled out in San Francisco, Silicon Valley, and New York, and a nationwide introduction is not too far away. Read more at Entrepreneur.
TIPS & TRICKS
Winning at Instagram Video
We absolutely love Instagram. Opening the doors for visual marketing, brands are now brilliantly making use of its video services to reach out to its customers in a unique way. One way that brands can make the most of the medium which only offers 15 seconds of footage is by creating a series that is continued with every episode allowing you to tell a longer story and engaging customers in multiple posts. One mistake that marketers make is recycling video content, which is a big no no in terms of instagram video. Creating custom content for the channel is one of the best ways to increase engagement. Read more at Econsultancy.
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Government Websites and Google Analytics
Governments just don’t seem to get the hang of the internet and with the multitudes of fiascos (we’re looking at you ObamaCare) that have given government sites a bad name; it’s time for a crash course in analytics. This was delivered by Feras Alhlou who outlined 6 tips for official government websites to follow. These tips included understanding the elements which were driving users to the site, segmenting traffic by demographics, and identifying engaging content. Read more at E-nor.
Advantages for the Frequent Blogger
Blogging frequently is something that has been asserted ever since the platform came into being and we’re surprisingly faced with the same conundrum even after all these years. Frequent blogging brings with it a basket of goodies which just keeps on giving. The very first benefit of writing multiple blogs is that the flow of creativity will now come naturally and creating a blog will be just like the flick of a wand. Time management is another great benefit of blogging frequently. One measurable benefit is that of SEO. Even if you aren’t aware of SEO, you will be able to improve it. Read more TheJasonEngblog.
How Your Vacation Can Help Your Business
Business owners shake their fists and curse under their breath every time they hear the dreaded word; vacation. Now that summer is here, it’s time for them to face their demons, but it’s time to realize that it’s not all bad. Not only is this a great time to recharge your batteries but also a great way to close the best business deals. The very first benefit is networking. This is the season where everyone else is taking a break too and you have an incredible opportunity to connect with them in a much better way. This is also a great time to get those wheels turning in your head and brainstorm ideas. Read more at Entrepreneur.
Calculating ROI for Content Marketers
Measuring content marketing efforts has always been overshadowed by a cloud of doubt. Calculating the return on content marketing, however, isn’t as complicated as most marketers make it out to be. In fact, most tools are already at their disposal. This involves understanding the role of content marketing in terms of relationship building, customer engagement, and keeping an eye on conversion events and increase in loyalty. There is a need to understand the brand funnel which starts from the point of contact to the purchase. Read more at Contently.
A Farewell to Authorship Badges
As we tearfully bury our faces in our handkerchiefs to see Authorship badges from Google Search, Bill Slawski tells us why they are still relevant. While there will no longer be an image next to the search result, the name of the author still shows up next to the title. This move was done to be mobile friendly since images don’t render as effectively in the search result on smaller devices. On features that we have overlooked is that of “In-Depth articles”, which creates rich snippets connected to the author. Read more at Go Fish Digital.
White Hat Link Building
Link building is an important part of online marketing but having the right kind of links is an important aspect to consider. This leads us to white hat and black hat link building techniques. The Zen masters over at Top 5 SEO just delivered an amazing mini book that takes everyone through the basic steps of white hat link building. Their suggestions include researching forums before posting on them, commenting on blogs using your real identity, and making meaningful conversation rather than dropping links and the ever-resurrected fossil Guest Blogging. Content marketing and the use of effective Infographics are also crucial. Read more at TOP5SEO.
The Content Promotion Ecosystem
There are a million ways to approach content promotion and you will be faced with a different cocktail that marketers swear by every time you turn around. To determine the channels that will best serve content promotion and how they can effectively be used, an Infographic by Chad Pollitt reveals that the three aspects that need to be focused on include Content Coverage, Content Distribution, and Content Broadcasting. Read more at Relevance.
Explaining SEO to Your Parents
In a world where our parents always misplace ‘The Google’, it can be quite a challenge to try and explain your SEO job to them. A recent study of 16000 parents revealed that 35% of parents didn’t know what their child did for a living. Some hilarious confessions by SEOs include telling their parents they design biscuits while others took the easy way and said they worked in marketing. Robyn Lodge delivers some amazing parent friendly explanations of what SEOs do for a living and is a must read for all facing the same problem back home. Read more at Built Visible.
Leading Internet Companies by Country
An amazing Infographic reveals the companies that are leading the internet race in each country. Some of the results so far are predictable while others had us doing a double take. The leading companies in USA were Google followed by Amazon and Facebook. China on the other hand had Alibaba at the top followed by Tencent and Baidu. South Africa was next with Naspers winning by a landslide followed by Yola and Mixit. View all the results at the Economist.
INFOGRAPHICS & VIDEOS
Fireside Chat with Google Co-Founders
In what is the most exciting development of the week, two cofounders of Google sat together for a fireside chat with Vinod Khosla. The interview spanning over 40 minutes covered a range of topics including self driving cars and artificial intelligence. Sergey Brin discussed the need for a 20 year vision rather than just focusing on 4 years. One great point that they raised was a reduction in the number of hours per week in order to improve the quality of life. View the eye opening and sometimes controversial interview at YouTube.
Targeting Your Facebook Audience through Ads
An amazing Infographic by Qawaya reveals the current targeting options available on Facebook to advertisers. As organic search in Facebook continues to drop, focusing on targeted advertising seems like the way to go for marketers. The Infographics defines the various filters in place for marketers including demographics, interests, and behaviors. View the Infographic at LouiseM.
Starting and Growing Your Ecommerce Business
Now that Magento has been shaking up the current landscape, marketers will be looking for other options where they can start up their Ecommerce business. Robb Lejuwaan of Mobilized, shares a list of more than 60 resources that can be sure to make it happen. There is yet hope for marketers. He suggests a getting started guide where you can learn the basics and learning best practices of SEO. He even provides articles for conversion rate improvement followed by risk management and essentials for international ecommerce. Read the ultimate list here.
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