Being #1 on Google isn’t what it used to be. Back in 2013, we analyzed 10,000 searches and found out that the average #1 ranking began at 375 pixels (px) down the page. The worst case scenario, a search for “Disney stock,” pushed #1 all the way down to 976px. A lot has changed in seven years, including an explosion of rich SERP (Search Engine Results Page) features, like Featured Snippets, local packs, and video carousels. It feels like the plight of #1 is only getting worse. So, we decided to run the numbers again (over the same searches) and see if the data matches our perceptions. Is the #1 listing on Google being pushed even […]
Last week, I was searching Google for athletic wear because I was in the market for some new yoga pants. As I was scrolling through the results, I saw Fabletics. After browsing its site, I ended up becoming a VIP member and purchased $50 worth of athletic clothing. In the same vein, when I worked at a marketing agency last year, I was responsible for social media for our clients. I was curious about how to best use Instagram in the education industry. So, I went to Google and searched for “how to run social media for schools.” I came across a blog on Sprout Social that was helpful when […]
A “Made in USA” label accompanied by a flag icon appears to be the latest automated ad extension test by Microsoft Advertising. Where it’s showing. Interestingly, the automated ad extension was spotted in Bing.com results in Germany by Frank Sandtmass of Hamburg-based SEO and Analytics firm Vertriebsberatung. Why we care. Microsoft Advertising has a number of automated ad extensions that can appear in text ads on Bing. The aim of any of them is to give users more information and increase click-through rates. Automated extensions pull data from a range of sources — landing pages and domains, ad copy and in some cases third-parties — and can display automatically without […]
Kirk Williams of ZATO Marketing spoke on Google Smart Shopping campaigns at SMX West 2020. Have you gotten the hard sell? Google reps have been pushing Shopping advertisers to adopt Smart Shopping campaigns — and to even switch away from standard Shopping campaigns entirely. You shouldn’t abandon standard Shopping just yet, said Kirk Williams, owner of ZATO Marketing at SMX West in San Jose last week, but it’s probably time to start testing and understanding how Smart Shopping campaigns work. “Smart Shopping can definitely perform well, but what you lose if you just run Smart Shopping campaigns is data that can inform other marketing efforts,” said Williams. “You still want […]
Google has posted an explainer for its AMP (accelerated mobile pages) status report on the AMP blog. The report can be accessed within Google Search Console and allows users to identify issues and validate fixes. [embedded content] Why we care Although AMP isn’t a ranking factor, page speed is; and AMP can be used to create fast-loading pages, Stories, ads and more. Knowing how to use Search Console to identify and resolve errors can help you deliver a better experience to your mobile users. More on using the AMP status report The AMP status report top-level view displays crawled AMP pages and the default chart shows the trends for AMP […]
Google Images will soon replace the dimensions information you see in the image search results, as you overlay your mouse cursor over a specific image thumbnail. Google will replace the dimensions information with product, recipe, video, and soon, licensable labels based on the query. What is changing? Here is a screenshot highlighting the dimensions section of the image thumbnail in Google Image search: By the end of this week, a Google spokesperson told Search Engine Land, the image size dimensions will be replaced with product, recipe, video, and soon, licensable labels. Google was unable to share a screenshot of the new change. We will update this story when we see […]
Shortly after the announcement that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were “stepping away” as senior members of the Royal Family, Madame Tussauds Wax Museum also made news by removing Harry and Megan from a wax display of the Royal family. But, the famous wax museum’s publicity stunt isn’t the only example of a brand that’s leveraged a news event to gain awareness or viral attention. In fact, this tactic has been used by marketers throughout the 2000s. It’s often called “newsjacking.” Newsjacking is when a brand or firm mentions or creates a campaign centered around a major, well-discussed news item. It’s slightly different from a publicity stunt in that the […]
Social Media Marketing Industry Report In our 11th annual social media study (46 pages, 60+ charts) of 4800+ marketers, you’ll discover which social networks marketers most plan on using, organic social activities, paid social media plans, and much more! Get this free report and never miss another great article from Social Media Examiner.
Slow web pages make for low conversion rates. Research has shown that even a 100ms slowdown in load time can affect conversions on a web page. Ultimately, users don’t want to wait. It’s that truth that set Google out to speed the mobile web with Accelerated Mobile Pages years ago. And though the AMP framework has grown capable of accommodating a variety of web pages across a variety of verticals, some still believe AMP can’t speed much beyond a static web page. Today, though, AMP is capable of serving dynamic content, checkout pages, entire websites, and even progressive web with its lightweight framework. As a result, brands are increasingly turning […]
As a marketer, you might’ve heard coworkers talking around the watercooler about how email marketing is dead. It’s been a common concern for many marketing departments. Well, I’m here to let you know that you don’t have to worry because email marketing is still going strong. In fact, 40 percent of B2B marketers say email newsletters are most critical to their content marketing success, and 73% of millennials prefer communications from businesses to come via email. Furthermore, 99% of consumers check their email every day and it is by far the preferred way to receive updates from brands. As marketers, we can’t ignore these statistics. That’s why it’s important to […]