Content Authority: Potential Measures of Authoritative Content – Whiteboard Friday

Content Authority: Potential Measures of Authoritative Content – Whiteboard Friday

When it boils down to it, every idea in SEO can be understood as a set of measurements we use to rank one page over another. And that means that when it comes to measuring a concept like the authoritativeness of your content, there are almost certainly factors that you can analyze and tweak to improve it. But if Google were to use a measure of content authority, what might go into it? Against what yardstick should SEOs be measuring their content’s E-A-T? In this episode of Whiteboard Friday, Russ Jones walks us through a thought experiment as to what exactly might constitute a “content authority” score and how you […]

Google Shopping Update: Now You Can Show Your Products for Free

Google Shopping Update: Now You Can Show Your Products for Free

On Tuesday, Google announced some BIG news for small businesses.  In response to the COVID-19 crisis, Google is overhauling its Shopping results to show free listings.  Since 2012, businesses had to pay to show products in the Shopping results, but starting next week it’ll be free! Here’s what Bill Ready, President of Commerce, said on Google’s blog: Beginning next week, search results on the Google Shopping tab will consist primarily of free listings, helping merchants better connect with consumers, regardless of whether they advertise on Google. Wait a Minute, Are All Google Ads Free? It’s important to clarify that this change is specific to Shopping Ads.  This does not affect text ads […]

5 Noteworthy Examples of Corporate Social Media Policies

5 Noteworthy Examples of Corporate Social Media Policies

As a marketer, social media is undeniably important – in fact, in 2020, three-quarters (74%) of all global marketers now invest in social media marketing. Social media can help you engage with new audiences, increase brand awareness, handle customer service inquiries, and even increase sales. (As an avid Instagram user, I can’t count the amount of times I’ve “Swiped Up to Purchase” on a link from a popular influencer.) But there’s plenty of risk involved with social media, as well. Among other things, a bad social media post could spiral into a full-blown PR crisis or get your business into legal trouble. Fortunately, there is a tactic you can use […]

Google adds website links to ‘Call Ads’

Google adds website links to ‘Call Ads’

Google announced that marketers can now add website links to Call Ads. The idea is to give consumers another way to contact and engage with the business during a time when call volumes are very high and wait times may be long — risking a bad customer experience. The mock-up below shows a traditional Call Ad, but with a new “visit website” link immediately below the description. This is optional, not mandatory. Link makes the ad size larger. Google makes the point that adding the link expands the size of the Call Ad, “giving you greater visibility on the search results page.” Call Ads only appear on devices capable of […]

10 Social Media Fails to Avoid in 2020

10 Social Media Fails to Avoid in 2020

Chances are you’ve witnessed a social media fail sometime in the past year. It usually results from a sense of urgency, or a miscommunication that ignores common sense, all for the sake of gaining attention. It’s true: Follow just a bit of poorly-advised posting on social media, and you, too, can create your very own brand fail in a matter of minutes. Many brands are over-concerned with posting frequency and speed, and not concerned enough with tactics that ensure quality and proper context. A single spur-of-the-moment tweet can cause irreparable damage. And even after it’s deleted, the examples below show that content on social media never truly dies — so […]

COVID-19 upheaval is actually speeding up some PPC campaigns [Video]

COVID-19 upheaval is actually speeding up some PPC campaigns [Video]

“Normally in an office environment, you’ve got a long sales cycle — it takes forever to get through all the stakeholders and everyone’s busy with meetings,” AdAlysis’ Brad Geddes said during our PPC for B2B session of Live with Search Engine Land, adding “Now, things that are normally six-month buy cycles, we’re seeing happen in two weeks flat.” Shorter buying cycles and higher conversion rates have been seen for B2B businesses and can be attributed to less red tape as a result of COVID-19 forcing employers to find ways for their staff to work from home, as well as a general need for employees to keep busy, Geddes said. [embedded […]

When your Google My Business listing becomes your lifeline

The recent days and weeks have been a blur as I’ve helped clients manage their online reputations amid a global pandemic that continues to inflict a heavy toll. Oftentimes Google My Business has been in the eye of the storm, with businesses turning to their GMB listings to notify people of sudden changes ranging from scaled back hours to temporary closures. Here are three truths that have emerged from this experience: 1. Your GMB listing is your lifeline Under normal circumstances, people rely on a GMB listing to get essential information such as store hours and customer reviews to learn more about a business’s location. During the coronavirus pandemic, the […]

Google will roll out identity verification program to all advertisers

Google will roll out identity verification program to all advertisers

Google is extending its identity verification program to all advertisers, the company announced Thursday. Advertisers will be required to submit business incorporation documents, personal identification and other information to prove who they and the country they operate in. Disclosures can be viewed by clicking on the ad URL. Source: Google. Why we care A wider rollout for Google’s identity verification program helps users find out more about who is advertising to them and enables them to make more informed decisions on whether to click on those ads. The program might also improve the overall state of Google’s ad ecosystem by rooting out bad advertisers before they can reach a wider […]

Microsoft Advertising adds support for multi-account Google imports

Microsoft Advertising adds support for multi-account Google imports

Microsoft Advertising now supports multi-account Google imports, the company announced Thursday. Advertisers can elect to import an entire Google Ads account or specific campaigns. The interface for multi-account imports. Source: Microsoft. Why we care Multi-account imports will make it easier for advertisers extending their campaigns from Google to Microsoft’s platform. This feature will also help advertisers, especially agency advertisers responsible for numerous campaigns, get more out of their time already spent adjusting keywords, ads, geotargeting and so on. More on the announcement While entire Google Ads accounts and/or specific campaigns can be imported, specific ad groups cannot be selected. Advertisers can also view their import schedules and histories for multiple […]

How HubSpot’s Report-Based Acquisition Campaign Hit 150% of Our Lead Goal in 30 Days

How HubSpot’s Report-Based Acquisition Campaign Hit 150% of Our Lead Goal in 30 Days

Acquisition marketing campaigns are critical to bring in new customers and revenue. At HubSpot, we run these campaigns quarterly. Despite the rapid cadence, every quarter we work to create new, remarkable ways of reaching, informing, and converting our audience. I wrote this post to share with you how we crafted our latest acquisition campaign to hit and exceed our acquisition targets. Establishing the Campaign The beginning of our Q1 2020 Acquisition Campaign started with a blinking cursor. As we brainstormed how to start our research, we had a few inputs to work with. First, we knew our target audience consisted of marketing managers, as we were re-launching our Marketing Hub […]