Advanced Local SEO Competition Analysis. Competition in local search is fierce. While it's typical to do some surface level research on your competitors before entering a market, you can go much further down the SEO rabbit hole. In this article we will look at how you can find more competitors, pull their data, and use it to beat them in the search game. Since there are plenty of resources out there on best practices, this guide will assume that you have already followed the best practices for your own listing and are looking for the little things that might make a big difference in putting you over your competition. So if you haven't already read how to perform the Ultimate Local SEO Audit or how to Find and Build Citations then you should probably start there. Disclaimer: While it's important to mention that correlation does not mean causation, we can learn a lot by seeing what the competition has done.
Some of the benefits of conducting competitive research are: Before we get started Let's get started 1. Method 3: Use SPYFU.com. Inbound Lead Generation: eCommerce Marketing's Missing Link. The author's posts are entirely his or her own (excluding the unlikely event of hypnosis) and may not always reflect the views of Moz. If eCommerce businesses hope to remain competitive with Amazon, eBay, big box brands, and other online retail juggernauts, they'll need to learn how to conduct content marketing, lead generation, and contact nurturing as part of a comprehensive inbound marketing strategy.
First, I will discuss some of the ways most online retailers are approaching email from the bottom of the funnel upward, and why this needs to be turned around. Then we can explore how to go about doing this within the framework of "Inbound Marketing" for eCommerce businesses. Lastly, popular marketing automation and email marketing solutions are discussed in the context of inbound marketing for eCommerce. Key differences between eCommerce and lead generation approaches to email Different list growth strategies Contacts vs. leads Here's a thought. My, What a Big LIST You Have! The result? Building Online Marketing Strategies for Small Businesses.
The author's posts are entirely his or her own (excluding the unlikely event of hypnosis) and may not always reflect the views of Moz. Building marketing strategies for small businesses is one of my favorite things. In my first marketing role, I worked in the marketing department for a small company before moving on to Distilled, where I've been lucky enough to continue working with small businesses that have enormous potential. Despite the various industries, locales, and personalities, one of the prevailing similarities between them is that small businesses often don't position their company or use the web as effectively as they could.
While this is partially due to the time and resource crunch small business owners feel, it's also because, beyond building a website, they don't know where to begin. It doesn't have to be so overwhelming though. I'll walk you through the preliminary steps I take my small business clients through. 1. But it's not that way. 1. 2. 3. 4. 2. 1. 2. 3. Paid Email. You Don't Need to Be a Brand Publisher to Win at Content Marketing. The author's posts are entirely his or her own (excluding the unlikely event of hypnosis) and may not always reflect the views of Moz. "Man, I'm sorry. You guys weren't ready to adopt the brands as publisher mindset. I suspected you'd never be ready to do it successfully. I knew it; I could sense you knew it. Those were my words to the executive of a midsize lifestyle brand I worked with in 2014. He seemed to understand. "If we couldn't get it right, with all of our resources, what does it say about the feasibility of becoming a brand publisher?
" A fair question, to be sure, and one I did not have a sufficient answer for. Four things doomed his efforts from the start, and each was self-induced: He drank the brands-as-publishers Kool-Aid He chose the wrong goals for his brand He attempted to execute a plan that wasn't meant for his business He attempted to do content marketing by skipping the small but important steps Any one of these could have led to failure. (image source) Wrong! Local Search Expert Quiz: How Much Do You Know about Local SEO? How big is local SEO? Our latest Industry Survey revealed over 67% of online marketers report spending time on local search. We've witnessed demand for local SEO expertise grow as Google's competitive landscape continues to evolve.
Last year, Moz introduced the SEO Expert Quiz, which to date over 40,000 people have attempted to conquer. Today, we're proud to announce the Local Search Expert Quiz. Written by local search expert Miriam Ellis, the quiz contains 40 questions and only takes less than 10 minutes to complete. Ready to get started? Rating your score Keep in mind the Local Search Expert Quiz is just for fun. 0-39% Newbie: Time to study up on your citation data!
Resources to improve your performance Want to learn more about local search? You can also learn the latest local search tips and tricks by signing up for the LocalUp Advanced one-day conference, subscribing to the Local 7 Pack newsletter, or reading local SEO posts on the Moz Blog. Embed this Quiz Here's the embed code: 7 Dead-Simple Ways to Improve Slide Decks. Slide decks are a powerful way to back up any type of presentation from team meetings and sales pitches to conference keynotes and workshops. We've all seen presentations with poor design that takes away from talks, and at worse, completely distracts the intended audience. However, most presenters aren't graphic designers. Slide decks can be frustrating to build, and great slide decks help communicate what an audience needs to hear. At Moz, I've had the pleasure of working with many speakers on their decks, whether for a biweekly webinar or for MozCon.
And while you aren't going to turn into a god of slide decks overnight, there are some easy ways to go from terrible to decent. Decent won't get you heaps of praise for a deck, but it also won't leave a sour taste in someone's mind about your slide skills and will allow them to focus on what you actually have to say. Here are seven simple tips to sharpen up any deck. Download the checklist version to help you get started. Use legible fonts. How to Have a Successful Local SEO Campaign in 2015.
The author's posts are entirely his or her own (excluding the unlikely event of hypnosis) and may not always reflect the views of Moz. Another year in search has passed. It's now 2015 and we have seen some major changes in local ranking factors since 2014, which I also expect to change greatly throughout 2015. For some a new year means a fresh starting point and yet for others it's a time of reflection to analyze how successful your campaign has been. Whatever boat you're in, make sure to sit down and read this guide. In this guide we will cover how you can have a successful local SEO campaign in 2015 starting with the basics and getting down to five action items you should focus on now.
Now the question is where do you start? Since Pigeon has now rolled out to the US, UK, Australia, and Canada it's important to make sure your strategies are in line with this no matter what part of the world you're in. Things you need to know first Focus on the right goals It's 2015. 1. . /? 2. 3. 1. 2. 3. 1. A Step-by-Step Guide to Updating Your Website Without Destroying Your SEO. The first thing any SEO thinks when a client says "I'm redesigning my website" is what impact will this have on all my work? In these events, often the client doesn't even consider telling their online marketing agency about the redesign until two days before launch. This resource will cover how to do SEO checks on your test site/development site to ensure the structure, URLs, Page Titles, Meta Descriptions and more all match up properly.
It also serves as an SEO checklist touching on things that are often forgotten when a website goes through a complete overhaul. Why consider SEO in a redesign? Why is it important to consider your SEO during a website’s revamp? In short, you have a lot to lose. Let’s say your site’s doing great. However, by thinking strategically, you can take the opportunity to improve a site’s performance after a redesign. As you can see, a steady increase in traffic followed (from the red circle) even during the re-indexing phase. Step 1 – Consider the SEO How to do it. 58% Of Local Marketers Will Change Tactics After Pigeon Update. Pigeonholed: How to Avoid Google's Algorithm Wrath!
Anyone who has ever dealt with a persistent pigeon problem knows that as soon as you find one method of deterring them, the pigeons find another way to make a nuisance of themselves. If you’ve been working with SEO and local SEO in particular recently, you might have had that same feeling of continually solving one conundrum only to have Google change things up again and send you in search of yet another solution. It seems fitting then that latest Google algorithm update has been dubbed Pigeon after those pesky urban dwellers. However, as with every Google update, there is a logic behind the update and steps users can take to stay current with the new requirements.
This update has search results closely tied to the location of the signal and affecting the top search results or what is commonly known as the 7-pack SERPs. Much of what needs to be done to stay current with the new algorithm is what experts have been advising local business adopt as best practices for some time now. Summary. It's Over: The Rise & Fall Of Google Authorship For Search Results. All You Need to Know About the #SEO Ranking Fac... Publications Yahoo Outpaces Google In Mobile Search 10/10.
Yahoo now sees 31% of its searches on mobile devices, slightly outpacing Google at 30%. Estimates include hidden Apple iOS visits related to the company's clients. The Rimm-Kaufman Group Q3 Digital Marketing Report analyzes paid search, organic search and social, comparison shopping engines and attribution associated with RKG clients. Organic searches continue to become more interesting for marketers as Google has built barriers preventing marketers from seeing search query keyword data. Missing or not, provided search query share rose at the end of Q3 to reach 80%, as Google pushed consumers toward secure searches -- regardless of their browser or log-in status.
Bing's share of organic search visits rose to 10.5% in Q3, up from 10.1% sequentially. Yahoo's share slipped slightly to 9.1%, while Google's rose a bit to 78.1%. Smartphones and tablets now account for 28% of organic search visits, led by the iPad at 10%. Social also continues to make an impact. Search Marketing ~ How customer reviews make a difference. Search Marketing is a moving target If you know anything at all about search engine marketing you know it’s an ever-evolving process. In the early days of the Internet one could simply identify important search terms and then fill their sites with these words completely out of context.
It wasn’t unusual to find sites filled with the names of female celebrities; a classic bait and switch move. There is a game of “cat” and “mouse” between search engine programmers and online marketers. It’s no secret that Google is the search engine giant. The Move to a Social Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Google released an update called Venice in 2012.
One social signal is the number and frequency of customer reviews. Consumers are using these sites to: Research products and servicesExpress their experiences Social Media Optimization Search engines are in the business of providing relevant results to those seeking information. Sites like Angie’s list and Yelp are becoming increasingly popular. 9 Steps to Optimizing Images for Improved Local SEO. It’s a little-known fact that Google Images is one of the search engine’s hottest properties. We all type out keywords and then click on ‘images,’ but it’s easy to overlook the importance of this fact when considering our search engine optimization (SEO) campaigns and how our clients find us. For this reason, it’s important to optimize each image on your site. Not only will you improve your SEO, earning more customers and organic traffic, but you’re also more likely to convert that traffic when it lands on your site.
Before we look at steps to optimize your images, let’s first consider the reasons why it’s a good idea. People have notoriously short attention spans while searching the net and if there’s any doubt regarding the relevancy of your site, visitor are much more likely to leave immediately. A picture that’s instantly and obviously relevant to your product or service routes all doubt at a glance.
People will stick around on your web pages for longer if there are images to look at. 7 Keyword Research Tools for Bloggers. I don’t always care about SEO with every blog post that I write. That’s because I’m not always trying to hit a home run with everything I publish. But when you do care about SEO, and you’re aiming to write a great piece of evergreen content — something that will stand the test of time and bring traffic over the long haul — keyword research is a must.
Experienced SEOs and bloggers will surely recognize most, if not all, of the keyword research tools on this list. You can feel free to move along; nothing much to see. But if you’re new to blogging or SEO, and need some help getting pointed in the right direction, here are seven different keyword research tools for bloggers and how you can use them. Google AdWords Keyword Tool The godfather of keyword research tools. Link: adwords.google.com/o/KeywordTool Google Trends Google used to have a great tool called Insights For Search, but it’s been merged into Google Trends. Link: google.com/trends/ Google Search box dropdown Link: Google.com (natch!) What is a SERP? - Small Business Trends | #smal... WTF is SEO? Ever had a massive, life-changing epiphany? Me neither. However, I’ve slowly reached the conclusion that we’re doing SEO all wrong. Not in the do-real-marketing sense, or the we-need-to-change-the-name sense. More in the wow-did-we-ever-screw-the-pooch-this-time sense.
After 17+ years of beating my head against walls like IT departments, branding teams and disbelieving CFOs, I’ve figured out why: SEO isn’t an activity, or a tactic, or a strategy. Good SEO is the outcome of a disciplined, coherent marketing & technology strategy. SEO isn’t a tactic In marketing, a tactic is a single, atomic thing you do to reach a goal: Direct mail isn’t a tactic, it’s a channel. SEO is not a marketing tactic. Most SEO tactics influence other parts of marketing: A faster site means better conversion rates. SEO isn’t a strategy It’s not a strategy, either. For SEO, you target. Getting those details right isn’t “a strategy,” unless you want to call “Don’t be a dolt” a strategy. We (almost) ruined it. Inbound Marketing / Google Plus SEO: Everybody's Talks About It - How Do You DO It? excellent content/advice. 6 Indispensable Free & Freemium SEO Tools. When you are working on search engine optimization for your own business or for a client’s website, you will need some great SEO tools.
If you have the budget, you can certainly pay for the best SEO tools the Internet has to offer, but if you don’t, then free and freemium tools are the alternative. Free tools are just that – free to use as much as you want for any of your projects. Freemium tools, on the other hand, have both free and premium rate plans based on your needs. The following are my six favorite free and freemium tools that are indispensable for SEO’s everywhere. 1. AdWords Keyword Tool for Keyword Research All SEO campaigns should begin with keyword research. 2.
SEO Book actually has several free SEO tools on their website. 3. Want to quickly check stats about a website you are viewing including PageRank, SEO Title, Meta Description, Alexa Traffic Ranking, Incoming Links, SEOmoz Domain & Page Authority, and a wealth of other on-site optimization information? The best part? 9/19/12 #SMchat Social Media & SEO (with tweets) · smsjoe. Social Media and SEO. #usguyschat Part 2 SEO/Speed · smsjoe. Top Tips for SEO using Fishies as a memory device. Mozhpvj Shared by Josepf. #usguyschat 4/16 SEO/SPEED Part 1 of 2 Chats · smsjoe. The #Linkedin Profile #in personal #SEO #infograph | Social Search & SEO | Scoop.it. Pages With Too Many Ads "Above The Fold" Now Penalized By Google's "Page Layout" Algorithm. Responsive Web Design and Facebook Fan Pages a Perfect Marriage. Why local search engine marketing is important - a personal story. Top 10 Effective Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Techniques.
Guide to Setting up Advanced Segments in Google Analytics for Complex Brand Names. The Ultimate Guide to Keyword Research. 4 Quick Tips for Getting the Most out of Google Analytics. 6 Steps for Optimizing Images for SEO. SEO for Corporate Blogs: Where to Use Keywords. Google to offer app search and nine other search predictions for 2011. Where to Kickoff Your Keyword Research. 34 Search Engine Optimization Techniques. Website optimization|Search Engine Optimization SEO Tutorial — WebBizIdeas | Search Engine Optimization & Marketing. Inbound Marketing for Startups in 2011. SEO Mistakes That Just Make You Look Dumb. 6 New Tools Every SEO Should Check Out.