Another Google Update Gets Webmasters’ Attention

Last week, a big update to Google’s core search algorithm dominated the SEO headlines (along with the fact that Google said that Panda is now baked into the core algorithm). The update rolled out the weekend prior, and it looks as though history has repeated itself.

Now there are reports of another big core update from this past weekend with Google confirming it.
SEOs and the webmaster community have been anxiously awaiting Google’s forthcoming Penguin update (which the company has been teasing for what seems like an eternity). When the previous core update launched there was Penguin speculation among some of the community, but that was shot down. Once again, with this more recent update, the speculation once again occurred.

Google is still expected to push the new Penguin within the month. That may or may not happen, but last we heard about the timing, it was looking likely. It was even supposed to happen before the end of last year, but Google ultimately delayed it because of the holidays. Still, there’s likely more to it than that or it would probably have begun rolling out by now. Stay tuned.

Best 6 tools for SEO Purpose

In this series of blog posts, I’ve enjoyed shedding some light onto how we approach marketing at The Next Web through Web analytics, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO), social media and more. This piece focuses on what tools we use in the marketing team, why we use them and what kind of feedback they give us.

Almost daily I get pitches from companies that would like me to show me a tool they’re working on or a hot startup that has seen a break through in a relevant area of marketing. GREAT! Keep it coming, we embrace the need to innovate. We’re constantly trying to make our process more efficient and new tools can help us to do that.

But on the other side we’re also not scared at all to built a lot of tools ourselves when needed. One of the other things we believe in is open source and so we’re committed to providing access to the things we’ve built.

What are we looking for in a toolFor The Next Web, there are a few requirements we have when making a decision about the tools we might be able to use and the ones that we don’t want. What are they?

• API: We love data at The Next Web and so we make sure we can access it from other places to combine it with our own data sets. If your application is generating data that might be useful for traffic analysis or to our users, make sure there is an API that we can use to pull the data into our platform. It’s 2016 and data wants to be free!
• Speed/ Reliability: For the tools that require a JavaScript implementation, make sure that it’s as fast as possible. We don’t want to slow your servers down and we don’t want ours to be slowed up because your snippets are too slow to load. In addition, make sure you can handle a lot of traffic. We’ve worked with tools before that couldn’t handle the amount that is coming to The Next Web, even these days when you’re load balancing and running your applications in the cloud.
• Team collaboration: If your tool is providing us with new ways to work together, make sure we can add unlimited accounts and that we get to see the data. Most applications are unable to handle the number of accounts we need. We also like to make sure that certain users only have access to certain projects so we don’t bother them with seeing information meant for a colleague.
• Cheap ;-): no further explanation needed, I guess?

What tools do we use?A couple of months ago I started putting together an overview of the tools that we’re using and the subscriptions that we have in order to get some insight into the amount we spend on these kinds of tools. This revealed that we use a rather impressive 30-plus different services, which can be broken down into a number of categories, including:

• Web Analytics: 
  • Google Analytics (Premium): This is one of the most used tools in the marketing team for a reason. We’re very data-driven and like to make sure we’re tracking everything our users do (in a non-creepy way!). Google Analytics Premium provides us with all the reporting and data we need to make good decisions.
  • Parsely: This covers real-time analytics, the only thing that Google Analytics isn’t very good at.
• Social Media:
  • SocialFlow: Every article that we publish is automatically sent to SocialFlow, making it easier for the team to work out when to schedule their posts to ensure they get the most reach on social media.
  • Coschedule: For the occasional tweet we need to schedule.
  • Buffer: We use this to control our key social accounts to optimize the sharing of specific posts.
• Data: 
  • Google Tag Manager: Not sure if it belongs to this category but Google Tag Manager enables us to push all of our data into one place through our DataLayer and then use it with multiple tools at the same time.
  • Segment v.s. Keen.io: For Index.co, TNW’s big company data platform, we push a whole load of data from our back-end looking at what kind of actions our users perform. How do we save it? We push it through Segment to Keen.io.
• SEO:
  • Screaming Frog: Obviously. We wrote a blog post about why we love it so much.
  • SEMRush: You want more data on why certain keywords have so much volume and how you can work with this? SEMRush provides you with this data.
  • Majestic SEO: How fast are we growing, where do we get more links from and what are the opportunities for certain projects or articles? This tool can tell you.
  • Buzzstream: You want to keep track of your outreach + contacts. Best tool out there!
• Others:
  • MailChimp: We love email!
  • Dribbble: We love showing off the design work we’ve been doing.
  • SurveyGizmo: To get more insights in what our users would like us to work on and what they’re up to.
  • BananaSplash: Want to test great things on mobile? Go with them!

So what tools might we start using in the future?We’re always looking for better tools and better integrations with the tools we’re already using. Chances are we’ll actually start using fewer tools and focus more on the ones that can provide additional benefits.

5 Ways Social Media & SEO Work Together to Improve Site Ranking

Typically social media promotion and SEO promotion seem like polar opposites, with one focusing on newsworthy content and the other relying on long tail evergreen posts.

But really, Search Engine Optimization and social media promotion work together, and it’s important you understand how in order to get the most traffic to your website as possible.

Emphasis on social media

With so many social media platforms available, there are even more avenues open for you to attract more prospective clients online. In 2010 Facebook had 100 million users, in 2015 it reached 1 billion and now Instagram is at the 100 million mark. The audience is there, it’s just a matter of targeting them.

With social media platforms for just about everything, this means you have a lot of work to do. If you want your social media channels to support your SEO efforts, there are a few steps to take first.

1. Create content to share on social media.
2. Generate a following on social media.

How does social media help SEO?

You may assume that social media promotion and search engine optimization have nothing to do with each other when it comes to ranking your website. This cannot be farther from the truth. Social media will help your SEO activities by:

1. Building your following

When Google is determining domain authority, it considers the following that you have on social platforms. A following of 20,000 rather than 200 will help your site rank, considerably.

2. Earn shares and become popular

When you post viral content on your social networks you can become popular on search engines as well. That’s because when you post awesome content that builds your following you get attention from the search engines like Google and your content will rank well for associated search queries.

3. Optimize posts for search

Google and Twitter recently became partners, which there is a possibility that your tweets will show up in Google searches. Simply put, it does pay to optimize your twitter posts for search. Even if a tweet doesn’t show up on the results’ pages of Google when you optimize it using brand-relevant keywords, at least you should be able to cement your reputation as a thought leader on social in that particular area.

4. Principle of reciprocity

Engaging with other businesses online is really good for the health of your website. In the event that you are looking forward to optimizing your site for local searches, you can try to engage with other businesses that are similar to yours. One of the rules of social media is the old adage: do unto others as you would like them to do to you. Therefore, when you share the other businesses’ content and comment on their profiles then they should do the same for you. This helps to grow your audience. Even the search engines learn to associate you with those other brands that you engage with most frequently.

5. Let people know what you are up to

The best way for your website to rank is to be active. Share content on social media regularly and let people know what is happening on your website, including new blog posts or deals. And it is not enough to share the content just once. Depending on your posting schedule, you can share the link on social media several times – perhaps three times a day on Twitter and several times on Facebook. The more actively you produce content, and share it on social, the better your chances of ranking on search.

Final word

The relationship between SEO and social media is important, and a good and active social media account typically means an improvement in SEO rankings.

6 Skills That Make You a Successful Online Marketer

In today’s totally digital and instant-information world, businesses who do not have a successful online marketing strategy are going to be completely left behind. With Google processing 40,000 searches every second, which translates to 3.5 billion searches every day, or 1.2 trillion search every year, and conducting 70 percent all online searches, businesses need to be on board — and that’s why businesses from pharmacies and retail stores to scientific research and development companies need online marketers.
Many companies have already recognized the importance of online marketing in their overall promotional strategy. Companies that are making plans to follow suit will be looking for the following skills and abilities in the online marketer they’re looking to hire.

Web Design

Many companies will be looking for someone who knows how to design websites, install widgets, update content and layout, and make sure their website is mobile friendly, easy to navigate and professionally represents the company to the Internet world. With all the competition inherent to being on the Internet, you need to be able to help set the company that hires you ahead of everyone else. This can be done through using video marketing, graphics and other content, and making sure that their website does precisely what it and its customers need it to do.

Social Media Management (Twitter, Facebook, G+, Linkedin)

Social media management is hugely important. Not only is it the best way to get your new employer noticed on the “Innerwebs” for the positive, an effective online marketer must also be on the lookout for and even know how to stave off the effects of negative press from taking hold. An effective online marketer needs to be up on the strategies that will help his/her company make the most of the online opportunities. You will also need to know which social media platforms will work best for your company, and how to use the best parts of those platforms.

Data Analysis

One aspect of online management that can’t be neglected is data analysis. Companies need online marketers who know how to use data analysis (eg: Google Analytics, Woopra and others), to track who is visiting the site when, from where, and how they interact with the site. You need to be able to understand and follow click throughs from your social media efforts. Data analysis will not only help you keep tabs on how your company’s site and social media efforts are working, but also help you target other markets or demographics that you may not have seen before, or other marketing angles you may need to take advantage of.

Knowing How to Use Google AdWords

Online marketing can’t always be done for free. For some companies, knowing how to effectively use keyword strategies and pay-per-click opportunities can generate a revenue stream that is often underestimated to start. An effective online marketer will understand the value of Google AdWords and others, and how such things fit into his/her company’s website overall advertising strategy.

Search Engine Optimization

Search engine optimization isn’t just about using keywords and phrases a hundred times in a page. A successful online marketer knows how to effectively use keywords and phrases to attract search engine crawlers, but also new strategies such as relevant content, backlinking, videos and graphics, and mobile friendliness.
It’s not just about what you say anymore. Search engines are looking for so many things now to rank sites, it’s crucial that online marketers know these new trends and stay on top of them to give their company a decided online advantage over their competition.

Effective Content Marketing

Effective content marketing means not only understanding new search engine optimization strategies, but also how to write effective content for the website and blog. Keeping your company’s website current and active is part of an effective overall online marketing strategy. One of the challenges is balancing the need to satisfy the search engines and drawing people to your site, and satisfying clients with the right content and the right style of content once those potential clients reach your company’s site.
Online marketing is here to stay, with companies expected to spend more on such strategies than in past years. This is where a successful online marketer will be able to help generate revenue with the power of the Internet. With these six skills you will bring value to your company and have the satisfaction of seeing your hard work pay off with increased web traffic and increased sales.

How to Blog to Improve Your SEO

I’ve written several blogs about the importance of fresh, relevant content as part of your overall search engine optimization (SEO) strategy. Integrating this content properly within your website is critical to maximizing your efforts. One of the absolute best ways to do this is through the use of a “Blog” or “Latest News” section on your site.
While this can be successful, it’s not enough to just add new posts. The content you integrate should be part of an overall strategy to optimize your search results in the desired interest segments. To get the most out of your SEO efforts, here are four things to pay attention to as you begin creating content.

1. Make Sure it’s Registering

In order for search engines to see and utilize the content you’re creating, they must be able to see it. Work with your web design company to make sure that the section created to host this information is structured so that the content is seen easily by the search engines. Your web designers will know how to do that.

2. Target Prospects Properly

Each of your posts should have an intended audience made up of potential prospects. You want to integrate words and phrases in the content that align with search terms those prospects would use. If you integrate the wrong keywords that cause you to come up in the wrong search results, you may drive up website traffic, but you won’t drive up sales.

3. Pay Attention to Details

As Google and other search engines begin to pay more attention to content, the quality of that content is becoming more important. It has been reported that things like spelling errors and bad grammar can actually hurt your search results. As a result, make sure you take the time to proof-read the content before you post it on your site.

4. Spread the Word

Once the content is created, targeted and proofed, it’s time to share it. The best way to do this is by posting it on multiple social media platforms. If you company has a Facebook, Google+ and LinkedIn page, you should absolutely be sharing this content on those channels. In addition, begin to share these posts on secondary sites like StumbleUpon, Reddit, Digg and others. Take the time to post on these platforms and integrate the proper keywords on your posts. This will also create inbound links to those blog pages on your site, which will help build the authority of your website.
I hope this helps you understand not only the importance of creating new content for your site, but also gives you a better understanding of the importance of how your create and share it. Adding properly-created content consistently to your website is one of the best things you can be doing to improve your search rankings in a sustainable way for the future.

Local Marketing Services: Why Online Reviews Matter

Local marketing services can help small and medium businesses attract new customers and build loyalty with their current ones. For some businesses, online interaction is the last in a long list of pressing items.  For others, reviews are like heading to the dentist for a root canal: You’re filled with dread when you think of them. Whatever the reason, what you don’t know will kill you, so start with a quick, do-it-yourself audit.  First, ask yourself where you would search if you were looking for your product. Check the usual search engines, blogs, online review and industry-specific sites. Remember: Losing revenue, customers, or even your business is much worse than the pain of reading negative commentary. In this blog, we’ll talk about the importance of customer reviews and the impact they have on your online marketing efforts.

The first reason online reviews are so important is the effect they have on your brand. Customers today are quicker to read online reviews than they are to consult a friend or family member, so having a few positive reviews can play a big role in your sales.

The second reason online reviews matter is because they factor into your search engine optimization (SEO). Like prospective customers, Google also cares about what users think about your company.

“It is believed that Google largely takes into consideration reviews when getting ranked high. You should know that reviews serve as a direct platform for customers to get easy information on products and services. The reviews are for Google users who find your business on SERP. One of the best ways to get easy reviews is by adding a button on your webpage itself.”

Not many customers will go out of their way to say nice things about your business, so it helps to make things easy for them. By adding an option to leave a review on your website or in marketing emails, you’ll remove the biggest hurdle.

Whether online or offline, you will get customer feedback–and hopefully, you also want it, because you know it’s an opportunity to strengthen your business. Just keep in mind that when someone comes into your store to complain, there might be a handful of other customers present. But online, consumers have an endless platform for airing grievances and a steady stream of people who will draw their own conclusions.

Just one final note: it’s important that you never solicit reviews under any circumstances. If you start telling customers what to say on Yelp and other social media sites, you’ll eventually get hit with a penalty for suspicious behavior. This will negate any progress you might have made by receiving good reviews.

So engage early and often. You will help balance the scales in the eyes of potential customers, rectify situations, whether perceived or real, and keep your fingers on the pulse of customer satisfaction.