Today, actionable data is key. Yet, drowning in a sea of information from various sources can be overwhelming. How do you prove your campaigns are hitting the mark and contributing to the bottom line? Automation can elevate your marketing game by freeing time so you can focus on innovative strategies rather than wrestling with data. Join marketing analytics automation experts to learn how to impact the bottom line and prove your campaigns succeed Register and attend “Become a Data Champion By Mastering Marketing Analytics Automation,” presented by Altyrex. Click here to view more Search Engine Land webinars. The post Become a data champion by mastering marketing analytics automation appeared first on Search Engine Land. via Search Engine Land https://ift.tt/mvkMeLI
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Google Ads has confirmed it is trialling a new overview slide metrics feature. The platform told Search Engine Land this new dropdown tool has been rolled out to a limited number of advertisers to offer more flexibility from the overview page. Why we care. This new feature simplifies access to essential data for advertisers by allowing you to select the desired metrics on the overview page and easily access additional information. “Really like this update!” The new feature was first spotted by PPC expert Anthony Higman. Sharing his discovery on X, he wrote:
Higman also shared a screenshot of his Google Ads account to show what the new dropdown option looks like: What Google is saying. A Google spokesperson told Search Engine Land:
Deep dive. Visit the Google Ads Help Center for more information. The post Google Ads pilots new metrics feature to boost overview page flexibility appeared first on Search Engine Land. via Search Engine Land https://ift.tt/wb05CcI Meta is rolling out no ads subscriptions for Facebook and Instagram users in Europe. People in the EU, EEA and Switzerland will be given the choice to either continue using these platforms with personalised ads, or pay a fee to remove sponsored posts completely from November. Users that opt to pay for a subscription, which will cost €9.99 per month on the web or €12.99 per month on iOS and Android, will not have their information used for ads. Why we care. The success of ad-free subscriptions could greatly influence reach and, consequently, ROI for this new service in Europe. Nonetheless, the expense of these paid services, coupled with the planned additional fees for next year, may act as a deterrent for potential sign-ups. Subscription costs. An ad-free experience will be applied to all linked Facebook and Instagram accounts in a user’s Accounts Center, meaning users will only need to pay for one subscription to cover all of their accounts. However, that is set to change next year. From March 2024, an additional fee of €6 per month on the web and €8 per month on iOS and Android will apply for each additional account listed in a user’s Account Center. Why now? Providing a choice to subscribe without ads meets European regulations and lets Meta serve users in the EU, EEA, and Switzerland. The CJEU confirmed that such a subscription model is a valid way for users to consent to an ad-supported service. Who is eligible? To begin with, Meta is only rolling out ad-free experiences for people aged 18 and up. However, the tech giant is continuing to explore new ways to offer teens a “useful and responsible ad experience” in light of the EU’s evolving regulatory landscape. What Meta is saying. A spokesperson for Meta said in a statement:
Deep dive. Read Meta's announcement in full for more information. The post Meta unveils ad-free Facebook and Instagram subscriptions in Europe appeared first on Search Engine Land. via Search Engine Land https://ift.tt/VPlXsu6 Google knew as far back as 2010 that Google Chrome would help drive more Google searches. We learned some exact figures today during testimony from Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai at the ongoing U.S. vs. Google antitrust trial.
“The correlation was pretty clear to see,” Pichai said, CNN reported. Pichai also said, via WSJ:
$26.3 billion. Meanwhile, we also learned Google paid $26.3 billion to be the default search engine on various browsers, platforms and devices, with the biggest share going to Apple. That was according to testimony from Prabhakar Raghavan, a Google senior VP and head of Search, on Friday.
Europe has a choice. Since the 2020 arrival of a search choice screen Microsoft Bing has seen no positive gains in market share in Europe. As of September in Europe, according to Statcounter:
So yes, Google has spent $26.3 billion to be the search default everywhere it wants, Europe shows that on all platforms, where explicitly given a choice, people still overwhelmingly choose Google. This story is developing and will be updated… The post Google CEO details how Chrome helped grow Google Search appeared first on Search Engine Land. via Search Engine Land https://ift.tt/MBkmNWD Instagram Reminder Ads are rolling out new features to help advertisers reach a wider audience:
The new capabilities, which also make it easier to create Reminder Ads, will be launched by the end of October. Why we care. Expanding your reach to engage with more potential customers can boost brand recognition, leading to more conversions and a better return on investment (ROI). Streamlining the ad creation process also simplifies life for marketers, potentially saving them time and allowing them to concentrate on other important tasks. What are Reminder Ads? Reminder Ads, launched by Instagram earlier this year, is an ad product designed specifically to enable advertisers to generate awareness, anticipation, and interest in upcoming launches, events, and special moments. Reminder ads give users the option to sign up for notifications about the events they’re interested in. People who opt in will receive three push notifications leading up to the event to help keep them informed and engaged. Getting started. Once it’s available to your business, advertisers can boost an organic post or create a Reminder ad directly in Ads Manager. What Instagram is saying. An Instagram spokesperson said in a statement:
Deep dive. For more information visit the Instagram Help Center. The post Instagram Reminder Ads launch new features to boost reach appeared first on Search Engine Land. via Search Engine Land https://ift.tt/s6Ip1L4 As the initial buzz around AI dies down, the practical use of generative AI is now well-established in the content creation world. In theory, this creates a huge content marketing opportunity. However, as we are seeing, there are many pitfalls from an SEO perspective. This article outlines how we are primed to make such mistakes, ways Google has tackled this historically and how to safely integrate generative AI in your SEO and content marketing. Pitfalls and problemsHuman beings are hardwired to seek the path of least resistance. Generative AI tools seemingly make it easy to write an expert-level article about any topic. This allows websites or authors to assume unwarranted expert status and pump out legions of articles on almost anything. This is the path of least resistance for content production, and on the surface, it seems an attractive proposition with some huge SEO opportunities. I have sat in marketing meetings with AI consultants advising this very strategy. One consultant called the approach “automate and dominate.” I was there to temper such blind enthusiasm and ensure no SEO mistakes were made. This creates a problem for consumers looking for the best information and for search engines who need to ensure that the best information is promoted accordingly. SEO history lessonTo look into the SEO future, we have to look at the well-documented SEO past. In the early days, around 1999-2000, it was easy to manipulate Google with links and content. However, Google soon caught up and plugged the main problems of low-quality links and mass-produced, low-quality content with the Panda and Penguin algorithm updates. Today, it is easy to look at generative AI and believe these tools provide an opportunity to create lots of content quickly and grab a greater slice of organic search traffic. However, the battle-hardened Google of 2023 differs from the Google of old. High-quality and human-first content is already baked into the search algorithm, and recent updates have only served to confirm that. Google is ahead of the curve here, and we have already reviewed several sites that have seen recent dips in performance after helpful content updates, some with up to a 70% drop in organic traffic. There was nothing wrong with this site. It was not spammy, but it also did nothing unique. It was just the same content you could pick up from several sources. Reviewing the losses, it seems that rankings were lost to sites that were more expert or relevant for the topics. This is an existential threat to sites of this manner that rely on organic traffic but only pump out relatively generic content that could be found on many other sites. If SEO is central to your marketing strategy, then sensible integration of generative AI, rather than full automation, is the only sustainable strategy. What does Google want?To understand what your content strategy should look like, we must consider what Google is trying to achieve and aim at that. Fortunately, Google communicates fairly clearly what they want within their documentation on creating helpful, reliable, people-first content. If you want to do a really deep dive, then take a look at the Search Quality Rater Guidelines (but at 176 pages is a somewhat time-consuming read). Fortunately, E-E-A-T summarizes the philosophy for the rest of us more concisely. I don’t want to reinvent the wheel here, but the key points are as follows:
The key here is to factor this into your SEO goals.
An AI analogyThe problem with SEO and generative AI reminds me of a scene in one of my favorite movies: Good Will Hunting. The protagonist, Will, is a genius who can consume, remember and regurgitate raw knowledge and data unlike anyone else alive – much like ChatGPT. Will knows everything to know, but it is all book smarts. He has no real-world experience. He has never lived, he has never loved, he has never lost someone close to him. He has never truly experienced any of what he knows. The AI content tools are a lot like this. They know everything about everything, they have crazy book smarts but no real experience, and they never will have. That is the opportunity where you can come in and create something unique by integrating these two components – your experience and expertise with the rapid output and breadth of knowledge provided by AI. Dig deeper: AI can’t write this: 10 ways to AI-proof your content for years to come A strategy to safely use AI in your content productionThe key here is to think of AI as an intelligent assistant rather than a complete means to an end. If you take the path-of-least resistance approach, as most will, your content will never satisfy Google’s criteria. Worse still, you will create nothing that Google can’t answer directly with their own Search Generative Experience (lose-lose). By combining your expertise and experience with generative AI, you can create content that is greater than the sum of its parts and almost certainly more significant than anything a generative AI can automate and produce alone. A simple SEO SWOT analysis that looks at your competitors will allow you to identify SEO opportunities, as most sites are just not doing this as well as they could yet. The benefits here extend beyond content creation. Whether you rely on SEO or PPC, or some other traffic generation, your engagement and conversion rates will rocket. Tasks where generative AI can be helpfulThis is not to say that generative AI is not truly helpful. There are several tasks in the content ideation and creation process where generative AI tools like ChatGPT can radically help you speed up and improve your output. 1. IdeationChatGPT simplifies generating ideas and a simple prompt asking for topic ideas will generate several results. For example: “Can you suggest some article topics around generative AI and SEO?” This produced around 20 articles in 10 categories in around 30 seconds. Each of these could then be further explored (using your own expertise and experience). 2. Research and information gatheringAI can be used to quickly sift through vast amounts of data or provide summaries of detailed articles or scientific studies. This can help you develop deep, well-researched articles in a short amount of time. You can also use ChatGPT to cross-check facts and provide sources to ensure the information shared is trustworthy. It is always worth double-checking before you publish, but even with this step, you will speed up your workflow and cover more ground. 3. Content draftingWith a topic and a rough outline, generative AI can quickly create drafts for you to polish and refine. You can also create variants in different tones, styles or from different perspectives to pick the very best approach. 4. Editing and proofingAI can check your grammar, review content readability and suggest improvements in flow and structure. 5. SEOAI can help simplify the optimization of an article by suggesting keywords and optimizing the article and metadata. 6. E-E-A-TAI tools like ChatGPT can also review your content from the perspective of E-E-A-T criteria and suggest improvements to ensure you hit all of these important points for modern SEO content. Tip: I would generally recommend tackling each element of the E-E-A-T criteria separately here, as you can get some whacky results trying to get feedback here. 7. A/B testingAI makes it easy to create multiple versions of content headlines, calls-to-action or even an entire content piece and then use these to split tests for engagement. How to review your contentGoogle has outlined what they are looking for with E-E-A-T and also provides a series of questions you can use to review your content at Google Search Central. Google certainly provides a comprehensive set of questions to review content. Still, for your average content writer or marketing team, this is almost an insane level of overkill that will tie you up in knots. To make this more actionable, I have created a simple set of 10 questions that covers the author, content, website and E-E-A-T and helps you ensure your content is something that Google will want to surface in the search results. Author
Content
Website
Experience
Expertise
Authority
Trust
You can also use tools like ChatGPT to help you answer these questions and find out more about the author, review the content, review competing content and much more. You just have to get creative in your approach, ask these tools questions and review the responses. AI in SEO: Intelligent assistanceThe obvious pitfall with generative AI and SEO is falling into the path-of-least-resistance trap. SEO history has shown us that these low-value approaches, while you may generate some small, transient wins, won’t win the more significant, long-term battles. Instead of looking to automate and dominate, use AI tools as an intelligent assistant rather than a complete means to an end. Automated content will never satisfy Google’s ever more robust criteria. Worse still, you will create nothing that Google can’t answer directly with their own Search Generative Experience, making your content irrelevant. By combining your expertise and experience with generative AI, you can create content greater than the sum of its parts and almost certainly greater than anything a generative AI can produce alone. The benefits here extend beyond content creation, and whether you rely on SEO or PPC or something other traffic generation, your engagement and conversion rates will skyrocket. The post How to integrate generative AI in your SEO appeared first on Search Engine Land. via Search Engine Land https://ift.tt/94o1afq Marketers often work at a distance from frontline operations. We may not directly build the product, deal with angry customer phone calls, or be out in the field selling. We might even be at an agency, an additional level removed from the shop floor or direct interactions with the target customer. How, then, can you:
Digging new wells to find new contentOne of the best writing tips I’ve ever received is to “dig new wells.” That is, to get content no one else is writing, you need to establish different sources. Too often, content writing for the web starts with the search results. While it makes sense to look at what’s ranking for your target keywords, it should not be your only source of information. The rise of 10x content and the Skyscraper Technique led some content writers to rely on rewording and combining top pages into a long, SEO-focused page. But it’s not getting outside sources of information. For me, the best type of content for the web comes from outside the web. Pulling content ideas, inspiration, and even language from real-life sources can help your content stand out, resonate with your target audience, and even alleviate any concerns they have. Plus, combining outside-sourced content with an SEO’s skills in finding keywords, structuring content, and generating links can form a powerful piece of content that performs nicely. Here are a few ways to dig new wells to find new content. 1. Source content from employeesThe single greatest source of content is from front-line employees. Depending on your business, you might have: Salespeople
Customer service representatives (CSRs)
Those doing the work
Example of sourcing content from employeesI had a client in the agriculture industry who wanted to grow by getting their brand in front of more farmers. My main contact was a salesperson working in the field six days a week, traveling from farm to farm. In some ways, he functioned more as a consultant, helping generate ideas and sharing best practices from others to help each farmer expand their operation. He would be the first to tell you he was not a great choice for writing new content for their website. Here’s what worked for us: I would get him on the phone while driving between farms, and he would rant. For half an hour, he would brain-dump his thoughts on a certain product or service his company was offering. I was simply there to transcribe and ask follow-up questions. When it was time to write the website content, I found that the salesperson’s rants would form 80% of the page. I was merely there to edit and shape it into a logical flow and ensure it was optimized for search and conversions. Dig deeper: How to create local content that builds trust and drives sales 2. Source content from current customersAnother well of great content ideas is from your current customers or clients. They are your best source for entering the buyer’s mind and decision-making process. If possible, make it a habit to regularly interview some of your current customers. Ask them questions about:
You can sometimes use these stories as the basis for case studies or featured project pages for your site. At the very least, you will uncover phrases, words and concepts that can become integral parts of your website content and marketing efforts. Example of sourcing content from current customersA few years back, I was working on a branding campaign for a furniture company. Their core business was selling through furniture stores; they saw an opportunity to increase sales by working with high-end interior designers. As we worked on drafting content for their website and marketing material, our team booked calls with a handful of interior designers with whom they currently worked. These phone calls were a wealth of information and insights into these interior designers’ pain points, goals and dreams. Some insights they provided were completely unknown to the furniture company. What we learned from these calls proved invaluable in shaping the website content. 3. Source content from past customersPast customer reviews are among the easiest yet impactful wells to pull content ideas and language. Whether past customers have left reviews on your Google Business Profile, Amazon, a third-party review site, or your own internal system, these are great sources of info about how the market views your product or service. Customer reviews are great because they provide a glimpse into your customer's thinking at scale – no need to interview them. Online reviews also collect the right language, pain points, and angles you may not have noticed. Whenever I take on a new local SEO client, I make it a point to read every review on their Google Business Profile. I like looking for trends and themes across the reviews and see anecdotally what really matters to customers. Google does pull out themes by seeing the top 10 topics or phrases mentioned in reviews. You can take your reviews and put them in a sentiment analysis tool to see topics, trends, and talk points that you can share with your CSR or use in your marketing, advertising and website efforts. Example of sourcing content from past customersOne time, I was reading reviews for a new client in the home service industry. A few reviews told a similar story: each mentioned the same salesperson by name and how professional and informational the salesperson was – especially compared to other companies. And each said a surprising detail: the salesperson gave a gift of local jam. One specific salesperson was doing this to make connections with his prospects, but it was leaving such an impact on customers that they mentioned it in their reviews. When our client found out about this, they made it a standard across all sales staff, and we mentioned it as part of the online appointment scheduler. 4. Source content from competitorsA surprising source of content ideas can come from your competitors. As we saw above, if online reviews for your own products or services can provide helpful insights for your marketing efforts, what can you learn from reading the reviews of your competitors? A lot! Find a few of your competitors and read every review of theirs that is three stars or lower. Bad or mixed reviews can provide a gold mine of information about what people don't like about your competitors. These points can be used in your marketing efforts, as they are pain points your target audience has, and your competitors are not meeting. Example of sourcing content from competitorsWhile conducting competitive research for an outdoor structure company, I noticed their main competitors had a fair amount of indifferent reviews. As I read these reviews, I noticed themes. Most reviews mentioned:
I took this to the client, and we discussed how we could make their service better. The client worked on strengthening their already solid customer communication system. On the website, we invested in content to fully explain how they deliver and install their structures, answering every single question their CSR is regularly asked. Finally, we created a comprehensive guide on the entire sales process, from initial order through installation. We used this as a target for a remarketing campaign to help reengage with potential customers. Dig deeper: Competitor content analysis: Here’s what you can learn Start creating new content todayTo create content that no one is creating, you need to get different sources no one else can get. Interview your employees and current customers. Summarize feedback from past customers and those disappointed with your competitors. Gain valuable insights to tell your unique story and stand out. Dig deeper: Tangential SEO: Using Google Bard to identify content ideas fast The post 4 ways to find unique content ideas from real-life insights appeared first on Search Engine Land. via Search Engine Land https://ift.tt/jwzrvPY In July, Google released a massive update to the Knowledge Graph. We named it the E-E-A-T Knowledge Graph update and gave it the codename “Killer Whale” because it made a splash in the SERPs twice:
A Knowledge Graph (Vault) update rarely occurs simultaneously with a ranking update, core or otherwise. SERP volatility has seldom coincided with Knowledge Graph volatility. Kalicube Pro has been measuring volatility since 2015 with our Knowledge Graph Sensor. The graph below shows a significant uptick in the depth of the Knowledge Graph between July 14 and 18. As you’ll see, Google’s SERPs were hugely volatile on those days, too – for the first time ever. Checking the tools that provide historical data for SERP volatility, there is a huge peak between July 14 and 18. Accuranker and Advanced Web Ranking show that the volatility was significantly higher than during the subsequent core updates. Algoroo indicates that July to August 2023 was the most intense and longest volatility since they started tracking in 2018. So. Huge. Some people reported changes to their Knowledge Panel in July. Still, Kalicube data shows changes to Knowledge Panels were not widespread in July (we analyzed over 100,000 rand SERPs containing Knowledge Panels). Please exercise caution when making assumptions and performing manual checks. The degree I earned in economics and statistical analysis taught me that generalizing from a particular, or several particulars, is a huge mistake. The changes to Knowledge Panels happened during the September core update, as we will see. Knowledge Panels represent Google’s explicit understanding of named entitiesGoogle cannot fully apply E-E-A-T signals to an article's author (writer) if it doesn’t explicitly understand the writer's identity. The Knowledge Panel is the visual representation of Google’s explicit understanding of the writer. Without a stable, information-rich, and non-duplicated Knowledge Panel, your work building and demonstrating the writer’s E-E-A-T credentials is significantly under-leveraged. The same approach applies to the company that owns and runs the website. Sidenote: Google changed some significant terms in its Search Quality Rater Guidelines (SQRG) in December 2022, including changing “website” to “website owner.” “The website owner is the person, company, or organization responsible for a website,” according to Google’s SQRG. This definition clearly indicates they are looking for the named entity responsible for the website and its content. 2023 core updates, E-E-A-T, Knowledge Panels and the Knowledge Vault updateThe September 2023 helpful content update introduced the changes made in the Knowledge Vault on the SERPs in the form of Knowledge Panels. The percentage of Personal Brand SERPs with a Knowledge Panel increased from 38% to more than 50% (a rise of more than a third). This is truly a Person update. For Corporations (and Organizations), the figure stayed steady at 40%. We know that helpful content updates focus on improving Google’s ability to deliver the best solution from the most credible source (a.k.a., E-E-A-T). Google’s July 2023 Knowledge Graph update added a layer to the September helpful content update. Google talks about “improved classification,” which is exactly what the Killer Whale update did to Person entities in the Knowledge Vault. A quick aside: we now talk about N-E-E-A-T-T, adding “notability” and “transparency” to the mix. Without niche-level notability, you don’t stand out in your market. And without transparency, neither humans nor bots can understand who you are and why they should trust you. Importantly, notability does not mean what Wikipedia says it means. Consider notability as having enough impact in a particular field for a specific audience to warrant recognition. Well-targeted digital PR and placement of your content on relevant platforms that are authoritative in your niche are two ways to approach niche notability. Transparency simply means being open and honest. For example, having an easy-to-find and clear returns policy, privacy policy, cookie policy, About us page, etc. Reliance on Wikipedia in Knowledge Panels dropped significantlyThe percentage of Knowledge Panels on personal brand SERPs using descriptions from Wikipedia dropped from 77.7% in June 2023 to 50.4% in September. For Corporations, the ratio remained steady: the percentages were 69.8% and 66.8% respectively. Additionally, Google is expanding its horizons: the number of unique domains providing descriptions in Knowledge Panels or trusted sources has more than doubled. Importantly, the relative importance of each non-Wikipedia platform has changed significantly. Crunchbase has become much more important, and Google Books and IMDB are no longer dominant, which makes sense given the Knowledge Vault update I have described. But before you leap on Crunchbase, remember that Google will prioritize hyper-niche trusted sources for Knowledge Panels. For example, Google has identified jasonbarnard.com as the trusted source for Boowa and Kwala. So, your strategy needs to be to go “hyper niche.” The Kalicube Pro database contains over 63,000 unique trusted sources and the 400 trusted sources we provide free on the site. Avoid handing control of your brand narrative to a third party, like Wikipedia. A source the entity owns and controls, like a website, is ideal. For example, kalicube.com is the trusted source for Kalicube, and Kalicube controls the information about the business instead of a third-party source. What you need to do right nowKnowledge Panels are already the next big thing. The July 2023 E-E-A-T Knowledge Graph update is based on expanding, classifying, and identifying E-E-A-T-applicable entities. It is limited to people. The September 2023 helpful content update also prioritized Person entities and significantly reduced its dependency on Wikipedia for information it shows in Knowledge Panels for people. For writer/author entitiesIf you are in any of these three situations:
…then it’s time to work on the Knowledge Panels of your key Person entities to leverage as much E-E-A-T goodness as possible. It’s time to build your personal brand and get your “Google stamp of approval” in the form of a Knowledge Panel. Take action and actively educate Google about who you are and earn its trust. (Or get lost in the abyss of Internet darkness. For website owner entitiesThe next Knowledge Vault update will likely be the expansion, classification, and identification of E-E-A-T-applicable entities for Corporations and Organizations. For companies, businesses, corporations and people who double up as authors and website owners, it's time to build a brand around your entities, build understanding for Google and get a Knowledge Panel. Unless Google knows, likes and trusts you (through E-E-A-T), the next update spells disaster. When will the next update be?From our historical data, the pattern for Entity updates is clear for the last eight years: December, February (or March), and July have consistently been the critical months. In each of the last five years, July has seen by far the most impactful updates. Get ready. Our experience with thousands of Knowledge Panels is that you need to have all your corroboration straight six to eight weeks before the update. That update will be either February 2024 or July 2024. The post September 2023 Google core update: A deep dive into personal knowledge panels and E-E-A-T enhancements appeared first on Search Engine Land. via Search Engine Land https://ift.tt/ly2qrFt Best of the Bot showcases Search Engine Land Bot’s responses to prompts submitted by readers. The language model is based on content from Search Engine Land layered on top of ChatGPT. The editors of Search Engine Land selected this response for its usefulness and have supplemented it with additional relevant content. I am the first generative AI chatbot for search marketers. I am trained with Search Engine Land content. Here’s something somebody asked me! After that, how you can improve prompts to get even better answers from me. Prompt:Create a content marketing and SEO plan for a digital marketing agency. Answer:Creating a comprehensive content marketing and SEO plan for a digital marketing agency requires careful consideration of various factors. Here is a step-by-step guide to help you develop an effective plan:
Updated prompt with formattingHow this prompt could be improvedCreate a content marketing and SEO plan for a digital marketing agency.
The key elements and enhancements to this prompt are as follows: (Task) Please create a detailed content marketing and SEO plan for a digital marketing agency trying to drive more sales. (Context) You are an experienced digital marketing and SEO professional. You are an expert in creating engaging, trustworthy, high-quality content that ranks well on Google and encourages potential customers to invest in the services of your digital marketing agency. (Format) Format the results in markdown. (Tone) You write in a professional, concise and easy to understand tone. (Example) You follow best practices to ensure your content serves user intent and meets editorial standards, including writing concise, click-worthy headlines, sourcing interviews where necessary to provide first-hand experiences, and speaking to authoritative figures to provide deeper insights. You also make sure your content educates those looking to invest in digital marketing and always links back to the services you offer. You use call-to-action words to motivate potential buyers and highlight unique selling points with enticing hooks. New SearchBot answerAs an AI assistant, I can provide you with a detailed content marketing and SEO plan for a digital marketing agency trying to drive more sales. Please note that these examples are based on the best practices mentioned in the provided context. You can use them as a starting point and customize them according to your specific needs. Content marketing and SEO plan for driving sales: 1. Define Target Audience and Buyer PersonasTo effectively drive sales, it’s crucial to understand your target audience and create buyer personas. Conduct thorough research to identify the demographics, interests, pain points, and motivations of your potential customers. This information will help you tailor your content to their specific needs and preferences. 2. Keyword Research and Topic SelectionPerform comprehensive keyword research to identify relevant and high-volume search terms related to your digital marketing services. Use tools like Semrush or Google Keyword Planner to find keywords with a good balance of search volume and competition. Based on the keyword research, develop a list of topics that align with your target audience’s interests and address their pain points. These topics should cover various aspects of digital marketing, such as SEO, social media marketing, content marketing, PPC advertising, etc. 3. Content Creation and OptimizationCreate high-quality, informative, and engaging content that resonates with your target audience. Ensure that each piece of content is optimized for search engines and user experience. Here are some best practices to follow:
4. Content Promotion and DistributionCreating great content is only half the battle. To drive sales, you need to promote and distribute your content effectively. Here are some strategies to consider:
5. Performance Tracking and OptimizationRegularly monitor the performance of your content using analytics tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console. Track key metrics such as traffic, engagement, conversions, and keyword rankings. Based on the data, make data-driven optimizations to improve the effectiveness of your content marketing efforts. 6. Continuous Improvement and AdaptationStay updated with the latest trends and changes in the digital marketing landscape. Continuously refine your content marketing and SEO strategies based on industry best practices, user feedback, and evolving search engine algorithms. Experiment with new content formats, distribution channels, and optimization techniques to stay ahead of the competition and drive more sales. Remember, content marketing and SEO are long-term strategies that require consistent effort and adaptation. By following this comprehensive plan, you can effectively drive sales and establish your digital marketing agency as a trusted industry leader. The post Best of the Bot: Create an SEO plan for a digital marketing agency appeared first on Search Engine Land. via Search Engine Land https://ift.tt/3o7yiT8 Google is on trial for allegedly using underhand tactics to ensure it stays the world’s leading search engine. The U.S. Justice Department claims Google, which owns a 90% market share in search, paid massive sums to companies like Apple to make it the default search engine on products like the iPhone. These multibillion-dollar deals gave Google an unfair advantage, the DOJ alleges, making it nearly impossible for rival companies to compete. The trial will last 10 weeks and include testimonies from key figures like Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai. The outcome of the landmark case could bring significant changes to Google and the future of the Internet. But it’s equally likely the trial will result in no changes and Google will be free to continue operating however it wants. We’ll keep updating this article with the latest developments from this landmark trial. As the trial is set to cover many Google search-related issues, we have organized the updates by topic to make the timeline easier to follow.
Google search dominanceGoogle credits its 90% market share to being a superior platform (Sept. 12
Google calls its competition ‘inferior’ (Sept. 12)
Google is ‘using clicks in rankings’ (Sept. 20)
Search engine competitors and claims of harmMicrosoft says Google’s mobile search is a superior product (Sept. 28)
Bing takes to the stand and highlights Google’s ‘less obvious’ advantages (Sept. 26)
DuckDuckGo calls out Google (Sept. 21)
Search engine users do not have a choice, says DuckDuckGo (Sept. 21)
Google default deal blocked opportunities for Branch Metrics (Sept. 21)
Microsoft claims the search market is ‘bogus’ (Oct. 2)
Google owns the web, suggests Microsoft (Oct. 2)
Microsoft calls for search to be more competitive (Oct. 2)
AI could make the unfair search industry even worse (Oct. 2)
Google search ads ‘can’t be replaced’ (Oct. 4)
Google is branded a ‘benevolent dictator’ by Booking.com (Oct. 13)
Expedia’s former COO claims ad payments to Google ballooned x10 – but traffic didn’t follow (Oct. 19)
Google accused of using deliberate tactics to increase ad payments from marketers (Oct. 25)
Google’s default search dealsApple allegedly didn’t want a default search engine (Sept. 12)
Apple considered creating its own search engine if Google deal wasn’t agreed (Sept. 26)
Apple ‘acknowledged Bing is superior to Google on desktop’ (Sept. 28)
Google pays $10 billion a year to maintain default status (Sept. 12)
Google’s search engine default status on phones was a ‘priority’ (Sept. 13)
Google faced competition to become default search engine on mobile (Sept. 13)
Microsoft claims it offered to pay Apple more than Google for default status (Sept. 29)
Samsung ‘shut down default search engine conversations with Microsoft for Google’ (Sept. 29)
Verizon appears to contradict Google (Sept. 19)
Pitching Bing to Apple (Oct. 2)
‘Google is buying its way to squelch competitors’, claims Samsung email (Oct. 4)
Google’s CEO raised concerns over default status (Oct. 9)
Google’s default deals ‘block rivals from up to 50% of all search queries in the UK alone’ (Oct. 16)
Judge Mehta acknowledges problems caused by Google’s default status Oct. 25)
Potentially anticompetitive conductGoogle admits it quietly increases ad prices without telling advertisers (Sept. 18)
Google’s Search Ads 360 integration issues make the problem worse, says Microsoft (Oct. 2)
Google ‘hid and destroyed evidence’ (Sept. 12)
Googlers were told to be mindful of their language (Sept. 13)
Apple has ‘a lot of leverage in its negotiations with Google’ (Oct. 10)
The States’ witness points to potential remedies (Oct. 25)
Additional legal issuesDOJ objects Google’s request to remove public from courtroom (Sept. 18)
DOJ removes Google evidence from its website (Sept. 20)
DOJ may start sharing evidence with the public again (Sept. 26)
Google explains how its advertising auctions work (Oct. 3)
DOJ claims Google isn’t transparent regarding advertising auctions (Oct. 3)
DOJ accuses Google of using unfair tactics to increase ad prices (Oct. 4)
Google’s defenceGoogle’s first witness defends search quality (Oct. 18)
Google sees Amazon, TikTok and Meta as major ad competitors (Oct. 26)
Verdict. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta isn't expected to issue a ruling until early next year. If he decides Google broke the law, another trial will decide what steps should be taken to rein in the Mountain View, California-based company. Why we care: If the US Government wins this case, it could mean Google is no longer automatically installed as the default search engine on everyday products, which could threaten its position as the world's search leader. This means rival companies like Yahoo could realistically stand a chance of taking Google's crown for the first time, which could bring significant changes to the search landscape as we know it. What’s at stake. The U.S. and state allies are not asking for money; they want a court order to stop Google from its alleged unfair practices. This order could greatly affect Google's business. For example:
This lawsuit is considered one of the most significant challenges to the tech industry's dominance since the DOJ sued Microsoft in 1998 for its control of the personal computer market. In that case, the trial court ruled that Microsoft had unlawfully attempted to hinder the rival browser Netscape Navigator. Microsoft ultimately reached a settlement that didn't break up the company. If Google's lead attorney Schmidtelein looks familiar, that may be because he represented Microsoft against the DOJ in the 1998 trial. Deep dive. Read the US Justice Department's official statement for more information on why it is suing Google. The post Google search antitrust trial updates: Everything you need to know (so far) appeared first on Search Engine Land. via Search Engine Land https://ift.tt/klUMCYE |
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