Most SEO experts are still afraid to publish their success stories, with a few notable exceptions. Many are simply unable to share their work even when it’s successful. How can SEOs stop practicing “ghost optimization”? Before we dive into this question, let’s look at the reasons for the ongoing secrecy and still prevailing negativity among SEO practitioners. SEO horror stories, anyone?One of the most popular SEO hashtags within the industry over recent years has been #seohorrorstories. Why are SEO experts much more likely to share the horrible failures of the industry and their colleagues than their own success stories? Is this the overall prevailing negativity of society as a whole? Or do we have an internal problem aggravating the situation? I think it’s probably both. First off, the recent years have led to a never-ending, downward spiral of public debate. Diplomacy has made way for trolling. When even presidents provoke people online to get attention, how is everybody else meant to stay civil in day-to-day conversations? Also, social media like Facebook and Twitter have been capitalizing on fear and anger. Such “bad news” goes straight to our lizard brain and elicits fearful and angry reactions without consulting the parts of the brain responsible for logical thinking. No wonder that even within the relatively professional SEO industry, the discourse has degenerated into the realm of “OMG! Look at that nonsense! How stupid!” I’m exaggerating a bit, but that’s the essence of most shares where #seohorrorstories are involved. These are more than cautionary tales. It’s also a way of ridiculing those reckless enough to get caught red-handed while employing outdated SEO tactics. Perhaps the thought process is that when one can’t shed light on their actual successes, then highlight others’ failures. This way, they indirectly stand in a better light by sheer comparison. Of course, this is merely guesswork. The motivation behind the many horror stories may vary. It won’t simply gloat or malice, in most cases. ‘Look at this random graph, please – the growth is stellar!’There is also a compromise, anonymized "success" stories – where the alleged success can't be fully reviewed by peers. Such stories seem to be the middle ground between failure and success stories. So what is the logic behind them, then? You will find lots of social media posts shared of random graphs without any URL connected to them. It's usually an analytics screenshot clumsily anonymized before publication. Ultimately, the stellar growth they exhibit lacks any credibility. I’m usually acquainted with those who share such success stories, so I know they won't lie. In most cases, they also add as much context as possible without giving away any meaningful detail so that you cannot track down the website they’re talking about. What about industry outsiders and potential clients? They have no idea who the people sharing the graphs are and how trustworthy the information is. What is the purpose of sharing graphs without any context? Again, I can only guess.
Take note that #seohorrorstories are quite often anonymous. That way, some limited peer review does happen within a very small perimeter. It's better than nothing, right? Are there any SEO hero stories?Some of you may have noticed. I have been looking for SEO hero (as in superhero) stories for two months and have been quite aggressive about it. There were far fewer success stories than bad news from the SEO industry. Yet, I was astounded that even the prospect of getting additional free publicity did not motivate many SEO companies, in-house SEOs or SEO consultants to divulge their success stories or share their case studies with me. I started a similar hashtag inspired by #seohorrorstories called #seoherostories to encourage sharing such positive examples, but it seemed like I was the only one using it. Are SEO experts ashamed of their work or afraid to show it?Given the poor reputation of the SEO industry in the last 25 years, it's no wonder some people are not keen on outing themselves as SEO practitioners. Numerous SEOs still engage in unethical practices, which might be why they are ashamed to show what they do. Still, others may simply be afraid. I probed about the reasons behind this fear, and here are the obvious ones. Manual Google penaltiesThis is an age-old fear of SEO practitioners stemming back from the early days. Sometimes, outing yourself as a practitioner of the dark arts of SEO – and mentioning the actual website you’re working on – was akin to suicide for your project. Even before the somewhat weird term "manual action" was introduced by Google, penalties have been known to hit out of the blue and after too much publicity for SEO practitioners’ work. This fear is no longer reasonable. And like most fears, it's rather irrational. SEOs are not criminals, and hiding is not necessary in most cases. ‘Secret sauce’ copycatsAnother albeit more likely scenario is that the competition may steal your "secret sauce" and copy your SEO techniques. While this is possible, it's important to realize who your competition on the web is. Most SEOs would still say something like "businesses who sell the same thing in the same area." The reality of Google SERPs or the "SERP real estate" is that you mainly compete against the web giants:
Would a competitor or colleague who happens to have a similar business as you really hurt you that much by looking at your site's SEO? Also, anybody can look up your secret sauce by using a tool like Semrush and find out about on- and off-page SEO with ease. So, why hide your success from the general public? Client-stealing competitorsThe other fear relating to the competition is that other SEOs may see who you work with and, thus, contact them and "steal your clients." People do this. I have had several clients notifying me of such attempts over the years. I don't think I lost any clients that way, though. Why? Is it just because I'm such an expert? Probably not. I was a beginner at the time as well. It’s such a sneaky practice that business people are not fond of offers made that way. If they are, you may be lucky to get rid of them. Toxic clients often hurt you more than they help financially. I had to learn that lesson the hard way over the years, trying to satisfy everybody. I believe the above common "reasons" for not sharing SEO work are often irrational fears and traditions – merely excuses. One reasonable explanation for why someone would not want to share the actual website address or their "stellar growth" chart is that the work is still in progress. Many other parts of the project were far from ready for prime time, and it was not a good idea to share them prematurely. I've only heard that justification once, though, even when I asked many times. NDA: The dreaded acronymA common explanation for not publishing actual results or disclosing website addresses and client names is the typical non-disclosure agreement (NDA). It may as well be called a "gag order," as most SEO experts have to shut up completely about their work. Some popular search marketers, including John Doherty and Brendan Hufford, emphasized this point on LinkedIn. For those in creative industries, being unable to share their work or having to do so anonymously would be virtually impossible. Imagine the following scenario if designers, architects and programmers were involved.
So why do we have to sign so many NDAs forbidding us to show our actual work or even sometimes tell our friends and families about it? What’s with the high level of confidentiality? Are we secret agents? Clients who demand that SEOs do not talk about their projects may be due to any of the following reasons:
The common logic is, of course, about "trade secrets." But as noted above, many tools allow you to analyze those supposed secrets. The bright side: 3 inspiring case studies that welcome peer reviewAfter talking so much about the issues surrounding (the lack of) success stories in the SEO industry, let's focus on a few actual case studies that inspired me this year. Hopefully, these SEO hero stories encourage you enough to follow in their footsteps. Example 1: MissguidedDogs and owners often become very similar to each other, even by their looks. I am one and can tell you that it often happens "accidentally." But there’s an artistic photo series taking it to the extreme, where dog owners and their pets dress up and get their hair done in the same style. UK-based SEO agency Rise at Seven made this the idea behind a very successful campaign: As CEO Carrie Rose reports in her case study, the results have been more than impressive:
She goes into great detail to explain how it worked and what exactly happened to make it such a success, so make sure to read the entire case study. Example 2: LiberEatOlga Andrienko, well-known for her leadership role at Semrush, showcased the success story of LiberEat, made possible by Mich McClure and the team behind Hoojy.
While this might sound too good to be true, especially given the approximate numbers, she goes to great lengths to highlight what happened, why and how in her extensive Twitter thread. If that's still not enough, check out the full-fledged case study with lots of screenshots, keyword examples and figures over at Semrush. Example 3: Unbeatable BlindsThe folks over at Boom Online have many case studies, but their campaign for Unbeatable Blinds made me feel good. It might be the artistic quality of the images they have shared as part of the campaign. While they did not divulge the numbers, the links they attracted speak for themselves:
Given such attention from popular blogs and local press alike, I'm confident that the traffic and other metrics will follow suit. How to get clients who are proud to work with youAs a writer, I do not offer ghostwriting services. Ghostwriters tend to become invisible. Someone else gets the credit for their work. Nobody knows what they have done, so they can't prove their expertise. It's pretty straightforward when it comes to writing. Potential clients usually tell you upfront that they are looking for a ghostwriter. You can just ignore such offers unless your financial situation forbids you to. With SEO services, it's much trickier. Nobody will tell you they are looking for a "ghost optimizer." Often, after plenty of discussions and only when you are short of signing a contract will you get a cryptic NDA full of legalese meant to hide its true scope. In other cases, you get the NDA, or they don't talk to you at all. Either way, you risk losing a lot of time and money and not getting the client. Some NDAs are meant to protect trade secrets. Yet, most of them usually grant sweeping powers to the client to ban you from disclosing much of anything. No wonder people working in SEO and adjacent industries (think marketing or advertising) are simply shutting up in general in order not to breach their agreements. You never really know what goes too far, so you play it safe by keeping quiet. So what can you do to identify clients who undermine your status as an industry expert? You can prepare upfront, be clear during the preliminary talks and stand firm once you start working. Below are four specific tips. Work on your own projects firstAlways work on your projects first or at least keep them going in the background. Once you have independent revenue sources and ways of gaining status outside client work, you can rest assured when choosing to engage with others. Having to work for third parties out of necessity is never a good place to be at. Whenever possible, work for others because you love the challenge and variety, not because you need the money. Ideally, clients seek you out because they are fond of your personal projects. Build your authority in the industry and beyondVisibility is not limited to client work. Many practitioners attend conferences, trade fairs or meetups to show up and teach others what they know. Some hoard knowledge and keep it to themselves so that nobody can "steal their ideas." This is a short-sighted approach. Ideas can be discovered by more than one person at any given time. But the one who publishes it first or does so more widely is usually credited with the "invention." It's crucial to become an authority within your industry, and beyond the narrow field you specialize in. When I started out in SEO, I made sure to keep branching out into broader yet more popular areas like web development, marketing and blogging. SEO is often viewed as merely "technical SEO" and a small subset of actual search engine optimization, in my opinion. The number of people interested in what you are talking about is very small. By sharing your knowledge, you are enabling those unfamiliar with your work to understand what you do. Introverts can share and teach on the web. You don't have to show up in person, shake hands and pat backs. You can also network online with like-minded individuals. LinkedIn is your best bet here. Charge more for ‘ghost optimization’A simple yet powerful way to make a point is to charge more money for something harder or more valuable. Usually, ghostwriters are underpaid young writers who have no name yet so that they are forced to write in the shadows of the bigger names. But once you've built a name for yourself, you have to be proud enough to charge accordingly. Almost nobody will think you are valuable as long as you undercharge or are too timid. The few who know will be glad to exploit your expertise for low fees and shut up about your true worth in most cases. Similarly, you have to make it clear that you charge more for ghost services from the start. With "ghost optimization" being much more complex and riskier than mere writing, it's even more important to charge your true value. There are far fewer high-quality SEO practitioners out there, so don't be afraid to get what you deserve. Flatly refuse to do the dirty workOnce you have worked with a client for a while, some drop their masks or become more daring. Others might get frustrated with the slow pace of SEO progress and demand you do what the competition does. Riskier tactics may get their domain banned or penalized, but in the short term, the results may look impressive. Now you have to keep your integrity. How? Flatly refuse to make your hands dirty and to use questionable means of SEO. The client feels safe due to the NDA, so they think they can get away with it. But SEO does not happen in a vacuum. Just because you don't tell anybody that you have to spam doesn't mean it's invisible. As noted above, publicly available tools give you an X-ray vision of any website's SEO. Google also has human quality raters and increasingly sophisticated algorithms to find the bad apples. The post Why SEO experts rarely share actual success stories appeared first on Search Engine Land. via Search Engine Land https://ift.tt/CJhWONc
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Microsoft’s Fabrice Canel has said that in early January 2023, the new BingBot will be responsible for 100% of Bing’s crawling activity. The new user agent is now responsible for about 50% of all crawls. Some history. In 2019, Microsoft Bing announced new Bingbot user-agent names that fit better with its evergreen Bingbot crawling and rendering service. Then in April 2022, Microsoft announced a name change, a user agent name change, for BingBot. January 2023. Next month, in the coming weeks, the new BingBot user agent will be responsible for 100% of all crawling from Bing. Fabrice Canel wrote, “will go to 100% early January” for BingBot’s new name. He added they are still at 50% now because they wanted to be extra safe. Old user-agent. Microsoft said it would stop using its historical user agent by the Fall of 2022. That user-agent looks like this: New user-agent. Bing will use a user-agent that identifies the specific version of Microsoft Edge is crawling your site. Here is the format for both desktop and mobile: Desktop – Mozilla/5.0 AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko; compatible; bingbot/2.0; +https://ift.tt/Gp5PXS1) Chrome/W.X.Y.Z Safari/537.36 Mobile – Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; Android 6.0.1; Nexus 5X Build/MMB29P) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/W.X.Y.Z Mobile Safari/537.36 (compatible; bingbot/2.0; +https://ift.tt/Gp5PXS1) “W.X.Y.Z” will be substituted with the latest Microsoft Edge version Bing is using, for eg. “100.0.4896.127″. Why we care. You probably should have been prepared for this change since it was announced back in 2019. But in any event, this change can impact your site if you have any user agent detection methods for BingBot. Make sure to test your site to see if it supports the new user agent. Most sites probably do not need to worry about this, but if you have done any advanced bot detection, you may need to take steps to update those scripts. The post Microsoft to go fully live with new Bingbot user-agent change in January 2023 appeared first on Search Engine Land. via Search Engine Land https://ift.tt/dXyKxeC Since its initial release in 2016, TikTok has become the fastest-growing social media platform. If you’re looking to learn more about the popular short-form video app and how your brand can use it, you’ve come to the right place. We read TikTok’s creator guidelines and newsroom documentation, so you don’t have to. In this article, we’re sharing everything we learned – along with insights from the TikTokers well-versed in increasing views, engaging users and growing a following. Find out how the TikTok algorithm works, what you need to do to create a winning video, and decide whether TikTok can benefit your brand. In this article:
What is the TikTok algorithm?The TikTok algorithm is a recommendation system that determines the videos you see on your app. Like any good algorithm, it works to bring relevant content that you enjoy based on your interests. Recommendation systems are used all around us in the digital world and not new. Many platforms, including Netflix, use them to deliver you the content you like the most. The purpose of a recommendation system is to share content that users like based on their preferences and those of people in similar demographics. The TikTok recommendation system and algorithm centers around the “For You” page. What is the For You feed?The For You feed (a.k.a., For You page or FYP) is a curated stream of videos, a unique and tailored feed to the user’s interests. Although TikTok users will see the same videos, your FYP is totally unique and curated only for you. When you open the app, you land on this feed first. The great news is that you can curate your own FYP by interacting with the app. When you first join TikTok, your FYP will likely be curated by the interests within your demographic based on the information you gave (i.e., age, gender and interests). It’ll be a broad approach until you show TikTok what you want to see more of. Let’s take a look at the actions that influence the algorithm. How does the TikTok algorithm work?TikTok documentation states three core factors that influence the algorithm:
1. Factor: User interactionsUser interaction includes actions that users take on a particular video. These interactions can be negative or positive. A positive interaction will cause the app to show you more of the same, and a negative interaction will do the opposite. More on negative actions and their impact on “What the algorithm won’t show.” Positive interactions include engagements like:
As a creator, knowing how the TikTok algorithm works means that you know what to ask from your viewers to increase the right sort of engagement. User interactions in practice User engagements are certainly a factor in the algorithm, and TikTokers know it. The TikTok algorithm got it right when it put the below viral video on my FYP a few weeks ago. I don’t engage with TikTok videos very often, but I did like the below video and left a comment about how wholesome the content was. I didn’t want to follow the creator, but I enjoyed the brief interaction.
The video amassed 785,200 links, 9060 comments, 76,900 saves and 5,579 shares. Most impressively, the video has 6,000,000 views. Thanks to my like and comment, when the creator made a second, similar/follow-up video, it landed on my FYP. The second video didn’t quite have the same magic, but the virality of video one certainly helped the creator’s second video land in the right places based on previous user interaction. To TikTok’s credit, there seems to be a level of trust in the TikTok algorithm. On some of the most engaging videos – or videos made in a series – you’ll often see comments like, “Trusting the algorithm to bring me back.” TikTokers might comment something like this when they want to show the algorithm that they’re interested in the content but (perhaps) don’t want to follow the creator. In the video below, a creator reminds viewers they can hit the follow instead of trusting the algorithm. A follow is a desirable action for creators as it almost guarantees the user will see more of their content.
How to encourage user interactions As a creator, you want to encourage user interactions. You can achieve this by creating great content, but you can inspire meaningful action from passive viewers with a call to action. TikToker Tyla Brimblecombe from Styla Socials explains the importance of a call to action in her TikTok.
She says:
2. Factor: Video informationAccording to TikTok documentation, video information includes:
Video information in practice TikTok is well known for its association with trending sounds. With a trending sound, the TikTok algorithm can identify a group of people who are likely to engage with a video based on previous user interactions. If a user watches a video to the end each time a certain sound is used, they are likely enjoying the content and want to see more of it. It’s important to note that trending sounds are not just viral dances. Brands can use sounds to get fast visibility to a wider audience. Kristyn Higginson, Skinician’s TikTok creator, says:
With early adoption of a trending sound, Skincian’s most viral video received 50,900 views, 2,142 likes, and 40 engaged comments. The video introduced the brand to their TikTok audience.
TikTok creators are finding that video information contributes significantly to video success. Kate Smoothy from Web Hive Digital is a TikTok creator. Smoothy shares that captions, hashtags, and video descriptions are a core part of her strategy. She says:
Smoothy credits the inclusion of video information tactics with the success of her “super low effort marketing hack video.”
The video has 92,400 views, and amassed 5,913 likes, 91 comments, and 740 shares. The keywords used in the video description, within the text overlay and within the video description have communicated to TikTok what the video is about. This resulted in the video ‘ranking’ for the search term ‘marketing hack’ and ‘marketing tips’ within TikTok’s search feature. How to use video information The top tip from TikTok experts is to conduct keyword research using the TikTok app, then use keywords in your video, captions and hashtags.
3. Factor: Device and account settingsTikTok is clear that device and account settings receive lower weight in the algorithm. Some of the more obvious factors include language preference and country setting. It makes sense that users want to see videos in the language they speak. TikTok also includes device type in its algorithm. They may prefer to show you videos that your device can play seamlessly since this would lead to a positive user experience for people using older phones or smaller screens. Keywords and the TikTok algorithmIn recent months there has been a lot of talk from TikTokers about a change in the TikTok algorithm and how TikTok now prioritizes keywords. If you search “TikTok Algorithm Change,” you’ll find people saying a lot of the same thing – TikTok SEO is becoming more prevalent.
Interestingly, TikTok doesn’t seem to mention “keywords” in relation to their algorithm anywhere in their documentation. But that doesn’t mean that keywords aren’t important. It’s no coincidence that TikTok increased video descriptions to 2,200 characters. In their announcement via the app, TikTok did say:
TikTok also mentions captions and hashtags, which both contribute to FYP. Captions and hashtags are words that help contextualize videos. If captions are a contributing factor, it suggests that words – or keywords – contribute to the TikTok algorithm. We also know that TikTok users can limit content based on keywords (more on that later). TikTok SEO and GoogleTo further explore TikTok SEO and how this transpires on the world’s most loved search platform, Google. We ran some tests to explore Google’s indexation of TikTok videos. When you search for “TikTok recipes” on Google, you’d expect to return TikTok videos. But what we found was the contrary. Google prioritized websites sharing TikTok’s viral recipe trends. TikTok ranked with a tag page in the eighth search position. Considering the relevancy to the search term, this isn’t an overly strong rank. In the Video results, TikTok ranked sixth below five YouTube videos. It makes sense that Google would prioritize its owned channel, YouTube, above TikTok. It is worth noting that videos featured in the TikTok recipes tag all featured the hashtag #recipes in the caption. Captions help the TikTok algorithm sort videos by topic and could even boost visibility via Google search. As shown in the screenshot, the caption includes the hashtag #recipes, suggesting that keywords are relevant to the TikTok algorithm. So, what does this mean?
TikTok algorithm myths debunkedLet's clear up some commonly held misconceptions about TikTok. Myth: You need to post dailyPosting 1-3 TikTok videos daily is a common recommendation for new TikTokers. However, TikTok's guidelines make it clear that it's not required for growth. That said, it may be useful to test different videos. TikTok's documentation advises that experimenting with videos you share and posting quality content is more useful to keep an audience engaged. Myth: Creators in the TikTok Creator Fund get more discoverabilityThe good news is: you do not need to be in the creator fund to increase your chances of discoverability. Those in the TikTok Creator Fund are more likely to earn increased engagement, but this is because these TikTokers know how to create great content that engages the community. Myth: TikTok is only for short-form videosAlthough TikTok started as an app with seven-second videos, the maximum video length has since increased. Within the app, you can create videos that are 15 seconds, 60 seconds, or three minutes long. Alternatively, you can create extended videos and upload them to the TikTok app. TikTok doesn’t mention longer videos earning favor in the algorithm, but they do seem to be sharing reasons why longer videos are engaging with creators.
What the algorithm won’t showTo give TikTok credit, it's taking action to safeguard and diversify recommendations in the FYP. With a recommendation system, it would be easy for TikTok to become repetitive, showing only similar videos. Equally, it could be easy for TikTok to show unwanted content to its viewers. TikTok is taking measures to make TikTok a better place for everyone. Here's what TikTok won't show in the FYP. Duplicate contentTikTok says that too much of anything can get tiresome. For this reason, TikTok won’t show duplicate content in the FYP. Plus, diversifying the FYP keeps users exposed to a range of ideas and perspectives. Potentially problematic clustersThe TikTok algorithm works to deliver the platform’s mission to inspire creativity and bring joy. To achieve this, TikTok avoids recommending similar content around potentially problematic subjects such as extreme dieting or fitness, sadness, or breakups. TikTok wants to protect its users from viewing content that may cause distress if viewed together but might be okay as a single video. This type of restriction is positively compounded by the “not interested” and “keyword filtering” features. Content marked ‘Not interested’TikTok lets users control what they want or don't want to see on the platform. Viewers can press and hold the screen on any TikTok video and select any of the following options:
If a viewer clicks "Not interested," you can expect this to influence the algorithm and their FYP. Content including filtered keywordsUsers can tell TikTok what they don't want to see by heading to the menu in the top right and navigating to Settings and privacy > Content preferences > Filter video keywords. Here, you can add keywords and filter videos from users you're following and/or the FYP. Content created by those under 18In its commitment to keeping the app a safe place for all, TikTok introduced measures to protect its younger users. Children or teenagers under 18 can't feature content on the Explore feed – meaning their content and profiles are not so easy for other TikTok users to come across. 7 tips for working with the TikTok algorithm and going viralSome top TikTok creators provide some best practices for creating video content that might gain the algorithm's favor. Tip 1: Switch to a TikTok Pro accountTikTok Pro Accounts provide more detailed analytics to creators. By creating one, you'll be able to see insights on:
If you're a lover of in-depth analytics, this might be for you. But it's important to note that TikTok's guidance advises against creating content primarily around analytics. Instead, think of the bigger picture when creating content. Tip 2: Find your nicheFinding a niche on TikTok gives you a greater understanding of the bigger picture. If you know what niche you fall into, you can explore topics using the search bar and see exactly which videos perform well, so you can recreate something like them.
Tip 3: Use the right hashtags, add captions and write video descriptionsKeywords clearly have advantages, as shared above. Remember to opt for hashtags highly relevant to your video or niche for a chance to feature in the top lists for keywords.
Tip 4: Use trending sounds and musicNo matter how much the algorithm changes, music and trending sounds are likely to have a place on the TikTok platform. Remember, trending sounds and music aren't always about voiceovers and viral dance moves. You can use them to introduce your brand, make them relatable in your niche and stand out. Tip 5: Create high-quality videosTikTok’s editing tools allow users to create and edit eye-catching, high-quality videos within the app. TikTok creators express the importance of creating engagement early on, so try to edit your videos in a way that captures the user's attention in the first three seconds.
Tip 6: Engage with other TikTok usersYour comment section is a trove of video ideas! And you can reply to comments with a video. This feature puts your reply in the comment section in video format. You can bet other commenters have the same questions, so they're likely to click through and join you in your next video. Tip 7: Publish a seriesSomewhat contrary to the long-form video format, shorter videos in series can still be effective. Henry Purchase from A Couple Things To Do has grown a TikTok following to 193,000 followers. Purchase shares destination and activities for couples. He says:
Why brands should care about TikTokLove it or hate it, TikTok is standing the test of time as its generous algorithm lends itself well to fast growth. With a little commitment, brands can reach thousands of people in no time. Although high-quality videos are preferred, simple to-the-camera videos can earn just as much visibility. The post How the TikTok algorithm works: Everything you need to know appeared first on Search Engine Land. via Search Engine Land https://ift.tt/vDE6SKQ Google is now rolling out two different Google search algorithm updates simultaneously, the December 2022 helpful content system and the December 2022 link spam update. The helpful content update started on December 5th, and the link spam update started on December 14th. Both updates are not finished rolling out, in fact, Google said that the helpful content update “is going to take longer” to complete than the two-week timeline previously given. I asked several data providers to send me data on what they are seeing with the Google search results during these updates, keep in mind, it is somewhat hard to look at data in aggregate and say this ranking volatility is related to one update over another. But nevertheless, I wanted to share what the data providers are noticing. Data providersRankRanger. Let’s start with RankRanger who sent us data broken out by the start of each update. Generally, but not always, the first few days after an update is rolled out by Google is where you’d see the most volatility. So they went with that premise and sent us data on each update. Here is an overview of the RankRanger risk index showing volatility by day: The December 2022 helpful content update was less impactful and less volatile than the first helpful content update, according to RankRanger. You can see from the chart below the average position change was less in December than in August. Diving deeper, you can see that the average top three, top five and top ten search results, the data says the December update fluctuations were lower in the top five results and substantially lower in the top three. RankRanger also showed the volatility of the December helpful content update by niche or industry: The December 2022 link spam update was less impactful and less volatile than the July 2021 link spam update, according to RankRanger. You can see from the chart below the average position change was less in December than in July 2021. Diving deeper, you can see that the average top three, top five and top ten search results, the data says the December update fluctuations were lower in the top five results and substantially lower in the top three. RankRanger also showed the volatility of the December link spam update by niche or industry: Semrush. The folks at Semrush did not try to break it out by the helpful content update versus link spam update, and I don’t blame them for not doing that. They just had their data for the past few weeks since that is when the two December algorithm updates began. The Semrush sensor has been pretty calm, with a little blip today into the “high” volatility range: If you drill into each niche or industry, you will see some categories were more impacted than others. It is interesting to see it differ by mobile and desktop search: SISTRIX. SISTRIX also sent over some data in a different format. Steve Paine from the company told us that they did find evidence of volatility in their data for the link spam update but when it came to the helpful content update, finding such evidence was harder. He said “overall there isn’t a huge movement in SERPs,” the company posted some examples on their blog. SISTRIX sent me these two additional examples of specific sites hit by these updates: Moz. Dr. Pete Meyer from Moz told us, “I’m seeing some pretty heavy algorithm flux over this past weekend,” but he has not have had enough time to dig through all the data. Overall, Moz data shows that it has been “a noisy month, Google-wise,” he said. The issue is that it “hasn’t been easy to separate things,” like the other data providers showed as well. You can see that Mozcast showed a lot of hot weather on December 14th, which is likely related to the link spam update. seoClarity. The folks at seoClarity sent me a graph showing the day-over-day change in Google search results they calculated across all the keywords in their data. They noticed a spike on December 2nd and then “gyrations” on the 7th, 8th, and 9th and then a massive change on December 15th. Other data providers. Here is a list of other data providers charts that are available publicly. Why we care. As I said above, both updates are still rolling out at the time this was published. It is very hard to accurately say that one ranking change in aggregate is related to a specific ranking update when both are rolling out at the same time. That being said, it is likely easier to look at individual sites and know if the site was hit by a link algorithm versus a helpful content algorithm, especially if you look at the links and content for that site. So you will need to do the due diligence and dig into sites impacted by each update on an individual basis. This just shows you that it appears that these updates did show movement and did cause ranking volatility in aggregate. The post Ranking data during the December 2022 Google helpful content update and link spam update appeared first on Search Engine Land. via Search Engine Land https://ift.tt/MqYvIg1 Google has just released updated policy requirements for the month of December. Their help page reads:
Why we care. All advertisers, even those for Display and Video 360 must adhere to the policies or risk their accounts being suspended. You can review the full policies here. The post Google updates Ads Policy Requirements appeared first on Search Engine Land. via Search Engine Land https://ift.tt/JmaO2Ny Google is testing the ability to search for spoken words in a video through a new “Search in video” feature. This is officially being piloted in India, but some are also seeing this feature being tested in the United States. The announcement. Google posted this news on the Google India blog, writing, “besides images, videos are also a rich source of visual information but it’s often hard to find something buried inside a long clip. For example, perhaps you’re watching a long video about Agra, and you’re curious if it also covers Fatehpur Sikri. With a new feature we’re piloting, you’re now able to search for anything that’s mentioned in a video, right from Search. Simply enter a search term using the ‘Search in video’ feature and quickly find what you’re looking for.” “Use the ‘Search in video’ feature beneath a video, enter a term, and quickly find what you’re looking for within the video,” Google added. What it looks like. Here is a video showing this feature in action: Like Google key moments. This, at least to me, isn’t too far off from the technology Google uses for key moments in a video. Google is able to isolate what sections of a video are talking about, without even having to be fed chapters these days. Plus, with YouTube’s advanced transcriptions, it is no wonder Google Search is able to do this. US searchers. Searchers in the United States are also seeing this feature. Glenn Gabe tweeted that he saw it as well: Why we care. Besides this being simply cool and, for some, mind-blowing, it also shows how far search technology has come over the years. It also may mean that marketers who post videos should ensure the language used is clear and that Google is able to properly and accurately transcribe the words spoken in the video. The post Google Search testing search in video appeared first on Search Engine Land. via Search Engine Land https://ift.tt/8wCdacn Customer segmentation models to improve the performance of loyalty marketing campaigns by Comarch12/20/2022 Creating a loyalty marketing strategy is critical to understanding that every customer is unique. Every member has different needs, preferences, communication channels, behavior and emotions. Approaching all these unique members as one via mass communication is a big mistake when trying to scale your business. Segmenting your customers is critical to your success. But what is customer segmentation, why is it important and which segmentation models should be considered? 1. What is customer segmentation?Customer segmentation is the practice in which marketers divide their customer base into specific groups in order to deliver more effective communication and a personalized experience. These segments can be based on one or several characteristics that clients have in common, such as demographics, psychographics, preferences, or even behavior. For example, customers can be split based on demographics such as their age, gender or location – then these characteristics can be combined with preferences such as how they want to be contacted – in addition to account history, say the number of transactions made in the last few months or their lifetime value. Segments can be as simple or as detailed and granular as you prefer. Defining a customer segmentation strategy requires your organization to understand who your audience is, as well as their needs and behavioral tendencies. This will allow the right allocation of budget and resources to provide more personalized communication and make your business grow faster. 2. Why is customer segmentation important?Defining a customer segmentation strategy will bring many valuable benefits to any business. Here are some examples of why customer segmentation should be a top priority:
3. Actionable strategies to implement customer segmentationWhen embarking on your customer segmentation journey, you must first ask yourself, “What is the goal?” What are your brand’s unique selling points? How many members of the marketing team will be involved? Once this is established, the focus shifts to your customer base. Some tasks could include determining the audience size, the number of potential segments needed, identifying which customer will spend more and which will spend less, etc. Then, decide what data needs to be collected and how it will be collected. Remember that this information is crucial when creating your segments and will be the foundation of the marketing campaigns and initiatives. To execute any of these segmentation exercises, you must ensure you have access to the most important piece of it all… the data! Data can be collected in different stages throughout the loyalty lifecycle, whether mandatory upon enrollment or optional after the fact, in the form of a survey. Now, all information received will come directly and voluntarily from clients. This is what is known as zero-party data. What’s more, these data points can be compiled into segments. It is recommended to start with a broad focus and continuously narrow them down over time. AI and ML can do wonders in unearthing and analyzing behavior and trends, as well as shaving time and resources off the shoulders of your workforce. While defining these customer segmentation models, set up the main strategy to retain and gain customers loyalty, and after that focus on acquiring new ones. 5. Defining customer segmentation modelsCustomer segmentation models are the different ways in which a company decides to divide its customers. In loyalty, there is a wide spectrum of customer data points to consider, but the most relevant across the industry are:
6. Summary with CTAUnderstanding your members needs, preferences and behavior is the beginning of your customer segmentation journey. Defining goals, resources, unique selling points and crucial data points will prepare your business for all segmentation possibilities. Customer segmentation helps target the right clients, who present more profitable opportunities at the right time and in the most efficient way. With it, their retention and satisfaction will be ensured, as well as the maximization of sales and revenue. To learn more about customer segmentation models and how to build the most effective loyalty marketing strategy, request a demo with our Loyalty Experts! They will match you with an experienced Loyalty Consultant with experience in your unique market space and industry. The post Customer segmentation models to improve the performance of loyalty marketing campaigns appeared first on Search Engine Land. via Search Engine Land https://ift.tt/boY2GgN Advertising on Google Ads is a no-brainer for many brands. Between the mammoth market share, the proven ROI on time and monetary investment, and the innovations in creative/targeting – it’s never been a better time to scale Google Ads. Getting started can be a bit more complex than it used to be. You’ll need to make some key decisions on what kind of account you want and make sure you have your verifications ready. This article is a step-by-step guide to setting up your Google Ads account. Note: While there will be some strategic advice, the goal is to keep it as universally applicable as possible. In addition, we will not be going over setting up Local Service Ads or Merchant Center. Getting started with Google AdsSetting up a Google Ads account requires an email (can be Google or not). If you don’t already have an email you planned on using, you can create a quick account before the ad account is set up. Once you designate the email account you want to be affiliated with your ad account, you’ll be prompted to use a Google Business Profile as a starting point. However, if you do this, you’ll be locking your account into being a Smart Campaign account. While Smart Campaigns can be useful for some brands, locking in the account to only support such campaigns is not ideal for most advertisers. Be sure to select “Are you a professional marketer? Switch to Advanced Mode.” Once you’ve transitioned to a normal ad account, you’ll be prompted to create your first campaign. If you’re not ready, you can proceed to create the account without a campaign. Google will look for assets associated with your email address (like YouTube channels). You can connect them for additional audiences and placements or leave them off for now. If you are promoting your app or using it as a landing page, you can also connect it during this step. You’ll also be allowed to connect your phone number. Ideally, if you’re using call tracking, you’d have that number ready. However, you can always adjust it later. Conversion tracking is a critical part of any Google Ads account. You can choose the marketing objective of your campaign (conversions or brand lift) and set up the conversion tracking after. Note that you should not opt into multiple conversion goals in a single campaign. Asking one campaign to be responsible for leads and sales will have too many variants in conversion values. The next step is to decide if you will build a single-channel campaign or opt into Performance Max (PMax). The campaign goals you select will influence which campaigns you are prompted to create. If you don’t select any, your options will be search and PMax. PMax needs visual creative to succeed. If you do not have images and videos ready, it is best to start with a non-PMax campaign. Opting for a search campaign will prompt you to begin filling in the following:
PMax campaigns focus on all Google Ads channels, so the lion’s share of the setup revolves around supplying creative. While you won’t be bidding on keywords, you can add a custom intent audience in the Audience signals. Be sure you have video creative otherwise, Google will create a video on your behalf. Budgets are critical to the success of your Google Ads account and campaign. Setting one that’s too low will turn all spend into waste because there won’t be enough clicks to lead to conversions. Going too high might allow for budget misallocation. When you set your daily budget, be sure you’re setting one that you’re OK with doubling daily. Google will attempt to make your monthly spend average out to your daily spend across 30.4 days. It’s important to note that your billing profile does not need to be the same as your main ad account. For agencies, you can set up the billing profile under your client or yourself. Google Ads will take most credit cards, PayPal, and direct deposits from bank accounts. Follow-up stepsCongratulations, your Google Ads account is set up! However, you're not completely done yet. Once you finish the initial setup, you must verify your account and set up two-factor authentication. Verifying your account means requesting and sending back a postcard confirming your business is real. If you do not complete this step, your ad account will be canceled. Additionally, if you don't incur charges in the first few days of the account, you risk suspension. A great way to mitigate this is to link your Google Ads Console to Google Analytics. Setting up conversion tracking doesn't need to be a code-heavy experience. Codeless options include:
You can also send conversion tracking setup to your developer. Conversion actions will either be primary or secondary actions.
Setting up your Google Ads accountCampaign structure and ad creative choices can be part of account setup. However, if you're not ready, do not force the first campaign. Make sure you're setting yourself up for success by having your linking accounts ready (Analytics and Search Console) and your creative on hand. The post How to set up a Google Ads account appeared first on Search Engine Land. via Search Engine Land https://ift.tt/W4soOHu Google has retired Web Light, Google’s mechanism to serve pages and content faster, using a more lightweight version of that page, to those with slower internet connections. Google said, “while this feature has worked as intended and enabled broader access to the richness of the web, increased affordability of more powerful smartphones has diminished the need for such functionality.” What was Web Light. Google launched Web Light in 2015 as Google Lite, which was designed to help those with slow mobile connections on their search results page. Google would take the page, remove a lot of the heavier images and media and just show the searcher the text of the page. In 2018, Google even added a Search Console filter to see what pages were being served over Web Light. Google’s message. As noted above, Google said, “We introduced Web Light to enable us to serve faster, lighter pages to people searching on entry-level devices. While this feature has worked as intended and enabled broader access to the richness of the web, increased affordability of more powerful smartphones has diminished the need for such functionality. We remain committed to evolving and refining the Search experience to meet the changing needs of our users.” Web light user agent retired. With this news, Google retired the user agent for Web Light named “googleweblight.” So you should no longer see this user agent showing up in your log files. Documentation removed. Google has also removed the help documentation for web light, so the only way to access the docs is to go to the Wayback Machine. Why we care. A lot of publishers were not huge fans of Web Light because some felt it resulted in less revenue or no revenue. Plus, publishers do not like when their web pages and content do not look as they expect. In any event, this feature has been retired going forward. The post Google search retires Web Light, Google’s method to serve faster, lighter pages to people appeared first on Search Engine Land. via Search Engine Land https://ift.tt/WgBiv70 Facebook is the most-used social media platform in the world. It boasts 2.96 billion monthly active users. Most likely, you’re on Facebook and use it often. But is your business on Facebook? Not only that, is your business on Facebook and using a content marketing strategy? If your audience hangs out on the social media giant, you should answer “yes” to all of the above. Because just existing on Facebook isn’t enough. If you want to tap into the potential reach you can achieve there, you need a plan. Goals. Consistency. You need to publish the right type of content at the right time. Let’s look at how to set up your Facebook content marketing. How Facebook can contribute to your brand’s overarching content marketing strategyAs part of an overarching content marketing strategy, publishing on Facebook can help grow your reach and build brand awareness. It can even drive more traffic to your website and generate leads. Because of the sheer reach of Facebook, the opportunities for connecting with your audience are far and wide. By establishing a brand presence there, you may be able to tap into segments of your audience that don’t exist anywhere else online. By the way, you don’t have to spend a penny on Facebook content marketing if you don’t want to (or if you don’t have the budget). As long as you have the means to create high-quality content, you can post that content (and distribute other types of content) for free on Facebook. Initial steps for marketing on Facebook: Create a Facebook Business PageBefore we go any further, first make sure you have a Page set up on Facebook. You can’t market on the platform without one. That includes advertising, by the way. A “Page” is Facebook-speak for a business profile. These differ significantly from personal profiles, as they offer unique and beneficial features and tools tailored for businesses. Pages also showcase business-specific information that’s helpful to your audience and customers, like a call-to-action button you can tailor to your brand and what you’d like visitors to do (“Contact Us”, “Call Now”, “Sign Up”, etc.). Create your pageTo get started creating your Page on Facebook, use this link: facebook.com/pages/create/ You’ll need to fill out some basic information about your business, including your brand name, brand category, and a short bio. Once you have a basic Page created, you can add more detailed information and customize it further to reflect your business. Invite friends, peers, customers, etc. to like your pageOnce you have your Page set up, a good first step is to invite your current customers, friends, peers, and whoever else might be interested in liking the page. On Facebook, a Page like is equivalent to a follow. People who like your page will automatically see your posts in their feeds and be able to follow your activity, including all the content you post. Sending out like invites is thus a quick way to notify your existing Facebook audience that you’ve established your business in a more official way there. How to create a Facebook content marketing strategyWith your Page set up for your business, you can start planning out your Facebook content marketing strategy. In general, this should mesh with your overarching content marketing strategy, with your website and blog set as priority #1. Why do I not recommend focusing 100% of your content efforts on Facebook? Why Facebook shouldn't be your #1 content marketing channelBecause you don't own your Facebook account – not like you own your website and the content that lives there. Who does it belong to? Facebook. In fact, any content you post to their platform is fair game. As soon as you post or share something, your rights to that content become very limited. Meanwhile, Facebook's rights to that content expand like a balloon: Building your platform entirely on the borrowed land of social media is a huge gamble. That's why, even though you'll spend a good amount of effort publishing content on Facebook, most of it should point back to your site. For example, every content piece you post on Facebook can include links pointing to:
TL;DR Maintaining a presence on Facebook can and should build awareness around your brand and nurture leads, but it shouldn't be the main focus of your content marketing. Instead, set Facebook as the second or even third priority in your content plan, and ensure every major piece you publish there points back to your website in some way so you can capture leads. With that out of the way, now we can get into building your strategy for content marketing on Facebook. 1. Set goals for your Facebook content marketingWhat do you hope to achieve by content marketing on Facebook? Figure this out before you do anything else. Your goals will drive every action you take as you build out the rest of your plan. Don't overcomplicate it, either. Your goals can be extremely simple, such as:
Then, decide how you'll track and measure your goal(s). For example, you can use Google Analytics to track what percentage of your website visitors are coming from your Facebook posts or Page over time. 2. Define your Facebook marketing audienceWith goals set, next, make sure you understand exactly what your audience looks like on Facebook. If you've already done audience research for your larger marketing strategy, you can rely on that here, too. Just drill down deeper to discover what goals, challenges, preferences, and habits might be particular to the people who find you on Facebook versus other channels. If you're starting from square one, look for insights from 1:1 connections with people who fit the mold of your ideal customer. Interview them to discover what makes them tick, the kind of content they need, and how you can help them. If you have a pool of existing Facebook followers, use the free Audience Insights tool to find out more about them, including demographics and behavioral data. To find it, go to the Ads Manager and click on the menu icon in the left toolbar ("All tools"). Then scroll down to the Analyze and report section and click Audience Insights. By the way, Facebook has an official tutorial for using Audience Insights if you're unsure where to start. 3. Decide what you'll post and how oftenOnce you know who you're creating for, you can nail down what types of content you'll post and how often. This is important to document because it:
Let's start with what you'll post. To figure it out, consider these questions:
Next, determine how often you'll post, including when. Keep in mind best practices for posting on social media as you decide. Facebook recommends posting at least once per week, but most experts will tell you to post 1-2 times per day, with a max total of 3-7 posts per week. Don't post more often than your brand can handle, however. If you commit to posting too often without the staff, resources, or time to do it, your post quality will tank, which will also tank your reputation. Lastly, schedule posts for a specific time of day, preferably when your audience is most likely to be browsing Facebook. You can rely on stats to find optimal post times, or you can simply experiment to see what posting times get the best engagement from your particular audience. 4. Create and follow brand style guidelinesIf you're already posting content on other channels like a blog, you may have brand style guidelines defined at this point. If you're starting from scratch or don't have any guidelines, however, your next step is to create some. Brand style guidelines lay out the voice, tone, and personality of your brand. Anyone who creates content for your brand can follow the guidelines and write in your style so your content stays consistent (i.e., it always sounds like the same person is talking/communicating) across channels. This will help your audience not only remember your brand but also associate your brand with a specific style. Your brand style guidelines can include:
Document them once and keep them updated. This is a tool you can and will use over and over as you create content for all of your channels, not just Facebook. 5. Create a social media calendarHow are you going to keep track of all of your Facebook post topics, including the day/time you'll publish each one? How will you stay ahead of creating and posting content, so you're never last-minute scrambling to get a post ready? You need a social media calendar. This handy tool is a must for every content strategy. Whether you use a simple spreadsheet or a more robust tool like Airtable, Trello, MeetEdgar, or CoSchedule, you need a calendar to organize, plan, and track your content pieces, including the day/time they'll be published. Depending on your needs and the tool you choose, you can keep one calendar with tabs for each channel, or you can separate your calendars (one for your blog, one for Facebook, etc.). A good calendar will include weekly and monthly views of your content schedule, so you can see the mix of content you have going out from a bird's eye view. This helps you ensure you're posting the right mix of formats with a good array of topics. More advanced paid tools like MeetEdgar and CoSchedule even have features that let you schedule posts in advance, so you don't have to worry about posting at the right times. 6. EngageIn the phrase "social media", the main word is "social." That means, to be successful with content marketing on Facebook, you need to not just post, but also engage. A few tips:
7. Track and analyze resultsWhatever your goals for content marketing on Facebook, you should track your progress toward them by periodically checking out relevant data. For example, if your goal is to build your brand awareness, you might track Page views and Page likes – both of which you'll find on Facebook's built-in Page Insights. Here you'll also find a record of all the posts you've published, including metrics for each one like reach and engagement. This will be super useful as you're fine-tuning the content types and topics you post. The best Facebook post types for content marketingFor the highest engagement, you'll probably need to post a mix of content types to Facebook and rotate through them. Here are your best bets. Text postsAlthough a myriad of post types have come to the forefront in recent years (short video! Live video! Stories!), text-only posts are still a strong standby. This post type enjoys the highest engagement rate (0.13%) of all possible types, including videos. Text-only posts are best kept short and sweet (short posts get the most views). Use them to share a hot take or ask a question. Link postsLink posts – you guessed it – include a link to content outside of Facebook. This type of post is great for sharing your best blog content, a new product or service, a lead magnet, or even an email list sign-up page. Sprinkle link posts throughout your content calendar to encourage your Facebook audience to visit your website. (If your website/blog is your primary content channel, this is the place where you will convert and capture leads.) Photo postsPhoto posts feature a single image (or a carousel of images). They can include a short caption or hashtags and are the second-best type of post for engagement on Facebook. Depending on your industry, there are lots of options for sharing photos: beautiful product photography, day-in-the-life snapshots, infographics, quotes, and more. VideosVideos are incredibly engaging and communicate like no other type of media. On Facebook, there are a few different video types you can post:
Grow your reach with Facebook content marketingContent marketing on Facebook is a worthy addition to your overarching marketing efforts. The platform is the most-used social network in the world, hosting billions of users monthly. If your audience uses Facebook (and they most likely do), you should maintain a consistent presence there with valuable content to engage their interest and nurture their connection. The key is to focus on your website and blog content first and then use Facebook as a secondary channel to widen your reach. With smart content strategy, you’ll be able to integrate and manage your Facebook content marketing with your blog content marketing so they connect seamlessly. Ultimately, customers want to connect with the brands they like on social media. Don't let that opportunity get away. The post Facebook: A content marketing guide appeared first on Search Engine Land. via Search Engine Land https://ift.tt/zOwviT9 |
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