Don't fall short of these common search marketing mistakes

It seems almost too easy at first. It really does. You find a keyword tool and you type in whatever search term that comes to mind. Voilà! Like magic, you find out how many people are searching for your keyword, as well as a whole slew of other useful statistics like the keyword’s average cost per click, competition, suggested bid, and other data – depending on which keyword tool you’re using. However, before you get too ahead of yourself and pick a keyword to target, know that there is more to keyword planning than meets the eye. There are a lot of nuanced factors you might not have accounted for that can entirely change your keyword strategy. To make sure you get it right from the get-go, here are ten common mistakes that you’ll want to steer clear of.

1. Not realizing that Google…

Three search trends and implications for marketers

As we move into another new year there are once again a new set of predictions, hopes and concerns as to the direction of digital marketing over the next twelve months and beyond. There are so many exciting developments set to take place and I’m really looking forward to seeing how these take hold in 2018. One of the interesting areas I’ve observed across many trends is the recurrence of two themes: artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. These two closely related subjects seem to be taking hold across a number of areas, including marketing automation, digital creative, personalization and marketing technology. However, it’s the influence of AI and machine learning on the future of search that I’d like to explore in some detail in this article and the potential implications on business and marketing.

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8 areas of innovation to improve your organic and paid search marketing strategy

As part of our digital marketing trends for 2018, we have created a series of posts focused on different channel trends and statistics to help inform the best practices needed to move forward with your marketing strategy in 2018. Now, in Partnership with Vertical Leap, we have now produced a briefing guide on the latest organic and paid search innovations for marketing managers to review and action.

Click here for the full report 'Search Engine Marketing trends 2018' from our partner, Vertical Leap

Trend 1. Data, analytics, and reporting

In our view, success in SEO has always gone to those businesses and their agencies who have the best data-driven processes and people to give attention to the detail needed to compete. Google has gradually improved their insight data sources and tools to help businesses…

How to increase conversions with an SEO audit

Focusing on SEO while neglecting your conversion rate is a great way to wind up with a website that ranks highly for keywords your audience doesn’t use or attract a bunch of users who aren’t really looking to buy what you’re selling. That’s why you have to think about choosing the right SEO tools for you and focusing on more than just the technical aspects of your audits. That’s right: you can use your SEO audits to improve not just rankings, but your conversion rates as well. Smart Insights have just launched their latest Quick-Win, SEO Technical Audit. Carrying out an audit is often about making small modifications to parts of your website. When viewed individually, these changes might seem like incremental improvements, but when combined, they can make a significant impact on your site’s performance…

Google’s related searches are a treasure trove of content ideas

As well as arming you with keyword phrases to fit into your articles, related searches also give you a massive insight into who your customers are and what their intent is. In this article, we show you how to use related searches for both ends in order to boost your SEO. [si_guide_block id="80207" title="Download FREE Resource – 10 business-limiting SEO mistakes " description="The search engine optimisation (SEO) mistakes to avoid and what to do instead. Google's engineers have said there are at least 200 'ranking signals' which affect whether you can rank above your competitors or not for searches which will bring you new business. To make SEO even more challenging, many of them change frequently in Google's algorithm updates. So, it can be really tough knowing what matters in SEO and what doesn't."/] See,…

Chart of the Day: These are the 17 most important Google ranking factors + the periodic table of SEO success factors

Yes, 'in the world' might have been a bit of an exaggeration, but do you know what is the most important ranking factor for Google right now? It's long been speculated with extensive ranking factors research, but do we SEOers really know? It's vital to note that this research is based on correlation and not causation and that all aspects of on-page and technical SEO need to done to improve chances of ranking on SERPs.

Direct visits and engagement metrics

According to SEMRush's research 'Ranking Factors 2.0' direct website visits are the most important ranking factor. Time on site, pages per session and bounce rate are also highly rated as important. Taking these into consideration, it is not surprising these are…

But what does this mean?

We're all aware of the length of meta descriptions - the snippets of information we see in Google Search - but how important are they and do people even pay attention to them? Previously, the maximum length was limited to 160 characters. Google has now confirmed that the length of descriptions has been increased to 230 - this is meant to provide more descriptive snippets. More description of content can encourage clickthroughs and more organic traffic if the content is engaging. In a recent article by Search Engine Land, Google stated: We recently made a change to provide more descriptive and useful snippets, to help people better understand how pages are relevant to their searches. This resulted in snippets becoming slightly longer, on average. Advice my Moz's Rank Fishkin tells SEOs to: Make a priority…

Make sure you choose an SEO package that will get you results but won't tell you these common lies

SEO is an important part of any digital company - it can be the most successful way of driving traffic to your site if optimized correctly. Whilst many companies have the set of skills to audit, perform and optimize their own SEO, others prefer an agency to do it for them so they can dedicate the time to other areas of focus. However, before you sign a contract for an SEO package, we would recommend taking certain steps to ensure you get the results you need and want in order to grow your business. [si_guide_block id="80207" title="Download FREE Resource – 10 business-limiting SEO mistakes " description="The search engine optimisation (SEO) mistakes to avoid and what to do instead. Google's engineers have said there are at least 200 'ranking signals' which affect whether you can rank…

Major trends to inform your search marketing actions in 2018 according to James Murray of Bing

In a recent interview with digital marketing agency Impression, James Murray of Bing revealed insights into where Bing see the future of search marketing. This article will discuss each relevant interview and its key takeaways.

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Murray discussed a variety of topics from voice search marketing to how links may be decreasing in importance in the future.

Trend 1. Voice Search marketing

Murray discussed how “we’ve bent ourselves as users to conform to the way that search engines behave, resulting in a very robotic style of search”. Marketers need to write content for this new set of queries, having the user’s voice in mind as the driving force for creation. For example, writing in…

Use these features to optimize your Shopify ecommerce platform for search engines

Shopify is one of the most recommended e-commerce platforms used by online sellers to set up their online retail businesses. If you are running a Shopify Ecommerce Platform and looking for some SEO tips for your Shopify store, then look no further! I have compiled a list of SEO tips that are fundamental for running a successful Shopify ecommerce store to increase online visibility. Follow these easy-to-follow tips below to discover all the essentials for improving the SEO of your Shopify store.

What is Shopify and why should you use it?

The Reasons why you should choose Shopify Ecommerce for your online Store: Highly flexible and tailor to your specific requirements. Easy backend administration Shopify has Lots of built-in tools Advanced ecommerce CMS Platform with fantastic Search Engine Optimization (SEO) features. Shopify Ecommerce Platform is easy to use with no coding…