Which SEO techniques will you be focusing on in 2015?
SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is an ever-changing, what’s-the-latest, keep-up-or-get-out business; this we know. Every year (and every week) seems to bring world-rocking changes to Google algorithms, what’s 'in', and what’s 'out' in terms of best SEO practices.While the core SEO success factors shown below remain constant, changes to Google's algorithms and webspam filters will mean that we should always be pushing the boundaries by testing new techniques.
In this post I have picked five 'predictions' for SEO in 2015 that are not only already gaining momentum, but which I think will help online success.
1. Long-tail keyword searches will play an increasingly essential role in SEO.
Long-tail keywords offer the opportunity to give users content that is more specific based on their searches. Queries made by users are becoming much more accurate and focused. For example, what used…
An example of using GWT to track changes in keyword performance through time
Since the rise of 'not provided' keywords in Google Analytics, SEOs have had to rely on multiple data sources to track the progress of on-page content optimisation. But, as our own example shows, this can only be a good thing...
When Google announced encrypted search was to be the default for all Google users, it dealt a heavy blow to SEO – as most keywords from organic search would now appear as 'not provided' in Analytics.
This meant it was much more difficult to track the efficacy of on-page content optimisation. After all, if we didn't know which keywords were bringing users to a page, how were we supposed to know if our carefully keyworded content was doing its job?
Now the dust has settled, 'not provided' keywords stands at 87% of the total, according to …
Advanced Keyword Research using Search Engine Marketing funnels
Since search is the main source of new sales and leads for many businesses who get it right, the competitive landscape has become even more aggressive. Search terms, both organic and paid, are becoming increasingly difficult to target. This is due in large part to the following factors:
Paid search traffic is getting more expensive as an increasing number of companies compete to bid for top 3 positioning.
Organic search algorithms have evolved and become more difficult to 'game'. Companies can no longer expect heaps of organic traffic just because their SEO firm has built-out a sophisticated backlink profile.
Because traffic acquisition has become such a competitive (and costly) activity, web marketers will need to place more emphasis on converting the traffic they already have. Additionally, marketers will need to start intercepting potential customers earlier in the buying process if they want to remain competitive.
These two objectives…
How are businesses investing in digital media
Which digital media give the best 'bang for your buck' is a question that we constantly ask as marketers. Which online marketing techniques give us the best cost-per-acquisition and drive the best volume as suggested by our Content Distribution Matrix which can also be used for a wider digital media effectiveness review and to prompt testing of new online media options.
How are businesses investing this year in digital media?
Our Managing Digital Marketing Research in association with TFM&A also sheds light on this by showing changes in how businesses will be allocating their digital media spend. The research has shown the ongoing importance of the core digital marketing channels with similar levels of effectiveness reported for 2014:
Email marketing was rated as highly or very effective by 51% of respondents followed by SEO (45%) and Adwords (34%). Organic use of social media wasn’t far behind with 33%, but…
Did you know that over half of display ads aren't viewable
The lesson is to choose the right media companies with better viewability, particularly when paying on a cost per thousand basis. Apparently it's nothing new that 56% of display ad impressions across Google's platforms aren't viewable and has been brought to the forefront, by the recent research from Google,
Google's Infographic provides insight into 5 key factors to help you maximise your ad visibility; covering the importance of ad sizes and page position.
So what does this mean for Advertisers?
There are going to be more stringent guidelines and some may be struck off if they don't provide above 50% viewability. If you are advertising, it's recommended to plan and research, looking at your viewability inventory, which you can measure with Google's measurement tool, Active View…
What are the best online services to fuel your blogger outreach?
You want more visibility for your business. But, how do you take your business from where it is now to being in a position where you have the blogosphere buzzing with mentions of your brand? The answer is blogger outreach. This involves tapping into the huge influence that bloggers have and using it to get more eyeballs on your content and to grow your business faster.
Sure you could go ahead and contact any relevant blog that you come across but that won’t get you to where you want to be. By targeting the most influential and relevant blogs you will gain access to huge groups of people who are completely in line with your target audience.
In this post I’m going to talk you through a number of tools that can help you not only find the right bloggers/blogs to contact but also manage…
Combine your online and offline strategies for an industry-leading brand presence
Branding isn’t just about getting your logo seen everywhere. Your brand is your business. Successful branding is about communicating your values and vision to your target markets to attract, maintain and grow a loyal customer base.
Your brand should instantly communicate why you are better than your competitors, but it takes a lot of work to get to that point. To reach this point you need a branding strategy which incorporates every aspect of your business, from how your CEO behaves and how your employees feel about their jobs right through to the quality of your product or service and the end customer experience. Slideshare features a good deck on how to write a brand plan step by step.
To do this you can use an effective mix of online and offline techniques. However you present your…
6 issues to consider when reviewing your investment in online display advertising
Online media measurement company comScore and WARC have summarised the state of Display advertising in an interesting deck giving 6 key lessons to help maximise the impact of your display advertising, from planning, to managing and evaluating your campaigns to improve your brand loyalty and engagement. Their whitepaper provides good examples from leading brands such as Kelloggs and opportunities for brands to leverage, so we thought it was worth sharing and summarising.
6 Lessons to improve your Display Advertising
Lesson 1: Don't rely on CTR as the key measurement
Ad Clickthrough rates (CTRs) have always been relatively low compared to Google AdWords, but it's not a complete metric, since people may view your brand or offer on a ad and it will resonate with consumers who later search on the brand or go direct to the site.
This research shows Advertisers experiencing low CTRs did see an increase in sales,…
A tool for reviewing the options for online customer acquision and monitoring for social media and other sites
You will have noticed that there's a fair amount of choice online for reaching and interacting with your audience, in fact it's overwhelming! You can't be everywhere, so it's important to prioritise which types of sites and partnerships you invest time and money in to try to gain visibility through outreach, partnering and advertising.
2015 update - introducing the Marketing Bullseye
Since we introduced the Radar in 2010 we have evolved it into the infographic shown below. In this update, we introduce the Marketing Bullseye Framework - a great new tool to review customer acquisition from Traction which has a similar purpose - see the end of the post for a description.
To help you review and prioritise, we developed the "Digital Marketing Radar" which gives a prompt on the different types of…
An overview of the current use of Search Marketing
SEMPO's 9th annual report in 2014 highlighted the client and agency views on search strategy marketing. It's helpful for Digital Marketers planning their next strategies, looking for valuable insight into tactical steps and how 'the evolving role of search marketing is an integrated element of the marketing mix'.
The infographic highlights:
90% of companies adopt an experimental approach, except with social media.
9 out of 10 respondents focus on SEO and 78% on paid search.
Measuring ROI from social media still remains a challenge.
Additional Resources on Search Marketing best practice available on Smart Insights include:
SEO 7 Steps Guide and online course
How Search Marketing is managed [Infographic]
Paid Search 7 Steps guide and online course
…
