What factors should you consider before choosing a web crawler tool?
SEO is a many-headed beast. From off-page elements to on-page elements, covering all aspects of SEO can easily become a Herculean task, especially when dealing with large websites. That is why a tool that crawls your website on a regular basis and brings back reports on what needs to be fixed is a must-have. What are the key features that you should look for in a web crawler?
Image optimization 101: How to rank higher in image search
Optimizing images to rank well in search is a must for an increasingly visual web: a good logo or some eye-catching graphics can be as effective at attracting visitors to your website as your written content. But even if you’re highly familiar with optimizing written content for search, you may not know where to begin with images. Here’s how to ensure your images rank well in search.
The ultimate guide to choosing keywords for ROI
Keyword research is not easy. Every SEO has done it, but few will ever master it completely. In this guide we go beyond raw search volume data to metrics that will help you choose the keywords that deliver the best ROI for you right now.
Google Shopping: What do marketers need to know about the latest updates?
In the battle with Amazon, Google is betting on its Shopping services to attract merchants and customers alike. A raft of product announcements has arrived just in time for the holiday season, including new ad formats and AdWords reports. What do marketers need to know, and will these new products be enough to take market share back from Amazon?
AdWords Auction Insights report: A key to understanding the competition
In our personal lives, it does not often do us much good to compare to others, but in business, it is important to be aware of what our competitors are doing in order to take advantage of opportunities. In this post, we explain how the Auction Insights report in Google AdWords allows you to do just that.
How to stop Google AdWords campaigns from failing
Disruptive Advertising recently outlined the main reasons that AdWords campaigns succeed or fail, based on an audit of more than 2000 AdWords … read more
Beyond Google Analytics: 10 SEO analytics and reporting tools
Analytics and reporting are a critical part of any SEO campaign, and while Google Analytics is a great place to start, it most certainly shouldn’t be where you stop. In this post, we’ll cover some of the best free and paid tools available for SEO reporting and analytics.
Evolving past last-click attribution in paid search
Despite its inefficiencies, many marketers use last-click attribution by default to understand the value of their keywords. Getting to the root of the measurement problem and combining complementary data tools can help take your paid search optimization to the next level.
What do you need to know about Chinese search engine Sogou?
A few days ago, the news emerged that Chinese search engine Sogou is aiming to raise up to $585 million in a U.S. IPO. The news has caused a stir among those keeping an eye on the Chinese tech space; but for those of us who might not be up on the state of search in China, what do you need to know about Sogou? And what does a Sogou IPO mean for the wider search industry?
What is keyword clustering, and who cares? (Hint: you should!)
If you’re still optimizing for “keyword strings”, you’re not alone. But the industry is evolving towards a different tactic that helps you to get to grips with your niche and create great-quality content: keyword clustering. So what is it, and how should you go about using it?
Google videos vs. YouTube: Which is the best video search engine?
Video is booming as a content marketing medium. But which video search engines should you focus on optimizing for? This article will explore the differences between YouTube and Google Videos, the two biggest video search engines on the web.
What are the SEO benefits of social media?
Social media has a host of benefits in a marketing context, including brand recognition and presence, advertising, customer service, content marketing and more. But does it have any benefits for SEO? We delve into the relationship between social and SEO and whether social media has any direct benefits for SEO. In short: “It’s complicated”.
An in-depth guide to Google ranking factors
Last year, our intrepid editor Christopher Ratcliff wrote a ten-part series examining a number of important Google ranking factors in detail. This guide will summarize the key insights from that series for your referencing convenience, with links to the full explanations of each ranking factor.
Customer reviews: The not-so-secret SEO tactic
Innovative businesses are turning to customer reviews in an effort to revamp their stagnant SEO strategies. But how can reviews really help your visibility on Google, why does Google value some reviews more than others, and how can powerful reviews help your business boost website conversions?
5 steps to making your content smarter
The convergence of SEO and content has been a driving force in marketing for the past few years. A recent survey conducted by BrightEdge found that 97% of marketers view these two areas as converged disciplines. And given that 51% of the traffic arriving to your website is likely from organic search, a growing understanding of the integration between these two areas is essential.
How indie publishers can monetize in the shadow of Facebook and Google
With multinational technological companies Google and Facebook conquering the field of online advertising revenue, many smaller companies and indie publishers are left wondering where they’ll end up in the digital world – if they’ll end up anywhere at all.
Pinterest moves into paid search: What you need to know
Pinterest has announced its long-awaited move into the self-serve paid search space, after a period of trial campaigns with select partners. With innovative visual search technology and an ambition to corner the ‘discovery’ phase of search, this could prove an enticing complement to AdWords for many brands. So, how does Pinterest PPC work, how does it differ from other paid search options, and how can advertisers get started?
What are the best free SEO resources online?
Whether you are a fresh-faced SEO newbie just starting to learn the ropes, or an SEO veteran who can recite the ins and outs of every Google update ever, SEO is a complex subject. In this post, we share our pick of the best free SEO resources available online.
4 common mistakes that tank responsive mobile conversion
About 10 years ago, just two screen sizes accounted for 77% of all web usage. Fast-forward to today, and things are very different, with laptops, tablets, smartphones, netbooks and web-enabled TVs among the devices that can access the internet. Responsive web design is the answer to staying competitive in our many-screened landscape – but it isn’t a silver bullet. Here are 4 things that can kill your conversion rates even with a responsive website.
Killer demand gen strategy, Part 1: Personas and creative development
When embarking on demand generation channels such as Facebook and Google Display Network, it is important to first ensure that you understand your core audiences and how to best speak to them.