Archive for December 2016
Can SEOs make local search great again in 2017?
It was bad enough that Prince, Leonard Cohen and Mrs. Brady checked out in 2016, but then I had to go and read David Mihm’s excellent 2017 Local Marketing Predictions, and I couldn’t find a cocktail fast enough to drown my misery. Mihm’s piece is a sober look at how Google has been leading us all down…
Read MoreThe 10 Best & Biggest New PPC Features of the Year
Another crazy year is almost behind us. The year 2016 will be remembered for some huge and unexpected changes, some awesome new PPC features, and welcome changes to both the Google AdWords and Bing Ads platforms. But some new PPC features stuck out more than the rest this year. This article will separate the unicorns…
Read More51% of US adults have bought something online via their cellphones [Pew data]
It’s no secret that the cellphone has had a huge impact on commerce — whether online or in-store. More than three years ago, we were writing about “showrooming” — when consumers research products in-store but buy online — and more recently we’ve talked about “webrooming” — the flip side of that. The latest e-commerce report…
Read MoreGoogle studying ways to fix offensive search suggestions & results
As Google has come under fire for search suggestions like “are women evil” or actual results questioning whether The Holocaust happened, those who oversee its search engine aren’t ignoring the issue. They’re just taking time to figure out the best and most comprehensive response. This week, I met with several engineers and executives involved with Google’s search…
Read MoreShould you create device-specific PPC campaigns?
On February 6, 2013, Google announced Enhanced Campaigns, coupling devices together to encourage (nod nod wink wink) the development of mobile-first campaigns. Bing, of course, followed suit soon after. The PPC world at large was not pleased. I think I speak for many of my peers when I say we’re a group that relishes precise control. While…
Read MoreFinally going mobile-friendly, but on a collision course with Google’s mobile-first index [Case Study]
This fall was packed with announcements about Google’s mobile-first index. First, Gary Illyes gave a keynote at Pubcon and dropped a bomb that Google intended to roll out a mobile-first index in the near future. Sure, Google had been hinting about the mobile-first index for a while, but now we had real information from a…
Read MoreWhat the heck is machine learning, and why should I care?
There are many uses for machine learning and AI in the world around us, but today I’m going to talk about search. So, assuming you’re a business owner with a website or an SEO, the big question you’re probably asking is: what is machine learning and how will it impact my rankings? The problem with this…
Read MoreHow to get the most value from your marketing metrics
To what extent does data actually drive your marketing decisions? The way I see it, you probably fall into one of the three following categories: Intuitive — Your marketing decisions aren’t data-based; intuition drives them. Inspired — You value data and consider it in some way, shape or form. Intelligent — Marketing data rules the…
Read MoreHow Customer Insight Can Boost Referral Marketing Effectiveness
We all know that word-of-mouth is one of the best drivers of new customers. The problem is, most referral marketing systems are based on best-practice advice that quickly becomes stale. But referral marketing is important. According to research conducted by Heinz Marketing, 71% of companies report a higher number of conversions with a referral program.…
Read MoreSee how 16 leading digital analytics platform providers stack up
Digital analytics play a crucial role in nearly every enterprises digital marketing strategy, not only for tracking and measuring website traffic, but for tracking and measuring other digital channels as well. Marketing Land’s “Enterprise Digital Analytics Platforms: A Marketer’s Guide” examines the market for digital analytics platforms and the considerations involved in implementation. The 42-page…
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