Dave Davies says, “Those who know me know that I’m primarily a technical SEO. I like on-site content optimization to be sure, but I like what I can measure — and now that keyword densities are mostly gone, I find it slightly less rewarding during the process (though equally rewarding via the outcome). For this reason, I’ve never been a huge fan of the “quality content is awesome for rankings simply because quality content is awesome for rankings” argument for producing … well … quality content. Quality content is hard to produce and often expensive, so its benefits need to be... [...]

Ginny Marvin says, “Last summer, Google began a test showing business names in the headlines of call-only ads after the phone number. The change led to better conversion outcomes, and Google is now rolling it out of testing globally. This was one of several announcements made around call-only ads and call extensions Google made on Wednesday. Account-level call extensions For advertisers that use one main number for call extensions, Google is rolling out account-level call extensions this week. These advertisers will no longer have to apply the same call extension to multiple times within... [...]

Tom Brant says, “In its quest to index the internet, Google’s search engine has come across quite a few questionable websites. That content occasionally shows up at the top of the search results as an embarrassing example of how its algorithms can’t always discern the truth. Google “Why are fire trucks red?” for instance, and the top suggested search result is a snippet of a Monty Python joke involving measurements, ships and Queen Elizabeth. Although it’s a relatively benign joke, it’s ultimately unhelpful. And as The Outline points out, some results... [...]

Sherry Bonelli says, “Are you tired of asking your web developer to add code, snippets, pixels or scripts to your site so you can track remarketing, conversions, analytics and more? Google Tag Manager (GTM) allows you to add or update tags without having to bother your developer. Google Tag Manager gives you control over how your tags are defined and how they fire. GTM involves a little bit of a learning curve, but once you understand the basics, you’ll wonder how you ever got along without it. If you’re an SEO who hasn’t yet delved into tracking codes (I know you’re out there,... [...]

Sophia Bernazzani says, “Has a celebrity ever convinced you to buy something? It’s okay if the answer is yes — we’ve all been there. In fact, just recently, a famous dog helped convince me to purchase a GoPro camera. For a creature who can’t speak, he’s a pretty effective marketer. Loki the Wolfdog’s Instagram post is a successful example of influencer marketing, which involves developing relationships with influential personalities to promote your brand to the influencer’s audience. Loki the Wolfdog has over 1 million Instagram followers GoPro may not have otherwise been... [...]

Todd Saunders says, “As advertisers, we can’t afford to ignore data in our decision-making. Since you probably just sighed a little bit or rolled your eyes at that sentence, here are four facts that reveal why ignoring data is like ignoring the fact that you are currently on fire: 1. Online advertising is getting more competitive Since AdWords and other PPC platforms are auction marketplaces, or “pay to play” channels, more players means more money needed to play. Each year, the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) and PwC releases their “Internet Advertising Revenue Full-Year Report,”... [...]

Greg Sterling says, “The big news coming out of Google’s AMP Conf in New York is that the mobile framework is set to roll out to a billion more people in Asia. Chinese search engines Baidu and Sogou are adopting AMP; so is Yahoo Japan. Google’s VP of Search and AMP lead David Besbris gave the morning keynote address and made the announcement. The addition of these Asian search engines will mean a billion more people potentially using AMP. AMP launched in October 2015 and since that time has seen significant publisher and developer adoption. There are hundreds of millions of AMP-enabled... [...]

Jody Resnick says, “For owners and managers of SMBs, taking time to understand the intricacies of search engine optimization (SEO) can seem unnecessary.  However, leveraging the latest digital marketing tactics is important to your bottom line. Here are five relatively simple SEO tactics that can help you achieve your revenue goals. 1. Write original content You’ve probably heard this before, but it’s certainly worth reiterating:  make sure your website content is original and well written. Duplicating someone else’s content is not only unethical, it will hurt your Google rankings.... [...]

Ginny Marvin says, “Google began notifying Google Trusted Stores merchants last week that the program will soon wind down. In its place will be Google Customer Reviews. The change was first reported by Exclusive Concepts. Google Customer Reviews Like Google Trusted Stores, the new program is also free, but it is not a certification program. Google Customer Reviews collects reviews on behalf of advertisers from customers after they purchase and receive their orders. Google Customer Reviews will be managed through Google Merchant Center. When it becomes widely available, according to an update... [...]

Tony Edward says, “Google’s Knowledge Graph is a very prominent part of organic search results. By now, searchers are accustomed to seeing the panel that appears on the right side of the search result page that provides information about entities such as people, places and brands. Individuals and companies alike are striving to acquire, maintain and monitor a Knowledge Graph listing. At the moment, however, there is no easy way to report on Knowledge Graph performance and changes. In 2016, Google’s John Mueller did mention that links in Knowledge Graph panels would be counted in the... [...]