Something every woman should know - WHY MEN LIE!
Despite HomePod's mixed reputation as a smart speaker, it actually uses machine learning tricks to interpret commands -- even if it can't ideally respond.Read More
Monday, December 3, 2018
How Apple’s HomePod uses AI and 6 mics to hear users through ambient noise
Despite HomePod's mixed reputation as a smart speaker, it actually uses machine learning tricks to interpret commands -- even if it can't ideally respond.Read More
Thursday, November 29, 2018
Beyond Kim Kardashian: Making influencer marketing lucrative by being authentic (VB Live)
Something every woman should know - WHY MEN LIE!
Learn how influencers can improve your brand reputation, increase buy-in from customers, and more when you join this VB Live event.Read More
Tuesday, October 30, 2018
How American Express’s customer-centric mantra has built their reputation (VB Live)
Something every woman should know - WHY MEN LIE!
Customer experience (CX) sets you apart from your competition, and your company's reputation has to be the foundation of that strategy.Read More
Tuesday, October 23, 2018
The Ultimate Cheat Sheet for Taking Full Control of Your Google Knowledge Panels
Something every woman should know - WHY MEN LIE!
Posted by MiriamEllis
They say you can’t squeeze blood out of a turnip, but when the turnip (and your biggest potential competitor) is Google, the lifeblood of the local business locations you market could depend on knowing where to take control.
As Google acts to confine ever-more stages of the local consumer journey within their own interface, local enterprises need to assume as much control as possible over the aspects of the Google Knowledge Panel that they can directly or indirectly influence.
This cheat sheet is your fast track to squeezing the most you can out of what Google is still offering.
How Google changed from local business benefactor to competitor
It may not come naturally, at first, to think of Google as a competitor. For many years in the local space, their offering of significant free screen real estate to any eligible local enterprise was like a gift. But, in their understandable quest for maximum profitability, Google is increasingly monetizing their local product, while at the same time giving more space to public sentiment when it comes to your brand’s reputation.
As this trend continues, your business needs to know which features of the Google Knowledge Panel that appear when searchers seek you by name can be controlled. You’ll also want to know which of these features has the most potential to influence rankings and consumers. We’ll explore both topics, as follows.
Core features on most Google Knowledge Panels
Different industries have different Knowledge Panel features, but the following graphic and key represent the elements that commonly pertain to most business categories. Each numbered feature will be described and designated as controllable “yes” or controllable “no” in the accompanying key. Some features will be labeled controllable “partly”, with notes explaining that designation. You will also discover pro tips for best practices, where appropriate.
1.) Photos & videos
When clicked on, this takes the user to both owner and user-generated photos in a set. Photos significantly impact CTR. Photos must be monitored for spam.
On mobile, there is a separate tab for photos, beyond the initial profile images.
Pro Tip: Videos can also be posted to your photos section, but try to post more than 2 videos so that you’ll get a separate mobile video subtab.
Controllable?
Partly; this is both an owner and crowdsourced element.
2.) Maps
When clicked on, this takes the user to the Maps-based Knowledge Panel accompanied by map with pin. Be sure your map marker is correctly placed.
Controllable?
Partly; owner can correct misplaced map marker, but users can submit placement edits, too.
3.) Exterior photo
When clicked on, this takes the user to an interactive Google Street View visual of the business.
*On mobile, no separate space is given to exterior photos.
Controllable?
Partly; owner can correct misplaced map marker.
4.) Business name
This must reflect the real-world name of the business and be formatted according to Google’s guidelines.
Pro Tip: If your enterprise is a Service Area Business, like a plumbing franchise with no storefronts, your name should match what appears on your website.
Controllable?
Yes; owner provides, though public can edit.
5.) Maps star
When clicked on, this gives users the option to either save the location to their map, or to view the location on Maps. Very little has been published about this easily overlooked feature. Users who star a location then see it as a star in the future on their maps. They are a form of “lists.” It might be posited that a business which many have starred might see some form of ranking boost, but this is speculative.
*On mobile, there is no Maps star. There is a “save” icon instead.
Controllable?
No.
6.) Website button
When clicked on, this takes the user to the website of the company. In multi-practitioner and multi-location scenarios, care must be taken that this link points to the right URL.
Pro Tip: Large, multi-location enterprises should consider pointing each location’s Knowledge Panel to the right landing page. According to a new study, when both brand- and location-specific pages exist, 85% of all consumer engagement takes place on the local pages (e.g., Facebook Local Pages, local landing pages). A minority of impressions and engagement (15%) happen on national or brand pages.
Controllable?
Yes; owner provides, though public can edit.
7.) Directions button
When clicked on, this takes the user to the Maps-based widget that enables them to designate a starting point and receive driving directions and traffic alerts. Be sure to check directions for each location of your enterprise to protect consumers from misdirection.
Controllable?
Partly; owner and the public can report incorrect directions.
8.) Review stars and count
The star portion of the section is not an average; it’s something like a “Bayesian average.” The count (which is sometimes inaccurate), when clicked, takes you to the separate review interface overlay where all reviews can be read. Review count and sentiment are believed to impact local rankings, but the degree of impact is speculative. Review sentiment is believed to highly impact conversions.
Pro Tip: While Google is fine with your business asking for reviews, never offer incentives of any kind in exchange for them. Also, avoid bulk review requests, as they can result in your reviews being filtered out.
Controllable?
Partly; owner can encourage, monitor, thumb up, and respond to reviews, as well as reporting spam reviews; public can also flag reviews as well as thumbing them up.
9.) Editorial summary
This is generated by Google via unconfirmed processes and is meant to provide a summarized description of the business.
Controllable?
No.
10.) Address
For brick-and-mortar businesses, this line must display a genuine, physical address. For service area businesses, this line should simply show the city/state for the business, based on hide-address settings in the GMB dashboard.
Controllable?
Yes; owner provides, though public can edit.
11.) Hours
When clicked on, a dropdown displays the complete hours of operation for the business. Care must be taken to accurately reflect seasonal and holiday hours.
Controllable?
Yes; owner provides, though public can edit.
12.) Phone
This number must connect as directly as possible to the location. On desktop, this number can be clicked, which will dial it up via Hangouts. A business can add more than one phone number to their GMB dashboard, but it will not display publicly.
*On mobile, there is no phone number displayed; just a call icon.
Pro Tip: The most popular solution to the need to implement call tracking is to list the call tracking number as the primary number and the store location number as the additional number. Provided that the additional number matches what Google finds on the website, no serious problems have been reported from utilizing this strategy since it was first suggested in 2017.
Controllable?
Yes; owner provides, though public can edit.
13.) Suggest an edit link
This is the most visible vehicle for the public to report problems with listing data. It can be used positively or maliciously.
Controllable?
No.
14.) Google Posts
Introduced in 2017, this form of microblogging enables businesses to post short content with links, imagery, and video right to their Knowledge Panels. It’s believed use of Google Posts may impact local rank. Each Google post lasts for 7 days, unless its content is designated as an “event,” in which case the post will remain live until the event ends. Google Posts are created and controlled in the GMB dashboard. Google has been experimenting with placement of posts, including showing them in Maps.
Pro Tip: Posts can be up to 1500 characters, but 150–350 characters is advisable. The ideal Posts image size is 750x750. Images smaller than 250x250 aren’t accepted. Posts can feature events, products, offers, bookings, phone numbers, 30-second videos, and links to learn more. Images can contain text that can prompt users to take a specific action like visiting the website to book an appointment, and early days experiments show that this approach can significantly boost conversions.
Controllable?
Yes.
15.) Know this place?
When clicked on, this feature enables anyone to contribute attribution information to a place. A wizard asks the user a variety of questions, such as “does this place have onsite parking?”
Pro Tip: Google has let Top Contributors to its forum know that it’s okay for businesses to contribute knowledge to their own Know This Place section.
Controllable?
Partly; both owner and public can add attribution via this link.
16.) Google Questions & Answers
Introduced in 2017, this crowdsourced Q&A functionality can be contributed to directly by businesses. Businesses can post their own FAQs and answer them, as well as responding to consumer questions. Q&As with the most thumbs up appear up front on the Knowledge Panel. The “Ask a Question” button facilitates queries, and the “See all questions” link takes you to an overlay popup showing all queries. This is becoming an important new hub of social interactivity, customer support, and may be a ranking factor. Google Q&A must be monitored for spam and abuse.
Controllable?
Partly; both owner and public can contribute.
17.) Send to your phone
Introduced in 2016, this feature enables desktop users to send a place to their phone for use on the go. It’s possible that a place that has been sent to a lot of phones might be deemed popular by Google, and therefore, more relevant.
*On mobile, this option doesn’t exist, for obvious reasons.
Controllable?
No
18.) Review snippets
This section of the Knowledge Panel features three excerpts from Google-based reviews, selected by an unknown process. The “View all Google reviews” link takes the user to an overlay popup featuring all reviews. Owners can respond to reviews via this popup or the GMB dashboard. Review count, sentiment, velocity, and owner response activity are all speculative ranking factors. Reviews must be monitored for spam and abuse.
Pro Tip: In your Google My Business dashboard, you can and should be responding to your reviews. Surveys indicate that 40% of consumers expect businesses to respond, and more than half expect a response within three days, but it’s best to respond within a day. If the review is negative, a good response can win back about 35% of customers. Even if you can’t win back the other 65%, a good response serves to demonstrate to the entire consumer public that your business is ethical and accountable.
Controllable?
Partly; both owner and public can contribute.
19.) Write a Review button
This is the button consumers click to write a review, leave a star rating and upload review imagery. Clicking it takes you to a popup for that purpose.
*On mobile, this is formatted differently, with a large display of five empty stars labeled “Rate and Review.”
Controllable?
No.
20.) Add a Photo button
This button takes you to the photo upload interface. Third-party photos must be monitored for spam and abuse. Photos are believed to impact CTR.
*On mobile, this CTA is absent from the initial interface.
Controllable?
Partly; brands can’t control what photos users upload, but they can report inappropriate images.
21.) View all Google reviews
This link brings up the pop-up interface on desktop containing all of the reviews a business has received.
Pro Tip: Enterprises should continuously monitor reviews for signs of emerging problems at specific locations. Sentiment analysis software is available to help identify issues as they arise.
Controllable?
Partly; brands can’t control the content reviewers post, but they can control the quality of experiences, as well as responding to reviews.
22.) Description
After years of absence, the business description field has returned and is an excellent place to showcase the highlights of specific locations of your enterprise. Descriptions can be up to 750 characters in length.
Pro Tip: Do call out desirable aspects of your business in the description, but don’t use it to announce sales or promotions, as that’s a violation of the guidelines.
Controllable?
Yes.
23.) People Also Search For
This section typically shows brand competitors, chosen by Google. If clicked on, the user is taking to a Local Finder-type view of these competing businesses, accompanied by a map.
Controllable?
No.
24.) Feedback
This link supports suggested public edits of the Knowledge Panel, which Google can accept or reject.
Controllable?
Partly; brands can’t control what edits the public suggests. Brands can use this feature to suggest edits, too, but there are typically better ways to do so.
Additional features on some Google Knowledge Panels
Some industries have unique Knowledge Panel features. We’ll list the most common of these here:
Price summary
This is meant to be an overview of general pricing.
Controllable?
Partly; this is both an owner and crowdsourced element.
Lengthier editorial summary
Shown in addition to showing the category of the business, this editorial summary is created by Google by unconfirmed processes.
Controllable?
No.
Menu link
A somewhat complex feature, these can link to third-party menus, or can be generated directly by the owner in the GMB dashboard for some businesses.
Controllable?
Partly; owner can control the menu URL and content in some cases.
Reviews from around the web
This features a rating summary and links to relevant third-party review sources, determined by Google.
Controllable?
Partly; owners can’t dictate which 3rd parties Google chooses, but they can work to build up positive reviews on featured sources.
Critic reviews
These are chosen by Google, and stem from “professional” review platforms.
Controllable?
No.
Popular times
This information is drawn from users who have opted into Google Location History. It’s meant to help users plan visits. It’s conceivable that this could be utilized as a ranking factor.
Controllable?
No
Booking
This “see schedule” button takes the user to Maps-based display of the company’s schedule, with the ability to reserve an appointment.
Controllable?
Yes
Groupon ads
This controversial element found on some Knowledge Panels appears to feature Groupon being allowed to advertise on brands’ listings without owner consent.
Controllable?
No
Local business URLs
There are a variety of additional URLs that can either be added to the GMB dashboard or stem from third parties. These URLs can represent menus, ordering, booking, reservations, and product searches.
Controllable?
Partly; owner can add some additional URLs, but some come from 3rd parties
Google Messaging
This is Google’s live chat feature that lets clients directly message you.
Controllable?
Yes
Hotel Knowledge Panels
Hotel Knowledge Panels are practically a completely different animal. They can offer much more detailed booking options, more segmented review sentiment, various ads, and deals.
Controllable?
Mostly; owners have a variety of features they can enable, though some are out of their control.
Prioritizing Google Knowledge Panel features for maximum impact
Every location of an enterprise faces a unique competitive scenario, depending on its market. What may “move the needle” for some business locations may be relatively ineffectual in others. Nevertheless, when dealing with a large number of locations, it can be helpful to have a general order of tasks to prioritize. We’ll offer a basic list that can be used to guide work, based on elements that most important to get right first:
✓ Guidelines
Be sure all listings are eligible for inclusion in Google’s product and adhere to Google’s guidelines, both for the listings, themselves, and for reviews.
✓ Duplicates
Identify duplicate Google My Business listings using Moz Check Listing or Moz Local and handle them appropriately so that ranking strength isn’t being divided up or thwarted by multiple listings for the same location.
✓ NAP
Create a spreadsheet containing company-approved name, address, phone number and website URL data for each location and be sure each Google listing accurately reflects this information.
✓ Category
Without the right primary category, you can’t rank for your most important searches. Look at the category your top competitors are using and, if it’s right for you, use it. Avoid repetition in category choices (i.e. don’t choose both “auto dealership” and “Toyota dealership").
✓ Map markers
It may seem obvious, but do an audit of all your locations to be sure the Map marker is in the right place.
✓ Reviews
Acquire, monitor and respond to reviews for all locations on a daily basis, with the goal of demonstration accessibility and accountability. Reviews are part-and-parcel of your customer service program.
✓ Images
Images can significantly influence clickthrough rates. Be sure yours are as persuasive and professional as possible.
✓ Posts
Make maximum use of the opportunity to microblog right on your Knowledge Panel.
✓ Ability to implement call tracking numbers
Analysis is so critical to the success of any enterprise. By using a call tracking number as the primary number on each location’s Knowledge Panel, you can glean important data about how users are interacting with your assets.
✓ Q&A
Post and answer your own company FAQ, and monitor this feature on a regular basis to emphasize the accessibility of your customer support.
✓ Product/service menus
Where appropriate, a thorough menu deepens the experience a user can have with your Knowledge Panel.
✓ Bookings
Depending on your industry, you may find you have to pay Google for bookings to remain competitive. Alternatively, experiment with Google Posts image text to pull users from the Knowledge Panel over to your own booking widget.
✓ Attributes
Add every appropriate attribute that’s available for your business category to deepen Google’s understanding of what you offer.
Summing up
Each element of a Google Knowledge Panel offers a different level of control to your Enterprise, from no control to total control. Rather than worry about things you can’t manage, focus on the powers you do have to:
- Create positive real-world consumer experiences by dint of your excellent customer service
- Prompt consumers to help you reflect those experiences in your Knowledge Panel
- Monitor, track, and interact with consumers as much as possible on your Knowledge Panel
- Publish rich and accurate information to the Knowledge Panel, knowing that Google wants to retain as many users as possible within this interface
Local enterprises are in a time of transition in 2018, moving from a past in which the bulk of customer experiences could be controlled either in-store or on the brand’s website, to a present in which Google is successfully inter-positioning itself an informational and transactional agent.
Google wants your Knowledge Panel to work for them, but with the right approach to the elements you can control, you still have a significant say in how it works for you.
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Tuesday, October 9, 2018
The SEO Cyborg: How to Resonate with Users & Make Sense to Search Bots
Something every woman should know - WHY MEN LIE!
Posted by alexis-sanders
SEO is about understanding how search bots and users react to an online experience. As search professionals, we’re required to bridge gaps between online experiences, search engine bots, and users. We need to know where to insert ourselves (or our teams) to ensure the best experience for both users and bots. In other words, we strive for experiences that resonate with humans and make sense to search engine bots.
This article seeks to answer the following questions:
- How do we drive sustainable growth for our clients?
- What are the building blocks of an organic search strategy?
What is the SEO cyborg?
A cyborg (or cybernetic organism) is defined as “a being with both organic and
biomechatronic body parts, whose physical abilities are extended beyond normal human limitations by mechanical elements.”
With the ability to relate between humans, search bots, and our site experiences, the SEO cyborg is an SEO (or team) that is able to work seamlessly between both technical and content initiatives (whose skills are extended beyond normal human limitations) to support driving of organic search performance. An SEO cyborg is able to strategically pinpoint where to place organic search efforts to maximize performance.
So, how do we do this?
The SEO model
Like so many classic triads (think: primary colors, the Three Musketeers, Destiny’s Child [the canonical version, of course]) the traditional SEO model, known as the crawl-index-rank method, packages SEO into three distinct steps. At the same time, however, this model fails to capture the breadth of work that we SEOs are expected to do on a daily basis, and not having a functioning model can be limiting. We need to expand this model without reinventing the wheel.
The enhanced model involves adding in a rendering, signaling, and connection phase.
You might be wondering, why do we need these?:
- Rendering: There is increased prevalence of JavaScript, CSS, imagery, and personalization.
- Signaling: HTML <link> tags, status codes, and even GSC signals are powerful indicators that tell search engines how to process and understand the page, determine its intent, and ultimately rank it. In the previous model, it didn’t feel as if these powerful elements really had a place.
- Connecting: People are a critical component of search. The ultimate goal of search engines is to identify and rank content that resonates with people. In the previous model, “rank” felt cold, hierarchical, and indifferent towards the end user.
All of this brings us to the question: how do we find success in each stage of this model?
Note: When using this piece, I recommend skimming ahead and leveraging those sections of the enhanced model that are most applicable to your business’ current search program.
The enhanced SEO model
Crawling
Technical SEO starts with the search engine’s ability to find a site’s webpages (hopefully efficiently).
Finding pages
Initially finding pages can happen a few ways, via:
- Links (internal or external)
- Redirected pages
- Sitemaps (XML, RSS 2.0, Atom 1.0, or .txt)
Side note: This information (although at first pretty straightforward) can be really useful. For example, if you’re seeing weird pages popping up in site crawls or performing in search, try checking:
- Backlink reports
- Internal links to URL
- Redirected into URL
Obtaining resources
The second component of crawling relates to the ability to obtain resources (which later becomes critical for rendering a page’s experience).
This typically relates to two elements:
- Appropriate robots.txt declarations
- Proper HTTP status code (namely 200 HTTP status codes)
Crawl efficiency
Finally, there’s the idea of how efficiently a search engine bot can traverse your site’s most critical experiences.
Action items:
- Is site’s main navigation simple, clear, and useful?
- Are there relevant on-page links?
- Is internal linking clear and crawlable (i.e., <a href="/">)?
- Is an HTML sitemap available?
- Side note: Make sure to check the HTML sitemap’s next page flow (or behavior flow reports) to find where those users are going. This may help to inform the main navigation.
- Do footer links contain tertiary content?
- Are important pages close to root?
- Are there no crawl traps?
- Are there no orphan pages?
- Are pages consolidated?
- Do all pages have purpose?
- Has duplicate content been resolved?
- Have redirects been consolidated?
- Are canonical tags on point?
- Are parameters well defined?
Information architecture
The organization of information extends past the bots, requiring an in-depth understanding of how users engage with a site.
Some seed questions to begin research include:
- What trends appear in search volume (by location, device)? What are common questions users have?
- Which pages get the most traffic?
- What are common user journeys?
- What are users’ traffic behaviors and flow?
- How do users leverage site features (e.g., internal site search)?
Rendering
Rendering a page relates to search engines’ ability to capture the page’s desired essence.
JavaScript
The big kahuna in the rendering section is JavaScript. For Google, rendering of JavaScript occurs during a second wave of indexing and the content is queued and rendered as resources become available.
Image based off of Google I/O ’18 presentation by Tom Greenway and John Mueller, Deliver search-friendly JavaScript-powered websites
As an SEO, it’s critical that we be able to answer the question — are search engines rendering my content?
Action items:
- Are direct “quotes” from content indexed?
- Is the site using <a href="/"> links (not onclick();)?
- Is the same content being served to search engine bots (user-agent)?
- Is the content present within the DOM?
- What does Google’s Mobile-Friendly Testing Tool’s JavaScript console (click “view details”) say?
Infinite scroll and lazy loading
Another hot topic relating to JavaScript is infinite scroll (and lazy load for imagery). Since search engine bots are lazy users, they won’t scroll to attain content.
Action items:
Ask ourselves – should all of the content really be indexed? Is it content that provides value to users?
- Infinite scroll: a user experience (and occasionally a performance optimizing) tactic to load content when the user hits a certain point in the UI; typically the content is exhaustive.
Solution one (updating AJAX):
1. Break out content into separate sections
- Note: The breakout of pages can be /page-1, /page-2, etc.; however, it would be best to delineate meaningful divides (e.g., /voltron, /optimus-prime, etc.)
2. Implement History API (pushState(), replaceState()) to update URLs as a user scrolls (i.e., push/update the URL into the URL bar)
3. Add the <link> tag’s rel="next" and rel="prev" on relevant page
Solution two (create a view-all page)
Note: This is not recommended for large amounts of content.
1. If it’s possible (i.e., there’s not a ton of content within the infinite scroll), create one page encompassing all content
2. Site latency/page load should be considered
- Lazy load imagery is a web performance optimization tactic, in which images loads upon a user scrolling (the idea is to save time, downloading images only when they’re needed)
- Add <img> tags in <noscript> tags
- Use JSON-LD structured data
- Schema.org "image" attributes nested in appropriate item types
- Schema.org ImageObject item type
CSS
I only have a few elements relating to the rendering of CSS.
Action items:
- CSS background images not picked up in image search, so don’t count on for important imagery
- CSS animations not interpreted, so make sure to add surrounding textual content
- Layouts for page are important (use responsive mobile layouts; avoid excessive ads)
Personalization
Although a trend in the broader digital exists to create 1:1, people-based marketing, Google doesn’t save cookies across sessions and thus will not interpret personalization based on cookies, meaning there must be an average, base-user, default experience. The data from other digital channels can be exceptionally useful when building out audience segments and gaining a deeper understanding of the base-user.
Action item:
- Ensure there is a base-user, unauthenticated, default experience
Technology
Google’s rendering engine is leveraging Chrome 41. Canary (Chrome’s testing browser) is currently operating on Chrome 69. Using CanIUse.com, we can infer that this affects Google’s abilities relating to HTTP/2, service workers (think: PWAs), certain JavaScript, specific advanced image formats, resource hints, and new encoding methods. That said, this does not mean we shouldn’t progress our sites and experiences for users — we just must ensure that we use progressive development (i.e., there’s a fallback for less advanced browsers [and Google too ☺]).
Action items:
- Ensure there's a fallback for less advanced browsers
Indexing
Getting pages into Google’s databases is what indexing is all about. From what I’ve experienced, this process is straightforward for most sites.
Action items:
- Ensure URLs are able to be crawled and rendered
- Ensure nothing is preventing indexing (e.g., robots meta tag)
- Submit sitemap in Google Search Console
- Fetch as Google in Google Search Console
Signaling
A site should strive to send clear signals to search engines. Unnecessarily confusing search engines can significantly impact a site’s performance. Signaling relates to suggesting best representation and status of a page. All this means is that we’re ensuring the following elements are sending appropriate signals.
Action items:
- <link> tag: This represents the relationship between documents in HTML.
- Rel="canonical": This represents appreciably similar content.
- Are canonicals a secondary solution to 301-redirecting experiences?
- Are canonicals pointing to end-state URLs?
- Is the content appreciably similar?
- Since Google maintains prerogative over determining end-state URL, it’s important that the canonical tags represent duplicates (and/or duplicate content).
- Are all canonicals in HTML?
- Presumably Google prefers canonical tags in the HTML. Although there have been some studies that show that Google can pick up JavaScript canonical tags, from my personal studies it takes significantly longer and is spottier.
- Is there safeguarding against incorrect canonical tags?
- Rel="next" and rel="prev": These represent a collective series and are not considered duplicate content, which means that all URLs can be indexed. That said, typically the first page in the chain is the most authoritative, so usually it will be the one to rank.
- Rel="alternate"
- media: typically used for separate mobile experiences.
- hreflang: indicate appropriate language/country
- The hreflang is quite unforgiving and it’s very easy to make errors.
- Ensure the documentation is followed closely.
- Check GSC International Target reports to ensure tags are populating.
- Rel="canonical": This represents appreciably similar content.
- HTTP status codes can also be signals, particularly the 304, 404, 410, and 503 status codes.
- 304 – a valid page that simply hasn’t been modified
- 404 – file not found
- 410 – file not found (and it is gone, forever and always)
- 503 – server maintenance
- Google Search Console settings: Make sure the following reports are all sending clear signals. Occasionally Google decides to honor these signals.
- International Targeting
- URL Parameters
- Data Highlighter
- Remove URLs
- Sitemaps
Rank
Rank relates to how search engines arrange web experiences, stacking them against each other to see who ends up on top for each individual query (taking into account numerous data points surrounding the query).
Two critical questions recur often when understanding ranking pages:
- Does or could your page have the best response?
- Are you or could you become semantically known (on the Internet and in the minds of users) for the topics? (i.e., are you worthy of receiving links and people traversing the web to land on your experience?)
On-page optimizations
These are the elements webmasters control. Off-page is a critical component to achieving success in search; however, in an idyllic world, we shouldn’t have to worry about links and/or mentions – they should come naturally.
Action items:
- Textual content:
- Make content both people and bots can understand
- Answer questions directly
- Write short, logical, simple sentences
- Ensure subjects are clear (not to be inferred)
- Create scannable content (i.e., make sure <h#> tags are an outline, use bullets/lists, use tables, charts, and visuals to delineate content, etc.)
- Define any uncommon vocabulary or link to a glossary
- Multimedia (images, videos, engaging elements):
- Use imagery, videos, engaging content where applicable
- Ensure that image optimization best practices are followed
- If you’re looking for a comprehensive resource check out https://images.guide
- Meta elements (<title> tags, meta descriptions, OGP, Twitter cards, etc.)
- Structured data
- Schema.org (check out Google’s supported markup and TechnicalSEO.com’s markup helper tool)
- Use Accessible Rich Internet Applications (ARIA)
- Use semantic HTML (especially hierarchically organized, relevant <h#> tags and unordered and ordered lists (<ul>, <ol>))
Image courtesy of @abbynhamilton
- Is content accessible?
- Is there keyboard functionality?
- Are there text alternatives for non-text media? Example:
- Transcripts for audio
- Images with alt text
- In-text descriptions of visuals
- Is there adequate color contrast?
- Is text resizable?
Finding interesting content
Researching and identifying useful content happens in three formats:
- Keyword and search landscape research
- On-site analytic deep dives
- User research
Visual modified from @smrvl via @DannyProl
Audience research
When looking for audiences, we need to concentrate high percentages (super high index rates are great, but not required). Push channels (particularly ones with strong targeting capabilities) do better with high index rates. This makes sense, we need to know that 80% of our customers have certain leanings (because we’re looking for base-case), not that five users over-index on a niche topic (these five niche-topic lovers are perfect for targeted ads).
Some seed research questions:
- Who are users?
- Where are they?
- Why do they buy?
- How do they buy?
- What do they want?
- Are they new or existing users?
- What do they value?
- What are their motivators?
- What is their relationship w/ tech?
- What do they do online?
- Are users engaging with other brands?
- Is there an opportunity for synergy?
- What can we borrow from other channels?
- Digital presents a wealth of data, in which 1:1, closed-loop, people-based marketing exists. Leverage any data you can get and find useful.
Content journey maps
All of this data can then go into creating a map of the user journey and overlaying relevant content. Below are a few types of mappings that are useful.
Illustrative user journey map
Sometimes when trying to process complex problems, it’s easier to break it down into smaller pieces. Illustrative user journeys can help with this problem! Take a single user’s journey and map it out, aligning relevant content experiences.
Funnel content mapping
This chart is deceptively simple; however, working through this graph can help sites to understand how each stage in the funnel affects users (note: the stages can be modified). This matrix can help with mapping who writers are talking to, their needs, and how to push them to the next stage in the funnel.
Content matrix
Mapping out content by intent and branding helps to visualize conversion potential. I find these extremely useful for prioritizing top-converting content initiatives (i.e., start with ensuring branded, transactional content is delivering the best experience, then move towards more generic, higher-funnel terms).
Overviews
Regardless of how the data is broken down, it’s vital to have a high-level view on the audience’s core attributes, opportunities to improve content, and strategy for closing the gap.
Connecting
Connecting is all about resonating with humans. Connecting is about understanding that customers are human (and we have certain constraints). Our mind is constantly filtering, managing, multitasking, processing, coordinating, organizing, and storing information. It is literally in our mind’s best interest to not remember 99% of the information and sensations that surround us (think of the lights, sounds, tangible objects, people surrounding you, and you’re still able to focus on reading the words on your screen — pretty incredible!).
To become psychologically sticky, we must:
- Get past the mind’s natural filter. A positive aspect of being a pull marketing channel is that individuals are already seeking out information, making it possible to intersect their user journey in a micro-moment.
- From there we must be memorable. The brain tends to hold onto what’s relevant, useful, or interesting. Luckily, the searcher’s interest is already piqued (even if they aren’t consciously aware of why they searched for a particular topic).
This means we have a unique opportunity to “be there” for people. This leads to a very simple, abstract philosophy: a great brand is like a great friend.
We have similar relationship stages, we interweave throughout each other’s lives, and we have the ability to impact happiness. This comes down to the question: Do your online customers use adjectives they would use for a friend to describe your brand?
Action items:
- Is all content either relevant, useful, or interesting?
- Does the content honor your user’s questions?
- Does your brand have a personality that aligns with reality?
- Are you treating users as you would a friend?
- Do your users use friend-like adjectives to describe your brand and/or site?
- Do the brand’s actions align with overarching goals?
- Is your experience trust-inspiring?
- https://?
- Using Limited ads in layout?
- Does the site have proof of claims?
- Does the site use relevant reviews and testimonials?
- Is contact information available and easily findable?
- Is relevant information intuitively available to users?
- Is it as easy to buy/subscribe as it is to return/cancel?
- Is integrity visible throughout the entire conversion process and experience?
- Does site have credible reputation across the web?
Ultimately, being able to strategically, seamlessly create compelling user experiences which make sense to bots is what the SEO cyborg is all about. ☺
tl;dr
- Ensure site = crawlable, renderable, and indexable
- Ensure all signals = clear, aligned
- Answering related, semantically salient questions
- Research keywords, the search landscape, site performance, and develop audience segments
- Use audience segments to map content and prioritize initiatives
- Ensure content is relevant, useful, or interesting
- Treat users as friend, be worthy of their trust
This article is based off of my MozCon talk (with a few slides from the Appendix pulled forward). The full deck is available on Slideshare, and the official videos can be purchased here. Please feel free to reach out with any questions in the comments below or via Twitter @AlexisKSanders.
Sign up for The Moz Top 10, a semimonthly mailer updating you on the top ten hottest pieces of SEO news, tips, and rad links uncovered by the Moz team. Think of it as your exclusive digest of stuff you don't have time to hunt down but want to read!
Wednesday, October 3, 2018
Video: Why Tripwire Interactive finally agreed to publish other games
Something every woman should know - WHY MEN LIE!
SPONSORED: Presented by Intel While Tripwire Interactive is best known for making shooters like Killing Floor and Rising Storm, it’s hoping that it’ll also earn a reputation for being a successful publisher. Earlier this year, the 13-year-old independent studio announced that it will start publishing other indie games, with the first two titles bei…Read More
Friday, September 28, 2018
Facebook reveals data breach affecting nearly 50 million accounts
Something every woman should know - WHY MEN LIE!
(Reuters) — Facebook said on Friday that hackers had discovered a security flaw that allowed them to take over up to 50 million user accounts, a major breach that adds to a bruising year for the company’s reputation. Facebook, which has more than 2 billion monthly active users, said it has been unable to determine yet whether the attack…Read More
How to leap barriers and and implement a winning AI strategy (VB Live)
Something every woman should know - WHY MEN LIE!
VB LIVE: Without data there’s no AI — but without getting people, process, and principles aligned, there’s no AI strategy for your business. Learn how to ensure your AI deployment is successful, and how to avoid loss of money, trust, and your brand’s reputation along the way, when you join this VB Live event! Register here f…Read More
Monday, September 17, 2018
Follow the Local SEO Leaders: A Guide to Our Industry’s Best Publications
Something every woman should know - WHY MEN LIE!
Posted by MiriamEllis
Change is the only constant in local SEO. As your local brand or local search marketing agency grows, you’ll be onboarding new hires. Whether they’re novices or adepts, they’ll need to keep up with continuous industry developments in order to make agile contributions to team strategy. Particularly if local SEO is new to someone, it saves training time if you can fast-track them on who to follow for the best news and analysis. This guide serves as a blueprint for that very purpose.
And even if you’re an old hand in the local SEM industry, you may find some sources here you’ve been overlooking that could add richness and depth to your ongoing education.
Two quick notes on what and how I’ve chosen:
- As the author of both of Moz’s newsletters (the Moz Top 10 and the Moz Local Top 7), I read an inordinate amount of SEO and local SEO content, but I could have missed your work. The list that follows represents my own, personal slate of the resources that have taught me the most. If you publish great local SEO information but you’re not on this list, my apologies, and if you write something truly awesome in future, you’re welcome to tweet at me. I’m always on the lookout for fresh and enlightening voices. My personal criteria for the publications I trust is that they are typically groundbreaking, thoughtful, investigative, and respectful of readers and subjects.
- Following the leaders is a useful practice, but not a stopping point. Even experts aren’t infallible. Rather than take industry advice at face value, do your own testing. Some of the most interesting local SEO discussions I’ve ever participated in have stemmed from people questioning standard best practices. So, while it’s smart to absorb the wisdom of experts, it’s even smarter to do your own experiments.
The best of local SEO news
Who reports fastest on Google updates, Knowledge Panel tweaks, and industry business?
Sterling Sky’s Timeline of Local SEO Changes is the industry’s premiere log of developments that impact local businesses and is continuously updated by Joy Hawkins + team.
Search Engine Roundtable has a proven track record of being among the first to report news that affects both local and digital businesses, thanks to the ongoing dedication of Barry Schwartz.
Street Fight is the best place on the web to read about mergers, acquisitions, the release of new technology, and other major happenings on the business side of local. I’m categorizing Street Fight under news, but they also offer good commentary, particularly the joint contributions of David Mihm and Mike Blumenthal.
LocalU’s Last Week in Local video and podcast series highlights Mike Blumenthal and Mary Bowling’s top picks of industry coverage most worthy of your attention. Comes with the bonus of expert commentary as they share their list.
TechCrunch also keeps a finger on the pulse of technology and business dealings that point to the future of local.
Search Engine Land’s local category is consistently swift in getting the word out about breaking industry news, with the help of multiple authors.
Adweek is a good source for reportage on retail and brand news, but there’s a limit to the number of articles you can read without a subscription. I often find them covering quirky stories that are absent from other publications I read.
The SEMPost’s local tab is another good place to check for local developments, chiefly covered by Jennifer Slegg.
Search Engine Journal’s local column also gets my vote for speedy delivery of breaking local stories.
Google’s main blog and the ThinkWithGoogle blog are musts to keep tabs on the search engine’s own developments, bearing in mind, of course, that these publications can be highly promotional of their products and worldview.
The best of local search marketing analysis
Who can you trust most to analyze the present and predict the future?
LocalU’s Deep Dive video series features what I consider to be the our industry’s most consistently insightful analysis of a variety of local marketing topics, discussed by learned faculty and guests.
The Moz Blog’s local category hosts a slate of gifted bloggers and professional editorial standards that result in truly in-depth treatment of local topics, presented with care and attention. As a veteran contributor to this publication, I can attest to how Moz inspires authors to aim high, and one of the nicest things that happened to our team in 2018 was being voted the #2 local SEO blog by BrightLocal’s survey respondents.
The Local Search Association’s Insider blog is one I turn to again and again, particularly for their excellent studies and quotable statistics.
Mike Blumenthal’s blog has earned a place of honor over many years as a key destination for breaking local developments and one-of-a-kind analysis. When Blumenthal talks, local people listen. One of the things I’ve prized for well over a decade in Mike’s writing is his ability to see things from a small business perspective, as opposed to simply standing in awe of big business and technology.
BrightLocal’s surveys and studies are some of the industry’s most cited and I look eagerly forward to their annual publication.
Whitespark’s blog doesn’t publish as frequently as I wish it did, but their posts by Darren Shaw and crew are always on extremely relevant topics and of high quality.
Sterling Sky’s blog is a relative newcomer, but the expertise Joy Hawkins and Colan Nielsen bring to their agency’s publication is making it a go-to resource for advice on some of the toughest aspects of local SEO.
Local Visibility System’s blog continues to please, with the thoughtful voice of Phil Rozek exploring themes you likely encounter in your day-to-day work as a local SEO.
The Local Search Forum is, hands down, the best free forum on the web to take your local mysteries and musings to. Founded by Linda Buquet, the ethos of the platform is approachable, friendly, and often fun, and high-level local SEOs frequently weigh in on hot topics.
Pro tip: In addition to the above tried-and-true resources, I frequently scan the online versions of city newspapers across the country for interesting local stories that add perspective to my vision of the challenges and successes of local businesses. Sometimes, too, publications like The Atlantic, Forbes, or Business Insider will publish pieces of a high journalistic quality with relevance to our industry. Check them out!
The best for specific local marketing disciplines
Here, I’ll break this down by subject or industry for easy scanning:
Reviews
- GetFiveStars can’t be beat for insight into online reputation management, with Aaron Weiche and team delivering amazing case studies and memorable statistics. I literally have a document of quotes from their work that I refer to on a regular basis in my own writing.
- Grade.us is my other ORM favorite for bright and lively coverage from authors like Garrett Sussman and Andrew McDermott.
Email marketing
- Tidings' vault contains a tiny but growing treasure trove of email marketing wisdom from David Mihm, whose former glory days spent in the trenches of local SEO make him especially attuned to our industry.
SABs
- Tom Waddington’s blog is the must-read publication for service area businesses whose livelihoods are being impacted by Google’s Local Service Ads program in an increasing number of categories and cities.
Automotive marketing
- DealerOn’s blog is the real deal when it comes to automotive local SEO, with Greg Gifford teaching memorable lessons in an enjoyable way.
Legal marketing
- JurisDigital brings the the educated voices of Casey Meraz and team to the highly-specialized field of attorney marketing.
Hospitality marketing
- Acorn Internet Services’ blog speaks directly to those in the competitive hospitality field, offering blog posts, webinars and more.
Independent businesses
- The Institute for Local Self Reliance publishes great videos, reports, and podcasts for independently owned businesses and their marketers.
- American Independent Business Alliance runs a Twitter profile I follow for its highlights of Main Street revitalization and the Buy Local movement. Inspiring for independent businesses and their marketers.
Link building
- Nifty Marketing’s blog has earned my trust for its nifty local link building ideas and case studies.
- ZipSprout belongs here, too, because of their focus on local sponsorships, which are a favorite local link building methodology. Check them out for blog posts and podcasts.
Schema + other markup
- Touchpoint Digital Marketing doesn’t publish much on their own website, but look anywhere you can for David Deering’s writings on markup. LocalU and Moz are good places to search for his expertise.
Patents
- SEO by the Sea has proffered years to matchless analysis of Google patents that frequently impact local businesses or point to future possible developments.
Best local search industry newsletters
Get the latest news and tips delivered right to your inbox by signing up for these fine free newsletters:
- Streetfight newsletter
- Moz Local Top 7
- Tidings Minutive
- Local Search Association newsletter
- SterlingSky newsletter
- Phil Rozek's newsletter
- Whitespark Local Pulse newsletter
Follow the local SEO leaders on Twitter
What an easy way to track what industry adepts are thinking and sharing, up-to-the-minute! Following this list of professionals (alphabetized by first name) will fill up your social calendar with juicy local tidbits. Keep in mind that many of these folks either own or work for agencies or publishers you can follow, too.
Aaron Weiche
Adam Dorfman
Andrew Shotland
Ben Fisher
Bernadette Coleman
Bill Slawski
Brian Barwig
Carrie Hill
Casey Meraz
Cindy Krum
Colan Nielsen
DJ Baxter
Dan Leibson
Dana DiTomaso
Dani Owens
Darren Shaw
Dave DiGreggorio
David Mihm
Don Campbell
Garrett Sussman
Glenn Gabe
Greg Gifford
Greg Sterling
Jennifer Slegg
Joel Headley
Joy Hawkins
Mary Bowling
Mike Blumenthal
Mike Ramsey
Miriam Ellis
Phil Rozek
Sherry Bonelli
Thibault Adda
Tim Capper
Tom Waddington
Share what you learn
How about your voice? How do you get it heard in the local SEO industry? The answer is simple: share what you learn with others. Each of the people and publications on my list has earned a place there because, at one time or another, they have taught me something they learned from their own work. Some tips:
- Our industry has become a sizeable niche, but there is always room for new, interesting voices
- Experiment and publish — consistent publication of your findings is the best way I know of to become a trusted source of information
- Don’t be afraid of making mistakes, so long as you are willing to own them
- Socialize — attend events, amplify the work of colleagues you admire, reach out in real ways to others to share your common work interest while also respecting busy schedules
Local SEO is a little bit like jazz, in which we’re all riffing off the same chord progressions created by Google, Facebook, Yelp, other major platforms, and the needs of clients. Mike Blumenthal plays a note about a jeweler whose WOMM is driving the majority of her customers. You take that note and turn it around for someone in the auto industry, yielding an unexpected insight. Someone else takes your insight and creates a print handout to bolster a loyalty program.
Everyone ends up learning in this virtuous, democratic cycle, so go ahead — start sharing! A zest for contribution is a step towards leadership and your observations could be music to the industry’s ears.
Sign up for The Moz Top 10, a semimonthly mailer updating you on the top ten hottest pieces of SEO news, tips, and rad links uncovered by the Moz team. Think of it as your exclusive digest of stuff you don't have time to hunt down but want to read!
Friday, September 14, 2018
In defense of Assassin’s Creed III ahead of its remaster
Something every woman should know - WHY MEN LIE!
An Assassin’s Creed III remaster is coming with Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey. This move has many fans raising their eyebrows. Despite selling over 7 million copies, Assassin’s Creed III has a reputation as one of the franchise’s weaker installments. But Assassin’s Creed III connected with me, and this upcoming remaster ha…Read More
Monday, September 10, 2018
Dead or Alive 6 launches February 15
Something every woman should know - WHY MEN LIE!
Koei Tecmo announced today that is fighting game Dead or Alive 6 is releasing on February 15 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. The Dead or Alive series started in 1996. Along with franchises like Virtua Fighter and Tekken, Dead or Alive was an early pioneer of 3D fighting games. Dead or Alive also garnered a reputation for its portrayal of women…Read More
Wednesday, September 5, 2018
Tech giants promise Congress they‘ll try harder to stop making the world an awful place
Something every woman should know - WHY MEN LIE!
In advance of Congressional hearings today, executives from Google, Facebook, and Twitter have submitted various statements summarizing progress they’ve made in combatting electoral manipulations, while at the same time pledging to do more. Though these companies have suffered numerous body blows to their reputations over the past couple of y…Read More
Tuesday, September 4, 2018
Proxeus launches secure data storage dApp as your digital safe deposit
Something every woman should know - WHY MEN LIE!
Data storage hacks are not only a pain, they can also be incredibly damaging to individual and company reputations and cost millions in lost revenue. An Australian teenager recently admitted to hacking Apple’s servers and downloading 90 gigabytes of secure files, something that could easily happen to the likes of Dropbox and Google Drive. Bil…Read More
Sunday, September 2, 2018
Could ‘community apps’ built on blockchain solve Facebook’s existential crisis?
Something every woman should know - WHY MEN LIE!
GUEST: “We came here for the friends.” In the face of a reputation crisis, Facebook is investing heavily in a nationwide advertising campaign to remind us that it is a community first, a business second. The campaign has gone so far as to recognize that spam, clickbait, fake news, data misuse, and political scandal have eroded public trust in the s…Read More
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