In this week’s Search In Pictures, here are the latest images culled from the web, showing what people eat at the search engine companies, how they play, who they meet, where they speak, what toys they have and more. Bing Ads prize box: Source: Twitter Google sorbet: Source: Instagram Google...
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Why It's a Bad Idea to Only Create Content for Your Specific Target Audience - Whiteboard Friday9/2/2016 Posted by randfish Knowing what content to create is one of a marketer's most difficult jobs. It's all too easy to imagine your target audience and what they already appreciate, then create more of that. In today's Whiteboard Friday, Rand discusses why that's a bit short-sighted, and we should have a broader vision. Video TranscriptionHowdy, Moz fans, and welcome to another edition of Whiteboard Friday. This one comes to us via submission from email. This is a question from Michael. No other details given, which is totally fine, Michael. So he wanted to know, since he's working on a content strategy, working on a new blog and having conversations with his manager and his team about, "Hey, should we be writing only extremely focused, narrowly focused content for our specific target audience, or should we be trying to branch out and broaden so that we can reach a bigger audience or a new audience?" General goals of content in SEO & web marketingSo general goals that we usually have around content marketing and content as it relates to SEO and web marketing more broadly is that we want something that potentially
Usually, most content goals fall into one of these or several of them. Now, there's overlap between them. I haven't perfectly illustrated this with a great Venn diagram. But in here there is lots of overlap between these different goals. You could have a piece of content that is both designed to earn press and amplification and links and is reaching a broad new audience. Or you might have some content that is directly converting customers that maybe also has some link amplification sorts of overlap. It's pretty tough to overlap anything else with directly converting customers, but the other three definitely easier to do overlap.
Risky businessIf you're only doing that content that's hyper-specifically targeting these directly converting customers, you're going to run into some big problems. First off, heavy competition. It tends to be the case if you're trying to earn that audience's attention, so too are all your competitors, and they're probably trying in very, very similar ways. It's often a competitive advantage to actually be a little bit broader and to branch out of that.You are usually ignoring great link opportunities from websites and press and blogs and events and all sorts of places that you could have earned had that content had a broader focus or just a broader appeal in general. It could be because you hyper-focused your data or your study on too narrow a market that only served your specific customer set, when in fact had you gone a little bit broader, there would have been a lot of press and industry coverage sites that might have written about you. It could be that you've only written about your customers' problems, when in fact if you had written about the problem a little more generally, you might have had the chance to reach bloggers and people on Twitter and folks on LinkedIn and folks through Facebook and those types of places. Finally, you're probably missing potential customers and influencers that are outside what your current sphere of influence is. Whatever that sphere is, the content that is most targeted at your audience is going to have a very tough time making this any bigger than it is. The content that's more broadly-focused, especially if it does well, is going to help expand this sphere so that you reach more of these people over here with that new expanded sphere. All the right movesMy recommendations, instead of making your content way narrowly focused, I would try and think broader, and I would think about it in these ways. First off...
You do these things right, I think you're going to have a much more successful conversation when it comes time to say, "Should we create broad content or specific, hyper-focused content?" All right, everyone, look forward to your comments and we'll see you again next week for another edition of Whiteboard Friday. Take care. Video transcription by Speechpad.com 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! via The Moz Blog http://tracking.feedpress.it/link/9375/4314189
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. The post SearchCap: Google forecasting, SEO analytics & RFPs appeared first on Search Engine Land.
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The Grantspro program offers non-profits up to $10,000 per month in search advertising grants. The post Google’s premium-level Ad Grants program no longer accepting applications appeared first on Search Engine Land.
Please visit Search Engine Land for the full article. via Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing http://searchengineland.com/google-grantspro-non-profits-no-applications-258036 Posted by Ale Borba and Adriana Cerundolo, Developer Relations Program Managers Today kicks off the annual DevFest season, a series of developer community-run events which will be happening over the next 3 months. Google Developer Group (GDG) chapters from around the world will host #DevFest16 events, bringing together developers to exchange knowledge, share ideas, and express their passion for technology. At its core, #DevFest16 is powered by a shared belief that when developers come together to exchange ideas, amazing things can happen! Itis an opportunity for GDGs to share speakers and event resources with each other to put on quality events uniquely tailored to the needs of the local developer communities. Attendees can expect technical content around Google developer technologies, including Firebase, Google Cloud Platform, machine learning with TensorFlow, web development and much more. We anticipate 50k developers from over 70 countries to participate in #DevFest16 this year; from Canada to Australia, throughout South America, Africa, Europe and Asia, GDGs will be joining together to bring you an enriching developer experience. Go find a DevFest near to you! Happy Festing! via Google Developers Blog http://developers.googleblog.com/2016/09/get-ready-devfest-season-has-started.html
A step-by-step look at getting more granular estimates from Keyword Planner. The post Want better data from AdWords Keyword Planner? Use the forecasting tools, says Google appeared first on Search Engine Land.
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Columnist Patrick Stox believes that fixing historical redirects is often an easy way to achieve some quick wins, and this column shows you how to do just that using the Wayback Machine CDX Server API. The post Fixing historical redirects using Wayback Machine APIs appeared first on Search Engine...
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Need to update your ad copy in light of recent AdWords changes? Columnist Jason Puckett explains his process for rolling out AdWords expanded text ads. The post The dust has settled on AdWords expanded text ads. What now? appeared first on Search Engine Land.
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Columnist Janet Driscoll Miller explains why you might not be accurately accounting for organic search referrals since the upgrade to Universal Analytics -- and details how to fix this issue. The post How a Google Analytics change may be skewing your view of SEO’s value appeared first on...
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For agencies ready to go big-time or enterprises interested in putting SEO work out for bid, columnist Clay Cazier documents the top questions that appear in SEO RFPs. The post SEO request for proposal (RFP) questions: what to expect appeared first on Search Engine Land.
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Designed by Sophie Diao, "The Neverending Story" doodle was inspired by artwork from the book's original publication. The post The Neverending Story book Google doodle marks 37th anniversary of children’s novel appeared first on Search Engine Land.
Please visit Search Engine Land for the full article. via Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing http://searchengineland.com/neverending-story-book-google-doodle-marks-37th-anniversary-childrens-novel-258004 Posted by MiriamEllis ‘Barnacle SEO’ was a term first popularized by Will Scott in 2011 to describe the process of attaching your business to existing high-ranking entities (like major directories) and then promoting them as a means of dominating search engine results for desired terms. Today, we’re going to take that novel concept in a different direction, with the goal of increasing brand awareness for single, multi-location, and enterprise local businesses by latching onto existing influences in any given community. Up ahead: simple tips for interpreting your city, a downloadable community awareness spreadsheet, and real-world examples for your inspiration! Before we dive in, take a look at these two eye-opening statistics: “73% of people care about the company, not just the product, when they’re making purchasing decisions.” “63% of global consumers would buy from a company they consider to be authentic, over and above competitors.” The Cohn & Wolfe survey of 12,000 participants included these definitions of authenticity consumers care about: the business stands for more than just making money (74%), has a relevant and engaging story (43%), and is well-known in its region or field (63%). The combination of these three statistics should ring bells with any local search marketing expert or department. Today is the last day you'll ever worry over what to write aboutIndependently owned businesses hit roadblocks when they fear they have nothing real to say. Multi-location businesses fret over meaningful differentiation of one location from another. Large enterprises struggle with fostering local authenticity because the distance between the CEO and the clerk behind the checkout counter is sometimes too great, and brand-wide initiatives may result in generic, rather than truly local, messaging. How to overcome these challenges? The solution lies in realizing that almost any given community is already writing your local story; you just have to discover how to latch onto it. A significant portion of your blog posts, social outreach, and even paid advertising can be based on the fact that there are local, national, and global influences already firmly established in the minds of your consumers, almost every day of the year. Whether it’s the small-town 4th of July BBQ or the big-city Earth Day celebration, there are events, holidays, weather patterns, long-standing customs, and emerging news items of which your customers are already aware. Your barnacle local awareness marketing simply involves tying your business into pre-existing conditions, proving that you, too, are aware. Barnacle example #1To put it another way, you don’t have to tell a customer that summer has arrived. He already sees the sunshine and feels the heat. But if one of the branches of your home improvement franchise is located in a steaming hot, asphalt-topped shopping center, you can:
All of this says you’ve noticed it’s summer, too, that your customers are perspiring, and that you’d like to help. Your outreach establishes your goodwill and an extra reason to visit your business. Barnacle example #2Or maybe yours is a large natural foods store enterprise, and you’ve got a location in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Every October, the city hosts the famed week-long Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. Your customers are already aware of this event, already talking about it, and making plans surrounding it. Your proofs of local awareness could include:
Your outreach will put this branch of your enterprise right in the middle of a major community happening, establishing your local awareness. With even a modest application of research and brainstorming, chances are, your community is literally overflowing with inspiration for barnacle local marketing opportunities. For efficiency’s sake, organization will play a key role in planning your schedule of timely outreach. Read on! 4 simple steps to becoming a seaworthy Barnacle Marketer1. Start with a spreadsheetThere’s nothing quite so organized as a good old spreadsheet, and to save you trouble, we’ve created this one for you, pre-filled in with major holidays and a few influences and fields we think will help you get started. Some holidays are on fixed dates, of course, but you’ll want to edit the dates of others each year. Here’s an example of what a completed spreadsheet might look like for the month of September for a hypothetical major medical center in the city of Boise, Idaho: Access your complimentary spreadsheet here. To make a copy for your own use, simply select “File” from the main menu, then “Make a copy.” You can then add in your own events, change up the formatting, translate it to Swahili, whatever you’d like. 2. Do local, national, and global researchAlmost every local Chamber of Commerce website has an events calendar which will detail most significant community happenings. You can also use sites like Eventbrite for further inspiration. And, indeed, there are paid opportunity-finding services like ZipSprout that can do the work for you and hook you up with with relevant sponsorship matches. Remember, you’re looking for well-known happenings that are already part of your customers’ consciousness — events that they are seeing advertised around town, promoted on the web, local TV, and radio. On the national/global side, major news sites will be your best bet. Some events (like international summits or sports championships) are publicized well in advance. Others will require-up-to the minute awareness of items in the ‘15 minutes news cycle’ that could impact your customers in some relevant way. Gather links as you do your research and enter them in the spreadsheet. 3. Identify opportunities for participation & promotionIn our hypothetical example, the medical center has identified 2 holidays, 1 national/global influence and 3 local events in September. Their participation in these 6 existing circumstances might be broken down like this: Labor Day (9/5) Given that this national holiday honors workers, the medical center has an opportunity for outreach about preventing common work-related injuries like carpal tunnel syndrome, eye strain from computer use, or back problems caused by heavy lifting or improper footwear. Promotional Opportunities: The doctors could hold a free work-safety seminar for local start-up owners and blog about it. They could also post simple preventative health tips for workers on Facebook and Twitter. They could run an Instagram campaign with photos of optimal vs. risky postures for sitting, standing, and lifting at work, engaging the audience to check whether they are practicing good habits. Local Labor Day Picnic (9/5) Local traditions like this are a natural opportunity for sponsorships. New to sponsorships for local businesses? This excellent guide will give you a crash course. The medical center could simply help provide funds for the seating, food, and entertainment in exchange for being listed as a sponsor on promotional materials, or they could take a more active role. They could set up a booth at the picnic, offering refreshments high in electrolytes to rehydrate picnic-goers, or maybe free 5-minute therapeutic foot massages, or UV-protective sunscreen. Promotional Opportunities: To truly ‘barnacle’ onto this event, the medical center should promote both it and their participation in it on their website and social profiles. Posts, tweets, and images to the tune of “Treat tired feet to a free massage by a licensed practitioner at the Labor Day Picnic, courtesy Green of Tree Medical Center,” with links to the event website would all be good. Promote the event, promote yourself. Art in the Park (9/9–9/11) Billed as one of the premiere art events in the Northwest, this annual Boise exhibit is another sponsorship no-brainer. These days, most event committees clearly post calls for sponsorship on their websites, and the really savvy ones detail exactly what sponsors can expect in return in terms of brand promotion including signage, blog posts, and social mentions. So, that’s one option. Another is to barnacle onto the idea that art serves many purposes in the human community and is, in fact, used as a form of therapy. If the medical center is full-service, there's a clear opportunity to connect health and art. Promotional Opportunities: If the medical center is an event sponsor, they could promote the event on the clinic’s website, and tie the theme into the practice of art therapy. This would be an excellent month to raise awareness of the center’s group art therapy sessions, or to offer a series of social media tips about the ways in which many art forms are believed to have a positive impact on everything from depression to stroke recovery. Or, perhaps some of the doctors’ or patients’ artwork will be featured in the event. What a great chance for some Pinterest marketing and an invitation to come see more of this work hanging in the medical center’s reception area! First Day of Fall (9/22) At first glance, many businesses may struggle to see how they can tie in with community awareness of leaves changing color or pumpkins ripening, but it just takes a little ideation. The medical center might launch a Healthier Boise campaign, with free flu shots, reminders to get asthma inhaler prescriptions refilled against the coming onslaught of woodstove smoke, and healthy recipes for using all those butternut squashes and greens in the market for optimum vitamin intake. Promotional Opportunities: The campaign can be promoted on all of the medical center’s social profiles, as well as on the homepage of the company website, supported by additional pages or posts of useful content. This would be a smart time to interview some of the clinic’s doctors on general preventative medicine tips to strengthen the community for the coming cold season. Walk to End Alzheimer’s (9/17) A renowned event like this offers remarkable, diverse opportunities for advocacy, sponsorships, and donations. Doubtless, numerous staff members will be participating in the walk and the medical center can tell the story of this while also tying this into ongoing research and services relating to Alzheimer’s at their facility. Promotional Opportunities: Event booths, individual sponsorships, staff photos, patient photos, fundraising goals, and education can all be socially promoted. Participation in a large event like this deserves top billing on the website homepage, too, backed up with blog posts. Global Obesity Summit Los Angeles (9/26 - 9/28) Most industries have summits, conferences, and events that will be attended by staff members and, often, consumers as well. Given how often America’s obesity epidemic is mentioned in mainstream media, the medical center can see in this important global event an opportunity for education and outreach on a very current topic. Sponsorship opportunities are easily apparent. Or, if one or more of the doctors will present at the summit or even just attend, their research and discoveries can then be shared with the city of Boise. Promotional Opportunities: Staff participants can be interviewed for the blog, offering new suggestions for maintaining a healthy weight based on summit presentations. If the medical center offers exercise classes or dietary counseling, here’s a perfect opportunity to reach out socially with a free first session offer to the community. Could be a fun time to experiment with Snapchat. Be as generous as possible in sharing tips that could improve patients’ lives. Even at a glance, it’s easy to see that a local business can quickly fill every calendar month of the year with community outreach and promotion of the company’s involvement. Don’t forget that to be a good barnacle, you’ve got to promote awareness of community happenings as well as promoting your own participation in them. Put up in-store flyers and posters, tweet, share, and chat! I’d further recommend tracking the outcomes of each campaign so that you learn, over the course of the next couple of years, which events and which forms of participation resonate most with a given community and result in the greatest ROI for the business. My question for our readers: Which forms of tracking do you use to measure success from these types of activities? Please, share your expertise to benefit the community! 4. Designate a Local Expert at each business locationHopefully the above three steps will already have the wheels turning about how your brand can discover and participate in the influences your potential consumers are already aware of, but doubtless, this questions arises: “Who's going to do all of this work?” The answer is, you’re going to need to give an existing employee or a new hire the nifty title of ‘Local Expert.’ If you’re the owner and your business is very small, the Local Expert may have to be you until you grow the company a bit more, but for most small-to-large local businesses, local marketing is vital enough to be a genuine job. Multi-location companies and large enterprises should expect to appoint a Local Expert for each branch, or at least for each city in which the business operates. In the interview process, here are 5 things you want to look for in an existing or new staff member that should spell success:
Would some real-world inspiration really get you going?I always find it easier to conceptualize tasks when I take a look at what others have done. If that goes for you, too, here are some real-world examples of local awareness proofs.
And PEI Potato barnacles on like pros, holding a contest for tickets to a summer musical performance at the sponsored theater: If restaurants, banks, & potato growers can do it, so can you!Your community is already alive to the influences surrounding it: businesses, events, organizations, seasonal traditions, and relevant news. You don’t have to write a new story from scratch; you just need to discover where you fit into the existing storyline. Generosity, creativity, and a genuine desire to contribute to community well-being are what it takes to become a visible player in local life. Has your business been using the barnacle method all along to prove local awareness? Our Moz community would benefit from your inspirational stories. Please share them in the comments! 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! via The Moz Blog http://tracking.feedpress.it/link/9375/4305080
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. The post SearchCap: Google real time carousel, In Apps search & AdWords sitelinks appeared first on Search Engine Land.
Please visit Search Engine Land for the full article. via Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing http://searchengineland.com/searchcap-google-real-time-carousel-apps-search-adwords-sitelinks-257982 Posted by EricaMcGillivray MozCon is fast approaching us! On September 12-14—just two weeks away—1,400 online marketers will descend on Seattle, ready to learn about SEO, content, Google Tag Manager, conversion rate optimization, and so much more. We've got fewer than 60 tickets left, so grab yours now. If you haven't done so, check out all the learning! This post is geared toward the things you can do when MozCon sessions aren't happening. Places you'll want to go as recommended by MozzersWhile you're in Seattle, we want to make sure you have a fabulous time. Seattle in September is beautiful. It's still sunny outside, and it's the time of year people come to Seattle and then want to move here. So we've complied a list of great activities and restaurants: SightsGasworks Park "Incredible views of the city, float planes landing overhead, Space Needle in the background, Ivar's Clam Chowder down the street, bikes all over the place." "This is my favorite place in all of Seattle! Stroll around the park and stop in the Seattle Asian Art Museum and the conservatory, then climb to the top of the water tower for an incredible view. You can also walk through the graveyard and see Bruce Lee and Brandon Lee's grave. After all that walking, hop over to the adorable and delicious Volunteer Park Cafe." "Amazing views, has a mini gravel beach, and lots of park space. Great for running and cycling. I ride my bike along EBT nearly everyday to Moz, and I fall in love with city over and over again." "Alki is a beautiful walk with a spectacular view of Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains. It's got some good restaurants, and even a little history as the site of the original settlement." "If you've never been to the Pacific Northwest (or even if you have!), Discovery Park on a clear day is a great place to see the Olympic Mountains, Puget Sound, Mt. Rainier, and to get some quality forest walking done all in one fell swoop. Plus, it's 20 minutes from downtown! (Pro tip: For the easiest view access, park in the lot on W Emerson just before 43rd Ave W.)" "People of every ilk converge to exercise, feed ducks, play with dogs, and covet the dogs of others." Activities, tours, and museumsThe Underground Tour "What a great way to hear about and experience early-Seattle's history!" "Seattle is surrounded by water and mountains. The ferry is the easiest way to experience that scenery. The view of the city is amazing too!" "It is special to me because I've only been to Seattle once, as I work remotely in the UK. It was a joy the see how strong the love for pinball is in Seattle. The Pinball Museum houses the world's biggest pinball machine, and it is really something to behold; it's like hugging a dining room table." Restaurants and barsLinda's "Laid back, good music, cheap food, and nice people." "If you are a vegetarian (or love vegetarian food), the Happy Hippy Burger is a must. It is not only the best veggie burger in Seattle, but it's the best I have ever had. Cyclops also has great drinks and food for the omnivores, too." "This hole in the wall has it all! Pie Bar serves up warm, freshly baked slices of heaven with a pint of bliss. Savory pies, sweet pies, pietinis, craft spirits, and beer...all nestled in an elegant, cozy venue where you won't have to shout over a crowd 3-hipsters-deep to order. And if you're done with your pie and ready for some pinball and arcade games, John John's Game Room is directly next door!" "This hip little eatery has some awesomely tasty foods, a sweet little private back patio, a laidback atmosphere, and awesome drinks. Plus, it's right in the heart of Capitol Hill, one of my favorite 'hoods in the city." Bonus! Lightning suggestions:
Brian Childs' recommendation corner "I put this Google map together for friends visiting the city. Includes lots of breweries, bars, restaurants, and things to do: Get the info!" Official MozCon evening eventsFor all our evening events, make sure to bring your conference badge AND your US ID or your passport. Monday Night MozCrawlFrom 7:00pm - 10:00pm, you can head to all the stops at your own pace and in any order. Visit all the stops, fill out your punch card, and return it to the swag store on Tuesday morning to enter to win a golden Roger!
Tuesday MozCon IgniteIf you're looking for networking, this is event for you! Join us at from 7:00-10:00pm at McCaw Hall for a night of networking and five-minute, Ignite-style passion talks from your fellow attendees. This year, our talks will range from information and unique to heartwarming and life changing. You don't want to miss this MozCon night.
Wednesday Night Bash!From 7:00-12:00 midnight: Bowling, pool, Jenga, a slow-motion booth, a photo booth, karaoke, cupcakes, food, drinks, and more! You don't want to miss our annual bash. Rent some bowling shoes and go for a turkey. Sing your heart out just like you recently joined Journey. Snap photos with your friends while wearing silly hats. Show off how much of a ringer you are at pool. Get into a chicken strip-eating contest. Hang out with your new MozCon friends one last time, and celebrate all the learning! Birds of a Feather lunch tablesIf you want to spend your lunchtime getting great advice from your fellow attendees about online marketing or meet people in your specialty, check out our birds of a feather lunch tables: Monday, September 12
Tuesday, September 13
Wednesday, September 14
Join the Fitbit GroupTrack your steps while networking and cheer on your fellow attendees! Play Roger Patrol!Ready for some friendly competition between your fellow attendees? We’ve built a special MozCon game just for you. You'll play as starship, part of Roger Patrol! Try and beat the top score on Roger Patrol video game by zapping asteroids, destroying evil spaceships, and protecting Roger Mozbot's universe. We’ll provide a download link for attendees, and you’ll also find three arcade-style boxes of the game throughout the MozCon venue. Visit our Partner Hub, get your photo taken with Roger, and more arcade-style funAs you head up to registration, entering MozCon, you won't want to miss all the activities around you and happening when the conference isn't in active session. Say hello to our PartnersEvery sulk through an exhibitor hall with your head down like you're in middle school again? Us too. Which is why at MozCon, we wanted to do something different. Our invite-only partners are not only respectful, but we've vetted their activities and their products to make sure they are useful to you. So say hello, and we promise you might instead get a postcard to send home, a t-shirt, or a special MozCon coin. Our great partners: Stop each day at the Swag Store!After the first day, Registration will be transformed into a swag store. You don't want to miss out on these goodies. On Tuesday, you'll be able to pick up your official MozCon 2016 t-shirt. On Wednesday, you'll get your own Lego Roger. Meet Mozzers to give feedback or Ask an SEOMake sure to stop by the Moz Hub. We'll be there to answer your questions about Moz Pro and Moz Local. Learn about our latest offerings and updates. Get insights into how best to use the tools. And by popular demand, we've added Ask an SEO. Mozzers and Associates with expertise in SEO will be there to answer your burning search questions and kickstart you with new ideas for your search campaigns. Play the Roger claw machineWe're bringing back the plushie claw machine! If you missed out getting one of our plushie Roger Mozbots, or you just need another as a small child or pet decided Roger was their best friend, now's your chance. In order to play, you must visit one of our Partners or the Moz Hub for a special shiny coin. Then take that coin to the claw machine! Don't worry, we've put a TAGFEE spell on this machine, so you may find it a little easier than the ones in the malls of your childhood. ;) Take a photo with Roger MozbotA MozCon tradition you won't want to miss. Get your annual photo (or maybe it's your first!) taken with the cuddliest robot in the galaxy, Roger Mozbot. Donate to charity, on us!Open up your Monday swag kit and inside you'll find $5 Roger bucks. You get to donate this to one of three charities (charities selected by Mozzers):
Roger Mozbot will then count the bucks and write a check to each charity. Push pin world mapEver play pin the tail on the donkey? Well, this is like that, but pin the spot where you are from, minus the blindfold. In Seattle on Thursday post-MozCon? We have MozPlex tours.Every wonder where Roger Mozbot lives? Or heard of the stories of cereal bars and rooms named after starships and robots? Is is true that Mozzers have sit/stand desks? Don't miss out on our Office Tours on Thursday 9/15. Sign up for your time slot. Even more fun in SeattleDon't miss our posts from years past, which are full of restaurant, activity, and more recommendations: 2015, 2014, 2013, and 2012. Activities happening around Seattle from Saturday, September 10 - Sunday, September 18
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Posted by Sam Thorogood, Developer Programs Engineer
The Closure Compiler was originally released, in Java, back in 2009. Today, we're announcing the very same Closure Compiler is now available in pure JavaScript, for use without Java. It's designed to run under NodeJS with support for some popular build tools. If you've not heard of the Closure Compiler, it's a JavaScript optimizer, transpiler and type checker, which compiles your code into a high-performance, minified version. Nearly every web frontend at Google uses it to serve the smallest, fastest code possible. It supports new features in ES2015, such as let, const, arrow functions, and provides polyfills for ES2015 methods not supported everywhere. To help you write better, maintainable and scalable code, the compiler also checks syntax, correct use of types, and provides warnings for many JavaScript gotchas. To find out more about the compiler itself, including tutorials, head to Google Developers. How does this work?This isn't a rewrite of Closure in JavaScript. Instead, we compile the Java source to JS to run under Node, or even inside a plain old browser. Every post or resource you see about Closure Compiler will also apply to this version. To find out more about Closure Compiler's internals, be sure to check out this post by Dimitris (who works on the Closure team at Google), other posts on the Closure Tools blog, or read an exploratory post about Closure and how it can help your project in 2016. Note that the JS version is experimental. It may not perform in the same way as the native Java version, but we believe it's an interesting new addition to the compiler landscape, and the Closure team will be working to improve and support it over time. How can I use it?To include the JS version of Closure Compiler in your project, you should add it as a dependency of your project via NPM-
To then use the compiler with Gulp, you can add a task like this- const compiler = require('google-closure-compiler-js').gulp(); If you'd like to migrate from google-closure-compiler (which requires Java), you'll have to use gulp.src() or equivalents to load your JavaScript before it can be compiled. As this compiler runs in pure JavaScript, the compiler cannot load or save files from your filesystem directly. For more information, check out Usage, supported Flags, or a demo project. Not all flags supported in the Java release are currently available in this experimental version. However, the compiler will let you know via exception if you've hit any missing ones. via Google Developers Blog http://developers.googleblog.com/2016/08/closure-compiler-in-javascript.html
Local citations are often thought to be the bread and butter of local SEO, but are we placing too much importance on them? Columnist Andrew Shotland discusses the results of a study which suggests we might be. The post Local citations are dead; long live local citations! appeared first on Search...
Please visit Search Engine Land for the full article. via Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing http://searchengineland.com/local-citations-dead-long-live-local-citations-257578
Many changes and new features have rolled out recently in AdWords, and columnist Frederick Vallaeys believes this is the perfect opportunity to review your account structure. The post Why it’s time to re-evaluate your AdWords account structure appeared first on Search Engine Land.
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The new feature is currently rolling out. The post Account-level sitelink extensions coming to AdWords appeared first on Search Engine Land.
Please visit Search Engine Land for the full article. via Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing http://searchengineland.com/account-level-sitelink-extensions-coming-adwords-257863 Google introduces the Search live coverage carousel for real time indexing & search results8/31/2016
Is this the real time Google indexing API? Google is now piloting the search live coverage carousel which is powered by AMP and Atom. The post Google introduces the “Search live coverage carousel” for real time indexing & search results appeared first on Search Engine Land.
Please visit Search Engine Land for the full article. via Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing http://searchengineland.com/google-introduces-search-live-coverage-carousel-real-time-indexing-search-results-257928
Google officially says goodbye to their mobile friendly label this morning. The mobile friendly label no longer shows up in the search results. The post Google’s mobile friendly label has now been removed from the search results appeared first on Search Engine Land.
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Mobile searches now constitute between 50 and 60 percent of queries in the US market. The post Billions served: PC search is down but query volume is way up for Google appeared first on Search Engine Land.
Please visit Search Engine Land for the full article. via Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing http://searchengineland.com/billions-served-pc-search-query-volume-way-google-257899 Posted by andrewchoco This post was originally in YouMoz, and was promoted to the main blog because it provides great value and interest to our community. The author's views are entirely his or her own and may not reflect the views of Moz, Inc. Most people view email marketing and social advertising as two separate entities, and I’ll be honest, I used to think that as well. However, I’ve discovered that combining multiple different avenues for a coherent marketing campaign yields some pretty impressive results. We’ve tried this tactic before at Directive Consulting, combining SEO and PPC; but in this blog post, I’m going to break down a few ways to combine email and social advertising for multi-channel success. More specifically, you’ll learn:
Using email lists to create Custom Audiences on FacebookMost (if not all) ecommerce stores require an email address when completing a purchase, and many times you can see what item the person bought. Keeping an organized and segmented email list is the first step to social advertising success. If you’re an online clothing store that specializes in creative t-shirts for men and women, create individual lists segmenting categories (e.g., sports, funny, and cute) and gender. If you’re using a CRM such as Hubspot, Mailchimp, or Salesforce, you can export these contact lists as .CSV files and then upload those to Facebook under the “Audiences” section using Ads Manager. When logging onto your Ads Manager or Business Manager account, go to your ad account and select the drop-down hamburger menu in the top left-hand corner. If "Audiences" doesn’t appear in the “Frequently Used” section, hit "All tools" and you’ll find it under the “Assets” section. After clicking on “create custom audience,” you’ll need to select the “customer file” section and then “choose a file or copy” and you’ll be prompted to upload your .CSV file into Facebook. Facebook will then match up the emails with actual Facebook users (you can expect anywhere from a 20% - 70% match rate), but with ecommerce those numbers tend to be on the higher side. Using email lists to create Facebook AudiencesAnother great feature of Facebook ads is the ability to create lookalike audiences from previously uploaded email lists. Facebook will match up the corresponding profiles of your email lists with a broader group of people who have similar profiles based on interests, demographics, and behaviors. As long as your email list consists of more than 100 people, Facebook will be able to create a lookalike audience. Obviously, though, the more people you have in the original email list, the more similar the lookalike audience will be (because Facebook will have more data to pull from.) When you create your lookalike audience, you select a country and choose anywhere from 1% - 10% of a country’s population. But you don’t have to stop there. Once you have a lookalike audience (we usually use the 10% option so we capture the most people), you can layer additional targeting on top of the lookalike. For the clothing store example, you could take the audience of 20 million and add additional behavior targeting of men’s fashion buyers and online buyers. Now that’s a specific audience! Launching simultaneous campaigns for maximum reachNow how can you tie together email marketing and social advertising for optimal reach? Anytime an ecommerce shop launches a promotion or sale, they send out an email blast. I usually check my email in the morning, see the promotion, and then promptly forget about it five minutes later. It’s common knowledge that every opportunity needs multiple touches before they end up converting to a sale, but sending three emails a day promoting a sale is a good way to lose a lot of subscribers. The solution? Launch a social promotion targeted at your specific email list. Then ramp up the budget to ensure that every person sees your ad at least once during the campaign. A good way to do this is by looking at the estimated reach when creating an ad campaign and making sure your budget is high enough that the estimated reach per day matches up with the amount of people on your email list. We used this tactic with a client of ours who sells collectable banknotes from countries all around the world. Their most popular is the Zimbabwean $100 trillion dollar banknote, so they ran a promotion for 10% off. We didn’t segment the audiences like I mentioned earlier, because they were only promoting one country’s banknote, but we did create two different ad images as well as a carousel ad so we could target everyone in the list with multiple products for the same price. While you may think this is an obnoxious ad and the red circle and arrow is overkill, this ad actually performed the best out of all of them, generating over 180 clicks in three days with a CTR of 8.7%. Little touches like this really draw in your audience’s attention and can lead to much higher engagement. Carousel ads are great for ecommerce shops because they can show off multiple products without increasing the price of your campaigns. We recently switched over to carousel ads for a client of ours who builds custom fences and had 3,000% more sessions on the site from the carousel ads. We launched these ads for a three-day period while the sale was running and combed it with an email blast that went out at the beginning of the sale. These are the results we saw when comparing the week of the promotion to the previous week: We saw our sessions go up, as well as the pages per session and average session duration. We didn’t have a single transaction from Facebook the previous week, but had four during the sale, generating enough revenue to easily cover the cost of that campaign. Another interesting thing we saw was that the email didn’t directly lead to any sales. I’m not saying it had no effect on the sales that week, but only launching an email campaign wouldn’t have had the same impact as combining these two platforms and working together to create additional touches throughout the sale period. Additional strategies1. Use lookalike audiencesFor the above example, we only targeted our custom audience of email subscribers (the sale was a special promo just for those customers). But taking it even further, creating a broader audience from the lookalike audience would have been a great audience to target, as well. What better way to introduce your brand and product to a potential customer than immediately offering a sale? You can also further target these audiences to get extremely specific. For our banknote client, our targeted lookalike audience looks something like this: 2. Create a new segmented list for sale buyersIf you’re launching a promotion for a sale using this tactic, segment each new email address you receive into its own list titled “sale buyers.” There’s a chance these people have been wanting to buy your product all along and finally waited until a sale came along to do it, but more likely, these people are impulse shoppers who made a purchase because of the exclusivity of the deal you’re promoting. This now gives you a list of customers that you know make purchases during sales, and you can test out other promotional deals later on. If you don’t offer free shipping regularly, have a two-day period when you do, and target these specific people. 3. Use Twitter as another platform to target your audienceTwitter is another social platform that gives you the ability to upload a .CSV of email addresses, and matches up twitter profiles with those corresponding emails. In the Twitter Ads platform, go to "Tools" and then "Audience manager." Head over to “Create new audience” and upload your own .CSV, just like you did for Facebook. (A word of warning: You do need 500 or more matches for Twitter to allow you to use the audience for promotions.) For ecommerce, most people will use their personal email for Twitter as well as buying a product, so this shouldn’t be an issue with a big enough email list. Now it’s your turnNow you’re prepared to launch a robust and successful email and social advertising campaign. Remember, it’s important to ensure your budget aligns with the amount of people you’re trying to reach, and to use eye-popping images to catch your audience’s attention. Let me know in the comments if these tactics worked for you, or if you have any additional strategies for email and social success! 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. 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Somewhat similar to Apple's Spotlight, the new feature allows you to search your Android phone for content, as opposed to the web. The post Google launches “In Apps,” a way to find content within apps on Android phones appeared first on Search Engine Land.
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Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. The post SearchCap: Google Merchant Center update, SEO & Chrome appeared first on Search Engine Land.
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A much needed face lift also includes some new features. The post Google debuts a brand new look for Merchant Center appeared first on Search Engine Land.
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