Archive for the ‘seo news’ Category
Tuesday, May 2nd, 2023
Evaluating the true ROI of a customer data platform means understanding how the technology improves key business metrics and enables working more efficiently.
That’s why BlueConic commissioned Forrester Consulting to conduct a Total Economic Impact
study that measures both the profit and operational efficiency gains that can be unlocked with BlueConic.
On May 4th, guest speakers Forrester’s Joe Stanhope, VP, Principal Analyst and Julia Fadzeyeza, Principal Consultant, will join BlueConic’s CMO, Patrick Reynolds, to explore current CDP market trends and discuss the findings of the TEI study, including how BlueConic helped customers achieve:
- Up to 90%-time savings on segmentation, customer journeys, and reporting tasks
- Increased profit of $5.4M from improved conversion rates, new data monetization revenue streams, and strategic partnership growth
- Faster, higher-quality decision-making and support for future growth
Forrester’s TEI Study: How BlueConic Customers Reduced Operational Costs by Up to 90% Time Savings
Thursday, May 4 | 11AM ET | 5PM CEST
If you can’t join us live, be sure to register anyway so you can receive a link to the recording.
The post Forrester Total Economic Impact study reveals increased efficiency for marketers appeared first on Search Engine Land.
Courtesy of Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing
Tuesday, May 2nd, 2023
Whether you’ve sailed through Q1 and early Q2 with optimism intact or battling challenges exacerbated by macro turbulence, there’s plenty of opportunity to stretch yourself and find competitive gains in the coming months.
This article discusses four initiatives I’ve seen drive great results for my B2B clients, including:
- Testing new channels to meet your audience where they are.
- Testing AI tools to increase your tactical efficiency and free strategic-planning bandwidth.
- Leaning into video.
- Incorporating customer feedback.
You’ll also learn how you can put them to work in your campaigns.
1. Test new channels – and new features
Advertising platforms, large and small, have been busy releasing new B2B-friendly features.
Social platforms, particularly, have recently added contextual and search-based targeting functionality.
- Instagram recently initiated testing for search result ads.
- TikTok is also testing search ads.
- Reddit is testing contextual functionality and (according to our reps) plans to roll out a search beta in the coming months.
- Facebook, along with improving its algorithm to beef up the quality of conversions of its lead gen ads, has added lead form options to target based on volume, higher intent, or custom goals – all of which can help cut down on spam and focus spend where it counts.
The time is ripe for carving out aggressive test budgets for new channels, particularly if you’re laboring under the high engagement costs of Google and LinkedIn.
My advice for expansion testing is to start with social channels and ignore programmatic until or unless you’re desperate for new traffic sources.
Exercise these testing muscles now and watch updates from the platforms that show the most promise for engaging your ideal client profiles as they roll out features.
2. Take advantage of AI
You might be sick of hearing about AI, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t join the crowd urging you to wade in and test its capabilities.
On the paid media side, there are three main functions I recommend you start using AI to help with:
Our favorite copy AI tools besides ChatGPT are Jasper, Grammarly and Quillbot. All the usual caveats apply about needing to QA any AI-generated copy before it goes anywhere external-facing.
But at minimum, AI can give you a great starting point to get over writer’s block since it’s almost universally easier for people to edit than to start from a blank slate.
Supplementing the AI copy options available is an emerging crop of visual tools. Whether it’s video (more on that in a bit), enhanced static-image creation from Canva, or motion graphics like Storyblock or Dribbble, marketers have plenty of tools to help bring their creative to life.
The last area where you can use AI to save time and create efficiency is analytics. You can pay for fancy AI-powered analytics platforms like Segment Tealium, Pecan, etc., but plenty of low-cost options help your campaign performance.
Even if you’re stuck in Google Sheets, you can use ChatGPT to:
- Set up some basic functions to smooth out your reporting.
- Build negative keyword lists.
- Write macros for spreadsheets.
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3. Get serious about video
Many marketers still aren’t fully embracing video in their campaigns.
Whether on LinkedIn, Facebook, TikTok, or YouTube, there’s plenty of room for B2B engagement – if you can build compelling enough video content to harness it.
Even with a burgeoning marketplace of low-cost AI tools (e.g., Synthesis, DeepBrain, Pictory) that make video production and editing quick and cheap, many marketers have yet to dip a toe.
As a starting point, think about the resources you already have available. If you aren’t versed in production development, you can test animations in static ads.
You may have some old YouTube videos to practice chopping up in bite-sized segments. Maybe you have product demos or client testimonials that would piece together a great brand story.
The upshot is you’re likely starting with at least some inventory, not a blank slate.
And there may be folks on your marketing team who have at least dabbled in video editing – if you don’t have time to learn skills right now, take a quick straw poll of interest and experience on your team.
On the other hand, if you’re really down to learn, you can take matters into your own hands with tools like Loom or VideoAct and get content by recording yourself.
Video is only getting bigger. It’s time to join the fun.
4. Use the gift of customer feedback
Customer feedback has been around as long as things have been sold – and it’s never easier to gather it than it is right now.
Your customer service team, sales team, product reviews, online reviews, and social media accounts are great resources for insights about:
- Why people buy.
- Why they don’t buy.
- What they love most (and least) about your product or service.
All that feedback, especially the feedback that coalesces into themes, is fodder for marketing campaigns.
Problems solved can become case studies or testimonials.
Great experiences can become ad copy.
Questions you can immediately answer should be placed somewhere prominent on your website’s product or service pages.
One of the marketing team’s most important functions is to gather feedback and absorb its significance.
The most interactive a marketing team is with sources of customer insight, the more precise the targeting and messaging of its campaigns will be.
Set up your B2B brand for paid media success
If, a few months after reading this, you’re still focused on Google and LinkedIn, using ads without motion or animation, applying manual rigor to all of your creative and analytics processes, and crafting strategic and tactical plans without considering audience feedback, you’ll be locking in a series of competitive disadvantages.
Especially lately, free and budget-friendly features have emerged to help marketers do their jobs.
No matter what size your company, team and budget, ensure you’re using what’s available to help you do your job more effectively – and reap the performance rewards.
The post 4 B2B paid media strategies to stay ahead of the curve appeared first on Search Engine Land.
Courtesy of Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing
Monday, May 1st, 2023
For some accounts, Meta has just updated its location targeting settings.
What’s changed. In the past, Facebook’s default setting for targeting locations was “Living in or recently in this location.” This meant that without making any alterations to the settings, advertisers would reach individuals who either resided in the selected locations or had recently visited them, regardless of their permanent address.
There were four available options to choose from:
- People living in or recently in this location
- People living in this location
- People recently in this location
- People traveling in this location
Now, the dropdown menu for location targeting has been eliminated, leaving only the “Living in or recently in this location” option. This change signifies that the other options have been removed, and advertisers no longer need to choose a specific type of location targeting.
John Loomer
No exceptions have been identified for campaign objectives or optimization. The campaign objective represents the primary goal of a Facebook ad, and the chosen objective influences various options, including optimization and delivery. Optimization, on the other hand, determines who sees the Facebook ad, as the platform will display the ad to those most likely to perform the desired action.
Furthermore, Meta’s documentation, although not explicitly mentioning the change, seems to have been updated to reflect this new approach in location targeting.
Why we care. With the elimination of multiple targeting options and the focus on “Living in or recently in this location,” understanding this new approach is essential to successfully reach your desired audience. Adapting to these changes and optimizing campaign objectives accordingly will ensure that your ads are displayed to the most relevant users, ultimately leading to better ad performance and higher return on investment.
The post New update to Meta Ads location targeting appeared first on Search Engine Land.
Courtesy of Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing
Monday, May 1st, 2023
Staying current with the latest search marketing tactics and adjusting accordingly can be a major challenge for search marketers. Why? Continuous algorithm updates, major changes to platforms, and advancements in AI technologies, for starters.
Turn this challenge into an opportunity – and stay ahead of competitors while you’re at it: Attend SMX Advanced, online June 13-14, for free. Together with a team of industry experts, you’ll explore the latest industry developments, learn actionable tactics you can put to use right away, and validate your existing search marketing initiatives.
Here’s a sneak peek at the expert-level program:
- Entity SEO and AI: How to dominate SERPs in the next two years — with Tim Warren, CEO of Helium SEO
- Get organized: Ad campaign structure in a changing world: A panel discussion
- Performance Max + lead gen: How to make it work — Menachem Ani, Founder and CEO of JXT Group
- How a search-first strategy can drive revenue and boost your brand in 2023 and beyond — with Laurel Stewart, VP of Marketing and Growth at Victorious
- Generative AI and the future of SEO: A panel discussion
- Exploring recent major Google algorithm updates and preparing for what’s next — with Glenn Gabe, SEO Consultant at G-Squared Interactive
The complete program will be posted May 8. Check out more agenda details here!
Your free pass unlocks the entire event, including…
- 40+ sessions and keynotes designed to equip you with actionable tactics you can implement immediately to drive measurable success
- Hours of live Q&As (Overtime!) with speakers so you can get specific answers to your search questions
- Instant on-demand access so you can train at your own pace
- Coffee Talk meetups that let you connect with a community of passionate search marketers
- A personalized certificate of attendance so you can showcase your commitment to continued learning
… and much more. Don’t wait. You and your career deserve this. Secure your free pass now!
Psst… Have you heard? The 2023 Search Engine Land Awards are open for entries! Don’t miss your opportunity to boost team morale, attract new business, and stand apart from the competition… enter now!
The post Explore the latest in generative AI, PMax, and more for free at SMX Advanced appeared first on Search Engine Land.
Courtesy of Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing
Monday, May 1st, 2023
This week YouTube announced new strategies for incorporating Shorts to engage new audiences.
- Expanding Shorts into Video reach campaigns
- Positioning alongside trending Shorts content
- First Position on Shorts
Incorporating Shorts to optimize reach. Shorts is being integrated into Video reach campaigns, which employ Google AI to present the most effective combination of ads, enhancing reach and efficiency on YouTube.
In-feed video ads are also being added to Video reach campaigns to increase opportunities for audience engagement across the platform. Paramount+ was among the early partners to experiment with the updated version of Video reach campaigns.
With the Video reach campaigns update, advertisers can simply upload a 60-second (or shorter) vertical video along with other assets. Alternatively, existing horizontal creative can be adapted and optimized for vertical screens using YouTube’s AI-powered campaign setup tools.
Positioning ads alongside trending Shorts content. YouTube Select enables advertisers to place their ads alongside the most popular content on the platform within a brand-safe environment. The same technology is now being applied to Shorts, allowing brands to reach 1.5 billion logged-in monthly Shorts users.
YouTube Select Run of Shorts lineup. This ensures that ads appear next to the most popular and relevant videos in users’ Shorts feeds, keeping brands at the forefront of viewers’ minds. The First Position on Shorts pilot, available through YouTube Select, allows advertisers to make a strong initial impression in a highly immersive setting by ensuring their ad is the first one viewers see when they open YouTube Shorts.
Leveraging YouTube’s long and Shorts content YouTube offers a wide variety of content, including different entertainment categories, music genres, and video formats (live, short, long, podcast, and music). Both Shorts and long-form videos contribute to viewer engagement and discovery on the platform, making YouTube the preferred destination for creator and short-form content consumption.
By incorporating YouTube into awareness campaigns, brands can reach more people with their creative messaging while users enjoy their favorite content. YouTube’s products and tools make short-form video advertising a seamless addition to campaigns, helping brands of all types maintain relevance and connections with today’s viewers.
Dig deeper. Read more about the new Shorts updates on the Google Ads & Commerce Blog.
Why we care. By incorporating short-form videos into their campaigns, advertisers can tap into new audiences, enhance their reach, and improve brand recall. This creates an ideal environment for brands to stay relevant, connected, and top-of-mind for today’s viewers, ultimately driving better results and fostering long-term brand loyalty.
The post 3 new enhancements for YouTube Shorts appeared first on Search Engine Land.
Courtesy of Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing
Monday, May 1st, 2023
To enhance media buying efficiency, Google Ads plans to adopt real-time bidding auctions for apps, ceasing to respond to multiple calls in mediation starting October 31, 2023. Google Ads will no longer engage with or participate in the practice of handling multiple requests for the same ad impression within the mediation process.
How it works. Prior to this date, Google Ads will commence transitioning away from waterfall buying for certain multi-call requests. The shift to real-time bidding is expected to enable advertisers to find optimally-priced app inventory more efficiently and boost competition within the real-time auction.
Third-party integrations. Google Ads and Display & Video 360 are broadening their real-time bidding integrations with third-party app monetization platforms. These integrations are transitioning to open beta and will be accessible to all app developers using AppLovin (Max), Chartboost Mediation, Digital Turbine FairBid, and Unity LevelPlay monetization platforms.
Implementations. No alterations to campaigns will be required for advertisers to reap the benefits of this program. In the coming week, the option to enable Google bidding will be made available to all app developers using the supported third-party monetization platforms. App developers can also access Google’s demand through real-time bidding integrations with AdMob and Ad Manager publisher offerings.
Dig deeper. You can read about the new integrations on the Google Ads & Commerce Blog.
Why we care. The transition to real-time bidding auctions for apps, and ceasing to respond to multiple calls in mediation, will streamline the media buying process, increase competition, and ensure that advertisers find the best-priced app inventory more efficiently.
The post Google expands media buying with real-time bidding integrations appeared first on Search Engine Land.
Courtesy of Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing
Friday, April 28th, 2023
When it comes to SEO, there is always something to do. It’s easy to get sidetracked by the next shiny thing instead of focusing on the tasks that will move the needle for the business.
Having hundreds, thousands, or even millions of potential keywords worth targeting is overwhelming. You need to prioritize SEO keywords and create a measurable plan.
How do you get started? Read on to find top tips on prioritizing SEO keywords for content creation.
Think about business and marketing goals
If you’re creating SEO content, you must have a goal in mind.
You should be working toward ranking a particular set of keywords, usually based on a specific topic. An end goal is essential for measuring SEO success.
A complete optimization might be doable if your site is less than 20 pages. More than that, you need to hone in on a topic cluster.
Your topic cluster will be a section of your website. For example, if you sell housewares, you might prioritize one particular room and related items.
You can prioritize your essential clusters by considering the following:
- Management’s desires and business goals: Marketing should support management to drive the business forward.
- What’s working well already: You might find some easy wins if a site already has some authority in a particular topic or product.
- Well-converting pages: If a page converts well, increase organic traffic to drive more conversions.
Finding keywords for prioritization
Before you start prioritizing keywords, you’ll need to research keywords for SEO. You can do this in many ways, but here are three ways to get started.
Google Search Console
If you’ve got a site with organic visitors, then Google Seach Console (GSC) can be a great place to start. GSC tells you every keyword your site ranks for.
Go to Search results in the left-hand menu and click Average position so it turns orange. I recommend filtering by country but clicking the plus above the graph and choosing Country. Now you can see the average position of all ranking keywords in the country you’re most interested in ranking in.
Look through the keywords and pay attention to those in positions six to 20.
These keywords are your bottom of page one, page two, or top of page three keywords, also known as your low-hanging fruits.
In theory, moving these keywords up the ranks will be easier.
Competitor analysis
As part of a competitor analysis, you can find keywords that competitors are ranking for. SEO tools like Ahrefs or Semrush will give you insights into potential search volume, traffic and search intent.
There are two major benefits to researching competitor keywords:
- You will eventually show up in the SERPs where they are so that you can receive some of that traffic.
- You can demonstrate E-E-A-T to Google. If you cover the same keywords (and, more specifically, content) that your competitors are, you’re proving to Google that your site is at least as valuable as theirs.
Just because your competitor is ranking doesn’t necessarily mean that you should. Use the prioritization tips below to help determine what to use on your site.
Customer research
Nothing beats finding keywords than talking to the people you most want on your site.
Talk to your customers and prospective buyers. Alternatively, talk to sales and customer support or customer success managers.
If you can understand customer pain points and the words or phrases buyers use to find you, you can be sure they’re also putting these words into Google.
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Tips for prioritizing SEO keywords
Paid ads
Ads data is a trove of information for SEO. If a website runs ads, getting a list of converting keywords is necessary. If a keyword is converting for ads, it will likely convert with SEO, too.
Not every keyword that ads are bidding on can rank organically, but where it can, you should go for it providing it fits into those business and marketing goals.
You can also trial keywords with ads by bidding on them to test their conversion rate.
Google Keyword Planner
If you’re not already running ads, Google Keyword Planner – an advertising tool – can still support you (and it’s free).
Screenshot of Google Keyword Planner to illustrate how competition and cost per click can help influence keyword prioritization.
Google Keyword Planner provides some interesting data:
- The keyword with its average monthly searches (exact searches if you’re running ads).
- Competition means how difficult it is to get visibility with ads for this keyword.
- Bid range means how much people are paying for the keyword.
So, what does this mean for SEO?
If a keyword has high competition, many people are bidding on it, and businesses tend not to bid on keywords that aren’t making them money.
A high competitor is an indicator that a keyword is making an ROI.
If you can earn a rank organically for the same keyword, then there’s a chance it’ll make money for your site.
Prioritize conversion keywords and money pages
SEO’s primary goal is building a qualified audience. You want people on your site who will likely be interested in your product or service.
You want visibility for the pages that lead to conversion, be it a sale or an email sign-up, a download, or something that brings web traffic into your marketing funnel.
Your SEO efforts should be in pursuit of bolstering these highly important pages so that you can accelerate the marketing funnel.
SEO can bring users to the site who are in the awareness stage of the marketing funnel.
This stage is also known as the top-funnel (ToFu). ToFu users are unlikely to convert. But, good to have if marketing can nurture them through other means – by email if users sign up, for example.
SEO can also bring bottom-funnel (BoFu) traffic – a.k.a. conversion traffic – if those money pages rank high enough on page one.
BoFu users are ready to buy. If you know which pages are converting, you can work to develop an SEO content strategy that helps these pages rank.
Search volume
Generally, your keywords with high search volumes will be your ToFu/awareness keywords, and your BoFu keywords will have lower search volumes.
Since the BoFu keywords convert, you’ll likely find them in your ads accounts.
Getting sidetracked by high-search keywords is easy, but you must remember that your goal is to get conversions and revenue, not just traffic.
The keywords you choose should be less volume-focused and more conversion-focused.
Ask yourself how your SEO content is helping those BoFu ranks.
Keyword difficulty
It is worth considering keyword difficulty. Like the competition metric on Google Keyword Planner, keyword difficulty indicates how easy or difficult it might be to rank for a particular keyword.
New sites might have a long road ahead to rank for seed keywords. In this instance, prioritize longer-tail keywords.
That said, topical authority is more important than keywords and difficulty. Although some of your keywords may not hit the top pages of Google sometime soon, you should consider adding pages with the keywords to the site anyway.
Topic coverage helps build E-E-A-T, and only some pieces of content have to rank immediately. In the interim, you can share the content through other marketing channels.
Do it well, or don’t do it at all
You can’t cut corners when creating content that ranks in SERPs.
Google wants to provide its users with the best possible experience and it’s not enough to just use keywords.
You need to be creating content that is highly valuable and genuinely useful.
If you’re looking at the competitor pages and seeing 3,000-word articles with video embeds and images, you should make your play for the keyword only when you can create something as good as those pages ranking.
Measure and improve for SEO success
As you build your SEO and content strategy, you’ll find that new opportunities will surface and take priority.
After a few months, you can refer back to that Google Search Console tip at the beginning of this article. Likely, new keywords will be ranking on the bottom of page one and onwards.
You’ll repeat the optimization process continually, building your content architecture and discovering new opportunities.
Once you’ve got your chosen cluster ranking and bringing in revenue, you can move on and repeat the process for a second cluster.
The post How to prioritize SEO keywords for content creation appeared first on Search Engine Land.
Courtesy of Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing
Friday, April 28th, 2023
If you’re interested in creating helpful content for your audience (and you should be), you should consider making a resource page.
It’s the best way to collect your top recommendations for products or services and promote the tools and resources you love and use in your business.
And as part of your content strategy, a resource page can add depth and value to your website.
Let’s go deeper into what a resource page is, why you should create one, and how to do it, plus resource page examples.
What is a resource page?
A resource page is a curated page that links to helpful resources, tools, apps, products, services, media, or websites that your audience may find useful.
(You may also know this page as a “recommended tools” page, an affiliate links page, or even a brand “toolbox.”)
A resource page is a one-stop shop for finding a brand’s recommended resources, including the tools or products its staff uses and loves in the company’s day-to-day business.
If you’re a solopreneur or freelancer, your resource page can be very personal and reflect your expertise. And, if you’ve built a following and an engaged audience, your resource page will be valuable for the people who trust your guidance.
There are three ways to approach a resource page:
- Use affiliate links. (This means you and the company of the product you recommend have an agreement – you earn a small commission from people who click your affiliate link and engage with that company.)
- Link to resources organically (because you love them and for no other reason).
- Include a mixture of affiliate and organic links.
Why you should create a resource page
The first and most important reason to create a resource page is the helpfulness factor.
- A resource page curated by you can help your audience discover tools, websites, and resources to help them solve problems they face.
- The resource page you create can be personalized with hand-picked links that you actually use, enjoy, or get value from – and since your expert opinion matters to your audience, they’ll care about the resources you recommend.
The second reason to create a resource page is if you’re involved with affiliate programs and want to maximize your income.
Including your links on a dedicated resource page in your top navigation gives your readers an easy way to find and engage with them.
But, remember – never create a resource page just to get people to click your affiliate links.
Instead, create this type of content to help your audience connect with great resources that have aided you during your own journey in your niche.
How to create a resource page with value
Anyone can throw together a list of links. To avoid the plague of thin, useless content, follow these steps to create a resource page with real value for your readers.
1. Gather links to your most trusted resources for your niche
This initial step in creating a resource page should be the easiest.
You simply need to gather a list of links to your favorite, most trusted tools, websites, products, services, etc. that relate to what you do in your niche.
For example, if you’re an expert baker who posts recipes, your resource page might be full of the baking tools you trust and use daily, like on this baking website:
Similarly, if you sell content marketing courses, your resource page would likely include a list of tools you use to make content marketing easier.
(Think SEO tools, content creation tools, your favorite website host, and the content calendar tool you depend on.)
Don’t include just any resources. Think about what would be most beneficial for your audience.
Finally, never recommend anything you haven’t actually used or liked. Honesty and transparency are essential for maintaining the trust between you and your audience.
2. Including affiliate links? Add a disclosure
If you plan to include affiliate links on your resource page, add a clear disclosure that you may earn a commission when your visitors click those links.
This isn’t just good practice for ethics and transparency – it’s also a requirement of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
The FTC considers linking to affiliate sites without disclosure to be deceptive advertising.
Luckily, the disclosure itself doesn’t have to be a big deal. A simple, clear statement at the top of your page will suffice. Here’s a great example from a photography website:
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3. Describe each resource and why you included it
Now we can start beefing up your resource page with useful content.
What will make your page useful beyond the links themselves?
Helpful descriptions that explain why you’re recommending each product, service, tool, etc., and why they’re valuable.
Here’s a good formula for describing the resources on your page:
- Introduce the product/service/tool/resource and explain what it does.
- Explain why you use it and trust it.
- List at least one way it could improve your reader’s life.
Your descriptions don’t have to be long, either. You can summarize each of the above points in one or two sentences. Here’s an example from Smart Passive Income:
Ultimately, this list of recommended tools is much more valuable because SPI describes how and why each tool is trustworthy and effective.
If, on the other hand, they just provided a list of links, you wouldn’t understand the value of any of them.
4. Organize and optimize your resource page
Again, don’t just throw a list of links on a page. Put some effort into organizing and optimizing your resource page so the most visitors will get the most use out of it.
Particularly, organize your resources into categories and add a heading (an H2 or an H3) to each one.
For example, if you have a list of media to consume to learn more about a topic, you could categorize the links by type of media, e.g., books, podcasts, videos, blog posts, courses, etc.
This wellness center, for instance, has a resource page for employees and their families that includes online fitness resources categorized by workout type:
Another option: If you regularly blog about great industry resources, collect them on one resource page, like Learn to Code With Me did:
5. Link to relevant content on your site
Yes, you can include your own content on your resource page, but take care – adding too much of your content can look a bit too self-promotional.
Instead, look for ways to mention or link to your content organically.
For instance, this travel blog includes their in-house tour company as one of the resources under their “tour companies” category.
However, the mention isn’t overtly salesy and looks even less so next to their other recommendations.
Another way to include your content on your resource page is to link to related blog posts.
Add these links in the descriptions for each category, such as, “Want to learn more about choosing a travel company? Check out our guide.”
6. Update your resource page regularly
Next, since your resource page is essentially a page full of links, you’ll want to make sure the links are working and accurate regularly.
For example, this can be a task you set as part of your regular website or content audit.
A quick way to check all the URLs on the page for dead links is to use a broken link checker.
Lastly, ensure your affiliate links are all accurate and working so it’s tracked each time someone is referred through your page to a product.
7. Link to your resource page in your other content
Once your resource page is created, link to it in your other content, including blogs and core site pages like your About Us page.
For example, a baking blog could link to its resources page whenever they talk about baking equipment. E.g., “The right size mixing bowl is essential to creating this recipe. Check out my resource page to see the large mixing bowls I use and love.”
Essentially, any “learn more” opportunity or mention in a blog could connect back to your resource page.
Of course, another great place to include a link to this content is right in your main menu. Learn to Code With Me does this well – its resource hub is located in the top menu under the heading “Where to learn.”
Those aren’t the only possibilities. Here are some other suggestions for linking to your resource page in your other content:
- Include a link in your site’s footer menu.
- Create a call-to-action banner or graphic to place strategically inside blogs.
- Add a link to your lead magnets, ebooks, or freebies.
- Create a perpetual link for your blog sidebar.
- Link to and promote your resource page in social media posts.
A resource page is helpful content
Correction: A resource page can be helpful content if you create it with the above steps in mind.
And that’s important because helpful content matters to your audience as part of their overarching experience of your brand. It also matters to Google, because the search engine wants to serve searchers content that helps them.
As you’ll remember, helpful content is:
- Created with a specific audience in mind.
- Has trust and credibility markers.
- Includes expertise from the creator(s).
- Meets the needs of the audience.
Created with care, your resource page can add value to your content strategy by educating your audience and strengthening your website. And those are worthy goals.
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Friday, April 28th, 2023
Google page experience was never a ranking “system” but is still considered a ranking “signal,” Danny Sullivan, Google’s Search Liaison, said this morning. Google emphasized that just because page experience was removed as a ranking system, it does not mean it does not reward pages that have a good page experience.
What changed. A week ago, Google removed page experience system, the mobile-friendly system, page speed system and the secure site system from its ranking systems page. Google also wrote, “The page experience update was a concept to describe a set of key page experience aspects for site owners to focus on.”
So Google seemed to have downplayed page experience signals as an overall ranking system.
We did email Google for a statement about this a week ago, and Google only referenced the line about page experience update being a concept but would not tell us anything more on the record.
Clarification. This morning, Sullivan wrote a long post on Twitter, saying, “This just meant these weren’t ranking *systems* but instead signals used by other systems.” Why did Google make this change? “We dropped the systems that were actually signals so that if people did go to that page in the future, they wouldn’t (hopefully) get confused,” he added.
“As our guidance on page experience says in the first sentence: Google’s core ranking systems look to reward content that provides a good page experience,” Sullivan said.
Signal not system. So Google said the page experience update/system was never a “system” but is still considered a ranking signal. “Taking them off didn’t mean we no longer consider aspects of page experience,” Sullivan said.
Why we care. Continue to provide a good page experience. Google said it is still a ranking signal, while not being a ranking system. Of course, you should have always provided a good page experience, even if it is not a Google ranking system. Heck, even if it is not a ranking signal, which Google says it is, but even if it was not, you should still provide a good page experience to your users.
That being said, this may clarify some confusion on this topic, or this may create even more confusion.
My advice? For SEO, focus on providing outstanding content that helps your users. Build content and a website that go above and beyond your competitors. Make sure that users can access that content, and that they have a good experience while consuming that content on desktop and mobile.
Do not obsess about making sure you score 100s across all Core Web Vital metrics. Core Web Vitals is not that big of a ranking signal. You know better if your site is providing a good page experience than a third-party tool from Google.
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Friday, April 28th, 2023
Pinterest just announced a significant advertising partnership with Amazon.
How it works. When Pinterest users encounter an Amazon ad, they will be directed to Amazon’s website to complete their purchase.
Timeline. The integration of Amazon ads will be rolled out over several quarters, with no specific details on ad placement or short-term revenue forecasts. Pinterest does not expect any significant impact on its revenue until next year.
The multi-year collaboration will make Amazon the first-ever third-party advertising partner on Pinterest, according to a blog post released with the company’s first-quarter earnings report.
Moving away from creator tools and into shopping. Some of the creator-focused initiatives introduced recently were scaled back prior to Pinterest’s disappointing revenue performance in the previous quarter.
The partnership with Amazon could offer a more seamless shopping experience for users, as most Amazon customers already have their payment information on file, leading to faster checkouts.
What Pinterest says. In a blog post, Pinterest said:
“This milestone partnership will add to the great brands already on the platform and provide more comprehensiveness, shoppability, and a best-in-class buying experience for users, along with greater performance for brands and advertisers,” said Bill Ready, CEO of Pinterest. “This aligns with our goal of making every Pin shoppable, so that we can enable as many users as possible to bring their dreams to life.”
Dig deeper. Read more about the partnership on the Pinterest blog.
Why we care. This new opportunity presents a unique way to reach a highly engaged audience with strong commercial intent. The collaboration could provide a seamless shopping experience, connecting users from inspiration to action more effectively.
By leveraging Amazon’s robust advertising capabilities and Pinterest’s large user base, advertisers can potentially achieve higher conversion rates and increased return on ad spend, positioning their brands for success in a dynamic digital landscape.
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