Believe it or not, we have been hearing that SEO is dead every year since Richard Hoy first claimed it on the Online Advertising Discussion List in 1997, and yet, SEO is still one of the most in-demand digital marketing services and skills. The most common reasons given for why SEO is dead are updates to Google’s search algorithm that … Read More
What Google’s Keyword Matching Update Means for Your Brand
Agency POV Google recently announced that they will be making significant changes to the way phrase and broad match modifier (BMM) keywords trigger ads for various search terms. Essentially Phrase and BMM keywords will be combined into one overarching match type. The current Phrase match type will expand to cover broad match modifier traffic while still leveraging word order when … Read More
Make Your SEO and PPC Strategies Work Together
Search engine optimization (SEO) and pay per click (PPC) are two digital marketing channels that direct traffic to your website. Though the two approaches to capturing clicks from the search engine result pages (SERPs) are unique — SEO is “earned” media and PPC is paid — they work most optimally when they are used together. Therefore, your SEO and PPC … Read More
Three Ways to Maximize Brand Awareness During a Recession
The Digital Marketing landscape is rapidly changing under the economic pressure of the Coronavirus Pandemic. Agencies and Brands have needed to be agile to stay ahead of shifts and trends that could have a significant impact on client goals. From our work to help some of the leading health, wellness, and lifestyle brands across the country navigate these uncertain times, … Read More
Diet & Nutrition Search Trends Today, in Light of The Coronavirus Pandemic
The novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has altered almost every single aspect of people’s daily lives in at least 177 countries (and counting) across the globe. As seen in empty grocery store aisles and “Not in Stock” labels on Amazon, people’s buying habits have drastically shifted right alongside the spread of the virus. Along with hand sanitizer and toilet paper (here’s an … Read More
More People are Searching for “Coronavirus” Than “COVID-19” Right Now
We are certainly at an odd moment in time, and today there are more questions than answers regarding the development of the Coronavirus pandemic. The vast majority of those questions are being made as online search queries. As news and updates on the rapidly evolving Coronavirus pandemic continue to inundate inboxes and newsfeeds across the country, many of our clients … Read More
Segmenting Branded and Non-Branded Keywords to Maximize Your Media Spend
Chances are, your organization is already employing both branded and non-branded keywords in your Paid Media (PPC) and SEO programs. But, the key to really knowing the impact of those branded keywords on conversion results is through segmentation. First, let’s define our terms. What is a Branded Keyword? Branded keywords include some aspect of your company’s name, such as: ‘Backpacker’s … Read More
Who Will be Most Impacted by the Google January 2020 Core Update
The Google January 2020 Core Update is complete On January 13th 2020, Google announced the release of a broad core algorithm update. Of course, this is by no means novel. Updates like these typically happen on a quarterly basis and tend to roll out over a period of a few to several days. According to Google, last week’s update was … Read More
Preparing for Voice Search (Part 3 of 3) – Informational Search Optimization
Voice search is a hot topic of 2019. In the first of this three-part series, we laid out some statistics that suggest consumers are rapidly adopting this emerging technology. How do marketers capitalize on this growth? The first step is to understand how voice search platforms are sourcing content for their results. In part two, we analyzed voice search results … Read More
Branded vs Non-Branded Keyword Performance: Why Does It Matter?
If your PPC and SEO programs include both branded and non-branded keywords, it is critical to analyze performance across these keyword categories separately. Using blended data will lead to inaccurate assumptions that can negatively impact your budget allocation and keep optimization opportunities hidden from view. Branded vs Non-Branded Keywords As the name suggests, branded keywords contain your company’s brand name in … Read More
Preparing for Voice Search (Part 2 of 3) – Brick & Mortar Optimization
In part one of this series, we looked at some compelling adoption statistics for voice search as well as fundamental differences between voice and traditional search. In part two, we look at some ways that brick and mortar businesses can maximize their exposure in localized searches – searches with a geographic modifier, such as ‘near me’ or ‘in boulder’ – … Read More
Preparing for Voice Search (Part 1 of 3)
Do you like talking to inanimate objects? I hope so, because voice search is on the rise. Voice-operated platforms like Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa, as well as voice-activated apps in cars, on mobile phones and just about anywhere else you can imagine, are taking a growing share of all searches performed on a daily basis. Here are just a … Read More
SEO: Not Just for The Top of The Funnel
SEO Can Be Present at All Stages of Customer Journey Often the first touchpoint of the customer experience, SEO should be an integral component of your entire purchase funnel or loyalty loop. Far more than a one-time project, comprehensive SEO is an ongoing digital marketing effort that factors heavily into each phase of the customer journey, including awareness, demand, … Read More
Top 10 SEO Problems with Legacy Websites
Looking into the workings of your old website can be a lot like looking in your attic – you don’t get up there very much and when you do, you find lots of stuff that isn’t any good. And, you occasionally locate items that you should probably get rid of or fix. Since your site was built and deployed, many … Read More
Making the Most of Branded Search Results
The main objective of many SEO efforts is to attract new customers from search engine referrals, meaning potential customers that do not already know about your products or services. These ‘non-branded’ SEO search visits provide an opportunity to introduce your company to those prospects that may not know you. But what about visits from prospects that are looking for … Read More
3 Ways Paid Search can Support SEO
Paid search and SEO are two very different techniques, but their end goal is the same; to drive visitors to your website. And while running a PPC campaign compared to optimizing a site are quite distinct, the information gleaned from your paid search campaigns can prove to be useful for SEO initiatives. Here are three ways you can use your … Read More
Adding Site Search to the SERPs with Schema Markup and Google’s Sitelinks Search Box
Schema markup expands the capabilities of a website and opens up new opportunities for optimizing and improving the site for crawlability and indexability. It also allows for some features that improve the experience of using the site and interacting with it through the SERPs. In this post we are sharing the markup needed to allow the internal site search of … Read More
The Downfalls of Infinite Scroll Websites on SEO
Infinite scrolling often creates beautiful websites that are easy to use. The fact that you never have to click a link to navigate to other areas of the site makes it extremely user friendly. And with everything on one page, the content can be cohesive, which naturally and visually leads you through each section. However, this solution does … Read More
Identifying a Google Penalty
The aftermath of a Google algorithm update can leave a lot of sites underwater. If you are following Google’s webmaster guidelines and providing value through relevant and fresh content you won’t have a problem, but it is nice to have peace of mind. Checking to see if your site was affected by an algorithm is fairly straightforward. If for … Read More
Mobile Friendliness is Becoming a Ranking Signal
Mobile Friendliness is Becoming a Ranking Signal On April 21, 2015, Google will officially make mobile friendliness a ranking signal. As a result, they say it will significantly impact search results and will affect mobile searches in all languages worldwide. The main reason for this update is the growth in mobile device use. People are using their mobile … Read More