Clients ask about SEO vs. PPC, which is better. Like so many things, the answer depends. Before we look at the question, let’s be sure we are on the same page regarding what SEO and PPC are. SEO Definition SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, refers to the activity focused on getting a web page to…
Author: steve
Digital marketer with deep experience in paid and organic search engine marketing driven by website analytics.
Google Organic Update: Fred?
They are calling it Fred. That’s the name being given to the Google update that hit on March 8th. It is getting a lot of attention in the SEO worlds, as you can imagine. No one really knows what the change is, but the speculation is that it relates to inbound linking. Every time Google…
reprieve from the unskippable 30-second YouTube ad is on the way
Looks like a reprieve from the unskippable 30-second video YouTube ad is on the way. According to the british site Campaign Live, Google is doing away with the ad format on YouTube. Considering Google emphasis on mobile, and their push for advertisers to adapt a mobile first mindset, the unskippable 30-second video is arcane. Though…
Google Dropped Organic Site Links & Some impressions dropped
Google Organic Search Metrics Google Search Console (GSC)/ webmaster tools provides insights into the way users see your organic Google SERPs. Unfortunately, the dashboard data only goes back 90 days, so when Google makes a change, it is difficult to normalize the data. So, here is what changed: For some websites, Google displayed site links…
Creating Custom Targets in A few steps
It used to be that getting precise targeting was available to advertisers with big names and big budgets. In the past couple of years the ability to target specific groups has been opened to small and medium sized advertisers as well. The options for implementing custom targeting are many, but advertisers can start with the…
Top 3 roadblocks to using marketing analytics
No objective / plan In the 4th quarter of every year companies start planning for the upcoming year. The problem is that the planning starts with budgets. They look at what was spent over the past year, consider if the activities will remains consistent or change and adjust the budget accordingly, or just arbitrarily cut…
Social Proof – a few simple things for big results
We see social proof all around us. From celebrity endorsements on the high end to ratings and reviews on the more common programs. Social proof can come in many forms, but it comes down to people believing in you because others believe it you. Take advantage of this in digital marketing and you’ll see increased…
Google’s Penguin Goes Real Time
Last month Google hit us with two pretty major changes to the search algorithm. The first was a straightforward update in early September. When this hit, we saw most programs take a slight dip and then recover after about a week. But, then Google announced that they will incorporate Penguin into the core algorithm as…
Hyper targeting ads on facebook
This past week I conducted a workshop at SCORE Chicago, which is a business mentoring organization for small – to mid sized companies associated with the SBA. The content was marketing on Facebook. We covered the basics of setting up a social media presence, engaging on Facebook (and others) as well as Facebook Advertising. While most…
UTM Tracking for Your Google Analytics
Okay, starting with a couple of assumptions. 1. You care about knowing where your website traffic is coming from and finding better places from which to get it. 2. You have, or are willing to get, Google Analytics (GA) setup on your site. If you are putting links in social media or paid advertising, you…