All posts by brainwork

Digital Marketing
Internet

Ever-Growing Stature of Digital Marketing

Leave a comment

The digital revolution has gained prominence in the last decade or so, which is evident from the deluge of technologies, coupled with the advent of online shopping portals, mobile apps, and expansion of global media. Before the digital revolution set into effect, digital marketers trained their focus on creating compelling ads and TV commercials. In addition, some of them splashed the billboards with their creativity. However, the scope of marketing has evolved in a big way since then and technology has facilitated online marketing activities as they seek to reach out to target audience through thousands of channels. In addition, there is a considerable shift in focus towards a data-driven approach to marketing. This has brought better insight to marketers into customer behavior.

E-mail: Essential to Digital Success

It is worth noting that as far as digital marketing is concerned, online data is pivotal to success and marketers should assume responsibility for compiling online data sets into a database. Regardless of the fact that a digital marketing company is equipped with all the relevant offline data, including name, mailing address, and telephone number, one cannot overlook e-mail as one of the most cost-effective tools of digital marketing.

Broadening Role of Data in Digital Arena

While e-mail is just another tool to address the target audience, additional strategies such as paid search advertising and content marketing are gaining popularity in the digital landscape. Considering the fact that marketers have braced themselves for on-line messaging, data has become ever-critical.

Apart from traditional data, it includes social posts and information concerning transactions and searches.

Google Algorithm
News

Google Optimizes It’s Ranking Algorithm With Markup Changes

Leave a comment

Since time immemorial, structured data and markups have helped webmasters create search result snippets richer. Usually initiated with a goal to increase the click-through rate from organic search results on leading search engines, most users miss on higher SERP rankings due to lack of attention on quality markup language.

Google from time and time again uses modifications in the ranking algorithm to make a web page rank better. Of course, adding structured markups to your pages won’t directly lead to a better PR.

But, that all may soon change!

In a recent Google Hangout session with Google’s Webmaster Trends Analyst, John Mueller, it came into spotlight that over the course of the next few months or years, structured markup is something that might go into the Search Engine rankings.

According to Mueller, Google currently doesn’t use this [markups] for ranking purpose. But over time, it may gradually start using it. Explaining concisely, he added: “If we can recognize someone looking for a car, we can tell them, we have these pages that are marked up with structured data of a car. This can be pretty useful in depicting results that really matter.”

Of course it makes sense to use structured data for depicting relevant results, but one shouldn’t assume that using structured data markup can make a site jump up in the rankings automatically. A structured data markup can only help a search engine distinguish between a site that is done technically well, and one that has great content.

Social Media
SEO

Leverage Social Dimension of Digital Marketing

Leave a comment

Reverend digital marketers seek to establish themselves among the big market players. However, as the time has passed on, these marketers have recognized another uncharted dimension of the digital landscape in social signals for SEO. At the beginning of 2014, Google came forth with admissions that social signals are not integrated into the scheme of their ranking algorithms. However, nothing can undermine the social dimension of digital marketing. Moreover, it is worth noting that social is a major driving force to pull down traffic, originating both organically and via paid channels.

Domain Authority

Although there is no evident data testifying to the role of social signals as a vital and decisive force in the domain authority, some results over the years have made a strong suggestion to its potential in enhancing the overall authority of a website. As traffic draws in towards your website from trusted channels, it takes the value of your site a notch higher. Further, Google regards these social signals with ‘brand signals’.

Social Link Building

Traditional link building has undergone a rapid transformation over the years and authority link building should be a vital aspect to SEO strategies. However, natural links cannot be overlooked, regardless of the fact that managing them is an intricate art. In addition, social links hold inherent authority, especially in case they have redirected from reliable social media platforms.

Content Syndication
Content Writing

Syndication – A Key to Publishing Great Content Online

Leave a comment

Although syndication is an effective way to rehash existing blog material, if done improperly, it may bring the Google wrath upon you. So how can you use syndication judiciously? In this article, we’ll give a run-up of strategies that you can use to publish great content online using syndication.

What is Syndication?

Syndication is the process of publishing one blog on multiple places. To a newbie, syndication may look an awfully lot like duplicate content. However, there’s a minute difference between the two. While duplicate content is all about copy, pasting. Syndication uses certain precautionary measures that protect the content from getting dinged by search engines.

Syndicating the Content: Right Way

Syndicating content the right way requires inserting tags that alert Google about the blog. Here are the three effective strategies you may use on your next blog to ensure that your content is syndicated safely and effectively:

  1. Writing a recap or prelude: One of the safest and easiest ways to syndicate content to your website is to write recaps. Your recap or prelude needs to contain the name, the platform on which the content was originally publish and some filler text.
  2. Use Cross-Domain Canonical Tag: As fancy as the name may sound, Cross-Domain Canonical Tag is essential for your write-up. By using this tag, you signal Google about the original source of the content.
  3. Use No-Index Meta Tags: No-index meta tags specify the spiders to keep the original copy of the content, but exclude the syndicated copy from its index. It acts as a linking-pin between the source and the current piece.

Apart from these three tips, always finish your post with a call-to-action text, and there you have it. An awesome, great piece of syndicated content that won’t bear any wrath from Google!

News

Become Reverend Marketer with SEO Tools

Leave a comment

SEO is a constantly evolving field and the advent of technology has further given much-needed thrust to it. As more and more business continue to tap into the capabilities abound of internet, we have been deluged with a wide array of tools, which are being employed in the SEO arena. Further, such tools have streamlined major operations of essence in the SEO and have changed the face of the way we accomplished SEO in the past.

SEM Rush

SEM Rush

SEMrush is a powerful tool, which is utilized into gauging whether our website has adequate quotient of health or not. Further, during our operations to gain outreach and accomplish link-building activities, we employ SEMrush in order to check into the number of keywords ranked for by the website in Google. In addition, In case we come across sites boasting of high volume of inbound links but still there exists no keyword, ranked in SEMrush, then there are chances that those sites have been penalized. In addition, we can look into the aspect of organic traffic to measure out if any massive drop has struck the site. In the event of it, we understand that visit to the site will render our purpose ineffective. Additionally, we employ SEMrush into the domain of keyword research. We take the note of top sites, featuring against a primary keyword. In the subsequent course of action, we peruse the websites for the keywords, which they have been ranked for. Combination of keywords list with a number of sites in the industry would yield an exhaustive keywords list.

BuzzSumo

BuzzSumo is touted to be more of a social tool than SEO tool. However, in the recent times, it has been the case that social media and SEO have become inalienably integrated into each other. This has prompted the need for BuzzSumo into the arena of SEO activities. BuzzSumo is chiefly utilized in the search for ideas regarding visual, social, and blog content. Once repository of keywords has been created, these keywords are looked for in BuzzSumo. The purpose behind it is to churn out the ways of entitling the content. Moreover, BuzzSumo comes across as a one-stop solution when we seek to employ brainstorming to acquire ideas for new info-graphics.

In the end, it is worth concluding that a large number of online marketing companies have integrated standardized SEO practices into their operations. Also, such tools are pivotal to effective SEO practices. Thus, in order to reap the most out of your association with the SEO Company make it a point to ensure that aforementioned tools are employed into operations of the company.

Sundar Pichai
News

Sundar Pichai Takes Over Google Incumbency

Leave a comment

The moment, which had been long overdue, finally surfaced on 10th August 2015, when Sundar Pichai, an IIT-alumnus was announced as the new CEO of Google Minus (a slimmed down version of Google). This announcement was an outcome of re-structuring, which prompted creation of a mother company, Alphabet.

Brainchilded Google Chrome

Sundar has climbed up the verticals in a very short span of time. Started out at Google in 2004, when he was assigned to building the Google Toolbar, which allowed Google to be a default search engine on different browsers, the course of next few years saw him taking over Chrome, Google’s web browser. The introduction of Chrome to the world in 2008 had created waves in the tech world as tech buffs cast doubts on the capabilities of Chrome to stack up against Internet Explorer and Firefox.

Glorious Journey Marked with Glorious Achievements

As the time rolled on, Sundar bagged more feathers to his cap and assumed the role of vice-president. Subsequently, he was promoted to the position of senior vice-president in the year 2013 following his expanding portfolio, when he nailed down Android into his covetous achievements. In the ensuing course of activities, he was placed into the role of Google’s product chief and he assumed the responsibility for the management of affairs of Google software products including YouTube.

News

Google Tests New Mobile Interface With “Slow to Load” Label

Leave a comment

Considering the surge in the number of Smartphone users worldwide, Google treated its visitors with a couple of delightful surprises last week.

According to the CMO’s Guide to Mobile Marketing, over the past 4 years, Smartphone usage had grown by 394% and tablet usage had been up by 1,721%. Moreover, the combined usage of both these platforms was estimated to account for 60% of the entire digital media time of an individual.

Thus, tapping on the vast possibilities of the growth in Smartphone and mobile devices, earlier this week, Google tested its newest features for mobile devices. The new test by Google revealed the Google logo centred atop the search results, with a large search box beneath and a minimalist blue navigational menu.

Apart from the cosmetic change, the red “slow label” test by Google back in February was revived once again. When, a little yellow warning sign was placed next to the websites that load slow on the Google search results.

The explosive growth in mobile device usage has raised the bar for emerging businesses worldwide. And, with Google rolling out new features, it’s time that your organization learns to connect with its target consumer.

Online Marketing
SEO

The Untapped Power of Online Marketing

Leave a comment

With more and more lives plugging into the digital sphere, most reputed brands have started realizing the importance of establishing an online presence. However, saying that, it is worth pointing out that many of these brands still lack the power to carve an effective presence online.

Reasons Why Your Business Needs Online Marketing

The online world is dynamic, fluid and evolving at an incredible rate. Therefore, brands that wish to drive potential consumers through online marketing channels are at boom. Here are the top five reasons why businesses across the globe are looking for a strong online marketing campaign.

  • Personalization: Unlike other forms of advertisement, where promotional messages reach a wider audience. Online marketing campaigns are far more customer-centric. Based on the browsing, purchasing history and preferences, such campaigns reflect highly convertible, targeted ads.
  • Reach consumers with specific interests: Online marketing appeals to specific interests, rather than a broad demographic. Therefore, through online marketing, advertisement can be served according to the age, gender, geography and other general factors.
  • Cost effectiveness: When compared to conventional modes of advertisement, online marketing campaigns are extremely cost effective. For example: a free listing on Google Locals can be just as effective as a costly Yellow Pages advertisement.
  • Long-Term Results: Online campaigns increase web visibility, thereby giving a brand significant head start over competitors.

    • When people view an advertisement, either on a newspaper or magazine, they usually tend to discard it for an interesting article or news. Online marketing campaigns encourage visitors to take action, visit their website and read more about the product or service being offered. Give your business a boost and kick-start your advertisement campaign by contacting a reputed online marketer right away!

    SEO

    3 Reasons Why SEO Still Rules The Roost

    Leave a comment

    Turning the clock a few years back in time, business owners were really concerned about Search Engine optimization. They would spend countless hours on manual link building and White Hat SEO. But that all seemingly faded away with the advent of automated tools such as: Penguin, Xrummer, White Hat SEO etc.

    From being a necessity at one point in time, today many rumors have started floating about the usefulness of SEO. Many experts claim that SEO is dead and that all you need is a good website for promotion.

    Against these and other myths associated with Search Engine optimization, here are the top three reasons why you should be willing to invest in digital marketing campaigns and White Hat SEO.

    Debunking the SEO Myth

    It is worth pointing out that in 2015, SEO still stands at the forefront of digital advertisement. Consider SEO as an investment that takes time and money to attract quality traffic. If money and time are properly invested, SEO helps in increasing the ROI due to the following three critical factors.

    Accumulating Traffic:

    If you are building a website from scratch and looking for quality organic traffic, SEO is the way to go. Websites of small businesses usually experience a 30%, 50% or even 100% growth in organic traffic per year.So, for example a website has 100 unique visitors from organic traffic per month, it is quite realistic to assume that the same website may have 500,700 or even 1000 unique visitors per month through “white hat” SEO techniques.

    Multiplier Effect

    While there is no sure-way to predict the exact search queries, SEO gives your business a distinct advantage with its multiplier effect. White Hat SEO helps you to exploit search engine algorithms to your advantage. A well planned SEO campaign targets certain subsets of keyword terms relevant to the website’s niche. It automatically targets 100s of different keyword terms that your website will rank for.

    Long Term Gains

    If you’ve ever spent on Google Adword campaign, you would known that the moment the campaigns are off, the paid traffic that flows also stops. The only way to build a smooth inflow of web traffic is by investing on SEO. SEO campaigns can help you dominate the Google rankings much easier.

    News

    Shopping Feed Spec Updates Announced by Google

    Leave a comment

    A few days ago, Google announced a number of changes to their feed specifications for Shopping Campaigns. While some of these changes are expected to affect only certain markets, there are others that may affect advertisers globally.

    These changes go into effect from September 15th, 2015. Advertisers can log on to Google to see if their feeds comply with the new specifications mentioned under the Diagnostic tab within Google Merchant Center.

    Here’re the highlights of the current update:

    Google Shopping Feed Specification

    • Units & Quantity attributes are now available for products sold in bulk for US users.
    • Guiding Principles around the ID Attribute and GTINs have now been tightened.
    • Apparel and Variants will now be available under a new section described as Detailed Product Attributes and Item Groupings.
    • Users can use his ID from the new list of Google Product Category IDS, rather than conventionally having to enter the complete Product Category path.
    • The requirements for GTINs and ID Attributes have been tightened.
    • Shipping requirements which enable the total price to show to users, has been extended to Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Italy, Spain and Japan.

    Improvements brought to the Product Taxonomy are only recommendations and not rules. However, some categories have been retooled significantly. These include: Arts & Crafts, Decor, Hardware, Sporting Goods and motor Vehicle Parts.

    Moreover, many child categories have been eliminated from the list. The full list of 2015 changes is now available on Google Merchant Center Help.