Marketing on the Web
Google released an update called Hummingbird in September of 2013. The update shifted the focus of SEO away from direct match phrases towards rich topical discussions. I suspect this was in part due to the shift in search volume to phones, and more specifically, Google's ability to search from voice requests. Google now understands parts of speech and that one question may relate to a previous question. As an example someone might search "where is the Eiffel tower" and then follow with "how tall...
MoreHTTPS Everywhere
Google has announced that https: (secure) connections are preferred and that sites using https: will enjoy a ranking advantage over https: (non-secure) sites. This video discusses some of the common pitfalls that occur when people switch.
MoreGoogle Certified Partner
Marketing on the web is excited to be a certified Google Partner. Google Partners are online marketing companies trusted by Google. Partner companies must not only obtain AdWords certification, but their businesses must be healthy, their customers happy, and they must employ Google's best practices. Press Release
MoreSummer Learning Series
Marketing on the Web and the Ad4 group are conducting a Summer Learning Series - Huntsville area businesses can learn about Internet Marketing. The initial seminar is a high-level discussion intended to provide managers the information they need to understand Marketing on the Internet, with subsequent sessions focused on how to. Click here to register. https://ad4group.com/shop/marketing-on-the-web-summer-series/
MoreContent is King, now more than ever!
I was in a discussion with a client recently who was impressed by a competitor's website. It was graphically stark and almost completely devoid of text. While it was attractive, I am betting the site's traffic volume of search is extremely low. There was a time when we could make a page rank just by the strength of information pointing to it, but that is no longer the case. Your pages must have good clear content to be found in the search results.
MoreGetting Your Business Online by Google
I am always happy to provide Internet Marketing advise to people who call, and to that end, here's a great video from Google on the basics of getting your business online.
MoreYoast SEO Plug-in Exclude Category Warning
I use Yoast's SEO plug-in on the WordPress sites that I work with. I haven't always used Yoast's plug-in, but once it came along I switched everything over and haven't looked back. It's a great plug-in that I highly recommend to tune WordPress sites for search. I ran across a warning a few days ago that a feature is being discontinued and I wanted to alert my readers. The message is burred in the Permalinks settings of the plug-in, and it's marks a pretty significant change that could break i...
MoreYour Brand in a Digital World
In the pre-internet world, marketers said there were three things that were important; location, location, and location. It was important to be where your prospects could find you. In small towns, it might have been the square, or on a busy corner, as we moved to the suburbs it became the mall. Successful businesses often worked to assure their buildings and signage projected an image. The kind of image that people would like, remember and want to return to. And of course no one expected to b...
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