Search and social media marketing spend remains strong – new report
Digital marketing budgets in search engine and social media marketing are continuing to rise despite challenging economic conditions, according to research released today.
The UK Search Engine Benchmark Report, published in association with NetBooster, has for the past five years shown that companies have continuously invested in the opportunities present in SEO, paid search and social media marketing.
Google launches enhanced listings for brands
With the release of Google+ in September 2011, businesses have been looking to see how the platform can assist in their digital marketing efforts.
In particular, companies have been keen to see how Google+ can impact on search engine marketing.
Successful content marketing doesn’t require a zoo
Content marketing requires many things to be successful; luckily a Zoo isn’t one of them.
That said, you can definitely learn a thing or two from “We bought a Zoo” author Benjamin Mee.
I won’t bore you with all the details of who Benjamin is, but if you’re interested you should visit the Dartmoor Zoological Park website or watch this short video.
Benjamin’s book was published in 2008. Since then it has become a film and the Zoo has enjoyed a significant amount of interest from the world’s media.
This isn’t a typical content marketing story and it’s true to say Benjamin had a huge advantage having been a professional writer, however you can learn a number of things from his success.
Is SEO a science?
Is SEO a science, Yes, says Mike Baxter, Lead Consultant on Econsultancy's Digital Certificate in Search Engine Optimisation
Econsultancy recently launched the UK's first university accredited Digital Certificates, which focus on strengthening digital marketing skills for those looking to begin or develop their careers in this industry.
Here, Mike discusses the value of the certifcates, and explains why SEO is a science, not an art...
US and UK newspaper sites: who’s leading the way on Google +?
Despite its relative youth, Google+ now has over 100 million signed up user accounts and many big brands have at least created a presence on the site.
But you might expect major media sites to be leading the way, given the potential to share content and drive traffic. So how well are national newspapers in the UK and US doing when it comes to Google+, and who’s leading the way?
The impact of negative SEO: the experts' view
Negative SEO is not a new concept but it is one that has recently become more mainstream. These are underhanded tactics where companies do SEO activity for their competitors so it appears that they are breaching Google's guidelines and they get penalized.
This SEO campaign then ruins the competitor's organic rankings in order to improve their own rankings. The most common practice is to build low quality, anchor text links to a specific domain in order to trigger a Google penalty for that site or specific page.
We asked some SEO experts in the UK and US their opinions on negative SEO, what techniques are being used and how you can prevent it from happening to you.
Dictionary of marketing swearwords. 1: Linkbait
Linkbait [ lingk bayt ] SEO noun: the process of creating and promoting content that's primarily designed to attract links.
Standard form: "we need to create some linkbait".
Active form: "that's an AWESOME piece of linkbait!"
Passive form: "...the client's just been sold three pieces of linkbait per month".
Modern form: "It's not linkbait anymore man, it's all about Likebait now".
Here's some more detail on this swearword...
Why forward thinking is the best way to plan your SEO
An interesting recent blog from Joost de Valk set out an ‘ethical’ stance for SEOs, arguing that ‘outing’ bad practice is healthy and an important way of preserving the reputation of the industry.
The basic thread is that SEO should be built on foundations of quality and integrity, not just an obsessive drive for short-term results.
It’s clear that the SEO industry is still drawn on the whole black hat vs. white hat issue. What is ethical to one person can be unethical to the next.
Despite this internal dilemma, with still more than 80% global market share, it is what Google thinks that dictates a lot of SEO strategy.
This blog is a reasoned view based on my own opinion and learning from various reports, blogs and Twitter conversations...
Q&A: Andy Betts on proprietary technology within SEO
One of the trends highlighted in the recently updated SEO Agencies Buyer’s Guide is that client demands are pushing innovation and the development of proprietary technology – both in-house, and at agencies.
These changes are also impacting on the client/agency relationship.
To explore this theme further, I spoke to independent digital consultant Andy Betts, one of the contributors to the guide.
Google’s semantic search set to revolutionise SEO
Well co-ordinated press releases over the past couple of weeks provide a hint at what Google has up its sleeve.
We believe it will mark one of the most significant changes to search engine marketing since AdWords was launched.
In fact, this could be the beginning of the end of search results as we know them...
