Econsultancy’s colossal digital marketing jargon buster

Language tends to ebb and flow quickly in the marketing and tech world. Stop reading industry blogs for six months and when you come back, you’ll find new phrases in fashion.

This glossary compiled by Christopher Ratcliff is by no means definitive, but it’ll give you some background on the most common concepts in digital marketing.

There’s no shame in not knowing what PPC stands for on day one, but be aware that your potential colleagues will soon expect you to talk the talk.

If you’re writing content for a marketing team, you’ll be expected to understand how to write for different media, so it’s not enough to be just a good writer – context is key.

15 indispensable content marketing tips

Developing the right content is not mere guesswork. Understanding the very basics of content strategy is a good place to start. How to plan content that your customers need and will give you a competitive advantage.

Before we move on to some specifics of SEO and analytics, these 15 tips will talk you through a recipe for effective content.

periodic table of content marketing

What SEO beginners need to know: a basics skills guide

You’ve been given the license to write content and you think you understand what to write, and for whom.

However, without some background reading around SEO, you could potentially limit the visibility of your work or, even worse, detract from the authority of your site.

Start your reading with this basic guide and you’re away.

Seven Google Analytics tips for beginners

Analytics; logging in for the first time may feel like jumping in at the deep end. Though Google Analytics is undoubtedly the most powerful tool to assess your content’s efficacy, you must be clear what you want from it.

Patricio Robles here advises on how best to approach using GA, without getting carried away or bamboozled.

There are also some further links within to specific Google Analytics actions, such as creating custom reports.

How to use Google Analytics URL Builder to track campaigns

On to some specifics. Tracking traffic to a website from social media, email, advertising and other websites, may seem like a scary prospect in the abstract.

Actually, with a standard implementation of Google Analytics, it’s not.

Google does give an explanation of how to use its URL Builder, but why not follow our equally simple step-by-step guide to get started.

Knowing how simple it can be to track some traffic sources is a good primer for understanding the success of your content.

Google URL builder

google url builder

18 useful Google Analytics custom reports, segments and dashboards for SEO

Another helping hand with reporting on and optimising content, check out these downloadable dashboards. A lot of analytics is simply getting the tool to show you the insights you crave.

Thankfully, analysts have already done this and can share their reports, which are easily added to your own Google Analytics account.

That means as soon as you have access to analytics, you can add a report to show traffic-referring sites and associated conversions (for example), showing your employer you can use tools to gain practical insight.

14 examples of evergreen content formats that work wonders

Context aside, understanding how to keep content fresh or ‘evergreen’ without retreading old ground can be an acquired skill.

Here’s a post from Graham Charlton with some suggestions as to how you can mix up the format and avoid writer’s block. 

30+ SEO tools to make your life easier

In this post you’ll find tools to help with keyword research, optimising pages for search, performing link analysis, spotting stolen content, and tracking ranking and social success.

Even without a role, playing around with these tools will give you an idea of what SEO is about and help to demystify a process that can seem daunting in theory.

Most of the suggestions are free, so try them for size and bookmark the ones that work for you; none of them are essential. Remember, because a dashboard looks complicated doesn’t mean the subject matter is.

Majestic SEO dashboard

majestic seo

A content manager’s practical guide to doing just enough SEO

If you want more of an understanding of the day-to-day SEO duties that might lie with a content manager, here’s a post to suit.

Most of these activities are about creating clear and consistent experiences for users (good site speed, ease of navigation etc) whilst nipping some warning signs in the bud (website errors).

Again, this is not an exhaustive list and should be seen as practical (even boring!) advice.

17 visualisation tools to make your data beautiful

As content online involves to become ever richer (more gifs, video and interactivity), being a mere writer may leave you feeling a little impotent.

However, even without any photoshop or iMovie expertise, there are plenty of online software services that allow you to make something look good for free (or cheaply).

Here’s a collection of some of those tools. Some are more specialist than others; start with Piktochart and reassure yourself that a lack of design chops need not be permanent. 

There’s plenty more across Econsultancy’s research and blog to help those new to the industry. Just keep reading and don’t reserve too much reverence for professed experts.