Content Marketing World, We Found A Home
This recent video from Content Marketing Institute Founder Joe Pulizzi, provides some background into how Content Marketing World came to be. If you are big or small brand, B2B, B2C, or virtually any organization that creates content this conference is for you. Scheduled this year for Sept 4-6 in Columbus, Content Marketing World is now the largest content marketing conference in the world. TopRank is proud to be one of 4 exclusive media sponsors along with Copyblogger Media, Social Media Examiner and SmartBusiness Content Marketing.
Forget Big Brother – What About Giant Google?
Last week Google released its full FCC report which contained information about data collection from unsecured Wi-Fi connections. It appears that Google’s Street View cars were not only taking photos of streets, but were also intercepting email and SMS traffic. Read more to see what else Google has up their sleeve. Via Forbes.
Searcher Personas Driving Landing Page Design
Determining what drives your customers to purchase is invaluable information for any online marketer. Using searcher personas to determine what techniques to use for your landing pages will improve targeting and therefore your results. What motivates people to click? Read on to find out more. Via Search Engine Land.
Google Keeps It Real (Time)
Google News is getting an upgrade. Google will begin rolling out further integration between Google+ and Google News. Starting today Google News users will be able to see what their circles are covering and what they have to say about trending topics. Another new feature is a “realtime coverage page” which will surface Google+ comments and new articles as they become available. Via TechCrunch.
Enhance SEO with Author Avatars
Launched in June of 2011, Google’s authorship markup allows websites to connect individual authors to their posts across the web by adding a simple rel=author tag to their content. Google plans to use this information to help connect people with authors and ultimately their content. Via ClickZ.
5 Key Strategies for Building Your LinkedIn Network
With over 150 million members, LinkedIn is a valuable asset for business professionals. This article provides some seemingly simple but effective tips on sharing relevant and engaging information with your network. As well as tactics for continuing to grow your network on an ongoing basis. Via Social Media Examiner.
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Brian Larson – Your Search Results Just Went Retro
Bell bottoms made a comeback, so why can’t a simplified SERP as well? Although Bing originally led the charge in creating a more customized (and busy) SERP, the search engine is simplifying its search results. Don’t expect anyone to copy the Alta Vista UI, but Greg Sterling of Search Engine Land shares what this retro look means for Bing searches. Via Search Engine Land.
Jolina Pettice – Segmenting Traffic Based of Value of Device
Search Marketers are used to segmenting traffic based on sources which are known to convert at higher rates. i.e. Search Engines vs Direct vs Referrals. However, we may need to add an additional layer onto this segment to account for the type of device the visitor is using. For example, are visitors from iPads more valuable in terms of time-on-site and conversion than a visitor from a different type of tablet or desktop. This may be a data piece to mine further, if your visitors are viewing your site from an array of devices. Via Search Engine Land.
Shawna Kenyon – How 7 Top Brands Are Using Facebok’s New Ad Tools
In 2012 Facebook previewed a slew of new ad products to people outside the industry, though to some these new initiatives might have appeared to be ‘old hat’, advertisers see them as anything but. Among the new products were Premium on Facebook, Reach Generator, Offers and Logged Out ads. These new advertising offers came as a way to showcase new products and services in more than a two dimensional way allowing for ads to reach all of a brands fans and designed to expose them to things they might not otherwise see. The article above showcases 7 big brands and how they are utilizing the new services. Via Mashable.
Time to Weigh In: What emphasis does your company place on developing customer personas? Do you consider an article in your Google search more credible if there is an author avatar attached? Is your company currently segmenting traffic? If so, based on what data points?