All websites are unique in their own way but there are certain elements that every e-commerce site should have to stay relevant and competitive. Here is a list of 15 must-have features that attract online shoppers.
The post 15 Must-Have Features for E-commerce Sites by @HollystarPR appeared first on Search Engine Journal.
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Facebook 360 launched in 2015, but we have yet to see advertisers and marketers really nail the execution. This article will introduce the concept of 360 photos and video and bring together a handful of industry resources.
The post Will Facebook 360 Change Brand Storytelling Forever? by @chris_hart appeared first on Search Engine Journal.
From http://tracking.feedpress.it/link/13962/5067614
Sometimes, you have to show some tough love. You’ve got to be brutally honest.
Because I value you (yes, you!) as a reader, I don’t want to lie to you or sugarcoat things for you. You deserve better.
I want to give you the best advice possible so you can go out there and succeed.
If I’m being brutally honest: Your content might suck.
It’s not your fault—my content was downright awful for years. It took me a long, long time to get really good at blogging.
Blogging is hard. Coming up with awesome content is hard.
You might know your content isn’t as good as it could be, but you probably don’t know where you’re going wrong.
And if you don’t know where you’re going wrong, you’ll never improve.
That’s why I’ve put together this data-driven method of finding out whether your content sucks. There’s no guesswork here. I’ve laid out everything for you here, step by step.
I wish someone would have given me a guide like this when I started blogging. It would have eliminated years of mistakes, and I’m not exaggerating.
Let’s get started.
When I started blogging, I didn’t really know how to make my content better.
For a while, I thought I was just an awful blogger.
If you feel that way, let me reassure you: You’re not a bad blogger.
Writing is a skill anyone can develop, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. I wasn’t born with the ability to write. I had to hone my writing for years.
I know from experience that it can be difficult to see exactly why your content sucks.
Thankfully, there are several tried-and-true methods I’ve learned during my career that will help you identify and fix problems in your content.
Before we get into the nitty-gritty, I want to point out two things.
First, you need to be your own worst critic. Don’t be too harsh on yourself, but try to detach yourself from your writing.
There’s a famous quote in writing that applies here:
When you’re writing, don’t get too attached to anything. You’ll need to be honest with yourself during the editing process, so try to look at your own writing as if it’s someone else’s.
Second, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Even today, I work with editors all the time. My writing still isn’t perfect, and I’ve been blogging for over ten years.
If you get stuck along the way, there’s no shame in finding a writer or editor to help you out.
Better yet, email a blogger you really admire, and ask for their help. It sounds crazy, but most bloggers (yes, even the big names) are more than happy to help up-and-coming bloggers.
Now that you’re prepped, let’s make your content shine.
Specifically, let’s talk about diagnosing bad content.
Often, if your content is bad, you’ll just know. Other times, it’s more difficult.
Here are some of the most common flaws of bad content.
If you can use up both hands to count the number of keywords in a paragraph, you’re witnessing keyword stuffing.
Keyword stuffing happens when someone uses a keyword several times within a short amount of space.
Moz made up a great example:
Keyword stuffing has been around for years, and people still use it today in an attempt to enhance their SEO.
But keyword stuffing is really only good at one thing: annoying your readers.
Keyword optimization can be a powerful tool, but stuffing ruins it. Plus, Google doesn’t like it. If you have keyword stuffing, you need to fix it pronto.
How to fix it: Fixing keyword stuffing is a two-step process.
First, let go of your keyword obsession. Remember, you’re creating content for human beings—not for search engines.
Try writing an entire post without thinking about keywords at all. You don’t have to use the final product, but I do recommend this exercise to get you out of the keyword stuffing habit.
Second, get up to date with keyword research. It’s still a vital part of SEO and online marketing, but you need to do it right.
I recommend spending a lot of time investigating insanely specific long-tail keywords for your niche.
Then, learn how to seamlessly integrate your long-tail keywords into your posts. It might take a while, but it will reward you many times over.
I’ve said it countless times before, and I’ll say it again: Blogging is all about creating awesome content for your readers.
That means you have to know who your readers are.
I’ve read lots of blog posts that were well-written with excellent research and examples. The only problem? The content wasn’t aimed at the blog’s demographic.
Let me tell you the story of a failed startup called Patient Communicator.
Patient Communicator’s goal was to provide a CRM for doctors and patients. But, as founder Jeff Novich realized,
We had no customers because no one was really interested in the model we were pitching.
Many product ideas fail because the company doesn’t understand what their audience wants. It’s the same for blogs.
If you don’t understand what your readers want and deliver that type of content, your blog will be quickly forgotten.
How to fix it: To relieve reader unawareness syndrome, you’ll need to do some thorough research to find out who exactly your audience is.
This is a great opportunity to look into both demographics and psychographics of your readership to understand who your readers are and why they read your content.
A good method of obtaining both demographics and psychographics is to survey your readers. SurveyMonkey is a great tool for this.
You’ll get direct feedback from the people you’re writing for, and you can’t get much better than that when it comes to marketing.
When I first started blogging, I was a bad writer, to put it lightly.
Over the years, I’ve learned a ton about copywriting, but for a long time, my content suffered.
There’s no denying that well-written content can take you from 0 to 60. If you can write well, you’ll command your readers’ full attention.
More importantly, excellent writing sets you up as an authority. Being able to communicate your ideas clearly is an invaluable skill to have, no matter what industry you’re in.
Likewise, bad writing can harm you. People won’t see you as an authority, and they might even doubt your credibility.
You could have the best content in the world, but if it’s not written well, it will flop. That’s why it’s a great use of your time to study writing.
If you struggle with writing, don’t worry—it’s easier to improve than you might think.
How to fix it: In short, study copywriting from authoritative resources. Here are a few to get you started:
Next, become a regular reader of the most popular blogs in your niche. For example, in marketing, Hubspot, Inbound, and Inc are three popular blogs.
A simple way to find the top blogs in your niche is to run a Google search.
If you’re in finance, for example, search “finance blogs.” Find 5-10 popular blogs, and read them religiously.
Finally, put what you’ve learned into practice. Compare your content to that of the blogs you read. Do you see similarities? If you struggle, where is the problem?
This 3-step process will help you become a better writer, but it won’t happen overnight. You have to be dedicated and keep it up every single day.
Keep practicing, and, like I said earlier, don’t be afraid to ask for help.
People love value.
Jay Baer from Convince and Convert surveyed 25 popular blog posts and found that people love tips and tools. Many of those 25 posts featured actionable advice that readers could use almost instantly.
Sadly, many blogs withhold value from their readers. Many bloggers are afraid to give too much away.
What those bloggers don’t understand is that people read content in order to get something valuable.
Think of it as a transaction. The reader is spending time and energy to check out your content, and they’re looking for something in return.
It seems counterintuitive, but giving away a ton of value will make your readers more devoted to your brand. I know it sounds crazy, but it’s true.
That’s why I write super-long articles that are packed with advice. It’s a tried-and-true method that’s never let me down.
If you’re worried about giving away value, don’t be. It’s worked for me and countless others, and it’ll work for you too.
How to fix it: Start creating content with the sole goal of providing value. Don’t worry about doing SEO or writing clickbait headlines. Just focus on value.
Strive to provide at least one helpful takeaway in every piece of content you write. (Longer content should have more takeaways.)
These takeaways should be pieces of actionable advice that readers can use in their lives. Ideally, they should be able to implement the advice immediately.
Make sure to let your readers know what value they’re getting. Start with the title.
Here’s an example of a great title from Brian Dean at Backlinko:
You can tell right away what you’ll get if you read the article. That’s what you want to accomplish.
You can also create infographics like this one we published on Crazy Egg:
Whatever media you use, pack it full of value. You won’t regret it.
Let me reiterate this: If your content sucks, it’s not because you suck.
Writing awesome content is hard. It’s taken me years of practice to get where I am today, and guess what? I’m still learning.
But it’s important to recognize when your content does suck.
There’s a huge chance that your content will make a lot of first impressions. People who have never heard of your brand before could stumble upon one of your blog posts, and they’ll judge your brand based on your content.
And if your content is bad, you’ll lose potential customers. But if your content is amazing, you’ll win people over.
What kind of data do you use to figure out how effective your content is?
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From http://kateninablog.tumblr.com/post/155304967849
2016 was packed with fantastic marketing material to read online so I thought I’d pull together a selection of my favorites. Put even a small handful of these tips in place and you’re guaranteed a successful year!
The post 59 Marketing Posts You Probably Missed in 2016 (and Need to Read) by @seo_travel appeared first on Search Engine Journal.
From http://tracking.feedpress.it/link/13962/5067422
As the Google Algorithm continues to get smarter with the use of machine learning and Artificial Intelligence, white hat SEO is now more important than ever. Learn which white hat techniques can have the greatest impact on your website and how you can double, triple, or even 10X your traffic in 2017.
The post 7 White Hat SEO Techniques to Double Traffic in 2017 by @ChuckPrice518 appeared first on Search Engine Journal.
From http://tracking.feedpress.it/link/13962/5062880
The New Year is a great time to improve yourself both personally and professionally, break out of your comfort zone, experiment with new ideas, and take on new challenges. Here is a list of New Year’s resolutions that could help you enhance your business in 2017.
The post 6 New Year’s Resolutions for the Modern Day Marketer by @seocompanymiami appeared first on Search Engine Journal.
From http://tracking.feedpress.it/link/13962/5058659
Nobody’s correct all the time. Your blog posts, on the other hand, should be correct all the time.
Why? Because if your blog gets the facts wrong, your readers won’t take you seriously. Instead of being an authoritative resource, your blog will become a joke.
It’s harsh but true. Assuming you’re not a satire site like the Onion, you need to get your information right.
Truth be told, blogs should have similar standards for their posts as colleges have for students’ papers. Colleges require students to cite their sources in detail, and the sources have to be credible.
While I don’t think blogs should be required to quote only academic journals, I do think most blogs could benefit from higher standards of quality.
That means no poorly researched facts, no half-baked ideas, and no generalizations or assumptions.
It means thoroughly researched points, credible sources, and specific examples and anecdotes.
That’s the standard I keep for all my blogs, and I encourage my friends and colleagues to do the same.
Best of all, it doesn’t take hours to make your blog posts bulletproof.
Here’s how to fact-check your latest blog post in 20 minutes or less. Let’s get started.
You don’t need to be super paranoid to have a perfectly correct blog post. Not every fact needs to be double-checked.
That’s why your first objective should be to comb through your post and determine which facts need checking.
An easy way of doing this is to consider whether or not the fact is common knowledge.
According to Harvard University, “Common knowledge is information generally known to an educated reader, such as widely known facts and dates, and, more rarely, ideas or language.”
For example, the fact that Barack Obama won the 2012 election is common knowledge. But the fact that Obama likes basketball is not common knowledge.
How can you tell whether a fact is common knowledge?
Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab says that, as a rule of thumb, if you can find the fact undocumented in at least five credible sources, chances are it’s common knowledge.
If your fact is common knowledge, you don’t need any source to back it up.
However, I recommend doing a quick yet thorough Google search to make sure your fact isn’t a common misconception. If all looks good, move on to the next step.
There’s a huge difference between an authoritative source and a credible source. Unfortunately, most people think they’re one and the same.
For example, most schools don’t allow students to cite Wikipedia because anyone can edit it. Even though Wikipedia is mostly well-maintained, it can’t be used academically.
Wikipedia is a perfect example of a site that is an authoritative—but not credible—source. It’s authoritative because it’s used by millions of people, but it’s not credible.
The Wall Street Journal is an example of an authoritative source that is also a credible source. Most major news publications (e.g., The New York Times, USA Today, Washington Post) count as credible sources.
Besides national newspapers, some examples of sources that are credible include:
Keep in mind that while some of these sources would be considered off-limits in an academic setting, they’re perfectly fine in our case. For example, using a personal site for a grad paper might be frowned upon, but it works fine for blog posts.
Some examples of sources that aren’t credible include:
Ultimately, you have to use your judgment here. If you’re using well-known, widely trusted sources, you’re good to go.
There are also plenty of sites and resources dedicated to fact checking.
Usually, these types of watchdog sites cover either politics or urban myths. For example, FactCheck.org and Politifact.com are two sites that help you determine the validity of political statements.
One of the most popular checking sites is Snopes. It has entries on all kinds of urban legends and controversial facts.
The team of researchers at Snopes always show their research, making it easy to fact-check Snopes itself.
While Snopes has gotten some criticism for its seemingly biased political articles, it’s a good resource for many other topics.
Last but not least, Google recently announced its new Fact Check tag for Google News. In a nutshell, readers will be able to check the validity of an article by clicking on the Fact Check tag.
If you’re already using Google News, this will be super convenient for you. And if you’re not using Google news, it’s a great time to start.
I’ve shared a lot of information so far, but don’t be intimidated. As I promised, you’ll be able to use this info to fact-check a blog post in 20 minutes or less.
Let me take you through the strategy, step by step.
Open Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets, and create a new spreadsheet.
Don’t worry, you’re not going to make anything complicated. You’ll need only three columns.
Name the first column “Fact,” and enter all the facts from your blog post that need checking. (Refer back to the “Determine which facts to check” section of this article for this step.)
Name the second column “Sources.” We’ll use this in the next step.
Name the third column “Use.” You’ll use this column to determine the validity of your facts.
If your facts don’t fall into any political, social, or mythological categories, Google will be your first step in the fact-checking process.
For example, if you wanted to write about the successful use of Facebook video ads, you’d want to find a reputable source with examples.
Head to Google, and search “Facebook video ads.” One of the top results is this blog post from Social Media Examiner:
The article has lots of outbound links to support its claims, which is a great sign. There’s also a lot of media to help the user follow the strategy.
This is an excellent example of a good resource. This article would definitely back up your claims about Facebook video ads being successful.
Try to find at least two quality articles, studies, or videos to back up each statement. This way, you can go through them at the end and decide which resources will be best for your article.
When you find your sources, paste the links in the “Sources” column of your spreadsheet.
If you’re writing about anything political, you’ll most likely need to use FactCheck.org, Politifact, or Snopes. And if you need to check any facts related to society, Snopes is a good place to go.
You won’t need to use these sites for every article you write, so this is an optional step. If you do need to use these sites, just run your topic keywords through the search bars.
At this point, you might be thinking, “But what if there’s nothing out there to support my fact?”
A lack of support means one of two things: You either need to support the fact yourself or eliminate it from your article.
Since these are polar opposites, you’ll have to use your judgment here.
For example, if you’re arguing that studying the Renaissance can improve your marketing, you probably won’t find much out there that connects the two. But you can probably make a strong case for why it’s true.
On the other hand, if you’re arguing that the Loch Ness monster’s favorite color is blue, you won’t find anything to support that. And you probably can’t create a convincing case that backs up your statement.
Overall, if you have a hard time backing up a fact, you should leave it out. You are better off being safe than sorry when it comes to fact checking.
Take a final look at your spreadsheet. If you found at least one credible source for a fact, you can use that fact. Enter “Yes” in the “Use” column.
If there are any facts without sources, you’re better off not including those facts in your article. As I mentioned above, if you can make a compelling case for a fact, go for it, but be careful.
You’ll come across a few duds every now and then, and that’s okay. When it comes to facts, always choose quality over quantity.
There you have it—a complete strategy for fact-checking your newest blog post that only takes about 17 minutes. (And in many cases, even less.)
While this is a quick-start guide, don’t be afraid to spend a little more time on this process. Getting your facts straight can mean the difference between a success and a flop.
And keep in mind that the longer the blog post, the more research you’ll have.
To give you an idea, my posts run anywhere from 1,500 to 3,000+ words, and I typically spend about an hour or so on research per post.
Of course, the most important part about writing a blog post is making sure the content is awesome. Write to solve your readers’ problems, and be passionate about it.
Thanks to the Internet, fact-checking has never been easier. Take a few minutes to double-check everything, and you’ll never have to worry about misleading your readers.
What’s your favorite fact-checking tip?
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From http://kateninablog.tumblr.com/post/155184078709
