Looking for some great PPC conversion rate optimization tips?  Navah Hopkins, PPC expert and SEJ contributor, joins me on the SEJShow, where we explore the art and science of turning ad clicks into valuable conversions.  She delves into the crucial journey from ad to landing pageant and shares strategies and techniques to help you deliver on the promise made in your advertisements.  Whether you're a seasoned professional or a newcomer, this podcast episode is a must-listen for anyone looking to take their conversion rates to new heights. Navah Hopkins is the Evangelist for Optmyzr. A veteran of the digital marketing industry, she began as an SEO in 2008, transitioning to PPC in 2012. In 2019, she became a founding member of the Paid Search Association, a group dedicated to empowering the next generation of PPC practitioners and serving as a resource for all practitioners to learn from and share with the community.   Now, landing page experience is a core component of quality score, which is a core component of ad rank, which influences your cost per click in at least Google and Microsoft PPC campaigns. And what's interesting is that the landing page experience is a two-part piece: The first is how well the landing page answers the promise you made in your ad, and that goes to the keywords you're targeting or the audiences you're targeting. The other piece is a little bit technical, and where you might need to partner with your SEO friends or use a tool that has some of these things baked in. Is the ad bot able to crawl your landing page to generate a quality score? Are you going to be having popups going left, right, and center? Are you going to have modules that may not necessarily behave? So there's a, there's a technical component, and then there's the, the content component. And what I think a lot of either PPCs, may need to remember to think about is the technical component. –Navah Hopkins, 04:47 I've always considered utilizing SEO or normal site pages as huge distractions for PPC campaigns. Typically with PPC campaigns, someone knows where they're going to go. You want to keep them in that funnel and follow that call to action, so they will make that purchase. But it seems like, in PPC, you can direct someone into taking that call to action. Whereas SEO, we're doing the exact opposite. We're interweaving this web of distractions to show that it's an authority, and there are reviews, FAQs, and there's the schema, and there's everything else, like all across the board and interlinks and navigation. –Loren Baker, 10:07 If we want experiences that are curated, we need to know how to say yes. Because that's another thing: what does that experience look like? And we can talk about that in terms of what cookie consent looks like on the landing page. The other thing that's important to factor in is that if you choose to say no to tracking, which is a valid choice, just expect to see ads that are not valid.  –Navah Hopkins, 18:00   [00:00] - About Nava. [03:35] - What is landing page experience, & how does that impact overall PPC performance? [12:52] - How important is landing page compliance for in-app browsers? [19:32] - Which is worse, rage clicks or abandoned carts? [24:02] - Metrics for landing pages. [27:45] - What is Performance Max? [32:23] - Opportunities in AI. [35:43] - Tips for managing multiple campaigns & pages.   Resources mentioned: Performance Max: https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/10724817?hl=en Google IO: https://io.google/2023/   What's interesting is that if you see that mostly YouTube displays and others are getting the lion’s share of your budget, odds are you're not budgeting enough for transactional search. More importantly, your landing pages are likely being served to people that aren't as relevant. So definitely make sure that, as you're building your P-max campaigns, you include as an audience signal some of your competitor websites. –Navah Hopkins, 31:17 One of the things that I would encourage every consumer to think about is whether you want the experience of walking down New York City and you see billboards everywhere. Or whether you want an experience of, “I went into a pop-up store that I sought out, and I have this very curated shopping experience specifically for me.” No judgment either way, but bear in mind that advertisers and SEOs only have the data that we consented to give. So you need to share that data to expect landing pages to be a perfect match. –Navah Hopkins, 14:34 I think this new visual era is exciting and interesting, but that's one of the areas where this is a good time to fail fast and test playing with video, playing with display, ads, and content.  See how you can adjust your landing pages to capitalize on that. Because if you're treating your landing pages that came from tech sources with the same as visuals, you likely need to include a couple of opportunities to connect with your consumer.–Navah Hopkins, 11:53   For more content like this, subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/searchenginejournal Are you looking to keep up with current and effective digital marketing today? Check out https://www.searchenginejournal.com for everything you need to know within the digital marketing space and improve your skills as an internet marketer.   Connect With Nava Hopkins: Meet Navah Hopkins, the Evangelist for Optmyzr. With over a decade of experience in digital marketing, she knows the ins and outs of SEO and PPC like the back of her hand.  Navah is all about sharing knowledge and spreading the love for paid search. She's a frequent contributor to SEJ, SEMrush, and WordStream. Plus, she's a sought-after speaker, sharing her wisdom with audiences across the globe.  In fact, Navah loves PPC so much that she's a founding member of the Paid Search Association. Along with her fellow members, she's dedicated to nurturing the next generation of PPC pros and creating a community of collaboration and learning. Connect with Navah on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/navahhopkins/ Follow her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/navahf   Connect with Loren Baker, Founder of Search Engine Journal: Follow him on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/lorenbaker Connect with him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorenbaker

Search Engine Journal Show

Conversion Optimization for PPC - Delivering On The Promise From Ad To Landing Page with Navah Hopkins - EP310

You know how the world of SEO is constantly changing. And staying on top of things and making the most of your skills is essential.  That's what we're all about here at the SEJShow - finding fantastic new business models and strategies that help you shine as an SEO consultant.  Roland Frasier joins me in today's show to dive into alternative methods that could change your consulting game, giving you even more rewards for all that hard work you put into client and partner projects.  So, strap in, and let's jump off that old SEO hamster wheel to uncover some exciting SEO consulting opportunities!   If you're entrepreneurial, it makes sense to think about possibly getting something more permanent for your time. –Roland Frasier, 03:40 What I found to be most effective is to say you've got knowledge, skills, experience, and connections that add tremendous value to businesses, so you have a choice: You can get a short-term income and a flat fee, get paid by the hour, and even get in the middle of a revenue share. But when that stops, it stops. A way around that is to come in and add value to the business. The value you bring to the company should be compensated by participating in the ongoing profits or equity of the business...That's the concept: how do you turn your effort into equity? –Roland Frasier, 05:12 After so many years in marketing, I don't consider myself just an SEO. I'm typically brought in to do SEO Consulting and help on that side. The next thing I know, there's a new brand launching, so I'm looking at opportunities for brand messaging, looking at the product before it comes out, and involved with that this and that. –Loren Baker, 13:03   [00:00] - About Roland. [07:01] - What consultants should look for when they want to have equity in a company. [12:55] - How to avoid “over consulting” and earn based on the value provided beyond SEO? [20:45] - How to yourself as proving more than just SEO. [23:20] - How to start consulting for equity. [32:55] - What is a Fractional CMO? [41:30] - The mindset that leads to a better quality of life. Resources mentioned: Epic Network - https://epicnetwork.com/ The Business Lunch Podcast- https://businesslunchpodcast.com/   I'm going to look at where I can have a significant impact. I'm going to say if the lift that I can add to this company is something that I think will move the needle for them, then I believe it’s an appropriate conversation. –Roland Frasier, 9:40 They will put you in that box if you come in as an SEO, so how you brand and present are essential. I'd position myself as a strategist as opposed to an SEO-only. The fact that SEO is one of the things that you do is significant. It might be the main thing that you do. But having even alliances with other people that can provide the additional services is an intelligent way to go because if you come in as growth, you know that the company is going to value you more than if you come in as a component or sub-component of development. –Roland Frasier, 15:01 People might think that it's not possible to have you as a partner. It might not occur to them, but they might believe you're so far beyond that it's not even an option. So by telling them in advance that this is an option having them put skin in the game by having them show that they believe in you and that they're willing to invest in themselves is crucial in making this work. –Roland Frasier, 20:00   For more content like this, subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/searchenginejournal Are you looking to keep up with current and effective digital marketing today? Check out https://www.searchenginejournal.com for everything you need to know within the digital marketing space and improve your skills as an internet marketer.   Connect With Roland Frasier: Roland Frasier stands out in the world of ambitious investments and building strategies. With over 1000 acquisitions, exits, real estate portfolios, and more under his belt for himself and his clients, he knows what it takes to succeed in business!  As a principal of 6 Inc.'s fastest growing companies plus an advisor at Stanford University –Roland is making waves with some hefty credentials. Not only has this savvy investor been featured on all major news networks but Business Insider, Fast Company, Forbes & Entrepreneur are singing praises too!  And if that isn't enough star power...he even interviewed Sir Richard Branson AND Magic Johnson, so you know something good must be cooking up around him - like his award-winning podcast, 'Business Lunch.' Connect with Roland on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rolandfrasier/ Watch him on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/RolandFrasierEPIC  Follow him on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rolandfrasier Connect with Loren Baker, Founder of Search Engine Journal: Follow him on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/lorenbaker Connect with him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorenbaker

Consulting for Equity and Avoiding the SEO Hamster Wheel with Roland Frasier - EP308

Networking is one of the best parts of any conference. But, the bigger events might not give you the best opportunity to improve your skills and expand your network as much as you would like. Smaller-scale events and masterminds can provide unique benefits with more intimate networking opportunities, personalized learning experiences, and the chance to interact with industry experts on a one-to-one basis. Join us to learn how smaller events can help you exchange ideas and collaborate with like-minded individuals who can motivate and inspire you.  Jim Christian, a seasoned digital marketer with over 26 years of experience and founder of The Digital Marketers Organization, and Stephanie Solheim, a dynamic leader in the SEO industry and co-founder of Mastermind Mansion, joined me on the SEJ Show to share their insights on the value of smaller SEO events and masterminds and how they can help professionals reach their full potential.   You're building those relationships that you wouldn't necessarily have the opportunity to build when you're at a larger event. You have access to the people that you want to talk to. So in Austin, that might mean that I'm going to get burgers at midnight with a bunch of my buddies to talk about my buddy's new software. It's awesome, you know. We cap our events at probably 40 people. –Stephanie Solheim, 6:45 People are going to remember the event that they're here for, but they're not going to remember all of it. They might feel like they got a speaker and some tips and tricks. Still, the real thing that they're going to remember is they're going to remember being on this balcony up on the 60th floor of the Cosmo hotel. They're going to remember all the people that were in this room, and they're going to remember those conversations, and those are the things that they're going to take back with them. The thing that holds value is the social networking aspect. And so, for us, the mentorship never stops at the event. The event is just the beginning. After that, it's all about keeping those connections and bringing everyone into the community, and just sharing with the larger audience. –Jim Christian, 34:54 Not everyone is a natural conversationalist. It can be overwhelming to walk into a room at an after-hours event in New York or a larger event in Vegas with hundreds of people. It's challenging to make conversation with people you don't know, especially when you can't tell if someone is a salesperson or not. At trade shows, expos, or educational events, there might be a speaker presenting great material, but as one of the hundreds of people in the room, it can be hard to engage with them. With multiple tracks happening simultaneously, conversing with the speaker afterward can be nearly impossible. –Loren Baker, 7:23  [00:00] - About Jim and Stephanie. [07:53]- How are the barriers in large events taken down in smaller events? [12:08] - Do smaller events give your company more ROI? [18:17] - How you build community after the event. [21:35] - Struggles that larger events face now. [30:33] - The benefit of including non-search people in SEO events. [33:51] - How did Mastermind Mansion start? [34:50] - How mentorship plays in the events that they do. [37:08] - Tips they've learned while promoting events. [40:42] - How do you ensure topics remain relevant when planning ahead? [44:02] - Ticket Sales va Waitlist: Which works better? Resources Mentioned: Digital Marketers Organization (DMO) Advanced - https://digitalmarketers.org/pages/dmo-advanced Mastermind Mansion - https://mastermindmansion.com/   We try to pull people from all different walks of life regarding digital marketing and then put them together into a group designed to accelerate growth and learning. –Jim Christian, 16:33 Every time I go to my event, I come away with at least two alternative ways to do my processes more efficiently. And I walk away with either somebody that can use my services or somebody that I can call on when I need help with something. I know that happens across the board. I mean, you're making those really deep personal connections and understanding at a greater level. –Stephanie Solheim, 12:19 What we're offering is truly a nice branded experience. There are no drink tickets, so we go out and have a great time. And there isn't a limit. Or again, we can take you on a really cool excursion that you wouldn't be able to do if you had, you know, 2,000 people –Jim Christian, 25:22   For more content like this, subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/searchenginejournal Are you looking to keep up with current and effective digital marketing today? Check out https://www.searchenginejournal.com for everything you need to know within the digital marketing space and improve your skills as an internet marketer.   Connect With Jim Christian: With over 26 years of experience, Jim Christian is a skilled digital marketer passionate about driving client success through bespoke, performance-driven strategies. He has worked across various industries, including B2B, B2C, travel, luxury, ecommerce, and retail. Jim began his career in 1997, eventually becoming GoDaddy's Director of SEO and managing a $40-million sales channel. Later, he founded Blush Digital, a digital marketing agency assisting large enterprises and global brands. He established The Digital Marketers Organization (DMO), a community of thought leaders hosting conferences and masterminds across North America. Connect with Jim on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrjimchristian/ Follow him on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jim_christian Connect With Stephanie Solheim: Stephanie Solheim, a dynamic leader in digital marketing and SEO, owns Grow With Meerkat, a full-service agency known for its innovative approach. As the founder of Women in Marketing and co-parent of Sisters in SEO, she empowers women in the industry. Stephanie's friendly personality shines at her Mastermind Mansion Brand events, where top SEO experts share insights.  An active mentor, she participates in the "Attagirl" sorority and enjoys sharing humorous content. Passionate about AI and prompt engineering, Stephanie was recognized as one of the "12 Powerful Women You Should Know" by The Content Factory. Connect with Stephanie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniesolheim/ Follow her on Twitter:https://twitter.com/solheimsteph   Connect with Loren Baker, Founder of Search Engine Journal: Follow him on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/lorenbaker Connect with him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorenbaker

Professional Growth - The Value of Smaller SEO Events & Masterminds with Jim Christian and Stephanie Solheim - EP 309

AI Revolutionizes SEO: Unveiling IndexNow Updates and Bing Strategies We know you're wondering: What does SEO look like for the new Bing? Can you use AI for SEO? We're curious, too.  Fabrice Canel, Principal Program Manager for Microsoft Bing, joins me on the SEJShow to share insights and answer your questions. We'll dive into the latest advancements in  AI and their potential impact on SEO strategies and discuss recent updates to the IndexNow protocol and how it's transforming the search landscape.  Take advantage of this opportunity to learn from an industry expert and discover the future of search engine optimization on Bing.   Open AI investment for Microsoft is not recent. Microsoft has invested in Open AI for a few years already. For years, there has been a lot of investment in leveraging AI at Microsoft and Bing and liberating machine learning. We are purely machine learning based, trying to satisfy the user. –Fabrice Canel, 04:39 When people enter the search chat experience, this is about refining the queries and results to satisfy the user. The Bing experience is really about redirecting a customer to a site that somebody has published. This is all about finding the best content and clicking to find this content online and clicking this link where people can transact. –Fabrice Canel, 11:18 When you navigate a site, you can use the chat experience to learn about the site or summarize information about this page. The chat can help you generate an email, LinkedIn posts, Twitter, etc. This experience is not only available within Bing.com. This is also moving across Microsoft products. You will see this also in Skype and directly integrated into Windows. –Fabrice Canel, 13:39   Resources mentioned: Bing Webmaster Guidelines - https://www.bing.com/webmasters/help/webmaster-guidelines-30fba23a Edge Browser - https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/edge   [00:01] - About Fabrice. [00:59] - The new Bing & the technology it powers. [03:35] - How does Bing use ChatGPT & Open AI technology? [05:32] - What is the Prometheus language model? [07:41] - How citations work in ChatGPT-powered Bing search results. [12:41] - What can you do with Bing Co-Pilot in Microsoft Edge? [18:03] - What AI integrations is Bing working on for small and local businesses? [20:26] - How to use ChatGPT-powered Bing Search - Help planning a trip to London. [23:01] - What has Bing learned since launching ChatGPT-powered search?  [25:24] - How to generate an image with DALL-E in the Edge browser. [26:56] - How does Bing view AI-generated content? [30:11] - What is IndexNow & how can SEO professionals use it? [34:53] - How long does it take to get indexed by Bing? [36:15] - What’s Bing working on next? [38:20] - What should you do with the other URLs listed as sitemaps in Bing Webmaster Tools?   I love the guerilla warfare aspect of this, the ability to introduce this new being chat experience in products and services that have been seated and are used by individuals daily. So when you bring up things like Skype, you know it doesn't necessarily mean that you have to download Bing, or someone does not necessarily have to be a Bing fan to get into this. Skype is a lifestyle tool. It's a chat tool. It's a communication tool. Teams obviously on the B2B side skyrocketed in the past couple of years. There are so many SharePoint or default Microsoft products that are utilized daily. –Loren Baker, 15:56 Sometimes you want to interact with an experience that will offer the ability to learn more, refine your query, and improve your question to find stuff online. So we enabled this experience beyond web links. Meaning that you can also find images, you can also find local, you can also find advertising, and you can all find all these things assuming they are relevant. So you will see a profound experience in chat that is more than a text search. –Fabrice Canel, 18:21 If you're utilizing IndexNow, it should be more or less instantaneous or nearly instantaneous for new content. We are scaling variabilities, and in the following weeks, you will see this content indexed in seconds. Some very large websites have already adopted IndexNow. We are encouraging everybody to embrace and explore because SEOs want to be in control. –Fabrice Canel, 34:43   For more content like this, subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/searchenginejournal Are you looking to keep up with current and effective digital marketing today? Check out https://www.searchenginejournal.com for everything you need to know within the digital marketing space and improve your skills as an internet marketer.   Connect With Fabrice Canel: Fabrice Canel is part of Microsoft's most exhilarating team: Bing, where AI plays a crucial role in shaping the future of search. Every day, hundreds of billions of new pages emerge on the web, and an equal number of existing pages are updated with fresh content. The challenge of indexing and crawling the web demands a large-scale, distributed approach emphasizing speed, accuracy, and thoroughness, all AI enhances. With an impressive 24-year tenure at Microsoft, Fabrice takes excellent pleasure in tackling this fascinating endeavor. Connect with Fabrice on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fabricecanel/ Follow him on Twitter: https://twitter.com/facan Connect with Loren Baker, Founder of Search Engine Journal: Follow him on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/lorenbaker Connect with him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorenbaker

Talking AI & SEO Plus IndexNow Updates With Bing Fabrice Canel - EP308

Privacy laws and best practices are ever-evolving, just like everything else in marketing.  How do you ensure your organization is compliant and keep your customer's best interest in mind?  Lucas Long, Director of Privacy Strategy at InfoTrust, and co-author of the new Amazon Best-Selling book, "Becoming a Privacy-Centric Marketing Organization" joins me on the SEJ Show for a privacy-focused podcast. Gain insights on the three pillars of privacy that every marketing should consider and what steps you need to take now.    When we start talking about consumer expectations and we start talking about compliance, it becomes very complicated in large organizations that are working across different countries. You have other things like GDPR and EPRI in Europe versus all the state laws in the United States. There are various restrictions for how you can use an identity service, how you can identify users, and for those users that you can identify, even what activities and what data you can start to leverage for any advertising activity. –Lucas Long, 02:13 Traditionally, third-party cookies have played a significant role...Those are ultimately going away by the end of next year once Chrome deprecates support. So how we have to identify those users and associated information together is the core of what's changing right now. –Lucas Long, 06:14 The only way to identify a user across different locations is if there is some persistent identifier. Typically in the form of an email or a login, so that's really where it starts. And then it gets into that first-party ownership for that first-party data, collecting the correct information on each of those different properties, integrating it so that we can then have that more centralized view and be able to take various actions for that consumer –Lucas Long, 07:16   [00:00] - About Lucas Long. [01:37] - ID-oriented data and targeting in multiple brands & regions. [03:26] - Industries Lucas specializes in. [04:13] - Ecommerce challenges with cross-country targeting. [07:16] - Core pillars of privacy-centric marketing. [08:34] - Other ID touchpoints available. [14:58] - Other options for additional data sources. [16:21] - What is server-side tag management? [19:21] - Can companies access more data from loyalty programs? [23:09] - How the book launch has been for marketing.   Resources Mentioned: Book: Becoming a Privacy-Centric Marketing Organization (Crawl, Walk, Run) https://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Privacy-Centric-Marketing-Organization-Crawl/dp/1544539622 InfoTrust: https://infotrust.com/ Tag Inspector: https://taginspector.com/   I want to make it easy for my consumers to do what they want on the website. And that's where interoperability comes in...develop that brand relationship with the individual and get that persistent identifier yourself. That would be a login. Many organizations are starting to have email as a part of the checkout process, with a much larger focus on loyalty programs, rewards programs, and discounts. –Lucas Long, 11:23 One core focus of many different regulations, and even being privacy-centric in general, is the concept of data minimization. So, thinking through a particular use case, what minimum user data is necessary to accomplish that use case? And then designing your data collection strategies and everything really from there. –Lucas Long, 21:12   For more content like this, subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/searchenginejournal  Are you looking to keep up with current and effective digital marketing today? Check out https://www.searchenginejournal.com for everything you need to know within the digital marketing space and improve your skills as an internet marketer.   Connect With Lucas Long: Lucas is a dynamic professional who brings incredible skills and experience to the InfoTrust team! With extensive sales, marketing strategy, and analytics knowledge – not to mention his successful implementation record for tag architecture with significant corporations – he sure brings fresh insight into SaaS offerings.  He is also Google Analytics Certified, making him an invaluable asset when it comes time for web analysis and tag management strategies. His passion for introducing businesses to his company's fantastic suite of analysis products and educating them on user behavior has allowed him to forge excellent relationships with some of the world's leading agencies and enterprises. He's truly making a difference! Connect with Lucas on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucas-long-61005648/ Connect with Loren Baker, Founder of Search Engine Journal: Follow him on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/lorenbaker   Connect with him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorenbaker 

3 Pillars Of Privacy Centric Marketing Steps You Need To Take Now with Lucas Long - EP306

In today's world, we are bombarded with information from all sides. As a result, it can be hard to know what is newsworthy and what is not.  Matt Southern and Roger Montti, SEJ's news writers, joined Amanda Zantal-Wiener, Editor-In-Chief at SEJ, to discuss how to determine what is worth following and how to avoid being overwhelmed by the information deluge. These experts talk about information overload, marketing, and data science to share tips on how to stay informed without being overwhelmed. Matt and Roger share their experiences with information overload and how they have learned to manage it. If you are overwhelmed by the information, this episode is for you. We will help you learn how to navigate the information jungle and stay informed without being stressed out.   I filter the information according to what I find interesting professionally and personally and what I think the audience would be interested in. I'm especially interested in things that are novel or under-covered but are essential for people to know. That's one of the reasons why I started covering more of the WordPress stuff as well as Wix. –Roger Montti, 3:14 Covering John Mueller, it's always interesting to decipher what he's trying to say, what he wants to say…he addresses people with the understanding that they have a high level of knowledge of SEO, and that's only sometimes the case for people who can benefit from the information he has to share. So I like to take the data he's sharing, which is usually communicated at a high level, and distill it into smaller parts and try to break it down into a language everyone can understand. –Matt Southern, 18:01 I see breaking news as two things. The first one is the fact: “This happened.” The second part is “What does that mean and how does that impact people?”...So you must balance the speed and being out there with the news and saying, “this happened.” But then we can also revert to what happened, do an article about what it means, and bring in other people who might have interesting insights into it. –Roger Montti, 7:38   [00:00] - Meet Matt & Roger. [01:26] - Understanding information overload. [05:34] - Keeping content timely and relevant amidst rapid news flow. [09:18] - How to strike a balance between reader engagement & SEO rankings. [15:24] - Best practices for tackling inaccurate information. [17:31] - Tips and insights for covering statements from authority figures. [19:56] - Providing the right historical context: A key to effective writing. [23:41] - Should you always credit who covered a topic first? [27:15] - How to avoid falling down a rabbit hole when researching a topic. [33:52] - How to craft compelling personas for better writing. [40:57] - Nerdy conversations: How nerdy is too nerdy? [44:55] - How to keep repetitive topics interesting when writing. [49:35] - The experts' views on the legal drama surrounding generative AI and innovation. [56:24] - How writers are using generative AI: Matt & Roger's perspectives. [58:10] - What our experts are writing about right now.   There are three main factors I focus on when choosing a topic. First is audience interests. Then, industry relevance. And then, I find out where there are some content gaps. To prioritize that information, I considered the overall impact on the readers and the timeliness of how it aligns with our editorial goals. So putting all that together and understanding everyone's needs, what we want to communicate and what the readers want to get out of it and keeping myself informed along the way. –Matt Southern, 6:04 Roger and I have a similar philosophy. We both like short, concise non-click baiting titles. That philosophy satisfies both sides of what we're trying to balance: ranking and audience. With ranking, you want to mention the most important keyword as close to the beginning of the title as possible. If you do that, you're also accomplishing the goal of grabbing the audience's attention. –Matt Southern, 11:59 When I write anything, I focus on the benefit to the reader and what information is beneficial. Sometimes you have to ask how that impacts me. Put yourself in their seat…What do I do as a Content writer or as an SEO? How does that impact them? …When you write about something complicated, you have to slow it out and explain the jargon so that people can follow along can understand why it's important. –Roger Montti, 28:38   For more content like this, subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/searchenginejournal Are you looking to keep up with current and effective digital marketing today? Check out https://www.searchenginejournal.com for everything you need to know within the digital marketing space and improve your skills as an internet marketer.   Connect With Roger Montti: Roger Montti is a seasoned search marketer boasting over 20 years of experience in the field. He has built a solid reputation for expertise and effectiveness by offering site audits, phone consultations, and content and link strategy assistance.  In addition to being a Head Judge for the 2020 and 2021 U.S. Search Awards, Roger is also a publisher of award-winning websites, showcasing his multifaceted talents within the industry. As a prominent figure in search marketing, Roger has shared his insights at various conferences, including SES, SMX East, SMX West, SMX Advanced Seattle, Affiliate Summit NYC, Affiliate Summit West, and multiple PubCon events. In addition, his writing covers various topics, such as WordPress, Facebook, Google, SEO, and search marketing, further establishing him as a thought leader. Connect with Roger on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martinibuster/ Follow him on Twitter: https://twitter.com/martinibuster   Connect With Matt Southern: Matt G. Southern, a highly respected Senior News Writer, has been integral to the Search Engine Journal team since 2013. With a bachelor's degree in communications, he excels at distilling complex subjects into clear, engaging content.  In addition to writing, Matt is responsible for overseeing strategy development within SEJ's news department, ensuring that the organization remains at the forefront of the digital marketing and search engine optimization landscape. As a trusted source of information, Matt's work at SEJ combines accuracy, quality, and relevance. His dedication to excellence in reporting and commitment to helping others better understand search engines and digital marketing make him an indispensable asset to SEJ and the broader industry. Connect with Matt on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattgsouthern/ Follow him on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MattGSouthern Connect with Amanda Zantal-Wiener, Editor-in-Chief at Search Engine Journal: Follow her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Amanda_ZW  Connect with her on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amandazantalwiener/

Whats Great and Whats Noise Content Crafting Best Practices from Our Experts with SEJ Panel - EP307

Social advertising can be an easy entry point for many organizations. But, with all the targeting and metrics to track, it's easy to get overwhelmed.  Daniel Alvarado, CEO at White Shark Media and Head of Engineering at AdClicks joined me on the SEJShow to talk about ensuring profitability and success with your social ads. Gain insight on how to leverage social advertising metrics and strategies to achieve optimal ROI and measurable business outcomes.   In terms of trends, we are going to see a lot more funds being put in by advertisers and by agencies in terms of video production and video production quality. There are a lot of people that are investing in refreshing their creatives and their copy and making it a little bit more top-notch production because that's, that's what's finding to be very appealing to users today. –Daniel Alvarado, 05:25 My approach towards AI is more around research as opposed to actual content production. And I still have my team, put the effort in terms of creating that very original piece that really appeals and speaks to the customer. –Daniel Alvarado, 11:04 In the world of SEO, people look at it as a very direct response-oriented marketing channel. Like, oh, you got this traffic from Google, it converted, okay, then you get attribution. Whereas that's typically not the case. People like to do research. With top 10 lists and peer reviews, it means that people are doing their research or trying to figure things out. They may visit your site one day via SEO, do research, and down the road visit via the ad, but SEO was part of that, or organic was part of that. Or maybe one of the last steps of the buyer's journey is to actually go to the site, do a search, find the site, find some basic information from it, and then from that organic traffic or that organic visit make that final decision to then buy, which could even be a branded search. –Loren Baker, 22:15 [00:00] - About Daniel [03:00] - Experience working on campaigns that are search oriented within TikTok [04:42] - Is Daniel doing a lot more video advertising now? [08:02] - Does he use AI in campaigns? [14:00] - How do you show ROI in campaigns from multiple platforms? [18:30] - Does he integrate CRMs with ad clicks? [21:58] - How attribution points are tracked through SEO & social with an ad click. [25:18] - Where Daniel sees the GA4 transition play into attribution tracking [28:30] - Does he see social platforms affecting metric tracking? [33:07] - Daniel’s journey from SEM supervisor to CEO.   Resources Mentioned:  White Shark Media - https://www.whitesharkmedia.com/ AdClicks - https://adclicks.app/   It’s no longer just Gen Z, it's now actually a lot more age ranges that are actually taken into TikTok. And so we are finding a lot more of our clients finding interest within going into it.  –Daniel Alvarado, 4:04 Make sure that you're implementing tracking within all of your devices or all of your applications. For example, if you not only have your website but also have, for example, a mobile application, which a lot of people now have, combine that with information within your CRM so that your CRM also allows you to seek some sort of truth within that. One thing that we are also seeing very much of is this concept of looking at the return on ad spend, but looking at it from a global standpoint as opposed to a per-publisher standpoint.  –Daniel Alvarado, 31:23   The biggest thing that has helped me move forward within the business is that I really am passionate about the things that I do. –Daniel Alvarado, 35:47 For more content like this, subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/searchenginejournal   Are you looking to keep up with current and effective digital marketing today? Check out https://www.searchenginejournal.com for everything you need to know within the digital marketing space and improve your skills as an internet marketer. Connect With Daniel Alvarado: Daniel Alvarado is a true tech star, masterfully maneuvering the marketing technology industry for an impressive eight years. His current roles as CEO of White Shark Media and head of engineering at AdClicks provide him with a unique scope to aid organizations in creating compelling experiences via simplified processes that will add value for their clients through cutting-edge technology. With his innovation and tech expertise, Daniel has become a go-to resource for businesses interested in leveraging the latest advances in marketing technology. With his help, businesses can stay ahead of the curve and achieve real results with cutting-edge marketing technology solutions. Connect with Daniel on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielalvaradob/ Connect with Loren Baker, Founder of Search Engine Journal: Follow him on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/lorenbaker  Connect with him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorenbaker 

Social Ads Connecting Performance & Metrics To Outcomes with Daniel Alvarado - EP305

In today's digital age, having a well-optimized website is essential for any business looking to succeed online. However, simply focusing on keywords and topics may not be enough to stand out and connect with your target audience truly. Rory Hope of HubSpot joined me on the SEJ Show to discuss integrating actual audience data into SEO strategies to go beyond the basics of critical terms & topics. Learn how to integrate audience intelligence and social listening data into keyword strategies to understand your 'SEO persona.' You'll be able to plan more relevant and engaging content and digital PR (link building) campaigns to generate better results. Many SEOs I know sometimes struggle with integration into broader marketing. I think one of SEO's worst enemies is being in a silo where people see the SEO's role as being purely keywords or having and not having a voice in broader content strategy in strategic discussions. I think SEOs can start to bring in social data to support the reasoning as to why content is being published, to help keyword performance by tailoring it all back to the keyword topic, then building out from there and saying we're listening to these publications and these influences because we've seen that these websites rank for these keywords topics that we want to target. –Rory Hope, 27:53 Social is fascinating because we're looking at the digital marketing pillars –email marketing, social media, marketing search, organic search page search, and the ability to use persona typically are not necessarily integrated into what I would call traditional keyword research. A lot of the tools now have things like intent, which helps, but what does the persona look like, what does the buyer look like, who is the buyer when they're searching for something, and what terms are they utilizing that others may not identify and better filter down into Google. –Loren Baker, 7:17 In the sense of SEO, we're missing out on getting back to the audience and understanding the persona. So I think that audience intelligence tools have a real place at the table within an SEO toolset. –Rory Hope, 26:07 [00:00] - About Rory [04:18] - What is Hubspot's Hustle? [08:01] - Importance of social data in SEO. [20:26] - Key benefits of link acquisition opportunities. [32:28] - How social data can work from an agency point of view. [36:15] - Tips for teams that are spread out worldwide. [38:23] - What C3PO means. Resources Mentioned: The Huste: https://blog.hubspot.com/the-hustle Let's look so, so what you need to think about here is I like to call it audience first SEO. So you know your base layer research, your foundational study remains the same. You are conducting keyword research, clustering keywords into topics, subtopics, intent analysis, and building a keyword targeting planner. I think that's important to know. However, you would use social data to enhance your SEO strategy by integrating data sources from audience intelligence tools. –Rory Hope, 11:04 So I'll reevaluate what will allow you to use social insights and social listening on the influences that you are confident in your SEO personas that search for keyword topics you want to rank that they are engaging with you regularly to enhance your SEO topic model content strategy. Then, you can keep adding relevant thought leadership content there so that it doesn't go stale. –Rory Hope, 19:57 It all goes back to the core of marketing. Understanding your audience, understanding the sociology behind everything they do, what they're talking about, why they're talking about it, and identifying those trends that you feel have gotten lost in SEO. We're so keyword-heavy; everything else, like identifying those trends, isn't necessarily part of it. –Loren Baker, 24:04 For more content like this, subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/searchenginejournal Connect With Rory Hope: Rory Hope is a seasoned SEO and growth marketer who's an expert in digital marketing strategy and leadership. Rory is the Head of Content SEO at HubSpot. He leads the Content SEO team, drives their strategy, and oversees organic growth. He's passionate about sharing his knowledge and helping others implement cutting-edge SEO and growth marketing strategies for their websites or businesses. So, if you want to take your digital marketing game to the next level, you won't miss Rory's insights and expertise! Connect with Rory on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rory-hope-33a31066/ Follow him on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Roryhope. Connect with Loren Baker, Founder of Search Engine Journal: Follow him on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/lorenbaker Connect with him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorenbaker

Audience First SEO With HubSpot With Rory Hope - EP304

Google's very own Martin Splitt joined me on the SEJ Show to share his thoughts and opinions on various technical SEO topics, such as Semantic HTML, Google Search Console, indexing, and client-side rendering. Explore how to leverage these powerful tools to improve your website's SEO. Prefer to watch the video? Register here: http://bit.ly/3YQxzG7  I would say make sure that you are focusing on the content quality and that you are focusing on delivering value to your users. Those have been, will always be, and are the most important things. Everything else should follow from that. –Martin Splitt Suppose you are fine-tuning technical details or your website's structure or markup. In that case, you are likely missing out on the more significant opportunities of asking yourself what people need from your website. –Martin Splitt This question keeps coming up. This is not the first time and will not be the last time this question will come up and continue to be asked. I don't know why everyone thinks about who, what value, or who. It's about structure. I can't emphasize this enough, if you choose to have H1s as your top-level structure of the content, that's fine. It just means that the top level of the content is structured along the H1s. –Martin Splitt   [00:00] - About Martin [02:47] - Why Semantic SEO is important. [04:22] - Is there anything that can be done within Semantic HTML to better communicate with Google? [06:02] - Should schema markup information match what's in the document? [08:24] - What parts of Semantic search does Google need the most help with? [09:19] - What is Martin's opinion on header tags? [14:22] - Is the responsibility of implementing Semantic HTML on the SEO or the developer? [16:19] - How accessible is Semantic HTML within a WordPress, or Gutenberg-style  environment?  [19:58] - How compatible is Semantic HTML with WCAG? [21:08] - What is the relationship of Semantic HTML to the overall concept of the Semantic web RDF, etc.? [25:04] - Can the wrong thumbnails be rectified utilizing Semantic HTML? [28:42] - Is there another type of schema markup that can still refer to the organization and use IDs on article pages? [32:10] - Can adding schema markup to show the product category hierarchy and modifying HTML help Google understand the relationship between the product and its category? [33:49] - Is preserving header hierarchy more critical than which header you use? [36:36] - Is it bad practice to display different content on pages to returning users versus new users? [40:08] - What are the best practices for error handling with SPAs? [45:31] - What is the best way to deal with search query parameters being indexed in Google?  [48:02] - Should you be worried about product pages not being included within the XML site map? [50:26] - How does Google prioritize headers? [56:00] - How important is it for developers and SEOs to start implementing Semantic HTML now? [57:31] - What should SEO & developers be focusing on?   If you understand that it's a 404, you have two options because two things can happen that you don't want to happen. One is an error page that gets indexed and appears in search results where it shouldn't. The other thing is that you are creating 404s in the search console and probably muddling with your data. –Martin Splitt If you have one H1 and nothing else under it except for H2s and then content H2 and then content H2, that doesn't change anything. That means you structured your content differently. You didn't structure it better. You didn't structure it worse. You just structured it differently. –Martin Splitt   For more content like this, subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/searchenginejournal  Are you looking to keep up with current and effective digital marketing today? Check out https://www.searchenginejournal.com  for everything you need to know within the digital marketing space and improve your skills as an internet marketer. Connect With Martin Splitt: Martin Splitt - the friendly internet fairy and code magician! He's a tech wizard from Zurich that has magic fingers when it comes to writing web-friendly code.  With over ten years' experience as a software engineer, he now works as a developer advocate for Google. A master of all things open source, his mission is to make your content visible in any corner of cyberspace - abracadabra! Connect with Martin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martinsplitt/ Follow him on Twitter: https://twitter.com/g33konaut   Connect with Loren Baker, Founder of Search Engine Journal: Follow him on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/lorenbaker   Connect with him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorenbaker  

Special Episode: Q&A With Google's Martin Splitt - Semantic HTML, Search and Google Search Console

When two search experts come together, they will likely discuss various SEO and digital marketing topics.    These discussions can cover everything from the latest trends and strategies to industry news and best practices.   Barry Schwartz, CEO of Rusty Brick and Founder of Search Engine Roundtable, joined me on the SEJ Show to discuss SEO, business, the search landscape, and even hair products. It was legendary!   Most of the world these days wants to see a five-second TikTok or YouTube short, and they don't have the patience to go ahead and read something. I think that might be scaring not just advertisers, SEOs, and marketers but Google and Microsoft search ad revenue models and seeing how they can get people to click on those things. This should be interesting. –Barry Schwartz, 17:19  I'm usually very consistent. I'm the type of person who will do something and never stop doing it for better or worse. And it's just the way I like to be. Have a nice routine where I do certain things in a particular order. And I'm passionate about tracking what's changing, so if you let things go more than 24 hours, it just gets worse, piles up, and you get behind. So I like to stay on top of it, and honestly, helping the community in my little way makes it all worth it. –Barry Schwartz, 5:22 I try to cover publicly available stuff that anybody else could access without a password. So that's my rule, it has to be publicly available, and Twitter is a great place where most things are publicly known unless their profiles are limited. –Barry Schwartz, 9:53   [00:00] - About Barry. [04:46] - What has kept Barry going over the past 20 years? [09:28] - SEO forums that people should participate in today. [17:46] - What should the KPIs be behind SEO now with AI here? [19:13] - Will a new search engine now emerge over Google? [25:22] - Biggest regret in blogging. [28:54] - Topic Barry wished he could cover. [32:46] - Barry vs. Google's announcement to take down sponsored links. [38:15] - Is having a Google Plus share button on your blog a ranking factor? [40:45] - How important is it to have fast site core web vitals? [51:15] - How to boost authority & rank higher. [59:42] - How fulfilling has it been to use Roundtable from a religious standpoint?   Resources mentioned: Search Engine Roundtable: https://www.seroundtable.com/ Rusty Brick: https://www.rustybrick.com/   On chatGPT, I don't remember a time in the world of search where or a recent time, maybe the past 12 or 13 years, when things were so exciting. –Loren Baker, 12:04 I think, seeing how Google launches its version. I think it's going to surprise a lot of people. I think people are going to be wowed as much. It will be interesting to see how Bing adapts. It's fun to watch how things change things on a day-to-day basis. It's a super exciting time to be in. –Barry Schwartz, 13:49 If Apple were to launch a Siri AI, then that could be a massive game changer, and that's the one challenge I see with Microsoft. They have it with Teams on the B2B side, and maybe that's where they want to keep it. They have it on the desktop but don't have it in people's pockets and where people are. So maybe it will be a B2C versus B2B-oriented play. –Loren Baker, 23:40   For more content like this, subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/searchenginejournal Are you looking to keep up with current and effective digital marketing today? Check out https://www.searchenginejournal.com for everything you need to know within the digital marketing space and improve your skills as an internet marketer.   Connect With Barry Schwartz: Barry Schwartz is nothing short of a search marketing powerhouse, offering valuable insights and analysis on advanced search engine topics through his popular blog Search Engine Roundtable.  Barry also owns RustyBrick, a New York web design and development firm specializing in custom online technology. Individuals across the globe trust him as an authoritative source in SEM with extensive experience in business development and custom web software engineering - you name it!  Connect with Barry on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rustybrick/ Follow him on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rustybrick Connect with Loren Baker, Founder of Search Engine Journal: Follow him on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/lorenbaker  Connect with him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorenbaker

Two Search Experts Discuss Blogging About SEO With Barry Schwartz

Success in the fast-paced world of advertising requires a focus on innovation and adaptation to the latest trends. This includes staying informed on changes in cookie usage, the growing importance of identity, and exploring opportunities in emerging platforms like connected TV (CTV).  John Gentry, CEO of OpenX, joins me on the SEJShow to discuss the opportunities of ad exchanges, distribution beyond Google & Microsoft, how header bidding works, ad opportunities growing on mobile devices and CTV, and the role of identity and cookies in ad targeting. Gain insights on how to take your PPC and advertising efforts to new heights.   The key is to put an offering in front of somebody who has articulated their interest. Reaching a consumer in real-time and understanding that they want something –they want a car, they want to get tickets to a baseball game. So you're responding to them at that exact time, making that work compelling. The big magic of that model was that real-time response to a user's needs. –John Gentry, 04:26 Paid search is a great entry point into an ecosystem of advertising models working together to identify that intent. And then, if someone may not make the purchase decision at that moment, you can then remarket/retarget. You can then remind them, or at least you have the data. Maybe they're somewhere in the funnel where you are looking at a blog post, buyer guide, or comparison page, and then you can follow them through. –Loren Baker, 05:07 Programmatic came out of that idea to take intent and see if you can respond to the user in some timeframe. The goal here is to try and keep that offer in front of the user when you think you understand the consumer wants to buy something. Programmatic extended that opportunity to be in front of that user and target that user with a different time window. –John Gentry, 05:53   [00:00] - About John. [05:07] - Where Programmatic comes in. [06:59] - Overview of OpenX. [09:46] - How is First-Party Data different from cookie-based advertising? [11:21] - How buyers match to data. [18:19] - More about Open audience. [19:38] - Will there ever be an alternative to Google? [22:34] - How AI will change the search experience. [25:42] - How targeting works in CTV. [33:09] - Ways OpenX stays sustainable. [39:28] - The next big thing to look out for. Resources Mentioned: OpenX - https://www.linkedin.com/company/openx/   Being able to target the level of an individual user is very powerful. All of this stuff is protected and wrapped up, and done safely. There's a recent move towards clean rooms, which are safe ways to exchange data so that you're guarding the person who owns the data; the company owns the data that's not leaking out. And there's a lot of investment in that, which is excellent because that goes back to privacy. How do, how do we keep these things? How can we do targeted advertising in a way that protects people's personal information? –John Gentry, 17:10 With CTV, you can now understand the household watching that content, which means you can now look at the behavior of those households to understand more directly potential attribution from an ad. That's a massive game-changer. And I think that's the big move. What we're seeing advertisers do–the first thing they did when Streaming came out–they realized that the early streamer audience was precious. I think what we're seeing now is kind of the expected and, not surprising, migration to more addressability and the ability to understand how can I target a given household –John Gentry, 26:22 Do we see consumer behavior move with AI? Because if the user moves to AI, that will be a new form of marketing, right? That's a place we're going to have to reframe. How do we engage with the consumer and help them find what they need or address what's coming up? So I think that's a fascinating area in terms of where things will go on the advertising side. –John Gentry. 40:06   For more content like this, subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/searchenginejournal Are you looking to keep up with current and effective digital marketing today? Check out https://www.searchenginejournal.com for everything you need to know within the digital marketing space and improve your skills as an internet marketer.   Connect With John Gentry: A veteran of the technology and media industries, John Gentry, serves as CEO of OpenX, a world-renowned provider of digital advertising technology.  Before joining OpenX, he was President of Spot Runner, CRO of Green Dot, SVP, and GM of overture Services' Affiliate Business. In addition, he held executive positions at Disney/ABC and Discovery Communications. Having 20 years of leadership experience, an engineering background, and a product innovation background makes him an ideal leader for navigating changing times. With his invaluable contribution to OpenX, he is committed to further accelerating OpenX's rapid trajectory. Connect with John on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-gentry-93561/   Connect with Loren Baker, Founder of Search Engine Journal: Follow him on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/lorenbaker  Connect with him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorenbaker 

How To Scale Your PPC & Advertising Way Beyond Google Ads With John Gentry

SEO professionals looking for ways to gain a competitive edge in their link acquisition and blogging techniques can take heart — 2023 is bringing some exciting advancements that you'll want to add to your toolbox of tricks.  Ann Smarty joins me on the SEJ Show to talk about techniques in link acquisition, resourceful and trusted content, and other progressions of traditional SEO strategies. Discover approaches for boosting visibility and SEO success in this episode.   Link building is the only thing that can move the needle. You can optimize, and you can make your site fast. You can create content and do keyword research, but at the end of the day, what moves the needle to get that website ranking very competitively is still linking. –Ann Smarty, 07:43 We even have our database of websites that sell links, and we can track every company that buys links there. So we know that if this site is buying here, that site is usually selling links. So the neighborhood is a huge thing here. –Ann Smarty, 10:28 The beauty of educators is that it's the best neighborhood. Those people never sell links on their websites because they're busy with something else and value all the resources they put on their websites. So that's a never been spammed neighborhood.–Ann Smarty, 21:20   [00:00] - About Ann. [03:59] - Are experimental side projects important? [07:15] - How crucial is linking for SEO nowadays? [11:56] - The importance of quality of content in terms of a link target page. [14:53] - What's more important on Google reading lists, at the top or bottom? [21:09] - Other forms of ethical link building. [26:42] - Kinds of content that attract more links now. [30:23] - Types of impactful outreach and linking. [32:57] - Importance of original statistics.   Resources Mentioned: https://www.seosmarty.com/ Some companies are closing down, and there are stores and restaurants everywhere that are closing down. That's very sad. But the opportunity from a link acquisition perspective is someone's going to lose their domain, which you can always pick up in the future and do something creative with, or those lists are now going to be linked to pages, which 404 or redirect. So you can go out and help the publisher update and make things fresh. –Loren Baker, 13:51 Google is being used by journalists and bloggers all the time. So if you can write an excellent article on a topic and rank it for half of the high-volume search queries, you will see those links coming because people would just come across your resource using Google. –Ann Smarty, 23:02 I do have a theory that Google does look at clicks when they evaluate links. So if links are never clicked, those links are not helpful. So usually, I do want the most valuable links to be those that get traffic. And the higher on the list you are, the more traffic you will get. So always, if you are higher, that's better. –Ann Smarty, 15:53   For more content like this, subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/searchenginejournal Are you looking to keep up with current and effective digital marketing today? Check out https://www.searchenginejournal.com for everything you need to know within the digital marketing space and improve your skills as an internet marketer.   Connect with Ann Smarty: Ann Smarty is a digital marketing mastermind. Not only does she have extensive work experience as an Affiliate Program Manager and SEO consultant, but she's also the Community Manager at Internet Marketing Ninjas.  With her diverse link building skills, keyword research, and social media management, Ann has developed numerous free guides plus courses to help everyone, from individuals to businesses, get ahead. So get ready for success with all that HQ knowledge from one super smart(y) cookie! Connect with Ann on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annsmarty/ Follow her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/seosmarty Connect with Loren Baker, Founder of Search Engine Journal: Follow him on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/lorenbaker  Connect with him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorenbaker

Link & Blogging Strategies For 2023 With Ann Smarty

It seems like everyone these days wants to talk about artificial intelligence (AI) and its potential in search.  It's true - there is no doubt that AI will continue revolutionizing how we find information online. But did you know that real-time AI search is already here? Introducing NeevaAI, it harnesses the power of artificial intelligence for more efficient search results in real time. Neeva CEO and ex-Head of Google Ads, Sridhar Ramaswamy, joined me on the SEJ Show to discuss how live AI questions and answers will change how people search. We touched on how AI will alter the business models of search engines. And also covered the limitations of ChatGPT, and the importance of sourcing and citations in AI-powered live search-driven answers.   We felt that commercial search engines, Google, and Bing, had become products for advertisers, not products for you and me to find out what we want. We felt that a user-focused search engine could differentiate itself and deliver a better product experience. So Neeva, at its core, is a user-first search engine. That means that we don't show ads, don't show affiliate links, and we protect your privacy. –Sridhar Ramaswamy, 02:03 NeevaAI seemed to fix most of the issues I was experiencing with chatGPT, especially the lack of sourcing and accurate information.–Loren Baker, 35:30 The underlying technology behind chatGPT is this model called GPT-3.5. The core technique that that model uses is learning on every page, every piece of text that it can get its hands on. Now note they don't know where these pages came from. They don't know whether it is real or not. They don't understand things like link structure authority. –Sridhar Ramaswamy, 06:41   [00:00] - About Sridhar. [05:29] - Limitation of ChatGPT. [10:17] - A walkthrough on Neeva's AI search. [17:35] - Monetization challenges ad-supported search engines may face with AI. [21:24] - How verified sources are served. [23:48] - How personalized are AI-driven answers based on history? [24:54] - Will there be more follow-up queries after the AI results are given? [27:43] - Where this is going in terms of privacy. [35:30] - Is Neeva available in multiple languages? [37:12] - Can website owners verify with Neeva, like Google Search Console?   Resources mentioned: Neeva: ad-free private search: https://neeva.com/   All of us, willingly or not, are participating in a giant experiment similar to Google. We are happily submitting our thoughts, worries, and desires to chatGPT. And worse, it is not equipped to compartmentalize information like Google reasonably can. Google's like, okay, this is your account, these are your searches, you want to delete it, tell me. We'll delete it. They make it hard for you to do it, but it is possible. So I think there needs to be oversight over how this is done. What storing personal information is going to mean? If the data is then used for training future models, that's when life gets very scary.–Sridhar Ramaswamy, 32:50 One of the main points of concern that I've had with some peers while discussing AI is real-time answers. This could be a direct negative on the traditional Google search monetization model.–Loren Baker, 15:59 Lack of authority is a huge issue. Also, these models are humongous. They take an enormous amount of money to train and an enormous amount of money to run, and they're not real-time. So what we do at Neeva is we use a technique called retrieval, augmented generation. That's a fancy way of saying to use the power of search to set the reality field for a large language model. Then, ask it to generate text and cite which part of the input text it uses.–Sridhar Ramaswamy, 08:27   For more content like this, subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/searchenginejournal Are you looking to keep up with current and effective digital marketing today? Check out https://www.searchenginejournal.com for everything you need to know within the digital marketing space and improve your skills as an internet marketer.   Connect with Sridhar Ramaswamy Sridhar Ramaswamy is an inspiring example of using technology for the greater good. After leading Google's enormous advertising division, he succeeded as a venture capitalist at Greylock Partners.  He then took his ambitions one step further with Neeva. This privacy-focused search engine has no ads and runs on a subscription-based model instead.  This tech master combines humanistic values with revolutionary thinking to make the software work towards beneficial societal outcomes. With such ambition inspiring him forward, this entrepreneur has set down new paths of discovery. As a result, we can all benefit from Sridhar's tireless vision for innovation! Connect with Sridhar on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancy-marzouk-82519a/ Follow him on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RamaswmySridhar   Connect with Loren Baker, Founder of Search Engine Journal: Follow him on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/lorenbaker  Connect with him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorenbaker

ChatGPT & Search NeevaAI's Real Time AI Search Is Already Here With Sridhar Ramaswamy

Savvy digital marketers leverage user identification to create genuinely custom experiences for their customers because identity is a crucial part of today's online landscape. Nancy Marzouk of MediaWallah joins me on the SEJ show to discuss the concept of identity data and how it becomes an integral part of digital advertising. In addition, we discuss the critical elements to have in place to create a successful approach.  We also get into clean rooms and clean tech vs. a "black box" approach and how AWS, Google & Snowflake's impacts on the ID data market will look like.   There's a lot that needs to go into how I design my identity strategy to fit not only the privacy talk about data governance and all that fun stuff but also works within the industry that I'm in and deals with the marketing stack that I've invested in. So that's really where identity by design comes in. It helps you understand. We help people understand the pieces of what a sustainable building-up of your identity graph might look like. –Nancy Marzouk, 06:19 The fact that the cookies were anonymous and that the workflow that was present for cookies was acceptable, but it's no longer viable when you're starting to deal with the first-party data. Because it's very sensitive information, creating a more secure workflow will be very important in the future. With that being said, it doesn't mean that retargeting goes away. It just looks a little different.  –Nancy Marzouk, 10:41 With cookies and mobile going away, what it does is it brings the advertiser and the publisher closer together. –Nancy Marzouk, 16:15   00:00 - About Nancy. 05:00 - What is identity, and why is it important? 08:46 - Can you still retarget in the future? 11:47 - Is it going to be better or worse for advertising? 22:51 - Does a publisher have to work with every identity solution? 35:29 - A scenario ID platforms can identify. 38:47 - How to transition to ID.   Resources mentioned: MediaWallah - https://mediawallah.com/   There are different parts of identity. First, there's being able to identify an event or a session or something happening in a browser or something happening in the app so that you can do that targeting right then and there based on what the platform is that you're using. And then there's how do I take all that information and connect it to an individual or a user so that I can perhaps do some sophisticated audience modeling or attribution? –Nancy Marzouk, 26:12 It seems like the past three years. Google's been serving more and more publisher sites that are reviews or product-oriented reviews, recipe sites, whatever on the publisher side, as opposed to going directly to the source. So I think it will make that real estate more important from an advertising perspective. –Loren Baker, 19:01 People are looking to use their first-party data to bridge the gap and create a crosswalk between the information they need to understand about their marketing and the effectiveness of their marketing. –Nancy Marzouk, 05:17   For more content like this, subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/searchenginejournal Are you looking to keep up with current and effective digital marketing today? Check out https://www.searchenginejournal.com for everything you need to know within the digital marketing space and improve your skills as an internet marketer.   Connect with Nancy Marzouk Nancy is a true maverick on the marketing technology scene - always one step ahead of the pack and more than capable of solving even its most stubborn problems.  Through her company MediaWallah, she's revolutionized how data can be connected for maximum value at every level. The industry has taken note - Nancy's been making waves as a frequent guest speaker at conferences and through op-ed pieces in publications everywhere!  Her genuine commitment to progress saw her appointed to IAB's Cookie Management Task Force – proving that when it comes to tech, no problem lies beyond reach with Nancy around. Connect with Nancy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancy-marzouk-82519a/ Follow her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/nmarzouk   Connect with Loren Baker, Founder of Search Engine Journal: Follow him on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/lorenbaker  Connect with him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorenbaker 

Identity & Custom User Experiences - How ID Helps Convert with Nancy Marzouk

You may have heard of artificial intelligence, but what about creative intelligence?  Alex Collmer, CEO of VidMob, joined me on SEJ Show to talk about creative intelligence and its role in helping marketers, especially in today's market conditions.  Gain insight into how creative intelligence optimizations and data transparency can help you make the right decision when running your creative campaigns.  Find out how it plays in with privacy updates and running campaigns across various ad networks, mobile devices, and social media apps.   One of the things that creative intelligence can do is help people get a reality check on how original and unique that creative is vis-a-vis the myriad of things in the market today. It's a tool to help people monitor culture to understand how trends are progressing and when the moment has passed. –Alex Collmer,15:34 Before, it was about getting the click to go to the site. Now everything is so intertwined. It has to be quite a chore for a creative team to fill in all the blanks and then utilize that data to alter, refresh, or make those adaptations to the creative itself. –Loren Baker, 03:54 This isn't A/B testing. You know that that's sort of like the thing we did yesterday. This is a whole new world and opens up visibility into the why of creativity for the first time. –Alex Collmer, 07:20   [00:00] - About Alex. [08:03] - How creative intelligence relates to AI. [10:53] - How fast a campaign gets creative feedback. [13:40] - Where originality comes in. [17:55] - How important is Creative Intelligence regarding data privacy? [19:46] - Can Creative Intelligence report on demographics? [21:16] - Can you optimize for different age groups simultaneously? [22:57] - Can data sync from handheld devices to traditional advertising? [25:20] - Alex's take on Augmented Reality and Snap. [31:37] - Insights on rich media style advertising on Amazon.   Resources mentioned:  VidMob - https://www.vidmob.com/   We built technology to enable people to ingest all of that creative they might be running across an account on Meta, YouTube, TikTok, or Amazon. We process those billions of creative attribute signals and pull all the performance information from those platforms. The likes, clicks, views, engagement metrics, and purchases are included. –Alex Collmer, 06:22 Intelligent creative gives people data they can react to in real-time in a software platform that enables them to be very agile in their creatives. They can optimize the market and dramatically improve the results they see from their campaigns.–Alex Collmer, 10:35 As the media side loses effectiveness, the creative side has to take over more of the responsibility. –Alex Collmer, 19:14   For more content like this, subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/searchenginejournal Are you looking to keep up with current and effective digital marketing today? Check out https://www.searchenginejournal.com for everything you need to know within the digital marketing space and improve your skills as an internet marketer.   Connect with Alex Collmer Alex Collmer founded VidMob, the most prominent video creation platform that enables anyone to maximize their video presence and make a brand impact. He is an engineer who specializes in technology, design, and entertainment. Alex's multifaceted expertise paved the way for him to co-found Autumn Games, a renowned publisher of video games, before founding VidMob. Alex is an all-around man with many passions and talents! He's an enthusiastic husband, youth sports coach, ultra runner, and tech/digital media entrepreneur. Equally impressive are his specialties in intellectual property finance (movies, video games & music), investment/fund management & media private equity – Alex sure knows how to make the most out of life! Connect with Alex on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexcollmer/ Follow him on Twitter: https://twitter.com/collmerica   Connect with Loren Baker, Founder of Search Engine Journal: Follow him on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/lorenbaker  Connect with him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorenbaker 

Creative Intelligence And Its Role In Online Advertising with Alex Collmer - EP 298

Welcome to The Search Engine Journal Show! This is the official podcast of Search Engine Journal. We talk all things SEO, PPC, social media, content marketing, and digital marketing with the top industry experts and authorities. Your host will be Loren Baker.

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Search Engine Journal Show

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