Digital Marketing This Week:
August 2, 2014

This week’s Digital Marketing This Week is all about improving your WordPress SEO and the 5 things that can help raise your rankings on search engines. We have a quick look at the topics discussed below, but you can listen to the webinar for an in-depth discussion on each.

1. Keywords

Remember the Hummingbird update? It radically changed how Google processed search results, adapting to how people search for topics now. Words have been replaced by phrases; and typing has been replaced by voice commands. So really, it’s now all about short-tail versus long-tail keywords and knowing where to place it. For a step-by-step live demonstration on how to put this theory into action, check out the webinar.

2. Links

These can hurt so you have to be careful when using them. Make sure that your links (and those sites that link back to you) are relevant to your content and mix it up. There are more rules now to consider—it’s all just a part of understanding how Google reviews your content and it’s all discussed in the webinar.

3. Sitemaps

Use sitemaps to show search engines where things are. The simpler the better. We use a great plug-in called….that does it all for you.

4. Social activity

Don’t just use Facebook. Get engagement on as many platforms as you can. Go on YouTube, Pinterest, LinkedIn. Buffer and Hootsuite can make the job easier, but if you can, do it yourself. Engage your audience and encourage comments.

5. Authorship

VERY important but often overlooked. It’s totally free, it raises your quality score but it will require you to sign up for Google+ and create a profile.

Watch out for:

• Duplicate content—watch out for those tags. I know they were a big thing then, but it might count against you.
• Enhanced content — It can be used if it can add value to your blog.
• Bot judgment based on bounce rates and time on page. Google Analytics should take care of tracking that for you, but If you don’t have Google Analytics set up yet, you can check out our blog for a step-by-step guide on understanding how it works.

Again, a more comprehensive discussion of the topics are tackled on the webinar—including a bonus but very important SEO tip that you should really, really get primed for.

For this week’s tips, trends and tools—

1. Recommended plug-ins

• We recommend WordPress SEO by Yoast—a free plug-in with a developer that offers a comprehensive support team.
• Checkout AuthorSure to take care of your authorship.

2. What’s new for Google Search

Have you heard of Google Pigeon Algorithm yet? It will change rankings for local businesses.

3. Update for Google Analytics

Google Analyics now offers bot filters. Visit your admin panel and check it out.

For more on digital marketing and the latest news in the industry, be sure to check out next week’s webinar.