Choosing the top stories can be a real chore, and that’s definitely true this month. Anyone who says summer is the slow time for digital marketing hasn’t been online lately.
Business is booming
Let’s get down to it.
Here’s Stukent’s News You Can Use, fresh off the press…
1. WARNING: THIS SITE IS NOT SECURE!
Topic: [highlight type=”dark”]SEO[/highlight]
Key Point: If you’ve not yet made the move to HTTPS for the sites you manage, it’s definitely time to think again. Microsoft Regional Director, Troy Hunt, says the ominous “Not secure” warning is going to begin showing more and more – even for sites that don’t sell anything online, but include a contact form, search form or any data-gathering function at all.
Down the road a little further, it’s likely that all non-HTTPS pages will call up the warning.
Why does that matter?
Searchers have a tendency to leave immediately when “Not secure” shows – even if they’re not entering sensitive data. Says Hunt, “If you’re serving anything over an insecure connection you need to be planning how you’re going to go HTTPS by default now.”
Check out his reasoning here: Life Is Getting Harder.
[line]2. DATA: IT’S A BEAUTIFUL THING
Topic: [highlight type=”dark”]Analytics[/highlight]
Key Point: Here’s something else to do right away: take Google up on the offer to get Google Data Studio (beta) for free! With Data Studio, your analytics reports can look a whole lot better and make much more sense. Check it out here: Get Data Studio.
[line]3. THE LANDING PAGES PAGE
Topic: [highlight type=”dark”]Online Advertising | Conversion Optimization[/highlight]
Key Point: Great ads without great landing pages aren’t great at all. They’re money drains. That’s why Google is launching a Landing Pages page in AdWords!
You’ll soon be able to check on the mobile-friendliness of your landing pages and which links are converting the best. Excellent idea, Google.
Get the scoop here: Landing Pages in AdWords.
[line]4. FACEBOOK DOESN’T LIKE SLOW LOAD SPEEDS
Topics: [highlight type=”dark”]Social Media Marketing | Analytics[/highlight]
Key Point: You already know Google doesn’t like slow load times for pages. Visitors want to see a site load in a few seconds. The longer it takes for visitors to get what they’re looking for, the more likely they are to abandon the site and move on.
Now, Facebook is joining that bandwagon.
Facebook users say “It’s frustrating to click on a link that leads to a slow-loading webpage,” so the social media Goliath is doing something about it. The News Feed will soon push quick-loading webpages higher and push slower-loading sites back. (Don’t worry, the algorithm will factor connection speed into the equation.)
It’s a fascinating read, and a topic critical to social media marketing: Facebook Announcement.
[line]5. FIXING FACEBOOK ADS
Topics: [highlight type=”dark”]Social Media Marketing | Online Advertising[/highlight]
Key Point: Speaking of Facebook, advertising there is in boomtown mode. Advertisers love the depth of Facebook’s targeting capabilities. What happens when you’re upside down in ROI on the ads you’re running, though?
Fix them, of course! But how do you do that? Peter Dulay gets right down to the nitty gritty in “How to Fix Facebook Ads When They’re Not Working.” From audience selection, funnel adjustment, message-audience mismatch and beyond, this Facebook Ads tune-up can help you locate the problem and start earning more than you’re spending for Facebook advertising: How to Fix Facebook Ads.
[line]6. BING OPENS DYNAMIC SEARCH ADS TO USA ADVERTISERS
Topic: [highlight type=”dark”]Online Advertising[/highlight]
Key Point: Bing is giving USA advertisers access to their new Dynamic Search Ads (beta) feature. It’s a win-win concept. You provide your domain and ad copy, Bing delivers on the rest of the package by crawling your pages and using machine learning algorithms to make the best matches between your landing pages and search queries.
It’s more than a convenient turn-key ad strategy for lazy marketers, Bing says DSA will help you get more impressions and drive more clicks.
Here’s how to get your Dynamic Search Ad campaign underway: Get DSA.
[line]7. REL=CANONICAL: DO YOU REALLY KNOW HOW THAT WORKS?
Topic: [highlight type=”dark”]SEO | Ecommerce[/highlight]
Key Point: You hear canonical tags mentioned every now and then, but unless you’re in a meeting of seasoned SEO’s, chances are high that many of the participants don’t have a clue about rel=canonical.
Not only that, but it’s quite likely that a hefty percentage of those who do have a clue still don’t adequately understand the concept. You can test that theory by asking, “Hey, won’t a 301 redirect fix the problem?”
Be the one who knows the canonical big picture. Get your rel=canonical PhD right here: SEO Best Practices for Canonical URL’s.
[line]8. INTRODUCING FACEBOOK “WATCH”
Topic: [highlight type=”dark”]Social Media Marketing[/highlight]
Key Point: It’s rolling out to a Facebook account near you, and Facebook is hoping the new feature will make a huge splash. Given the popular acceptance of Facebook Live, Facebook Watch will up the ante for video messaging.
The shows will be composed of episodes following a storyline or theme. Not only will you get to watch the content you find interesting, but you’ll be able to publicly react to what you’re seeing, AND there’ll be a “Watchlist” to help you determine what’s coming up next.
Facebook says “Watch is a platform for all creators and publishers to find an audience, build a community of passionate fans, and earn money for their work.”
Find out more about the plan here: Facebook Watch.
[line]9. BONUS STORY: OPTIMIZE YOUR SITE OR YOUR TRAFFIC?
Topic: [highlight type=”dark”]Ecommerce | SEO[/highlight]
Key Point: Should you direct your marketing budget towards optimizing your website, or should you be more concerned about pulling the right traffic?
Before you jump to the “Both” conclusion, take this “quick thought experiment” with Jacob Baadsgaard. Follow along with his logic, and you’ll be able to answer the question “Which is more important, more traffic or higher conversion?” without hesitation (and maybe in a different way).
Here you go: Traffic or Conversion?
[line]Congratulations! You’re all caught up on your digital marketing news and updates for the month! Tweet your excitement!
Stukent News You Can Use – Learn and Grow
What a way to end the summer! Are you pumped for the possibilities as we start looking towards Black Friday and the coming holiday buying frenzy?
Digital marketing is going to get a whole lot more exciting next month, and Stukent is going to be watching for the stories most valuable to you.
Want to help? When you see an article or announcement worthy of News You Can Use, send us the URL. Be a Stukent field reporter, and see your story in next month’s edition.
When digital marketers work together, great things happen!
