This is a Machine Learning Introduction

What exactly is artificial intelligence and machine learning?

Machine learning, a core aspect of what's currently defined as artificial intelligence, is becoming increasingly prevalent as personalization becomes important and customers want to see brands that understand their needs. Even Google has begun to use machine learning, as evidenced by the introduction of RankBrain in 2015 (link to project page on RankBrain).

Machine learning empowers algorithms to learn. It can watch how people respond to websites and different types of content to best predict what will lead people closer to conversion.

It is likely that machine learning will become even more significant in the near future. By 2020 the digital universe will expand from 130 exabytes to 40,000 exabytes. This is significantly more than the human brain can handle. Machine learning will make it easier for brands to interpret all of this information so that it can be used to improve the user experience online.

Will machines replace humans in marketing?

When people think of machine learning, they often begin to wonder about the possibility of humans being replaced by machines, but this is rather unlikely. Although artificial intelligence can be fantastic for finding patterns and learning what content to display to users, they will not be able to be creative. Artificial Intelligence, or AI, cannot create unique content that triggers emotions or understand which images will best convey certain feelings. Humans will instead rely on machines to provide the analysis of content while humans can take care of the creative efforts.

How is machine learning used in marketing?

• Machine learning will offer key insights into optimization, helping brands understand what people want to read.
• Humans will be in charge of creating high-quality content that speaks to the needs of the customers, as detailed by the machine learning or AI platform.
• Machine learning will analyze customer behavior on websites to better understand how people progress through the buyer’s journey.
• Machine learning will take the content created by people and develop a more personalized experience.

One of the major ways that machine learning will be integrated into human-mediated marketing is in the concept of the Smart Content framework. In this framework SEO and content marketing are converged, and machine learning is woven into discovery, optimization, and measurement phases of content development to help marketers' campaigns keep parity with ever-changing search algorithims--which themselves are becoming increasingly managed through machine learning. BrightEdge defines Smart Content as:

1. TARGETED to exactly what customers want and need when they need it
2. OPTIMIZED to make the content more visible and discoverable
3. ALWAYS ON and technically up-to-date
4. INTEGRATED, activated across devices and the entire marketing stack for maximum impact
5. PROFITABLE for marketers because the content delights and engages readers on topics they have intent for and primes them for conversion

Machine learning will be an important part of marketing in the future, as it will help brands better understand customer behavior and what people want to see online. Humans will always be in charge of the creative process, but this type of learning will make it easier to create a superior user experience.

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How Do Redirects Work?

What is a redirect?

Redirects allow you to send users and search engines from the site that they initially requested to a new site. You might do this if you are doing maintenance on a particular page or if you are in the process of site migration. Different redirects, however, will have different impacts on how search engines respond to them and the influence on your optimization efforts. The three main types of redirects are 301s, 302s, and Meta Refresh.

Are 301 redirects bad?

A 301 redirect means that the page the user requested has been permanently moved to another location. This is generally regarded as the best method for SEO purposes. The page that the 301 sends the visitor to will receive most of the link power and PageRank that the original page had, which helps you to maintain your rankings on SERPs.

What is a 302 redirect?

A 302 redirect is a temporary redirect. If you are doing maintenance on your server and you need to temporarily have customers visit another page, then you will use a 302. Like a 301, these redirects to pass along PageRank and link power, but Google views this redirect as temporary, and thus will index the original and the destination site with that in mind. If you intend to have this redirect be permanent, it is in your best interest to make sure that it is properly noted as a 301.

What is a meta refresh redirect?

A meta refresh redirect will automatically send users from the original URL to the new URL after a certain number of seconds. This is the redirect that the site has used if you see the message, “If you are not redirected in X seconds, click here”. While these refreshes might pass along some of the link power of the original site, they are generally regarded as poor for the user experience and not the preferred means of redirecting traffic.

Redirects can be an important part of websites for a variety of reasons. Regardless of whether you need to redirect people to a new domain or just need to do some server maintenance, composing the redirects correctly can be very beneficial to your SEO and your readers.

What is Universal Search?

Universal search is search that allows Google to show images, local businesses, rich snippets, and more right on the SERP. In the past, Google only showed links from other websites when a user typed in a query. Now, Google uses universal search. This refers to Google’s ability to take results from a few different verticals and combine them into a single SERP.

What is universal search in SEO?

The types of content that will appear for a query will vary depending upon what people commonly look for with a particular question. For example, you might see that a search for the query, ‘the United States’ returns a mix of images, news articles and standard websites:

On the other hand, the query, ‘how to separate egg white’ will give you a Google Quick Answer, a video, and text results:

Maximizing your visibility online, therefore, requires you to understand your position in universal search and find ways to improve your ranking.

How do I rank well in universal search?

1. Understand your rankings and those of your competitors intimately. BrightEdge’s Competitive Analysis, powered by Share of Voice, can help you see how your content compares to that of your competitors and what is giving them an edge over your own material.
2. Create content that people want to engage with and share. Google watches user signals, including the click-through rate and the time spent on site. The more your readers engage with the site, the better off you will be.
3. Do not neglect local SEO, which can be a big component of blended rank—particularly with the local 3-Pack. Keep your business results updated on social media and all your web properties. In particular, make sure that your NAP—name, address and phone number—are correct across all social sites and online listings. Use location-specific keywords in places such as the title tag and the URL.
4. Use schema markup to ensure that the algorithm understands the content on your website so that its appearance can be maximized. With a complete markup, you can trust that any opportunities for rich snippets that arise will be used. It will also help Google identify relevant images, videos or other types of content that might be applicable in certain searches.

Blended search is an important part of modern search because it means that your ranking is not just a competition against other, similar style content pages. You also have to consider the other types of content that will be included, such as images. Taking the time to maximize your exposure in the blended rank will help you see the best results possible from Google search.

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How Do You Boost Landing Pages with Data?

What is a landing page?

Your landing page is the place where your customers convert. You have spent your time and energy creating and optimizing landing page content to coax them closer to your brand, and your landing page is where they take the official step and become a lead or a paying customer. You have successfully convinced them that you have authority in your industry and that you have something of value to offer them.

Landing pages can vary widely. You might offer free e-books or white papers in exchange for lead information. You might also have landing pages where you sell individual products and services.

Regardless of the goal of your landing page, each one has some features in common:

• It contains a short description designed to convince your visitors to take the final step and convert
• Your content is offered for a price, whether that price is money or just contact information
• The page requires intimate analysis to maximize the number of conversions

How do you make a landing page design that converts?

Landing pages can be challenging to develop. It is easy to view them as simple since they do not have too much content, but they require insight into your competitors and into customer psychology. Small details, such as the color of your buy button or the phrasing you use when describing your offer, have all been shown to impact conversion rates-- sometimes drastically. Data has the power to give you the insight you need to better understand your customers and how your landing pages compare to your competitors, empowering you to reach your full potential.

What should a good landing page design have?

Data can offer you keen insights every step of the creation process.

1. Use data from competitor sites to create a landing page that borrows some of the most successful features
2. Continuously run A/B test on features of your landing page, including your:
   1. Text
   2. Colors
   3. Images
   4. Forms
   5. Layout
3. Implement changes that allow you to build a landing page that maximizes its appeal to visitors so that you get a strong conversion rate.

Layout pages require precision and careful consideration to ensure that they meet the needs of your customers and maximize your potential conversions. Data will help you reach your goals, thereby increasing your leads and growing your business.

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What Makes An Email Marketing Campaign Successful?

Are email campaigns still effective?

An estimated 91 percent of people check their email at least one time per day. This makes it a highly efficient means of getting in touch with today’s consumers. Customers prefer this method as well-- it is still the most desired means for consumers to receive messages and content from the brands that want to get in touch with them.

These statistics indicate clearly that brands that want to engage with customers can use email for a strong ROI. The key is learning how to build emails that get the attention you are looking to find.

How do you make an email campaign more effective?

For email to be attractive to users and have the strongest possible ROI, it is best to use personalized messages.

You need to make sure you have quality content developed for each of your buyer personas at each stage of your buyer’s journey (link to content for the buyer's journey). You want to have a variety of different types of content-- including videos, whitepapers and articles-- so that you can appeal to the preferences of your different users. Remember that all content must have value to add for customers.

In addition to customizing the email so it accurately reflects where customers are in the buyer’s journey, you also want to create emails that reflect the individual. As people travel throughout your website, you should collect information about them and their needs. For example, when they fill out a landing page form, grab information about their company. The more the emails can be individualized, the better foundation it will lay for a strong relationship with the prospect.

How do I know if my email campaign was successful?

1. Measure your response rates to emails. See how many people respond to your offers and record your open rates and click-through-rates. This will offer insights into how valuable people view your emails and how engaging your headlines are for prospects.
2. Measure conversion rates before and after the email campaign. To see how well your email marketing strategy influences buying decisions, measure your conversion rates before and after your email marketing campaign.
3. Compare to see if improvement is needed in your campaign. Look at all your metrics together, including your open rates, click-through-rates, offer redemptions and conversion rates to see how successful your email marketing strategy is at driving the desired behavior.
4. Adjust and move forward. Make any adjustments that are needed and move forward with your campaign.

Email marketing can be a very efficient means of contacting customers and presenting them with the value of your brand. The right email will be personalized for the customer and their unique needs while also offering value. Create a marketing campaign that focuses on the user and see how email can help build your brand.

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Using Facebook to Build a Brand

How can Facebook help me build my brand?

It is an unfortunately common assumption for many businesses that social media, particularly Facebook, are just opportunities to stand on a soap box and broadcast your brand message to the millions of people who use the platform. When they does not work, many of these businesses will just give up and declare that Facebook does not work for them.

The trouble is that this is not the role of Facebook. People are not on social media to listen to sales pitches, they are there to be social with their friends and the brands they like. Customers today value brands that take the time to get to know them on a personal level, rather than acting as an impersonal corporation.

Facebook can help you build your brand by acting as a platform for you to engage with your followers, answer their questions and get to know their needs. By doing this, you build your brand and encourage brand loyalty.

How do I use build a Facebook community?

1. Invite people to follow you on Facebook. Advertise your page wherever you go, including your website, your newsletters and your emails.
2. Encourage existing followers to engage with your content. When your followers like or share your existing content, the material will then appear on the newsfeeds of all of their connections, which then increases your exposure and encourages more people to like your page.
3. Engage with your existing followers. Be attentive to the site and respond to their questions and comments promptly. Ask questions of them and participate-- but do not dominate-- conversations that pop-up on your page.

How do I use this community to build my brand?

Once you have an established Facebook community, you want to use this group to build your base and increase your conversions.

1. Host contests where people receive coupons in exchange for telling stories about their experiences with your brand or posting pictures of themselves with your products. This encourages people to make another purchase while also spreading brand reach through the participants’ posts.
2. Offer special codes and giveaways exclusively for your social media followers.
3. Offer insider tips about getting the most out of products or services in your industry-- make your Facebook page a valuable resource for people.

Facebook can be a valuable resource, but it is not just a megaphone for blasting your message. Use the platform to build your brand and you will see what makes social media as a marketing tool so popular.

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How Do I Know What SEO Keywords to Use?

1. Identify your buyer personas so that you understand their motivations and what they want to see online
2. Use tools like the BrightEdge Content or Data Cube to look for keyword suggestions based upon search volume, relevance to your industry, your buyer personas and their buyer journey. Choose both head terms and long-tail keywords to deviate your content strategy.
3. Use BrightEdge tools to uncover competitors to identify possible holes in your content marketing campaign. You can uncover keywords that are helping them, but have been neglected by you
4. Monitor trends to see which keywords have spiked, such as in response to a particular event, and be prepared to develop rapid, timely content

How to find keywords?

The digital ecosystem is becoming increasingly crowded. According to IBM, 90% of the content available today was developed in the past two years. At this rate, it is easy for any website to fail to gain traction without targeting the right keywords. That’s why you need to conduct extensive keyword-level research. This process involves finding what queries people enter into search engines and the search volume of each of these queries.

Keywords tell Google what your topic is and helps search engines match your relevant content to the right queries. The key, however, is that you need to find particular terms that matter to people and which you can rank on. Data is the key to uncovering the right keywords.

How do I use SEO keywords?

Once you have the keywords in hand, you need to build a comprehensive content strategy with content that your customers want to read. You do not want to create one blog post with a keyword and consider that keyword covered. Instead, you need to view your keywords as topics and use them to promote scalable content across your campaign. One blog post can then be a jumping-off point that is explored more in depth in a white paper or converted into a webinar topic.

A keyword used to popularize a video can then be used when creating a related infographic. Use your keywords to provide you with ideas for directions to cover in your content marketing campaign. This will help you use them more naturally and encourage you to establish yourself as more of an authority.

Uncovering the right keywords can be a challenge for many organizations. Through the use of data, you will be able to better understand what customers want to see and the topics that attract the most attention. You will then be empowered to create the right content at the right time — improving your engagement rates and conversions.

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What is a long tail keyword?

A long tail keyword is a phrase that is generally made from three to five words. Since these keywords are more specific than generic terms, they allow you to target niche demographics. These keywords are also less competitive than generic keywords because they are designed to better reflect how people make queries. With long tail keywords, you are able to attract more high-quality traffic to your website which is more likely to lead to conversions.

During the customer journey, long tail keywords become more important as their journey evolves. Typically, users begin with a simple search and as the search engines guide them to solving their pain point, their searches become more detailed. This is where long tail keywords will become important to separate your brand from your competition. 

BrightEdge Generative Parser reveals that as of January 2025, 35% of AI Overview results now handle multiple search intents simultaneously, with projections showing this could reach 65% by Q1 2025. This means users increasingly combine multiple aspects of their journey into single, detailed searches - making long tail keywords that address specific combinations of needs more valuable than ever.

Are long tail keywords important for SEO?

Over 70% of search queries are made using long tail keywords. This has become particularly prevalent with people using voice search more often. People now generally enter queries into Google using the same types of phrasing as they do when they are speaking with a friend. This is called natural language. Using long tail keywords, therefore, makes your content more likely to draw these users into your website and begin the process of the buyer’s journey. In addition, generative AI such as that found in Google’s AI Overviews are expanding the ways long tail keywords can be used to pinpoint conversational search patterns. As AI enables users to combine multiple intents, the way they use long tail keywords becomes vital in earning citations from these engines. You can learn more about Google SGE in our Ultimate Guide to AI Overviews!

Long tail keywords being comprised of a few words makes them much more specific. This means that both users and site owners generally receive better results. Brands receive traffic that is more closely aligned with their content, which will improve their ability to effectively bring new customers into the sales cycle. Customers also receive content that is more closely aligned with their objective, making them happier.

The specificity of long tail keywords also means that there is less competition for each keyword phrase. Brands can better customize their specific keywords for what they provide users.

Long Tail Keywords: Strategic Importance in AI Search

The rise of AI-powered search has fundamentally shifted how users interact with search engines, making long tail keywords more valuable than ever for SEO practitioners. According to BrightEdge Generative Parser data, search queries that trigger AI Overviews have become increasingly conversational, growing from an average of 3.1 words in June 2024 to 4.2 words by year's end. This shift reflects a growing user comfort with more natural, detailed search patterns that align perfectly with long tail keyword strategies.

For SEO practitioners, this evolution presents a unique opportunity. Rather than competing directly with major brands for broad keywords, long tail optimization allows websites to earn citations in AI search results by providing complementary, specific information. BrightEdge Generative Parser data shows that AI Overviews are now pulling from a significantly broader range of sources - up to 151% more unique websites for complex B2B queries and 108% more for detailed product searches. This means that websites optimizing for specific, detailed long tail phrases have an increased chance of being cited in comprehensive AI-generated responses.

This democratization of citations in AI search results means that digital marketers and SEO’s can focus on developing deep, specific content that answers particular aspects of user queries, rather than trying to compete for broad, highly competitive terms. By targeting the natural language patterns that users increasingly employ in their searches, websites can position themselves as valuable sources of specific information that AI systems will reference when building comprehensive responses to user queries.

Long tail keyword example

Depending on the topics your site creates content around and how many pages you have, you will want to collect a pretty large relevant list of long tail keywords that you can use throughout your site. It's not realistic, or SEO-healthy, for you to optimize your site for the same keywords on every page, therefore you'll need a running list of great keywords.

If you're a local brand looking for local foot traffic, adding "near me" to your long tail keywords is a good practice. For example, long tail keywords including "organic coffee shops near me" or "buy Guiana chestnut plant near me" are both good examples of when a user is at the final stages of their buyer journey searching via long tail queries. Using specific keywords like "organic coffee shop" and "Guiana chestnut plant" will help you to rank better as they're further from common keywords bigger brands are trying to rank for.

Researching long tail keywords

1. Build your buyer personas and map them to customer journeys.
2. Use this information to help you identify topics that your personas will want to see at each stage of their journey.
3. Leverage your own query research via search engines by typing a simple search into the search bar and see what keywords autofill into long tail keywords. These keywords are what users are searching for and you should optimize for them. You can see to the right that we typed "best seo" into Google. Long tail keywords autofilled to show us what users are most often looking for when it comes to "best seo."
4. Use keyword technology, like the BrightEdge Data Cube X, to identify the relevant keywords that you can best rank for that also have high traffic rates.
5. Monitor your success with your keywords, looking closely at your traffic and engagement rates. This will tell you how many people you are attracting and how well your content is answering the need of their query.

Long-tail keywords are valuable tools for those looking to optimize their content and attract more relevant visitors. The better you are able to better understand your users, the better you will be able to meet their needs and bring in new customers for your organization.

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What is a Competitive Analysis?

In SEO management, competitive analysis means identifying the major market players who compete with your content for organic traffic. The result of your competitive analysis can be seen in BrightEdge Share of Voice and Data Cube Score.

Demo Share of Voice For A Competitive Deep Dive

Why is it important to do a competitive analysis?

It is easy to view SEO and marketing as a competition between you and the SERP – focusing your efforts on raising rank so that you attract more attention and therefore more conversions. However, it is important to remember that your real competition is the other businesses in your industry. They are the ones fighting for those same top spots and the same customers.

With your competitors publishing new content, SERP is constantly changing. Finding which competitors outrank your content in this competitive, changing landscape is critical. Tracking them as a part of your marketing strategy will offer you valuable insights such as:

• Key competitors you might have often overlooked
• Content types or keywords that are helping competitors bring in customers that you are neglecting
• SEO techniques that are helping them build their rank and authority that you are not taking advantage of, such as how your competitors content pages are structured
• Areas that your competitors are falling short, where you can come in and dominate

How do you find competitors?

There are two main techniques that you can use to start identifying industry competitors.

1. Use Google site operators. By using the related: “your website” command, you can ask Google which sites it views as being the most similar to your own website.
2. Take advantage of the state-of-the-art BrightEdge technology. Use BrightEdge’s comparative analysis tool, powered by Share of Voice, to undercover previously unknown competitors and receive a detailed analysis of how the competitor ranks for particular keywords. You can also map out competitors for each segment of your business and do competitive benchmarking to see how you measure up at the beginning and end of your campaigns.

How do you write a competitive analysis?

Once you have a good idea of who your competitors are, you then need to take the steps necessary to analyze their campaigns, compare them to yours, and find areas where you need to improve or are in a position to outmaneuver the competitor and bring in more customers.

1. Establish your current position compared to these competitors. See the areas where their site ranks higher and attracts more customers and compare it to your own to find points of weakness where you can improve.
2. Monitor your overall Share of Voice to see how it compares to your competitors.
3. Begin campaigns to fill in your gaps and improve your standings against the other sites.
4. Measure your progress in terms of rankings and Share of Voice to see how well you have met your goals.

Competitors can offer you a considerable amount of insight into areas where your site and content strategy might be lacking and where you have the potential to start to dominate the SERPs. Taking the time to do competitor analysis can help you better position your web properties and bring in more customers than others in your industry.

Mobile-Friendly Sites Are Great For Mobile Web Development

Why is mobile optimization important?

Customers are increasingly using their mobile devices to engage with brands. More than half of all searches are performed on mobile, and customers spend an average of 3.3 hours a day on their devices. During this time, they are reading content, watching videos and connecting with friends and brands on social media. It is easy to see why brands need to be prepared for mobile.

It is important to remember, however, that mobile customers often have different objectives than desktop ones. They often are looking for information such as a business’s contact number, directions or similar types of content.

They are also using a significantly smaller screen than desktops. When brands simply create a mobile site by shrinking their existing site, they are providing these customers with a poor user experience, which will hurt their ability to engage and convert these users.

What features do I need to think about when creating a mobile-friendly site?

You need to think about how your content is displayed and which pieces are featured and easy to find. You also need to think about navigation for customers, who are using their fingers to touch small buttons on small screens. Finally, you need to consider how your content is formatted to ensure that it will be easy to read and appreciate on the mobile screen.

How do you build a mobile-first website?

1. Use at least a 14px font to help your users on mobile easily read your content, rather than having to zoom.
2. Make sure all images are mobile-friendly, meaning they are crisp and clear, even when shrunk to fit on the small screen.
3. Monitor the types of content that your mobile users are most likely to use, and make that content easy for them to find.
4. Use an accordion-style menu or similar mobile-friendly menu option that will help users move easily around your site.
5. Minimize the use of buttons when possible, such as scrolling through articles instead of clicking through multiple pages. When they are needed, make sure they are spaced far enough apart that users can easily click them, rather than worrying about hitting the wrong one.
6. Continually test your mobile site to find new ways to help your mobile users experience your full brand.

Mobile users are increasingly becoming a significant part of the online experience. Brands need to make sure that their sites are ready for these users and they are able to give them the user experience they need.