What is Google Hummingbird?

Google Hummingbird is a new search platform introduced in September 2013. This update revolutionized Google search because it helped to bring meaning to the words that people were typing in their queries. Instead of just matching vocabulary in the query to vocabulary in the search results, the new algorithm works to understand the meaning of the query and match it with relevant results.

With Hummingbird, Google took the meaning technology that helped to power earlier advancements, such as the Knowledge Graph, and applied it to the billions of pages available online.

Google gave a few examples of how Hummingbird impacted search. For example, if you searched for “pay your bills through citizens bank and trust bank” before the update, your search would bring up the homepage for the bank. After Hummingbird, you receive the link directly for the page about paying bills.

Latest Google Algorithm Updates

How does the Hummingbird update impact SEO?

The clearest impact of the Google Hummingbird update on SEO was a decreased focus on keywords. It is no longer as important that the words you use in your content directly match the words used in the person’s query.

While some argued that this meant keywords were obsolete, really it just means that their importance has shifted. Now, instead of writing content for specific keywords, you need to create content that addresses particular topics. Keyword research, like the capabilities you have through the BrightEdge Data Cube, remains important because it sheds light on the topics that people search for the most. Performing this research will help you align your content creation process with what your targeted customers want to see.

How do I optimize content for Google Hummingbird?​

With the Hummingbird update, Google made it even more clear that their primary concern is the experience of the end user. To properly optimize your content, therefore, you need to follow these tips:

• Outline your targeted buyer personas and the journey they take towards a purchase.
• Use tools, like the Data Cube from BrightEdge, to research keywords and topics that people are regularly looking for online.
• Create content that uses the keyword naturally throughout the piece, including in the H1 and H2 tags as well as the body. The keyword should also ideally be used in the alt tags for images and in the meta description to make it very obvious to both prospective visitors and to Google that your site is relevant for this particular topic.
• Use semantically related keywords occasionally in your content as well to further demonstrate your relevance.
• Track metrics for your piece, including traffic, engagement, and impact on conversions so you gain a more accurate look at how well your piece is reaching your targeted audience and accomplishing your goals. This will help you modify and adjust your strategies moving forward.

The Google Hummingbird algorithm was an important adjustment in the world of SEO because it greatly impacted how the search engine interpreted websites and found the optimal results for users. Brands that want to remain relevant should make sure that they understand how to optimize for semantic search while creating content that adds value for the user.

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What is thought leadership?

Thought leadership describes professionals at the forefront of their industry who regularly publish content that drives their industry. People respect these professionals’ opinions and know they can turn to these professionals to learn more about their field.

Become An Industry Leading Thought Leader

How do you become a thought leader?

Thought leadership pieces help you develop a reputation as a leader in your industry. As a thought leader, you want to provide the best answers to questions that customers frequently ask about your industry. Demonstrate thought leadership using the following methods:

1. Create studies that offer fresh insight into the field (check out this report). Help people learn new best practices by running tests based on your own technology or case studies using past clients.
2. Offer a personalized perspective on news and developments. As a thought leader, you will need to have ample experience to offer a unique point of view on the latest news and developments that impact your industry. By calling upon your unique experiences, you should not be regurgitating what others have said online. You should develop your own ideas, which might not always agree with other thought leaders.
3. Monitor the latest trends about your industry and be the first to break news to your followers. For example, at BrightEdge, we regularly test for changes to the Google algorithm and user interface. When such a change occurs, we quickly publish helpful content for our users, such as this piece we published when the new Google user interface went live in February 2016.
4. Offer timely advice to your followers when events or changes influence your industry. To be considered a thought leader, you need to help people face any challenges that arise in your sector. Be ready with new advice and guidance when problems arise.

Establishing thought leadership requires dedicating time and energy to building your reputation. 

Where do I publish thought leadership content?

Knowing where to publish your thought-leadership pieces can greatly impact your success with reaching your intended audience. You do not need to publish your piece in a famous magazine to be respected. You can often use your own web properties, particularly if you already have a decent sized readership.

Publish your thought leadership in these places:

• LinkedIn Pulse: With a potential audience of 400 million, publishing on LinkedIn will help you attract those interested in your industry and can help quickly establish your professional reputation.
• Guest posts on other blogs. Many popular blogs are well-respected by their audiences. Blog owners want to build this reputation by continuing to publish industry-leading pieces. By writing guest posts on these blogs, you can tap into their audience and form your own reputation as a trusted resource.
• Write for online publications. There are also online publications in a variety of industries. You can become a regular contributor and share your ideas with the publication’s audience.

Establishing yourself as a thought leader is beneficial for your professional reputation and the level of trust others have for your brand. Consider these guidelines and discover how you can help your brand attract the attention it deserves.

Related materials

• Example of a thought leadership blog post - Knowledge-Based Trust and SEO
• Find the best ideas for thought leadership pieces with BrightEdge Competitive Analysis

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What are Google search operators?

Google search operators are commands that you can type into the search box on Google to uncover specific information about particular sites. While many people employ these commands to do routine tasks, such as to find information they are looking for on a specific site, these commands also offer considerable value for SEO purposes.

What can you learn by using Google search operators full list?

There are a few popular Google search operators that can be very useful for marketers.

Site:yourdomain.com

Our example: site:brightedge.com

Using this command, you can uncover two very important pieces of information. The first is the number of pages that Google has indexed on your site. If the number that Google has indexed does not line up with the number that you have published, then you can look for problems such as:

• Robots.txt
• 404 errors- meaning that the page cannot be found
• A very low PageRank, so Google will not crawl all the pages
• Server problems that are preventing spiders from reaching your content

You can also scroll to the bottom after typing in one of these Google site operators to see if Google has posted its duplicate content warning: In order to show you the most relevant results, we have omitted some entries very similar to the ## already displayed.

If you like, you can repeat the search with the omitted results included.

If you see this warning, then you need to pull up the potential duplicate content and rectify the situation immediately.

Related:yourdomain.com

Our example: related:brightedge.com

This command will allow you to pull up related pages, giving you insight into potential competitors that you can monitor.

Link:yourdomain.com

Our example: link:brightedge.com

This will tell you what sites have linked to your content. This can be particularly valuable if you are working on cultivating a backlink profile, so you can immediately see any potential negative links and check your progress for attracting positive ones.

Site:yourdomain.com keyword

Our example: site:brightedge.com marketing

This command series will tell you what Google views as your most relevant page for a particular keyword. Of all Google Search Operators this command will help you know where to focus when trying to rank higher for specific keywords and sort through the content you have written easier.

If you want to take this type of data beyond just a basic overview, you can always call upon BrightEdge technologies to help you pinpoint and monitor competitors, analyze backlink profiles and determine domain and page authority.

Knowing how your site stands is very valuable and can help brands streamline their marketing efforts. Google’s advanced search operators site commands can be very useful to help you start collecting information, while BrightEdge can help you dig deeper and take action based upon the acquired insights.

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What is Google+ Local?

Google+ Local is the old name of Google My Business. On Google My Business you can claim pages for your business and create a social media profile where you can promote your business through images, postings and even linking your page with your YouTube channel to advertise your videos.

What does Google+ Local include?

Cultivating local reviews on your Google My Business page can impact your local search results. Additionally, your Google+ profile impacts what people see when they search for your brand and receive the sidebar profile of your business. This sidebar contains a wealth of valuable information, such as a description of your business, your hours, images and reviews. This display helps customers make quick decisions about whether or not your business is worth patronizing.

How do I optimize my Google+ Local page?

A well-optimized Google My Business page can offer a variety of benefits. You will draw the attention of customers with a positive side-bar display for branded queries. You may also be able to influence your overall search rankings, particularly if you have a number of positive reviews.

1. Claim your business's Google My Business page
2. Write a quality description about your business that encourages people to learn more about what you do. This description should incorporate important keywords in a natural way.
3. Upload quality images of your business and the products and services that you provide.
4. Make sure that your hours, name, address and phone number are all completely accurate-- this is the information that will displayed on the side bar and has to be correct for potential visitors.
5. Encourage people to leave you a review on the site, such as by reminding them to do so after finishing a transaction
6. Promote your profile through different means, such as your website and emails, to attract traffic.

Google+ Local, or Google My Business, can provide you with a valuable platform for engaging potential customers and encouraging them towards conversion. It also allows you to custom design the sidebar profile that customers see when they look you up. Take advantage of the platform and see what it can offer you.

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What are Facebook ads?

Facebook ads appear in two main places on the Facebook page when a person signs in. The carousel arrangement has ads that show up directly in a user's news feed. This ad contains an image, a prominent feature of the brand’s name, a phrase or two of content and a click-through button.

The second type of ads appears on the right hand side of the news feed. These ads are a little simpler, with your content name and your web address.

How do I get the most out of my Facebook ads?

1. Create different ads for mobile versus desktop. Users on mobile often have different intentions and different browsing habits than they do on desktop. Understand what your customers want to see in each scenario and design the ad appropriately.
2. Test constantly. The importance of testing to determine the best images, the best text and the best targets cannot be underestimated. Try a few different designs to see which ones receive the most attention and the best returns, then use that insight to guide the campaign.
3. Target your customers carefully. It is common to target your Facebook audience based upon interests or certain demographics, such as local cities, but it is also possible to target people based upon certain behaviors. Specifically, Facebook currently allows you to target people based upon factors such as their purchase intent and their devices.
4. Segment your audience. Make sure that for each different group you intend to target, you develop an ad that specifically meets their needs and interests.

How do I determine if my Facebook campaign was a success?

To see how successful your Facebook campaign is, it is important to look beyond the basic click or impression. Here are a few metrics to watch:

1. What did people do after seeing your ad? How many clicked through? How many visited your website? How many people liked or shared your content?
2. How much did each conversion cost?
3. What is your relevance score? This is a new factor that Facebook has recently started sharing with marketers. Now you can see how relevant Facebook sees your ad in relation to your audience. This number dictates how expensive your ads are, how often your ads are shown and the priority they are given.

Facebook ads can be a great way to engage with your audience on Facebook, improve brand reach and encourage people to enter your sales funnel. Start experimenting with your ads to see the value they can offer you.

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What are the important marketing metrics for success?

The metrics that will best serve your needs will vary depending upon the purpose of your marketing campaign. For example, if you are running a campaign with a strong social media emphasis in an effort to drive brand awareness, you will focus more on metrics related to traffic, engagement, social shares and new followers that are attracted to your social platforms. On the other hand, if your campaign is going to be focused on the bottom line - revenue - then you will be paying more attention to conversions, the cost per conversion and the cost per lead.

What are the most important marketing metrics?

When you decide to run a new campaign, your team meeting should begin by determining your end objectives. You should not be creating a marketing strategy that is based around putting out content just because that is what everyone else is doing. Instead, your content should focus on performing a specific goal. You should be able to answer the following questions:

• What do we want to accomplish with this specific campaign?
• How will we determine success?
• What buyer personas will this campaign be targeting?
• What types of content/topics/keywords will best work with this campaign and this target audience?
• What distribution platforms will help me best reach this target persona?

How can you measure the effectiveness?

1. Develop your marketing campaign based upon the listed questions above. Keep your efforts tightly aligned with the data so that you can be confident that your marketing efforts are producing the material that this target audience is most interested in reading.
2. Use your predefined metrics to see how well your campaign is reaching your selected goals.
3. Revisit the areas where the campaign fell short and examine your marketing metrics. Look closely at each stage of the campaign for the weak step in the chain. For example, if your goal was to increase brand awareness through social shares and building your social communities, you might ask yourself:
   1. Did my audience read this article?
   2. If they did, did they share it?
   3. If they did, how many new people engaged with the article?

Use the answers to these questions to see where you need to make modifications. If your initial audience did not read the article, then you either selected a poor topic, did not engage them with the headline or you targeted the wrong audience. If they read it completely, but did not share it, it must not have appealed to their desire to share.

Using marketing metrics can help you run effective marketing campaigns that are not based on gut feelings, but rather consumer reactions and desires. The better you understand what the customer wants to see, the timelier your content will be and the easier it will be to draw in new customers.

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What is the Facebook Open Graph protocol?

Open Graph is a protocol that allows you more control over how your content appears on Facebook. It is a series of tags that dictate how your items will be displayed. When you do not use this protocol, automatic generators will determine how the content you share appears, which can decrease engagement.

Why should I use the Open Graph protocol?

Facebook is an excellent platform for building your brand. It allows you to build your reputation with your customers by maximizing the appearance of the postings you make. When you build a strong Facebook page, you will be able to build a community among your followers. You will be able to engage with your prospects personally, helping them to see you as an individual, instead of just a corporation. When you answer their questions, they will also see you as a trustworthy authority.

Quality posts also encourage your followers to interact with your content and share it with their own connections, which can then increase your brand reach. The Open Graph protocol is an important part of taking advantage of these different opportunities. It maximizes the content you post that encourages the conversations on your pages, that invites people to ask you questions and that gets shared by your followers to attract more attention.

How to use the Open Graph Protocol?

Step 1. Specify og:title

This is the tag for your title. You want to have title that is between 60 and 90 characters but not longer than 100. When a title goes beyond 100 characters, it will be automatically cut to 88.

Your code will look something like: <meta property=”og:title” content=”An Engaging Title Here”/>

Step 2. Define og:url

This tag will dictate the canonical URL for your page.

Your code will look like: <meta property=”og:url” content=”http://www.yourwonderfulsite.com”/>

Step 3. Fill in og:type

This describes the type of content you are sharing. For example, you can share:

• Web-based content, like articles
• entertainment-oriented content, such as books or movies
• people, such as politicians or actors

To see the full list of available types you can visit this site. If you do not designate a type of content, ‘website’ is assumed by default.

This code will look like: <meta property=”og:type” content=”website” />

Step 4. Write og:description

This controls how the link will be described for someone who sees it in their feed. It does not impact SEO, so keywords are not necessary, but you should focus on engaging copy. About 200 characters will be best.

This code will look like:

<meta property=”og:description” content=”An engaging, entertaining website description.” />

Step 5. Work with og:image

Without Open Graph tags, any image on your page can be selected when you share content-- including ad images. Your images can be up to 5MB. The resolution of 1200 pixels x 627 pixels often works best for attracting attention within Facebook’s limits. Images below 400 pixels look more like a thumbnail.

This code will look like: <meta property=”og:image” content=”http://www.yourwonderfulsite.com/image-name.jpg” />

In addition to these tags, there are also other metadata that can be included. If you are interested in finding more tags to include with your content, you can read more here.

Facebook is a fantastic resource to help you engage with your potential customers and take the first steps towards building relationships. Using the Open Graph Protocol will enhance your ability to display your content to these followers, thus boosting your engagement and success.

Related materials

• Learn the real power of Open Graph Protocol
• Facebook Open Graph Debugger
• BrightEdge complete solution for driving content performance with Facebook
• Tracking social content performance with BrightEdge

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Mobile ecommerce describes online sales transactions processed on mobile phones or tablets. These devices interact with computer networks that conduct online merchandise purchases.

Why is a mobile E-commerce SEO strategy important?

Mobile continues to play an increasing role in the success of ecommerce. By 2021, mobile ecommerce sales are expected to account for 54% of total ecommerce sales.

In addition to using mobile to make purchases, customers also use mobile to research purchasing decisions before buying either in store or on a desktop. An estimated 73% of customers say they like to browse online before making a purchase in a store. At BrightEdge, we have also been tracking the growth of ecommerce. We found that in 2017, 57% of all traffic online was coming from mobile devices and tablets, which has had a consequent impact on the nature of ecommerce.

Customers’ comfort with mobile shopping has grown, and thus the industry can no longer ignore the significance of mobile in the ecommerce world.

How do I optimize for mobile E-commerce?

You should already be using a website that operates on a responsive design model across the entire site, but there are several things you can do to make your ecommerce page even more mobile friendly.

1. Make it easy for people to find a physical store

Since so many people like to comparison shop online before buying in-store, make it easy for people to make the jump from online shopping to in-person shopping.

2. Help customers understand the products.

Include mobile-friendly product videos, the ability to zoom in on images and high-quality visuals to help customers understand your product and feel more confident before hitting the "buy" button.

3. Make it easy for people to log in to make payments

Payments can be a challenge for mobile users because it is often difficult to type in long number sequences, like what is needed for a credit card or check. Instead, you can offer people the chance to make an account on your site, where you can save their credit card information. You can also make it easy for them to use mobile payment options, such as PayPal, Google Wallet or MasterCard MasterPass. One study found that offering these alternate options to users resulted in a 101% increase in conversion rates from smartphone users. 

4. Minimize forms.

Remember how difficult it is to type in information on mobile devices. Minimize the forms on the page and autofill what you can.

5. Help customers understand the products.

Mobile ecommerce is quickly becoming an industry staple. Brands need to be prepared to serve these customers online and in-store. The first step towards creating this outstanding user experience is making sure your site is completely mobile-friendly.

What is SEO data?

The content marketing industry has become increasingly saturated over the past few years. Now an estimated 80 percent of B2B companies say they have some kind of content marketing strategy and 76 percent B2C companies say that they use content marketing. Each year budgets increase and more brands start developing their own content to compete.

While these developments are generally positive, they do make it more challenging for brands to rank well in SERPs. Data is the key to understanding what customers want and when, so that you can be there to provide it for them and guide them through the buyer’s journey.

Do Data Research Through Data Cube

What does SEO data include?

Brands can monitor nearly everything in content and search marketing, but there are a few types of data that brands need to focus on particularly closely.

Keyword data

Brands should monitor the keywords most applicable to their industry and use data to understand which of these terms and phrases matter the most to their customers.

Website analytics

Brands should pay attention to their website’s overall performance, including traffic rates, bounce rates, engagement and ranking in SERPs.

Conversion analytics

Conversion is the final goal of marketing campaigns, so brands should always track how well their efforts are leading towards conversion. Track conversion numbers, cost per lead and cost per conversion.

Customer analytics

Understanding the customer is the cornerstone of any quality content marketing campaign. Brands should know the customers that are responding to their marketing efforts and how well they line up with the original ideal personas.

How do I get started using data for SEO?

1. Use data to identify keywords and topics that you would like to target.
2. Use this information to determine the types of content, the topics, the keywords and the distribution plan that you will use for your campaign.
3. Create goals for every level of your campaign, including traffic, conversion and cost rates.
4. Use analytics to monitor how your campaign performs compared to these goals.
5. With your results in hand, determine what modifications need to be run on the campaign to be more successful in the future.

Data can help make your campaigns more efficient and more productive. By guiding each step of the campaign, the numbers offer you irreplaceable insights about what your customers want to see and how well your efforts are lining up.

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What is cross-channel marketing?

Omnichannel marketing, or cross-channel marketing, involves managing your brand's exposure across social media, mobile apps, websites, email and word-of-mouth recommendations. Cross-channel marketing provides customers an integrated, consistent experience across your brand.

Get Insights For PPC, Organic, And More With Site Report

What is a multi-channel marketing campaign?

Multi-channel customer experience refers to user interaction with a brand through a number of channels. Customers today have access to companies across a variety of platforms, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They read emails on smartphones, comparison shop on tablets, research on social media and purchase in person. Between multiple channels these consumers have created a world where they are in control of a vast majority of the sales process.

Cross-channel marketing allows brands to keep pace with the desires of customers. As Experian Marketing Services says, “Your customers see a brand, not a channel.” Regardless of where your customers interact with your organization, they want to have a consistent experience.

How is the multi-channel customer experience changing marketing?

Brands need to understand how to build campaigns that account for customers who comparison shop or redeem coupons on one platform, and then make the actual purchase in another. They need to learn how to properly note response attribution. Also, they must make sure that campaigns are coordinated so that customers in store can discuss their mobile promotions with informed employees.

Creating a successful cross-channel marketing strategy requires the entire brand to get behind the commitment. There will be changes in every department from product development to sales. To successfully make the transition, the brand leaders need to understand the necessity of this step and be behind developing a coherent strategy for their organization.

How to prepare for different channel marketing?

1. Pull customer information from a wide variety of sources, including browsing history, responses to past campaigns, purchase history, loyalty behavior and customer/market research to begin to create accurate metrics.
2. Plug this information into technology that allows you to interpret multiple touch points to follow the customer’s journey.
3. Base your decisions on analytics, not on gut feelings. With so many different dimensions to cross-channel marketing, you need to trust the data.
4. Understand important touch points and the best ways to reach customers using  data and combine it with your buyer personas.
5. Properly attribute channels that lead to conversion, both on and offline—not relying on the outdated ‘last touch’ method.

Customers today engage with brands on a variety of channels. For brands to be able to effectively market, they need to be able to understand what channels their customers are coming from and what brought them there. Only when a brand has this information can they successfully find and convert more customers. In the channel marketing world, however, where every customer takes a different journey, it can be challenging. Keep the above advice in mind and help your brand prepare for the marketing of the future.

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