SEO
Could these alternative SEO techniques be key to ranking successfully?
With algorithm updates being rolled out on a more regular basis, staying at the top of Google’s search engine results pages (SERPs) has never been harder.
Gone are the days of signing up to directories, exact match domains, and keyword stuffing; SEO practitioners must do whatever they can to outrank their competitors.
Sure, you can put out more grind work through aggressive link-building outreach, hire a PR agency or a bunch of content writers, but could these simple alternative strategies below give you the edge?
Tip #1 – Post content when no one else is
The notion that ‘content is king’ is certainly true – you need good quality content and regular content uploaded to show you are proactive and not a dormant site.
Content cannot be thin, with thousands and thousands of words, because it needs to be relevant and answer questions in your industry, presented by # tags, useful links, images, and videos where possible.
“A competitive edge over your rivals is posting content when no one else is,” explains Rosie Marie, CEO of Rosca Technologies, a data optimisation solution.
“You have to understand that Google is an algorithm and a machine and not just a bunch of suits who look at websites one-by-one.”
Google recrawls every day or at least every few days, Marie explains, stressing it is hard to know precisely when this is. “If you can post content at alternative times of the day or year and Google decides to index your site, who knows, this could give you a competitive advantage,” she says.
Marie notes her business has tried posting content on weekends – easy to do if using a content management system – because others are unlikely to do so.
“In addition, we take advantage of things like UK bank holidays and that lazy week between Christmas and New Year’s because Google could very well pick up that we are being more proactive than our competitors. If this is the case, don’t we deserve to rank higher?”
Tip #2 – Get impartial users to critique your website
We regularly hear that time on site is a good SEO indicator, after all, if people hang on your site for a long time and click through to various pages, this shows that your information is useful, compared to a user who comes and leaves after 5 seconds, resulting in a low bounce rate.
“You could ask your partners and people in your industry to look through your site and offer their feedback,” says Gavin Cooper, founder of Claims Bible.
“Start by posting on LinkedIn and Facebook and say to your friends that you have just redesigned your site or have launched a new business and would truly welcome some feedback,” he says.
“Some of the feedback may not be nice to hear! But you will get a lot of dedicated users really looking through pages and scrolling through and this is great for SEO, certainly in the early days of a website launch.”
Cooper notes businesses must be careful to not forget that a higher click-through rate on Google’s search results also helps during the early buzz of a site launch.
“For instance, if you are ranked position 9 and more people click on you than position 3 or 4, this should also help your ranking,” he says. “Similar ideas include sending out blast emails and SMS messages or making a big announcement on LinkedIn, but linking to your website. Don’t give LinkedIn the traffic, keep it for yourself!”
Tip #3 – Acquire links from simple sources
One of the most traditional link-building techniques is to create quality data-driven pieces and then email around and get links back to it as a resource e.g calculators, money that can be saved etc.
But not only is this very time-consuming but you have no guarantee over which links point back to you, and what anchor text is used.
“Our alternative technique involves finding websites that have already written articles or blog posts on your subject, whether you talk about health, finance, travel or anything that has expert opinion,” explains Luke Fitzpatrick, head of digital at Earned Media.
“Our approach involves reaching out to all those guides on page two to ten, contacting them and offering to give additional data to help ‘bulk up’ and refine their articles,” he says.
“Understandably, several publishers were thrilled to have more information in their articles and were pleased to give a follow link back as a reference. Link building achieved!”
Tip #4 – Using link bait that has already been successful
Content is king, but we know that links make the world go round. There are some things that work as excellent link bait for a brand, such as being nominated or winning awards, and being featured in press sections.
“But looking into competitors, there seem to be some lists that grab more attention than others,” says Richard Allan, co-founder of Capital Bean.
“Creating top lists such as best cities to do something, start a family or retire, tend to attract more interest than others, especially if they are filled with data.”
Allan also notes businesses should consider sponsoring large organisations in the health industry or non-profits since they often give a link and badge as part of it on their websites. “You get to help a great cause too,” he says.
“Another fascinating one is launching a scholarship or essay writing competition – which can attract links from universities and colleges if positioned well.”
Tip #5 – Are you starting to fall? simple, refresh the content
Finally, if you ranked beautifully for some big keywords but find yourself starting to fall, you can just consider refreshing the content and replacing it with new and improved information, taking other points used by those who seem to be ranking better lately.
Google loves fresh content, and this helps your indexability, so it would not be strange to update your main landing pages every 6 months or so to give you that refresh.
SEO
Google Announces Ads Transparency Center And Safety Report
In an effort to prove its commitment to safe and transparent advertising for users and businesses, Google announced the launch of the Ads Transparency Center and the release of the 2022 Ads Safety Report.
What Is The Ads Transparency Center?
The Ads Transparency Center, rolling out to users worldwide over the next few weeks, offers a searchable database of all advertisements on Google Search, YouTube, and Display.
Like ads transparency efforts from its peers in Big Tech, Google aims to ensure that users are well-informed about the ads they see. For instance, if you are interested in a product or service you saw in a Google Search ad, you can use the Ads Transparency Center to learn more about the brand before visiting its website.
The Ads Transparency Center shows key information about ads, including advertiser details, where/when an ad appeared and ran, and its format.
Screenshot from Google, March 2023Google offers more transparency for political advertising. Additional details for political ads include the amount advertisers spent, the number of times the ad was shown, and the location targeting criteria.
Screenshot from Google, March 2023Using The Ads Transparency Center As An Advertising Research Tool
Advertisers can use the Ads Transparency Center as a research tool to analyze competitors’ designs and ad copy to create Google Ads campaigns.
Meta offers similar ad information in the Facebook Ad Library, where advertisers and users can browse ads from brands in several fields, including politics, housing, employment, and credit. Ad details include the design and copy for all ad variations, the platforms where the ad is displayed, and when the ad was launched.
Screenshot from Facebook, March 2023In addition to the Ads Transparency Center, you can visit My Ad Center in your Google Account. Launched in October, it allows you to review ads you’ve seen recently on Google. You can control the ads shown to you by category, brand, and sensitive topics.
Screenshot from Google, March 2023Insights From The 2022 Ads Safety Report
In related news, Google’s 2022 Ads Safety Report provides detailed insights into its efforts to prevent fraud, offer transparency, and protect younger users.
According to the report, Google added or revised 29 policies for advertisers and publishers last year.
Based on these policies, over 4 billion ads were removed or restricted, and 6.7 million advertiser accounts were suspended.
Google expanded its financial services certification program, requiring advertisers to be authorized by local regulators to prevent fraudulent ads.
Despite challenges from sophisticated scammers – like the malware operators that impersonate real software brands in Google Ads to spread malicious code – Google blocked and removed 142 million ads for misrepresentation and 198 million ads for financial services violations.
Google tackled misinformation by blocking ads with harmful health claims, false election claims, and climate change denial. Tens of millions of ads that violated this policy, contained inappropriate content, or promoted dangerous products were removed.
Google verified 5,900 new advertiser accounts publishing election ads in the U.S., and over 2.6 million unverified election ads were blocked.
Google prohibited ads dismissing, exploiting, or condoning the war in Ukraine and suspended ad activities in Russia. Over 17 million ads related to the war were blocked, and ads from over 275 state-funded media sites were removed.
Finally, Google expanded child safety protections for users under 18, blocking ad targeting based on age, gender, or interests and prohibiting certain teen ad categories, including dating apps, contests, and weight loss products.
How Advertisers Can Benefit From Ad Transparency
There are benefits to reviewing Ads Transparency Center content.
Those who see ads on Google properties can learn more about the advertisers before purchasing. Advertisers can learn how to create ads better suited for their target audience.
Advertisers should also review the Google Ads Policy Center updates to ensure ad campaigns are not blocked, restricted, or removed. It also offers options for fixing problematic ads, checking the status of your Google Ads account, and reporting Google Ads that violate its policies.
Featured image: rafapress/Shutterstock
SEO
Google Ads Update: Cross-Channel Conversion Credit Import
Google Ads is introducing a significant change by moving from the previous method of importing the last non-direct click from Google Analytics 4 (GA4) to Google Ads.
Now, Google is adopting a complete cross-channel conversion credit import approach.
This update will provide a more comprehensive understanding of the customer buying journey, leading to better-informed marketing decisions.
I first became aware of Google Ads transitioning to cross-channel conversion credit in a LinkedIn post from Frederik Boysen, CEO & founder of Profitmetrics.io.
After contacting Google, I received confirmation that the information Boysen shared was accurate.
Google will have more details to share in the coming months. In the meantime, here’s a breakdown of what’s changing and why it matters for your Google Ads campaigns.
Before & After Cross-Channel Conversion Credit
Google Ads imports conversions from GA4 using a last non-direct click attribution model.
That means no conversion is imported into Google Ads if the last click was not from a Google advertisement.
The forthcoming update will import full cross-channel conversion credit into Google Ads, even if the last non-direct click wasn’t from Google advertising.
The new cross-channel import should provide more accurate conversion value reporting by incorporating the effects of other channels.
This will make it easier to spot discrepancies in the values tracked by Google Ads versus GA4 cross-channel credit.
While this is an improvement over the current system, GA4 tracking has some limitations compared to Google Ads tracking.
As Boysen highlights in his LinkedIn post, GA4 tracking is limited in the following ways:
- GA4 doesn’t track view-throughs for networks like display or YouTube. Google Ads does.
- GA4 lacks built-in cross-device identification. Google Ads tracking utilizes logged-in user data to identify users across devices.
- GA4 doesn’t offer full server-side tracking without a script firing. In contrast, Google Ads provides comprehensive server-side tracking with offline conversion click import.
Due to the above-listed limitations, Google Ads tracking will likely remain the superior choice for bidding, while GA4 import may become the preferred option for reporting.
In Summary
The introduction of full cross-channel conversion credit import in Google Ads will provide a more accurate understanding of the customer buying journey.
Although GA4 tracking still has some limitations compared to Google Ads tracking, its improved reporting capabilities make it a valuable tool.
Featured Image: rassco/Shutterstock
SEO
5 Ways Social Media Pros Are Safely Using AI Right Now
This post was sponsored by Iconosquare. The opinions expressed in this article are the sponsor’s own.
Does social media management sometimes feel like 15 jobs rolled into one?
We know, the business of social media involves a lot of plate-spinning.
There’s strategy development, content creation, data analysis, copywriting, customer service, community engagement, client communications, trend forecasting, graphic design, influencer management, reporting, and on and on it goes.
What if some of your most repetitive social media tasks could be handled by AI?
Yes, you can give yourself more time to create even more powerful social strategies by allowing AI to perform tasks like scheduling posts, analyzing content, and writing captions.
With AI-powered content creation tools, you can spend more of your time working and thinking like a top social media manager.
So, let’s take a closer look at five ways AI-generated captions will change the game for social media managers.
And don’t worry, AI won’t replace your social media job.
1. Ideate Social Media Post Content Faster (And Easier)
If writer’s block tends to take up a large portion of your campaign execution time, this tip is for you.
And you’re certainly not alone – this is a common problem for tons of social media managers who are juggling multiple projects. Coming up with creative, engaging captions on the fly isn’t always easy.
With the help of AI, a month’s worth of content can be captioned and scheduled in a fraction of the time. Even if a caption isn’t 100% perfect the first time, all it requires is a quick edit instead of hours of creating the perfect message.
Compare this to the lengthy process of ideating, drafting, rewriting, and editing captions, and it’s easy to see how beneficial a social media AI caption generator can be.
2. Get Better Engagement With High-Conversion Algorithms
Many AI caption generators are programmed to create captions specifically for conversion.
They know how to:
This is music to your ears if you’ve been striving to increase engagement for your clients – particularly if they’re stuck in a creative rut or don’t enjoy the writing process.
3. Put Out More Social Media Content
Not only does caption writing get easier and faster with social media AI – it has a positive effect on other content, too.
Time previously spent staring at a blank screen trying to find the right words can now be spent on curating, creating, and editing other forms of content – for example, YouTube videos, TikToks, Reels, podcasts, and carousels.
4. Create Social Media Content In 70+ Languages
From Chinese to Persian, there are more than 70 languages available to choose from in Iconosquare’s AI caption generator.
This enables you to break through language barriers and reach new audiences for your clients without the need to invest in additional resources.
5. Gain More Time For Higher ROI Tasks
Imagine what you could do with the time you’ve saved not writing captions from scratch.
That’s the beauty of AI.
Social media AI handles time-consuming, low-level tasks and frees you up to focus on work that delivers meaningful results – not only for your clients but for your business, too.
A Step-By-Step Guide To Creating AI-Generated Social Media Captions
For this example, we’ll use social media AI for an imaginary interior renovation brand.
Step 1: Enter Your Social Post Topic Or Subject
Start by typing in the subject of your social media post.
In this case, we’ll use “kitchen renovation,” though we could go even more specific with this, e.g. “Kitchen renovation completed in 3 weeks.”
Step 2: Add Your Brand Name For Maximum Exposure
The next step is to introduce your brand to the machine learning tool.
In this example, we’ll use the fake brand name “Kitchenstar.”
However, if you want captions that are less branded and more focused on the content of the image, all you have to do is leave “Brand” blank.
Step 3: Select Your Industry For Accurate Keyword Inclusion
For this example, we’ll enter “interiors” as our industry.
However, if you want captions that are less industry-specific and more focused on the content of the image, all you have to do is leave “Industry” blank.
Step 4: Get High-Conversion Social Media Captions From AI
The three captions Iconosquare’s AI caption generator creates are upbeat and engaging.
Each generated post caption has a good hook:
- Renovating your kitchen has never been easier!
- A fresh start for your kitchen!
- Our newly renovated kitchen using #kitchenstar products is something to write home
about!
And each one gets to the point without unnecessary fluff.
Image created by Iconosquare, March 2023Step 5: Automatically Get Generated High-Conversion Hashtags
The first caption has a great hook and high-conversion hashtag suggestions.
Instead of broad, overused hashtags like #interiors or #kitchen, the AI caption generator has proposed more specific hashtags like #makingroomformemories.
Step 6: Make Any Manual Edits Necessary
The second caption is great and requires very little editing. I could add some more specific detail about what the renovation process entailed, otherwise this caption is good to go.
Image created by Iconosquare, March 2023
Image created by Iconosquare, March 2023The third caption has that specificity – “quartz countertops, sleek countertops, and energy-efficient appliances.”
Even if these aren’t exactly right, you now have a template to use to write your caption without having to think about it.
If you’re not totally happy with the first three options, you can generate three more.
Image created by Iconosquare, March 2023As for specific calls-to-action (CTAs) like “comment below” or “tag a friend,” you can easily add these to the finished AI-generated captions by selecting one of your “Saved captions.”
Why AI-Generated Content Won’t Make Your Job Redundant
If you’re worried about being replaced by AI, don’t worry.
Despite what you may read online, AI isn’t about to make your job obsolete.
Instead, AI is a great collaborator.
It automates repetitive tasks and sifts through millions of data points to produce actionable recommendations.
This frees up your time and empowers you and your team to create better content and campaigns that deliver their client results.
AI-powered social media tools unlock your potential.
Rather than wasting time and expertise on repetitive tasks like manually posting Reels, you can focus on areas you’re passionate about and uniquely qualified to handle.
Even applications that aid creativity – like Iconosquare’s AI Captions – aren’t cause for concern about the future of your job.
Features like these only enhance and accelerate your creativity.
Again, AI social media tools are perfect for marketers who are juggling multiple clients and complex campaigns.
AI tools can’t replace the empathy, perspective, and storytelling that a human brings to marketing. And this is what it takes to truly connect with customers.
So, don’t worry about AI taking over the world – instead see these applications for what they are: an opportunity to make you an even better social media manager.
Want to try out Iconosquare’s AI caption generator for yourself? You can here!
Say Goodbye To Writer’s Block & Hello To AI-Generated Captions
If you’re ready to harness the power of AI-human collaboration, you have to try Iconosquare’s new AI caption generator.
It’s the perfect tool for generating engaging captions (for LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram) that are relevant to whichever brand you’re working on, whether you’re short of time or in need of a creative boost.
Just write out the subject of your post, brand name, and industry, and Iconosquare will generate a list of potential captions. You then pick your favorite and add it to your post in one click.
Image Credits
Featured Image: Image by Iconosquare. Used with permission.
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