** Updated for 2020 **(1:30 min read) It's no secret - Digital Marketing moves fast. Keeping up to date can be challenging. Thankfully, in 2020 there are a number of well respected and (mostly) free digital marketing courses and training resources available online which are both easily accessible and contain highly current and relevant information.  In places like our home city of Perth, offline digital marketing courses and official training events are a bit scarce, making the option of online training not only quite attractive, but a must-do in order to keep ahead of current trends in the industry. Whether you are considering upskilling your existing marketing staff or looking into a digital marketing course yourself, we've compiled a clear and easy to reference list of 8 of the best online training resources to check out in 2020. 8 (Mostly) Free Online Courses with certificate of completion as noted In 2020 Hubspot continues to be a powerhouse of content production, as well as providing excellent free training resources through their Hubspot Academy. Still some of the most up-to-date training material available online today, with certificates of completion to be renewed every 1-2 years.
 Hootsuite remain a trusted source for social media specialists - with platform training as well as an assortment of both free and paid social media specialisations, there is something here for everyone.
 Google Partners. No... Academy for Ads. No... Skillshop :) Identity crisis aside, after several rebrands and a huge overhaul of the UI, Google Skillshop remains the best place to get free Adwords certification in 2020 with certificate of completion renewed every 12 months. Start with Adwords Fundamentals then move into one of the areas of specialisation such as display, search, mobile, shopping or video. Where else to get it but the source?
 4. The Digital Garage (by Google)
Hands on course content aimed at those starting out and wanting to either broaden their skills or strengthen the fundamentals with 125 online courses and counting. They even have local coaching available in some areas.  Everything PPC from the basics to more advanced topics that you won't cover in Google's Adwords training. Wordstream also provide a ton of info in the form of case studies and whitepapers to back up their advice.
 6. Udemy Udemy is undeniably a massive online resource of training and course content. Check the individual courses and do your research on whoever is providing the course content. Some of these can be less 'official' than other trusted sources such as Google and certifications not as valuable or well recognised.
 7. Moz Moz are one of the few independent trusted authorities on SEO outside of Google themselves. Check out their SEO learning center or their SEO certification.
 As you would expect, the authoritative source for all things Facebook and Instagram.
Every effort is taken to ensure this list remains up to date and current. Information is provided on behalf of third party providers and are not affiliates of MACH Digital. Logos used are property copyright of their respective companies. If you notice any of the info above has changed, is incorrect, or have any of your own resources to suggest/add please let us know. Interested in Personalised, On Demand Digital Marketing Training?
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To the uninitiated, working with a digital marketing agency can be a daunting idea. Some of us have been burnt by digital/marketing agencies that promise the world but seem to fall short when it comes time to deliver.
On the agency side - in some ways - it's an unregulated battlefield where only the strongest survive. Working agency-side for over 16 years, we've seen the best and the worst. Here are some tips on what to expect when you're working with a digital or marketing agency and importantly - how to get the best outcomes. 
Know What to Expect:
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Tip: Any of these tools online will show up some errors in a report - no website or campaign is 100% perfect.
Beware the report-touting digital salesperson.
What to Look Out For
With all of this in mind, here are a few things that we still come across quite often and consider as possible red flags - be warned.
- 'Sales Person With a Report'
As mentioned above, many online tools can provide a free report. Can the person/consultant behind the report answer your questions? Do they seem knowledgeable? Do they seem to understand your business goals? Are they Google certified?
- Distraction metrics
Numbers like 'clicks' can look good on paper but is not always a good indication of quality of visits to your site. Other performance metrics such as CPA (Cost Per Acquisition) or ROAS (Return on Ad Spend) are better.
- Tracking should be set up on the account
Metrics like CPA can't be tracked without tracking and goals set up on the account. This should be done as a bare minimum. If these goals and tracking aren't set up or this hasn't been noticed - be concerned.
- Keywords or Targeting too broad
Broader, general keywords can sometimes generate a lot of traffic. They can also be more expensive per click and ads may be triggering for the wrong search queries ('keywords triggering your ads' can be checked in the Adwords interface) - leading to poor quality visits on your site.
- Lack of Touch or Knowledge
Your agency or Adwords consultant should be able to discuss advanced options in Adwords that are the best fit for your business; such as targeting and ad scheduling as well as be across all of the latest Adwords changes and ad extensions. This stuff changes all the time. If your consultant or agency doesn't seem to be paying it the time it needs to keep up to date, it might be time to move on.
Doing it Yourself
Adwords is a challenging beast when you first start out.
There are guides online which can point you in the right direction to give the PPC audit or management of your campaigns a red-hot go yourself, but be warned - mistakes can be costly.
DIY Vs Working with a Certified Professional
Often, Adwords professionals will have worked on hundreds or even thousands of PPC accounts. You don't get that sort of experience by reading a couple of guides online and hoping for the best.
The type of insight that a good certified Adwords Professional can gain in a couple of hours of an audit could be more than someone less skilled might do in several weeks (or months).
Adwords Express
More recently, there is Google's 'Adwords Express' option. This is AI-based and essentially like setting the campaigns to autopilot. AI then attempts to do most of the hard work for you. Even with that, there is always a risk of wasting budget (which Google doesn't seem to usually mind so much :)
Here's more info on how it works: https://www.google.com.au/adwords/express/how-it-works/
There are guides online which can point you in the right direction to give the PPC audit or management of your campaigns a red-hot go yourself, but be warned - mistakes can be costly.
DIY Vs Working with a Certified Professional
Often, Adwords professionals will have worked on hundreds or even thousands of PPC accounts. You don't get that sort of experience by reading a couple of guides online and hoping for the best.
The type of insight that a good certified Adwords Professional can gain in a couple of hours of an audit could be more than someone less skilled might do in several weeks (or months).
Adwords Express
More recently, there is Google's 'Adwords Express' option. This is AI-based and essentially like setting the campaigns to autopilot. AI then attempts to do most of the hard work for you. Even with that, there is always a risk of wasting budget (which Google doesn't seem to usually mind so much :)
Here's more info on how it works: https://www.google.com.au/adwords/express/how-it-works/
In Summary
Be mindful of the available options and what's involved.
Adwords is a great tool, but simple mistakes can add up. If not done correctly, Adwords can also be a great way to lose a lot of money.
- Getting a free PPC audit may be just that - a free report from an online tool delivered in the hands of a sales consultant.
- In the long run, a good manual audit from an Adwords professional is well worth investing in.
Adwords is a great tool, but simple mistakes can add up. If not done correctly, Adwords can also be a great way to lose a lot of money.
'Getting more visible in Google' is firstly a case of changing old thinking away from 'ranking for keywords' and more towards maximising a 'Page 1 share of voice', or 'share of SERP'.
(Check out our recent blog post to better understand why this is becoming so important).
Just to be clear - we're not saying that keywords aren't an important part of an earned strategy...
But in the world of SEO, where even Google suggests that it can take at least 4-12 months to start seeing tangible results and the competition is increasing every day - starting with a focus to improve Share of SERP makes sense.
Improving visibility and Share of SERP can give small businesses (and large ones) 'quick wins' and more opportunities to be in front of your most relevant customers when it's most relevant.
(Check out our recent blog post to better understand why this is becoming so important).
Just to be clear - we're not saying that keywords aren't an important part of an earned strategy...
But in the world of SEO, where even Google suggests that it can take at least 4-12 months to start seeing tangible results and the competition is increasing every day - starting with a focus to improve Share of SERP makes sense.
Improving visibility and Share of SERP can give small businesses (and large ones) 'quick wins' and more opportunities to be in front of your most relevant customers when it's most relevant.
What are The Benefits?
Take Up More of the Room
One on-the-front-foot way of thinking about Share of SERP is as this SMX presentation puts it:
One on-the-front-foot way of thinking about Share of SERP is as this SMX presentation puts it:
Don't Miss Online Opportunities
Or for the risk-averse, it's also a case of getting the basics right so that your business isn't potentially leaving leads on the table - or even worse - throwing them away.
Or for the risk-averse, it's also a case of getting the basics right so that your business isn't potentially leaving leads on the table - or even worse - throwing them away.
11 Things You Can Do Right Now to Improve
How can you work towards more 'share of SERP'?
In a number of ways - some of which you can implement easily and right away:
Note: we're assuming in this article that you've covered the basics such as submitting your site and XML sitemap to Google Search Console to ensure there are no errors and are now looking to take the next step to earn more visibility.
In a number of ways - some of which you can implement easily and right away:
Note: we're assuming in this article that you've covered the basics such as submitting your site and XML sitemap to Google Search Console to ensure there are no errors and are now looking to take the next step to earn more visibility.
0. Don't Waste the Space You've Already Earned
Step '0' is to consider the very basics of on page optimisation and the bare minimum info Google displays in a search result:
Make sure these are well-written, free from typos, descriptive, relevant and ideally include a 'call to action' in your meta description. Most modern web content management systems should allow you access to these things either by default or with the help of a plugin.
In short - Don't waste the space you already have.
- PAGE TITLES
- URL
- META DESCRIPTION
Make sure these are well-written, free from typos, descriptive, relevant and ideally include a 'call to action' in your meta description. Most modern web content management systems should allow you access to these things either by default or with the help of a plugin.
In short - Don't waste the space you already have.
1. Google My Business
It might seem basic, but - ensure your Google My Business ('GMB') listing is optimised, completed, up to date and appears when you search for your business name .
I.e.: If you want people to be able to use the 'Call' and 'Navigate' options from the search results, you need to have the 'phone' and 'address' information filled out. Makes sense, right?
Get started at: https://business.google.com/
While you're there, try the brand new Google Posts feature in Google My Business to publish your events, products, and services directly to Google Search.
I.e.: If you want people to be able to use the 'Call' and 'Navigate' options from the search results, you need to have the 'phone' and 'address' information filled out. Makes sense, right?
Get started at: https://business.google.com/
While you're there, try the brand new Google Posts feature in Google My Business to publish your events, products, and services directly to Google Search.
Google Posts example
2. Add Structured Data
Implement and maximise your structured data (especially if you are a museum, movie theatre, musician or sports group).
Get noticed, potentially appear in the knowledge graph or even just to help your business stand out in the organic search results.
One example of structured data is starred reviews:
Get noticed, potentially appear in the knowledge graph or even just to help your business stand out in the organic search results.
One example of structured data is starred reviews:
Example of structured review markup appearing in Google SERP
How?
There are a number of ways to add structured data and countless articles online, so we won't go into detail here.
Some of the most common ways are:
There are a number of ways to add structured data and countless articles online, so we won't go into detail here.
Some of the most common ways are:
- Via Google Tag Manager using JSON-LD
- Directly at a code level via JSON-LD or HTML
- If your site is on Wordpress or other CMS – Plugins such as Yoast or WP SEO Structured Data Schema
- Google's Structured Data Highlighter within Google Search Console
3. Consistent NAP Details
Ensure your NAP details (Name, Address, Phone Number) are up to date and added to any high quality, relevant directory sites that rank for your search terms.
Consistency also helps Google and other search engines 'see' your different business listings as the same business. This strengthens your presence rather than diluting it.
Again, this one might seem obvious - but we see it all too often.
A quick word of warning:
If you have a large number of location listings to manage, or need some help claiming listings, you could consider a third party service like Yext or Moz Local to make things easier.
Consistency also helps Google and other search engines 'see' your different business listings as the same business. This strengthens your presence rather than diluting it.
Again, this one might seem obvious - but we see it all too often.
A quick word of warning:
- Do keep in mind - quality over quantity and Google's most recent changes and best practices.
- Do not go out and spam a heap of low quality directory sites with your business details.
If you have a large number of location listings to manage, or need some help claiming listings, you could consider a third party service like Yext or Moz Local to make things easier.
4. Get Creative
Check the search results for other creative avenues that appear alongside your search terms.
Think along other lines such as...
Think along other lines such as...
- Does your business have relevant answers as an industry specialist to highly searched questions on Quora?
- Does your business have any press/media opportunities – online articles?
(Check out ‘HARO’: ‘Help a Reporter Out’)
5. Look to The Community
Get active on Social Media
Participate on industry group sites and relevant online communities, aim for a citation or link.
Again, this one comes with a big 'take care' warning.
For example - Old spammy back linking techniques are high risk and mostly don't even work these days. In short - your guest post should of quality and provide value in it's own right or be highly relevant... not simply a reason to back link to your own site to 'get more links'.
Here's a video from Google's Matt Cutts which addresses the question of guest blogging (even back in 2012 it was getting into a grey area).
Participate on industry group sites and relevant online communities, aim for a citation or link.
Again, this one comes with a big 'take care' warning.
For example - Old spammy back linking techniques are high risk and mostly don't even work these days. In short - your guest post should of quality and provide value in it's own right or be highly relevant... not simply a reason to back link to your own site to 'get more links'.
Here's a video from Google's Matt Cutts which addresses the question of guest blogging (even back in 2012 it was getting into a grey area).
And here in a more recent 2017 video - Google's Marie Haynes discusses which type of links you can get that do/don't comply with Google's guidelines:
6. Buy it With Adwords
The phrase "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" comes to mind. But in reality, ads take up more space on SERPs than ever before... especially on mobile.
A few thoughts:
A few thoughts:
- Make sure that you take advantage of all the relevant ad extensions available to make yourself stand out.
- Depending on your business you might even try branded bids (bidding on your own name).
7. Match Content to User Intent
Don't become blinkered and optimise content for single keywords (or broad topics) - try to anticipate and solve user's needs.
In general - Write naturally, match content to the intent of the user who is searching for the page and provide a solution.
An example of keywords matched to user intent:
In general - Write naturally, match content to the intent of the user who is searching for the page and provide a solution.
An example of keywords matched to user intent:
Source: https://www.link-assistant.com/news/optimizing-for-semantic-search.html
8. Give the Best Answer
Taking point 7 a step further...
Strive to create the very best answer to the question or solution to the problem that the user may be looking for with quality content – a great response that truly deserves to rank on page one organically.
As a bonus result, possibly earn a spot as a featured answer directly on the SERP:
Strive to create the very best answer to the question or solution to the problem that the user may be looking for with quality content – a great response that truly deserves to rank on page one organically.
As a bonus result, possibly earn a spot as a featured answer directly on the SERP:
9. Think Beyond Text on a Page
Google also displays info such as Videos, Images, News, Maps, Books, Products and Twitter feeds on the search results page.
Could your great answer from point 7-8 be better served as a how-to video, infographic or a PDF e-book?
Could your great answer from point 7-8 be better served as a how-to video, infographic or a PDF e-book?
10. Hijack The Knowledge Graph
Think of other ways to (respectfully) hijack the knowledge graph...
Perhaps build a glossary page or aim to achieve a '#0 ranking' in Google for answers
Perhaps build a glossary page or aim to achieve a '#0 ranking' in Google for answers
Here is a possible result:
Example of a structured snippet appearing on the SERP
11. Wear a White Hat. Don't Be That Guy...
Lastly (it needs to be said) - don't try to game or trick the search engines.
Most of those techniques have long been marked as black hat and if they aren't, it's probably not long before they end up on Google's radar.
Even if you're winning now with black hat, you might be one algorithm update away from getting a slap down and losing all of your hard work.
Most of those techniques have long been marked as black hat and if they aren't, it's probably not long before they end up on Google's radar.
Even if you're winning now with black hat, you might be one algorithm update away from getting a slap down and losing all of your hard work.
(12) What we haven't covered here ('other stuff')...
We'd call these separate topics in their own right and there is plenty of info online that covers these in detail:
- The technical side of SEO (and no, this article is not intended as an 'SEO guide')
- Content marketing
- AMP pages
- Social Media in detail
In Conclusion
We still see many small, medium (and some large) businesses missing the basics when it comes to visibility online, when it's more critical than ever to start from a solid foundation.
This does leave opportunities on the table for those who can adjust their thinking and start considering the way the modern SERP works and looks - ultimately, maximising their share of SERP.
We hope this guide offers some practical, actionable steps to improve your business' visibility online and improve your share of SERP.
This does leave opportunities on the table for those who can adjust their thinking and start considering the way the modern SERP works and looks - ultimately, maximising their share of SERP.
We hope this guide offers some practical, actionable steps to improve your business' visibility online and improve your share of SERP.
Get the Infographic
Additional reading:
This article on PPC Hero expands further on 'share of SERP' and this SMX post on Slideshare gives further tips (including some more advanced ones on implementation and optimisation.
This article on PPC Hero expands further on 'share of SERP' and this SMX post on Slideshare gives further tips (including some more advanced ones on implementation and optimisation.
Take Charge of your Digital Marketing with this 35 Point Checklist
No, this isn't another washed-out guide spouting trends like 'social media will be big in 2017'.
Yes, this is a real, step-by-step digital marketing checklist.
How do I use it?
Most importantly, we want to help you answer this question:
No, this isn't another washed-out guide spouting trends like 'social media will be big in 2017'.
Yes, this is a real, step-by-step digital marketing checklist.
How do I use it?
- As a base to get started. Ask the right questions and develop (or update) a customer-focused, multi-channel digital strategy for your business in 2017 and beyond
- To prepare for engaging with (or changing) a digital agency partner
Most importantly, we want to help you answer this question:
"We're an [insert company] selling [insert products] in [insert location].
How do we go about digital marketing?"
How do we go about digital marketing?"
* The checklist is based on 15 years' working with clients digital-agency-side and similar to the kinds of questions you might get asked in a typical 'client brief' or 'discovery' meeting.
A) To Start... Housekeeping & Prep
Whether engaging with a digital agency for the first time or changing agencies (or even if you aren't), it's always good to have your house in order.
1. Get prepared. It will save time and effort later.
For example, a digital agency will often need access to:
1. Get prepared. It will save time and effort later.
For example, a digital agency will often need access to:
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This might seem basic at first. But, if we had a dollar for every hour spent chasing down login details over the years... well, you know how it goes...
Also give some thought to:
2. Nominate one key stakeholder
This is a primary contact to act as a liaison between your business and the agency. That person should be a filter for any internal conflict and only relay the final decision and comments to the agency as well as acting as a conduit with other service providers to keep information flowing.
Also give some thought to:
2. Nominate one key stakeholder
This is a primary contact to act as a liaison between your business and the agency. That person should be a filter for any internal conflict and only relay the final decision and comments to the agency as well as acting as a conduit with other service providers to keep information flowing.
B) Your Current Marketing Strategy
Take stock of your current strategy:
3. Which providers do you already work with and how will they work together moving forward? (will there be any conflict of services?)
4. What other domain names / apps / online assets do you own and how are these related to each other?
5. If considering SEO... Has any previous SEO work been done on the website(s)?
Is there any risk that dodgy techniques were used or could your website be penalised?
6. What is your current marketing mix and spend? What's working and what isn't? How are things connected?
Radio, TV, Print, Directory, Website, Adwords, SEO, Social Media, Direct Mail, Other?
3. Which providers do you already work with and how will they work together moving forward? (will there be any conflict of services?)
4. What other domain names / apps / online assets do you own and how are these related to each other?
5. If considering SEO... Has any previous SEO work been done on the website(s)?
Is there any risk that dodgy techniques were used or could your website be penalised?
6. What is your current marketing mix and spend? What's working and what isn't? How are things connected?
Radio, TV, Print, Directory, Website, Adwords, SEO, Social Media, Direct Mail, Other?
Take stock of your current resources & situation
C) Be Clear on Your Goals
Before you get to the 'marketing' part, it's essential to be clear on the basics.
7. List 3-5 primary goals of your digital marketing efforts.
Be specific. Don't just list 'more sales'. They should also be measurable, agreed upon and achievable (especially if working with a digital agency), realistic, relevant and time-based where possible (SMART).
8. Define what success looks like - what metrics do you plan to track and use to gauge success?
9. In what time frame do you hope to see these results?
10. Which conversion goals do you want people to take?
11. How much is a good conversion worth to you? Consider one-off sales and also the lifetime value 'LTV' of a customer.
Some example goals:
Be specific. Don't just list 'more sales'. They should also be measurable, agreed upon and achievable (especially if working with a digital agency), realistic, relevant and time-based where possible (SMART).
8. Define what success looks like - what metrics do you plan to track and use to gauge success?
9. In what time frame do you hope to see these results?
10. Which conversion goals do you want people to take?
11. How much is a good conversion worth to you? Consider one-off sales and also the lifetime value 'LTV' of a customer.
Some example goals:
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D) Your Company
Be consistent in how your company is represented online:
12. Ensure your NAP ('Name', 'Address', 'Phone') and Industry details are consistently formatted, complete and clear on all online portals. *This not only helps people find you online, but it's a local SEO tip too.
13. What's your grand vision / story / purpose? Why does your organisation exist?
Don't underestimate the importance of starting with the 'WHY' of your organisation.
13. What's your grand vision / story / purpose? Why does your organisation exist?
Don't underestimate the importance of starting with the 'WHY' of your organisation.
The Golden Circle - Start with the 'WHY'
14. What are your Unique Value Propositions (or 'Unique Selling Propositions')?
What are the main benefits of your products or services that are unique to your business?
15. Is your business (or products) seasonal?
Are sales heavily influenced by the time/season of year or during specific holidays?
16. What is your main business model? How does you business work?
For example: Online / offline sales? Retail or wholesale? Physical purchase or mail order?
17. How many staff do you have?
What skills or qualifications do they have that are worth highlighting?
18. What memberships or associations is your business part of?
Give thought to what logos etc. you need to display and also how you can connect with these groups online.
19. Opening Hours
As with point 12 - be clear and consistent with these, including your holiday opening hours.
What are the main benefits of your products or services that are unique to your business?
- List at least 2-3 and be as specific as possible - not just 'great quality'.
15. Is your business (or products) seasonal?
Are sales heavily influenced by the time/season of year or during specific holidays?
16. What is your main business model? How does you business work?
For example: Online / offline sales? Retail or wholesale? Physical purchase or mail order?
17. How many staff do you have?
What skills or qualifications do they have that are worth highlighting?
18. What memberships or associations is your business part of?
Give thought to what logos etc. you need to display and also how you can connect with these groups online.
19. Opening Hours
As with point 12 - be clear and consistent with these, including your holiday opening hours.
A small mistake on your Google My Business page could be telling potential customers you are closed at the wrong times
E) Your Products & Services
Understand your highest value products and services:
20. Is your website up to date with your current products/services?
Are any of the products listed no longer available?
21. What are your 'hero' products (your most profitable products or services to promote)?
22. How many of these products/services do you sell in a year?
How many would you like to sell?
23. What (according to your customers) makes them choose your products or services?
24. Why do clients come back to you/repeat purchase?
20. Is your website up to date with your current products/services?
Are any of the products listed no longer available?
21. What are your 'hero' products (your most profitable products or services to promote)?
22. How many of these products/services do you sell in a year?
How many would you like to sell?
23. What (according to your customers) makes them choose your products or services?
24. Why do clients come back to you/repeat purchase?
F) Your Audience
Get to know your audience.
25. In which geographic areas do you operate and where could you expand to?
26. Are your current customers your ideal customers?
Why (or why not)?
27. Who do you most want to reach?
28. 'Personas' - What do your most valuable customers look like?
Personas are semi fictional representations of real customers.
** Repeat points 28 a-t for at least 2-3 'ideal customers':
25. In which geographic areas do you operate and where could you expand to?
26. Are your current customers your ideal customers?
Why (or why not)?
27. Who do you most want to reach?
28. 'Personas' - What do your most valuable customers look like?
Personas are semi fictional representations of real customers.
** Repeat points 28 a-t for at least 2-3 'ideal customers':
- 28a. Age? (10-20, 20-30, 30-40, 40-50, 50+)
- 28b. Income? (Low, Medium, High, Other)
- 28c. Occupation/s?
- 28d. Gender?
- 28e. Where are they located?
- 28f. What's their status? (Married, Single, Family, Other)
- 28g. What are their hobbies and interests?
- 28h. What do they value? (Lifestyle, Organic, Cost-Savings etc.)
- 28i. Which of their problems can be solved by your business' products or services?
- 28j. How will they benefit?
- 28k. What would they value most in your products or services?
- 28l. How do they buy? (Online, In store)
- 28m. What channels do they use during a purchase decision? (Social Media, Review sites etc.)
- 28n. Which devices are they on the most? (Mobile, Tablet, Desktop etc.)
- 28o. When do they buy? (Time of day/week, seasonally, certain life events)
- 28p. Are they loyal/repeat or once-off customers?
- 28q. Do they buy based on cost or other motivators?
- 28r. How often do they purchase? (Daily, weekly, every 4 years etc.
- 28s. What else are they looking for when they come to your website?
How else can you provide value? Blog articles, whitepapers, how-to videos, vendor comparisons etc. - 28t. What should be avoided when communicating with these customers?
Digital Marketing opens up many opportunities to identify and target your customers. Take advantage of this: understand your customers, go where they are and make your marketing investment count.
Digital marketing opens up many targeting opportunities
G) Your Competitors & Industry
We're not suggesting you 'copy' your competitors, but you should understand what they are doing and how your audience is used to receiving information in your industry
29. Who are your 3 biggest direct competitors?
30. Which channels do competitors typically use to compete online in your industry? (Video, SEM, SEO, Social Media, other)
31. What's the size of your industry and your current Vs desired market share?
32. Is your industry price-sensitive? Are there any other specific ways competitors compete in your industry? Seasonal discounting, value-add products, free quotes etc.
33. How are you currently positioned in your industry?
Are there any opportunities or threats?
34. Are there specific words or phrases (or 'industry jargon') people might search for ONLY in your industry?
35. Are there specific promotions you would normally run?
When and how could you run these on digital/online channels? Who would you target and why?
29. Who are your 3 biggest direct competitors?
30. Which channels do competitors typically use to compete online in your industry? (Video, SEM, SEO, Social Media, other)
31. What's the size of your industry and your current Vs desired market share?
32. Is your industry price-sensitive? Are there any other specific ways competitors compete in your industry? Seasonal discounting, value-add products, free quotes etc.
33. How are you currently positioned in your industry?
Are there any opportunities or threats?
34. Are there specific words or phrases (or 'industry jargon') people might search for ONLY in your industry?
35. Are there specific promotions you would normally run?
When and how could you run these on digital/online channels? Who would you target and why?
Putting It Into Action - AKA 'The Marketing Part'
Now, what do you do with this information?
Hopefully you've already had a few light bulbs turn on during this process and some ideas are flowing.
If not, then engaging with a digital marketing consultant or digital agency can certainly help you kick start things, avoid any costly mistakes and set you in the right direction.
If you still want to give it a try yourself first, here are a few tips:
What works for your business and customers will not be the same as someone else, even if they are in the same location and industry.
The diagram below gives an example of what you could focus on at various stages of the customer journey, and which channels may be effective. But this is only a guide; always start with your business goals first.
Hopefully you've already had a few light bulbs turn on during this process and some ideas are flowing.
If not, then engaging with a digital marketing consultant or digital agency can certainly help you kick start things, avoid any costly mistakes and set you in the right direction.
If you still want to give it a try yourself first, here are a few tips:
- The general rule of thumb is to aim where your audience is.
- Test. Learn quickly. Repeat what works.
- Consider the whole purchase funnel (awareness, consideration, decision, post-purchase, retention & advocacy) and how you can engage with your current customers and future customers to offer value.
What works for your business and customers will not be the same as someone else, even if they are in the same location and industry.
The diagram below gives an example of what you could focus on at various stages of the customer journey, and which channels may be effective. But this is only a guide; always start with your business goals first.
Consider the entire customer journey in your marketing efforts and provide value when it counts. Source: crownpeak.com
A few thoughts and ideas:
a) If you need more awareness or are looking to influence buyers during the consideration stage you could:
b) If your goal is more activations or purchases, perhaps:
c) Or are your customers likely to make repeat purchases or refer friends?
And don't forget -
d) In all of this, it's important to make sure your website:
You don't want to be 'pouring water into a leaky bucket'!
a) If you need more awareness or are looking to influence buyers during the consideration stage you could:
- Run a social media ad campaign or focus on boosting your social media presence and engagement
- Run a Google Adwords display campaign to show banners across Google's display network (for example - you can place banner ads on relevant blogs or similar websites with 'targeted placements').
- For a longer term strategy you could engage with an SEO professional to optimise your site and attempt to show up higher in organic listings (though do keep in mind that SEO may not always be the best solution for small businesses on a tight budget).
b) If your goal is more activations or purchases, perhaps:
- Consider an Adwords search campaign focusing on keywords and copy targeted to people closer to the end of the purchase funnel with higher purchase intent.
- You could pair this with a remarketing campaign to place banner ads and target people who have already visited your site to try and entice them back to complete a purchase.
c) Or are your customers likely to make repeat purchases or refer friends?
- If so, perhaps a well planned Email Campaign offering a promotional voucher for referrals or repeat purchase might work well.
And don't forget -
d) In all of this, it's important to make sure your website:
- Is generally working well and free from errors
- Loads quickly (ideally no more than 2-3 seconds)
- Is mobile friendly
- Is easy for people to make a purchase or booking (reduce friction in purchase funnels)
You don't want to be 'pouring water into a leaky bucket'!
Get the 35 Point Digital Marketing Checklist PDF
Free PDF version available for download.
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(2:30 min read)
"We've launched a new website. It's disappeared from Google search results pages."
There are a number of reasons why this can happen and to what extent it can happen.
Here are some important points to keep in mind when launching a new website - to have a fighting chance of keeping your Google rankings and 3 things you should never do if you want to avoid a bigger fallout.
"We've launched a new website. It's disappeared from Google search results pages."
There are a number of reasons why this can happen and to what extent it can happen.
Here are some important points to keep in mind when launching a new website - to have a fighting chance of keeping your Google rankings and 3 things you should never do if you want to avoid a bigger fallout.
SEO Planning For A New Site
It's always best to start with proper planning.
This SEO planning should start way before getting ready to 'push the button' and launch a new site.
There are some excellent articles online that explain the reasons why in more detail, so we won't cover it here.
There are also plenty of technical checklists online such as this one from SEO Powersuite and SEO migration checklists like this one from Moz designed for web design teams to follow when they launch a new site.
This SEO planning should start way before getting ready to 'push the button' and launch a new site.
There are some excellent articles online that explain the reasons why in more detail, so we won't cover it here.
There are also plenty of technical checklists online such as this one from SEO Powersuite and SEO migration checklists like this one from Moz designed for web design teams to follow when they launch a new site.
But if you're reading this article, we'll take a bet that ship has already sailed and things are now at the 'holy s**t, what's going on?' stage...
How Bad Is It? A Few Things to Consider First
Keep in mind that it's natural for the rankings of a site to change when a new website is launched, even if the domain name stays the same and things might seem relatively 'unchanged'.
This is especially true if the content, sitemap/structure, page URLs or CMS platform are different.
Even in cases where the sitemap and content is the same, this 'bump' in rankings still occurs if URLs and structure are different. * Note: You can minimise the severity of 'the bump' by following some of the steps below.
Why?
Google 'sees' the change and will re-index the website. But Google isn't smart enough to immediately understand that your old site is your new site and which specific pages have changed - it needs some help.
This is especially true if the content, sitemap/structure, page URLs or CMS platform are different.
Even in cases where the sitemap and content is the same, this 'bump' in rankings still occurs if URLs and structure are different. * Note: You can minimise the severity of 'the bump' by following some of the steps below.
Why?
Google 'sees' the change and will re-index the website. But Google isn't smart enough to immediately understand that your old site is your new site and which specific pages have changed - it needs some help.
3 Things You Should Never Do
"No, it's more than a bump. My website really has disappeared completely from Google."
Ok. There are number of (sadly) quite common reasons that could be to blame:
1. 301 redirects not properly set from old content to new content
Remember we said Google needs some help? Redirects are set to help Google and other search engines understand that the old content has moved to a new URL.
This is even more important if the domain name has changed.
Ok. There are number of (sadly) quite common reasons that could be to blame:
1. 301 redirects not properly set from old content to new content
Remember we said Google needs some help? Redirects are set to help Google and other search engines understand that the old content has moved to a new URL.
This is even more important if the domain name has changed.
Image source: Moz.com
2. Forget to 'Unblock' the Website from Search Engines
One line of code can hurt so much.
At a code level:
Your developer may have left a line in the robots.txt file that looks like this:
User-agent: *
Disallow: /
Or this meta information might be left behind in the html head tag of the pages:
<META NAME="ROBOTS" CONTENT="NOINDEX, NOFOLLOW">
The result in both cases... No Google ranking.
Or, in your CMS:
Sometimes it's a configuration setting in the website content management system (CMS) which someone has simply forgotten to 'turn off'.
One line of code can hurt so much.
At a code level:
Your developer may have left a line in the robots.txt file that looks like this:
User-agent: *
Disallow: /
Or this meta information might be left behind in the html head tag of the pages:
<META NAME="ROBOTS" CONTENT="NOINDEX, NOFOLLOW">
The result in both cases... No Google ranking.
Or, in your CMS:
Sometimes it's a configuration setting in the website content management system (CMS) which someone has simply forgotten to 'turn off'.
|
An example from Wordpress:
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An example from Weebly:
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3. Put Large Blocks of Important Text Flattened in Images
Don't do it. Ever.
Google as of yet is still unable to recognise text in images and use this information in it's ranking algorithm.
Resist the temptation to shortcut CSS for design's sake and flatten important text into images.
Don't do it. Ever.
Google as of yet is still unable to recognise text in images and use this information in it's ranking algorithm.
Resist the temptation to shortcut CSS for design's sake and flatten important text into images.
What Can I Do Right Now?
Confirm the points above, then you can also add the site in Google search console (previously Google Webmaster Tools) and check the following:]
While you're in Google Search Console you can also:
- Check and ensure that Google isn't reporting any other critical issues indexing or rendering the website
- Confirm that the way Googlebot sees the page matches the way a human visitor would have seen the page (see below image)
While you're in Google Search Console you can also:
- Re-submit an up-to-date XML sitemap if you haven't already done so
- Re-crawl the site using the 'Fetch as Google' option
How Googlebot sees a web page Vs how a human visitor sees a web page
Any other good points to add? We'd love to hear from you.
2 min read
We read a job ad for a 'Digital Marketing Manager' today and laughed.
Not in a good way.
We read a job ad for a 'Digital Marketing Manager' today and laughed.
Not in a good way.
'This needed to be shared', we immediately thought.
We've written at length about why true Digital Marketing Specialists don't exist and how important it is to understand the real scope of digital marketing when hiring and building your digital marketing team.
This is why a job ad that lists an exhaustive range of digital marketing skills as a requirement attached to a mediocre salary package does 2 potentially damaging things:
1. Devalues Digital Marketing Skills in general
2. Risks spreading and creating a precedent that the expectations are acceptable and/or reasonable
To someone who has been in the industry for 15+ years, it can sometimes feel a bit like this is the expectation of what's possible:
We've written at length about why true Digital Marketing Specialists don't exist and how important it is to understand the real scope of digital marketing when hiring and building your digital marketing team.
This is why a job ad that lists an exhaustive range of digital marketing skills as a requirement attached to a mediocre salary package does 2 potentially damaging things:
1. Devalues Digital Marketing Skills in general
2. Risks spreading and creating a precedent that the expectations are acceptable and/or reasonable
To someone who has been in the industry for 15+ years, it can sometimes feel a bit like this is the expectation of what's possible:
We won't name the employer or post the full ad, but here is an excerpt of the listed abilities required:
Key Abilities
The Salary Expectation?
AUD $40,000 - $49,999 plus super*
Key Abilities
- Google adwords expert.
- Understanding of Influencer marketing.
- Social Media Marketing.
- SEO.
- Video creating and editing.
- Photography and editing.
- Create advert campaigns inline with the company style guide.
- Blog writing and content creation.
- Measuring and reporting on the performance of all digital marketing campaigns.
- Design, build and maintain our social media presence.
- Identify trends and insights, and optimise spend and performance based on the insights.
- Plan, execute, and measure experiments and split conversion tests.
- Evaluate emerging technologies. Provide thought leadership and perspective for adoption where appropriate.
- Utilise strong analytical ability to evaluate end-to-end customer experience across multiple channels and customer touch points.
The Salary Expectation?
AUD $40,000 - $49,999 plus super*
In Conclusion
We hope this serves as an education piece for businesses to consider when hiring for digital marketing skills.
For job seekers in the digital space, understand that digital marketing knowledge gaps exist and most importantly, don't underestimate your worth.
There are many salary reports online with useful data. One tool (for Australia employees) Hudson's salary calculator gives up to date salary information to help you get a better understanding of what you're really worth.
* For a comparison, 'Digital Campaign Manager' in Perth is listed in Hudson's calculator as AUD $85,000-120,000
For job seekers in the digital space, understand that digital marketing knowledge gaps exist and most importantly, don't underestimate your worth.
There are many salary reports online with useful data. One tool (for Australia employees) Hudson's salary calculator gives up to date salary information to help you get a better understanding of what you're really worth.
* For a comparison, 'Digital Campaign Manager' in Perth is listed in Hudson's calculator as AUD $85,000-120,000
7 min read
Stop judging your Google ranking performance by a few isolated keywords alone.
No, seriously... Just stop it.
If you've seen Google's search results pages recently, you may have noticed that a bit more than only 10 organic listings show on the page.
It's a fact: Google is providing more information than ever on it's Search Engine Result Pages ('SERPs') such as reviews, menus, recipes and event times; the goal is to provide answers to users questions quickly and effectively.
Yes, that's providing answers before users even hit your website.
In 2017 and beyond it's more important than ever to take an '800 foot view' and be thinking about earning and maximising your share of space on page one of Google, rather than only focusing on one small section of the organic (or paid) text listings.
* Even though we first wrote about these concepts back in 2015, this is a topic that still comes up regularly. Below is the 2017 update with new mobile and desktop heat map data hot off the press.
Stop judging your Google ranking performance by a few isolated keywords alone.
No, seriously... Just stop it.
If you've seen Google's search results pages recently, you may have noticed that a bit more than only 10 organic listings show on the page.
It's a fact: Google is providing more information than ever on it's Search Engine Result Pages ('SERPs') such as reviews, menus, recipes and event times; the goal is to provide answers to users questions quickly and effectively.
Yes, that's providing answers before users even hit your website.
In 2017 and beyond it's more important than ever to take an '800 foot view' and be thinking about earning and maximising your share of space on page one of Google, rather than only focusing on one small section of the organic (or paid) text listings.
* Even though we first wrote about these concepts back in 2015, this is a topic that still comes up regularly. Below is the 2017 update with new mobile and desktop heat map data hot off the press.
So, What is Share of SERP?
'Share of SERP' is the share of available space on a search engine results page (or 'SERP') that can be earned by a single entity or web page through SEO and other website optimisation techniques.
Improving share of SERP is therefore about earning and maximising your share of space on page one of search engines (such as Google).
Improving share of SERP is therefore about earning and maximising your share of space on page one of search engines (such as Google).
Understanding 'Traditional SEO' Vs 'Share of SERP'
No, SEO is not dead, it's just changed.
Most importantly - it's not done like it was 5 or 10 years ago.
The fundamental change being that Google is no longer simply about ranking web pages for keywords; it's about providing answers to peoples' questions.
This is often done in the way that is of highest value (and shortest time) to the user. This means that sometimes the answer is provided directly on the SERPs.
And Google is becoming smart. VERY smart.
Not only does the search engine try to predict what the searcher is typing is as they type it, there has also been the introduction of more complex AI into Google search (aka 'Rankbrain'), improvements in semantic search (so that the keywords you enter aren't even what comes out the other end any more), universal search and a host of extra structured data which now appears alongside standard text results, not to even mention changes to Adwords ads.
Most importantly - it's not done like it was 5 or 10 years ago.
The fundamental change being that Google is no longer simply about ranking web pages for keywords; it's about providing answers to peoples' questions.
This is often done in the way that is of highest value (and shortest time) to the user. This means that sometimes the answer is provided directly on the SERPs.
And Google is becoming smart. VERY smart.
Not only does the search engine try to predict what the searcher is typing is as they type it, there has also been the introduction of more complex AI into Google search (aka 'Rankbrain'), improvements in semantic search (so that the keywords you enter aren't even what comes out the other end any more), universal search and a host of extra structured data which now appears alongside standard text results, not to even mention changes to Adwords ads.
Google is improving the data present on the SERPs, changing and growing all the time.
Below are just a few examples of how the SERP can look on any given search, complete with heat maps of where people are paying the most attention. Have any trouble noticing the organic listings?
Below are just a few examples of how the SERP can look on any given search, complete with heat maps of where people are paying the most attention. Have any trouble noticing the organic listings?
Source: Mediative 2017 Whitepaper
Your #1 Organic Listing Is Weak
So what's the effect of all of these changes? That there really is just so much 'extra stuff' on the page for people to click on?
According to a recent 2017 WordStream article, the value of a #1 Google Ranking is down by 37% in the last two years.
Are you still clinging to those #1 organic listings you have for a handful of keywords?
According to a recent 2017 WordStream article, the value of a #1 Google Ranking is down by 37% in the last two years.
Are you still clinging to those #1 organic listings you have for a handful of keywords?
(Darth Vader image copyright Lucasfilm)
The effects of this are even more prevalent on mobile devices where screen real estate is so limited.
When the SERP is stacked out with knowledge graph results and ads, it's quite a lot of scrolling that users have to do to even get to the first organic results.
According to a recent Mediative study -
The findings from the study suggest:
When the SERP is stacked out with knowledge graph results and ads, it's quite a lot of scrolling that users have to do to even get to the first organic results.
According to a recent Mediative study -
- 11% more clicks went to the knowledge graph on a mobile phone compared to desktop
- Almost 22% less clicks went to the top #1 organic listing on a mobile compared to desktop
The findings from the study suggest:
Source: Mediative 2017 Whitepaper
What About When More Ads Appear On The Page?
The #1 organic listing still gets most of the clicks (according to the same study), but this is greatly reduced, especially for mobile - down to around 30.4% when 3 sponsored ads appear on the page.
Comparatively, the #1 PPC Ad on mobile gets as much as 18.3% of the clicks:
Comparatively, the #1 PPC Ad on mobile gets as much as 18.3% of the clicks:
Source: Mediative 2017 Whitepaper
What Can You Do Right Now to Improve?
If you haven't already done so... it's a case of changing your thinking away from 'ranking for keywords' and more towards maximising a 'Page 1 share of voice', or 'share of SERP'.
Check out our recent blog post which gives 11 tips and quick wins for small (or large) businesses to get more opportunities to be in front of your most relevant customers when it's most relevant:
Check out our recent blog post which gives 11 tips and quick wins for small (or large) businesses to get more opportunities to be in front of your most relevant customers when it's most relevant:
In Conclusion
It's quite surprising how many businesses (and even some SEOs) have been slow to act in this area and start thinking 'Share of SERP' rather than focusing solely on ranking for keywords.
This does (for now) however, still leave opportunities and quick wins on the table for those who are proactive to do more than just the bare minimum and more importantly, can adjust their thinking towards 'Share of SERP'.
Google is now more than ever about providing the most relevant information to users, understanding their intent and answering their questions.
The more businesses that start following this lead will ultimately start winning the battle for Share of SERP. Other potential good side effects include improving ROI from earned online channels, along with ROI from their overall multi channel digital marketing strategies.
This does (for now) however, still leave opportunities and quick wins on the table for those who are proactive to do more than just the bare minimum and more importantly, can adjust their thinking towards 'Share of SERP'.
Google is now more than ever about providing the most relevant information to users, understanding their intent and answering their questions.
The more businesses that start following this lead will ultimately start winning the battle for Share of SERP. Other potential good side effects include improving ROI from earned online channels, along with ROI from their overall multi channel digital marketing strategies.
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