Links and Usability, Verizon Buys Yahoo, And More: Weekly Forum Update

Yahoo is sort of alive and sort of dead as of this week – the end of an era, and the end of the road for Yahoo’s last minute, brazen, experimental approach to recovery.

Our communities have been discussing the story, along with a few stories about links, AdSense, HTTPS, and more this week.

One of our stories about links is actually quite different from the usual “how do I get them” discussion – on WebmasterWorld, users are wondering about the UI/UX aspect of links.

The standard practice is to make them blue and underline them, but if you’ve been surfing the web lately you might have noticed that not everyone does that anymore. Here’s the rest of our new and exciting discussions for the week:

Color Us Surprised: Links Are Still Incredibly Important!

As Google grew and became more sophisticated, there were some webmasters who wondered if links would fall by the wayside. Would new ways of identifying a website’s importance and relevance to a search query develop? If they have, they haven’t impacted links very much.

Eric Ward recently reported for Search Engine Land that links are actually more important than most people think. Some of us are less surprised to learn this than others – you can get some great links for reading over on Threadwatch!

Making Links Usable Again

Blue, underlined text (or magenta/red underlined text if you’ve clicked it already) has been the hallmark of a link since the dawn of the ‘Net. But, as ergophobe of WebmasterWorld writes,

“…for many years now, the vogue has been to make links practically impossible to find. I actually run some sites that I did not design where I basically cannot see the links…”

This thread is all about the UI/UX concerns of links. Web users have been trained how to recognize links for years. When we change how our links look, are we making it more difficult for users to parse our websites?

Keyplyr writes that compromise is possible:

“Usability vs aesthetics has always been a conflict, but IMO I found the compromise best suited for my design and my users.”

Graeme_p emphatically disagrees:

“The internet diversifying is a bad thing. Different approaches for different audiences is a bad thing. Usability depends on convention.”

What do you think?

What is the Value of Attending an Industry Conference or Trade Show?

Attending regular industry conferences and trade shows involves some sacrifices – money and time, specifically. And are they worth those sacrifices? Kim on Cre8asite writes that,

“For me, taking risks and working hard to get to a conference where I would be educated and network was how I was able to teach myself.”

EGOL agrees that they have value:

“…especially if you are in the early to middle stages of your learning…A lot of people balk at spending [the kind of money it takes], but this type of education can be self-funding if you are serious about getting educated and applying what you learn.”

For other members, the value of conferences diminishes as your own experience decreases. But at that point, isn’t it worth giving back to the community with what you’ve learned? Smaller niche-specific conferences are almost always valuable for the networking, Cre8asiteforums users agree. What’s your stance?

AdSense – What’s Good Traffic Mean?

Plenty of people who run AdSense are obsessed with getting as much traffic as possible. But there’s good traffic and there’s bad traffic, and your goal should be to maximize the former. So what makes traffic good?

Threadwatch has some highlights from a recent WebmasterWorld thread all about it. You probably want

“…traffic that purposefully visits your site, sticks around for more than two pages without bouncing, visits multiple times, comes from an authoritative or relevant link, and is relevant to your niche and location.”

Beyond that, there may be certain age groups that work best for you, too. The definition of good traffic is a little different for everyone – get some ideas from this thread!

HTTPS – One More Reason to Change

Chedders on SEO Chat pointed this out –

“…Chrome as of version 50…no longer supports any requests for user location unless it’s via HTTPS.”

So if you’ve got a website that takes a user’s location to display relevant ads or content, that function could be totally broken for Chrome browsers as of April, 2016!

How Do I Get Someone’s AdSense Suspended

A user from WebmasterWorld has fallen victim to a very stubborn and malicious content scraper. A significant amount of their content has been stolen and re-purposed to make a quick buck with AdSense.

Now Mr_Jefe wonders how to get the scraper’s AdSense account suspended. Or, failing that, how to end the scraper’s attacks. Everyone deals with content scrapers eventually – but this one is so prolific that it makes for a very interesting read.

Vahoo – Verizon Buys Yahoo

Did you know that Verizon also owns AOL? For many of us who have been around to watch the old search engines come and go, putting AOL and Yahoo in the same bucket says a lot about Yahoo’s potential future.

The sale to Verizon doesn’t include Yahoo’s most valuable components, though – Yahoo Japan, the company’s cash, or its lucrative stocks in Alibaba. Users on Cre8asiteforums wonder what Verizon’s plans are – and what about Yahoo’s current deals with Bing and Google?

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What to Look for in a Professional Content Writer

Every business needs content. Not the bland, me-too nonsense that frequently clutters up our inboxes and feeds, but genuinely useful, interesting content.

Content that helps a business stand out amid the clutter and noise. Content that moves prospects closer to a sale. Content that can become a powerful differentiator for your company.

And businesses often have a tough time finding the writers who know how to create that type of content over time.

One of the reasons I think organizations struggle is that they don’t always know what qualities will make for a genuinely productive, profitable hire. And as you might guess, I have a few strong opinions about that.

So, here’s what I think you should look for when you need to hire a content professional to create the marketing that will move your business forward.

A professional content writer has a strong, confident writing voice

A strong, confident writing voice is essential.

Strategy, marketing, and persuasion techniques can be taught (that’s what we’re here for). Voice, on the other hand, develops over time and needs to come from within a creative, intelligent, sensitive human being.

While a solid writing voice can be developed over time (here’s how), your writer won’t ever get there without a lot of passion and commitment. Talent doesn’t hurt, either.

Look for a writer whose work is interesting, funny, smart, perceptive, and convincing. Look for someone whose writing you just like to read.

Some have it and some don’t. Insist on hiring the one who does.

A professional content writer has a solid grasp of spelling, grammar, and usage

Unless you have the bandwidth to add a content editor to your team, your writer needs to have a solid grasp of usage, spelling, and all those mundane issues that can make us look silly when we get them wrong.

Your writing candidates should get their feathers ruffled when someone uses it’s for its. Every writer occasionally makes a typo — but for a professional, that should be rare.

A professional content writer finds the intriguing angle

Well-crafted content is important — but if it’s not wrapped up in a fascinating package, it probably won’t get read or shared.

Strong content writers are capable and creative. They think about your topic in interesting ways. (Mainly because professional writers think about their topics all the time. Occupational hazard. Probably why we’re such odd birds.)

A pro knows how to deliver the usefulness that audiences need, but also wraps it up in unusual hooks and angles that will capture attention and engage curiosity.

A professional content writer understands the elements of content that sells

There are plenty of writers out there who can write a pleasing sentence or paragraph.

But a content professional also understands how content can move prospects smoothly down the path from stranger to interested prospect to delighted customer.

She understands headlines and why content gets shared. She knows what type of content works well in blog posts and what’s better saved for a landing page or an email message.

A professional content writer lives and breathes strategy. Which brings me to my next point …

A professional content writer can articulate why she’s using a particular content strategy

If you have a writer working for you, that person should be able to tell you precisely why she’s taken a particular angle with a blog post, video script, or white paper.

She can explain how your content program ties into your search strategy and why she’s using the number 8.4 in the headline, rather than rounding it up to 9.

Give her a chance and she’ll talk your ear off about the structure of bullet point fascinations, benefits over features, and the call to action.

The people who revel in this stuff are the ones who create compelling marketing content that builds your business. Whether or not you find it exciting, your writer needs to.

She needs to be able to tell you why, so your entire organization moves in the same direction.

(And on your part, you need to take the time to listen to those explanations. Don’t hire a pro and then second-guess every move she makes. If you want great content, you need to give your writer the space to craft that greatness.)

A professional content writer has a commitment to quality and ongoing education

If content is important to your business, you need a professional, not an interested amateur.

And one of the hallmarks of the professional is commitment. Commitment to getting better over time, to staying on top of developments in the field, to a lifetime of learning.

Raw talent to write is important, and an understanding of strategy is important. But you also want to find someone who takes the profession seriously — as a profession — and continues to sharpen and refine his skills.

From search algorithms to social platforms to what types of headlines are performing well these days — professional writers need to stay plugged in to what’s changing in our profession.

A serious content professional also takes the initiative to become an authority in the topics he writes about. He interviews experts (some of whom might be within your company), performs independent research, pores over industry journals, and talks with customers.

You can find that level of dedication in a freelancer who specializes in your industry, or you can build a long-term relationship with a strong content generalist who takes the time to develop that depth of knowledge about your individual company.

What you don’t want is a pennies-a-word person from one of the cheap freelance sites. They simply can’t make the commitment to learning your topic the way a true pro can.

Where do you find these content professionals?

I cheated when I wrote this post — because I went to the guidelines for our Certified Content Marketer application evaluations.

These are the qualities we look for when we’re assessing the work of writers seeking our Certification — and these are the qualities you’ll find in the writers who earn that badge.

We have a whole page dedicated to them — some serving specific niches like real estate or healthcare, and others who write across several industries.

A member of the Copyblogger editorial team takes a close look at each applicant’s writing. (I’m on the evaluation team as well.)

We look for the qualities I talked about above: a great writing voice — first and foremost — paired with strategy, professionalism, and straight-up marketing chops.

If you’re looking for a serious content professional, this is where you’ll find her or him. But don’t wait too long.

The perfect writer for your business would love to get started making your content program more successful … don’t let her slip away to some other company.

If you’re a writer who wants to become a Certified Content Marketer, our training program opens to new students next week …

But you can get in early if you add your email address below.

The Certified Content Marketer training program helps writers position themselves and their offerings, so that they can build profitable freelance writing businesses.

Find out when our Certified Content Marketer training program reopens:

Editor’s note: The original version of this post was published on November 12, 2014.

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Last Day to Save Big on Digital Commerce Summit

Today is the last day to get your tickets to Digital Commerce Summit, happening October 13-14, 2016, in Denver, CO.

The last day unless you want to pay much more, that is.

We’ve got great speakers, including Rand Fishkin, Tara Gentile, Jeff Walker, Laura Roeder of Edgar, Kevan Lee of Buffer, and Joanna Wiebe of Copy Hackers, plus Jerod, Pamela, Chris, Sonia, and me.

We’ve also got great networking parties, plus an exclusive performance by the band CAKE.

Digital Commerce Summit is an integrated single-track experience that will send you back home with dozens of actionable ideas, and many new friends and potential business partners.

But let’s face it … you don’t want to pay $995 for the experience if you don’t have to.

And you don’t have to if you register today.

Sign up here, and I’ll see you in Denver!

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4 Places Writers Leave Money on the Table

Sales copy, web copy, de-jargonized annual reports, useful blog posts, engaging email newsletters, podcast scripts, ghost-written business books … when it comes to content that writers are paid money for these days, the list is long.

But is no one knocking down your door asking for your expertise? Are prospects unaware of how you’re able to help them clearly and concisely communicate their thoughts? Why would that be the case?

Most likely it’s because your online presence doesn’t actually sell your writing services.

If potential clients don’t know you’re a “pen for hire,” or the type of “pen for hire” you are, how can they purchase your services?

Let’s look at four places writers tend to leave money on the table and how to fix these common mistakes.

1. Your website

When a prospect visits your website for the first time, here’s what he’s looking for:

Whether you provide the services he needs

As highlighted in the first line of this article, there are many different services writers can offer. The person visiting your website, however, is looking for a very specific type of writing help.

Does your home page or services page directly state the type of writing you specialize in?

Copywriter Kate Toon’s home page spells out the exact writing services she provides and how her work helps her clients:

The services page on Trudi Roth’s site does the same.

Does your website take away the guesswork for your prospective client?

Your writing voice

Your writing voice distinguishes you from other writers. I know for a fact that every time someone has hired me as a writer, voice has been the deciding factor. (The same applies to the times I’ve hired writers for myself or clients.)

Does your website show off your unique personality and style? Or does your website copy sound like anyone could have written it?

Your level of competence

There are two main indicators that show people whether you’re competent enough to write for them.

The first is whether your website copy is well-written.

Unlike painters who can get away with shabby-looking houses, writers cannot have shabby work gracing their online homes. I’m always stunned when I find boring, grammatically unsound copy and spelling errors on writers’ websites.

(Pro tip: If you’re struggling with your website copy, because it’s difficult to write and edit for yourself, ask a writer friend for help. Offer to edit his website if he’ll edit yours.)

The second is whether your clients recommend you.

One way to show clients’ reactions to your work is to display strong testimonials prominently on your website. Here’s an example of powerful video testimonials from Lucinda Lions:

Written testimonials, like the ones Kristi Hines has on her site, work just as well — especially when they’re from well-respected people in your industry.

2. Your blog

I’ve lost count of the number of writers who write blog posts aimed at other writers.

That’s appropriate if other writers are actually your target market, but for most writers, they’re not.

The target market for most writers is business owners, so offer information that demonstrates how your writing services help their businesses.

3. Guest blog posts

I edit a large business website in Australia and writers often submit articles to me for consideration.

It’s surprising to see how poorly written some of those articles are, but I shouldn’t be surprised; I used to submit sub-standard writing to large online publications too.

(Luckily, those publications always did me a favor by rejecting those articles.)

When you expose your writing to a new audience with a guest post, you’ll benefit the most when you submit your very best work.

I’ll repeat that advice because it’s something that took me a very long time to learn, to my detriment:

Guest posts submitted to large online publications should be your very best content.

4. Social media

Social media sites present wonderful opportunities for writers. Think of the huge advantages we have over other users:

• We’re clever with words.
• We’re articulate.
• We’re able to communicate complex thoughts and ideas in simple ways.

Are you finding and interacting with your target market on social media?

My friend Kerri Sackville has been able to turn her engaging and entertaining content on Twitter and Facebook into book deals and paid (yes, paid!) newspaper columns.

Other friends have landed magazine work and gigs writing branded content for large multi-national publications.

Spend time crafting your social media bios, too. They need to make it clear that you sell writing services. Bonus points if they also offer a glimpse of your unique voice or USP.

Your action plan

Take advantage of every opportunity to stand out from the crowd.

Start with your website. Once that’s humming, get busy writing high-quality guest posts and leveraging social media to catch the attention of people who don’t yet know you — but should.

This will help ensure that when prospects have money to spend on writing, you’ll be the first writer they contact.

Freelance writers: we have something just for you

Do the names of some of these outstanding writers look familiar to you? A number of excellent examples in this article come from Copyblogger’s Certified Content Marketers.

The Certified Content Marketer training program helps writers position themselves and their offerings, so that they can build profitable freelance writing businesses.

And the program will open again soon. Drop your email address below and you’ll be the first to hear about it.

Find out when our Certified Content Marketer training program reopens:

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Explore the Content Editor Cosmos to Produce Out-of-This-World Writing [Infographic]

“Words are flowing out like endless rain into a paper cup. They slither wildly as they slip away across the universe.”
– The Beatles, “Across the Universe”

So, who’s responsible for taming wild words and presenting them in a straightforward format that’s engaging and educational?

Content editors, of course.

A content editor aids in the effortless comprehension of a writer’s message, and in today’s infographic, we’ll explore the content editor’s universe to discover key takeaways you can use the next time you review and refine a piece of writing.

Free cosmic goodness to share

Make sure to scroll to the end of the post to get the code to share this beautiful infographic on your own site for free. We have a SlideShare presentation following the infographic that you can embed as well.

Embed this content editor infographic

Want to publish this infographic on your own site?

Copy and paste the following code into your blog post or web page:

Like this infographic? Get more from Copyblogger in our new, free WORD ebook that features our best advice for writers.

The Content Editor Cosmos is also available to view as a SlideShare presentation:

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Twitter to Email: 5 Twitter Email Notifications Tools

If you are like me, an email is still the most efficient way to have an update delivered to me. Therefore I am always on the lookout for new email notification tools to make sure I am aware of important news even when I am too busy or my Twitter feed is too overwhelming.

Tip: You may want to create a separate email address for all the automatic updates you are subscribing too. Or at least use labels to easily filter automatic updates out whenever your inbox gets too cluttered.

Receive an Email Once Someone Changes a Bio

A brilliant idea turned into a tool, Bio Is Changed is a great free tool that monitors people you follow on Twitter and captures whenever they change their bio or profile picture. If you share your email address, the tool will send you email alerts of each tool.

Bio Is Changed can be a great networking tool. Think about congratulating your Twitter friends on their position change, complementing them on the new profile picture or making a humorous comment on their tiny bio change (taco versus pizza?)

Your Twitter friends will be amazed and I am sure there will be some great conversations to follow. This is the personal touch that is able to have a huge impact on your career and business!

Receive an Email Once Someone Unfollows You

T.U.N.S (Twitter Unfollower Notification Service) is a web app monitoring your Twitter account unfollows and alerting you of each one via email.

While there are many similar services, I think this is the only one that sends email alerts.

Disclaimer: I am personally not a fan of tracking who unfollows me. I think this instills some daily sense of negativity that I don’t appreciate in social media networking. However I have nothing against people being interested in who unfollows them and why and can totally see how this can be useful information.

Receive an Email Once A @Username Becomes Available

Tweet Claims lets you monitor Twitter @usernames for when they become available. That’s a great idea for those who failed to claim their brand names on Twitter.

Tweet Claims lets you monitor up to 10 usernames for free. I don’t think you’ll ever need more.

Receive an Email of New Twitter Search Results

Zapie is a great premium tool that lets you combine two apps for increased productivity and new automation opportunities. For example, the following Zaps let you create email alerts of Twitter activity:

• Send email alerts for any tweet mention via Gmail (send an email for mentions of certain keywords on Twitter to yourself, a teammate, a friend or family member)
• Send an email notification when a specific user tweets
  

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An alternative to the above Zaps can be there two free tools:

• Query Feed turns any Twitter search results into RSS feed
• Blogtrottr or FeedMyInbox send RSS updates to any email
  

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Are there any other useful Twitter to email tools? Please share them in the comments!

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3 Simple Ways to Bust Stereotypes and Craft a Remarkable Message

On the snowy, northeastern Christmas of my 11th year, our parents gathered all five kids around the kitchen table to deliver the news.

We were moving to San Antonio, Texas.

I was devastated. Texas? I imagined what our new home would look like.

We’d be miles from any neighbors — who would all look like they walked straight off the “Hee Haw” set — with a dusty, rock-filled front yard punctuated by the occasional tumbleweed rolling by.

If only I had access to online content back in those days, I wouldn’t have been terrified at all by the silly stereotypes I believed to be true.

Here’s the thing — our customers are terrified, too. They’re operating based on stereotypes, fears, and misconceptions.

But every day, the internet makes it easier to inform and educate them so we can bust through stereotypes and really connect.

Their false assumptions don’t stand a chance when you use the three techniques below to create a remarkable message that engages your prospects.

1. Showcase your product

Video is ideal for showing exactly how your product works and why it’s the best on the market.

One company that does this well is OtterBox, whose YouTube channel features lighthearted product demos and user-submitted stories that show customers putting OtterBox technology cases to the test.

Your video doesn’t have to be fancy. It’s more important to:

• Take the time to develop a compelling story
• Write a script; don’t wing it
• Edit carefully so your video comes in under three minutes — bonus points if it’s under two

If you sell a service, video can also make your offerings come to life. Interview customers who’ve gotten good results. Show all the benefits of your service by filming before and after videos. And build interest by aiming your camera at the end result, showing prospects what they can expect.

2. Share your reality

People enjoy doing business with actual people, not faceless corporations.

Show prospects you’re just like them by sharing a little about yourself on social media (once you discover where your customers are hanging out), on your blog, and in your email newsletter.

Keep it light, tie it in with a topic you know your audience is interested in, and include them in the conversation the first chance you get.

If your business is large, you can make your company more approachable by allowing employees to share personal details on your website or company blog.

Let them post photos, share their hobbies, or post short videos that show them outside of work.

Any time you share some of your own reality, your two-dimensional internet presence becomes more three dimensional, and that makes your company — and its offerings — more appealing to prospects.

3. Shatter your stereotypes

You may be in a business that people tend to stereotype:

• All graphic designers are flaky, artsy types who can’t meet their deadlines.
• All engineers are nerdy and use pocket protectors.
• All web developers spend long days in windowless rooms and don’t know how to hold up their end of a conversation.
• All writers are broke and have no business sense.
• All accountants think about numbers all day.

Of course, none of these clichés are true.

If your business is typecast a certain way, accept it and set the record straight online.

• If you’re a graphic designer, post an infographic showing how often you meet or exceed your clients’ deadlines.
• If you own an engineering firm, post photos of the cool hobbies your employees spend time on outside of work.
• If you’re a web developer, host a pool party and invite your best clients, then post a video on your website.
• If you’re a writer, write an article about how you make money with your keyboard and smart business sense.
• If you’re an accountant, post your music playlist on your favorite social media profile.

Showing your prospects how those tired clichés don’t work for you and your company is an excellent way to make your business memorable.

Push boundaries and get more customers

It turns out I loved living in Texas — especially after my ears got used to the accent — and I made many friends I’m still in contact with.

The experience made me who I am today, and I’m grateful for it.

When we ask our prospects to go beyond their ingrained stereotypes, we encourage them to grow and stretch as human beings.

That’s good for them, and it turns out it’s good for business, too.

Editor’s note: The original version of this post was published on August 15, 2011.

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My Search Console Was Hacked!: Weekly Forum Update

Stories both fascinating and terrifying fill this week’s forum update. Ever had your Search Console hacked before? It does happen – and it can be nerve-wracking to wonder how it happened and what can be done to fix it or prevent it from happening again.

On WebmasterWorld, a user has been asking for advice in his battle with a particularly unscrupulous and persistent content scraper. We’ve also got an interesting debate about thin content penalties.

Finally, on Cre8asiteforums, users are somewhat disturbed by Google’s announcement that it will be tracking how long patrons stay at certain real-world businesses; is it an invasion of privacy? All that and more below!

Twitter Account Verification Now Open to All

Those little blue and white checkmarks have, historically, been coveted like gold on Twitter. Now the process to request one has been opened up to everyone!

Verifying your account requires you to have a few things like a verified phone number and email address, a bio, profile photo, and header photo, and a few other things that make you seem like a real person. But, as WebmasterWorld’s admin engine points out,

“…it’s the account verification submission that is open to all, and not that everyone’s account will be verified.”

So don’t take it personally if you make a request but Twitter doesn’t deliver! Though rustybrick says, “I got my account verified within hours using that form,” so it sounds like decisions are made quickly.

Ad-blockers: Prevalence and Popularity

Everyone on the ‘Net seems to know about ad-blocking. Consumers are becoming savvier to advertising tactics by the day. But what about in the real world?

How often do you hear your coworkers discussing ad-blockers at the water-cooler? How often does your mother mention ad-blocking on the phone? On Threadwatch, Mr-X observes that discussions about ad-blocking mostly seem to happen online. What’s your experience?

Fighting Back Against Content Scrapers

Mr_Jefe on WebmasterWorld has been diligently working on a website for years, and a nasty content scraper has been hounding him all the way.

“The thief has been at it for over 2 years, and at this point has duplicated nearly 1,000 pages from my site,” he writes. “I contacted the site owner and firmly told him to cease the theft, but he literally refused,”

and now the scraped content is outranking Mr_Jefe and stealing traffic and revenue from him. We all deal with content scrapers – but this is such an egregious case that it deserves highlighting. One thousand pages is, as Mr_Jefe says, “insane!” Furthermore, since the thief isn’t based in the US, a DMCA is useless. It doesn’t seem fair, but as netmeg writes

, “…There is no fair in search. Whether or not there should be is moot, because there isn’t. The goal is not to fight with Google, it’s to gain traffic and make money… you can beat your head against a wall trying to get Google or some hosting provider to take down 1000+ pages…or you can spend your valuable time and money trying to make your site better…”

Users are discussing solutions and realities in this thread!

Search Console – Hacked!

On SEO Chat, user Chedders was contacted by a friend whose Search Console appears to have been hacked. A message appeared in Search Console telling the webmaster that a new owner had been added.

Chedders was able to remove them, but it still troubles him –

“…this site is a tiny site under 50 pages for a campsite, they sell nothing and get some but not massive traffic.”

What could be the source of the hack, and is there any way to prevent such a thing from happening in the future? Mainstwebguy writes that two-factor authentication has worked like a charm for him – what would be your solution?

Thin (Partial) Content Manual Actions: How to Handle Them?

If you’ve ever received a partial site match penalty for thin content, then this is a thread you’ll absolutely want to read. Our OP is dealing with a tricky situation, since it would be difficult to add more content to the many pages penalized… but asking them to be noindexed would be a serious blow to their traffic numbers. Furthermore, they fret about submitting a reconsideration since

“…there are a few other income-generating sections of the site that could be interpreted as ‘thin’ from Google’s perspective…”

What to do? Well, in answer to the reconsideration request, aakk9999 writes that

“Manual penalties do expire…If you do have time to wait, you could noindex these pages for googlebot only and firstly just wait for the penalty to expire and see if it will come back…”

But noindexing is tricky, and if done in combination with some robots.txt edits could result in some unintended consequences. Check out the many, many solutions and innovative ideas in this thread!

Google Knows How Long You Stay at the Pub!

Google may start showing how many minutes people spend at various storefronts and venues soon. On Cre8asiteforums, EGOL writes

“I know that this is based upon aggregated data, but I don’t like it. I think how long people spend at a pub or coffee shop or restaurant or nail salon…is private information…”

User earlpearl finds some of the information useful, but says that

“I generally don’t like it. I don’t like that Google is taking my location data and then using the data to provide public information. It’s without my specific content.”

There is a way to opt-in or opt-out, but once you opt-in it’s difficult to tell when your data is or isn’t being harvested. Earlpearl has a great example of how data collection and “customer service” can lead to disaster sometimes – give it a read!

Whatever Happened to Negative SEO?

On the forums, I haven’t heard much about negative SEO lately. Have recent changes made SEO a safer, less negative place? Perhaps – on Threadwatch, a user picked up an analysis of current black hat techniques.

Their analysis says that building low quality links with direct keywords in the anchor, on the magnitude of hundreds per week, is the order of the day. Gateway pages are also used today for negative SEO. But Google has grown so sophisticated that many webmasters believe it can tell the difference between a negative SEO attempt and genuine manipulation.

In the comments, paisley says that “[Negative SEO] exists. In a very well thought out, very methodical fashion for at least 10 of the Fortune 50 companies and at least 23 executives that wish for their SERPs to be clean and devoid of negative information…it’s known as ORM or Online Reputation Management.” Now that’s a thought!

International SEO on SEO Chat!

Users on SEO Chat are sharing tips, tricks, and articles about international SEO in this thread! ThomasHarvey has uncovered a handy little reference chart that makes basic international SEO much easier.

There are a lot of moving parts, so finding ways to organize all the necessary steps is important! Give these resources a read and share your own if you have them!

The post My Search Console Was Hacked!: Weekly Forum Update appeared first on Internet Marketing Ninjas Blog.

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Rainmaker Rewind: Launching Your First (or Next) Digital Product

This week on Rainmaker Rewind, Sonia Simone explains the value of launching a digital product and the steps you should take to get moving.

Listen to Confessions of a Pink-haired Marketer to discover how digital products can help boost your income and the nitty-gritty of designing your first digital product with your audience in mind.

And, as always, be sure to check out the other great episodes that recently aired on Rainmaker FM.

1. Confessions of a Pink-haired Marketer. Sonia Simone talks about why you should consider launching a digital product and what it can do for your business: Launching Your First (or Next) Digital Product
2. The Digital Entrepreneur. Entrepreneur and Rainmaker FM host Chris Ducker joins Jerod Morris to discuss going after what you want and building your business: How to Market Like a Magnet and Build Your Personal Brand
3. Copyblogger FM. Sonia Simone tackles this week’s hottest trend, Pokémon Go, and the growing world of augmented reality: Pokémon Go: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
4. Elsewhere. Glenn Leibowitz of Write With Impact welcomed Brian Clark to his show to chat about the entrepreneur’s journey and building a successful business: Brian Clark on Write With Impact
5. Hack the Entrepreneur. Jon Nastor interviews Nathan Hirsch about setting goals and organizing priorities when it comes to your business: Prioritizing and Getting Things Done
6. The Missing Link. Jabez LeBret answers your burning questions about all things LinkedIn: Ask Us Anything (LinkedIn Edition), Part One
7. The Writer Files. Kelton Reid is back with part two of last week’s interview with neuroscientist Michael Grybko: How Neuroscientist Michael Grybko Defines Writer’s Block: Part Two
8. Youpreneur. Chris Ducker dives into his personal strategy for facing doubts and how small goals can help you boost confidence: How to Kick The You-Know-What Out of Entrepreneurial Self-Doubt
9. The Showrunner. Jerod Morris and Jon Nastor discuss the three activities they each regard as priorities in their schedules and share their personal lessons learned while starting and growing numerous podcasts: The Showrunner’s Dilemma
10. Zero to Book. Pamela Wilson and Jeff Goins navigate the world of designing and printing your self-published book: How to Get Your Book Printed (2 Phenomenal Options, 1 Terrible One)

And, one more thing …

If you want to get Rainmaker Rewind sent straight to your favorite podcast player, subscribe right here on Rainmaker FM.

The post Rainmaker Rewind: Launching Your First (or Next) Digital Product appeared first on Copyblogger.

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Profitable Writers Demonstrate How to Prosper from Your Words

If you aspire to make a comfortable income from your writing, you’ll find inspiration in the stories of the three people we’re featuring in today’s Certified Stories article.

This group comes direct from our Certified Content Marketer page here on Copyblogger.

You know what I liked best about their answers? That they were pleasantly surprised that writers can indeed make a healthy living doing what they do best.

I love hearing stories like that — they make our efforts here at Copyblogger worthwhile.

By the way, don’t miss the WORD ebook we developed specifically for writers — you’ll get instant access when you register at the bottom of this article.

Here’s who’s joined us today:

• Aaron Wrixon specializes in white-label writing and content marketing services for web designers and their clients. Contact Aaron
• Trudi Roth creates site copy, blog posts, video, and social media strategy that converts passive bystanders into active, engaged fans. Contact Trudi
• Carin Kilby Clark writes conversational copy and content that demonstrates authentic thought leadership and builds authority. Contact Carin

Read on as Aaron, Trudi, and Carin share their hard-earned wisdom.

What do you wish you knew about writing when you first started out?

There’s perception and then there’s reality. Sometimes we perceive our dream careers through rose-colored glasses. Once we’re in them, though, the day-to-day reality doesn’t live up to the image.

But for our three writers, reality was better than perception.

Trudi had to first lose the notion that she couldn’t make a good living as a writer:

“I believed that writing was a low-paying job and making art (which is always how I think of writing!) in general is not lucrative. Today, as a more mature person who has made her way back into the workforce … I realize that was some toxic Kool-Aid I drank in my early career. Great writing has tremendous value, period. And that’s what I’m teaching my kids, so I’m paying that wisdom forward.” – Trudi Roth

Aaron came to the same realization as Trudi. Writing can be lucrative:

“… you can see how it would be easy to convince yourself you had to settle for (writing) cheap crap and only making 15k a year. I’ve since learned that’s total nonsense. And now I’m very, very fortunate, with a great wife and family who want for nothing — and all because I found out how to tap into the high-paying jobs. So sure, I wish I had done that a lot sooner, because if I had I’d be writing to you from Fiji now. But hey, my time machine is almost finished, and when it’s finally done I’m going to go back and smack my younger self.” – Aaron Wrixon

Carin realizes now that great writing is all about the rewrite — that she didn’t have to be perfect right out of the gate:

“The ‘ugly first draft’ truly is a writer’s best friend.” – Carin Kilby Clark

What’s the one thing you did in the past year that helped build your business?

Our three writers answered this question differently — but their answers share a common theme. Over the past year, each of them made a serious commitment to their businesses.

Carin committed to putting herself out there to meet prospects in person. Here’s what worked to build her business:

“Good old-fashioned, face-to-face networking. Online is great, but there’s still a ton of value in getting out from behind the desk, shaking hands, and exchanging business cards with people.” – Carin Kilby Clark

Aaron decided — finally — to go all-in:

“I quit, finally. I’d been side-gigging for so long and I finally went full-time in March 2016. Since then I’ve matched my 2015 salary.” – Aaron Wrixon

And Trudi’s afraid you might think we put her up to this answer (but we didn’t):

“Hands down it was taking and completing Copyblogger’s Certified Content Marketer training program! I know it sounds like you guys paid me to say that, but … having a listing on the Copyblogger website as a Certified Content Marketer has brought me at least a dozen excellent repeat clients that know their stuff because they are fans of Copyblogger, too. (And my listing has only been up for a couple of months, so that’s really exciting!)” – Trudi Roth

Is there a writing tip you’d like to share with Copyblogger readers?

There’s nothing like the voice of experience, is there? Our three writers have picked up mindsets and habits that have helped them in their careers. We asked them to share what they’ve learned along the way.

“Be curious. That sounds like such a trite answer, but for me curiosity starts the whole process. It’s so tempting to hear a client say, ‘I want this many words that say this to this person,’ and answer, ‘Yes ma’am, right away ma’am.’ But it’s when you start questioning everything that good work happens. ” – Aaron Wrixon

Trudi reminds us that even the most boring topic has an angle that will make it enjoyable to write about:

“Have fun. Being a writer is being a creative person in the world, and so any topic can be engaging and exciting when you find the angles that you connect into and that make your work enjoyable.” – Trudi Roth

And Carin repeats the advice we’ve shared here many times: write — even when you don’t feel like it.

“Write every day. Especially when you don’t want to or don’t feel like it. I’ve cranked out some of my best writing on the days when I wanted to do anything but sit down at the keyboard.” – Carin Kilby Clark

What was your favorite aspect of the Certification program?

Finally, we thought you might enjoy hearing about our Certified Content Marketer training program direct from three writers who have taken the course and gone on to be certified.

Trudi appreciated one particular piece of course content — and saw one sign that this course was the right one for her.

“There are a lot of great resources you get from the Certification program, but I have to say that the one that made it well-worth the price of admission to me is the workbook, ‘Using Empathy & Experience Maps to Develop a Killer Content Strategy.’ … it is really genius when it comes to developing helpful, engaging content that speaks to my clients’ core audiences. Copyblogger … makes me feel so supported and confident that my work as a kick-ass content marketer will continue even as the digital landscape changes. Being in the Authority program gives me access to awesome continuing education. Also, I like that Sonia has pink hair. It’s a sign to us all that we’re in the right place.” – Trudi Roth

Carin liked the professional preparation the Certification program offers:

“My favorite aspect of the Certification program is the education around the professional writer’s mindset, marketing yourself as a writer, and becoming an indispensable resource for your clients.” – Carin Kilby Clark

And Aaron? Well, Aaron plans an addition on his house …

“I get a whole lot of emails that start with ‘Hey, I found you on the Copyblogger site.’ When I build an addition on my house, I’m going to call it the Copyblogger Wing.” – Aaron Wrixon

Questions for these writers?

Head on down to the comments section and leave your thoughts about your writing career, your client work, or what the environment is like out there right now.

And to get the free WORD ebook we put together for you, sign up below!

WORD by Copyblogger: a new free resource for writers

At Copyblogger, we believe writers deserve to feel fulfilled — emotionally and financially — in their careers.

Get our best advice in our new WORD ebook: a smart resource we put together for our writer friends.

Click to get WORD, a free ebook for writers

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Top 3 Reasons to Get Your Digital Commerce Summit Tickets Now

Digital Commerce Summit is three months away, and we’re all very excited about this inaugural event. It’s happening in Denver, CO on October 13-14, 2016.

If you’re a digital entrepreneur, or are interested in getting into the business of creating and selling digital products, this is right up your alley.

But you’re going to want to act fast, because the price is going up this month. Let’s quickly run through the most compelling reasons to sign up before that happens.

1. The Speakers

Regardless of other factors, the quality of a business conference is determined by the speakers and what useful insight they bring you. Our agenda is stacked with actual entrepreneurs who walk the talk.

The fact that they’re also great teachers is an amazing benefit as well. You won’t get lost in jargon and “inside baseball” references.

You’ll learn from people like Rand Fishkin of Moz, Joanna Weibe of Copy Hackers, Laura Roeder of Edgar, and Chris Ducker of Youpreneur … plus many more high profile entrepreneurs.

Also, your favorites from Rainmaker Digital will be presenting as well — Jerod Morris, Pamela Wilson, Sonia Simone, and Chris Garrett. I’ll be there too, but don’t let that deter you.

Our integrated agenda assures that you’ll depart from Denver with a clear picture of your path forward. While one great idea is worth the investment, you’ll do much better than that.

2. The Entertainment

We’re known for throwing great parties. The networking, relationships, and deals that happen thanks to like-minded people enjoying themselves together is just as important as the education.

This year we’re adding a new element — an exclusive performance by alt rockers CAKE on Thursday evening, October 13. The band has delivered hit after hit over the years, including The Distance, Never There, Love You Madly, and Short Skirt/Long Jacket, and this is going to be an amazing show at the Paramount Theater (which is also the conference venue).

We’ll kick things off with an opening reception the evening of the 12th and end the conference with an epic closing party on the 14th. Stay tuned for more details on that Friday night event, because it too will be something special.

3. The Price

If you’re with me so far, then this is the important reason to act now. The price of registration is going up to $995 on July 28, 2016.

Why wait to pay more? We hope to see you in Denver!

Register for Digital Commerce Summit today.

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How to Discover Your Customers’ Favorite Social Media Platforms

Every few months, a hot, new social media tool hits the scene — Pinterest, Periscope, Foursquare, Blab — and some marketing experts make it sound like if you’re not using that new platform, you’re missing out.

That notion gives me a massive headache. Like everyone else, I feel pressured to have a presence on every social media platform, but I can’t possibly contribute to every one — at least not without doing a lousy job on all of them.

Wouldn’t it be great if we could simply focus our social media marketing efforts on one or two platforms we know our prospects use to share content and connect with one another?

But how do you know which social media sites to choose?

Smart social media marketing research

If you take a wild guess at your audience’s favorite social media platforms, you may guess incorrectly, resulting in wasted time and missed opportunities.

To avoid mistakes, conduct smart research, figure out which social media sites your audience prefers, and then spend the majority of your social media marketing efforts on those sites.

But that process isn’t as straightforward as you might think. I asked the smartest people I know in the marketing world where they would go to find this information, and I got a lot of different answers. It turns out, there’s no “magic website” you can use to do this research.

Let’s go through this slightly messy process, step by step, so you feel comfortable doing it for your own audience.

Step #1: Conduct interviews with your ideal clients

The best way to find out where your target audience hangs out online is (surprise!) to ask them. The first thing you should do is arrange informal interviews with your favorite clients or customers.

To do this, simply write a short list of questions and reach out to five to ten people from your existing social media following or email list. It’s best to target people you think of as your favorite or ideal clients and customers — active members of your community who you trust to give honest feedback.

Once you’ve got your list, email or call each person and ask if you can chat with them on the phone for 20 minutes and ask them some questions.

During your interviews, ask them about their favorite social platforms, where they typically share content online, and where they typically connect with their friends, family, colleagues, and community members.

Take notes on your conversations — or better yet, record the interviews (with permission, of course).

Step #2: Set up a survey, and use it to gather data from your audience members

Your most reliable information will likely come from client and customer interviews, but unfortunately, interviews don’t scale well.

To collect more data, set up a brief, to-the-point survey and distribute it to your audience. If you first conduct a handful of interviews, you can use the information you gather to craft the survey questions.

Your primary question should be: “Which social networking site (Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, YouTube, Instagram, etc.) do you use the most?”

You can also include other relevant questions that will help you understand their social media behaviors.

Step #3: Find websites similar to yours

Next up, we’re going to do a little competitive research.

Your job in this step is to brainstorm and put together a list of about five to ten websites that serve the audience you’re trying to reach.

Create an Excel spreadsheet or Google doc to track this information, so you can keep everything organized and in one place.

Think of competitors’ sites or referral partners, and then perform a quick online search to find additional sites. For example, enter “[YOUR TOPIC] + blog” or “[YOUR TOPIC] + podcast” into Google and hit enter. Review the search results to see if your target audience would spend time on those sites.

You can also search on AllTop to find similar sites.

BuzzSumo can be used for competitive research, as well. Enter any topic in the front page search bar, click the “Search!” button, and you’ll see a list of the most-shared posts on that topic, from a variety of websites.

As you discover new sites, add them to your spreadsheet.

Step #4: Find out which social platforms the visitors of those sites use to share content

Our next step is to research the social sharing habits of the people who visit the sites on our list. The question you’re trying to answer here is: “When a typical visitor to [WEBSITE NAME] shares a piece of content from this site, which social networking platforms do they use to share it?”

You can go back to BuzzSumo and perform a slightly different type of search to find this information. On the BuzzSumo home page, look for a blank search field. This time, enter the domain name of the first site on your research list, and click the “Search!” button.

For instance, a results page for PublicWords.com looks like this:

BuzzSumo gives us the top five most-popular posts for that website (from the past year) and then displays social data for that post from Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, and Google+.

Once you’ve noted the most popular sharing platform for this site, repeat the process for all five to ten blogs on your list. Trends should emerge, and you’ll likely be able to discover readers’ top two favorite social sites.

If you’re looking for even more data, you can also try SimilarWeb.

Step #5: Research your target social platform, and make sure it’s a match for your customers’ preferences and worldviews

At this point, hopefully you’ve narrowed down your potential options to one or two social media sites.

Now it’s time to make sure they’re a good match for your business, marketing goals, and customers’ worldviews. This part of your research is more subjective — it’s essentially a “gut check” test.

During this step, look at:

• The typical demographics of the social site. Many social sites publish demographic information about their users, so you can see a breakdown of the ages and genders of the users.
• The features of the social networking platform. For instance, Instagram and Pinterest are highly visual, so any company that decides to market using these two tools should be prepared to create appealing visual content.
• Your marketing goals. Will this platform help you accomplish your content marketing goals?

Here are some examples of how this might work for content marketers:

• A food blogger decides to focus her social media efforts on Pinterest, because she’s targeting moms who make healthy lunches for their kids. Food is a popular topic on Pinterest, so she can be reasonably certain Pinterest would be a good platform for her to use to reach her target audience.
• A B2B company that sells software as a service (SaaS) has performed research and knows their target audience shares content and connects with colleagues and prospects on LinkedIn, so they decide to try out the platform and see how it performs for them.
• A tattoo artist creates a presence on Instagram because the primarily image-based platform is an ideal place to showcase his portfolio.

The statements above are generalizations, and — as always — your mileage may vary. The most important thing is that you know who you’re trying to reach and perform your own research on the best ways to connect with them.

Spend your social media marketing time and money wisely

When you decide to build a presence on a social networking site, run tests to make sure you’re on the right track.

For example, if you want to give Pinterest a shot, because your research is telling you that’s where your audience hangs out, then throw yourself wholeheartedly into developing a Pinterest following. Give it six to eight months, then review your data to see if you’re getting the results you want (in terms of traffic, subscribers, and conversions).

If a platform isn’t working out for you, don’t be afraid to move it lower on your marketing priority list or drop it completely — no matter what your pre-research says.

You may want to repeat the steps above every six to twelve months, to stay on top of changing trends and remain in touch with your target audience’s behaviors from year to year.

Over to you …

The best way to make social media work for you as a content marketer is to find out where your perfect prospects are and spend time there. Don’t go to the places where they’re not hanging out.

When you conduct your research thoughtfully and make your decisions based on that research, you’ll get far better results.

How do you decide which social media sites to spend time on? Share in the comments below.

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