Recent Blog Posts
Articles, News, Tips, and more from Experts in Seattle’s Digital Marketing Community
Risks and Rewards of AI-Generated Content: Seattle Search Network Members Weigh In
We’ve joined the AI-hype bandwagon here at the Seattle Search Network. How could we not? We live and breathe search engine marketing and jump at every Google hiccup, even if we’ve been okay ignoring Bing all these years. Maybe that’s about to change. From random thoughts to early experiments with the tools, there’s no shortage of differences of opinion, but that’s what keeps us on our toes as digital marketers.
MozCon 2020 Recap
MozCon 2020 was like something we have never seen before; it was 100% virtual. Cogwheel Marketing uses Moz’s tools daily to research search volume, keywords, link discovery, track ranking performance and more. We make a point to attend MozCon yearly and always walk...
Quit overthinking! Write an F’n Blog Post Already! Pt. #1
ABOVE IMAGE: Writing doesn’t have to be painful or bad for your tooth enamel. Write an F’n Blog Post Pt. #1 Topic Selection and Outline Creation Breathe. Just Breathe. You know it’s high time that you produce some content for your website’s blog. Congratulations on...
10 Digital Marketing KPIs for the Hospitality Industry
There is often a lot of data to sort through for a hotel to find what holds value and what is actionable to determine the direction of your strategy. Outside sales and revenue management reports, the digital marketing KPIs can also be overwhelming. As a General...
Digital Summit 2019 Trivia Slides
Well, the 2019 edition of Digital Summit Seattle is in the books. A good time was had by all, especially the nice boxed lunches! Some decent swag, and a few free beers and wine made it a great event for all. At the start of each session they ran slides with trivia...
2018 Marketing and SEO Conferences in Seattle
If you’re looking to stay current with the latest marketing and SEO developments, hear inspiring keynotes from the best in the industry, or network with other Marketing professionals, then these Seattle conferences are the right choice for you. We’ve compiled a list...
Tips & Tricks for App Store Optimization
By Ben Lee: Founder of Rootstrap Today, search engine optimization (SEO) is a bonafide field with well-established best practices, a proven track record, and a sizeable industry attached to it – but it wasn’t always that way. In the early days of Google, SEO was a...
How long should your blog post be for SEO? Learn how to calculate the ideal blog post length.
When you're trying to rank on Google, every keyword is different. The average word count for a page ranking on the first page of a Google search can vary as widely as 500 to 15,000 words, all depending on the keyword. That's why many writers ask: how long should my...
GDPR Risks and Search Marketing and 7 Steps to Take Now
New GDPR rules affect websites and marketing tactics for business with the EU. Here are some highlights and tips to avoid problems.
How to Analyze Competitors and Answer “How long will it take to rank”?
Before you attempt to rank a website on Google, it’s important to set the right goals and expectations. The right tools amplify an SEO professional’s efforts, and one of these tools, Ahrefs, surfaces a lot of really useful data to help you figure out how long it could...
Pre-Internet Marketing Rules Build Web Presence
Pre-Internet was a time when we communicated and consumed content differently than we do today. Everyone subscribed to at least one print newspaper or magazine. People read books with real pages and met in coffee shops to discuss them. We wrote and mailed letters....
Google Predicts The 2016 Presidential Election
As an search engine marketers, we analyze quite a lot of data looking for trends in the way people consume content online. Using the proper verbiage or titling a page one way or another can make or break a campaign. After years of doing this kind of work you really...
Simplified AMP HTML Deployment on WordPress
A Simplified AMP HTML Deployment on WordPress® is accessible to any marketing team. Simply install two Plugins and add an amp-analytics tracking code in minutes. The resulting AMP deployment automatically creates AMP pages based on your published Blog posts. These...
How to Check an Enterprise Website for Google Cache Status
Checking Indexation of Large Enterprise Websites Have you ever wondered if all your site's pages were indexed and cached by Google? *Really* indexed? Turns out there are many SEOs asking this question, but few simple ways to be sure. Yes, you could manually check by...
2016 Marketing and SEO Conferences in Seattle
If you’re looking to stay current with the latest marketing and SEO developments, hear inspiring keynotes from the best in the industry, or network with other Marketing professionals then these Seattle conferences are the right choice for you. We’ve compiled a list of...
Using Majestic’s index to find great linking opportunities
Majestic is a great source for doing all types of SEO research. Everything from competitor analysis, uncovering spam backlinks, inspecting anchor text and so much more. Another great use for Majestic is finding valuable linking opportunities. There are a couple...
UW PCE Marketing Data Landscape & Tools
UW PCE Digital Marketing Analytics Certification Program The University of Washington’s PCE (Professional & Continuing Education) Digital Marketing Analytics Certificate course is broken into 3 components over 3 quarters, essentially the same as a year in college...
6 Easy Ways Freelancers Can Improve Their Home Business Setup
So you’ve decided to take the plunge and become a freelancer, independent contractor, or self-employed professional. Whatever you decide to call yourself you are now a lone wolf. However, you’re definitely not the only one. As of 2012, nearly 3 million people worked...
New Tactics for Enterprise SEO
SEO for Enterprise Brands: 4 Takeaways Enterprise SEO is an entirely different beast than "ordinary" SEO for a SME((small and medium-sized enterprise)-sized organization. The emphasis is on relationships across teams, project evangelization, and the ability to see the...
JSON-LD Takes Less Effort Than Microdata: A Scalable Alternative
JSON-LD (JavaScript Object Notation for Linked Data) is a lightweight Linked Data format that is relatively easy to implement on your webpages, especially in lieu of Schema and other forms of microdata. JSON-LD Solves The Problem of Messy Microdata While it is defined...
Google to Rank Mobile-friendly Websites Higher in Search Results – Everything You Need to Know
One of the biggest changes to Google’s search engine algorithm since Panda and Penguin is coming later this month. Starting April 21st 2015 Google will increase the importance of mobile-friendliness as a ranking factor for search results. Google says that this will...
WPEngine Recommended Web Host
I recommend WPEngine for hosting WordPress websites, because it is fast, secure, efficient and affordable. Fast Page Load Times Before migrating to WPEngine, my website's load times averaged 1 second with peaks over 3 seconds. Since migrating to WPEngine in...
Rand Fishkin’s SEO Predictions and Marketing Tactics for 2015
Rand Fishkin has risen to become one of the most sought-after experts in the field of search engine optimization, his career paralleling the surging popularity and profitability of the company his mother and he founded. Rand has produced impressive content at moz.com...
Mobile Friendly Website Required for Optimal Search Visibility
A mobile friendly website is required for optimal search visibility. Anything less sends organic search traffic to your competitors. How much traffic? Mobile traffic averages between 25% and 50% of total visitors to a mobile friendly website. As a result, making your...
Content Marketing on a Budget–SSN August Meeting
Presentation by Uri Bar-Joseph Seattle Search Network August Meeting Notes "Content is King" - as Search Marketers, we've heard this ad nauseam in recent years, but what does it really look like and how can small businesses leverage content marketing the right...
4X5 Things That Can Help You Use Google+ to Successfully Market Your Local Business
1) 4 Different Types of G+ Pages (and which is best for you) a. Google Personal/Profile Page Another Google user can follow "updates" on a personal page, but it isn't set up for a business, so users can't leave "reviews". Note that you can identify a personal...
Why You Should Game Google (And Why You Should Not)
Last month, the owner of a Dallas-area search marketing firm wrote an impassioned open letter to Google, asking what he, an honest marketer, should do when Google continues to bestow higher organic rank on his competitors, despite their blatant violation of the Google...
Roundtable Summary – May 13, 2014
The Seattle Search Network Roundtable evaluated four business websites tonight with help from six search marketers in attendance: Jefe Birkner (SSN Treasurer), Cobalt - SEO Analyst Dave Lindahl, Senior Search Specialist at ADP Dealer Services Zac Palmer (SSN Director...
How to Create Effective Content and Why It Matters
Simply put, content is information. In terms of a website, it means text, images, video, audio or anything that can be uploaded to your site. But what is effective content versus ineffective content? And why does it matter anyway? Good content matters...
SEO SEM and Analytics Certifications, the Ultimate List
What certifications can search marketing professionals use to set themselves apart from their competition? How important are such certifications, how much do they cost, and how difficult are they to acquire? This post attempts to provide some concrete data points for...
Structured Data Example
What is structured data, and why should you care? Structured data is a way to tell search engines about the relationships among elements on a Web page and across Web pages. For example, instead of relying on the search engines to guess yours is a local business, you...
Comparing SEM Tools that Estimate Competitors’ PPC Budgets
There are a lot of tools out there designed to help SEO professionals do their jobs, particularly when it comes to Search Engine Marketing (SEM). For websites targeting a competitive niche, tools with the ability to calculate what competing websites are spending on...
BrightEdge SEO Tool Review
BrightEdge has a powerful set of tools for taking a close look at how your keywords are performing (individually, by keyword group, overall, and relative to competitors) and also offers a comprehensive analysis of your site’s SEO efforts, both on-page and off-page,...
PPC for Business Events
Your company is staffing a booth at a trade show next quarter. From your experience last year, you know that many of the conference attendees are potential leads for you, yet the vast majority unfortunately simply pass your booth by, with only a few stopping to...
In-house SEO vs SEO Agency – Which to Hire?
In-house SEO vs SEO Agency - Which to Hire? To hire an SEO or not to hire an SEO? That is the question! Lets compare an In-house SEO versus an SEO agency, and the unique attributes that apply to each. Neither is superior to the other, but if you’ve been...
Online Marketing Conferences In Seattle 2013
2013 SEO Conventions and Conferences in Seattle SEO is almost as "Seattle" as coffee shops, grunge music, and rainy winter days. As the proud home of SEOmoz, Distilled, Portent, and Cobalt, Seattle is widely considered to be among the top cities for SEOs in the world....
How to setup and use a Non Branded Search Custom Segment in Google Analytics
Setting up and using the Non-Branded Search Custom Segment in Google Analytics. Any SEO or Internet marketer, for that matter, knows the importance of keyword rankings. If potential customers are looking for you on Google, you want to be #1. But what about the next...
How Will Google Fiber Affect Google’s Revenue?
Many people in the tech and social media industries say that Google is reaching maximum market share and must seek out new ways of increasing their value. A leader in the search engine world, Google has also introduced many other successful tools for ad management,...
How Social Signals Affect SEO
What if you could foresee the future of Search Engine Optimization? And what if you knew that the landscape of SEO would be forever altered by the influence of Social Media? If you walk in the world of SEO as we now know it, then you’ve heard the chatter about the...
Tools to Check for Analytics Code Tags
Ever start working on a new site and suspect that Analytics tracking code is not installed properly on all pages of it? Enter Google Tag Assistant, a great Chrome plugin that checks the presence & functioning of Google Tags on a particular page. ...
SEO/Analytics related events of interest to SSN members
Web Analytics Day 2013 1/25/13 Web Analytics is a crucial skill that savvy businesses use to drive higher customer satisfaction and profitability. Join industry veterans and novices alike from around the Puget Sound to learn the basics about Web Analytics & Big...
Google Tools Universe
A high-level understanding of the "Google tools universe" (GTU) is an important step when allocating a marketing budget. All businesses have administrative and information needs. Google provides a wide range of tools, many at zero financial cost, to help address those...
What’s Up with Google Plus Local’s Review Filter?
Google Plus Local Review Filter For small businesses, local reputation is king. If a customer was so pleased with your service that they are willing to take time out of their day and write a thoughtful review, the world should know! Good, publically available reviews...
Ways to Scale Images
Now that you know what scaled images are and have identified which images to scale, it is time to pick an image editor. Your choices range from paid option Adobe® Photoshop® to unpaid options Photoshop Express, Aviary Phoenix and PicMonkey. Adobe Photoshop Photoshop...
The End of Anonymity: How Google+ Local Reshapes Reviews
Since the dawn of the online age, anonymity has been one of the foundations of Internet communication. People could communicate from behind clever screen names and, for better or worse, say pretty much whatever they felt like saying. From trolling the web to Tahrir...
Scaled Images Load Faster
What is a quick and easy way to reduce your page load time? Serve scaled images. When page load time becomes a prominent search-ranking criterion, Google and Bing will reward you with more organic search traffic. In the interim, your current visitors will appreciate...
Future Proofing Infographic Links
If you are in the trenches of link building, you have probably already read the most recent Matt Cutts interview on Eric Enge’s blog about the devaluation of infographic links, or the cliff notes on SE Roundtable. If you haven’t read the interview, you should go do so...
Blog Networks & Penguins
This past week I spoke on Google’s recent deindexation of blog networks and Google’s recent roll out of the Penguin update. You can check out the slides and read through some of my notes below. Blog Networks Penguins And Link Building from Geoff Kenyon Blog Networks...
Attack of the Penguin
Expanding on the great post by Jeff Sliger, there's many more thoughts and reading you should do to either prepare for the long haul in SEO or combat any huge drops you've recently experienced in your website. Google details what they say are doing to "reward high...
Panda Update Redux
In Honor of the 100th year anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, Google sinks “unsinkable” websites. Leaving the flotsam of sites that still use link exchanges and otherwise cheap linking schemes, The world leader in search decides to throw it’s weight around...
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