Google Search Console Insights combines Google Search Console and Google Analytics to introduce a new SEO platform for content marketers

If you regularly use Google Analytics and/or Google Search Console tools to evaluate and optimize your marketing (and if you don't - here's some starters for you!), you may have heard about this integrated new insights platform update from Google.

What is Google Search Console Insights?

Still in Beta mode, Google Search Console Insights is a new platform which allows content marketers an integrated overview of how their content is searched for/discovered (GSC) alongside insights about the audience and their behaviour (GA).

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What should a client-side marketer look for when evaluating an agency SEO proposal?

One of the key decisions many companies must make in regards to search engine optimization (SEO) is the decision on whether to create and build a team in-house or to work with an external agency or consultant(s). There are pros and cons to both approaches and many businesses often choose to go with a combination of the two: create a team in-house and work with external advisors to support best practice and on-going guidance. If a decision is made to work with an SEO agency there are several steps to be taken, including the selection of a range of agencies and later the management of a pitch process that is covered in other articles and guides from Smart Insights included in the Agency Toolkit. [si_guide_block id="42338" title="SEO proposal template" description="Quickly create…

Communicating relevant and meaningful site content to your audience is about way more than the keywords you target.

Yes, you heard me. SEO is not all about keywords and spending every waking hour tracking the algorithm changes until you’re blue in the face and more confused than when you started. Google has always been clear about its stance on providing meaningful content. So, instead of scrutinizing the technology behind the search, marketers really need to start directing their efforts towards prioritizing the content above the technology. It’s about providing communication between your brand and your audience’s needs and this is where priorities should lie in 2020 (and should have always lied in the previous years). Articles that are written and then copy checked for SEO second are fundamentally incorrect from their beginning sentences. If you write a blog, an article, a white paper or any form of content without your audience’s search intent…

How to rank higher on Google and what to do if your traffic suddenly drops

Everyone knows the importance of providing consistent and high-quality content on your website but determining what quality content actually looks like can be a bit tricky.

Why?

Because quality is subjective, of course, and while one person may enjoy one particular style of content, another may find it too long, not relevant enough or simply uninspiring.

Then, of course, you have Google. The Holy Grail of search engines. Everyone wants their content to rank highly on the site that receives over 63,000 searches every second.

That’s around two trillion searches per year by the way.

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Voice search is an important marketing trend, with consumers wanting convenience when searching

Voice search is the future of online marketing. If your business is not optimized for voice searches, you cannot expect to reach your audience and achieve its growth targets.

The digital marketing landscape is ever-evolving, with strong new trends emerging time and again. Voice search is one of the prominent trends coming to the forefront. The reason is obvious - users love the convenience of searching by saying the search terms rather than typing them.

With the voice search trend set to grow even bigger, embracing voice search becomes imperative for every business. To benefit from voice search, there are SEO innovations to be put in place. But before delving deeper into optimization strategy, let us talk about the basics.

What exactly is voice search?

As the name suggests,…

Google is transforming from a search engine to an answer engine, which you should use to shape your SEO strategy for the year ahead

These days we are witnessing the biggest evolution of Google as we know it. Google is transforming from a search engine to an answer engine. That evolution is bringing new challenges to online publishers and businesses changing our marketing priorities and goals. We went from this: [caption id="attachment_149977" align="aligncenter" width="645"] [Image Source][/caption]

to this:

in a matter of seven years. As you can see, there are fewer organic results and more answers in the above-the-fold part of search engine result page. [si_blog_banner_cta]

Google is the answer engine

Google is planning to become the ultimate answer engine and we find the evidence of that in its recent patents,…

Struggling with a small SEO budget? Here are five tips to help you get more bang for your buck.

Every business, big or small, should be thinking about SEO. In a world where it is becoming increasingly difficult to gain visibility online without paying for it, SEO remains the one true organic marketing channel. But things that are organic are not necessarily free. While SEO clicks are by definition ‘non-paid’, the process of getting those clicks almost always carries an indirect cost; whether that’s an investment of your own time, staff costs, agency or consultancy fees, tools, training, or a combination of these things and more. SEO - or at least good SEO - rarely comes cheap. [si_guide_block id="80207" title="Download our Free Resource – 10 business-limiting SEO mistakes" description="Discover some really common mistakes we have seen again and again as we have worked on SEO consulting and training projects."/] For businesses on tight budgets,…

Google has changed search listings related to featured snippets, e-commerce to grow by over 30% in five years, Google urged to rethink third-party cookie blocking, Netflix named favourite UK brand

Google has dominated the news this week following its announcement that it has changed search results to deduplicate listings that appear as featured snippets. Find out how it could affect your strategy by reading the full story below. New research has suggested that e-commerce is going to account for a fifth of all retail by 2024, as consumers turn to convenience rather than heading to the brick and mortar high street. [si_blog_banner_cta] In other Google news, it has been asked to rethink its decision to block third-party cookies by 2022 due to the impact it could have on digital advertising. Finally, Netflix has taken the top spot away from Aldi to be named as the UK's favourite brand while a couple of brands have taken…

Get a handle on the jargon to understand technical SEO and get your site ranking higher. 

Does your web developer speak almost exclusively in jargon, with an occasional smattering of what sounds like Klingon? Do they use phrases like ‘latent semantic indexing protocols’ in everyday conversation? Do you find yourself listening with a glazed expression, nodding along as a stream of acronyms pass through your noggin and you ponder, ‘What does TTFB even mean?’. Like it or not, your web developer is a key player in your organisation and you need to communicate effectively to maximise your web presence. In the real world people often get their first impression of your business from your bricks-and-mortar premises. Similarly, your website delivers that first impression online and the way it’s designed dictates if your business is perceived as an attractive high street boutique or a run-down bargain basement. The better you’re able…

A robust link building strategy is critical. Being discoverable online means having high domain authority and ranking for the keywords your customers use

Companies like Amazon and Google have forever changed the way consumers find and purchase goods and services. As a result, both B2C and B2B companies must consider the role online visibility plays in their campaigns to attract customers. In the digital world, a robust link building strategy is critical. The modern consumer journey is driven by search engines, and being discoverable online means having high domain authority and ranking for the keywords your customers use. [si_guide_block id="127288" title=“Access our Quick Win – How to get quality backlinks" description="In this Quick Win, we will show you how you can attract high-quality backlinks that give your website the authority it needs to increase organic (free) traffic."/] High-quality backlinks increase domain authority, ultimately increasing your Google page ranking. When pages have high-quality backlinks pointed…