SEO

17. June 2021 by Janina Winkler

Every SERP Feature You Should Know About

SERPs, or search engine results pages, started very basic, just listing the possible websites someone would be interested in based on their search phrases. Now, Google has implemented several SERP features that help users find the information they need much faster. Website owners focusing on the SEO of their website can use the SERP features to get more information out to potential visitors and to help promote their website. Right now, there are 16 different SERP features, many of which can be implemented on just about any website.

Featured Snippets

Featured snippets are designed to give specific answers to questions users might have. These always appear at the top of the search results but below the AdWords. To use this feature, websites need to be ranked within the top 5 positions. It also may be a good idea to use Schema Organization Markup and to create a FAQs page that answers specific questions visitors might have when they visit the website. This feature isn’t hard to rank for, but it’s not one of the easiest either. It is perfect for just about any website.

Local Packs

When a search includes a location or a user is looking for something near them, local packs show up. This is seen as a map with pins to businesses that might be of interest, followed by a list of those businesses. This only has a brief amount of information about the business, like their name, but users can click to learn more. This is often used by mobile users.

Businesses that want to take advantage of this feature should have a website that’s optimized for local SEO and mobile use and has Schema markup for the business name, location, and phone number. The website owner should also use Google My Business. Local Packs are perfect for businesses with a local storefront.

Local Teaser Packs

Local teaser packs are very close to the local packs, but there is one main difference. With a local teaser pack, there are only three businesses listed and viewable on the initial map. The list of businesses is more detailed and often includes information like hours open or pricing. This one has a medium difficulty, but those who want to take advantage of it should follow the guidelines for local packs as well as pay special attention to the schema markup. The local teaser packs are perfect for businesses with a local storefront, similar to the local packs.

Reviews

Reviews can show up for just about any keyword search, so long as the website has reviewable content on it. Rating stars show up in the regular snippets in the results as yellow stars underneath the URL. This can be added by making sure customers are reviewing the business or the website and the products on it. Also, make sure the website has the right markup to allow the search engine to see the reviews. This is easy to implement by following the directions offered by Google. Any type of business can use the review stars to boost their links in relevant searches.

Sitelinks

Sitelinks is another feature that adds to the original listing. With sitelinks, there are added links to the site, such as to specific categories on the website. They are designed to make it easier for visitors to find specific information on the website and it’s usually not difficult to add these to the listing. To get this feature, the website needs to have a good structure with plenty of internal linking, a website map submitted to Search Console, and the website schema markup. It’s also important for the website to have plenty of traffic already.

Videos

These are small snippets of videos that Google believes would help the user find what they’re searching for. They typically link to a video hosting platform but can link to embedded videos as well. Most of these include a thumbnail, title, link, and a description.

A featured video is one that has a bigger thumbnail and may provide added information Google thinks would be helpful for the user. This feature can be used by following standard SEO guidelines for videos, using video schema markup, and providing details for the video’s descriptions. Any website can take advantage of this, though the difficulty is medium, so long as they have videos that are related to the keywords their website is ranked for.

Images

Similar to the videos, Google also displays images on the SERPs. This doesn’t appear for every search, but it does appear for most of them. For this feature, Google displays a row of images it thinks are related to the search. Users who click the results will be taken to the “images” tab on Google where they can see more related images. This one has a medium difficulty but does not result in a lot of added traffic. To use this feature, have descriptive filenames for images, make sure the proper alt attributes are in place, and use title tags. Any website can use this feature, though it may be more useful for websites that have more unique images.

Twitter Packs

Google has partnered with Twitter, allowing them to start showing tweets in the SERPs. When Google believes a tweet might be relevant for a user, they display them in a special block along with a link to the creator’s Twitter profile and some of their tweets that were published recently.

It is very difficult to appear in the Twitter box and right now there’s not really any information on how to start using this feature. Most do feature Twitter accounts with a high number of tweets and followers, but there are exceptions to this. The Twitter packs feature is mainly useful for websites about people, organization, or events.

Knowledge Panels

The knowledge panels are similar to the featured snippets, but they are not created by using the information from various website. Instead, this panel typically includes information from Google’s own database called the Knowledge Graph. This panel is located on the top right of the results but underneath the AdWords. This feature has a medium difficulty to use as Google doesn’t take the information for these boxes from websites in most cases. To try to have an answer in the knowledge panel along with a link, website owners can submit their business information to Wikipedia and make sure social media accounts are verified. This is mainly used for larger businesses or businesses focused on a niche topic.

Instant Answer (Answer Box)

Similar to the knowledge panel, the answer box is comprised of information from Google’s Knowledge Graph or from other websites. It is a feature that shows a brief and definitive answer to a question. The answer box can have answers for questions relating to just about any topic, from events, facts, sports, transportation, the weather, and more. It is not easy for businesses to be able to take advantage of this feature, even if they are featured in a knowledge panel. To qualify, the website would need to be very data-oriented, verified by top informational websites, and have a high enough search volume.

Google Ads

The first SERP feature added to Google was Ads. Though this is a little different in that it is paid for, it allows websites to be listed in a featured section at the top of the SERP. Each one has an “Ad” sign and can be a way to get added visibility for a website. However, these ads can have a lowered click-through rate because they are labeled as ads, which can discourage some customers. To get started with this feature, website owners need to follow the steps on the Ads Express page. The difficulty of appearing here is generally low, but it is important to know that ads for keywords users type in more often are going to end up being more expensive. This feature is useful for just about any website, though small businesses might not want to pay for the advertising until they have a larger marketing budget.

Shopping Ads (Product Listing Ads)

Product listings appear at the top of the SERPs and show a photo of a product, the product name, the price, and a link to the website selling the product. They appear similar to the images at the top, with a few different shopping ads in a row, but this is an advertisement, so it is paid for like Ads. To be displayed here, businesses need to register with the Google Merchant Center and then add their products. It’s very easy to be displayed here as long as the bid is high enough. Any business with products to sell can take advantage of the shopping ads.

In-depth Articles

One that’s useful for publishing houses is the in-depth articles. These are located at the bottom of the SERP and provide users with longer content they can read about what they’re searching for. To appear here, it’s necessary to have the right schema markup and have the headlines, images, descriptions, and article optimized properly. Websites cannot have pages that require registrations to read as Google cannot see this content. It is easy to have an article show up here; however, this is mainly for the top publishing companies and is not typically useful for other types of websites.

Search Boxes

Search boxes appear under the link for listings, similar to the review stars. These boxes allow users to search content on the website so they can get more information or find exactly what they need on the website faster. To use this feature, the website needs to have a search engine already on it. The search action schema markup should then be used, so Google knows the search engine is on the website. This is not typically difficult to implement and can be beneficial for a variety of websites, though it’s generally used by larger websites.

Google search results have changed quite a bit over the years, with new features being added regularly. Website owners can take advantage of many of these features to boost their click-through rating and to gain more visibility for their website. Start with the easier SERP features to get started, then move onto the more difficult ones if they’re applicable for the website and are going to provide more visibility or a higher click-through rate.

25. November 2018 by Claudia Rothenhorst

Online Marketing Buzzwords: Content Amplification

Anyone scoping with topics in the field of online marketing knows the value of good and unique content, which is persistently created (three million blog posts are published every day!). Companies who are successful at content marketing try to get the most out of the content they create. With Content Amplification, you have a method for increasing the reach of your marketing campaigns considerably.

The reason for Content Amplification

advance your company with unique content — drive more and persistent traffic to your websites

There is no discussion that content will drive traffic to your website and that organic, persistent traffic is the prerequisite of a good content marketing strategy. When there are difficulties with reaching consistency with your organic traffic, a setup of a plan-B is necessary. At this point, content amplification comes in: a plan to amplify content beyond the range of organic traffic can make the difference in reaching success with your business.

Definition

Content amplification describes the process of taking your content to the next level: thus, it is able to reach a considerably broader audience and to amplify the range of your content. It describes the use of not only one type of content but diverse media (paid, owned and earned ones) in efforts to increase your brands scope and to guiden potential customers through the sales funnel.

Goal

In order to exert the reach-out of your content, all your promotion and marketing actions are tried to be aligned towards one central goal. The smart usage of paid and owned media channels will support your aim of additionally gaining earned media attention (like real-life engagement, reportings or references to your brand). In this way, your good, organic traffic is amplified in its range and is brought to the attention of customers.

Content Amplification Strategy

Goals: First of all, think about the goal of all your content amplification effort. It goes hand in hand with your content strategy and has to be thought about thoroughly. You have to know your custom goals. So, you can determine and measure if your marketing actions are working.
Use of various topics and channels during customer journey:
- Ensure that you have the right content topics to support marketing efforts. Your follower or potential customer must be delivered different types of content. Optimally, this is offered in various formats and from different sources – so every customer liking can be served. Some content amplification steps taken at various channels may cause actions among your users. Some useful content delivery channels in the beginnig of the customer journey might be: remarketing, influencer marketing, digital press release and (paid) social media.
- Later in the customer’s journey, the goal of content is to offer helpful information specific to your products. Some content types can be blog-posts, how-to’s or eBooks. The cannels at this stage might be: paid search, email marketing and social lead nurture.
- Soon your customer is ready to make a – hopefully – purchase decision. At this stage your content should offer a unique promotion. Besides, a confirmation that the choice they’re making is the right one, is useful. Paid search, paid social actions, lead nurture, influencer marketing and email offerings can be applicated here.
- After the decision for a purchase is made, don’t stop giving content to them. Try to get back to them, offer your help, ask for their opinion and provide useful information via email marketing and organic social media.
stay on track with good, unique content

Content, Content, Content: There should be a clear connection between your amplification and content creation strategy. Adapt the content topics in order to fill-out holes on the way of your customer journey. Maybe tools like a content calendar can be really useful in order to keep an eye on the content topics and continue publishing awesome content.
Amplification Stage: Use the channels you currently operate, if you find that they effectively help you reach your potential customers. Therefore, consider all the channels and if they can be optimized with one another. Your own channels as well as paid channels can be controlled best, so theay are the best way to start with. But paid, owned and earned media should always work as one single integrity.

Most important tools

Here are some tools, you can use for the amplification of content:

BuzzSumo is a tool, used for content marketing and SEO campaigns. It is able to quickly identify what content is working well in a certrain industry and who the major influencers are.
Facebook Ads is a very interesting opportunity for businesses to target ads aimed to the specific audience.
Buffer is an intuitive social media management platform trusted by brands, businesses, agencies, and individuals to help drive social media results.
Buzz Stream is a web-based software that helps the world’s best marketers promote their products, services and content to build links, buzz, and brands.

with a diverse approach on multiple channels, you can cover the interests of your customers

Resume

For establishing an Amplification Strategy, processes for the marketing steps have to be setup. Besides, social media and skilled marketing experts are needed to overtake the tasks, connected with the strategy. In the end, when all steps are taken, they can bring more leads for your business.

15. March 2018 by Janina Winkler

Online Marketing Experts predict new SEO-Trends

There are few strategies in the online marketplace that are as essential and as quickly evolving as search engine optimization, known in the industry as SEO. Google and other search engines are constantly updating the algorithms that are responsible for ranking search engine results, and recent technological innovations such as smart watches and Amazon Echo are set to change the game even further.

In order to remain competitive, webmasters must be diligent in their observation of the current online marketing landscape and predicted SEO Trends. Read on to find out about a few of the trends industry experts are already predicting.

SERP features

SERP features are already becoming a critical factor in search engine optimization, and that trend shows no signs of slowing down in the upcoming year. These features, such as knowledge panels, snippets, and embedded images, are increasingly capturing browsers’ attention at a faster rate than organic search ranking. Thankfully, SEO PowerSuite offers a simple way to keep up with the times by tracking up to 15 Google SERP features triggered by the webmasters’ keywords and even allows them to track volatility of SERP features on a day-to-day basis.

Structured Data

Although Google has never officially confirmed that structural data functions as a ranking signal, this data does play a large role in SERP rankings like knowledge graph panels and rich snippets. Careful HTML formatting allows search engines like Google to interpret content in such a way that it can be readily displayed in these SERP features, which can in turn increase click-through rates by as much as 30%. Forward-thinking webmasters already know that this trend toward SERP features and away from native rankings is unlikely to change anytime soon and are already taking steps to format their sites accordingly.

Increased Emphasis on Speed

Speed has always been king when it comes to ranking signals and UX factors. Google’s search engine ranking system is designed to give priority to pages that are able to load in three seconds or less, but when it comes down to the line, faster is always better. That’s why Google has already integrated page speed tests into its WebSite Auditor, which also provides helpful information and advice about any factors that might be slowing down a page’s load speeds.

Remaining Relevant

Simply put, Google has been upping its game when it comes to content analysis. This search engine giant uses Latent Semantic Indexing to evaluate billions of different web pages, blog posts, and other online content and analyzes the terms they most frequently use. This helps Google’s algorithmic systems to decide which terms are actually related and to build expectations as to which terms should be likely to appear in any given context.

That’s not the only tool Google has up its sleeve, though. A tool called RankBrain allows the search engine to further analyze its best performing results, searching for similarities between them and adding query-specific ranking signals for given terms. So, the bottom line is, a website’s content must be genuinely comprehensive in order to ensure high search engine rankings on Google in 2018.

The best way to ensure that a given page meets these increasingly stringent specifications is to research web pages that are already ranking high and to look for what kinds of features they all share. It would be extremely difficult and tedious to do all that work manually, but thankfully, the WebSite Auditor offers a more practical solution. Simply open up the Auditor and select TF-IDF under Content Analysis to access an app that will analyze Google’s 10 top-ranking web pages and will calculate a score for each term based on its prevalence and relevance.

Voice Search

Google itself has reported that 55% of teenagers and 40% of adults use its voice search feature on a daily basis, and those numbers are unlikely to do anything but increase. There’s no fighting this kind of technological change, so it’s essential that any webmaster who wants to stay ahead of the game start trying to understand the implications of it now.

Browsers who are using voice search instead of traditional type search use normal, conversational sentences when they speak to their devices, not the bizarre query lingo more commonly seen in type searches. That means webmasters who want their pages to remain competitive in tomorrow’s SEO landscape must begin to establish new keyword routines accordingly. Rank Tracker can be extremely helpful to those who are trying to wrap their minds around what kinds of questions voice searchers are most likely to pose, but webmasters themselves must take the initiative to begin incorporating keywords and content appropriately.

Mobile Devices

With more than half of all Google searches originating from mobile devices, mobile-friendliness has become a ranking factor that can no longer be ignored. In fact, 2018 could well be the year that heralds the advent of mobile-first indexes, although a specific timeline for these mobile-friendly changes has yet to be released.

The first step webmasters should take toward ensuring that their sites remain competitive is to check each page for mobile-friendliness. This can be done via Google’s mobile test, which is easily available in WebSite Auditor and can be found by selecting page usability (mobile) under technical factors. Of course, the Auditor points out any problematic factors, but it also offers helpful advice on how to fix them.

The Rise of Linkless Backlinks

In previous years, SEO experts have devoted the majority of their time to backlinks, which have historically been considered the most important trust signal for a wide variety of search engines, including Google. However, times are changing and linkless mentions, sometimes called linkless backlinks, are already being weighed much more heavily in search engine rankings.

Google and other search engines are able to associate linkless mentions with brands, allowing them to be used to determine a site’s authority and validity without any backlinks at all. This trend is already beginning to unfold in the 2017 SEO landscape, as Bing’s senior product manager has already confirmed that this search engine has begun to consider unlinked mentions in its search algorithms. It may go without saying, but most industry insiders have reason to believe that Google is already using this technique as well.

While traditional backlinks can be checked using a backlink checker, linkless mentions require a different type of monitoring tool. Awario is arguably the best app out there to meet this increasingly essential need, as it offers a real-time index of the web and utilizes a Reach metric, which allows its users to see mentions ranked according to their perceived authority.

Personalized SERF

This article has already discussed the matter of increasing SERF use, but to complicate matters further, search engines are also beginning to use increasingly personalized SERF features that use user information like locations, search histories, and personal interests to rank these features. In fact, Google, Yahoo, and Bing have already been increasing the ways in which search results are being personalized according to user information. Back in 2011, up to 50% of Google searches were already being personalized and that statistic has only continued to rise in the following years.

Luckily, webmasters who are privy to this information don’t have much to worry about as personalization certainly doesn’t have to work against them. Once a browser searches for a target keyword, webmasters must strive to appear among the initial results for unbiased SERP features. If the browser clicks on that particular listing, it will help increase chances that his or hear subsequent searches will also include that site among their top results.

The most effective step that webmasters can take toward ensuring that their sites will appear under that first unbiased search is to make sure that their rank tracking is as accurate as possible. Rank Tracker checks depersonalized rankings by default, but those who are attempting to check native search results and SERF features using their browsers must ensure that they use Incognito/Private mode when they search to see where their pages fall.

Video and Image Searches

There has been a growing trend toward an increased emphasis on visual search results. This trend can be attributed primarily to faster internet speeds, visual-friendly platforms, and a general public desire for more visual interaction online. It is safe to assume that Google and other search engines will change their search engine ranking systems accordingly to place an emphasis on visual elements, so those looking to stay ahead of the game would be wise to look into ways to keep up.

There are several new startups already entering the marketplace that focus on improving the recognition of visual elements within videos and images. Google has already acquired both Moodstocks and Eyefluence, and these acquisitions seem to promise an improvement in the way that search engines are able to incorporate visual elements in their SERF and native search results in coming years. Webmasters who want to be prepared for these upcoming changes must begin to consider how images and videos will be used in the future to create more sophisticated search engine algorithms now.

1. February 2017 by Jennifer Karg

The Importance of Local SEO for Small Businesses

Every day, multinational businesses compete for online recognition. Therefore, when an entrepreneur decides to start small and local, they may think they don’t have a chance. However, Local SEO is different. Below is a discussion of the importance of localized SEO as well as some tips and tricks small business owners can use to level the playing field when they are up against globally recognized brands.

What Is Localized SEO?

Localized SEO is a very effective form of online marketing that allows nearby businesses to promote their products and services to local customers when they are needed. With local search engine optimization, search engines and business directories such as TouchLocal and Yelp are used to remove the guesswork from marketing. With Local SEO, companies can reach customers when they’re ready to buy. Local marketing promotes the business’ name, address, phone number, and services, not just its website. Therefore, new customers will not only pay an online visit, they’ll walk through the door.

What Businesses can do for Local Search Engine Optimization

Now that the business owner has an overview of how Local SEO works, they can get to work creating a strategy. The most important step is to ensure the company has a local page on all three of the main search engines. Simply fill out a business profile with basic information such as the company’s name, location, and hours of operation. Proper categorization is also important, and most local search engines allow owners the chance to put their business in multiple categories. It’s vital to ensure all information is filled correctly and that NAP (name, address, and phone) data is accurate. If the business has already been listed somewhere else, the owner can claim the listing in what is known as a citation.

On-Page Optimization

Despite updates like Hummingbird, Panda, and Penguin, on-page SEO has not changed much. Every task is still done for the visitor’s benefit. Google wants users to be satisfied with their experience on a business’ web page, and the only way they can gauge user satisfaction is through engagement, i.e. how long the user spends reading a site’s content. Site speed and loading times, meta tags, relevant content, and mobile-friendliness can all go a long way in making a site more friendly to the user. When users like what they see on a local business site, they’re more likely to visit the business in person.

Using Google MyBusiness

With Google My Business, or GMB, small business owners can update their company information on Maps, Search, and Google+ in one place. Merchants have the opportunity to update Listing information such as operating hours, name, address, phone number, and business descriptions at any time. Google My Business also gives users the chance to add photos, maps, and facts that may make Local SEO efforts more successful and focused. GMB allows business owners to respond to Google reviews and interact directly with customers while managing information effortlessly.

The Importance of the Citation

In the context of Local SEO, a citation is a mention of the business name or address on another webpage. Examples may include an online business directory where the business name is listed but no link is included. Citations may be found on local chamber of commerce or business association pages as well, and they are an important part of Google’s ranking algorithm. A citation from a well-indexed portal can increase the search engine’s degree of certainty about the business’ contact info and categorization. They are very important in less competitive sectors where many businesses lack websites as a way to validate that the business is part of the local community.

Localized SEO is Important for Businesses of All Sizes

SEO is a term that is used loosely, and many companies have not unlocked its full potential. Whether the business is large or small, Local SEO is crucial for the reasons below.

Additional web traffic: Regardless of the size or type of local business, targeted web traffic can increase overall sales. Good search engine optimization will reach customers when they’re ready to buy.

Targeted visitors: Although higher traffic numbers are important, they don’t always bring more sales. It’s important to learn more about site visitors’ location, interests, and marketing preferences. A good Local SEO plan can help a company understand which strategies competitors use and how to tailor an approach to the business.

Increased sales: When users are targeted, conversion rates increase. Many companies focus on backlinks, keyword rankings, and landing pages and, while these can measure a campaign’s success, they are not the only indicators. Localized SEO helps businesses target the right visitors for long-term sales success.

Beating the local competition: Small business owners, in particular, should do research on the competition. Start by thinking of the site’s most common search terms, as they’ll provide an idea of which companies are implementing online marketing strategies. It may seem like an uphill battle to compete against a national company, but local search is far less competitive.

All of the factors mentioned above can help business owners build a solid local presence, but true results can only be obtained through trial, error, and research. Learning Local SEO is similar to mastering conventional search engine optimization. The more the owner delves into it, the more they understand what they need to do to dominate search engine results. By using the correct factors, businesses have every chance to establish themselves locally. With the advice given here, small business owners can establish strategies and determine where they need to dig deeper.

17. November 2016 by Claudia Rothenhorst

Check Duplicate Content to Avoid Search Engine Failures

There are a lot of little details involved in designing the perfect website. Every website owner needs their pages to look professional, be easy for visitors to navigate, and appeal to search engines so it is found more easily regardless of the type of business it is built to advertise. Duplicate Content is one of the details that owners cannot ignore because it is not a small concern. Search engines will not know which version to use in query results when repeated content is found. It is important to check for this type of problem when the site is initially completed and randomly from that point on. Luckily, there are several ways to perform this task.

Quote the Text

This is the easiest and most common method to seek out duplicate material. The results will include anything that matches the quoted material exactly. It is done by copying the text in question and pasting it into the search engine query box. Enclose the entire text with quotations and hit search.

Use Online Checkers

Check Duplicate Content using the free tools available through specific websites designed for this purpose. These sites review the content provided to determine if it is found more than once on the same URL as well as seeking out external duplicates. The online checkers offer a text input field to review specific text as well as a tool that will randomly sample text on the site.

Purchase Content Programs

Crawlers and plagiarism software effectively scour the Internet seeking content that matches what the user submits. Many of these companies offer their limited services for free and more advanced searches with their paid programs. Some also offer protection for websites to prevent others from duplicating the content to use on their own pages.

Utilize Search Tools

Search engines also provide tools for this purpose and they return what their own searches would typically detect as a duplication. For example, Google offers an advanced search page that is easy to use. The search form allows people to enter into the fields on the form the exact words and numbers they want to have researched as well as the language, region, and last update to search through.

Enable Webmaster Tools / Search Console

Google also offers webmaster tools that will help to prevent duplication in the future. The site owner will receive a notification any time they discover matching content. It is not always 100 percent accurate, but it is a good backup plan to include along with other random search practices.

Everyone loses out when site material is duplicated. Websites receive less traffic and their ranking suffers despite using the best SEO tactics. People may choose to link to the other site with the content and cost the original site the opportunity for numerous additional views. The search engines return results that are less relevant and lose business because visitors question their performance. The people searching for sites that meet their requests do not get directed to the content they need or want. Check Duplicate Content to avoid this potentially damaging mistake and keep every website original and ranking higher.

SEO