Breaking SEO News: What’s in the Headlines

Learning the latest SEO tips and tricks is great, but it’s also crucial to simply maintain a basic awareness of SEO changes, trends, and events. Keeping up on industry news will strengthen your knowledge base and help you apply the latest information to your own SEO campaign where appropriate. Here’s what’s happening:

Google Penalties

Google is not particularly forthcoming regarding its issuance of penalties. Some site owners and managers don’t even know they’ve been penalized until they find that their content is no longer near the top of search engine results. Websites that feature guest bloggers, such as MyBlogGuest, are the latest to figure this out. Google’s Matt Cutts reports that this type of content has been frowned upon because it has become more of a “spammy practice” over the years. This isbecause they largely function as a way to gain links – not as a means of distributing high-quality content that is relative to their industries.

Web Conversion Tips

While there are countless techniques for web conversion, some options have emerged as the most ethical and effective out there. These include contact forms on home sites, whitepapers available for download, user-friendly shopping carts, newsletter subscription capabilities, and compelling calls to action. These are the areas in which visitors settle into the top of the well – known “conversion funnel.” Without them, even the best businesses, services, products, and websites are ineffective. Whether B2B or B2C, these useful tools have solidified their roles in the marketing industry.

Shopping Campaigns

Google Shopping Campaigns are on their way to replacing Google’s current ad format. Both of these platforms display products from advertiser inventories. Not only will there be differences in format, however, there will be adjustments to campaign structures. Consider these features:

• Multiple Ad Groups. Products can be segmented into groups with specific attributes, like “best sellers.”

• Bid Simulator. If bids are too high, this feature will report the potential losses that may result from a difference in cost.

• Impression Share. This component of the new shopping campaign provides competitor information that can be used to optimize strategies.

These renovations are also excellent opportunities to further test and sharpen existing nuances, such as geo-targeting, mobile compatibility, and dayparting.

Predictions for the Future

Google’s penalty standards are ever-evolving and advancements in web conversion will likely continue. Shopping campaigns are not the only online marketing features that are predicted to change. Video marketing, for instance, is not a new phenomenon. However, all signs point to new and improved changes to its use. Facebook has introduced an enhanced version of its mobile ads platform. Video marketing combined with the best potential for mobile compatibility will result in continued growth.

The diversification of social media platforms is another area that will continue to thrive. It’s no longer about Facebook, YouTube, or even Twitter. Instagram, Pinterest, Vine, and a host of others have solidified their online presence and reputations. Due to their credibility and stability – not to mention their effectiveness thus far – B2B and B2C businesses alike will not pass on the custom engagement and humanizing possibilities they offer.