Paralysis by Data Analysis

Paralysis by Data Analysis

We are currently being overrun with data and data companies. You can buy IP targeted lists of 27 year olds who can get dental insurance at work but have chosen not to. You also can monitor every aspect of that group who saw an ad. While data is great, more often than not we hear business owners tell us it's confusing. They also have no idea how it helps their business. Unfortunately the digital marketing space is full of companies all too happy to shove a report in their clients' faces. Then explain nothing, leave an invoice and say "you're welcome." Data and reports are great but if not properly explained or tied into a business purpose, it's not helping anyone. Analytics ToolsOne of the best tools in the game today is Google Analytics. This tool is free and ties into the backend of your website. It can tell you almost anything you could possibly want to know about the traffic on...
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The Importance of Content: A Blog’s Purpose

The Importance of Content: A Blog’s Purpose

In the ever-changing world of SEO one thing remains very consistent. As it is in real estate, there are three things you must take into account: content, content, content. In the old days (2012 in the digital marketing world) the black hats could try to get away with keyword stuffing (see below on some great articles about these practices) and you could find your way to the top of a Google results page. However after Google inevitably caught up, there was hell to pay for those that did not pay attention. Sites disappeared, were de-indexed, SEO shops even had to shut down. The sites and marketing firms that rose from the ashes quickly realized what the search engines were telling them. We will only reward those that follow our rules, and the new number one rule is you must have fresh, relevant content on your website to perform. This revolutionized the online marketing industry. Entire firms specializing in "content marketing" appeared out...
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ADA Compliance and the future of SEO

ADA Compliance and the future of SEO

Recently you might have heard about "ADA Compliance" within the digital space. What is that, you have probably asked. For starters ADA refers to the American's with Disabilities Act. It was enacted in 1990 to prevent people with disabilities from being discriminated in all aspects of public life.  This includes ramps at entrances of buildings, accessibility for the hearing impaired, etc. Lately this has started to cause a stir in regards to people's websites. The landmark legal case was GIl vs Winn-Dixie Stores (PDF) when a man sued Winn-Dixie Stores because he was not able to navigate their website as a blind man. He argued, and won, that they needed to make their site accessible to him under the ADA. The courts found that Winn-Dixie is a "public accommodation"  and needed to be compliant with ADA guidelines. Since this time over 61 guidelines have been released and updated to make websites ADA compliant. What does this mean for you, dear reader? The biggest question...
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Mobile Advertising in 2020

Mobile Advertising in 2020

Almost everyone reading this owns a cell phone, and there is a rather large probability that you are reading it on that phone. According to a recent study 77% of people in the US own a smartphone which has more than doubled in the last 8 years (35% in 2011). While these devices have taken over the world, and many of our lives, something else in the world of mobile advertising has begun happening too. It comes as no surprise that advertising strategy tends to follow consumer behavior. So as the ownership of smartphones has exploded the mobile advertising phenomenon has grown right along with it. So as we spend more and more of our time looking into our screens the images that we consume have become advertising, not content we want, at a higher pace year over year. We have seen traditional static banner ads come and for the most part go. Video advertising on mobile devices is growing at a similar trend-line on desktop....
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SEM vs Display Advertising in 2020

SEM vs Display Advertising in 2020

Where’s the best place to spend marketing and advertising dollars? In the world of paid digital advertising, two of the biggest players are search engine marketing (SEM) and display marketing. On the surface, search engine marketing (SEM) programs like Google AdWords might seem like the best channel to maximize return on investment (ROI). “US marketers will spend more than $103 billion on search, display, social media, and email marketing by 2019—but search will remain the largest share of interactive spend (about 44%).” Why are marketers spending so much on search? Because search spending works. However, let’s not overlook another important aforementioned piece of that $103 billion pie: display marketing. (Think banner ads.) So what’s the best strategy for your next effective paid digital advertising and marketing campaign? By pairing display marketing with an effective search engine marketing strategy, you’ll be able to reach more prospects and customers—but to see real ROI, the trick is knowing how and when to use display marketing. Here’s our rundown...
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