Google says New Algorithm Update is “One of the Biggest Leaps Forward in the History of Search”

  “With the latest advancements from our research team in the science of language understanding–made possible by machine learning–we’re making a significant improvement to how we understand queries, representing the biggest leap forward in the past five years, and one of the biggest leaps forward in the history of Search,” said Pandy Nayak, VP of

More Bad News for Organic Search + New Research on Paid Search, Social Media, and Mobile Ads

If you’re hoping organic search is the way to increase conversions on Google, we’ve got some sobering news for you:  organic search on Google is producing just 22% of site visits, according to the new 3Q 2019 Digital Marketing Report from Merkle. Here are a few of the others insights from the report. Paid Search

Facebook Being Investigated by 47 Attorneys General

47 Attorneys General are now investigating Facebook for possible antitrust violations. When the probe was first announced in September, 8 states were behind the effort.  45 states have now signed on along with AGs in the District of Columbia and Guam.  The AGs say it is a bi-partisan effort. “After continued bipartisan conversations with attorneys

Content Omnivores: Video Consumer Want It All

With the increased attention focused on OTT (Over-the-top) TV and streaming services, there are some interesting trends developing. 65% of US consumers say they stream content at least once a week. Two-thirds say they stream more video online than they watch of broadcast, cable, or satellite, according to Horowitz Research’s Focus OTT & SVOD 2019

Marketers #1 Goal in 2019? Get That Email Address

“Personalized experiences are about delivering contextually relevant experiences to your prospects and customers, based on what you know about them, where they are in the purchase journey, and what they are looking to achieve. It is becoming more evident that marketers who consistently deliver personalized cross-channel experiences are seeing moderate to substantial conversion improvements.” –

Changing Channels: Direct to Consumer Brands Are Moving Digital Dollars Back to Traditional Advertising

Many D2C brands are moving digital dollars back to traditional marketing channels. Rising costs of digital mediums Need to build brand awareness, trust, and credibility They are finding out that the direct response type campaigns that can work on search and social media channels will only take you so far.  “As you evolve,” Melanie Travis,

My Top 10+ Tools for Online Content Writing

Every once in a while someone ask me what tools I use to write on my website.  I’m using WordPress like just about everyone else.  WordPress powers 34% of all websites worldwide in 2019 and accounts for 60% of  Content Management Systems in use. One other thing I use is HubSpot to handle my workflow and keep track of

Using Facebook’s Like Button on Your Website May Violate EU Laws

This could change a lot of things.  If your website has Facebook’s like button on it for content or comments, you could be liable under the European Union’s privacy rules regardless of where you do business. The EU Court of Justice handed down the ruling this week in a case involving an online retailer.  A

Digital Divide Affects 100 Million U.S. Consumers: How Your State Stacks Up

Cell phones, apps, connected TVs, tablets, streaming media devices:  they all need broadband internet connections to be used to their full potential.  Yet, according to the a study by The NPD Group, nearly a third of Americans don’t have that kind of internet connection. NPD defines broadband as having at least a 25Mbps download speed

Online Gamers Face Consistent Harrassment

You’re right in the middle of an online battle when suddenly someone starts threatening you.  It goes way outside the bounds of any acceptable behavior.  The harasser might target your ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or religion.  They might spew hate speech or start rambling about extreme views. If you’ve done any multiplayer online gaming, no

Facing a $5 Billion Fine, Facebook Adds $10 Billion in Market Value

“Facebook’s infringements of the 2011 consent decree and its pattern of violating user trusts have been both vast and brazen.” – Letter to FTC from Sen. Ed Markey (D-Massachusetts), Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut), Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) The Senators are reacting to word that’s leaked out that Facebook will by hit with a record $5

IAB: TV Ads Are Still the Best for Generating Awareness

When the TVB (Television Bureau of Advertising) puts out a study that says TV ads are the best marketing solution for businesses, some critics say the results are skewed because it’s a TV-focused organization. If that happens in the future, you can now point to the survey done by the IAB (Interactive Advertising Bureau).  They

GDPR vs CCPA: How Privacy Regulations Affect Businesses

New privacy laws on the world stage are impacting businesses that have any online presence and capture personally-identifiable data. GDPR The EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has already had a significant effect on companies doing business in the EU or doing business with EU residents.  It’s affected most U.S. based companies that have any

“Belief-Driven Buyers” Are Playing a Bigger Role in Brand Trust

Why do customers trust brands? The top reasons are all about product or service quality, according to the latest edition of the Edelman Trust Barometer. It delivers good quality products or services The brand gets good ratings and reviews It charges a fair price It has always treated me and others well Farther down the

Does your B2B website attract buyers? Apparently not

How effective is your website for building awareness and consideration?  Most people would say it’s pretty good.  In fact, the majority of B2B marketers say it is their most effective tool for the early stages of the buying funnel.  In a report by Forrester, most B2B marketers said their business websites were more effective than

Internet Trends 2019: Mary Meekers’ Annual Report Shows Big Changes

Mary Meeker is a venture capitalist and former Wall Street security analyst. She’s ranked by Forbes as one of the top 100 most powerful women in the world.   When she unveils her annual presentation on Internet trends, it makes news. This year’s report is no different.  You read the full report here:  Internet_Trends_2019.  It’s 333 pages

Should Content Creators Share in the Wealth from Search Engines?

Here’s an idea:  tech companies pay you for the data you provide. State lawmakers in California, led by Gov. Gavin Newsom have proposed assessing a financial value on the personal data companies collect about their users.  The LA Times reports that there is a research team looking at the issue to create a so-called “data

The Justice Department Investigation into Google: What We Know

Facebook’s gotten a lot of attention lately by legislators and regulators, but now the attention is shifting towards Google. The Justice Department is focusing on advertising and search, but the exact focus is unclear according to the Washington Post.  CNBC reports that investigation is about whether the tech company violated laws to ensure fair competition

Photos of men appear twice as often as women in news stories

A new study by the folks at the Pew Research Center turned up an interesting finding: Men appears twice as often as women when it comes to being featured in news photos on Facebook. The research group analyzed posting from 17 national new outlets with at least 20 million unique visitors during Q3 of 2018.

Despite What You Hear, TV is still the Dominant Medium

Despite all the talk about cord cutting, streaming, social media, and digital marketing, it’s easy to forget that TV remains the dominant medium. Here are four facts that demonstrate the continued power of television as the dominant medium. People spend more time with TV than computers, smartphone, and tablets combined… by a factor of 5x.

Restaurants Are Spending Significantly More on Digital Ads

A new study shows that independent restaurants are dramatically increasing their spending on digital advertising.  Within the last year, 68 percent of those surveyed report they are spending more on digital ads than ever before to attract customers. The restaurant business has never been easy.  17 percent of new restaurants don’t last a full year. 

Study: Half the Business Listing Online Contain Inaccurate Information

It seems so simple.  How hard is it to get your name, address, phone number, and website URL right online? Apparently, it’s not so easy.  A new study by Uberall and reported in Search Engine Journal analyzed 73,000 online business location listings in the Boston metro area.  They found nearly half are inaccurate or missing

Basics in Sales & Marketing: Would You Hire a Milkshake?

The basic tenet of successful selling is to uncover a customer need and then find a way to fill that need.  Salespeople sometimes forget to find the need and rush straight to selling products or services.  Then, they wonder why people don’t buy what they’re selling. Clayton Christensen is a Harvard professor and author of

When It Comes to Digital, Consumers Say One Thing and Often Do Another

Consumers overwhelming say privacy concerns are starting to have them rethinking rethink how they interact online.  At the same time, however, their actions are telling a slightly less convincing story.  People say one thing to researchers, but their actions demonstrate something else. A third of those surveyed think digital is having a “negative effect on