Butch Stearns & I discuss on The Pulse on Marketing the redesign of YouTube and how this will effect businesses moving forward.
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YouTube Redesign: How this affects businesses
15 DecGoogle Behind The Numbers
28 NovSome pretty interesting facts here, being a Google fanatic I had to share!
From: BusinessMBA.org
and THIS is why you should be using social media!
8 NovQuite simply, social media offers serendipitous moments when you are able to connect with someone in a meaningful and relevant way, and what’s more wonderful is that you can even find great business contacts and potential clients.
If you are not participating you will never have these moments!
Can’t read this? Click the image!
Managing Digital Distractions
6 May
You are probably not like me. I am on Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, WordPress, and email, just to name a few, all day long. But in my case that’s my job! For most of you, however, trying to be on social media sites, email, and get all your work done is tough, right? For most people social media can truly be a serious time suck, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t control it! Below are some great ideas from Pam Sahota of OneForty on how to “stop wasting time, and have more time to breathe, work, and kick some butt in productivity.”
1. Set aside time limits: If you constantly check your Facebook page, Twitter Feed, personal email, and more — it might be time for you to put some “dietary restrictions” on your online habit. For example, check your social stuff on the way to work (if you use public transportation), or the first few minutes while you drink your coffee and settle in, during lunch time, and/or before/after work. If social media is part of your job, avoid checking your personal stuff constantly, and focus on the brand(s) you are working for.
2. Anti-Social: Is #1 too hard? No self-restraint? You keep bingeing on Facebook? Have no fear, “there’s an app for that!” Anti-Social is an app that allows you to shut off your social life online while you do some work. You will not be able to go on Facebook or Twitter (or whatever else you specify) for the time you have chosen to shut them down. One glitch in the matrix, it is only available for Mac users. So for all of you who reach for Facebook when you shouldn’t, this app may be just the ticket.
3. Turn your alerts off on your smartphone: Did you think you could sneak in a look on your Twitter feed on your phone and I wouldn’t notice? Tsk tsk! Instead of having your phone alert you every time you have a mention on Twitter or if someone posted on your Facebook wall, shut off these alerts while you’re at work. Too hard? Start easier. Put your phone on silent so you are less likely to notice when it buzzes or an alert comes through. It may be hard to go “cold turkey,” so start out light and figure out the right balance for your cravings.
4. Make Twitter lists & limit news feed: When you do go on Twitter or Facebook do you feel like you are spending so much time trying to catch up on all that has happened while you were away? Make Twitter lists so you can pay attention to what you want to hear about, and cut through the clutter faster. Seeing too many people on your Facebook news feed that you normally don’t pay attention to? Block them from showing up on your news feed, so you have the people and brands you actually care to hear from and see the latest and greatest is on their end.
5. Consolidate: Too many social media platforms to check? Do you subscribe to all the “new and shiny” ones that come out? Consolidate! Lucky for us, there are great tools like Hootsuite, Seesmic, and Tweetdeck that allow you to listen and comment in one place for your social media desires. Want to post your status? Do it all at once, from one place, update all your pages. Simple, easy, and efficient. Gotta love it.
6. Google Reader: Too many articles, blog posts, and news to keep up with? Use Google Reader to have it sitting and waiting for you in one place. Organize your RSS feeds so you can decide what you feel like keeping up with. Read it on the go, at home, or wherever. Why waste the time going to each website when it can come to you, all consolidated and easy to access.
Now that you know how to be more productive without sacrificing your social media and internet addictions – ready, set, work! And when having issues with your “diet” just remember to set goals. Are you on Facebook for fun or for business? Be respectful and mindful of your time. Do you feel better when you are productive and kick butt at work or waste your time checking your friends status updates? Be honest. Set Goals. And be more productive!
Google +1, will it take off? I’m not so sure.
31 Mar
Today, Google announced “+1”, their version of the Facebook “Like” button. To most of us, this really does appear to be a copy of the popular like button. However, Google’s biggest selling point for this feature may be the ability to filter search results into something more manageable. And search is where Google truly excels. Social endeavors have never proved to be fruitful for Google and that is important to note because bloggers will be quick to compare +1 to the Like button; a fair, albeit incomplete, comparison.
Google’s explains how +1 works on their blog:
“Today we’re taking that a step further, enabling you to share recommendations with the world right in Google’s search results. It’s called +1 – the digital shorthand for ‘this is pretty cool.’ To recommend something, all you have to do is click +1 on a webpage or ad you find useful. These +1’s will then start appearing in Google’s search results.
Say, for example, you’re planning a winter trip to Tahoe, Calif. When you do a search, you may now see a +1 from your slalom-skiing aunt next to the result for a lodge in the area. Or if you’re looking for a new pasta recipe, we’ll show you +1’s from your culinary genius college roommate. And even if none of your friends are baristas or caffeine addicts, we may still show you how many people across the web have +1’d your local coffee shop.”
I especially like how Google is trying to turn “+1” into a verb, the way the term “Google” (as in “I’ll just Google it”) has become synonymous with search. Will +1 take off? Maybe, but not right away. A few reasons behind my opinion:
- Google is asking users to engage with their search results by clicking the +1 button in the results , but why would anyone want to give a search result a thumbs-up before they’ve actually visited that site? For all I know, the link that appeared in my results goes to a website that doesn’t offer the information I need. And let’s say that it did provide the information that I need. Am I really going to go back to the results page just for the sake of clicking a +1 button?
- Google said it plans to work with websites to get +1 buttons on those sites the same way that Facebook’s Like buttons appear. Until that’s part of the equation, +1 is an incomplete tool. People will recommend sites that they’re visiting, not the ones they’ve found in search results but haven’t yet visited.
- Facebook users tend to be OK with “Liking” a site because they know it’s like telling their that they found that web site or news article or video helpful, enjoyable, informative, funny, whatever, without having to put the reason they liked it into context. Presumably, my friends know that I’m a restaurant snob so a “Like” from me, the person they know, means something. When other people around the internet who I don’t know put their “Like” or “+1″ stamp on something, it doesn’t do much for me. Sure, if 200,000 strangers like something, that gives it a bit more oomph. But what’s the real value here: the number of people who Like/+1 something or the names of the people who Like/+1 that site?
- This plan works counter to what Google has been rolling out with Google Instant. Using Google Chrome, the search engine works faster to take me to my destination page, sometimes re-routing the browser window to the page that it’s pretty sure I’m looking for, without showing the full listing of results. In those instances, where is the value of putting the equivalent of a Gold Star rating on something that users are going to see less of over time?
Google’s answer to the “Like” button is a good concept, but it would have been better served is rolled out as a button on individual web pages, instead of on the results pages. Given all of the other enhancements that Google has made to get web searchers out of the results page and into the sites they’re seeking out, it doesn’t seem that users will really get to know +1 right away – especially well enough to start using it as a verb.
Google Analytics: Taking Action
8 Mar
So now that you know how to navigate the dashboard and what the numbers mean for your traffic sources, what’s next? How do you act on this data? Well that is what separates you from your competitors. If you can read the data that Google Analytics gives you and in turn know how to take action on that information, you will succeed! In Part 3, we will explain what some of the steps are to help you do just that.
When looking at the data for your search engine traffic, it is important to analyze the keyword report. This report shows us what visitors are expecting to find in your website. One component of this report, which we explained in Part 1: Navigating the Dashboard, is the bounce rate. Having a high bounce rate means you are failing to meet that expectation. For example, if a visitor typed in “apples” and found your website, because you mention apples a few times, then they would click on your site. But when they get there, your site is actually all about oranges, the visitor would leave your site immediately. Well what does this data tell you? First off, it tells you that your site is ranking for the wrong keyword, and second, it tells you that your visitor did not find what they were expecting, and therefore did not stick around to read more.
It is a good idea to look at your keywords and separate which keywords you were found for organically and which keywords are paid for, as in a PPC campaign. If you look at the bounce rate for the keywords, you can immediately see what needs to be done. Paid keywords used in PPC campaigns with high bounce rates need to be changed. You can change your campaign to include keywords that have a lower bounce rate in order to be successful. You don’t want to spend money on paid keywords that are not converting into sales – that is a waste of money.
For organic keywords that have a high bounce rate, you need to see where that word appears throughout your site and why. Can you change it to something else? Using the keywords report can help you find which keywords are working for you and which are not.
The next thing you want to take a look at is your top landing pages report. Here you can see where visitors are entering your site. Not every person is going to go directly to your homepage. Sometimes you will have pages on your website ranking for keywords that your homepage is not ranking for, and that is normal. This report will help you to find which pages need work. Like keywords, pages with a high bounce rate need to be reworked so visitors stick around. Maybe that page doesn’t have exactly what they need, but you can still draw them in, and entice a visitor to look at another page or fill out a contact form.
Google Analytics can tell you much more too, but the tips in our series on Google Analytics will get you started. Now you can navigate your dashboard, understand your traffic sources, and take action on two of the major components of your website and search engine optimization strategy. And if you still need some assistance, let me know!
Google Analytics: Traffic Sources
4 MarIn the first part of this series, Navigating the Dashboard, we looked at the basic metrics that are highlighted on your dashboard when looking at Google Analytics. These numbers can give you a great overview of how you are performing. However, it is important to understand where these visitors are coming from. Having insight into the traffic sources that are driving visitors to your site helps you not only to gauge the effectiveness of your website and your marketing strategy, but it also allows you to take action and increase growth.
Let’s take a quick look at some of the metrics you find on your Traffic Sources report and what they mean.
Direct Traffic: This is the number of visitors who typed in your URL directly or clicked on a bookmark in their web browser. These tend to be people who know about your business, and probably have been to your website before.
Referring Sites: Other websites that are referring visitors to your website are in this category. Whether is a link, a blog post about you, or a banner ad, these websites are linking to you and referring traffic. Identifying who is referring traffic to your website is vital. This gives you the opportunity to establish a marketing relationship with some of your best referrers.
Search Engines: This category includes two major components of your search engine marketing strategy, organic search and PPC traffic. Visitors who found your website through organic search went to a search engine like Google or Bing and searched for something related. Traffic to your site through Organic Search is one of the best types of traffic you can receive. If a visitor is able to find your site by searching for a related term, the chances of that visitor converting into a lead, sale or other desired outcome is much higher than most other traffic sources. The second component of search engine traffic comes from PPC or pay-per-click advertising. PPC is another important component of search engine marketing. It allows you to place ads on the search engine by paying for certain keywords. When visitors go to a search engine and type in one of your targeted keywords, your ad has a chance to appear based on your bid (we will be covering PPC campaigns in the coming weeks)
Other: This category includes traffic from sources such as emails or special links that you set up and tag with campaign variables.
By understanding what these numbers mean, you can determine how your marketing efforts are affecting your outcomes. Are you getting most of your traffic from email newsletters? Are they coming from social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn? Or are your visitors finding you on search engines like Google or Bing? These numbers can help you take action to either improve a campaign, tweak an SEO strategy, ramp up social media efforts, and to plan your next move. Learn what changes to make in Part 3: Taking Action!
Google Analytics: Navigating the Dashboard
2 MarGoogle Analytics is a powerful tool that gives you insight into your website traffic and marketing effectiveness. It is free and can be accessed by anyone with a Google account. You can track how visitors are finding your site and Google Analytics displays the list of keywords that visitors used to land on your site. It also tracks the popularity of pages, what pages people are entering your site with, and what how long visitors stay on your site.
Google Analytics offers fully detailed results so you or your webmaster can easily determine what search engines and visitors are expecting from your site. Thus, you can tune your site to perform better, meet search engine standards and reach more customers effectively.
Sounds great, right? But so many of us don’t even know what all the data means in the first place! As a digital marketing specialist I look at these numbers everyday for our the companies we work with. It helps drive a lot of our strategies for clients and helps us make tweaks and edits so our clients continue to see results. So to help the average user decipher Google Analytics we have put together a three-part series on the basics of Google Analytics.
Part One: Navigating the Dashboard
The Dashboard gives you the overall usage numbers for your entire website. It allows you to choose a time period and see the trends over that duration. This is very useful to get a general snapshot of how a website is performing over a week, a month, three months etc. But what do all those numbers mean? It’s not as scary as it looks! Below is a basic description of each data point on your dashboard.
- Visits: this value is the number of times someone interacted with your website.
- Bounce Rate: One of the more confusing terms for people is actually quite simple. Bounce Rate is the percentage of visits in which the person left the site immediately. Either they hit the back button, closed their browser, or just went to a different website like their home page or a search engine. This tells you that the visitor got to your site and immediately didn’t think they would find what they were looking for there.
- Page Views: This value is the total number of pages that were visited by all the visitors during the specified time period
- Average Page View: This gives you an idea of how many pages were looked at during each individual visit. For most websites this tends to average between 3 and 5 pages. However, it is important to note that when looking at the analytics for a blog, people typically will only view one page.
- Average Time on Site: I believe this value to be pretty self-explanatory.
- Percentage of New Visits: Again, very self explanatory. This value is the percentage of visits in the specified time period that were from visitors coming to your site for the first time.
It is important to note that these statistics have more weight for different types of websites. For example, the bounce rate and the average time on site are not good measures for a blog because typically a visitor will come to the site, read the latest blog post and leave quickly. However, if this is your company’s website, you definitely want to know what all of this data is.
We hope you have found this overview of the data found on the dashboard of Google Analytics helpful. To learn more about Google Analytics check out Part Two: Traffic Sources.
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