You’re sitting at your desk, talking to a colleague about a trip to Spain you’re planning. The next thing you know, you’re seeing ads for Spain pop up in Google search and on Facebook. It’s not magic. It’s the power of voice search. Marketers can use your interactions with voice assistants, such as Amazon’s Alexa, along with other factors—your search history, shopping activity, visited websites, etc.—to create a comprehensive profile that they can use for ad targeting. Not all voice assistants do this, and the process is actually more complex than it may seem, but it’s illustrative of the shift from text to voice in consumers’ search habits. Voice search is on the rise. (more…)
Archive for the ‘SEO’ Category
The Power and Potential of Local Search
Thursday, November 17th, 2022Think about how you use search engines (most likely Google) to find information about goods and services you are planning to purchase. Chances are, in most cases, your searches are local. Sure Amazon is a top consumer site when purchasing things, but since the pandemic and in a tight economy, there’s a growing interest in “buying local.” (more…)
What You Need to Know About Changes in SEO Strategy
Monday, March 22nd, 2021SEO has long been the holy grail for internet marketers—and content creators—of all kinds. Attracting eyeballs, and website visitors, was job number one. While that’s still the case to a large degree, SEO has become less of a numbers game and more of a driver for creating high-quality, relevant content. This is because of the ongoing algorithmic changes that Google and other search engines make to deliver a positive search experience for users. (more…)
Sometimes SEO, as We Typically Think of it, Just Doesn’t Matter!
Thursday, February 25th, 2021I’ve written about search engine optimization (SEO) in the past and have gathered input from a wide range of content and digital marketing experts about the topic. As someone who was writing advertising copy long before SEO was “a thing,” I have kind of a love/hate relationship with the concept. Or maybe I should say a love/grudging respect for the concept. (more…)
Write to Your Audience and SEO Will Follow
Tuesday, October 6th, 2020SEO and Me: A Love/Hate Relationship
Monday, March 16th, 2020by Linda Pophal
I have a love/hate relationship with search engine optimization (SEO). I understand SEO. I very often use the concepts in my own writing—and often use the concepts in writing for clients. Sometimes, though, and probably because I was a writer long before SEO was even “a thing,” I balk at what can seem at times to be a misguided focus—a singular focus—on SEO to the exception of everything else. (more…)
Using Google Search Console to Improve Your SEO
Monday, February 3rd, 2020Google Search Console (GSC) (formerly Google Webmaster Tools) is a free online resource of tools and reports that Google makes available to users to help them improve their websites and optimize them for search. If you have a website, you should be using GSC—or using an agency that can help you uncover valuable insights to help improve your website performance. (more…)