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Each week, we scour the web to uncover valuable articles and blog posts for our readers on the topics of inbound marketing, local optimization, social media, and much more.
As we near the end of the week, October nears its end as well! This time around, the Internet marketing news is more exciting than ever as Google releases small business professional mapping tools, Nielsen TV ratings gathers Twitter-based information, and brands are shown o be responsible for 40% of the most popular Instagram videos. Inbound marketing continues to evolve right before our eyes!
While these newsworthy items are a few of the top highlights, let’s get right down to the nitty gritty articles we’ve selected to be the best of the best!
Here are the top 25 content pieces of the week:
Search Optimization
Admittedly, more than a few marketers panicked when they heard of Google’s latest update to the search engine. Would they have to concoct new SEO strategies? Fortunately, Chase Anderson provides the answers to the Google Hummingbird mystery in a post.
Many users want to believe that if we target multiple factors at the same time, we will get better results. In practice, the truth is this idea can lead to an unfocused page. Phil Frost of Main Street ROI argues why you can’t optimize your page for both advertising and SEO.
Over time, SEOs have come up with a boatload of strategies to rank higher in the search results. Even though these methods worked well, one tactic remains one of the most reliable. Read Zach Ball’s writeup on the history of link building.
The new year is almost two months away, and the predictions toward the future of SEO have already begun! We welcome Danny Denhard to invite respected SEOs to share their opinion of what is upon the SEO companies in 2014.
Social Optimization
What does your social media routine consist of? If you shouted a long list of suggestions, that’s wonderful, but it might be too complex a plan to guarantee long-term success. Mary Green lists 23 ways to simplify your routine.
Need help keep tabs on your Twitter hashtag analytics? We thought you would never ask! Srikanth AR types up a list of tools that will take your tracking skills to the next level!
A large chunk of social media exists in the written word. Now that you know it, you might as well optimize them to the best of your ability, correct? Courtney Ramirez spreads her knowledge about the power of impactful social media words.
Sometimes we wonder how much social media impacts our businesses. There are probably a lot of small businesses owners that think social is irrelevant. Well, the next time you overhear someone voicing similar sentiments, point them to Jonathan Berthold’s blog post of 30 awesome social media facts.
Local Optimization
Local businesses often stress to find new ways to promote themselves locally. It may seem like they have tried everything, but rest assured they have not come close. Local Stampede puts out a citation building strategy list complete for local SMBs.
As local search heads up on handheld devices, local businesses are stepping up their attribution game. This is all in an attempt to determine how visitors are making their way to the purchase point. Get ready for an informative article by Bill Dinan of Telmetrics.
It’s about time! The mobile market continues to skyrocket its hold on the rest of the search industry, and local search becomes more valuable of a revenue source. Trevor Sumner’s predicts the ROI of local marketing in 2014.
Email Marketing
Are you wondering how much to test your email marketing campaigns? How about when to send your emails? B.J. Mendelson deploys a very detailed infographic covering the tricks to email marketing.
When dealing with an individual email that is getting pushed to a list, there a few things to consider first. Think about what kind of audience you’ve cultivated and whether the content serves their best interest. Use Laura Raisanen’s 10 tips to help you learn whether you are sending the right kind of email.
Do your emails lack personality and engagement? If so, you’re not sending the right emails. Consider Seamas Egan’s article before you hastily click “Send.”
Mobile Optimization
Mobile keeps heading in a profitable direction, and all marketers know that. Want the data that demonstrates just how lucrative its users are? Zach Eberhart breaks down several data charts to present how this can apply to your strategy.
Alright, you are really into getting your business a mobile strategy, and that’s excellent. However, do you know where to begin? Sam Davies charts a course in five steps that will have you right at the front of mobile success.
There is more to responsive mobile design than meets the eye. Sure, everything has to fit, but oftentimes factors can significantly improve user experience. Jessica Collier advocates to look for 10 points when you design for mobile.
Content Marketing
Duplicate content is a huge red flag to the search engines. It is only fair that business owners have due diligence and verify original content within their archives. Anil Agrawal teaches how to fix duplicate pages on your WordPress blog.
When you craft content for several years, you undoubtedly gain enough wisdom to properly advise newcomers. Geraldine DeRuiter creates a list of 70 insights she learned from writing 1,000 blog posts. If you are getting your feet wet in content curation, you don’t want to miss this one!
The writing process is just that: a process. You need to know that whenever you begin writing, you are constantly editing the content to create better copy. Barry Feldman heads up Copywriting 101 with some tried and true principles in a blog post.
Just a little beginner advice will get your content marketing juices flowing! The Spinx Blog jots down its perspective on the value of content marketing and how you can use it to grow your business.
Conversion Optimization
When testing a page, you incorporate risk to your potential earnings, signups, and other benefits. Traffic might rise, but it could also fall. Therefore, it is important to assess all aspects involving conversion optimization and not only the site itself. Jeffrey Vocell delivers the full story.
Design is an enormous parameter when dissecting conversion rates. We see a lot of businesses that need assistance with their landing pages. Smriti Chawla writes an informative post that advises on your landing page design.
Reputation Management
For the first time in an UpCity weekly recap, we feature a Google+ post! Today we highlight Brian Patterson from Go Fish Digital‘s Pubcon notes, as they point out all the important parts of online reputation. Click through to get the entire list of learnings.
Let’s face the facts; reputation management sounds a lot easier than it looks. For many, it’s a very serious business concern. Zac Johnson interviews Michael Streko of KnowEm to get his viewpoint on handling your company’s online reputation.
These were some of the most interesting articles we caught in our streams this week. If you have any other great inbound marketing news to share, let us know below in the comments!