Central Perk

luni, 31 decembrie 2012

A Web Marketing Consultant's New Year's Resolutions

Posted: 30 Dec 2012 06:49 PM PST

Ah, the "year-end," "best-of," and "what-to-look-forward-to" posts. Love it or hate it, it's a great time to both reflect on 2012 and glimpse into the New Year for what possible stories will dominate our industry. I'm never one to dwell in the past, so I'd like to focus on 2013.

Instead of a simple 2013 predictions list, I'd like to frame this discussion as a New Year's resolution list. What are the things that we should focus on improving? Some of this is based on where things are trending, while others are based on areas where I personally feel like a lot of us could make improvements.

Mostly, I'd just like to spark some discussion about what may be important in 2013.

We will continue to think of the big picture

Most of the time I blog or speak at conferences, I talk about SEO's bordering disciplines - analytics, content strategy, marketing campaigns, PPC, conversion rate optimization, etc. I've done this intentionally because it forces me to dwell on a specific subset of the whole web marketer.

With these new tools in our web marketer's tool kit, we're (hopefully) able to think bigger and ask better questions.

Do I really want to be building links to these pages at this time when I know they'll never convert? Perhaps a portion of my budget should be spent on CRO.
Should this "link bait" campaign be supplemented with some social paid advertising? What might that look like in terms of expected cost and ROI?
How does this content strategy I've developed fit with my clients' company-wide goals and prioritizations? Perhaps I could fast-track my strategy's implementation by more closely aligning it with a broader marketing campaign that's already in process?

One of my goals in the early months of 2013 is to develop a full marketing plan for one of my clients. A marketing plan in which nothing is off the table - video, mobile, display advertising, and even more traditional offline advertising. How are you planning to keep the big picture in mind?

We will learn more about Mobile/Video/Schema/Local/SOMETHING

There are a million things in web marketing that can be learnt. Time isn't unlimited though, so sometimes you have to pick your battles. Most of my career, the things I've learned about have been dictated by my (sometimes potential) clients' needs. For choosing a battle, you can make a case for leveling up in mobile, video, schema, local, and a lot more.

My personal choice is mobile. To this point, I've not yet been solely responsible for work on a mobile SEO audit, mobile strategy, or otherwise. Based on the undeniable shift in importance of mobile, I want to preempt clients' needs. There are two aspects of mobile that I'm most interested in:

Mobile Search

iphone mobile search

Maybe 2013 is the "Year of Mobile Search." These sorts of things don't happen in a single year, though. More than likely 2012-2015 will be the years of mobile search, much like 2009-2012 were the years of social.

Now would be a great time to dive in, develop an understanding, and maybe get some ROI benchmarks for the future - especially when it comes to paid mobile advertising (as CPMs will likely never be lower).

Mobile App Analytics

mobile app tracking

Google Analytics has clearly been hard at work on improving their mobile app tracking. With apps becoming an increasingly common piece of any brand's content strategy, the need for engagement measurement will only grow.

What do you think about this one? Which aspect of web marketing should we be focusing if we want to stay ahead of the curve?

We will read MORE/LESS industry blogs and publications

rss banner

Three years ago or so, I began to cull my SEO-related Google Reader. Just give me the essentials! This eventually culminated in the complete abandonment of RSS about a year later. The thought was that anything super important would surely come across my eyes and ears via Twitter, email, or real life discussions.

This was largely a success; I've spent much more time doing, and less time consuming others' work. Still, I think the pendulum has swung a bit too far to the other side.

This one's a really personal one, so I won't dwell on it, but I think the overall idea applies to everyone: I want to read just enough to keep me informed, but not too much that distracts me from what's important; the work.

We will accept (not provided) and adapt as necessary

not provided increasing
What's that orange line? A successful link building project? Sadly, it's not (provided).

(not provided) really does suck. Whatever methodology we've chosen for overcoming the increasingly frustrating loss of our keyword data, it will never quite be as nice as it was before October 2011. 100% keywords are a luxury we no longer have, and by the end of 2013 we might be lucky to be working with 20%.

Adaptation is our only option. I've chosen to spend more time in my landing page reports. Some may choose to work on extrapolating known data. It's up to you. The worst choice is to do nothing at all.

We will continue to closely watch G+ and its effect on search

google plus banner
Oh Hai. To ignore me is futile! :)

Love or hate G+, the search engine that commands ~75% of the search market share has thrown a colossal amount of weight behind their social network. That's reason enough to listen.

What are your New Year's Resolutions?

Everyone is at different stages of their web marketing careers, so I don't want to pretend that all of my resolutions apply to everyone.

What are you expecting from 2013? What areas are you looking to improve the most?

Happy New Year!!

Lastly, on behalf of all of the Moz bloggers I want to wish you all the best in 2013!

Sign up for The Moz Top 10, a semimonthly mailer updating you on the top ten hottest pieces of SEO news, tips, and rad links uncovered by the Moz team. Think of it as your exclusive digest of stuff you don't have time to hunt down but want to read!

A Nighttime Peek Into the Oval Office

Your Daily Snapshot for
Monday, December 31, 2012

A Nighttime Peek Into the Oval Office

President Barack Obama talks on the phone in the Oval Office, Dec. 28, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

Seth's Blog : Writer's block and the drip

Writer's block and the drip

Why do we get stuck?

Writer's block was 'invented' in the 1940s. Before that, not only wasn't there a word for it, it hardly existed. The reason: writing wasn't a high stakes venture. Writing was a hobby, it was something you did in your spare time, without expecting a big advance or a spot on the bestseller list.

Now, of course, we're all writers. We put our ideas into words and share them with tens or thousands of people, for all time, online. Our words spread.

With the stakes higher than ever, so is our fear.

Consider the alternative to writer's block: the drip. A post, day after day, week after week, 400 times a year, 4000 times a decade. When you commit to writing regularly, the stakes for each thing you write go down. I spent an hour rereading Gary Larson's magical collection, and the amazing truth is that not every cartoon he did was brilliant. But enough of them were that he left his mark.

You can find my most popular posts of the year right here. My new collection, Whatcha Gonna Do With That Duck is now available at finer bookstores online and off. I could never, ever have signed up to write this book, never sat down to create it. But since I had six years to write it, it created itself.

You don't launch a popular blog, you build one.

The writing isn't the hard part, it's the commitment. Drip!

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duminică, 30 decembrie 2012

Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis

Poison Pill and Gold Debate
Ho Hum - Fiscal Cliff Deal Stalls - Republicans Offer More and More Concessions; Poison Pill Nonsense
Online Education and College Degrees at Far Lower Prices is the Future; Virtual Classrooms to Reach 1 Billion People

Poison Pill and Gold Debate

Posted: 30 Dec 2012 08:15 PM PST

In Ho Hum - Fiscal Cliff Deal Stalls - Republicans Offer More and More Concessions; Poison Pill Nonsense I stated ...

"The real poison pill is allowing Social Security and Medicare costs to escalate unabated. Does anyone in either party want to admit the truth? ... the best hope still remains that all compromises fail."

The above thought prompted Uncle Frank to respond in a comment "Mish relishes chaos and financial ruin for this country so his gold holdings shoot-up in value. Everyone has an ulterior motive you know."

Ulterior Motives?

Since I get accused of this sort of thing quite frequently, please let me point out a few things:

Gold has been sinking, as it should, if Congress is fiscally prudent.
Government Should be Prudent
Government Won't Be Prudent

Should Congress be fiscally prudent (and the fiscal cliff is not close to being fiscally prudent), I would change my stance on gold in one second flat.

Nonetheless, should Congress fail to address the Fiscal Cliff, I would expect the exact opposite of what Uncle Frank suggests.

In short, regardless of my personal beliefs regarding gold (that one would be prudent to buy and hold gold), I actually advocate government and Fed policies that are contrary to my recommendations.

My reasons are easily explained:

Neither the Fed nor the government gives a damn about what is fiscally prudent.
Both the Fed and Congress are highly likely to debase currency, causing gold to rise, even if I think that is bad economic and fiscal policy, which of course I do.

Thus the accusations of Uncle Frank, and countless others before him are 100% baseless. Should Congress actually do what I expect, I think it would not be good for gold.

I recommend governmental actions on the basis of policy merit alone, not based on my stock market positioning. I find it very sad that few others do the same.

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com

"Wine Country" Economic Conference Hosted By Mish
Click on Image to Learn More

Ho Hum - Fiscal Cliff Deal Stalls - Republicans Offer More and More Concessions; Poison Pill Nonsense

Posted: 30 Dec 2012 05:03 PM PST

Republicans have offered more concessions including an agreement to hike taxes on those making as little as $400,000 (up from the $250,000 sought by Obama). They also backed down on a proposal to slow the growth of Social Security benefits.

They may as well throw out the white flag at this point. While I do not know if they reach a compromise today, it appears Senate Republicans are willing to do more than they should.

The fact remains this is a pathetic effort by both parties to rein in unsustainable budgets.

Please consider Fiscal deal stalls as clock ticks to deadline

Efforts to prevent the economy from tumbling over a "fiscal cliff" stalled on Sunday as Democrats and Republicans remained at loggerheads over a deal that would prevent taxes for all Americans from rising on New Year's Day.

One hour before they had hoped to present a plan, Democratic and Republican Senate leaders said they were still unable to reach a compromise that would stop the automatic tax hikes and spending cuts that could push the U.S. economy back into recession.

"There are still serious differences between the two sides," said Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid.

Progress still appeared possible after the two sides narrowed their differences on tax increases and Republicans indicated they would withdraw a contentious proposal to slow the growth of Social Security retirement benefits.

The two sides were close to agreeing to raise taxes on households earning around $400,000 or $500,000 a year - higher than Obama's preferred threshold of $250,000 - several senators told reporters.

Republicans aim to pair any tax increase with government spending cuts to benefit programs that are projected to grow ever more expensive as the population ages in coming decades.

But their proposal to slow the growth of Social Security benefits by changing the way they are measured against inflation met fierce resistance from Democrats. Obama included the proposal, known as "chained CPI," in an earlier proposal, but many of his fellow Democrats remain opposed.

'POISON PILL'

"We consider it a poison pill - they know we can't accept it. It is a big step back from where we were on Friday," a Senate Democratic aide said.

Poison Pill Nonsense

The real poison pill is allowing Social Security and Medicare costs to escalate unabated. Does anyone in either party want to admit the truth?

Apparently not, but that is hardly news to anyone with an eighth-grade education in math.

As the bargaining continues, it will be up to the House to reject whatever nonsense the Senate comes up with, because if not in December, the Senate will come up with something in January at the current rate of Republican concessions.

Every compromise to date leaves the US worse off than if the fiscal cliff happens. Thus, the best hope still remains that all compromises fail.

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com

Online Education and College Degrees at Far Lower Prices is the Future; Virtual Classrooms to Reach 1 Billion People

Posted: 29 Dec 2012 11:36 PM PST

I received an interesting email from "James in Arizona" today. James offers this comment on online education.

Greetings from Arizona, Mish,

I ran across this website while exploring various online options for my daughter (in high school, but she's very computer savvy, so I'm looking for options to expand her interests/basis). It is EdX, an online education group started by Harvard and MIT, but other universities are joining.

Hopefully this online education program will finally put a torpedo in the expense of college.

Have a wonderful New Year, and thanks so much for the effort you put forth on your blog, and educating those like me.

James in Arizona

Virtual Classrooms to Reach 1 Billion People

The above video is a disappointing infomercial, but the courses available are genuine.

Here is a sample of free courses offered in the link above.

Foundations of Computer graphics
Circuits and electronics
Artificial intelligence
Software as a service
Quantum Mechanics and Quantum Computation
Introduction to Solid State Chemistry

The classes are free but unfortunately you do not get credit hours for them. Eventually you will.

The cost of education will come down for the simple reason it has to. The price of college education is not only ridiculous, but unsustainable.

The plunge in education costs will likely not happen soon enough to help James' daughter but it most certainly will help those with much younger kids.

If you do have kids in high school now, please encourage them to sign up for some of those classes to get a head start.

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com

Damn Cool Pics

A Cure For The Stressed Life Of A College Student [Infographic]

Posted: 30 Dec 2012 01:04 PM PST

Juggling the demands of higher education and life's other responsibilities can create challenges leading to additional stress for students. The American College Association recently reported that 81 percent of college students suffer from extreme exhaustion by the end of their first year. Help, however, might be in the palm of your hand. These sixteen apps will better organize your schoolwork, finances and social life, and assist in alleviating physical stress.

Click on Image to Enlarge.

Via: SNHU Online College

Seth's Blog : Sooner or later

Sooner or later

Tomorrow is the biggest day of the year for charitable giving in the US.

The reason is clear: if you make a donation Tuesday, you have to wait a whole year to get a deduction. Make it today and you get it right now.

Of course, charitable giving shouldn't be driven by the search for a tax deduction, but the knowledge that now is your last chance short-circuits the sooner or later decision.

So, today, before it's too late, why not help build a platform for those that need it, a platform that generates a hundred or a thousand times more pareto-optimal joy. Not because there's a heart-tugging pitch or an external urgency, but because sooner is better than later.

Room to Read, The Acumen Fund, Juvenile Diabetes, DoSomething, Afaya

Sooner rather than later. We'll get there if we all head there.

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sâmbătă, 29 decembrie 2012

Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis

Obama Issues Executive Order Granting Pay Raises to Congress, the Vice President, Judges; Any Raise is Too Much; Congress Approval Rating is 18%

Posted: 29 Dec 2012 02:10 PM PST

Congress has done such a beautiful job handling the fiscal cliff and debt ceiling that president Obama felt it mandatory to issue an Executive Order Giving Biden, Congress Pay Raises

President Barack Obama issued an executive order to end the pay freeze on federal employees, in effect giving some federal workers a raise. One federal worker now to receive a pay increase is Vice President Joe Biden.

According to disclosure forms, Biden made a cool $225,521 last year. After the pay increase, he'll now make $231,900 per year.

Members of Congress, from the House and Senate, also will receive a little bump, as their annual salary will go from $174,000 to 174,900. Leadership in Congress, including the speaker of the House, will likewise get an increase.

Here's the list of new wages, as attached to President Obama's executive order

"A new executive order has been issued providing for a new pay schedule beginning 'on the first day of the first applicable pay period beginning after March 27, 2013,'" reports FedSmith.com. "The pay raise will generally be about 1/2 of 1%."

Congress Approval Rating is 18%

The latest Gallup poll taken December 19, 2012, shows Congress Approval Remains at 18% During Fiscal Cliff Debate

Eighteen percent of Americans approve of the job Congress is doing, as leaders continue to work toward a solution to the looming fiscal cliff. That approval rating is unchanged from last month, but remains low from a historical perspective.

Republicans' approval of Congress fell slightly to 14% from 16% in November, while Democrats' approval increased slightly to 21% from 19%. The resulting seven-point partisan gap in approval of Congress is the largest measured since June 2011, with the exception of the 16-point gap prior to the election in October of this year.

Any Raise is Too Much

I happen to think any raise is too much.

Perhaps Obama thinks 18% approval is a stunningly good achievement following the brilliant Congressional handling of fiscal cliff issues, the smooth handling of healthcare, and the always steady handing of the budget deficit and debt ceiling.

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com

luni, 31 decembrie 2012

A Web Marketing Consultant's New Year's Resolutions

A Web Marketing Consultant's New Year's Resolutions

We will continue to think of the big picture

We will learn more about Mobile/Video/Schema/Local/SOMETHING

Mobile Search

Mobile App Analytics

We will read MORE/LESS industry blogs and publications

We will accept (not provided) and adapt as necessary

We will continue to closely watch G+ and its effect on search

What are your New Year's Resolutions?

Happy New Year!!

A Nighttime Peek Into the Oval Office

Seth's Blog : Writer's block and the drip

Writer's block and the drip

More Recent Articles

duminică, 30 decembrie 2012

Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis

Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis

Damn Cool Pics

Damn Cool Pics

Seth's Blog : Sooner or later

Sooner or later

More Recent Articles

sâmbătă, 29 decembrie 2012

Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis

Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis

Pagini

Persoane interesate

Arhivă blog

luni, 31 decembrie 2012

We will continue to think of the big picture

We will learn more about Mobile/Video/Schema/Local/SOMETHING

Mobile Search

Mobile App Analytics

We will read MORE/LESS industry blogs and publications

We will accept (not provided) and adapt as necessary

We will continue to closely watch G+ and its effect on search

What are your New Year's Resolutions?

Happy New Year!!

More Recent Articles

duminică, 30 decembrie 2012

More Recent Articles

sâmbătă, 29 decembrie 2012

Pagini

Persoane interesate

Arhivă blog

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