Kevin Cotch

What You Need to Know About Optimizing Content for Voice Search

Kevin Cotch
Search Engines, Search Marketing, SEO

Thanks to the emergence of technologies such as mobile personal assistants, Amazon Echo, Google Home, Cortana, and others, there’s no doubt that voice search is on the rise. These days, consumers can send text messages while driving or use a mobile personal assistant to complete simple actions. In fact, Gartner predicts that about 30% of searches will be conducted without a screen by 2020. In addition, another study from ComScore, states that voice searches will account for nearly 50% of searches, too.

That means we marketers need to start thinking how we can get our content in front of our audience via voice search channels. While optimizing content for voice search can seem daunting, there are a few easy tips that can help you start gaining more visibility for those types of queries.

What You Need to Know About Optimizing Content for Voice Search

Create Ranking Content by Conquering Competitive Keywords

Kevin Cotch
Content Marketing, SEO

Learn how to Conquer Competitive Keywords

Content marketing and SEO have become more challenging over the last couple years. But why? SEO has become more data driven to help search marketers prioritize what keywords they should be targeting and how to setup a proper strategy. Additionally, the increase in digital competition and investment from companies has had a significant impact.

To conquer any keyword you want to rank for, there are multiple steps that you should take as a marketer to see the best return on your investment. SEO still works and is not “dead.” Instead, SEO takes patience and dedication to see the results that you are expecting. There are no silver bullets for search engine optimization. With that being said, let’s go through the steps to rank for competitive keywords.

Create Ranking Content by Conquering Competitive Keywords

3 Reasons You’re Not Getting the SEO Budget You Need to Be Successful

Kevin Cotch
SEO

SEO Budget

I have heard digital marketers say that Search Engine Optimization is “free” traffic. I want to help set the record straight by letting you know that SEO is not “free.” Budgets are still needed to write content and have a SEO consultant work on a website.

There have been multiple times in my career that I needed to create a compelling argument for more budget for an SEO campaign. These types of recommendations are often challenged, yet thousands of dollars for PPC can be spent without blinking an eye. Some marketers would say it’s easier to see the ROI on ad spend compared to the SEO campaigns and initiatives that we are also running.

3 Reasons You’re Not Getting the SEO Budget You Need to Be Successful

Is Keyword Cannibalization Hurting your SEO Performance?

Kevin Cotch
SEO

Is Keyword Cannibalization Hurting your SEO Performance?

Keyword cannibalization is a common issue that applies to all types of websites. To make matters worse, some marketers are not aware that their website might be facing this issue. Instead, marketers often look at a website on a page-by-page basis instead of the whole website when it comes to targeting keywords.

In fact, many websites face a this issue because of historic content or a lack of a clear search strategy. It is important to identify and address a major search engine optimization issue to maximize your search visibility and plan your future content creation.

Is Keyword Cannibalization Hurting your SEO Performance?

Still Struggling with Your SEO Strategy? Focus on These 4 Best Practices for Improved Results

Kevin Cotch
Search Engines, SEO

The pressure of understanding the ins and outs of developing and implementing an integrated digital marketing strategy has many marketers searching for a better way. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is just as integral to a successful marketing strategy as it was in previous years. That’s right, SEO is not dead but it has changed.

If you’re still struggling to develop a successful SEO strategy, you’re not alone. Search engine optimization experts are still faced with the constant struggle to provide the right results, but the all too often, expectations are focused on vanity metrics or outdated tactics.

Still Struggling with Your SEO Strategy? Focus on These 4 Best Practices for Improved Results

The QuickStart Guide to Using Google Search Console to Increase SEO Visibility

Kevin Cotch
Online Marketing, SEO

There are many powerful SEO tools in today’s marketing world. Most SEO tools can be highly beneficial, but often come with a cost associated with it. However, there are some tools that smart marketers can leverage to assist with the variety of tasks needed on a given day.

One tool that smart marketers can leverage for SEO is Google Search Console. This free tool provided by Google is a great way to gain insights about your site in one main platform. Google Search Console is often underutilized by search marketing teams. To help you get the most benefit from Google Search Console, we outlined the four main areas within the tool to help you reach your search marketing objectives. Before we get into the four main areas within Google Search Console, let’s discuss what the tool even is.

The QuickStart Guide to Using Google Search Console to Increase SEO Visibility

Does Your Website Pass the Mobile Test?

Kevin Cotch
Mobile Marketing, Online Marketing, SEO

It is hard to argue that the adoption of mobile devices hasn’t exploded with popularity. Most searches are being performed on mobile devices, with more searches expected to continue on mobile.

Mobile is not only important for organic performance but for conversions from all types of traffic including email and paid channels. It is important to understand your mobile traffic to focus on the channels that convert the most on those devices. For some websites, mobile devices might bring in the majority of your traffic but the conversions might not be as high as desktop searches, because of less focus on the mobile experience.

Does Your Website Pass the Mobile Test?

Mobile SEO in 2017: What You Need to Know to Prepare for the Upcoming Year

Kevin Cotch
Mobile Marketing

mobile-seo-tactics-2017

Today, most online searches happen on mobile devices, not desktop computers. The advancements in technology and the ability to always being connected has led the charge for users to consume more information via mobile devices. Since most searches now happen on mobile devices, Google is making the move to go all-in on mobile. Google claims that their algorithms will eventually primarily use a mobile version of a site’s content to rank pages over a desktop version.

Google Switches to Mobile First

Google recently announced that they are switching the way that they index websites. Historically, Google has indexed websites based off of desktop sites. Now, Google will be using a mobile first index that will probably alter the results for desktop searches. Google has always encouraged webmasters to focus on mobile users and this index switch solidifies the importance of mobile optimization.

Mobile SEO in 2017: What You Need to Know to Prepare for the Upcoming Year

Artificial Intelligence is Here: 5 Brands Implementing AI

Kevin Cotch
Online Marketing

Artificial Intelligence Marketing

To most people, artificial intelligence (AI) is represented in terms of robots with human-like similarities. Today’s reality is that of AI powering technologies and driving companies to complete tasks and make things easier. Companies are using AI more than ever, even for tasks that you may not consider.

To understand how AI impacts your business, it’s important to understand exactly what artificial intelligence is. According to Merriam Webster artificial intelligence is, “an area of computer science that deals with giving machines the ability to seem like they have human intelligence.” These machines allow technologies to seem like they have a human element while improving the efficiency and consistency of the company.

Below are five companies that leverage an artificial intelligence system to provide a better user experience for each user.

Artificial Intelligence is Here: 5 Brands Implementing AI

Mastering the Art of Blogging: 6 Recipes to Help You Become A More Successful Content Creator

Kevin Cotch
Blog Optimization, Blogging Strategy, Content Marketing

mastering-the-art-of-blogging

Last Saturday, Ashley Zeckman presented to a packed room of bloggers and shared a presentation titled: Mastering the Art of Blogging: 6 Recipes to Help You Become A More Successful Content Creator at the annual MN Blogger Conference.

The MN Blogger Conference offers a great opportunity for bloggers and content marketers to gather and learn insights on content strategy, search engine optimization, and social media. In her presentation, Ashley shared that unfortunately only 37% of companies have a documented content strategy (according to Content Marketing Institute and MarketingProfs) which presents an opportunity for content marketers to gain an advantage over competitors. Ashley was able to outline six recipes or strategies to gain your advantage. The six content marketing recipes include:

Discovery Donuts
Content Mission Canapés

Mastering the Art of Blogging: 6 Recipes to Help You Become A More Successful Content Creator

How to Become a Better Search Marketer with Effective Communication

Kevin Cotch
Online Marketing

Our job as search marketers is to provide the best results for our clients (both internally and externally). In order to provide the best results, we need to effectively communicate the value of everything we do. An effective communicator will be able to show the value of a search strategy/tactic to get the most out of a program for all parties included.

The search team needs to work together with the rest of the marketing team to educate them on potential risks or wins during any changes in strategy. Search engine optimization should be viewed as a part of the overall marketing strategy and cannot be a standalone solution. Instead, SEO can help all areas of marketing when done correctly. With that mindset, SEO needs to be a partnership between the search marketers and clients.

How to Become a Better Search Marketer with Effective Communication

Understanding the Impact of Artificial Intelligence on SEO

Kevin Cotch
Google, Search Engines

Artificial intelligence and machine learning sound like concepts from the future. In reality, it has been used by search engines for a decent amount of time now. Most people have probably heard of Google’s RankBrain by now, but if not, RankBrain is a machine learning artificial intelligence system. RankBrain came upon us quickly, and a Google representative claims that RankBrain is the third highest ranking factor it uses now.

Artificial intelligence will change, and has been, changing how search marketers should be optimizing websites. It should make us think differently on what to optimize on a website and what experience we are providing our users. In order to optimize our websites, we need to first understand how artificial intelligence is impacting SEO.

Understanding the Impact of Artificial Intelligence on SEO