SEO

Discover 5 tools to help you leverage your online video marketing. From video hosting to rich-content social media posts, we'll take you through some of the most innovative services for displaying and sharing your videos online.

We have recently been doing one of many link clean-ups that come along with new clients, where we analyse the client’s backlink profile and follow that up with link removal requests that we have agreed upon with the client; so basically finding all the problem links and attempting to get them removed. We try to [...]

As you know, Google celebrated the ten year anniversary of Google AdSense yesterday and to celebrate, Google made a cute pong game for those publishers who can login to their Google AdSense console...

One thing about the SEO industry is that for the most part, we are a tight community and we do care about each other. When I hear sad news about a fellow SEO...

Make Your Website Look Official With Its Own Custom Favicon is a post by SEO expert Shay Wright. For information about our SEO services or more great SEO tips and tricks, visit the SEO.com blog.A favicon is the little custom icon that appears in the browser tab just to the left of the page’s title. It is most often just the logo for a website shrunk down to 16 X 16 pixels. Below is an example of a site that has a favicon and one that does not. When someone bookmarks your site, your favicon will appear with the page title in their list of bookmarks. This is an effective way to stand out and give your website a nice, professional image. If your website doesn’t have a favicon yet, this simple guide will help you create one and explain how to display it when visitors come to your site. Even if you’re not real tech savvy, creating your own custom favicon is actually much easier than you might think. Step 1: Create Your Image If you already have a logo or an image that represents your site, simply open that file with an image editor like Adobe Photoshop or Fireworks. If you don’t already have such an editor on your computer, there are other options available, like pixlr.com, a great online alternative that is free to use. If there is a lot of extra white space around your logo, be sure to crop it out. If your logo is a little more complex and does not display well as a 16 X 16 image, you may need to simplify it, or even use a different image altogether. However, if you go that route for your favicon, you should still try to incorporate the same primary colors of your website into the new image. While it is acceptable to use a different image, it is recommended that you use your logo if at all possible to help with the company’s branding efforts. Once you reduce the image size to 16 X 16 pixels, save your file as a .jpg, .png, .gif, .bmp, or .tif. Step 2: Convert Your Image You now need to convert your image to a .ico file. There are several online tools that you can use to accomplish this. A good, free icon generator is available at prodraw.net. Simply upload your image, select the icon size, and voila. You can download your brand new .ico file. Step 3: Upload Your Image Now that you have your favicon.ico file, you can upload it to the root directory of your site. Do not place it in any folders. The image should be visible when you go to www.yourdomain/favicon.ico after uploading it (of course replacing “yourdomain” with your actual domain name). Do not place the favicon in an image folder such as: www.yourdomain/images/favicon.ico. Step 4: Add Basic Code Most modern browsers can detect that your favicon is present in your root directory and display it in the browser tab. While you don’t need to add any code to your pages, you will still want to add include simple code in the section of your HTML to ensure that all browsers display your favicon properly. Below is the code you’ll need to add. Keep in mind that there will be other elements in the section of your webpage, such as the title tag and meta description, as well as references to any CSS files you have. The above code can be added anywhere between the beginning and ending . Note: The “vnd.microsoft.icon” MIME type has replaced the older “image/x-icon” type as the official, standardized favicon MIME type for .ico files on the web.   Favicons For Apple Devices You can also create favicons for Apple iOS devices. You’ll simply need to create 4 different sizes of your icon, and save them as .png files. The default size is 57 X 57 pixels. Apple also recommends that you use 90 degree corners instead of rounded corners when creating these images. After these image files have been created, you’ll just need to add this code within the tag of your HTML. If a static favicon isn’t quite cool enough for you, here is a great guide on creating animated favicons http://www.wikihow.com/Make-an-Animated-Favicons. There are several other great online tools as we

Summary: If you know little or nothing about video production, where do you start and how difficult is it likely to be? Let's take a quick look at seven useful video sites that can really help – and even have you making animated videos in hours.

In today’s fast moving search and social web, content flows in every direction throughout a variety of platforms, formats and devices. With a global population of over 7 billion, there are over 2.3 billion internet users. More importantly, there are 6.7 billion mobile subscribers – 91% market penetration (source). Ubiquitous internet access is enabling consumers and brands alike to create, consume, publish, interact and transact – anytime, anywhere. At the same time, brands are answering the call to create more value for customers through content marketing: 86% of BtoC and 91% of BtoB organizations are now using content marketing tactics. As companies adopt a publisher model of content and media creation, many are beginning to rival the reach and influence of the publications in their industry. Amex OPEN Forum and General Mills’ Tablespoon are great examples of this.  What do these changes mean for Public Relations and Communications professionals? How is PR competitively positioned compared to marketing and advertising in a content centric web? Read on for answers to these questions and more. The expertise in messaging, content creation and media relations that many Public Relations professionals bring to the table can offer a competitive advantage in 3 key areas: Storytelling There’s an old expression that has held true for me over the past 15 years: “Facts tell, stories sell”. Content Marketing is the ability to tell brand stories that consumers and the media will care about. Who better to find and tell those stories than PR and Commiunications pros? Editorial Based Marketing Before “content marketing” became the catchphrase, I used to call what our Marketing/PR agency did “editorial based marketing”. PR professionals understand how news organizations work. Businesses are investing in content from planning to production to editorial. Corporate Journalists are on the rise and PR professionals are perfectly capable of fulfilling those functions or supporting them to create compelling brand content. Content designed to engage also inspires action – whether it’s a social share, a purchase, a referral or an inquiry to do a story. Influencer Marketing Working with industry and media influencers has been the stock and trade of media relations professionals for years. Numerous tools from Traackr to Klout to Kred can support the need to identify influencers based on their ability to affect action – not just high follower counts. PR professionals are well positioned to identify and engage influencers for a variety of content marketing based outcomes ranging from guest blog posts to co-creation of content with industry thought leaders. Now more than ever, creating content that influences growth in market awareness and new business requires an integrated approach. While this has been a challenge for many PR professionals as marketing and PR functions converge, the good news is that through a model of Attract, Engage and Convert, organizations can better plan, implement and optimize the performance of their content based PR programs. At the upcoming PRSA Digital Impact conference in New York (Friday June 28 at 3:15pm), I’ll be discussing details of this approach along with tactics and examples. The 3 key areas I’ll be covering include: Future trends in online marketing and PR 3 big mistakes to avoid with social content marketing A model for social content success everyone can understand I look forward to seeing you there. Photo: Shutterstock Gain a competitive advantage by subscribing to theTopRank® Online Marketing Newsletter. © Online Marketing Blog, 2013. | How Public Relations & Communications Can Win the Content Marketing Race | http://www.toprankblog.com

Posted by Elizabeth_CrouchThe benefits of attending MozCon 2013 are invaluable: You'll go home with insightful tips from top marketers, actionable advice from data experts, connections to awesome people in your industry, new friends from the Moz Community, freshly honed inbound marketing skills—and your very own Roger toy. One of the biggest bonuses? It's a fantastic excuse to visit Seattle during the most beautiful time of year.I polled the whole MozPlex to curate a list of our favorite places to dine, swill coffee, imbibe boozy beverages, play games, bust a move, hit the water, and take in the view. There are over 130 Mozzers now, so the list is long. From locally grown, organic eats and family fun on Lake Union to bocce ball and craft beer, Seattle's got a little something for everyone.The Hipster • The Sophisticated Palate • The Sandwich Lover • The Coffee FiendThe Beer Snob • The Cocktail Connoisseur • The AdventurerThe HipsterCommunity Coordinator Megan drinks out of an ironic cup.Recognizable by their tight jeans and plaid coloring, these gentle creatures can generally be found grazing the hill east of downtown. They might be slow to accept you into the herd, but once you're in, they'll share their abundant resources with you.People's Choice: The Mozzers' top spot (and terminus to many a Wednesday beer night) is the Unicorn and its basement bar, the Narwhal (1118 East Pike Street). A kaleidoscope of circus décor, deep fried eats, and loud music, these bars are where Capitol Hill layabouts and techies alike unite in pursuit of good times and reasonably priced beverages. The Seattle Institution: Grab a cold beer, tuck into a plate of nachos, and soak up some sun on the back patio at Linda's Tavern (707 East Pine Street). The original Seattle hipster bar, this place is best approached with a pack of pals to keep you company and help you drink beer or mimosas by the pitcher.Break out the Chopsticks: Sleek, modern, and serene, Momiji (1522 12th Avenue) is where most Mozzers prefer to sup on sushi. You can't beat happy hour in the front bar—cheap Sapporo, sake, and decadently crunchy deep-fried Seattle rolls—but the back dining room is truly beautiful. If fish doesn't strike your fancy, roll down the hill a little bit to In The Bowl (1554 East Olive Way) for the tastiest vegetarian Thai on the Hill. The dining room: small. The menu: epic. The bathroom: magical (just trust me here). Their four-star spiciness level will scald even the most fireproof of tongues, and their noodles will transport you to a different plane of happiness.Al Fresco: With hipster cred and a patio to rival Linda's, Captain Black's (129 Belmont Avenue East) is another crowd favorite here at Moz. After you're done stuffing yourself with fried Beecher's cheese curds, hush puppies, and tater tots, you can drink a little whiskey, then roll back down Capitol Hill to your hotel.Sate the Sweet Tooth: While die-hard Seattle hipsters may head to a lesser-known creamery on Capitol Hill (that also happens to be the best dessert spot for beer lovers, so read on), Moz recommends you join the line at Molly Moon's (917 East Pine Street) for scoops of Fair Trade chocolate, salted caramel, or balsamic strawberry ice cream. Snag a waffle cone and chill on the astroturf at Volunteer Park (1247 15th Avenue East), the coolest place to be on a hot, sunny day.Take in the View: Sure, you could wait in line at the Space Needle or climb to the top of Mount Rainier. But the Smith Tower (506 2nd Avenue) in Pioneer Square has been providing Seattleites with breathtaking views since before skyscrapers were even cool.Fun and Games: Roll a few blocks north of Moz on Second Avenue to hit three of our favorite post-work stops: Rabbit Hole (2222 2nd Avenue) for skee-ball, highbrow cocktails, and outrageously good pub grub; Shorty's (2222 2nd Avenue) for cheap PBR, video games, and pinball; and Lava Lounge (2226 2nd Avenue) for whiskey, booths big enough for a whole crew, and many rounds of

In previous articles, we’ve looked at the one-sided deal that has emerged when it comes to search engines and publishers. Whilst there is no question that search engines provide value to end users, it’s clear that the search engines are taking the lionshare of the value when it comes to web publishing. That isn’t sustainable. The more value stripped from publishing, the less money will be spent on publishing in future. In this respect, the search engines current business model undermines their own long-term value to end users. In this ecosystem, the incentive is to publish content that is cheap to produce. Content might also be loss-leader content that serves as a funnel leading to a transaction. Some of the content might be advertorial, the result of direct sponsorship, and may well include paid links. Curiously, it has been suggested by a Google rep that "....you blur the lines between advertising and content. That’s really what we’ve been advocating our advertisers to do". Some of it might be "the right kind of native", courtesy of Google Doubleclick. Some of the higher value content tends to be a by-product of the education sector, however the education sector may be the next in line to suffer a commodification of value. There is little return to be had in producing high value content and making it publicly available for free, with no strings attached, so naturally such content is disappearing behind paywalls and taking other forms. YouTube Some YouTube producers are rebelling. In a recent post, Jason Calacanis outlines the problem for video content producers. He maintains that Google’s cut of the rewards amounts to 45%, and that this cut simply isn’t sustainable for video producers as their margins aren’t that high. Successful media businesses today have margins in the 20% to 50% range--if they hit profitability. That means if you give a partner 45% off the top, you have no chance of breaking even (emphasis mine). In fact, this absurd revenue is so bad that people have made amazingly clever strategies to skirt them, like VICE producing the Snoop Lion documentary and Grace Helbig becoming the face of Lowe’s Hardware. A full 100% of that money goes to the content creator -- boxing out YouTube. More on this later. Sure, it can *feel* like you’re making money, but when you look across the landscape of YouTube businesses -- and I won’t call anyone out here -- it’s very, very clear they are losing millions and millions of dollars a year. YouTube doesn’t have to worry because they simply lop off 45% of the revenue from the top for providing video hosting. Hosting for them is, essentially, free since they have a huge -- and growing -- network of fiber (see ‘Google's Fiber Takeover Plan Expands: Will Kill Cable & Carriers’). Since YouTube doesn’t have to create any content, just aggregate it, they don’t need to worry about the individual profitability of any one brand......With YouTube, as with their AdSense product, Google is trying to insert itself between publishers and advertisers and extract a massive tax. In the case of YouTube, it’s a 45% tax In a subsequent post, Calacanis laments that whilst a lot of publishers got back to him in support of his views, he received no contact from YouTube, even though he is supposedly a high value “partner”. And what do YouTube do for this 45% cut? Hosting? They’ve pretty much outsourced support and liability to the MCNs for no money down. I imagine running a video network is pretty expensive, although I wonder about the true costs for Google. Calacanis obviously doesn’t think they’re great enough to justify the cut. PPC Not Immune Paid search also extracts a high tax. Let’s run the numbers. A site has an average order price of $100. The site converts at 1% i.e. a site makes a sale to one in every hundred visitors. Sales are $1 per visitor. If the total cost of providing the order is $50, then the profit is 50 cents per visitor. The site can pay the search engine up to