Digital marketing insights.

Content may be king, but publishing content without structuring it is simply wasted effort. By strategically incorporating links, marketers can encourage click-throughs, improve page quality scores and keep visitors engaged.

We see blunders all the time in marketing, especially when people try to take shortcuts or listen to bad advice that ends up working against them. No matter what kind of decision you make, though, you can rest easy knowing that someone else has probably done worse.

Several times a week, I field calls from potential clients that are looking for a new website, a new content management system, or help with a new tool they've purchased that will help them to finally succeed online.

There is an expression activists use. It’s one I happen to love: Think Global, Buy Local.

When it comes the environment, some industries get all the attention. Automakers, energy companies, and chemical manufacturers come to mind. But, we’ve been thinking about starting a new trend in our own line of work. We think it’s time the world opted for environmentally-friendly website design for a change.

It is common to overlook the social sharing counts on your pages when you’re moving from one domain to another or migrating to HTTPS, particularly on blog posts. Those little numbers beside the icons may seem trivial, but social proof remains a key indicator of reputability and quality.

This is the second article in our three-part series about how to do a site-wide update without demolishing your search ranking. We’ve previously discussed how to excel when launching a comprehensive redesign; in this post, we’d like to tell you how to successfully migrate your site to HTTPS.

Like a lot of marketers, you keep an eye on your analytics and user flows. And, you’ve probably spotted some inefficiencies in your site. So you might be itching to start a redesign project or you might even be in the middle of an overhaul. Let's do it right.

Given the SEO fallout around web directories of the past, there is a lot of confusion (and perhaps fear) around the use and effectiveness of local business directories, and rightfully so. They were known – once upon a time – as “link directories,” and auto-submitting your URL to hundreds of them for about the price of a bowl of poutine was pretty common.

WordPress is an amazing platform. Since its launch twelve years ago, it has grown to power over 25% of the ten million most popular websites – an impressive achievement by any measure. (The next most popular content management system is Joomla, with just 2.8% market share.)

Not long ago, I posted a piece of unconventional advice: that you shouldn’t necessarily assume every small or local business needs search engine optimization. Despite what a lot of “experts” will tell you, there are some times when it just doesn’t make sense to devote your attention, energy, and resources to achieving a higher Google ranking.

Where do you find inspiration for your next website design? If you’re like many business owners and marketers we meet with, it might come from studying the competition.

It is generally a given that a larger number of mobile web users translates into increased social engagement. The notion is incredibly straightforward: when we all have access to Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus and other platforms on our phones and tablets, it’s much easier to comment, interact, and follow our favourite connections.

If you are like most marketers we meet, the idea of managing pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns on top of your marketing duties might seem a bit overwhelming. So you'll be forgiven if you choose to delegate the task to an PPC/SEO firm. And, you probably have plenty of other things to do, right? (Not to mention the fact you may not feel confident that you can get the same kind of results a professional would.)

To make the most of your marketing efforts for 2016, you'll want to focus your efforts on your very best prospects – the ones who are most likely to do business with you soon, and keep buying from you well into the future. Gain insights into what your prospects are looking for with this free tool from the people at KAYAK.