Don’t have the time to read all the marketing news, blog posts, announcements, and other content related to SEO/social media/online marketing published each week?
I’ve got you covered.
I sift through trillions (well, hundreds) of online publications to stay on top of marketing news that might affect your online business.
Let’s start with the news from Traffic Generation Café.
At TrafficGenerationCafe.com
It was a sad sad day when I realized Traffic Generation Café had turned 4 and I completely missed it.
It’s back to school time of year! Congrats, all you weary parents - life is finally getting back to normal!
Here’s my daughter Emma on her first day of being a 2nd grader:
Of course, back to school means back to work for me - no more excuses for slacking!
SEO
Wham! It’s over: Google Authorship no more - John Mueller of Google announced that Google will stop showing authorship results in Google Search, and will no longer be tracking data from content using rel=author markup.
Even though Google has ended its three-year experiment with Google Authorship, but the use of Author Rank to improve search results will continue - says Danny Sullivan in his SearchEngineLand.com post. Get the skinny here.
Can Google Plus Posts Create Duplicate Content Problems? Mark Traphagen explains.
Google Search
Google Blog search seems to now be incorporated directly into Google News as a search option. Here’s how to find it.
[share]By the way, you should share this post right now before you forget - much appreciated![/share]
Social Media
You should definitely join our new ‘Spinach in your teeth’ G+ community. This is the place where we’ll tell you the truth about your blog, content, social media presence, you name it - without holding anything back. In other words, we’ll tell you if you have spinach in your teeth when no one else will.
If you’re a brand or business looking to establish yourself or go even deeper on Google+ then you’re going to want to bookmark this - introducing the official Google+ Partner Playbook.
Facebook announced that links shared by inserting them in the caption of a photo won’t do as well, going forward.
Another Facebook Newsfeed Update: avoid click-baiting headlines. “Click-baiting” is when a publisher posts a link with a headline that encourages people to click to see more, without telling them much information about what they will see.
Even though Twitter Analytics has technically been available to everyone for some time now (you just needed to sign up as Twitter advertiser without ever having to actually advertise with them), it’s good to know that Twitter has officially given Twitter Analytics access to all users.
YouTube now offers an option to import your G+ videos on the YouTube Upload page.
On a Side Note…
If you find tremendous value in my Weekly Marketing Skinnies, like thousands of other readers of Traffic Generation Café do, you should consider joining them and sign up to receive the weekly notifications of when a fresh Skinny is published.
Plus, you’ll get complimentary access to my “Mommy, Where Does My Traffic Come From?” traffic hacks report and traffic hacks newsletter:
"Ana has a unique insight into running an internet business."
- Yaro Starak, Entrepreneurs-Journey.com
Needless to say, your information is completely safe with me.
See you in your inbox!
Marketing Tools
Google announced a major update to its iOS productivity suite, introducing a new “Slides” slideshow app, and updating existing “Docs” document editing and “Sheets” spreadsheet apps with new editing features.
There are hundreds of symbols available to help you add graphical elements like arrows, shapes, and non-Latin characters in Docs, Slides, and Drawings, but sometimes they’re not so easy to find. Well, you can now search by keyword, or even just draw what you’re looking for if you’re not sure what it’s called.
Marketing This & That
According to a new survey from privacy management tool MyLife, more people trust Google than the US government with their personal information. Does that sound about right?
Starbucks addicts, this one is for you: How to Get FREE DRINKS (and Other Stuff) from Starbucks.
Thank You
To all of you who mentioned Traffic Generation Café in any share or form in the past week, my whole-hearted THANK YOU.
Traffic Generation Café would NOT be what it is today without you.
Here are just some of the mentions I came across in the past couple of weeks:
Be Everywhere: The Dynamics Of Engaging Your Audience - Thomas Hanna at blogphoto.tv
Are You Someone’s Google? A Strategy To Grow Your Online Influence and Business - Don Purdum at unveiltheweb.com
Tips Tuesday – Plugin Settings, Optimize Images, Super About Pages, Rid Perfectionist Beliefs - MaAnna Stephenson at blogaid.net
7 Effective Strategies You Could Use To Get Quality Traffic To Your Blog Immediately - Andrew Warner at shadeofinfo.com
Are You Worried About Your Blog’s Alexa Rank - Harleena Singh at aha-now.com
How to Keep Visitors On Your Website | What the Pros Do - Jason Mathes at avgjoegeek.net
The Art Of Blogging Success: 3 Qualities Of Rock Star Bloggers - Thomas Hanna at blogphoto.tv
How to Game Starbucks for Free Drinks and Other Stuff - Kurt Frankenberg at shoestring101.com
7 Simple Ways To Win The Hearts Of Your Readers - Thomas Hanna at blogphoto.tv
Why did I switch from Commentluv to Disqus commenting system on all of my blogs? - Jane Sheeba at probloggingsuccess.com
Have I missed your mention? Let me know in the comments!
Want to see your name here? Mention Traffic Generation Café in your next blog post!
Subscribe to Stay Ahead
I share a lot of marketing news as well as the best posts I read throughout a week on my Google+ profile.
To read them as they come out and stay ahead of your competition, as well as become a social media star and share the best with YOUR followers (you’d be surprised how much it’ll do for your credibility and online presence!), join me there:
You can also subscribe to my G+ feed through your RSS reader of choice; just add the following link like with any normal blog RSS feed: http://tgcafe.it/gplus-feed
To an even better next week,
Hi Ana,
I have no idea how I forgot your article mention. Big mistake on my part!!!! I’m so sorry. I discovered it as I was working on my article today and I did include this link.
I love what you are doing and how you are so selfless. You’re an inspiration and I’m excited to be connected to you. The resources you provide are incredible!!!
Thank you.
~ Don Purdum
Not at all, Don - it’s so incredibly easy to miss a detail like that; glad you came by and thanks so much for the compliment - truly means a lot!
Ana, I read all the extensions into G+ commenting about Google’s Authorship and Author Rank - you supplied us. The final summarizing for me came in Mark Traphagen’s words: “we don’t think Google has at all abandoned its long term goal of determining authority. But authority comes from many nodes or entities, and authors are just one of those nodes.” This statement fits in well with David Amerland’s approach: many nodes, all data sources. No tricks work any longer. Thanks for a continuing, wonderful blog of quick, precise, SEO summaries. You reveal ‘what works today, and what ‘aint going to work…’ Thus you are an ideal source of SEO info for the modern, small business.
That’s a very kind compliment, Geoff, and so sorry I haven’t gotten to your comment sooner!
Hi Ana, another great round up. I am kind of disappointed in the death of Google Authorship, there was a lot of potential there. I do like the news that Facebook is clamping down on click bait headlines - those frustrate me!
Google certainly keeps us on the edge of our seats!
Ana,
Thanks for helping caffeine-based lifeforms from everywhere to see how I game Starbucks for free drinks… and I’m not to proud to ask you and your readers for tips I might’ve missed 😉
Emma is a darling. I don’t think I have her beat in the cute category but my granddaughter is at least a tie! Will send you pics of her in her first martial arts class, think you will dig it.
Thank you SO much for the encouragement to pick up my bloggin’ pen again. Have a few things to share and to bounce off of you, and I’m loving reading your brilliance again.
Thanks again for the mention. I’m off to hit the coffee pot again. Bottoms up!
Keep Stepping,
Kurt
Definitely sounds like we need to talk, Kurt… 🙂
Glad to have you back, happy to have your back, know you’ll have mine if there’s ever a need for that!
Hi Ana,
Love your roundup as usual, and this time it’s a pleasure to see Ema too!
A huge hug from our side to her for making it to the 2nd Grade, you must be so proud of her. And many congratulations on the 4th Anniversary of your awesome blog, seems like you’ve been blogging for ages though. 🙂
I can understand how busy life can get, especially when you have to look after your kids, home, and manage the rest of the affairs, forgetting it is complete acceptable - we celebrate it today!
Yes, I read about Google Authorship and all the other updates you’ve been sharing on G+, and thank you so much for the kind mention of the Alexa rank post. Good to know that this time I’d already visited a few of the posts mentioned here, from Don, Jane, Andrew, and a few others, while the rest would catch up tomorrow.
Thanks once again, and hope you have a relaxing weekend - start work from Monday 🙂
Pleasure to see you at Traffic Generation Café, as always, Harleena - thanks for the best wishes!
And, of course, you already know how much I thought of your Alexa post; great research and delivery.