Ronell Smith says, “According to our calculations, MozCon 2017 is a mere 158,000 minutes away. (But who’s counting, right?) As you might have guessed, we’re quite excited about our latest event, in large part because we have some new tricks up our sleeves. (More on that at a later date. We promise.)Aside from a few tweaks here and there, though, the next MozCon won’t be much different from those in years past.That is, it’ll be unique and awesome in equal amounts.MozCon 2017: July 17–19 in SeattleYou can still expect world-class speakers sharing original information in a... [...]

Barry Schwartz says, “Sistrix, an SEO toolset data collection company, published their analysis of the Google Fred update after reviewing “nearly 300 domains.” Their analysis describes the sites and pages that were hit like this:“…advertisement, outdated, thin and scraped content, as well as incomprehensible articles made up of 300 word ‘SEO texts’ pumped to the brim with main keyword mentions and void of any useful information or a sense of readability.”They have confirmed our analysis of Fred, where we said low value content sites were hit by this update.Juan Gonzalez from... [...]

Kimberly De Silva says, “The mobile industry is booming, and mobile apps are completely dominating this arena. Companies of all sizes are seeing the benefits of having a mobile app. According to recent data, nearly half of small businesses are expected to adopt a mobile app by this year.However, simply having an app is not enough to win over mobile users. Most people only use 6 to 10 apps each week. And when it comes to new downloads, only 3.3 percent of Android apps and 3.2 percent of iOS apps still had active users after 30 days.So, how do you get people to download your app,... [...]

Ben Davis says, “If I worked for an agency or wrote for The Drum, I might ask “What the f#@k is strategy?” – this four letter word seems more apposite, given the amount of fluff written about digital strategy in particular.One agency man, Justin Small (Chief Strategy Officer at The BIO Agency) is indeed asking this question, as the founder of the Future Strategy Club, a newly formed group that meets to discuss what strategy means now.After listening to Justin’s impassioned claim that strategy is stuck in the mud, I thought I should attempt to summarise his thoughts... [...]

Brian Wood says, “Title tags are a meaningful on-page ranking factor and are among the most influential factors in determining click-through rate (CTR) from search engine results pages. Higher CTR not only drives more traffic immediately, it also improves organic rankings when combined with good on-site metrics.Title tag CTR is also difficult to test: it requires a large number of pages that drive a lot of organic visits, and a pretty big chunk of time — usually around two months to give Google time to index all the pages in the test and then collect enough data to have statistically... [...]

Greg Finn says, “Pinterest has seen a massive influx of tens of thousands of advertisers leveraging the ad platform for exposure. A new program launched today will make it even easier to advertise, thanks to one-on-one support from Pinterest ad experts. The program, Pinterest Propel, helps to teach, train and build campaigns alongside advertisers.In order to qualify for Pinterest Propel, an advertiser needs to be ready to spend $100/day on ads, and the program is only for US and Canadian participants. Those that sign up for the program will receive:phone support and customized tips from... [...]

Kerry Flynn says, “Twitter has opened up another place for video ads, the buzziest online advertising sector, as it looks to find more revenue for its flight to profitability this year.Starting Tuesday, select partners can apply to have ads run in front of Periscope videos.These pre-roll ads come at an important time for Twitter — though isn’t it always an important time (cc @realDonaldTrump)? The company, which Wall Street has obliterated for a lack of user growth and an utter loss of faith in leadership, is trading at record lows. Meanwhile, Snapchat is gaining the respect of... [...]

Kelsey Meyer says, “If you’re fortunate enough to work at an agency full of brilliant individuals, you’ve probably experienced the following:You’re in a leadership meeting debating different approaches to solving a problem, and a lot of ideas are on the table. Suddenly, someone’s voice cuts through the noise, and what she shares is so inspirational and well thought out that you find yourself scrambling for a pen and paper to write it all down.She’s one of your agency’s subject matter experts.She understands the industry, your clients, and your company so well that ideas and... [...]

Bola Awoniyi says, “You can’t go anywhere on social media without seeing the Stories format being used.If that statement was said a year ago, when it was exclusively being used by Snap in its flagship app, it would have been followed by statements proclaiming that the company has crossed the chasm and will undoubtedly be the third digital marketing megapower behind Facebook and Google.Life can come at you fast though, especially when you’re in the consumer tech space.In less than 12 months, the Stories format is now prevalent on the Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and Facebook... [...]

Thomas Smale says, “When you’re a freelancer, you want to be widely and favorably known. Of course! A positive reputation gives your leads and potential customers assurance that you can help them in the right way.Your reputation also reflects your status as an expert in your niche and serves as confirmation that you can be relied on to deliver value every single time.To arrive at that point, consider mail for the essential tool it is — just as it is in virtually every industry. If you’re running an online business, as you likely are with a freelance business, you need to... [...]