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New Instagram Resources For Small Businesses via @MattGSouthern

9/30/2020

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New Instagram Resources For Small Businesses via @MattGSouthern

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Instagram is launching a mini-site full of new resources created to help small businesses get the most out of Instagram Shops.

Instagram Shops is a feature launched back in may that allows businesses to set up an online storefront for free.

Payments are facilitated through a number of e-commerce partners, but transactions can be completed without users leaving the Instagram app.

To help businesses navigate this new tool, and learn how to best utilize it with their Instagram page, a selection of resources are now available.

‘The Season for Shops’ Mini-Site

Instagram’s new mini-site is designed for businesses starting out with the platform’s shopping features for the first time.

Businesses with an intermediate or advanced level of experience may already be familiar with what these resources cover.

But let’s take a look at what’s inside just to be sure.

Setting Up Shop

Instagram provides step-by-step instructions for setting up a storefront.

New Instagram Resources For Small Businesses

Businesses will have to use Commerce Manager to complete the setup of their shop. Instructions are provided for that as well.

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Help Guides

After setting up a shop on Instagram, businesses can browse a selection of help guides for information on what to do next.

Tagging
One of the basics of Instagram Shopping that businesses should be familiar with is tagging.

Tagging products in feed posts, stories, and live streams makes it easy for people to shop as soon as they discover your products.

Two guides are provided to help businesses learn more about tagging:

  • Start tagging: A 19-page guide with detailed information on every type of product tag.
  • Tag with purpose: A simple one-pager with the dos and don’ts of tagging.

Collections
Once businesses have tagged a number of their products they can start grouping products together in collections.

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Users can browse through collections just like browsing through a product catalog on a website.

To make this especially easy for businesses, an 8-page guide is provided with all the details on creating collections.

Shopping Ads
Businesses looking to invest some money in their Instagram storefront can look into shopping ads.

Again, the storefront itself is free to set up. Shopping ads are something extra businesses can use to reach a bigger audience.

Three guides are provided to assist businesses with Instagram shopping ads:

  • Holiday shopping ads strategy: A one-page guide with recommendations specific to the holiday season.
  • Set up shopping ads: A 9-page guide with information on what shopping ads are, how to set them up, and how to measure their success.
  • Custom shopping audiences: A 7-page guide with information on how to target ads using custom audiences and lookalike audiences.

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See all of Instagram’s guides in full in the new ‘Season for Shops’ mini-site.





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September 30, 2020 at 10:37PM
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Google Says Changing Web Layout Can Affect Rankings via @martinibuster

9/30/2020

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Google Says Changing Web Layout Can Affect Rankings via @martinibuster

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Someone asked John Mueller on a Google Office Hours hangout if just changing a web design layout can affect rankings. Mueller answered right away and without any ambiguity. He said yes, it could affect rankings.

What might make that answer surprising to some is that the content and URL structure remained the same. But a web design layout comes with considerations that can impact on-page ranking factors.

Mueller’s explanation of why changing the web design layout could impact search rankings makes sense and is something to consider before making any changes to how a website looks.

This is the question that was asked:

“I recently changed the layout look and feel of my blog and moved away from WordPress. And now using Hugo static site generator for publishing my posts.

Does the change in layout impact my ranking and search results?

On a side note, there’s no change in the content and the URL structure. It’s still the same as before.”

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Ordinarily the general answer would be that no, it doesn’t make a difference. But actually there are important factors related to a new web layout that must be considered.

This is what Mueller said:

“Changing the layout of your pages can affect your search results.

This is something that some people work on actively as well with regards to on-page SEO.

So things like figuring out how to use titles properly on a page, how to do internal linking properly, how to provide more context for the article itself.

All of this can definitely affect SEO.”

Most web layouts, out of the box, will need to be updated to make it be how you want it to be. Even a web layout that is labeled as “SEO friendly” is going to need updates to the CSS and the how various HTML elements are styled and used.

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For example it is very common for web templates to use heading elements for styling side-bar navigational elements.

John Mueller continued his answer:

“So just because the… kind of the primary content like the blog posts that you have and the URLs themselves don’t change doesn’t mean that there’s nothing else around all of that, that search engines won’t be able to pick up on.

It can definitely affect SEO. And it can be a good thing, it can be a bad thing.

So it’s not that you need to avoid making these changes but rather when you make these changes make sure to double check that you’re kind of doing everything really well.”

That’s good advice. Updating a web design can be a scary thing. I’ve done it and not lost rankings. That may be because I stripped away what I thought was superfluous bells and whistles, added templated structured data that auto-fills etc. in order to make the template behave like I want it to behave.

I don’t think I’ve ever met a template that didn’t need to have every icon and navigational image optimized for size and color. Making a web layout more intuitive seems like something that every template needs improvement on.

Updating a web design layout can be very much like starting all over again. In my experience it is useful to become acquainted with the stylesheets and the underlying code so that you can formulate a plan of what you want to remove, what you will keep and what needs to be changed.

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Watch John Mueller answer the question here:





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September 30, 2020 at 10:00PM
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How Google Handles Naked Links via @martinibuster

9/29/2020

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How Google Handles Naked Links via @martinibuster

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In a Google Office Hours SEO hangout Google Webmaster Trends Analyst John Mueller answered how Google handles links that don’t have anchor text. In a follow up question he answered if text surrounding those kinds of links have an effect.

What are Naked Links?

There are many kinds of links, including branded links, keyword optimized links, nofollowed links, etc. This question was about a type of link that is referred to as a naked link.

A naked link is a link that is in the form of the URL.

Here’s an example of how a “naked” link would look on a web page:

https://www.example.com

Here’s how the HTML would look for the above link:

<a href="https://www.example.com">https://www.example.com</a>

How Does Google Handle Links Without Anchor Text?

The question asked was within the context of auditing the inbound links of client sites and noticing that certain links are coded as naked links.

The SEO asking the question wanted to know how Google processed those links.

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This is the question:

“When auditing links for my clients websites I see some naked URLs that are pointing to valuable resources on the site.

How does Google treat such links when there’s no anchor text?”

John Mueller Answers How Google Handles a Bare URL

John Mueller began his answer by defining what a naked URL is.

“I think by naked URL it’s basically just someone is linking with the URL as the anchor text.”

Next, Mueller states how Google handles a bare link that does not have an anchor text.

“…in that situation we treat that URL as the anchor text.

From what I understand, our systems do try to recognize this and say well, this is just a URL that is linked, it’s not that there’s a valuable anchor here.

So we can take this into account as a link but we can’t really use that anchor text for anything in particular.

So from that point of view it’s a normal link but we don’t have any context there.”

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Related: Advanced Approach to Selecting Anchor Text

Keywords in URL for Anchor Text

That’s interesting that Mueller said there is no context in a naked link. What makes it interesting is that there is a school of thought that in the absence of an anchor text that the keywords in the URL might provide Google some information and function like an anchor text.

Mueller’s answer seemed to contradict that idea or at least to not affirm it. Might make a good follow up question.

Can Surrounding Text and Topic Influence Links?

At this point someone else asked a follow up question about the text that surrounds the naked link and if that might play a role.

“Can Google kind of get context for like the text around that link, maybe if it doesn’t have any?”

John Mueller nodded his head in affirmation and said,

“Sure. But that’s more kind of secondary. Like that really strong piece of context from the anchor text that’s missing in that case.

And then like small things around the side, that does help us a little bit… but really the kind of the primary aspect of that link is kind of gone.

And I mean usually that doesn’t matter. It’s not that it counts against your website in any way.

It’s just… well for this particular link we don’t really know what the context is.”

The person asking the follow up question repeated his question, this time asking if the content around the link or topic of the article might play a role.

Mueller answered:

“Yeah, yeah… I mean that’s something we do definitely take into account but it’s very secondary.

…I mean there’s no kind of like value of strength for the context there but I’d say it’s like that anchor text is really obvious and we can collect that and we can look at that overall and… kind of the context of the linking pages is something well… it’s like we also need to think about at some point.

But the anchor text is really kind of the primary thing.”

Annotation Text and Links by Bill Slawski

Bill Slawski wrote a fascinating article in 2019 about a patent that was updated to include a scenario that was about using text that surrounds a link (Add to Your Style Guide Annotation Text: Anchor Text Indexing).

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Bill Slawski’s article noted:

“One of the noticeable things that is new in the claims in this continuation patent is the mention of Annotation text, within a certain distance from anchor text for a link, which could influence what a page that is being linked to maybe about. “

The article about the patent describes a process where the words immediately surrounding a link could give more meaning to that link, particularly links with anchor text like the word “here” that are frequently used to link to other sites.

The article didn’t suggest that Google was using these signals and neither did Mueller.

However it was interesting to watch Mueller referring to the context around a link as being “secondary” although he did not elaborate on what he meant by secondary.

I messaged Bill Slawski via Facebook Messenger about what Mueller said.

This is what Bill said about it:

“One of the claims from the new version of the patent does state clearly that:

“wherein the annotation includes text outside of an anchor tag in the source document.”

So that patent is referring to text that is not included as anchor text in between HTML anchor tags, but is a reference to text within a window around anchor text.

There are two kinds of links:

  1. Links that use anchor elements
  2. Links that use link elements.

That claim 7 from the new version of the patent is an addition and it specifically states that the annotation text is outside of the anchor text:

“7. The system of claim 1, wherein the annotation includes text outside of an anchor tag in the source document.” “

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What We Learned About Google and Naked Links

Mueller affirmed that there is no disadvantage to links coded without anchor text. He affirmed that anchor text is a strong signal.

But he also somewhat downplayed the use of surrounding text or page topic as a way to give more meaning to a naked link, saying that yes Google used it but that it was “very secondary.”

 





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September 29, 2020 at 12:25AM
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YouTube Growing As a Source of News for Americans via @MattGSouthern

9/28/2020

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YouTube Growing As a Source of News for Americans via @MattGSouthern

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A Pew Research Center study finds about a quarter of US adults get news from YouTube, including a mix of independent and established organizations.

Of the people who get news from YouTube, 59% say it’s an important way to get news, while 13% say it’s the most important way they get their news.

YouTube Growing As a Source of News for Americans

When it comes to the types of YouTube channels people are consuming news from, it’s a nearly even split between independent journalists (42%) and established news outlets (49%).

YouTube Growing As a Source of News for Americans

The study is further evidence of a shift toward non-traditional outlets as sources of news.

It’s clear this shift started years ago. This is not a sudden change by any means, it’s just now there’s more data coming out to quantify the shift in user behavior.

For example, Reuters published a study this past June in which it discovered Instagram is set to overtake Twitter as a news source.

As marketers, and as users of the web in general, it’s important to be aware of these changes in use patterns.

Instagram never set out to become a source of breaking news, and it’s fair to say the same of YouTube.

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Now it’s different. Users’ intent is evolving every time they log in to these platforms.

So let’s catch up with where they’re at and learn more about the evolution of YouTube as a news source.

Why is YouTube growing as a source of news?

To understand why YouTube is growing as a source of news, Pew Research asked survey respondents to explain its appeal in their own words.

Among the responses were access to news outside the mainstream, and the variety of views and opinions available.

Of those who say YouTube is one of their news sources, 51% say they’re looking for commentary and opinions, while 48% say they’re looking for objective reporting.

Personality-driven content with opinionated commentary certainly thrives on YouTube. That’s one thing that has remained constant for as long as the platform has been online.

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66% of users who watch news on YouTube say it helps them better understand current events.

So there’s something to be said for using commentary videos as a way to make complex topics easier to understand.

Perhaps that could apply to more than just news content?

Analysis of news content on YouTube

As part of this study, Pew Research conducted a content analysis to discover the types of news videos performing well on YouTube.

Of the 377 most popular YouTube news channels:

  • 22% are associated with TV stations (CNN, NBC, CBS, etc.)
  • 14% are affiliated with digital-native news outlets (such as BuzzFeed News and Vox).
  • 8% are affiliated with print outlets (such as The New York Times and USA Today).
  • 9% are affiliated with other types of organizations (such as government entities and advocacy groups).
  • 42% are independent channels with no clear affiliation to an external entity.

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This puts into perspective the influence independent creators have on YouTube. It’s still a platform where independent voices can be heard.

Whether that’s a good thing or not is up for debate, however, as the content produced by each type of channel varies considerably.

When it comes to news content, independent channels lean toward conspiracy theories while established outlets are more likely to report facts.

That suits the YouTube audience perfectly fine, because just as many users say they’re looking for facts as they are opinions.

What that says about the collective conscious of society is not for me to comment on. I’m just here to report on how people are using YouTube in 2020.

For a deeper analysis, see the full 3-part study here.





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September 28, 2020 at 10:42PM
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Google SERP Study: Which Rich Results Get the Most Clicks? via @MattGSouthern

9/28/2020

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Google SERP Study: Which Rich Results Get the Most Clicks? via @MattGSouthern

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All rich results in Google SERPs are not created equal – at least not when it comes to click-through rate – a new study finds.

Milestone Research analyzed over 4.5 million queries to find users click on rich results 58% of the time, compared to a CTR of 41% for non-rich results.

Perhaps it’s not shocking that users are more likely to click on rich results compared to regular organic results.

What is eye opening about this study is how much CTR can vary depending on the type of rich result.

For some types of rich results the CTR can jump as high as 87%.

The study also looks at branded versus non-branded results and which is likely to generate more clicks.

Here are some takeaways from the study that can help marketers earn more clicks from organic search results.

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Google SERP Study: Key Takeaways

The average CTR of all rich and standard results on page one is 49.5%.

That means roughly half of all searches will lead to a click on an organic result.

The remaining 50.5% is comprised of no-click searches, clicks on paid ads, and voice searches.

As mentioned, rich results have an above-average CTR of 58%, and non-rich results fall below average at 41%.

Rich results with branded keyboards tend to do slightly better with a CTR of 60%.

Two types of rich results, AMP and FAQ, are analyzed individually in more detail.

AMP = Highest & Lowest CTR

AMP is simultaneously responsible for both the highest and lowest CTR included in the study.

Non-rich AMP results generate the greatest amount of clicks per 100 searches, with a CTR of 92%.

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AMP articles, on the other hand, have the lowest CTR of only 15%.

An AMP article is the rich version of an AMP result. So it’s far more beneficial to get an AMP article indexed in standard results compared to the top stories carousel.

FAQ = Highest Performing Rich Result

FAQ rich results, including branded and non-branded keywords, have an average CTR of 87%.

Milestone Research says that’s the highest of any rich result type studied.

If you take branded keywords out of the equation, the CTR for FAQ rich results climbs to 91%.

Video Rich Results Also Perform Well

Video thumbnails are showing up in more than a quarter of search results, according to the study.

The CTR for video rich results, including brand and non-brand keywords, is 62% making it one of the top performing rich result types.

In contrast to FAQ rich results, videos get more clicks in Google Search when there’s brand keywords in the query.

The CTR for video rich results with brand keywords is 65%, compared to 50% for results without brand keywords.

Milestone Research notes that videos in Google’s thumbnail carousel come from YouTube over half the time, making it the top recommended platform to upload videos.

In Summary

An effective strategy for implementing structured data, and earning rich results in the process, has the potential to double your performance in organic search results.

For more information on how to implement FAQ structured data, and on structured data in general, see the resources below:

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Download the full study here.





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September 28, 2020 at 05:41PM
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Social Shorts: Facebooks 20% rule Pinterest Story Pins Reddit brand safety options

9/28/2020

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Social Shorts: Facebook’s 20% rule, Pinterest Story Pins, Reddit brand safety options

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So long, 20% text limit in Facebook ad images

Facebook Ads is officially removing its 20% text rule. The company’s rule that text not take up more than 20% of ad images is now a mere suggestion: “We’ve found that images with less than 20% text perform better. With this in mind, we recommend keeping your text short, clear and concise in order to get your message across effectively,” the help page now states.   

Why we care. Facebook relaxed its 20% text limit several years ago, but still throttled ad impressions when images had a high proportion of text. Removing the limits altogether reflects how ads on the platform have changed. It seems quite quaint to think back on the days when ads with text were a jarring enough experience that Facebook would just disapprove them outright.

Pinterest Story Pins debut

pinterest story pins

Pinterest is hopping on the Story bandwagon with Story Pins, now in beta in the U.S. Pins can include videos, voiceovers, images and text overlays. Creators can also add a detail page with ingredients or DIY materials, for example. Unlike other platforms, Story Pins stick around rather than evaporating after 24-hours.

New for all Business Accounts: Pin Stats show impressions and engagement metrics for Pins as well as the categories and interests that audiences engage with. A new engagement tab allows creators to respond to “tried your Pin” photos in one place.

Why we care. One aim with Story Pins is to help keep users on Pinterest and give creators mechanisms to tell, well, stories without having to direct users to a website. Pinterest also says it is working on ways to support creator-brand partnerships and sponsorships. 

Reddit adds brand safety and scale levers

Reddit launched Inventory Types for advertisers last week. The three tiers of inventory are based on campaign objectives, brand safety requirements and targeting:

  • Expanded Inventory: As the name suggests, use this option to access Reddit’s broadest pool of inventory. Reddit says the tier opens up “more than 20% more communities” that meet its content standards. (Not all communities/subreddits are monetized.)
  • Standard Inventory: This is the default setting that aims to balance the reach and brand safety needs of most advertisers.
  • Limited Inventory: The strictest setting uses 3rd party verification powered by Oracle Data Cloud’s contextual intelligence.

Why we care. Brand safety on Reddit has long been a key concern of advertisers. All of the tiers have some level of brand safety, but the options now offer advertisers more control and the ability to further prioritize suitability over scale if desired. 

Facebook says it may pull out of EU

As regulators in the European Union move to curtail the transfer of EU citizens’ data to U.S. servers, Facebook says it may quit the region altogether. Facebook is challenging a preliminary order issued last month by the Irish Data Protection Commission to stop sending user data to U.S. servers — data used in ad targeting. 

Why we care. Many see Facebook’s response as an idle threat — is Facebook really going to abandon it’s second biggest market (revenue-wise)? If the order holds, Facebook says it will need to reconfigure its systems, which could keep users — and marketers — in the EU from accessing the portfolio of apps while that work is underway. It could also mean ad targeting to EU consumers looks a lot different. The order is aimed solely at Facebook now, but could have implications for Google and other businesses that use U.S.-based cloud services, for example.

Pinterest touts positivity

Pinterest positive search queries

As social media feeds reflect angst, fear and divisiveness of an election season happening amid a global pandemic, climate crises and social unrest, Pinterest is highlighting the “positive context” of its platform — which isn’t monetizing political content. The company says searches for terms like “spread positivity,” “positive habits,” and “positive mindset” have been surging in recent months. “People are seeking more positivity than ever,” the company says.

Why we care. Pinterest’s positivity pitch could resonate with marketers concerned about brand safety and brand suitability on other platforms (yes, Facebook and YouTube) – particularly this election cycle. Pinterest now claims more than 400 million monthly active users.


About The Author

Ginny Marvin is Third Door Media’s Editor-in-Chief, running the day to day editorial operations across all publications and overseeing paid media coverage. Ginny Marvin writes about paid digital advertising and analytics news and trends for Search Engine Land, Marketing Land and MarTech Today. With more than 15 years of marketing experience, Ginny has held both in-house and agency management positions. She can be found on Twitter as @ginnymarvin.





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September 28, 2020 at 05:10PM
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Social Shorts: Facebooks 20% rule Pinterest Story Pins Reddit brand safety options

9/28/2020

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https://ift.tt/3ibn5vU

Social Shorts: Facebook’s 20% rule, Pinterest Story Pins, Reddit brand safety options

https://ift.tt/3kVCIcC

So long, 20% text limit in Facebook ad images

Facebook Ads is officially removing its 20% text rule. The company’s rule that text not take up more than 20% of ad images is now a mere suggestion: “We’ve found that images with less than 20% text perform better. With this in mind, we recommend keeping your text short, clear and concise in order to get your message across effectively,” the help page now states.   

Why we care. Facebook relaxed its 20% text limit several years ago, but still throttled ad impressions when images had a high proportion of text. Removing the limits altogether reflects how ads on the platform have changed. It seems quite quaint to think back on the days when ads with text were a jarring enough experience that Facebook would just disapprove them outright.

Pinterest Story Pins debut

pinterest story pins

Pinterest is hopping on the Story bandwagon with Story Pins, now in beta in the U.S. Pins can include videos, voiceovers, images and text overlays. Creators can also add a detail page with ingredients or DIY materials, for example. Unlike other platforms, Story Pins stick around rather than evaporating after 24-hours.

New for all Business Accounts: Pin Stats show impressions and engagement metrics for Pins as well as the categories and interests that audiences engage with. A new engagement tab allows creators to respond to “tried your Pin” photos in one place.

Why we care. One aim with Story Pins is to help keep users on Pinterest and give creators mechanisms to tell, well, stories without having to direct users to a website. Pinterest also says it is working on ways to support creator-brand partnerships and sponsorships. 

Reddit adds brand safety and scale levers

Reddit launched Inventory Types for advertisers last week. The three tiers of inventory are based on campaign objectives, brand safety requirements and targeting:

  • Expanded Inventory: As the name suggests, use this option to access Reddit’s broadest pool of inventory. Reddit says the tier opens up “more than 20% more communities” that meet its content standards. (Not all communities/subreddits are monetized.)
  • Standard Inventory: This is the default setting that aims to balance the reach and brand safety needs of most advertisers.
  • Limited Inventory: The strictest setting uses 3rd party verification powered by Oracle Data Cloud’s contextual intelligence.

Why we care. Brand safety on Reddit has long been a key concern of advertisers. All of the tiers have some level of brand safety, but the options now offer advertisers more control and the ability to further prioritize suitability over scale if desired. 

Facebook says it may pull out of EU

As regulators in the European Union move to curtail the transfer of EU citizens’ data to U.S. servers, Facebook says it may quit the region altogether. Facebook is challenging a preliminary order issued last month by the Irish Data Protection Commission to stop sending user data to U.S. servers — data used in ad targeting. 

Why we care. Many see Facebook’s response as an idle threat — is Facebook really going to abandon it’s second biggest market (revenue-wise)? If the order holds, Facebook says it will need to reconfigure its systems, which could keep users — and marketers — in the EU from accessing the portfolio of apps while that work is underway. It could also mean ad targeting to EU consumers looks a lot different. The order is aimed solely at Facebook now, but could have implications for Google and other businesses that use U.S.-based cloud services, for example.

Pinterest touts positivity

Pinterest positive search queries

As social media feeds reflect angst, fear and divisiveness of an election season happening amid a global pandemic, climate crises and social unrest, Pinterest is highlighting the “positive context” of its platform — which isn’t monetizing political content. The company says searches for terms like “spread positivity,” “positive habits,” and “positive mindset” have been surging in recent months. “People are seeking more positivity than ever,” the company says.

Why we care. Pinterest’s positivity pitch could resonate with marketers concerned about brand safety and brand suitability on other platforms (yes, Facebook and YouTube) – particularly this election cycle. Pinterest now claims more than 400 million monthly active users.


About The Author

Ginny Marvin is Third Door Media’s Editor-in-Chief, running the day to day editorial operations across all publications and overseeing paid media coverage. Ginny Marvin writes about paid digital advertising and analytics news and trends for Search Engine Land, Marketing Land and MarTech Today. With more than 15 years of marketing experience, Ginny has held both in-house and agency management positions. She can be found on Twitter as @ginnymarvin.





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September 28, 2020 at 05:10PM
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The 3 Best Analytics Companies of 2020

9/28/2020

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The 3 Best Analytics Companies of 2020

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You likely already know how important creativity is when it comes to digital marketing.

However, coming up with great ideas – be that through content or ads – is only part of the story when it comes to driving results online. 

Another significant factor that will amplify your marketing efforts is the collection and leveraging of data.

In other words, to truly succeed with your digital marketing campaigns, you must utilize the best of the machine and human worlds. 

But perhaps you’re not a data kind of person, which is where hiring an analytics company comes into play – an option you may already be considering. 

Before you make this important decision, equip yourself with the information we’ve outlined in this article so that you can make the best choice for your needs. 

The 6 Characteristics That Make a Great Analytics Company 

When choosing the right analytics company to work with, there are certain characteristics you need to take into consideration. 

Not all agencies are built the same. It is safe to assume that most companies put their best foot forward for their clients, but there will always be variance in terms of what results you will get from each one. 

Consider the following factors.

They offer a full suite of marketing services 

You may already have your marketing strategy under control and may only need help to understand and leverage your data. 

But how can a company help you leverage your data if they have no experience in what the data should be used for? 

The point of data and analytics is to improve your decision making and inform your strategy. So, if you’re working with an agency to help you do so, they need to have some actual marketing chops. 

Make sure that the agency you want to work with offers other services besides analytics. This is a good indicator that the insights they produce from your data will actually mean something. 

They have a strong technology stack

It goes without saying, but if a company is promising to help you leverage data (technology), they will likely have the technology to do so. 

At the very minimum, your analytics partner should have their own proprietary platform that will be used as the central point for your data. 

But in the best case, the partners will leverage more advanced technologies, such as machine learning, that can help make better sense of the vast amount of data that you will have.

You will find that the best insights from your data come after the raw data is analyzed by a machine, and then made sense of by a human. 

The quality of that initial analysis, however, will depend on the quality of the technology that your agency partner has built. 

They have an all-star team 

Making sense of your marketing data is no easy task. It requires breadth and depth of skills as well as experience, all working together in a harmonious way. 

Make sure you check out the team on the about page and on LinkedIn, taking into consideration these factors:

  • Skills diversity – Making sense of data requires a symbiosis between the human and machine side of business. A good agency will have social scientists (or marketing experts), data scientists, and statisticians. 
  • Years of experience – How long has the team been operating? What are their backgrounds? The more industries and businesses they’ve seen, the higher the chance their insights will be valuable. 
  • Founders – The founders set the tone for the culture of the company. Try to find information on the background of the founder to get a better understanding of how they conduct their operations.

They have a strong roster of clients

One of the most objective ways to evaluate a company is to take a look at the clients they’ve worked with – and, most importantly, what results they’ve gotten for them.

Keep these things in mind:

  • Similar clients – If an agency mostly works with Fortune 100 clients and you’re a small startup, they probably won’t be a good fit. They likely will have their processes and expertise optimized for analyzing data at scale. 
  • Transparent results – Can the analytics agency demonstrate the results they’ve gotten in the past? 
  •  Experience with your channels – It’s no use to you if the analytics company you want to work with specializes in advertising analytics and you have a content-focused strategy. Check to see if they have demonstratable results and insights into your specific channels. 

They have a great communication style

If you’re a marketing leader or business owner, chances are you aren’t well trained in understanding and interpreting data. 

In this case, the analytics company you work with has to be able to make sense of your data and also deliver it in a way that you can actually use. 

To get an idea of this, take a look at how the company communicates with its audiences.

  • Blog posts – Is the agency creating content and educating their customers? Do they do so in a clear and simple, yet value-driven way?
  • Visualizations – Does the agency value data visualizations? Do they have any examples of how they visualize data in a user-friendly way?

They take a holistic approach to analytics

It is likely your business has a lot of data to work with. Oftentimes, insights come from unlikely places, such as comparisons between seemingly unrelated data sets. 

To get the most out of your data, your analytics agency will need to map out and architect your entire data ecosystem.

They will need to consider aspects of your business such as:

  • Customer profiles – Your customers will have data points in common, such as demographic information, which can then be used to inform PPC targeting, for instance. 
  • Marketing channels – Each marketing channel has its own set of data to be analyzed. Social media, for instance, has metrics such as engagement and likes, whereas email marketing focuses more on open rates and click-throughs. 
  • Website analytics – Your website will have metrics that can inform on everything from design to marketing. Data points such as website dwell time, page conversions, and heat map analytics come into play here. 

What To Expect From a Great Analytics Company

Each analytics company has their own unique process when working with clients.

The best analytics companies, however, will ensure their process is tailored to your specific needs.

They will also go to great lengths to ensure that you are kept in the loop as much as possible.  

Here’s what you can expect when working with a great analytics company. 

Onboarding and integration

At the beginning of your working relationship, your analytics partner should guide you through an onboarding process. 

Great onboarding sets the stage for future success, as it creates a solid foundation for your working relationship. 

  • Manage expectations – Both you and your analytics partner should clearly outline the roles and responsibilities of your relationship at the offset. Make sure you flesh out all the details, such as communication hours.
  • Integrations and set up – Depending on your marketing channels, there may be different assets your analytics partner may need to access, such as your Facebook Pixel. You will also need to be onboarded to their analytics platform.
  • Goal setting – If you haven’t already, you should have a strategy call with your partner and decide on a strategy and timeline for results. 

Auditing of processes and assets 

Before you start moving forward, the first thing your analytics partner should do is conduct an audit of your existing processes and data assets. 

Depending on your company stage, it is likely that you already have existing data that could serve as a starting point. 

  • Existing data across all channels – Your analytics agency partner will consolidate all of your data across all channels, bringing them into a single platform. 
  • Setting up tracking – In some instances, you may not have been tracking certain things. For instance, if you did not have Google Analytics installed on your site, your partner will help you set this up.
  • Problem solving – You may have attempted to leverage data and analytics before with limited effect. This could have occurred through your own means or another partner. A complete analysis of your previous attempts would need to be conducted to figure out what went wrong and how to get better results in the future.

Setting up marketing channels 

The best analytics company will be able to offer you additional marketing services such as PPC, content and SEO. 

The reason for this is simple: to better understand how to interpret the data and inform your strategy, your agency needs to have actual experience executing a marketing strategy. 

Elements of your marketing strategy that your analytics partner should help on include:

  • PPC – Performance advertising, such as Google or Facebook ads, requires a combination of analytics and creativity. Your partner will help you come up with winning ad ideas that are rooted in data. 
  • SEO – Analyzing the best keywords to target, as well as writing great pieces of content to rank in search engines, similarly reflects the importance of a holistic analytics partner. 

Data management and reporting 

Once your marketing campaigns are in full swing – and the appropriate tracking tools are in place – the fun part begins.

Now is the time to take a look at all the data you have been collecting.

If your agency partner is worth their salt, you should be looking at this data through their own proprietary software.

How this data is organized, analyzed and communicated is where you will really begin to see the difference in quality between different analytic agencies. 

  • Dashboard – When logging into your partner’s platform, you should be able to organize and navigate the different data sets for your marketing channels. 
  • Analysis – Depending on the technology used, you may be able to get instant insight into what your data means, or even compare it to other data sets in your industry.
  • Visualization – A powerful way to understand data is when it is visualized. Charts, graphs and potentially even custom infographics should be provided by your partner. 

Actionable Insights and Results 

However, collecting raw data isn’t enough. 

You need to make sense of that data so that it becomes useful.

Although your analytics partner may have sophisticated number-crunching technologies, there is still a need for a human to look over everything and create real insights.

At the end-stage of the process, your analytics partner will need to communicate to you the real meaning behind the numbers. 

  • Storytelling – Together, you will need to figure out what the data is really telling you. It is easy to point out that one advert is performing better than the other, but why? How do you find the logic behind the data?
  • Strategy – Once you really understand the data, you will need to turn those insights into a strategy. You may realize, for instance, that your entire approach has been wrong, or that there is an opportunity for a new product offering.
  • Execution –  Finally, you need to put your new data-driven strategy into action – either through your own team or with the help of your analytics partner.

The Top 3 Analytics Companies in The World 

With so many service providers to choose from, it can be difficult to narrow them down and finally choose one to go with. 

We’ve broken down the criteria that makes a great analytics company and combed through dozens of companies to find the best agencies today.

Each have their strengths and weaknesses, but regardless of whoever you choose to work with, you will be in good hands. 

#1 NP Digital – The Best for Marketing Execution

NP Digital is a marketing and analytics company founded by Neil Patel, and it is arguably the most recognizable and influential figure in the digital marketing space. 

The company was founded in 2017 and has over 44,000 followers on LinkedIn and over 100 employees. NP digital offers a full range of digital marketing services in addition to analytics.

Here’s what makes NP Digital one of the best analytic companies in 2020:

  • Founder expertise – Neil Patel is a rockstar in the digital marketing world, having started out in the space in 2001 as a teenager. The agency he founded has his fingerprints all over it, which means that you will be working with world class marketers and analysts. 
  • Marketing execution – NP Digital doesn’t just help you make sense of your data. They offer a complete suite of marketing services, from PPC to SEO. As digital marketing is the foundation of their operations, you can expect great results when combined with their analytics services. 
  • Great case studies – NP Digital often receives great reviews and has retained big clients as proof of their success. One client, for instance, has said that “NP Digital is one of the few consultant companies worth their fee”.
  • Press coverage – Neil Patel himself has been recognized by Forbes, The Wall Street Journal and the United Nations as one of the most influential marketers of our generation.
  • Education – NP Digital regularly produces educational content about all things digital marketing. This carries over to their customer relationships, where they position themselves as a teacher as opposed to just a partner.

Who should work with NP Digital?

If you need help with marketing execution in addition to data analytics, then you can’t go wrong with Neil Patel Digital. 

The company was founded by one of the most reputable figures in the digital marketing world, so when you work with his agency, you’re tapping into his years of insight.

There is, of course, a cost to this, however, so Neil Patel Digital is best suited for clients with a larger marketing budget.

Some of their clients include companies such as Viacom, Facebook and even Google.

So, if you head up a marketing team at a large organization and need an end to end marketing and analytics partner, look into Neil Patel Digital.

#2 Artefact – The Best for Technology

Artefact describes themselves as “marketing engineers” and puts particular emphasis on the technology behind digital marketing. 

In line with this identity, they have gone on to build a powerful suite of technologies, which they use to help their clients transform their data into business value. 

Artefact’s works across the entire organization to leverage data, tapping into the entire value chain of operations, IT, and marketing. 

Here’s what makes Artefact one of the best analytic companies in 2020:

  • Technology stack – Artefact utilizes some of the latest advances in AI and machine learning to create custom algorithms that help businesses accelerate data transformation and optimize their business processes. Known as their “AI Factory”, Artefact also works with cloud service providers like Azure to ensure they have a robust infrastructure. 
  • Big, diverse team – Artefact lists over 1000 employees on LinkedIn, which are composed of data scientists, software engineers, and business consultants. This allows Artefact to solve a wide range of needs across different industries. 
  • Solid case studies – Artefact has worked with clients such as FMCG to improve their digital processes. In this particular case, they received an “extremely positive response from [the] client, internal stakeholders, Amazon and even the industry and other vendors on Amazon NL”. 

Who should work with Artefact:

If you are a part of a large organization that is undergoing a digital transformation, then you should strongly consider Artefact. 

The approach and technologies that Artefact uses are also beneficial for organizations that have a lot of data that needs to be optimized across the board. 

For instance, companies that need to optimize their manufacturing processes or who need to react to market information. 

#3 Adverity – The Best for Small Businesses

In some cases, you may not want to work with an agency partner. Particularly for small businesses that don’t have large marketing budgets, analytics software can bridge the divide.

Adverity is a platform that allows you to collect all your marketing data into a single place. Their analytics tools allow you to break down silos in your organization and uncover new insights so that you can improve your decision making.

Although the Adverity team will help onboard you onto their platform, you won’t get the tailored and guided expertise that you would get from an agency such as NP Digital. 

Here’s what makes Adverity one of the best analytic companies in 2020:

  • Cost – If you want to delve into the world of analytics but don’t have a significant budget, Adverity will have you covered (to an extent). Their pricing works on a custom quote which is influenced by your industry, the size of your business, and what data sources you want to tap into. Keep in mind however that you won’t be getting the expert guidance of an agency partner like NP Digital or Artefact.
  • Holistic data analysis – Adverity has one of the largest data connector libraries on the market. You will be able to connect all of your data sources including your CRM, backend database, website analytics, and advertising. They’re always adding new integrations, so if you have a specific need they may be able to customize that for you.
  • Great reviews – On the software review platform G2, Adverity currently has a 4.5/5 star rating, with over 100 reviews. The reviews reflect a variety of businesses and use cases – from marketing agencies to political scientists. One of the most common aspects that reviewers noted is how great the connectivity of the platform is. 

Who should work with Adverity:

Adverity is best suited to small and medium-sized businesses who may not have the budget to work closely with an analytics partner. 

Keep in mind that as you will not have expert guidance, your marketing team will have to figure out how to make sense of all of your data, which is no easy task. 

Conclusion

If you leverage the research we’ve done for you in this article, you won’t have much trouble finding the right analytics company to work with. 

Regardless of your choice, remember that the goal of analytics is to inform your marketing strategy.

But data alone won’t guarantee that your digital marketing strategy will be successful. It must always be paired with creative ideas and rigorous execution. 

To ensure you can’t go wrong when picking an analytics partner, always keep the end goal of increasing conversions in mind.

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September 28, 2020 at 04:32PM
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Facebook Ads to Remove 28-Day Attribution Model via @SusanEDub

9/28/2020

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Facebook Ads to Remove 28-Day Attribution Model via @SusanEDub

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Facebook Ads announced today it’s retiring its 28-day attribution window option. After they do, the longest remaining attribution window will be their already-existing 7-day option.

Why the Change?

According to their official announcement sent directly to advertisers, “Upcoming digital privacy initiatives affecting multiple browsers will limit business’s ability to measure people’s interactions across domains and devices. Among those limitations is the ability for businesses to attribute conversion events back to an ad over longer attribution windows.”

The email does not cite the specific privacy initiatives causing the change.

“Upcoming digital privacy initiatives affecting multiple browsers will limit business’s ability to measure people’s interactions across domains and devices. Among those limitations is the ability for businesses to attribute conversion events back to an ad over longer attribution windows.” – Facebook’s official announcement

The email also explains this will make advertising more “resilient” for future privacy and browser changes. Though they don’t explicitly say it, this likely referencing Chrome’s intention to eliminate third-party cookies in the next two years.

Chrome’s initial steps were going to be taken in the spring, but were delayed due to Covid-19.

When Will the 28-day Window Be Gone?

The changes take effect October 12th, in just a couple weeks. All historical data is available until that date. Facebook recommends advertisers download any relevant data tied to the 28-day attribution model prior to that date.

Understanding 28-day Attribution’s Role In Your Account

If advertisers use the standard attribution window for Facebook, that will affect their future results. By default, Facebook has used a 28-day click attribution model unless an advertiser changes it to 7-day or 1-day.

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Advertisers can use the “compare windows” feature to get a sense of how heavily their results skewed towards the 28-day mark. This is an option towards the bottom when a user chooses to customize their column view:

Facebook Ads to Remove 28-Day Attribution Model

Clicking on it displays the option to choose the attribution window, along with comparing it to the default window:

Facebook Ads to Remove 28-Day Attribution Model

Update Rules Tied to 28-day Attribution

If advertisers have any automated rules that rely on the 28-day attribution model, those should be updated.

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This is particularly true for any rules regulating spend and budget based on 28-day performance. Once gone on October 12th, the rule will revert to the 7-day model. This could impact spending.

Does This Apply to the Facebook Ads API?

Yes, though they will not enforce it on October 12th. As a workaround, the API will continue to supply the 28-day attribution data until the browser limitations officially hit.

Facebook stresses the 7-day attribution model is a more realistic view of ad impact, downplaying the role or weight a 28-day attribution should be given. (Interesting, given that its been their default for so many years.)

The Future of Privacy & Ads

As privacy measures continue to move forward, there will no doubt be future changes.

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Advertisers are also recently feeling the pinch from the disappearance of search query data by Google Ads recently, with brands bracing for what the future will mean for their paid ads.

Many will continue to watch Facebook even more closely, as their history of issues surrounding privacy measures have been the most visible to the public.





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September 28, 2020 at 04:30PM
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The 3 Best Analytics Companies of 2020

9/28/2020

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The 3 Best Analytics Companies of 2020

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You likely already know how important creativity is when it comes to digital marketing.

However, coming up with great ideas – be that through content or ads – is only part of the story when it comes to driving results online. 

Another significant factor that will amplify your marketing efforts is the collection and leveraging of data.

In other words, to truly succeed with your digital marketing campaigns, you must utilize the best of the machine and human worlds. 

But perhaps you’re not a data kind of person, which is where hiring an analytics company comes into play – an option you may already be considering. 

Before you make this important decision, equip yourself with the information we’ve outlined in this article so that you can make the best choice for your needs. 

The 6 Characteristics That Make a Great Analytics Company 

When choosing the right analytics company to work with, there are certain characteristics you need to take into consideration. 

Not all agencies are built the same. It is safe to assume that most companies put their best foot forward for their clients, but there will always be variance in terms of what results you will get from each one. 

Consider the following factors.

They offer a full suite of marketing services 

You may already have your marketing strategy under control and may only need help to understand and leverage your data. 

But how can a company help you leverage your data if they have no experience in what the data should be used for? 

The point of data and analytics is to improve your decision making and inform your strategy. So, if you’re working with an agency to help you do so, they need to have some actual marketing chops. 

Make sure that the agency you want to work with offers other services besides analytics. This is a good indicator that the insights they produce from your data will actually mean something. 

They have a strong technology stack

It goes without saying, but if a company is promising to help you leverage data (technology), they will likely have the technology to do so. 

At the very minimum, your analytics partner should have their own proprietary platform that will be used as the central point for your data. 

But in the best case, the partners will leverage more advanced technologies, such as machine learning, that can help make better sense of the vast amount of data that you will have.

You will find that the best insights from your data come after the raw data is analyzed by a machine, and then made sense of by a human. 

The quality of that initial analysis, however, will depend on the quality of the technology that your agency partner has built. 

They have an all-star team 

Making sense of your marketing data is no easy task. It requires breadth and depth of skills as well as experience, all working together in a harmonious way. 

Make sure you check out the team on the about page and on LinkedIn, taking into consideration these factors:

  • Skills diversity – Making sense of data requires a symbiosis between the human and machine side of business. A good agency will have social scientists (or marketing experts), data scientists, and statisticians. 
  • Years of experience – How long has the team been operating? What are their backgrounds? The more industries and businesses they’ve seen, the higher the chance their insights will be valuable. 
  • Founders – The founders set the tone for the culture of the company. Try to find information on the background of the founder to get a better understanding of how they conduct their operations.

They have a strong roster of clients

One of the most objective ways to evaluate a company is to take a look at the clients they’ve worked with – and, most importantly, what results they’ve gotten for them.

Keep these things in mind:

  • Similar clients – If an agency mostly works with Fortune 100 clients and you’re a small startup, they probably won’t be a good fit. They likely will have their processes and expertise optimized for analyzing data at scale. 
  • Transparent results – Can the analytics agency demonstrate the results they’ve gotten in the past? 
  •  Experience with your channels – It’s no use to you if the analytics company you want to work with specializes in advertising analytics and you have a content-focused strategy. Check to see if they have demonstratable results and insights into your specific channels. 

They have a great communication style

If you’re a marketing leader or business owner, chances are you aren’t well trained in understanding and interpreting data. 

In this case, the analytics company you work with has to be able to make sense of your data and also deliver it in a way that you can actually use. 

To get an idea of this, take a look at how the company communicates with its audiences.

  • Blog posts – Is the agency creating content and educating their customers? Do they do so in a clear and simple, yet value-driven way?
  • Visualizations – Does the agency value data visualizations? Do they have any examples of how they visualize data in a user-friendly way?

They take a holistic approach to analytics

It is likely your business has a lot of data to work with. Oftentimes, insights come from unlikely places, such as comparisons between seemingly unrelated data sets. 

To get the most out of your data, your analytics agency will need to map out and architect your entire data ecosystem.

They will need to consider aspects of your business such as:

  • Customer profiles – Your customers will have data points in common, such as demographic information, which can then be used to inform PPC targeting, for instance. 
  • Marketing channels – Each marketing channel has its own set of data to be analyzed. Social media, for instance, has metrics such as engagement and likes, whereas email marketing focuses more on open rates and click-throughs. 
  • Website analytics – Your website will have metrics that can inform on everything from design to marketing. Data points such as website dwell time, page conversions, and heat map analytics come into play here. 

What To Expect From a Great Analytics Company

Each analytics company has their own unique process when working with clients.

The best analytics companies, however, will ensure their process is tailored to your specific needs.

They will also go to great lengths to ensure that you are kept in the loop as much as possible.  

Here’s what you can expect when working with a great analytics company. 

Onboarding and integration

At the beginning of your working relationship, your analytics partner should guide you through an onboarding process. 

Great onboarding sets the stage for future success, as it creates a solid foundation for your working relationship. 

  • Manage expectations – Both you and your analytics partner should clearly outline the roles and responsibilities of your relationship at the offset. Make sure you flesh out all the details, such as communication hours.
  • Integrations and set up – Depending on your marketing channels, there may be different assets your analytics partner may need to access, such as your Facebook Pixel. You will also need to be onboarded to their analytics platform.
  • Goal setting – If you haven’t already, you should have a strategy call with your partner and decide on a strategy and timeline for results. 

Auditing of processes and assets 

Before you start moving forward, the first thing your analytics partner should do is conduct an audit of your existing processes and data assets. 

Depending on your company stage, it is likely that you already have existing data that could serve as a starting point. 

  • Existing data across all channels – Your analytics agency partner will consolidate all of your data across all channels, bringing them into a single platform. 
  • Setting up tracking – In some instances, you may not have been tracking certain things. For instance, if you did not have Google Analytics installed on your site, your partner will help you set this up.
  • Problem solving – You may have attempted to leverage data and analytics before with limited effect. This could have occurred through your own means or another partner. A complete analysis of your previous attempts would need to be conducted to figure out what went wrong and how to get better results in the future.

Setting up marketing channels 

The best analytics company will be able to offer you additional marketing services such as PPC, content and SEO. 

The reason for this is simple: to better understand how to interpret the data and inform your strategy, your agency needs to have actual experience executing a marketing strategy. 

Elements of your marketing strategy that your analytics partner should help on include:

  • PPC – Performance advertising, such as Google or Facebook ads, requires a combination of analytics and creativity. Your partner will help you come up with winning ad ideas that are rooted in data. 
  • SEO – Analyzing the best keywords to target, as well as writing great pieces of content to rank in search engines, similarly reflects the importance of a holistic analytics partner. 

Data management and reporting 

Once your marketing campaigns are in full swing – and the appropriate tracking tools are in place – the fun part begins.

Now is the time to take a look at all the data you have been collecting.

If your agency partner is worth their salt, you should be looking at this data through their own proprietary software.

How this data is organized, analyzed and communicated is where you will really begin to see the difference in quality between different analytic agencies. 

  • Dashboard – When logging into your partner’s platform, you should be able to organize and navigate the different data sets for your marketing channels. 
  • Analysis – Depending on the technology used, you may be able to get instant insight into what your data means, or even compare it to other data sets in your industry.
  • Visualization – A powerful way to understand data is when it is visualized. Charts, graphs and potentially even custom infographics should be provided by your partner. 

Actionable Insights and Results 

However, collecting raw data isn’t enough. 

You need to make sense of that data so that it becomes useful.

Although your analytics partner may have sophisticated number-crunching technologies, there is still a need for a human to look over everything and create real insights.

At the end-stage of the process, your analytics partner will need to communicate to you the real meaning behind the numbers. 

  • Storytelling – Together, you will need to figure out what the data is really telling you. It is easy to point out that one advert is performing better than the other, but why? How do you find the logic behind the data?
  • Strategy – Once you really understand the data, you will need to turn those insights into a strategy. You may realize, for instance, that your entire approach has been wrong, or that there is an opportunity for a new product offering.
  • Execution –  Finally, you need to put your new data-driven strategy into action – either through your own team or with the help of your analytics partner.

The Top 3 Analytics Companies in The World 

With so many service providers to choose from, it can be difficult to narrow them down and finally choose one to go with. 

We’ve broken down the criteria that makes a great analytics company and combed through dozens of companies to find the best agencies today.

Each have their strengths and weaknesses, but regardless of whoever you choose to work with, you will be in good hands. 

#1 NP Digital – The Best for Marketing Execution

NP Digital is a marketing and analytics company founded by Neil Patel, and it is arguably the most recognizable and influential figure in the digital marketing space. 

The company was founded in 2017 and has over 44,000 followers on LinkedIn and over 100 employees. NP digital offers a full range of digital marketing services in addition to analytics.

Here’s what makes NP Digital one of the best analytic companies in 2020:

  • Founder expertise – Neil Patel is a rockstar in the digital marketing world, having started out in the space in 2001 as a teenager. The agency he founded has his fingerprints all over it, which means that you will be working with world class marketers and analysts. 
  • Marketing execution – NP Digital doesn’t just help you make sense of your data. They offer a complete suite of marketing services, from PPC to SEO. As digital marketing is the foundation of their operations, you can expect great results when combined with their analytics services. 
  • Great case studies – NP Digital often receives great reviews and has retained big clients as proof of their success. One client, for instance, has said that “NP Digital is one of the few consultant companies worth their fee”.
  • Press coverage – Neil Patel himself has been recognized by Forbes, The Wall Street Journal and the United Nations as one of the most influential marketers of our generation.
  • Education – NP Digital regularly produces educational content about all things digital marketing. This carries over to their customer relationships, where they position themselves as a teacher as opposed to just a partner.

Who should work with NP Digital?

If you need help with marketing execution in addition to data analytics, then you can’t go wrong with Neil Patel Digital. 

The company was founded by one of the most reputable figures in the digital marketing world, so when you work with his agency, you’re tapping into his years of insight.

There is, of course, a cost to this, however, so Neil Patel Digital is best suited for clients with a larger marketing budget.

Some of their clients include companies such as Viacom, Facebook and even Google.

So, if you head up a marketing team at a large organization and need an end to end marketing and analytics partner, look into Neil Patel Digital.

#2 Artefact – The Best for Technology

Artefact describes themselves as “marketing engineers” and puts particular emphasis on the technology behind digital marketing. 

In line with this identity, they have gone on to build a powerful suite of technologies, which they use to help their clients transform their data into business value. 

Artefact’s works across the entire organization to leverage data, tapping into the entire value chain of operations, IT, and marketing. 

Here’s what makes Artefact one of the best analytic companies in 2020:

  • Technology stack – Artefact utilizes some of the latest advances in AI and machine learning to create custom algorithms that help businesses accelerate data transformation and optimize their business processes. Known as their “AI Factory”, Artefact also works with cloud service providers like Azure to ensure they have a robust infrastructure. 
  • Big, diverse team – Artefact lists over 1000 employees on LinkedIn, which are composed of data scientists, software engineers, and business consultants. This allows Artefact to solve a wide range of needs across different industries. 
  • Solid case studies – Artefact has worked with clients such as FMCG to improve their digital processes. In this particular case, they received an “extremely positive response from [the] client, internal stakeholders, Amazon and even the industry and other vendors on Amazon NL”. 

Who should work with Artefact:

If you are a part of a large organization that is undergoing a digital transformation, then you should strongly consider Artefact. 

The approach and technologies that Artefact uses are also beneficial for organizations that have a lot of data that needs to be optimized across the board. 

For instance, companies that need to optimize their manufacturing processes or who need to react to market information. 

#3 Adverity – The Best for Small Businesses

In some cases, you may not want to work with an agency partner. Particularly for small businesses that don’t have large marketing budgets, analytics software can bridge the divide.

Adverity is a platform that allows you to collect all your marketing data into a single place. Their analytics tools allow you to break down silos in your organization and uncover new insights so that you can improve your decision making.

Although the Adverity team will help onboard you onto their platform, you won’t get the tailored and guided expertise that you would get from an agency such as NP Digital. 

Here’s what makes Adverity one of the best analytic companies in 2020:

  • Cost – If you want to delve into the world of analytics but don’t have a significant budget, Adverity will have you covered (to an extent). Their pricing works on a custom quote which is influenced by your industry, the size of your business, and what data sources you want to tap into. Keep in mind however that you won’t be getting the expert guidance of an agency partner like NP Digital or Artefact.
  • Holistic data analysis – Adverity has one of the largest data connector libraries on the market. You will be able to connect all of your data sources including your CRM, backend database, website analytics, and advertising. They’re always adding new integrations, so if you have a specific need they may be able to customize that for you.
  • Great reviews – On the software review platform G2, Adverity currently has a 4.5/5 star rating, with over 100 reviews. The reviews reflect a variety of businesses and use cases – from marketing agencies to political scientists. One of the most common aspects that reviewers noted is how great the connectivity of the platform is. 

Who should work with Adverity:

Adverity is best suited to small and medium-sized businesses who may not have the budget to work closely with an analytics partner. 

Keep in mind that as you will not have expert guidance, your marketing team will have to figure out how to make sense of all of your data, which is no easy task. 

Conclusion

If you leverage the research we’ve done for you in this article, you won’t have much trouble finding the right analytics company to work with. 

Regardless of your choice, remember that the goal of analytics is to inform your marketing strategy.

But data alone won’t guarantee that your digital marketing strategy will be successful. It must always be paired with creative ideas and rigorous execution. 

To ensure you can’t go wrong when picking an analytics partner, always keep the end goal of increasing conversions in mind.

The post The 3 Best Analytics Companies of 2020 appeared first on Neil Patel.





SEO

via Neil Patel https://neilpatel.com

September 28, 2020 at 04:02PM
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