Years ago, one might reasonably separate the elements of Google’s results into distinct entities: Google News, Books, Videos, Images, Local… But today it’s near-impossible. The list of elements Google might show for a given query are so vast and varied that at the macro-level there’s really only three kinds of search results that matter: 1)
The Dirty Secret to Ranking #1 on Google (Part 2 of 3)
By Yesterday, we explored how Google puts their own products before any others, often regardless of quality. When they do, *even* when those results are superb, it discourages competition. Why bother building something better if Google’s going to send 70, 80, 90%+ of the search traffic to their own property? Today, we’ll look at how Google
The Dirty Secret to Ranking #1 on Google (part 1 of 3)
By For the last few years, I’ve had a tongue-in-cheek phrase on my official bio that reads: “If you feed him great pasta or great whisky, he’ll give you the cheat code to rank #1 on Google.” It’s mostly there because I dislike standard, overly formal, professional bios. But… not infrequently… someone (often a podcast host
SparkToro’s Statement on Racial Injustice
By SparkToro is a tiny company of just two people, Casey and Rand. Our small size does not preclude us from taking a role nor from an obligation to make the world around us more fair, equitable, and diverse. We are sickened by the persistent, pernicious racism and white supremacy that infects our country. We are
22 Minutes on Audience Intelligence: Slides, Video, & Q+A
By Last week, I was honored to join Jeff Sauer’s superb Data Driven U for a class on audience intelligence. And, thankfully, kindly, Jeff gave me permission to share our class and the subsequent Q+A on this blog. I think it’s invaluable, but frustratingly difficult to understand the answers to questions like: What can I learn
Why Marketing Flywheels Work
By The first few years of my career were awful. Drowning in debt, losing nine out of ten pitches for new business, failing to earn clients. It felt like nothing I did moved the needle until I started my blog and slowly, very slowly… things changed. Gradually, more and more people visited my website (seomoz.org, which
Want Your Content to Succeed? Make it Resonate with the Right Audience (no, not that one).
By You know the stats. 75% of content gets no links. 91% of content earns no Google traffic. 85%+ of content earns fewer than ten social shares. And we’re not even talking about all web content — just those pieces creators produced specifically to earn shares, links, rankings, and traffic. Tragically, much like the US economy,
How to Use Your First Ten SparkToro Searches
By Before SparkToro existed, the process of researching a brand’s audience was a frustrating one. I know, because I helped a lot of friends, especially those pursuing early stage ideas or launching new products. It took forever — usually months, sometimes 6+. The data was always self-reported (which meant it was often wrong). And scale was
How to Create a Launch Outreach List in <10 Minutes
By It’s crunch time. You’ve got an upcoming launch — a big piece of content, new research whitepaper, a brand new feature, product, or service — and you need to earn the attention of the right audience. The obvious channels: your own email list, social accounts, and blog will only get you so far. You need
SparkToro’s Finally Here
By Almost two years ago, Casey Henry and I joined forces on SparkToro in the hopes of solving a thorny, expensive, long-standing problem in the market research world: How to discover the publications & people that influence any group of people online. Though we’re launching at a very scary time in the world, we’re excited to