The Entrepreneur’s Checklist to Selling Online from Weebly (website platform)

We’ve been talking about which website platforms are best for entrepreneurs and while comparing, came across this great checklist on getting started with your business. It’s from Weebly, so know that they’re trying to sell you on using their services (again, check out our comparison post here) but it’s got great info – here’s the entire article:

The Entrepreneur’s Checklist to Selling Online

Here you’ll find 10 easy steps to get set up for success selling online:

  1. Secure a Domain
  2. Select a Theme
  3. Add Products to Your Website
  4. Set Up Your Store Page
  5. Organize Your Store
  6. Set Up Taxes
  7. Set Up Shipping
  8. Develop Your Branding
  9. Market Your Store
  10. Savor the Experience

As always, let us know if you have any questions and check out the full list here: The Entrepreneur’s Checklist to Selling Online

May Digital Marketing Newsletter

We’re still waiting for summer here in Minnesota and have been paying attention to Google’s big marketing updates; you can catch up on their announcements here: https://adsonair.withgoogle.com/events/marketinglive Here’s what we’re keeping an eye on and what we’re reading for fun:

Game of Thrones: 
Disappointed in the ending? Most people seem to be. Check out this John Hughes-type alternate ending; it made me laugh: http://bit.ly/2QiARjO

PPC – Google Ads: 
Key Takeaways from the Google Marketing Live Talks including shopping campaigns & discovery campaigns: http://bit.ly/2WkvMgw
3 Most Common eCommerce Advertising Mistakes (and how to stay away from them): http://bit.ly/2WfaroJ
Performance Planner now live in Google Ads: Shows predicted impact of campaign changes on conversions, clicks, more: https://selnd.com/2HNrCo8
10 Visual AdWords Reports You Could Be Using: http://bit.ly/30zHeUR

Social Media:
The Beginners Guide to Marketing Automation: http://bit.ly/2EvtW2e
Does Vertical Video Make a Difference? http://bit.ly/2VHEst0
Instagram’s Explore Page Now Includes Stories: http://bit.ly/2QibAWQ
Facebook curb the hate (or tries to): https://engt.co/2YLzWf0
Speaking of hate – Facebook introduces ‘one strike’ policy to combat abuse of its live-streaming service: https://tcrn.ch/2YFd6W8
Facebook feeds may be getting another update – stories and posts together?  https://tcrn.ch/2wfG5DT
Plan Like the Pros: How to Create a Storyboard for Instagram Stories (+ Free Template): http://bit.ly/2HwmKoa

Search Engine Optimization: 
Image SEO: Optimizing images for search engines: http://bit.ly/2EsA1w6
Top Three Things A Developer Can Do For Search Rankings Don’t Include Links: http://bit.ly/30F3WLk​
12 reasons your SEO traffic is plateauing and how to fix it: http://bit.ly/2X0yd51
7 Proven SEO Reporting Best Practices That Boost Client Retention: http://bit.ly/2WX09Xg

Local Search: 
Step up your favicon game. Google is making a minor tweak to its search design: http://bit.ly/2X32u2X
Google My Business Suggests Positive Reviews to Share as Posts: http://bit.ly/30HHDoj

What else we’re reading: 
Fake pictures of faces are getting much harder to detect: http://bit.ly/2VWzxt1
Can you spot the real face versus the computer generated face? We passed with 90% but think we’ll do even better after we read the tutorial. Check out the test: http://www.whichfaceisreal.com/
Speaking of fakes, can you tell when you’re reading a fake review on Amazon? Or on any site? Run it through here: https://www.fakespot.com/
Random good news? You can now take your Amazon returns to Kohls: https://tcrn.ch/2YJqWHc
And finally, who doesn’t want more 🙃 emojis to communicate? Here’s an 🥳 Emoji Keyboard so you can include even more: 😮 http://bit.ly/2M32Sxg 🚀🥳 🎶♻️😁

Our spring digital marketing classes are closed for the semester. If you’re interested in Custom Training or Google Ads Audits, please let us know!  Join us online: Twitter/DQ — Facebook — Instagram — LinkedIn Student Alumni Group

Digital Marketing Newsletter March 2019

We’re hunkered down against the April MN snow/hail storm-blizzard catching up on what’s new in digital marketing. Here’s what we’re reading while we wait for the storm to pass and the snow to melt:

PPC: 
Avoid the 8 most common pitfalls of automated bidding- we’ve never been huge fans of automated bidding, here’s how you can use it wisely: https://selnd.com/2Ubr92U
Are Dynamic Ad Varieties A Waste Of Your Time? https://selnd.com/2IgZM6e
Winning on Amazon: Here are 3 strategies that can help: https://mklnd.com/2Ks77BL
1,100+ Kids YouTube Channels to Exclude From Your Video Campaigns: http://bit.ly/2UcqoH5

Social Media – Facebook is taking transparency seriously. Here are some of their updates: 
Facebook launches searchable transparency library of all active ads (including Donald Trumps election ads): https://tcrn.ch/2uVZ45M
Facebook shows users when a Custom Audience list was uploaded: https://mklnd.com/2Z53jtx
Facebook to replace Exclude Categories with new brand safety ad filters: https://mklnd.com/2Itk9MW
Remove, Reduce, Inform: FB’s New Steps to Manage Problematic Content on their platforms including Facebook/Instagram: http://bit.ly/2X5Sp58

Search Engine Optimization: 
How to Approach Technical SEO in a New Light: http://bit.ly/2UudCsp
How To Boost the SEO of Your Organization’s LinkedIn Page: http://bit.ly/2USYKTK

Google Analytics – GTM – Data Studio: 
Year In Review Template For Google Data Studio from our own DQ instructor Jeff Sauer of Jeffalytics: http://bit.ly/2VFadU3
How to calculate Conversion Rates in Google Data Studio: http://bit.ly/2UHpBlV
Here’s how to use Google Tag Manager’s new Trigger Groups – This update offers a new way to manage how often, and under what circumstances, a tag will fire in GTM: https://selnd.com/2UtgeXq
How to Export Data from Google Analytics and Search Console (without 3rd Party Software): http://bit.ly/2UthE4c

What else we’re reading: 
How Technology is Hijacking Your Mind — from a Magician and Google Design Ethicist: http://bit.ly/2P7tBXG

Also, our spring digital marketing classes are starting in less then a week and there’s still time to save! Sign up today and get 10% off your registration with promo code SPRINGSAVINGS. Quick reminder ] that most of our classes will only be offered in spring 2019. Don’t miss out!

Search Engine Optimization (Spring 2019 only)
Learn how to optimize your website to get to the top of search engines organically.
April 17 & 24

Jeff Sauer’s Google Marketing Platform Series (Spring 2019 only)
Whether you’re new to Google Analytics or looking to dig deep into GTM or Data Studio, this will be Jeff’s only training session with us this year so be sure to join us!
Intro to Google Analytics – May 1
Google Tag Manager – May 8
Google Data Studio – May 15

Social Media Advertising
Learn how to create and optimize social media advertising campaigns on the platforms that will perform best for your company.
Apri 18 & 25

Google Ads (AdWords) Complete Series (Spring 2019 only)
From set-up to optimization plus all that’s new in AdWords (which is a lot), learn how to improve your ROI and get better results from your ads.
May 2, 9, & 16

If you’ve thought about learning new skills or refreshing your current digital marketingskills, spring 2019 is the time to do it!
Here’s a screenshot of where to enter promo code SPRINGSAVINGS.
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How to Combat Ageism in Your Job Search

The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA) was passed to protect workers from ageism in the workplace. But, unfortunately, this type of discrimination still occurs within organizations and, possibly even more so, within hiring practices today. Why? Because hiring discrimination is difficult to prove.

So, how can you fight age discrimination before a hiring manager, recruiter, or HR professional dismisses your candidacy based on your age? Here are 8 ways to combat ageism in your job search:

The Basics

1. Don’t Let Your Email Address Be The First Barrier.

It’s possible that, at some point in your life, you’ve created an email address using your birth year, graduation year, or some other significant date or year. Instead of using your johndoe1967@hotmail.com address when you’re on the job hunt, opt for a cleaner firstname.lastname@xxx.com address to utilize for professional purposes.

2. Dates of Graduation? Leave Them Off Your Resume.

There’s no need to share this information until it’s time for a background check. You’ve earned your degree (and maybe an even a higher level of education) so there’s no reason that the date of your graduation should hinder the possibility of you receiving an interview. The fix is simple – leave the dates of graduation off your resume.

3. Your Resume Is a Marketing Tool – Not An Autobiography.

This is where things can get tricky because you can’t skip the dates of employment on your resume – it would lead to all sorts of possible questions on the employer’s end. And, being that you have a lot of experience, you probably want to share it all with a potential employer. Here are some things you can do instead:

  • Only focus on the last 10-15 years
  • Showcase knowledge about the latest industry trends/topics
  • List up-to-date certifications
  • Demonstrate how you’ve become a leader in the space

The Details

4. Showcase Your Ability to Adapt.

5. Continue to Find New Ways to Grow & Develop.

6. Network, Network, Network!

7. Look for Opportunities Share Your Knowledge.

8. Believe Your Experience is an Advantage – Not a Liability.

This article comes from our friends at the marketing staffing firm Celarity. Go here to read the entire 8 tips and find out more about job searching and fighting ageism in the job-search environment.

Looking for more information on overcoming barriers to your job search? Check out the Celarity Blog’s Career Advice and Job Seeker categories!

Google Images news: Captions now added to images, pulled from the page title tag

To add more context to image results, Google will now display a caption with images in mobile Images search results.

Google Images search results continue to change and evolve and beginning today, Google Images results will now include captions for each image. This rollout is global and will be available for mobile browsers and the Google app (iOS and Android). The caption displayed with an image will be pulled from the title of the page that features the image.

As shown in the image below, the caption will be shown below the image and above the page URL.

Images from Google: without captions / with captions

From the Google announcement:

This extra piece of information gives you more context so you can easily find out what the image is about and whether the website would contain more relevant content for your needs.

When asked if these image titles might be rewritten by Google for display with images, a Google spokesperson said, “We use web titles right now, but we’re continually experimenting with ways to improve the experience.” I also asked if Google might at times use captions for the images from the publisher’s page instead of the title tag content and was advised, “Currently we use the web page’s title and nothing more.”

In discussing examples that, while they might be outliers, will likely exist, we inquired about relevancy between the page title tag and the image itself. I asked if quality issues (from the user perspective) arise from any disparity. I used a fictional example — say, there’s a page titled, “The best baby shoes ever” that includes pictures of baby shoes, but also a photo of the author’s Labrador retriever. A person searching “labrador retriever” and getting “The best baby shoes ever” title with the labrador image may assume there’s something wrong with the results.

In regard to this type of scenario, we asked whether any validation was being done between the evaluated content of the image and the content of the page title that would prevent the example above from being returned in a “labrador retriever” Google Images search. The spokesperson replied: “No changes to ranking for this launch. We already use a variety of signals from the landing page to help deliver the most relevant results possible for users.”

Again, this change is global, but only for mobile Google Images searches — via mobile browsers or the Google App. Read the full announcement here.

Digital Marketing Lunch Series-Free via Facebook Live

Digital Marketing Lunch Series-Free via Facebook Live – Fall 2017 

Join us as we dig deep into Google AdWords, Google Analytics, and Digital Marketing Strategies via Facebook Live. Check in from home or office as Ted Kozlowski, President of DemandQuest and International Digital Marketing Speaker tackles current best practices in  AdWords and Analytics.

Sept 14, 2018 – 12 pm Adwords Features + knowing which ones are worth implementing and trying out
Oct 12, 2018 – 12 pm Conversion Tracking & The failures of Google’s Attribution Modeling
Nov 9, 2018 – 12 pm Advanced remarketing – How to define audiences that actually care about your business

Register for free below and we’ll send you a reminder of the event and a link to our Facebook live page. All sessions will start at 12:00 pm and will be 25 minutes long with 15 minutes for Q & A.

A little more about your hosts:

  • With nearly 25 years in the business of Creating Happy Careers, Celarity is still growing. As the longest-standing staffing agency focusing where marketing and creative meet technology, Celarity understands how best to serve the local community.
  • The DemandQuest Marketing Institute is a Google Premier Partner and a school dedicated to marketing training and education. We pride ourselves on offering the most relevant, up-to-date information in a fun and casual environment. Our mission is to provide the planning, education, resources, and inspiration you need to gain control of your marketing and increase your sales