Back in February, distributed articles on Linkedin was the interesting issue. Linkedin had at long last opened up their distributed stage to all clients, which would help them showcase content and enhance their validity. Sadly, a lot of people are even now having some difficulty making this alternative truly work and getting that perceivability that each article needs to flourish. 

Linkedin is an incredible spot to distribute articles, it simply isn't an extraordinary spot to distribute any old article you have lying around. You ought to have a method and consider what sorts of substance work best for Linkedin on the off chance that you truly need to discover achievement.

Read More : Search Engine Watch

Twitter recently started expanding photos in the feed, and marketers have jumped all over it. From engaging charts and infographics to mesmerizing photography, the photo update has made Twitter a much more visually stimulating platform. Photos are better storytellers, so it’s no surprise to see engagement on these types of posts outperform that of links and regular tweets.

Although photo tweets do a great job captivating our audiences, it can be a challenge for social media marketers to schedule visual content ahead of time. Platforms like Hootsuite let you schedule photo tweets, but they don’t appear expanded in the feed like a direct upload would. Look, see for yourself.

The direct upload looks much better, right? That’s because it auto-expands. Fortunately there’s a way to schedule photo tweets on Twitter so that the image still auto-expands. The trick is doing it through the native scheduling client.

Here’s how you schedule a photo tweet from the native Twitter client:

• Log into your Twitter account.
• Click the "settings and help" gear in the top right corner.
• Select "Twitter Ads".
• Create a new post by clicking the blue button with the white feather on it (top right, in between the bell and the "help").
• After the "new tweet" box appears, click on the camera.
• Select a photo.
• Type the text of your tweet.
• Click "scheduling".
• Set the time (note: the time is in PT, so adjust accordingly)
• Hit "schedule tweet".
• Select "view scheduled tweet" to make sure that everything worked.

If you don't have access to Twitter ads, you can sign up here.

If you have any other Twitter tricks, feel free to share them in the comments.

Source Link:-  Search Engine Watch

Have you ever made a spelling mistake or grammatical error on a social media post? Frustrating, right?

It's even more frustrating if you're a brand on Instagram because, unlike Facebook, there's no built-in text editing function on Instagram. When you make a mistake in the copy of an Instagram post, most social media marketers delete the post, edit it, and then re-post.

Although this tactic technically works, you lose track of the "likes" and comments that occurred on the post prior to its deletion. Fortunately, I've found an easy way to edit post copy on Instagram without losing engagement. Here's how the process works on an iPhone.

• Open Instagram.
• Pull up the photo with the spelling mistake.
• Click "comment".
• Swipe right over the original post copy (a red trash can and an arrow should appear).
• Click the red trash can to delete the copy.
• Confirm the delete.
• Add a new comment (the new comment should be the new post copy).
• Click "send".
• Go back to see the updated version of the post copy.

If there are already several comments on the post before you edit it, the updated post copy might not appear at the top of the comments. The only way around this is to delete the comments above your updated post copy, but I don't recommend doing this. Your followers might get upset if you delete a comment, but they won't be upset if the post copy appears a few lines lower than it normally does.

Instagram prides itself on being simple, and that's part of the reason users love it. From a brand marketing perspective, this simplicity can often make things challenging.

Hopefully Instagram will give us an even easier way to edit posts in the near future. It would also be great to have a scheduling function, clickable text, and a more robust analytics suite.

What else would you like to see from Instagram that might help with social media marketing?

Source Link:-  Search Engine Watch

The SEO industry moves quickly. Those of us who work in the industry are always trying to adapt and keep up with best practices. Due to the nature of our niche, we can sometimes get ahead of ourselves in the search for the next big industry shift.

Right now there is a lot of talk about Google using social signals as a ranking factor. However, the truth is social signals are easier to manipulate than links. While social metrics are important and they provide value outside of SEO, there are a number of pitfalls regarding their use as a ranking signal for search.

Links remain at the core of Google's search algorithm and continue to be the driving force behind rankings. Due to the pitfalls associated with using social as a ranking signal, links remain the best factor for determining visibility online.

Pitfalls of Using Social as a Ranking Signal

First off, let's make this clear – Google does not use social metrics for search ranking. Google's Distinguished Engineer Matt Cutts explains this in a recent Google Webmaster Help video.

Furthermore, Amit Singhal, Chief of Google Search, reinforced this in his SMX 2014 keynote.

Again, social metrics (such as +1s, retweets, likes, etc.) certainly are useful and valuable in their own regard, but there are some potential pitfalls to using them as a ranking factor. These pitfalls include:

• Social metrics are easy to manipulate.
• Google doesn't have/could lose access to crawl the data of external social platforms.
• Lacking universal adoption on their own platform (Google+).

1. Social Metrics are Easy to Manipulate

One of the biggest reasons that social metrics can't be used as a viable ranking factor is that they can be easily manipulated.

While links continue to be the principal ranking factor Google uses, manipulation has been an on-going problem with them as well. Cutts is constantly battling the spammers and black hats that pollute the web and give white hat link builders a bad name.

Using links as the primary ranking factor does leave room for manipulation, but the problem with social metrics is they are even easier to manipulate than links.

I mean seriously, how hard is it to create a fake social profile?

In 2012, it was estimated that Facebook had roughly 83 million fake/duplicate accounts and researchers suggested that 1 in 10 Twitter accounts are fake in this recent post.

This leaves a lot of room for manipulation.

Along with creating fake profiles, it's also possible to manipulate social data through bots or automated tools. Using automated software, spammers can generate thousands of likes, +1's, favorites, etc. in a matter of minutes.

As Google continuously battles link spam and adds to their link schemes document, it seems unlikely that they would want to implement a ranking factor that is even easier to game.

2. Google Doesn't Have Full Access to External Social Platforms

Another challenge to using social metrics for ranking is that Google doesn't have full access to crawl the data on external social platforms.

"We're not using [social signals from Twitter or Facebook] right now," Singhal said at SMX West. "We don't have access to the Twitter data, so you can imagine how hard it would be to build a system that relies on those signals."

It's apparent that Google isn't confident using data they don't have full access to crawl as a ranking signal. Even if Google were to gain full access, using social data for rankings still remains problematic – as Google could lose access at a moment's notice.

In fact, this actually has happened before.

Back in 2011, Google was blocked from their special feed to Twitter data after a deal they had with Twitter expired. Google spent a lot of engineering time on that data and once they were blocked, all their work became useless.

The risk of being blocked again has made Google hesitant to invest any more time and effort into using social metrics for rankings. Cutts actually referenced this uncertainty in the aforementioned video:

We have to crawl the web in order to find pages on those two web properties and we've had at least one experience where we were blocked from crawling for about a month and a half. And so the idea of doing a lot of special engineering work to try to extract some data from web pages when we might get blocked from being able to crawl those web pages in the future, is something where the engineers would to be a little bit leery about doing that.

These are some pretty clear indications from prominent Google employees that they lack the access necessary to confidently use social metrics from external platforms for rankings. In fact, there are even some issues with their own social platform – Google+.

3. Google+ Lacks Universal Adoption

Along with the concerns regarding external social data, Google also faces some challenges with their own social platform.

The main issue with using metrics from Google+ is that the platform lacks universal adoption. Although Google+ has been widely accepted within the SEO industry, reception among average internet users has been less enthusiastic. (Although Google+ is the fifth largest social platform, much of this has to do with the fact that a Google+ profile is created automatically with every Gmail account)

Even though Google has unfettered access to this data, the issue here becomes that not enough people use Google+ to legitimately use these metrics to determine rankings. Signals from Google+ simply don't provide a fair representation of the web's overall populace at this time.

That doesn't mean this couldn't change in the future though. Google does use metrics from Google+ for personalized results.

"We think about it from a user's perspective," Singhal said at SMX. "They're looking for high quality content generated by reputed people. We have the authorship program that allows that to happen. They're also looking for content from people they know, and we have the personalized results for that."

Why doesn't Google use more signals from Google+?

"We have found that use of social signals in personalized mode is far more positive than using in non-personal results," Singhal said.

The fact that Google is using these signals for ranking personalized results shows they want to factor social signals into ranking. However, they currently don't have the adoption rate needed to do so.

Links Remain the Best Ranking Factor

While social still has value, within search links are the strongest signal for determining visibility. Social offers another worthwhile marketing channel, but from an entirely SEO standpoint it has little to no direct value. Links STILL matter because they remain the best ranking factor in search.

Links are at the very core of Google's search algorithm - it was built on links. To this day, they remain the primary ranking factor because they provide the best search results. Recently, Cutts reaffirmed this in another Google Webmaster Help video.

In this video, Cutts explicitly states that backlinks "are still a really, really big win in terms of quality for search results."

Singhal also reiterated the importance of links at SMX.

"Links are clearly an important signal about the importance of your content," he said. "They're still very valuable. At the end of the day, we take a holistic look at the value of your site. We're looking to build algorithms that give users what they want."

As long as links are providing the best results in terms of quality, they will remain the chief factor in determining rankings in the SERPs.

Social Signals in Conjunction With Links

As I said before, there is value in social metrics and it is apparent that Google would like to factor them into ranking. While there are currently too many pitfalls to using them as a primary ranking factor, it could be possible that Google is working toward using them as a sort of secondary signal in conjunction with links in the future.

For instance, if a piece of content is garnering a high number of inbound links, but has very few social shares, this could raise suspicion.

On the other hand, if something is getting a large number of links and being widely shared via social, it provides more evidence that it is quality content. Google could potentially use social data to further validate quality and justify a higher position in the SERPs, but again this is clearly not feasible from an engineering standpoint at this time.

Although it isn't viable to employ social signals as a primary ranking factor by themselves, they could possibly be used in conjunction with links in the future.

It seems we in the SEO industry are constantly searching for the next big thing to replace links. However, Google built their algorithm around links and they remain the strongest ranking signal. It could be useful to reference social metrics along with links in the future, but currently there are too many pitfalls to viably use them for rankings.

Source Link:-  Search Engine Watch

It's that time of year again. The snow and ice are thawing in most places, and the greenery is returning. It's a time of new beginnings. A fresh start.

Use this seasonal motivation to get organized and bring some order to your brands' social media.

Social media is quickly evolving ecosystem, and throughout the year, most community managers are just looking to keep pace with a steady flow of posts, tweets, pins, pics, and videos. But, too often, we focus on the message and not necessarily the routine maintenance – it's like filling a car up with gas but never getting the oil changed or the tires rotated.

Armed with this social spring cleaning checklist, marketers can give their social profiles a deep cleaning and enter this new season with a tuned-up presence and strategy.

1. Revisit Goals and Assess Performance

An entire social media evaluation can seem like a daunting task. It's best to start at the basics with your goals. Think about social media in the big picture and determine what your organization is trying to accomplish.

Have the goals changed since the previous year? Does the social strategy reflect the current business plans?

Take a look at your analytics and be able to summarize growth, performance, engagement, and audience demographics by channel. In the end, your social plan should support the overall brand and objectives of the organization.

After assessing the full scope, dive into individual channels and understand the role of each through a comprehensive review of content and performance.

2. Audit Current Accounts

If you don't have a master list of all your social media profiles, now's the time to start one. Go through the list and log your last activity.

Are there any channels that have gone dormant? If so, it's time to trim the fat and focus on the accounts where you plan to dedicate time and energy.

Often times, as new channels appear, brands will land-grab to ensure they stake their claim on their name and not put much thought into the actual purpose of that profile. Make the decision to either shut down inactive accounts or develop a plan to revive your presence.

With your accounts all accounted for, it's time to review and optimize several key profile components:

Profile Descriptions

Social media profiles are an extension of a company's brand, so ensure consistent messaging across profiles.

The "About Me" section of a profile often gets neglected, so remember to update it with the most recent company information.

Use your company's boilerplate as a guide to filling out profile descriptions and work in keywords to drive an aligned message.

Know the fields and character limits you have to work with and adapt the message to fit the platform as needed.

Spend the time filling out the complete profile: link your website, add stores locations and contact information, and list links to your other profiles.

Images and Graphics

Social channels are constantly making updates to their platforms, and photos and images have been a big area for change. Social networks are getting onboard with bigger images dimensions to drive more visual appeal and consumer engagement.

When you're checking your brand's profile picture/avatar, cover photos, and background images, you'll want to make sure you're not just using the most current logo but that your eye-popping images fit the optimal dimensions.

Here are just a few examples of sizes recommended by social networks:

• 851 x 315 pixels (px) for Facebook cover photos,
• 1,252 x 626 px upload for Twitter header photos,
• 2,560 x 1,440 px for YouTube Channel art.

Do your homework and know your pixel parameters.

Fans and Followers

Businesses accumulate many social connections throughout the year. Go through your lists on outlets like Twitter and Google+ and connect with engaged users. Research thought leaders and influencers in your industry and follow them. Clean out the clutter too and remove any inactive profiles – check out some tools that can help you automate and manage Twitter followers, for example.

Not all networks allow brands to "follow" fans. On Facebook, consider liking other relevant pages (ie, other companies/divisions that might fall under your parent company, partners you work with, or influential spokespeople) and adding "Pages to Watch" – a way to track competitors and compare performance.

3. Explore New Options

Once you've updated your current profiles, it's time to evaluate whether you want to invest in new channels. Take your visuals to the next level with Pinterest, Vine, or Instagram, and consider contributing to conversations on Quora.

Pay attention to up and comers, like Whisper and Secret, which made a lot of noise at SXSW. While no formal opportunities are available to marketers on these apps just yet, keep an eye out. Marketers don't need to jump on every social opportunity available in the market, but they should be aware and select to explore the outlets that make sense for their brand.

Beyond the new, check in and see if you're missing out on any current network features or updates. Did you know that LinkedIn is sunsetting its "Products and Services Page" for Company Pages on April 14 and that Showcase Pages are a good alternative option?

Finally, take some steps to ensure your audience is connecting with you (and you're connecting with them!):

• Implement social sharing buttons on your website and blog; if you already have them, see how they are performing and optimize them if necessary.
• Test messages across platforms and understand what content people are responding to.
• Boost your credibility with a verified account.

4. Make Maintenance Part of the Regular Routine

Instead of a once-a-year effort, try spending a few hours every couple of months to some do some social housekeeping. Taking the time to check-in on social will pay off in the long run by creating an engaging environment for current fans and followers and making a strong impression on new, potential customers.

Source Link:-  Search Engine Watch

When Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan first announced plans to "eradicate" Twitter, in response to leaks and criticism of the government made through Twitter, it got many people's attention about whether he would follow through, especially because Twitter has such high penetration in the country – eighth in the world. But a few hours later, the answer became clear. Users in Turkey could no longer access Twitter through normal means.

When users in Turkey tried to access Twitter, they instead saw a statement that was posted by Turkey's telecommunications regulator (TIB), the Guardian reported.

The statement cited four court orders as the basis for blocking the site, where some users in recent weeks have posted voice recordings and documents purportedly showing evidence of corruption among Erdoğan's inner circle. It said that action had been taken against Twitter as a "protection measure".

It didn't take long for Twitter users to find workarounds to continue accessing Twitter. Graffiti on buildings with instructions on how to access Twitter began showing up in Turkey, to spread the word on how to access Twitter despite the ban. Even Google's Matt Cutts tweeted with instructions on using Google's DNS in order to access sites.

Google Public DNS is fast with great uptime. Use 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 as your DNS servers.

— Matt Cutts (@mattcutts) March 21, 2014

Code that was found in graffiti form in Istanbul:

Ha ha.. Grafiti for @Twitter workaround. Change your DNS settings to keep your "bird" singing pic.twitter.com/uNJTE87TgM

— Gulay Ozkan (@gulayozkan) March 21, 2014

Twitter also posted instructions for Turkish users on how to tweet via SMS:

Turkish users: you can send Tweets using SMS. Avea and Vodafone text START to 2444. Turkcell text START to 2555.

— Policy (@policy) March 20, 2014

Turkish users with a VPN were also able to circumvent the Turkish Twitter ban.

However, Turkey later tightened up many of the alternative ways that users were utilizing to circumvent the ban, according to the Guardian:

Initially, Turkish internet service providers (ISPs) were simply redirecting traffic to a government webpage by forcing the DNS servers, which send to the correct IP addresses for the site they are trying to access, to redirect away from Twitter's homepage.

Now, however, ISPs have begun blocking the IP addresses used by Twitter themselves, according to an analysis carried out by internet monitoring firm Renesys. And a Turkish government webpage confirmed the block, citing court orders.

Publicly, the Turkish Prime Minister has said the ban was over content on Twitter that the company refused to remove from Twitter – specifically content that insulted Turkish citizens, although those citizens are primarily Erdoğan and his political allies.

However, many people believe the heart of the Twitter ban issue is over politically motivated leaks that targeted the Prime Minister and his political party that cast them in a very negative light, reported the Washington Post. The timing of the ban was also suspect – just days before local elections.

Erdoğan's Twitter crackdown appears to be specifically targeting the alleged leaks, in particular one anonymous account named Haramzadeler, (which apparently is translated as "Sons of Thieves" but could also mean "bastard") and another called Bascalan ("Prime Thief," a play on the Turkish word for prime minister), according to Bloomberg. Erdoğan has also threatened to ban Facebook and YouTube, two other services which he says are being used to share recordings that damage his government, be they real or fake.

However, Turkish President Abdullah Gül is against the ban, and has also flouted the ban by tweeting himself, decrying the move as unacceptable.

In a series of messages posted on Twitter, he said: "The shutdown of an entire social platform is unacceptable. Besides, as I have said many times before, it is technically impossible to close down communication technologies like Twitter entirely. I hope this measure will not last long."

He also expressed hope that the ban would be over "soon".

"I believe this problem will be over soon," Gul told reporters. "This is of course an unpleasant situation for such a developed country as Turkey, which has weight in the region and which is negotiating with the European Union."

However, Erdoğan promptly responded with comments about how he can't understand those who defend social media platforms, stating, "I cannot understand how sensible people still defend Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. They run all kinds of lies."

His comments also raise concern about whether Erdoğan would next ban Facebook and YouTube in his assault on social media. There are also confirmed reports that Twitter has since hired a Turkish lawyer to facilitate negotiations with Turkey.

Source Link:-  Search Engine Watch