2019 is finally here, and we can barely contain our excitement.
At the beginning of a new year, now is the time to take a look back and see how we got here. We think about our successes, our triumphs, and the challenges we had to overcome.
But for you, we’ve put together our most popular marketing blog posts of 2018!
In case you missed them before, check out these gems chosen by our readers:
#10 – 3 Amazing Excel Tricks for Digital Marketers
Analyzing lots of data can be a big component of the job for most digital marketers. Any seasoned, data-driven marketing pro will rely on their trusty Swiss Army knife for data—Microsoft Excel.
Most marketers will have their favorite go-to formulas and methods for analyzing data, but there’s always room for better efficiency.
Over the years, we’ve compiled a few Excel tricks that belong in everyone’s arsenal. See our three advanced solutions to common Excel problems any marketer can use.
#9 – Facebook Pages vs. Facebook Groups: A Guide for Businesses
When using Facebook as a tool for engaging audiences, organic posting is certainly not what it once was.
Always on the lookout for new ways to connect with Facebook users, marketers and businesses may be curious about leveraging Facebook Groups.
If you want to explore a new method of reaching your target audience through Facebook Groups, then this post is a must-read.
#8 – 8 Marketing Strategies for Rehabs Now That SAMHSA Occupies 44K Top Rankings
Even if you’re not involved in the addiction treatment industry, we went deep on this one.
Back in March 2018, Google began favoring the National Helpline page provided by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) as one of the top three search results for high volume keywords like:
- “AA meetings near me” — 90,500 monthly searches
- “Xanax withdrawal” — 12,100 monthly searches
- “drug rehab” — 9,900 monthly searches
Similar to the “Your Money, Your Life” (YMYL) Google update in August which impacted personal finance and health-focused websites, addiction treatment centers were left to figure out how to move forward. In this comprehensive post, our own Jonathan Bentz dives into what these facilities can do to regain much of that lost traffic.
#7 – The CMO’s PPC Score Card Cheat Sheet
One of the perks of using pay-per-click advertising (PPC) is that Google and other search platforms provide loads of different metrics to help marketers maximize their PPC campaigns.
With so many metrics, it can get overwhelming if you don’t spend most of your day on these platforms.
To help CMOs increase their understanding of search advertising, check out our handy infographic where we break down six high priority PPC metrics.
#6 – Why LinkedIn is Messing Up Your Analytics Traffic Data (And How to Fix It)
Few things are as aggravating as when your traffic in Google Analytics becomes unreliable.
You want to resolve any issues with your Google Analytics data. There is no telling if it’s temporary or if something bigger is afoot. Traffic data is vital to judging performance on any website, so it’s best to try and figure out what’s happening.
In this post by Stephanie Mahnken, we look at one reason why your data might be messed up—LinkedIn.
#5 – Facebook Algorithm Change 2018: What This Means for Brands
Nearly a year ago, Facebook announced yet another change to its proprietary News Feed algorithm.
With growing distrust from users and governing bodies around the world, Facebook’s latest algorithm update aims to combat the rise of fake news and “engagement bait.”
To learn more about the changes to Facebook’s News Feed, be sure to check out this post.
#4 – How to Respond When a Competitor Targets Your Brand Name in Search
Branded search engine ranking positions (aka SERPs) can make or break your online presence within your market and your customers’ minds.
Targeting competitor brand names have become an increasingly common tactic in digital marketing. Your competitors can essentially poach potential customers by leveraging a brand you’ve taken years to build.
If competitors are capitalizing on your branded searches, we’ve put together a guide on how to respond to take back what’s yours.
#3 – Image SEO: Does Alt Text Still Matter?
Optimizing images to drive traffic has been on the mind of savvy marketers ever since image search results debuted in 2001.
If it’s been a while since you brushed up on your search engine optimization (SEO) ranking factors, you may be asking yourself:
“Does alt text still matter?”
Spoiler alert—they certainly do!
Here’s a look at the how to approach alt text, the history of Google Image Search, and how a green Versace dress was the genesis for all of the above.
#2 – How to Protect Your Brand & Save Money on Google’s Display Network
With more than a million websites across the globe, the Google Display Network huge. Its size is one of the main reasons why display and retargeting campaigns are such strong marketing tools.
However, there are thousands of websites which brands will just not want to use for their display ads.
Seasoned digital marketers may know how to exclude these irrelevant or low-quality sites. Most even have their preferred list of websites on which to block ad placements. For those with less Google Ads experience, creating an exclusion list can be a manual and painstaking process.
That is until we put together the web’s most comprehensive list of website exclusions! If you leverage the Google Display Network, this post is for you.
#1 – How to Track Users Across Subdomains (Without Going Insane)
And in the number one spot as our most popular blog post from 2018, team member Adam Roth put together an awesome guide to tracking users across subdomains.
It’s no surprise why so many of our readers enjoyed this post. Subdomain tracking in Google Analytics is both complicated and a major pain to set up.
Even Google offers little insights on how to correctly implement subdomain tracking. You’ll want to bookmark this one, so check out our post if you want to learn more.
Here’s to an Amazing 2019!
We published some of our best content to date in 2018. As for this year, we plan to do more of the same.
If you haven’t already, we encourage you to sign-up for our email newsletter where every month you’ll get a digest of our best posts—straight to your inbox.
What were some of your favorite digital marketing blog posts from 2018?
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