In this original research, we look at how often Google rewrites our title tags in the SERP, and what our target length should be to avoid getting rewritten. | Continue reading
As marketers during uncertain times, our efforts should aim to build trust with our stakeholders; here's how we're doing that at Portent. | Continue reading
Like any nerd worth a damn, I like to plan for the zombie apocalypse. I know whose house I’ll go to (he has guns and edged weapons). I know what vehicles I’ll take (bicycles, duh). I know my weapon of choice (a shovel – perfect for the spearing brain smash). But I have a new… Rea … | Continue reading
Step-by-step instructions showing how to code and launch a GDPR-compliant cookie consent form using Google Tag Manager. GTM fires tracking cookies only after the user consents. | Continue reading
If you’re thinking of running a global remarketing campaign through AdWords or Google Display Network, make sure you use both positive and negative location targets to prevent something like this from happening to your business or your clients. | Continue reading
The new maximum length for a snippet in Google search results is 320 characters (with spaces and snippet features) so, I recommend a length of 300 characters for a Meta Description. And, if you want Google to actually use your Meta Descriptions, write them to better answer user q … | Continue reading
As marketers, we're asked to lead, but we're not in charge. So our great marketing recommendations often decay in a client's rubbish heap. If we want to show real leadership, we have to establish frictionless clarity. Learn how in this post. | Continue reading
Pagination can seem like a trivial detail, but if you're investing countless hours into producing killer content that falls further and further into obscurity, it's time to take a harder look at this important tool for organizing your website. | Continue reading
Code freeze or not -- For most businesses, taking your eye off of e-commerce SEO during holiday to focus on ”more important things” can cause an organic visibility dip at the most important shopping time of the year. | Continue reading
It’s no secret that Amazon ramps up its SEM competitive presence during the holiday shopping season – beginning heavily in November, through December. But just how big of a slice is Amazon taking from your holiday pie? | Continue reading
59 pet peeves and things I hated in digital marketing, way back in 2008. Updated in 2017. It holds up pretty well. Check it out. | Continue reading
Preface: This blog post is one in a series of articles that Portentites produced in a pair-writing experiment. It’s a little more broad than usual because it represents two subject matter experts from different practice areas, coming together to combine their knowledge for a broa … | Continue reading
This might sound like Facebook running away from accountability for end-results but it’s worth looking at the Why and the What of these changes. | Continue reading
Having content ideas is great. Having ideas backed by numbers is better. Here are 4 reports in Google Analytics that lead to better content strategy. | Continue reading
I recently developed a comprehensive questionnaire to determine whether you should move your site to HTTPS. If you can answer "YES" to any of these, switch. | Continue reading
I've fallen in love with Atom as a Markdown editor. This is my quick and dirty guide to installing and configuring my environment | Continue reading
This post walks through how law firms and other professional services companies can use PPC for more *profitable* lead generation | Continue reading
This is another excerpt from an upcoming e-book on finding actionable, cross-channel opportunities in your data. We use Google Analytics (GA) for this, but you can use any platform. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: The tool you use isn’t as important as the discipline of c … | Continue reading
At Portent, we often get asked to advise on the ideal marketing team structure. We all know "it depends". But today we look at marketing leadership lessons. | Continue reading
More than half of internet shoppers go directly to Amazon instead of starting with a search engine like Google when they are looking to make a purchase. Time to sharpen the strategy and focus on creating serious visibility for your product listings. | Continue reading
We interrupt your regularly scheduled blog to bring you this Halloween-themed SEO lesson. When your team is full of brilliant SEOs and digital marketers, Halloween bake-offs (and pretty much every other holiday function) risk getting into the deep end of the nerd pool pretty quic … | Continue reading
Improve page speed using Chrome's Code Coverage Report. Use it to remove dead code and improve rendering time. | Continue reading
Greetings, ACP-LS folks! Here’s my deck and links: Send me questions on Twitter. I love it! Me, on LinkedIn AnswerThePublic provides content ideas Atom.io is the best text editor ever Canva helps with graphics creation Grammarly is a decent quick proofreading tool Hemingway helps … | Continue reading
Remarketing is an essential strategy for just about every AdWords account imaginable. Here are the 9 audiences every marketer should be using in 2017 | Continue reading
What if you took all that "time saved" from marketing automation and reinvested it in the most critical plans, skills, and habits of successful digital marketers? | Continue reading
Google Optimize is a fantastic platform for A/B testing, but it's got a few lessons that most learn the hard way. Analytics Strategist Ian Barrett, and Content Strategist Cate McGehee share some of the lessons they learned the hard way so you don't have to. | Continue reading
Follow these time-tested, basic rules to create better, more effective banner ads every time. | Continue reading
My Swivel presentation all about marketing worldbuilding: Marketing Worldbuilding: Collaborative Storytelling for Digital from Ian Lurie The Links More links coming later, but for now: AnswerThePublic.com is the standard for questions and interests research. Buzzsumo question sea … | Continue reading
Observations from a front-line advertiser who's worked hands-on with both sides. | Continue reading
Here are the slides and links from my Marketing Profs B2B Summit talk today. I talked about content for teams of one, or just a few, or big teams that just don’t have enough resources. Ask me questions in the comments, or tweet me at @portentint. Links AnswerThePublic provides co … | Continue reading
If you’re in the mobile gaming industry, you’ve probably heard the term “whale” on a regular basis. If your game-designer jargon is rusty, a “whale” is simply a user that spends a lot of money. GameAnalytics has a great deep dive on the topic. Generally, whales are a small portio … | Continue reading
If you've overhauled your site to improve page speed, but you're noticing a trend in the wrong direction, this checklist runs through the most common culprits and how to solve them. | Continue reading
Content is what ranks, not keywords. Start with the substance of your site and then figure out how to make it more visible. | Continue reading
Every year, new SEO trends rise, fall, or keep crawling along. From TFIDF to javascript frameworks, these are the ones that have to go. | Continue reading
Events are a fantastic SEO opportunity, but so many marketers miss the boat for both immediate visibility and long-term SEO gains. Here's a practical guide that will help you nail both. | Continue reading
Something my grad school professor said changed the way I've thought about brainstorming forever. Now it's the best thing I can tell anyone else. | Continue reading
Blink. Rub your eyes. You didn't read wrong. You didn't stare at yesterday's eclipse through defective glasses. It's true. Portent's in the process of being acquired. Like an avowed bachelor, I swore I Would Never Sell. Then along came the perfect partner. Welcome to Clearlink Ou … | Continue reading
Understanding your brand’s voice and tone is crucial to connecting with your audience. Here are 2 exercises to create a Voice and Tone Guide. | Continue reading
Where do analytics professionals start when they go to assess your digital marketing mix for the first time? | Continue reading
Does your brand have any registered, copyrighted or trademarked terms? If so, you should absolutely include the symbol in your text ads for improved performance. Yes! These little guys: ® © ™ This is not a new tactic in PPC ads by any means, but so many businesses aren’t taking a … | Continue reading
Don't dive into content creation before you've done the work of customer alignment. Instead, create personas. | Continue reading
No more excuses. These strategies to drive online visibility for your local business cost nothing but a little bit of time and effort. | Continue reading
Forget keyword rankings, focus on user intent, and conduct competitive analysis using social engagement, user research, and cognitive content walkthroughs. | Continue reading
The ROI of content can be a maddeningly long game. But just because it’s messy doesn’t mean it’s not measurable. Our guide to 15 Content KPIs can help. | Continue reading
Forget the unicorns. What content needs is more badgers. Badgers do great work in an imperfect world. Links and slides from my Mozcon 2017 talk. | Continue reading
The whole Portent team started writing digital marketing haiku. Here's the fascinating result. You won't believe what happened!!! | Continue reading
Here are my suggested must-use AdWords features for better PPC results without over-extending yourself. | Continue reading
Portent has always had a fast site, but last week we implemented HTTP/2. A look at why, how, and when you should implement HTTP/2 to increase performance. | Continue reading