The post 25 Influential Women in Digital Marketing Who Rocked and Inspired in 2018 appeared first on Online Marketing Blog - TopRank®.
Volusion is a relative ‘newcomer’ for ecommerce websites & shopping cart software.
They might not be as notable as Shopify, but they pack Shopify-level features at competitive pricing.
Plus, their SEO options are no joke and can help your store bring in more traffic and sales.
As an ecommerce brand, you need organic traffic for your business to thrive.
Sure, you can get away with paid traffic for a while, but as you scale, that simply becomes a losing, uphill battle where you have to spend thousands upon thousands a week to see bottom-line impact.
Here is why Volusion is a great platform for ecommerce SEO and five different ways you can bring in more traffic from your store by using it.
Volusion is an ecommerce hosting platform with over 180,000 online stores being hosted using their technology.
With a focus on the small business, they represent amazing startups like Notch, Tiny House Coffee and Capital Teas.
Enter your email and instantly get a Volusion SEO Cheatsheet to ensure that your store is following SEO best practices.
If you aren’t familiar with building websites or coding and want a DIY-approach, Volusion has solid themes that rival Squarespace in beauty and BigCommerce in functionality:
Like most other ecommerce platforms out there, Volusion has you covered on integrations. Want to connect your email marketing, PayPal, Shippo, Stripe, or anything else? With Volusion, you can.
With inventory management, payment collection options, and unlimited product listing, you can host a store that sells a few products or a few hundred products.
So, what’s the pricing?
Volusion’s pricing is a bit different than other platforms. It’s meant to scale as your business grows, ensuring that you aren’t paying exorbitant fees while you are still in the startup phase.
As you can notice, payment options, product listings, storage, and many other features come included in all packages. Pricing will increase as your online sales increase.
As you scale up in revenue per year, you unlock more critical features with the better plans, like reviews, a dedicated success team, and more.
And the beauty of it is that Volusion’s success teams want you to succeed due to their pricing model.
Compared to BigCommerce, Shopify, and 3dcart, the pricing is very competitive.
One of the biggest selling points of Volusion is their themes. Not just because they are good looking, but because they have numerous in-house ecommerce CRO experts that have helped build them for sales-focused entrepreneurs.
While they only have a limited selection of themes, each is customizable with countless elements.
So, is Volusion any good for SEO?
Volusion is an optimization-focused ecommerce platform. It’s why their themes are designed for conversion rate improvement and why they have put time and effort into their tool stack.
With Volusion, standard SEO features you can expect are:
Search engine optimization is constantly changing.
Enter your email and instantly get a Volusion SEO Cheatsheet to ensure that your store is following SEO best practices.
There are between 500 and 600 algorithm changes to Google a year.
Volusion does a fantastic job of keeping their guides up to date, providing expert knowledge on almost any topic in ecommerce and SEO:
With over 200 existing guides on topics from data analysis to PPC to SEO to holiday marketing, you always have access to detailed information on improving your growth.
Plus, Volusion has a great track record of SEO success when you look at client case studies. In fact, Volusion actually offers professional marketing services beyond general hosting packages if businesses need help taking their sales to the next level.
For instance, one Volusion-backed store Boat Lift and Canopy was struggling to optimize their site’s product pages, metadata, and navigational UI with a conversion focus.
To combat this, they focused on on-page optimization to rank higher in search for their target keywords. Optimizing FAQs and articles on their site, they could drive huge increases in organic traffic.
The final nail on the head was implementing a content strategy on their blog to build brand awareness in their niche.
The results? They speak for themselves:
Volusion’s offering made it easy for Boat Lift and Canopy to implement SEO. Using Volusion Blog they easily started their own content machine that could pull organic traffic. With metadata optimization, targeting the right keywords and increasing organic click-through rates was a piece of cake.
Here is how you can utilize Volusion’s SEO features with five tips to improving your organic performance.
Volusion packs impressive SEO features and a focus on optimizing pages for traffic.
Here are five critical ways to improve your organic traffic with a Volusion store.
Blogging and content marketing are still king. While the market for content becomes more saturated, it’s still important to produce top quality content that can rank.
HubSpot found that B2C companies that blog more than 16+ times per month generate significantly more leads and sales than those that blog less than 16+ times per month. Simply put, the more blog posts you have, the more traffic and ranking potential you have:
Enter your email and instantly get a Volusion SEO Cheatsheet to ensure that your store is following SEO best practices.
Blogging in your niche should focus on building your brand. For online shoppers using Google to find products and companies, brand recognition was the number one factor that drove clicks in organic search.
Known retailer is the number one thing that users look at when deciding whether or not to click on your organic listing for products.
To build your brand, there is nothing better than starting a blog and writing on topics that your customers care about. With good keyword research, you can uncover great blog ideas to jumpstart your traffic.
To create a new post on your Volusion store, head to the Pages section of your dashboard:
From here, create a new page using the “Blog Post” selection from the templates list:
Here you can start to write directly within the Volusion blog post editor, or simply copy and paste from an outside Google Doc or wherever you decide to write the blog post:
Before publishing your blog posts live, be sure to create SEO friendly URLs just like you would on product and category pages for your store. On your Volusion blog post, scroll down past the text editor and you will see an SEO section to add your URL string.
For instance, if your next post is on ecommerce SEO as your keyword and topic target, use that for your URL string:
This keeps the focus on your target keyword, and when users are looking on search results they will see your URL string and be reaffirmed that you are covering the topic they searched for, helping to improve your organic click-through rates.
If you prefer an outside blogging platform like WordPress or Blogger, you can link it to your Volusion-hosted store. To do this, follow Volusion’s guide to setting up your WordPress or Blogger with your store.
Enter your email and instantly get a Volusion SEO Cheatsheet to ensure that your store is following SEO best practices.
With algorithm changes coming every single day, it’s hard to know what SEO factors can really make an impact on your organic traffic.
But the latest data shows that meta descriptions are still impactful for increasing CTR.
One company was able to increase their organic traffic by 48% through writing better meta descriptions.
On your online store pages, you will see the same SEO box that appears on your blog posts at the bottom of each product and category page:
This is where you can enter meta description and title tag information for each page.
The key to success here is making every single title tag and meta description unique. Duplicating them will only lead to penalties with Google and bad rankings.
Follow these best practices when writing meta descriptions and title tags:
Google Analytics is a treasure-trove of data that any ecommerce store can benefit from.
Stores looking to produce blog content and drive organic traffic shouldn’t go a day without Google Analytics installed.
GA can help you understand what content pieces resonate well with your audience, traffic levels, referral sources, and even on-site search keywords that can give you easy content wins:
Can’t I just use Volusion’s store analytics? Absolutely…not. While it’s nice that platforms like Volusion offer integrated Analytics, they aren’t in-depth enough to help you improve performance at a high-level.
To integrate Google Analytics, you can paste your Google Analytics code directly into the <head> section of your live editor.
For more details on this, follow Volusion’s guide directly on your store.
Enter your email and instantly get a Volusion SEO Cheatsheet to ensure that your store is following SEO best practices.
Search engines can only scan your text for information and contextual relevance. Images without alt tags give search engines no additional information, and they can also impact disabled persons when browsing who can’t see your image.
Optimizing image alt tags takes just a few extra seconds of time and can help you boost relevance and SEO.
To add alt tags to your images on Volusion, simply hover over them in the editor and it will reveal the following toolbar:
Click on the “i” info button to pull up image alt editing.
Be sure to follow these best practices for Volusion alt tags:
Optimizing category and product pages on your ecommerce store are critical components of good SEO.
Targeting the right keywords and including the right content tapping into pain points can help you bring in more organic traffic that is qualified to buy from you.
When adding new products on your Volusion store, start by naming your product and providing the product image, as well as editing the alt tags like we discussed earlier.
The key section here will be optimizing your content on that page. This includes the text you write about the product and category itself.
Where most go wrong is thinking that more is always better. But on product pages, you want to keep the description short and sweet, focused on the benefits of the product for customers.
A great example of this is from from Bolthouse Farms:
Keeping content short and to the point, they focus on a small description of the product and its benefits, like increasing your vitamin intake.
Using semantically related keywords they can help provide more context to search engines.
On your category pages you can start to offer more content and descriptions that are long-form compared to individual product pages, like Beyond Pet Food’s natural dog food category:
On this category page, they communicate tons of value to customers and also improve their SEO by writing more relevant content on the topic.
Expand your category and product pages to include your keywords and relevant information.
But remember: don’t add content if it isn’t helping your brand or SEO.
Volusion may be a lesser-known ecommerce hosting platform in a market dominated by Shopify and BigCommerce, but that doesn’t mean it’s devoid of features and a pricing scale that work.
Volusion is backed by high-level marketers who have helped the company design CRO focused themes, easy SEO measures, and a world class content guides to help anyone from the new store to a thriving giant.
When optimizing your store with Volusion, the first step you should take is to initiate your blog. This is the meat and potatoes of SEO and is one of the best ways to start bringing in new traffic.
Link your Google Analytics to get insights on blog success and your market.
Optimize your product pages for target keywords and don’t forget to tag those images for an added SEO boost.
Volusion is a fast growing ecommerce hosting platform with great features. Now it’s up to you to put them to use to grow your online store.
The post Volusion SEO Best Practices: 5 Traffic Boosting Tips That Work appeared first on HigherVisibility.
The post Three Ways Content Marketers Can Optimize Marketing Performance with Data appeared first on Online Marketing Blog - TopRank®.
For centuries, Thanksgiving has been an American tradition, bringing families and friends together for a day of feasting, gratitude, and—most importantly, in my opinion—unity. For the TopRank Marketing team, it seems that every day is Thanksgiving. Each day, I have the privilege to see team members engaging and laughing. I see huddling and collaborating as everyone works hard to do their best work to not only drive results for our clients, but also lift themselves and other team members up. I see constant praise for good work or lending a helping hand. I see unity. 
So, in the spirit of TopRank Marketing tradition, I’ve asked team members to share what they’re most thankful for in work and in life. Here’s what many had to say.
I feel very honored and fortunate to be a part of the TopRank Marketing family. Each day I get the opportunity to learn from this amazing group that I consider to be some of the smartest people I know. I am thankful that this team took a chance on me all those years ago and has helped me grow into what I think is literally the coolest job on the planet. I am also incredibly thankful for the amazing influencers and experts that I’ve gotten to work with and learn from over the past few years. Thank you for everything that you do! Lastly, I am thankful for my supportive friends, family, partner in crime Keith and my precious pets. Josh Nite Senior Content Marketing Manager 
I'm thankful for our amazing design team. They really bring the content to life. When we do working sessions together, we always end up with something better than either of us could come up with solo. I love how they're always exploring new ways to level up the content, like adding movement or interactive features. Debbie Friez Influencer Marketing Strategist 
As I approach my fourth anniversary at TopRank Marketing, I am so very thankful that I went up to Lee Odden and told him I wanted to work for him at a conference! It’s been a great opportunity to collaborate with the great minds I call my colleagues and friends. It’s also a blessing to work in an ever-changing industry that keeps me learning and growing. I appreciate the company’s dedication to professional development, so I can have time to learn and share with my clients. I’m most thankful for amazing clients who allow us to share our expertise and elevate their campaigns. Lastly, thank you to all my team members who allow me to bring in and display all my Santa Bears to spread some holiday cheer each season. Lee Odden CEO 
The most important and valuable part of a company in the services business are its people. I am incredibly thankful for the smart, creative and results-focused people that make up the TopRank Marketing teams including Content, Social Influence, Design, Analytics, SEO and Operations. From being adaptable to innovations in the marketplace to being transparent about capabilities, goals and opportunities, I know I can count on our team to understand both the big picture of the solutions we deliver and the tactical problem solving needed on a day to day basis for successful marketing programs. Creating an environment where our team can reach their full potential is truly a team effort and I appreciate our executives and leaders for working to make that vision a reality. Another group of people I am thankful for are our clients. We are fortunate to work with an incredible portfolio of B2B brands that trust our insights and work with us as partners to achieve mutual success. Earning trust is one of the most important aspects of a strong relationship and I appreciate the confidence our clients put in us to improve their marketing performance and represent their brands through content driven influencer programs. The digital marketing industry is full of inspiring, talented and genuinely good people who are equally professional as they are compassionate. I am incredibly thankful for my industry peers, too many to name here, for their leadership, support and advocacy. I am also thankful for the many industry influencers we have had the good fortune to work with in and outside of the marketing world over the past year. When our goals and values align, there is nothing we can't accomplish together. Jane Bartel Account Manager 
I'm thankful to be surrounded by colleagues who are natural mentors and learners. The people I get to work with every day at TopRank Marketing are happy to share their expertise with the rest of the team, and are equally as enthusiastic to absorb new ideas. The genuine, easy collaboration between teammates makes for a creative, productive, and exciting work environment. I'm also grateful to my clients, who are all extremely motivated to succeed in their fields, who are results-driven and willing to push the boundaries by trying new tactics, and who are gracious enough to laugh at my jokes. Annie Leuman Content Strategist 
This year has been transformational for me, to say the least. And the support and encouragement from my coworkers has helped me through it all, which I am immensely thankful for! They’ve helped me gain confidence in front of the camera, broaden my responsibilities, adopt new ways of thinking, and acclimate to a new healthy lifestyle. They’ve pushed me to be better. And I am. Thank you, Team TopRank! Tiffani Allen Senior Account Manager 
I’m so thankful that I have the opportunity to do work I love, with amazing clients and an incredible team. I get to learn something new every day from a team of people who are some of the smartest and most creative minds in the industry. Lane Ellis Social and Content Marketing Manager 
2018 has been a stunningly beautiful one, with many wonderful family, friends, and events to be grateful for. Celebrating 17 years of marriage with my amazing wife Julie Ahasay tops my thankfulness list, along with the milestone birthday I had last month, which means I've had the great joy of spending 50 years with my parents Konnie and Bob, and my astounding and always-inspiring 101-year-old grandma Lilly Haldorsen. It was also a year of new beginnings, as March saw my start with the excellent team at TopRank Marketing, and the honor of getting to work with Lee Odden, who I've known since 2007. I'm thankful to now be approaching 35 years of using the Internet, and the many great advances it has brought to the world since I first turned on my 300-baud modem as a 16-year-old kid in 1984. I'm thankful to still be able to run and ski the seemingly endless beautiful trails of Duluth, and for the amazing nine-month cross-country ski season I was able to enjoy from October through June, during which I skied 140 days in a row. After every one of them, I said silent thanks to Mother Nature, to my body, my ski gear, and all the people who groom and take care of the trails. It's a time to reach out and give the world and its endless opportunities a warm embrace, so here's a big virtual hug to all of you I'm lucky enough to know, lovely family and friends. Thank you. Jack Fitzpatrick Influencer Marketing Strategist 
I am thankful to have been welcomed into the collaborative community here at TopRank Marketing. Together, we pool our specialties, interests, and experiences to drive results for our clients. Coming into this role after time working as a freelancer, this whole “team” thing is truly awesome – I am so grateful to be a part of it. Mike Odden Research Analyst 
I am very thankful to be able to work with the Super Team at TopRank Marketing. The fantastic leadership stressing clients needs and care for employees is phenomenal. Also, I'm definitely blessed with a great family, with three offspring, seven grandchildren and a wonderful wife of 54 years. Jake Murphy Designer 
I am thankful for the opportunity to work with such an inspiring team here at TopRank Marketing. Everyone here has a passion for what they do and are always eager to continue to grow. I’m also thankful for the the amazing clients we work with who allow us push the creative boundaries. Elizabeth Williams Account Manager 
I am so very grateful to work at TopRank Marketing, surrounded by such innovative and passionate people. Yes, amazing digital marketing professionals, but also just truly good people and friends.
The post Giving Thanks: What the TopRank Marketing Team is Thankful For appeared first on Online Marketing Blog - TopRank®.
What’s the best part about Thanksgiving? Sorry, that was rhetorical. Clearly, there’s only one correct answer and that is: Devouring reimagined leftovers for days to come. Hot turkey sandwiches smothered in gravy. Fried stuffing bites drizzled with cranberry sauce. Turkey a la king. Turkey noodle soup. Turkey pot pie. Turkey … everything. Do I need to go on? via GIPHY For content marketers, every day can be Thanksgiving. You have no shortage of content ingredients on-hand—from tasty influencer tidbits to assets overflowing with insight and flavor. And with a dash of new content, a cup of creative planning, and a large dollop of strategy, you can repurpose “content leftovers” into deliciously satisfying meals for your audiences, all while reducing production time and boosting efficiency, and without sacrificing taste.
But to add a little personalization and spice, the talented Tiffani Allen and Josh Nite record a video segment featuring some of the top news items of the week. [bctt tweet="Treating #ContentRepurposing as a form of #personalization that can yield some of the greatest benefits. - @leeodden #ContentMarketing" username="toprank"]
The post 6 Steps for Making Delicious Meals Out of Your Content Marketing Leftovers appeared first on Online Marketing Blog - TopRank®.
