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The Ultimate List: 50 Online Local Business Directories

Local SEO
May 25, 2021/by
The Ultimate List: 50 Online Local Business Directories Promoting a local business isn’t easy these days. Whether it’s because of oversaturation or complicated search engine algorithms, it’s all too easy to feel like no one will find your business in the local search results. Luckily, there’s an easy way to improve your local SEO. All you have to do is list your business in online business directories such as Yellow Pages, Manta, and more. This is called building citations, and it’s a critical piece of a local marketing strategy. Today, Google is inserting itself between consumer and local business websites much more often. For proof, you need to look no further than Google My Business, Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP), featured snippets, and most importantly, local packs. By building citations, you can make sure that you appear in these local packs when people look for businesses like yours in their area. Business directories may seem like a thing of the past, but they’re a great way to grow your presence online. You can improve visibility by listing your local business' NAP (Name, Address, Phone Number) on directories, online business listing sites, and citation sites. Aside from improving your local SEO, these can also improve your rankings on search engines because the listings usually link back to your site. Make sure your company listing has the following information once you add it to a directory: Consistent NAP. If you add or update your business on multiple business...
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The 10 Best Storyboarding Software of 2021 for Any Budget

User Experience
May 25, 2021/by
The 10 Best Storyboarding Software of 2021 for Any Budget Today, video can help marketers do a lot of things — it can help you explain your product or service, it can increase traffic to your website, and it can even convince people to purchase a product. 94% of people watch explainer videos to learn about a product or service. Even if you have a powerful written content strategy, if you don’t use video, you’re losing traffic to more video-heavy competitors. Your business is probably already using video marketing, but are you planning your videos for optimal success using storyboarding software? Or are you drawing shots by hands or writing a script and winging the rest? In this post, we’ll go over what storyboarding is and cover some of the best storyboarding tools you can use to make better marketing videos. Storyboarding isn’t just for filmmakers and animators. Marketers can leverage storyboards to craft engaging marketing campaigns and advertisements. The best part is that you don’t have to do it manually. A storyboarding software tool typically provides premade images and characters for you to bring your idea to life. Whether you use video for training, sales, or demo purposes, storyboarding can alleviate the time-consuming nature of video preparation, while also increasing your video’s overall quality and decreasing production errors. If you’re looking for a tool to take your video production process to the next level, take a look at our list of the best storyboarding software out there —...
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The 15 Best WordPress Themes for Podcasters in 2021

wordpress themes
May 25, 2021/by
The 15 Best WordPress Themes for Podcasters in 2021 The number of podcast listeners in the United States is expected to reach 100 million by 2024. (For context, there are 82.7 million listeners in 2021.)  Podcasts provide a source of convenient and intimate entertainment that's only continuing to grow in popularity. While today’s most popular podcasts might vary significantly in terms of their content and hosts ( among other things ), they all share at least one thing in common — they each have their own website where fans can check out their latest episodes and seasons, info about live shows, biographies about the podcast’s hosts, and more details. If you’re a host or producer, chances are you’re busy managing your podcast — and building your own WordPress website may sound like a daunting task. However, creating your site can be quite simple with a WordPress podcasting theme that allows you to share your episodes, seasons, host bios, and any other content you want to provide your visitors and fans. We’ve curated this list of our favorite podcasting themes to help you share your content on your site and make lasting connections with your fans. To determine which theme best suits your needs, review these 15 options, their unique features, and our key takeaways. Afterward, check out the WordPress Theme Directory if you’d like to explore more podcasting themes. 1. Viseo Viseo is a podcast theme with a “latest show” section for your site pages so your fans...
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How to Post to Instagram From Your Computer [7 Easy Steps]

Instagram Marketing
May 22, 2021/by
How to Post to Instagram From Your Computer Instagram is a popular social media network for sharing photos, commonly accessed through a mobile app. Unlike other social networks, however, it does not have a desktop version. This poses a problem for a lot of users who want to access features from their desktop computer. For example, let's say you're a social media manager for a prominent brand. The last thing you want to do is have an absentminded mishap where you accidentally post brand content to your personal Instagram account (or, worse, vice versa) simply because you're logged into both on your phone. Alternatively, it might be easier to upload company posts and videos via your desktop, rather than having your smartphone open at work. Plus, your company's files might be more easily accessible via desktop than mobile. For instance, if you use Photoshop to edit company photos, it's likely easier to click "Upload" from your desktop when you're done editing, rather than sending that same photo or video to your personal phone. Perhaps you simply prefer the larger screen of desktop. Or, maybe you don't have access to a smartphone so you can't download the app on your phone. For all of these reasons, you might be wondering, "Can I post to Instagram from my computer?" We have some good news — there's a solution for you. Let's dive into that, next. In other words — Yes, you can post to Instagram from your PC or...
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How to Create a Profitable Amazon Marketing Strategy for 2020

Amazon Marketing
May 22, 2021/by
How to Create a Profitable Amazon Marketing Strategy for 2020 Amazon is everywhere. There’s no getting around it: From small sellers to large enterprises, getting your products noticed — and purchased — means you need a marketing strategy that lets you make the best use of this online ecommerce behemoth. Today’s consumers use Amazon as their first point of contact for finding almost any type of product information. In fact, 63% of online shoppers go to Amazon to start searching for products. But with so many products available from multiple sellers with varying shipping options and discounts, it’s easy for your brand to get passed over by potential buyers. Bottom line? Amazon is the ecommerce heavyweight. Love it or hate it, you need a market strategy that helps your brand stand out among the thousands of others all vying for consumer attention. That’s why we’ve built this guide — to help you build a profitable marketing strategy and succeed in the sales jungle that is Amazon. Bookmark this post for later, and use the chapter links below to jump ahead to sections of interest. 1. Create an Amazon Advertising strategy. Generally speaking, an Amazon Advertising strategy consists of four components: Amazon reviews, SEO, affiliate marketing and social media marketing. What is Amazon Advertising? Amazon Advertising (previously Amazon Marketing Services) is a pay-per-click service similar to Google Ads: Brands only pay when potential buyers click on targeted ads. Designing the idea ad is critical to getting your...
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The Ultimate List of Instagram Stats [2021]

Instagram Marketing
May 22, 2021/by
The Ultimate List of Instagram Stats With more than 1 billion active monthly users, brands are quickly recognizing the need to have a presence on Instagram. But, as with any social network, the brands that are getting the most out of Instagram are the ones who are smart about what they post, when they post, how often they post, and whom they're targeting. But how do they know what's a "smart" post for their business? That's where the Instagram data comes in. There's a whole lot of research out there about Instagram — everything from the demographics of its users and how often brands are posting, to how negative space affects the performance of your posts (hint, hint: #26). Read on to uncover more social media stats that'll help you get ideas and improve your own Instagram posting strategy. 43 Instagram Stats Click on a category below to jump to the stats for that category: Instagram's Growth Audience & Demographics Brand Adoption Instagram Post Content Instagram Posting Strategy Instagram's Growth 1. As of May 2021, there are over 1 billion Instagram monthly active users worldwide. (Source) 2. As of 2020, there's an estimated 107 million Instagram users in the U.S. alone — which is predicted to grow to almost 126 million by 2023.(Source) 3. As of February 2021, 40% of U.S. adults say they've used Instagram. This is a larger percentage than use Pinterest, LinkedIn, and Twitter. The...
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Dwell Time is the SEO Metric You Need to Track

Technical SEO
May 21, 2021/by
Dwell Time is the SEO Metric You Need to Track This morning, I made a quick Google search. When the results page loaded, I spent time clicking through the first page of websites to find what I was looking for. When I didn't find my answer, I clicked back to that results page to look at the next one. This process took me through to the bottom of the page until I refined my search and started the process again. I didn't know it at the time, but I was actually contributing to a powerful metric — dwell time. When we talk about metrics, we tend to focus on demographics. We ask questions like, Who's looking at your site, where are they located, and what are their interests?. These interests help marketers make informed decisions about campaigns tailored to their customers' interests. Dwell time is the metric that runs through various search engine results pages (SERPs). It's the time I spent reading those results pages before I went back to Google to take a look at other results. Let's explore more about what dwell time means, and its usefulness, below. What is dwell time? Remember that dwell time begins and ends with the SERP. Simply put, dwell time is the amount of time a user takes analyzing a web page before clicking back to search results. If a web page has a low dwell time, it likely means the page didn't match the user's search intent. It's important to...
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HTTP Error 403 Forbidden Messages: What They Are & How to Fix Them

Technical SEO
May 21, 2021/by
HTTP Error 403 Forbidden Messages: What They Are & How to Fix Them Imagine this – you've recently created a new website to host your content, and you're excited to see it go live. You can't wait to dive into SEO and begin ranking for keywords and attracting an audience to your brand. But then a friend emails you and says, "Hey, is there a reason I see this when I click on your website? " Image Source Undoubtedly, a "403 Forbidden" message is cause for immediate concern. How many potential viewers are you losing, as they come across your website to find this message? Fortunately, there are a few quick-and-easy solutions to a 403 error. Here, we'll explain the top three, so you can get your site up and running. What you'll typically see when you land on a page with a 403 forbidden error is something like this: "You don't have authorization to view this page – HTTP Error 403." It can also have slightly different wording, like the example below. Image Source Wondering about the difference between a 403 and 404 error? Here it is: A 404 error happens when you access a page that no longer exists or cannot be found. A 403 error, on the other hand, indicates that your access has been denied due to incorrect credentials. An easy way to remember it: 403 says "access denied" while 404 says "We can't find what you asked for." What causes a 403...
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The 6 Stages of the Product Life Cycle

Product Marketing
May 20, 2021/by
The 6 Stages of the Product Life Cycle When I was 12 years old, I used to look through my older cousin's CD collection, a little confused. I didn't understand the need to have CDs when I could go on iTunes and listen to all my favorite songs. Then, when I was in middle school, I got my first hand-me-down iPod shuffle. This is a great example of the product life cycle (PLC) in action. CDs were in the decline stage while the iPod was in the growth stage. Now, you’ll rarely find a CD in anyone’s music collection unless they’re enthusiasts or want to feel nostalgic for their younger years. No one wants their product to become “obsolete” and reach the end of its product life cycle. Still, it’s important to understand what stage your product is in so you can make better marketing and business decisions. You can mature and grow in the marketplace by agilely responding to changing customer needs, adding new offerings to your lineup, and adopting new tech that keeps you up-to-date in the marketplace. Below, we’ll learn what the life cycle is, take a look at the life cycle stages, and go over a few real-life examples. As marketers, it's important to understand how your tactics and strategies change depending on the stage your product is in. For example, a brand new product will be marketed differently than a well-established, mature product. For the first, the marketing campaigns will focus on raising...
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The Beginner’s Guide to Editing YouTube Videos

Youtube Marketing
May 20, 2021/by
The Beginner's Guide to Editing YouTube Videos As a video marketer, editing might be the most important part of post-production. If you can’t seamlessly weave your shots together or get your cut to hit the right frame, your video will seem unpolished and disengage your viewers. That said, if you’re operating on a shoestring budget, you might not be able to afford video editing software. So what’s a video marketer to do without editing software? Fortunately, YouTube offers a web-based video editor that is entirely free and accessible through its platform. In this post, learn how to use YouTube’s native video editing tools, as well as best practices to keep in mind when editing your videos to ensure you’re keeping your audience engaged and interested in watching more. How to Use YouTube's Video Editor 1. Sign in to YouTube Studio 2. On the left sidebar, click Content. 3. In Uploads, click the thumbnail of the video you want to edit. 4. In the left sidebar, click Editor. 5. Trim the beginning or end of your video. If you want to trim the beginning or end of your video, select Trim, which is next to your video’s timer and right above your timeline panel. You should see a blue box around the sides of your video timeline panel. Drag them to chop off the parts of the beginning or end of your rough cut that you don’t want to include in your final published version. Click Preview...
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