🔍 PPC, SEO experts on marketing in this unprecedented time

Mar 26, 2020

Good morning search marketers, we hope you are hanging in there.

We know this is an incredibly trying time. Whether you're managing SEO, paid media or evaluating your broader marketing mix, we've got a trio of articles that offers expert insights on short- and long-term considerations to help you navigate through this unprecedented period:

Nick LeRoy shares expert insights in his article Reducing digital marketing due to COVID-19? Read this first.
Veteran SEOs discuss how they're working with clients on Pivoting and planning for a future after COVID-19.
Ashley Mo offers tips for How B2B companies can be proactive about managing paid media during COVID-19.

If you're working in local marketing, mark your calendar for Friday at 11 a.m. PT/2 p.m. ET. Greg Sterling will be hosting a Live with Search Engine Land with local SEOs Mary Bowling (SterlingSky), Adam Dorfman (Reputation.com), Niki Mosier (Two Octobers) and Krystal Taing (Rio SEO) to discuss what they're seeing in the market, their customers' top issues and what local marketers should focus on right now. We'll be posting the link on Search Engine Land and sharing it in Friday's newsletter.

Before you get scared off from today's "yoga" Mindful Moment, know that we picked it because it opens with a really simple stretch that anyone can do — zero experience, or even interest, in yoga required. We hope you find it helpful.

Keep reading for a Pro Tip on XML sitemaps and more.

Take care,

Ginny Marvin
Editor-In-Chief

Pro Tip

Evaluate your XML sitemap to make sure key URLs aren't missing

"Your XML sitemap may be a static snapshot of the website at the time it was created. If so, there's a chance that it will be outdated," explains Michelle Race of Ricemedia. "A dynamic sitemap is better as it automatically updates, but settings should be checked to ensure key sections/URLs are not excluded."

"How to check: Compare URLs on a web crawl with URLs from your XML sitemaps. You can use crawlers like Screaming Frog, Deepcrawl or Sitebulb for this as they give the option to include the sitemap within a crawl."

Learn more »

Mindful Moment

We'll be sharing daily mindfulness exercises to help us all take some time to decompress. If you have a suggestion, please email me at gmarvin@thirddoormedia.com.

"Go for a walk, don't take your phone. Count your steps and as you do so, focus on how your feet hit the ground one at a time," suggests Marc Sirkin, Third Door Media's SVP of marketing and experience.

If you're unable to go outside, you can still practice this. Take a "stroll" around your home or apartment. You might even see your surroundings anew.

5 critical elements for local marketing success

This guide from MarTech Today examines the market for local marketing solutions and the 5 critical elements for local marketing success: Listing Management, Local SEO, Local Landing Pages, Reputation Management, and Paid Search and Social Media. Also included are profiles of 17 leading local marketing solution vendors and capabilities comparisons.

Read more »

Search Shorts

Google ranking algorithm update not confirmed.

Google ranking volatility. There have been some signs this week of another Google search ranking algorithm update. Have you noticed any changes? Google has not confirmed this one.

Closing e-commerce site, Google advice. When it comes to temporarily closing your site due to COVID-19, Gary Illyes from Google recommends "closing the cart and putting up a message that explains to the user what's happening should be the way to go if you're planning the closure will last a long time."

Sarcasm in Google search. Can Google detect sarcasm? John Mueller of Google said on Twitter that "people write about things in all kinds of weird ways, we have to make do with what's available online. People also search in surprisingly different ways, so I think it kinda evens out."

Reader Survey

Tell us what you think! We want to know what's working and what we can improve to bring you the best search marketing newsletter around. Please take a quick — we promise — minute to take our short reader survey. (All answers are anonymous.)

Take our brief reader survey now! »

"What should I look for in an SEO solution?"

There's nothing like curling up with a good book — or good Marketing Intelligence Report — when you're stuck inside. MarTech Today's Enterprise SEO Tools For Content Marketing, Search Intelligence, UX, And More guide is an insightful and informative read that will help you understand who the leading players are and what capabilities these platforms provide.

Get your free copy now! »