Author: Content Curator

Posted by JoyHawkins

When it comes to Google’s algorithms, there’s quite a difference between how they treat local and organic. Get the scoop on which factors drive the local algorithm and how it works from local SEO extraordinaire, Joy Hawkins, as she offers a taste of her full talk from MozCon 2019.

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Video Transcription

Hello, Moz fans. I’m Joy Hawkins. I run a local SEO agency from Toronto, Canada, and a search forum known as the Local Search Forum, which basically is devoted to anything related to local SEO or local search. Today I’m going to be talking to you about Google’s local algorithm and the three main factors that drive it. 

If you’re wondering what I’m talking about when I say the local algorithm, this is the algorithm that fuels what we call the three-pack here. When you do a local search or a search that Google thinks has local intents, like plumbers let’s say, you traditionally will get three results at the top with the map, and then everything below it I refer to as organic. This algorithm I’ll be kind of breaking down is what fuels this three-pack, also known as Google M… Read More

Quick Sprout recommendations for domain registrars, are based on extensive research and testing. We’ll never point you to a product or service that we don’t believe in and have first hand experience with. Our content is reader-supported, which means if you click on one of our links to a recommended domain registrar, we may earn a commission.

Over the course of my career starting, running, and selling businesses, I’ve bought hundreds of domain names. For me, the process of heading over to my registrar of choice and buying a name is as simple as reordering toothpaste from Amazon. If this is your first time, it’s likely not so simple for you. I’ll walk you through what makes the best domain registrars stand out from the rest, how to skip the upsells you don’t need, and get your features up correctly.

I’m used to the process now — this guide encapsulates my knowledge and experience to help both the first-time and the experienced buyer pick which of the thousands of accredited domain registrars to use to buy a domain name.

Want my quick take? I prefer Namecheap over other top registrars NameSilo, Gandi, Google Domains, and Hover. Namecheap has great prices and is really easy to use. It’s the registrar I use, and the one I recommend to my family and friends when they are building websites.

The top 5 domain registrars ranked

Namecheap — Simple checkout, free privacy protection, and clear dashboa… Read More

Quick Sprout recommendations for email marketing services are based on months of research and testing. We’ll never point you to a product or service that we don’t believe in or have first-hand experience with. Our content is reader-supported, which means if you click on one of our links to a recommended email marketing service, we may earn a commission.

Nearly every email marketing platform promises the same thing: great deliverability, intuitive tools, designer-quality templates, and useful reporting so you can make the most of every email you send.

In the most basic tier, you’ll likely be happy with any of the options — and that’s the tier I focus on in this review. I know they each have their super fans who’ll definitely tell you that this one is the best and the others don’t stack up — I’ll break it all down for you.

Why trust me?
I’ve run marketing and email campaigns as a consultant for years, both independently and as the head of marketing at an analytics startup. For this review, I looked at the best email marketing services and found that yes, they do all reliably deliver email, make it easy to manage your massive lists, and make sending emails more intuitive.

The 4 Best Email Marketing Platforms for Beginners

These are my top picks for businesses just getting started in email:

Mailchimp – Best for beginners
Mailjet – Best for real-time collaboration
ConvertKit – Best workf… Read More

Quick Sprout recommendations for website builders are based on months of research and testing. We’ll never point you to a product or service that we don’t believe in or have first-hand experience with. Our content is reader-supported, which means if you click on one of our links to a recommended website builder, we may earn a commission.

You want a website, but you’re not a coder, an engineer, or a designer. Maybe you’re not even super technically proficient. You just want a website. You want it to look good and work well and not take forever to build. Luckily these days, a website builder or a template can get you a professional-looking website in minutes. Literally minutes.

There was a time when you could really tell the difference between the site a web designer would build and one a novice could create. But these days, the playing field is leveled. I’ve built lots of websites, and most of them I didn’t use a designer for — I used a template or a website builder. (And, yes, I still made money off of those sites.)

To find the best, I reviewed 31 website builders, testing them on their ease of use, the professionalism and quality of the final product, customer support, and pricing. I have 4 favorites I recommend.

I narrowed down 31 website builders to my 4 top picks:

WordPress — No subscription fees
Wix — Automates the tough choices
Squarespace — Beautiful, modern templates
Ucraft — Free one-page sites

If … Read More

Are business promotions really beneficial online?

Marketing dates back to ancient civilizations before newspapers, television, radio and of course, the internet was created. At that time merchants and workers were advertising their products and services differently, trying to catch the attention of passers-by with interesting and eye-catching signs. Since then, marketing and advertising have developed in multiple ways but different types of business promotions have always been part of it.

Buy two items for the price of one, buy a new TV and get a discount for a new mobile model, get a 25% off coupon and so on. We have all seen and heard of such promotions, some of them were appealing and were bringing added revenues to the companies and some of them failed completely. Despite this, there has never been a point in time where companies weren’t promoting something.

Now as most businesses have switched online, their marketing and sales models have changed and adapted to the new digital marketing era. With this new model, one thing has stayed the same – promotions are still an inseparable part of business. Today, most customers couldn’t care less about… Read More