Compare the two posts below, both written by the exact same SEO expert and each containing around the same number of words. Without knowing the subject, can you guess which post earned more links?
Try 378 to 6. In addition to its visual appeal, the left post was more timely, useful and informative - all hallmarks of copywriting grace.
View more presentations from Dave Chaffey.Why benchmarking your online capabilities matters
I believe that external and internal benchmarking of your digital marketing capabilities is important for managers reviewing their online strategy since it answers these types of questions:
- Are we effective+efficient in our digital marketing?
- What is the “size of the prize” – are we tapping into the market effectively?
- How do we compare to direct competitors?
- How do we compare to out-of-sector competitors – we need to know this if we want to be best in breed?
- How can we see where we’re strong and weak through internal data?
So benchmarking helps highlight failings which can be worked on, but also shows how we companies can strive to be best-in-breed as they progress towards their goals.
As pointed out by Wired,the feature works on slower connections, so that users who most need a greater degree of precision in their searches--that is, those with, say dial-up connections, whose every click can cost precious time--will get it. Hence no messing around for hours, trying to find the information one's after. Sweet for users, eh? Sweetest, however, for Google.
Here's why. Instant Preview will potentially allow Google to own more of our browsing experience. Instead of leaving Google in order to browse the web, you will be browsing the results, rather than the pages suggested in the search itself. The feature may also force websites to redesign their pages in order to conform to Google's design criteria: on the firm's Webmaster Central blog, this is one of its suggestions.
Try to avoid interstitial pages, ad pop-ups, or other elements that interfere with your content. In some cases, these distracting elements may be picked up in the preview of your page, making the screenshots less attractive.
