December 2018

LAST UPDATE:

December 14, 2018

TOPIC:

Industry Insights

ROLE:

Business Owners

Where All The Money Has Gone

62% of marketers will increase their PPC budgets in the next 12 months, while 35% will keep budgets the same. That’s according to recent research conducted by PPC Hero which looks at where marketers spent their ‘digital dollars’ and where they will be. You can check out all the stats here.

What to Expect Next

Keeping in line with all the 2019 predictions for the future of an area within the digital world, PPC is no different. This article reveals advice from 28 PPC marketing experts on what can be expected next. From audiences, automation and advertising, it’s a must-read.

The Power of Words

There is no denying the value of good copy because words are a powerful tool. They have the ability to connect with people and incite action so their use is extremely important. This article looks at emotional power words when it comes to PPC ad copy. From categories such as fear to the forbidden, it’s looking at how to use them best.

Google, BBB and Ranking


It was confirmed this month that tech giant Google does not use Better Business Bureaus (BBB) score or reviews in their ranking algorithm – nor do they use other third-party trust sites. The news was revealed via Google’s John Mueller in a video hangout, the full version of which can be watched here but he confirms this news at the 15:30 mark.

Slow Pages and SEO

When it comes to SEO rankings, particularly low ones, there are a number of factors to be considered. This interesting article looks at how the slow loading of a page may not always the results of poor SEO rankings and considers other factors.

Seasonal SEO Strategy

Who doesn’t love a short-term win? Especially when it’s coming to one of the busiest times of the year. When compiling your SEO strategy for Christmas, applying some of these techniques might save you some time yet make the desired return.

New Version of GMB App

Google released a new and improved Google My Business App. It has a number of new features which encourage customer engagement. It allows the uploading of photos, a better business profile editor and businesses can use the follow tab to see who follows them – if that option is selected by a user. As well as this, there is a tab which shows customers information and allows for interaction e.g. reviews. There is even a messaging element which will allow businesses to respond to customers.

Plans for Local SEO in 2019

It’s that time of year when newsfeeds are awash with the trends of the following year. This handy guide talks about some of the actionable steps to take for 2019. From setting up structured data markup to gathering hyper-local citations to tell search engines where you are located, it’s all working towards staying ahead of the game when it comes to local SEO.

The Future of the Local Customer Service Ecosystem

As planning for next year is very much on the table, casting your eye over the stats on this Moz survey in relation to the local customer service landscape in 2019 is a good place to start. It talks about the move towards being an ‘always-on’ resource that is highly accessible and might making your planning a little bit easier.

Big Concerns for Small Businesses


This survey conducted by Sensai looked at the challenges facing small businesses when it comes to social media. For example, 39% say they know they need to be on social media but there are too many platforms and confusing choices. It makes for interesting reading as well as a great insight into the problems they face.

Collaboration to Meet Content Velocity

They say it takes on average 12 days for a brand to take a single piece of content to market. This is just one of the stats in Adobe’s State of Creative and Marketing Collaboration Survey which looks at how creatives, marketers, IT professionals and advertisers work together to manage content velocity.

Goodbye Funnel, Hello Flywheel

Is it time to review the usual sales funnel fully equipped with all the pieces such as awareness, evaluation and purchase? In this article, a move away from it suggested. Enter the flywheel – a new sales model.

Have You Heard of Frankenblogging?

How many good ideas, half fleshed out opinions and unfinished articles are on your desktop? What if there was a smart way to release them into the online world? That’s where Frankenblogging comes in. A clever method outlined here which shows how to revive the old and make it the new when it comes to your content.


Microsoft, AI and Marketers

When it comes to brands, Microsoft wants to make AI more accessible. They have announced a number of features such as new conversational AI tools as well as a neural text to speech service and AI capabilities for Power BI. The full list in detail can be found here as well as some information on the company’s responsibility guidelines for this area.

Martech and CMO’s Budgets

This article from eMarketer reviews stats in relation to CMO’s budgets and how they are largely going to Martech. According to this, it’s expected “marketing tech will account for 30% of total marketing spending in 2018.”

Holiday Trends Social Media Report

This is the season to be jolly…because you are ahead of the curve in terms of digital marketing. This study details the key findings when it comes to certain trends over the festive season with 77% using video as part of their strategy.

THE TINDERPOINT TEAM