We are heading into the heart of the summer. The technology and online marketing industry is booming, ushering breaking news on a regular basis. While it takes meticulous attention to stay up-to-date, one can also learn from the past. What can we take away from the previous spring? What SEO tribulations occurred in which we can prosper? What mistakes were made? It’s important to identify them to make positive strides moving forward.

Pick a Social Media Platform

What social media platform is the best? That’s a silly question. It can be answered in a number of ways depending on who is asked and the short/long-term goals of the brand in question. Is it better to use one well or all of them in part? Pick a social media platform and make it work for your brand. Can you add others? Yes, but not until one platform gains traction. Be smart. Think about your consumers. What varieties of content do they desire? That answer should also help select a chosen social media platform.

In the spring, more social media platforms were offered. Blog posts and best-practice methods were also released to the public, urging readers to ‘jump on’ the ‘next-best’ platform. Rather trying to do all halfway, focus on doing really well with one platform to start.

No, the Content is (Still) Not Great

Some say, “content is king” in regard to online marketing. If your content always prompts conversions, it makes sense. However, content is ‘great’ when it addresses its intentions. Content intentions should primarily focus on the consumer at all times.

Content marketing gained more respect this past spring. Webmasters understand great content is what consumers want. Additionally, better content makes an impression, prompting target markets to make purchases. Some webmasters have their own idea of what constitutes great content. The problem is before any content is generated it should be well known what the end user, the consumer, wants. Great content speaks to the consumer, inspiring them to become brand champions. If a brand’s content is not engineered with the consumer in mind, it can never achieve ‘greatness.’

Penguin Watch

Last spring, Google unleashed its Penguin update. All webmasters assumed the Penguin watch position, waiting with an external locus of control, to see what Google had in store for them next. This was a mistake. The smarter webmasters adopted a proactive approach to online marketing, taking initiatives into their own hands, conducting a different kind of Penguin watch. Additionally, some people didn’t immediately react, modifying their sites and structure. Some ‘watched’ in the right places, better understood how to proceed, made changes, and now have sites operating and ranking better than in the spring.

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James Brown works with a team of writers at WebiMax, addressing online marketing needs for clients of all sizes.