Web Analytics: From A to SEO

  On-page search engine optimization (SEO) often takes the spotlight when marketers consider SEO strategy as compared with off-page SEO. But why?  On-page SEO is solely in the control of the website’s author. Poor keyword optimization? There is no one to blame but the person in charge of website management. Lackluster internal linking or images missing ALT text? An internal team can divide and conquer to get the website back up to speed. Boring content? Write something new. Every victory and failure involving on-page SEO lies with the website’s manager. However, in regard to off-page SEO, this is far from the case, often resulting in off-page SEO perceived as harder than its on-page counterpart.  What is Off-Page SEO? Off-page SEO involves tactics employed by a website to boost its online reputation, therefore resulting in higher search engine results page (SERP) rankings. But if on-page SEO is well executed, won’t websites rank well on Google anyways? Smith (2017) explai...

Saratoga Olive Oil Company (SOOC) was founded in 2011 by the Braidwood family, former pharmaceutical research consultants with a desire to “educate the public on healthy dietary choices” (Saratoga Olive Oil, n.d.). A decade later the company has three locations in Vermont and New York in the picturesque towns of Saratoga Spring, Lake Placid, and Burlington, as well as an online store. According to the company's website “Saratoga Olive Oil Company has been listed as one the top five stores in the world for olive oil selection and the retail destinations have been deemed as one of the top 10 most elegant shopping experiences in the world” (Saratoga Olive Oil Company, n.d.). In addition to olive oils, the company also sells gourmet vinegars, elevated pantry staples, kitchen accessories, and wedding as well as corporate gift options. SOOC utilizes Shopify for its e-commerce platform.  How SOOC Collects Website Traffic and Consumer Behavior Data There are a few different ways that I wou...

  As someone new to experiencing Semrush, I was blown away by the options available for enhancing on page search engine optimization (SEO), identifying areas of improvement through the site audit feature, the ability to monitor brand mentions across the internet, and the social media tracking and posting tools. What interested me the most, however, is how Semrush can be used to examine competitor SEO strategy. Today we’ll dive into one of the tools that I found most useful on the Competitive Research Dashboard, the Keyword Gap tool.  What is the Semrush Keyword Gap Tool? Keywords are essential to every digital marketing effort, as they can impact SEO strategy, advertising spend, content, and more. But do you really need to know your competitors’ keywords when shaping your own strategy? Semrush (n.d.b.) notes that “it’s important to know where you stand against your competitors so that you know where to focus your efforts. So using this tool before starting a campaign can be ke...