Why I Don’t Like or Use Automated SEO Reports (and Why You Shouldn’t Either)  

The problem with automated SEO reports -- the ones that do an analysis of your website's pages and then give you a score -- is that the program doing the analysis doesn't know a thing about SEO.

What do I mean? The bot can see you have a title tag, for example, but it can't tell if your title tag is a complete fail. 

In this piece, I break down an SEO report a prospect sent me to show why these reports are absolute garbage -- and why you can safely relegate them to your electronic trash bin. 

Maralah Rose-Asch:
Publisher, Gardner Media

For my 18th year in business (August 2016 - July 2017), I'll be featuring some of the people who have helped me get to where I am today. It's my way of saying, "Thank you." 

I've not met Maralah Rose-Asch in person, but she's been a part of my business since -- oh golly -- I think the early 2000s. I met her through Mac McIntosh (who knows everyone!). Early on, she began running my newsletter articles in the print version of Gardner's Metalworking Marketer newsletter. 

Over the years, we've built a business relationship and a nice friendship through email and Twitter. Today, she runs the original articles I write for Gardner's e-newsletter and blog. (Gardner, by the way, also publishes the best annual survey for manufacturers: Media Usage in Manufacturing. A must read!)

Maralah, thank you for your support, inspiration, and friendship all these years. You continually make me look good. 

Speaking of Gardner: Why 3 Huge Google Changes Should Make You Reconsider Print Ads

 

With all the changes Google is making, relying on SEO as your prime lead generation tactic can become a scary proposition.

In a new piece for Gardner's e-newsletter / blog, I discuss the three huge changes Google has made and how these changes impact SEO for manufacturers. In fact, Google has made so many changes, I now tell small manufacturers that if they’re relying on SEO to generate the bulk of inquiries, they may want to reconsider their strategy.

To ensure you build brand awareness and inquiries across multiple marketing channels, it pays to have a diverse marketing mix, one that includes print ads. Print ads? Yep, print ads.

Setting SEO KPIs for Small Manufacturing Websites 

In my latest piece for Search Engine Land, Setting SEO KPIs for small manufacturing websites, I share my process for how to determine, set up and measure key performance indicators (KPIs) for an SEO campaign — including how to track those all important inquiries!

Manufacturing & marketing news + fun stuff too.