June 2020 Newsletter
In This Issue
Google Search Tricks – Part 1: The Useful Stuff
There are all kinds of things you can do with Google Search beyond finding websites. You can track packages, set a timer, do breathing exercises, and much more. Find out how to use these tools, as well as search more efficiently, in our list of useful Google Search tricks.
Top Of The List Now Specializing in Schema Markup
After partnering with Schema App last month, Top Of The List is proud to announce Schema Markup as a standalone service! Schema Markup helps search engines understand the content of your website and how it connects to other topics, giving you an advantage over competitors’ sites.
The better a search engine understands your site, the more relevant it will be in searches. And relevant search results mean a better click-through rate.
It can even create rich results that feature an area of your website, like products or instructions, right on the Google results page. These rich results are invaluable in drawing attention to your site. It’s like having your own ad taking up prime real estate on the results page.
You don’t need to be a big business to benefit from more clicks, revenue, and exposure – Our expertise in Schema Markup is an asset for websites of any size. Find out more about what schema can do on our Schema Markup Services page.
Google Introduces A New Content Delivery Service Called Keen
Google has quietly launched a new content sharing and discovery service called Keen. Though the service, available on an app for web and Android, is being perceived as a Pinterest competitor, it serves as more of a sophisticated StumbleUpon. Instead of waiting for users to search for keywords, you tell Keen what you want to spend more time on. Keen utilizes AI learning to curate websites that are relevant to your interests and come from sites you trust.
More importantly for SEO, Keen is a new potential traffic channel. What sets the site apart is that Google owns the tool, so anything in their collection of indexed webpages can be suggested. It’s too early to understand exactly how the algorithm works, but this new service is worth exploring to incorporate into marketing strategies.
See Google’s Keen announcement here.
Tip of the Month
Write short paragraphs. Think about how many websites you visit and how much information is presented to you every day. It’s impossible to read every single word, so you need cues to help you find important information.
Paragraphs are a great way to guide readers, but a wall of text can be intimidating. This, combined with the fact that the average attention span has fallen from 12 to 8 seconds between 2000 and 2015, is why many experts recommend shorter paragraphs.
The details of just how long a paragraph should be can fluctuate from person to person. The Yahoo! Style Guide says to “keep paragraphs short. Two to three sentences is often enough.” Usability.gov recommends no more than 5 sentences per paragraph, while others use 3-4 lines as a general rule.
Regardless of the exact length, keep paragraphs short. More of your content will likely be read and your readers will thank you.
Just for Laughs
Two little girls were playing together one afternoon in the park when one said, “I wonder what time it is?.
“Well, it can’t be four o’clock,” replied the other with magnificent logic.
“How do you know,” asked the first girl.
“Because my mom said to be home by four o’clock and I’m not.”
Our best for your success!
