Podcasts about knowledge panel

Send us a textDennis Yu shares his expertise on Google Knowledge Panels, effective AI use, and establishing digital authority while revealing why most marketers fail by jumping to recommendations without proper analysis.• Google verification (Knowledge Panel) establishes your digital authority for free• The personal brand website homepage should be the definitive location for your professional facts• AI systems draw from Google's information layer, making your search presence crucial• Effective AI use involves conversations rather than one-shot "magic" prompts• The $1/day strategy tests content at small scale before investing heavily in winners• Real, authentic content consistently outperforms AI-generated material• The MAA framework (Metrics, Analysis, Action) provides a systematic approach to marketing decisions• "Flawsome" content showing authentic experiences resonates across all platforms• Paid promotion can actually improve SEO through behavioral signalsShare this episode with entrepreneurs who want to establish genuine digital authority. If you haven't yet followed the show or given a review, this is a great moment to do so - those five stars help reach a bigger audience!This episode was recorded at DGT/LX 2025 in Oeiras on April 22, 2025. Read the blog article and show notes here: https://webdrie.net/dennis-yu-how-to-win-with-ai-in-search-social-business/Discover RYO: the Web3 payment solution making crypto simple and secure for everyone. Featuring an expansive ecosystem with LIFE Wallet, Global Mall, and Japan's first licensed Crypto ATM Network, RYO empowers your financial journey. Awarded 'Best Crypto Solution.'

In This Episode… Welcome to the Dojo, the podcast where we turn marketing news into marketing tasks. This week we're joined by Claire Carlile, Local Search Expert at BrightLocal and we talk about: Branding and pricing lessons from consumer goods How did that get there? Exploring the local Knowledge Panel beyond the NMX What the heck is “Brat Summer”? — why you're seeing lime green all over social Watch the video instead: ⁠https://exposure.ninja/dojo-28 Get a FREE review of your website: ⁠https://exposureninja.com/rpod/review⁠ Get the show notes: ⁠https://exposureninja.com/podcast/dojo-28 Timestamps 00:00 – Intro 02:49 – Story 1 – Branding and pricing lessons from consumer goods 15:19 – Story 2 – How did that get there? Exploring the local Knowledge Panel beyond the NMX 26:51 – Story 3 – What the heck is “Brat Summer”? — why you're seeing lime green all over social 39:00 – The Tasks

Interview with Jason Barnard, who is an entrepreneur and CEO of Kalicube. Jason specialises in Online Brand Management and his superhero skill is his ability to influence and reshape Google's focus on an individual or a company. Jason is also a conference speaker, author and podcast host. Jason Barnard is both the CEO and the founder of Kalicube, a groundbreaking software company that, through the Kalicube Pro SaaS platform, helps clients optimise their Brand SERP and manage their Knowledge Panel. His web site is https://kalicube.com/about/invite-jason/invite-jason-barnard-on-your-podcast/

This week on LEXCHAT, let's chat about how to claim your Google business profile and/or knowledge panel and why you should care about having them! #BusinessProfile #Knowledge #Claims TIPS ARE WELCOMED AND VERY MUCH APPRECIATED!!! CashApp: $LexCATL PayPal: lexcsolo@gmail.com Venmo: @lexcatl Zelle: 404-552-5514 Email questions and/or topics to LEXCLIKES@gmail.com MUSIC Amazon - http://bit.ly/lexconamazon Apple Music - http://bit.ly/lexconapple CD Baby - http://bit.ly/lexconcdbaby Spotify - http://bit.ly/lexconspotify Tidal - http://bit.ly/lexcontidal _________________________________________________________________ Follow me: https://www.lexcatl.com/ https://www.instagram.com/lexclikes/ https://twitter.com/thisislexc https://www.patreon.com/lexcatl --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lexcatl/support

Dennis Yu talks with Jason Barnard about facebook's hidden impact on SERPS. Dennis Yu is the CEO of BlitzMetrics, a digital marketing company that works with schools to educate young adults and provide courses, implementation and consulting. His personal mission centers around mentorship from his experience with helping people from all walks of life grow their expertise in digital marketing. He shares his insights from managing campaigns for enterprise clients such as The Golden State Warriors, Nike and Rosetta Stone. Dennis helps digital agencies grow by serving doctors and real estate agents as a fractional CTO. He is an internationally recognized digital marketing lecturer and has spoken more than 730 times in 17 countries on 5 continents. He has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, LA Times, National Public Radio, TechCrunch, Fox News, CNN, CBS Evening News and is co-author of “Facebook Nation” – a textbook taught at over 700 colleges and universities. A strong presence on social media platforms such as Facebook can drive traffic to your website and enhance its credibility. Repurposing valuable interactions from social media into website content can reach a larger audience in a more useful context. This marketing approach will help you build a solid online presence that appeals to both human users and sophisticated search engines like Google. In this groovy episode, the fantastic Dennis Yu explores the impact of social media on search engine results, focusing on the role of Facebook. Dennis shares his experienced views on using the "Dollar a Day Strategy" on Facebook to increase search relevancy and the critical role of a 10% engagement rate as a signal of content quality. The conversation also extends to the intricacies of platform metrics such as view duration and the different weighting of likes, comments and shares, highlighting the superior value of shares for visibility on platforms such as Facebook and LinkedIn. He discusses the impact of the number of followers and profile activity on Facebook and the diminishing importance of verification badges. As always, the show ends with passing the baton… Dennis incredibly passes the virtual baton to next week's amazing guest, Craig Andrews. What you'll learn from Dennis Yu 00:00 Dennis Yu and Jason Barnard 01:52 Dennis Yu's Brand SERP and Knowledge Panel 02:49 Dennis Yu's Search Generative Experience Result 03:38 How Dennis Rank in Facebook Ads Without Using SEO? 05:51 How Does Social Media Influence Search Engine Results? 07:11 What is the “Dollar a Day” Strategy? 07:40 What Does 10% Engagement Mean for Videos or Posts on Facebook? 08:10 Facebook's Relevance Score and Google's Quality Score 09:15 How Do You Get a 10% Engagement Rate on Social Media? 12:40 How Can You Use Social Media Effectively for SEO? 13:13 How Do Views, Likes, Shares, and Comments Affect the Visibility of Content? 15:55 Asking People to Like, Share or Comment on Your Videos 18:34 How Important are Followers and Activity on Your Facebook Profile? 19:22 Buying Verified Badges on Social Media Platforms 20:43 How Does Earning a Blue Check on Social Media Platforms Relate to a Knowledge Panel? 21:43 Why is a Particular Platform Not Ranking in Your Brands SERP Despite Significant Efforts? This episode was recorded live on video January 2nd 2024

Welcome back to another episode of the Niche Pursuits News Podcast. This week's episode is seriously packed with a ton of important and interesting headlines in the SEO, digital marketing, and content creation space. So grab some popcorn, get comfortable, and let's get started! Spencer and Jared kick off the episode by talking about Google's latest announcement about an impending November core update, which started to roll out on November 2nd. We can expect to see the effects over the weekend. They talk about Google's explanation for the latest update and how there's also a review system update coming next week. Moving on, they share an article in The Verge accusing SEOs of ruining the internet. Spencer summarizes the 8000-word article and he and Jared discuss whether the author ultimately blames SEOs or Google itself for bringing down the quality of the internet.  What does Jared think about the article? Is The Verge hypocritical for publishing an article like this? What happened to Danny Sullivan, the Google employee who responded to Spencer's tweet? Tune in to find out! The conversation then shifts to an article on Detailed, and a tweet, by Glen Allsopp, about product review affiliate keywords. Allsopp shares his findings after analyzing 10,000 search results and he shares some staggering statistics for sites like Reddit and Quora. The next news item on the agenda has to do with Google's efforts to fix a bug from the October 2023 update, which impacted Google Discover traffic. Does that mean people who got massive traffic from Google Discover recently will see it disappear? Will people without much Google Discover traffic see it increase? Continuing with news about Google, Spencer and Jared share an article that shows how Google is inserting paid ads among organic search results. They talk about the implications of this move and how it may or may not affect publishers. Then Spencer shares an article about updates to Google AdSense, as the network is shifting to per-impression payments for publishers. How will this impact their earnings? Why is Google doing this? Since the network has always been pay-per-click, this is a major change to how it functions. Tune in to hear what Spencer and Jared have to say. Jared geeks out on the last news item on the agenda, an analysis of Google's EEAT Knowledge Graph. A recent article took a deep dive into how Google understands what is and isn't expert content and the importance of getting into the Knowledge Panel and building a brand. Jared shares some good ideas on how to get Google's stamp of approval, so don't miss them! When it comes to Side Hustle Shenanigans, Spencer provides an update on his second faceless YouTube channel, for which the stats are underwhelming. As he is completely hands-off in this endeavor, his advice for anyone looking to do something like this is to be very involved and detail-oriented. Listen in to find out what he thinks about this business model. Jared reports on his Amazon Influencer side hustle, noting that October was his worst month ever. Why was this? What's driving all the volatility? What does he expect in the coming months? There's just a little bit of time left, and Spencer shares his weird niche site first: Astronaut.io. This fascinating site features videos from YouTube that have zero views. With 105k visitors over the last three months according to SimilarWeb, it seems that some people (mostly in Russia), are enjoying them. Jared's weird site is in the celebrity niche, Who's Dated Who, which offers the dating history of every celebrity you can think of. He and Spencer discuss the site's ranking system, how it might be getting its data, its use of a forum, and how it's monetized. This DR56 site is ranking for over 600k keywords, and monthly estimated organic traffic of 1.2 million. And that brings us to the end of another great episode. Thanks for tuning in for another week and getting the latest in SEO news. See you next Friday! Be sure to get more content like this in the Niche Pursuits Newsletter Right Here: https://www.nichepursuits.com/newsletter Want a Faster and Easier Way to Build Internal Links? Get $15 off Link Whisper with Discount Code "Podcast" on the Checkout Screen: https://www.nichepursuits.com/linkwhisper Get SEO Consulting from the Niche Pursuits Podcast Host, Jared Bauman: https://www.nichepursuits.com/201creative

Did you know that you can get a stamp of approval from Google? It's better known as the Google Knowledge Panel. (It's the information box on the right-hand side of Google Search Results.) You've seen it when you Google the name of somebody famous. In this episode, Jason Barnard explains that the Google Knowledge Panel isn't reserved for the world's top influencers. In fact, Google's implicit stamp of approval is available to anyone! Jason will explain how to get a Google Knowledge Panel for your podcast. Get ready to learn how to leverage the power of Google's stamp of approval! MORE: https://podpros.com/241Key Moments:00:00:15 - Introduction and Building Authority in Search00:03:28 - Jason's Personal Experience with Google Search Results00:07:27 - Importance of Google for Podcasters00:10:00 - Improving Your Brand SERP00:12:39 - Knowledge Panel and Building Authority00:17:05 - Assessing Online Presence00:19:00 - Becoming the Authority00:20:19 - Conclusion: Key to Target AudienceTimestamped Summary:00:00:15 - Introduction and Building Authority in SearchJason Barnard introduces himself as the Brand SERP guy and explains how branded search can help build authority within an industry. He highlights the importance of becoming the authoritative reference in your niche and shares a simple strategy to achieve that.00:03:28 - Jason's Personal Experience with Google Search ResultsJason shares his personal experience of repositioning his online personal brand from a cartoon Blue Dog to a world-leading expert digital marketer. He emphasizes the role of Google search results in building credibility and becoming an authoritative expert.00:07:27 - Importance of Google for PodcastersJason explains that while Google may not be a huge driver of an audience for podcasters, it provides valuable insights and free visibility. He introduces the concept of Brand SERP and Knowledge Panel and how they indicate Google's understanding of your podcast.00:10:00 - Improving Your Brand SERPJason advises podcasters to focus on improving the content that appears on their brand SERP. This includes reviews, engagement, and views on podcasting platforms, as well as social media accounts. He suggests analyzing the brand SERPs of other podcasts in the same niche for strategic choices.00:12:39 - Knowledge Panel and Building AuthorityJason explains the significance of the Knowledge Panel on Google and how it represents Google's level of understanding of your podcast. He emphasizes the importance of providing accurate and relevant information to build authority within your niche.00:17:05 - Assessing Online PresenceLearn how to assess your online presence by researching your brand SERP and evaluating the relevance and helpfulness of the information presented. Google, Chat GPT, and Microsoft Bing are valuable tools for gaining insight into your authority and credibility.00:19:00 - Becoming the AuthorityConsistency in content, niche focus, content quality, and building relationships with leading authorities in your niche will establish you as the go-to authority on various platforms. Google, Microsoft, Bing, Apple, Amazon, Spotify, and Podcast Addict will prioritize your podcast over others.00:20:19 - Conclusion: Key to Target AudienceGoogle's understanding of your podcast and audience interaction provides valuable insights. Aim to become the authority in your niche on search and recommendation engines, gaining visibility and credibility with your ideal target audience.MORE: https://podpros.com/241

Do you want to sound like a natural pro in your podcast? You're in for a treat because podcaster and voice actor Jason Barnard is with us to share his top tips on sounding good on your recordings while being great at delivering your message. If you want to hear more from our exciting conversation, press the play button!   WHAT TO LISTEN FOR An advantage of using a lapel mic when podcasting Main difference between making guest and solo episodes Creative ways to sound natural and engaging during recordings The impact of making mistakes and accepting them Major red flags when finding podcast guests   RESOURCES/LINKS MENTIONED Zoom H5 4-Track Portable Recorder Boowa & Kwala PodMatch   ABOUT JASON BARNARD Jason Barnard is the CEO of Kalicube. He is also an entrepreneur, author, and digital marketer specializing in Brand SERP optimization and Knowledge Panel management. He uses the pseudonym "The Brand SERP Guy" for his professional work. Jason's first book, The Fundamentals of Brand SERPs for Business, was published in January 2022. He regularly contributes articles to leading digital marketing publications. Spanning five seasons, his podcast, "Branded Search (and Beyond) with Jason Barnard," has become a weekly staple in the digital marketing community. The conversations are always intelligent, always interesting, and always fun! Jason founded multiple companies: Kalicube, but he also founded WTPL Music and UpToTen.    CONNECT WITH JASON Website: Jason Barnard Podcast: Branded Search (and Beyond) with Jason Barnard   CONNECT WITH US If you are interested in getting on our show, email us at team@growyourshow.com. Thinking about creating and growing your own podcast but not sure where to start? Click here and Schedule a call with Adam A. Adams! Upgrading your podcast equipment or maybe getting your first microphone? Get Your Free Equipment Guide! We also have free courses for you on everything you need to know about starting a great podcast! Check out our first six episodes through the links below! Identify Your Avatar - Free Course 1/6 What To Do BEFORE You Launch Your Podcast - Free Course 2/6 How To Launch A TOP Show - Free Course 3/6 Best Marketing And Growth Strategies - Free Course 4/6 How To Monetize Your Podcast - Free Course 5/6  Top 22 Pitfalls On Starting Your Own Podcast - Free Course 6/6 If you want to make money from your podcasts, check out this FREE resource we made. Our clients use a sponsor sheet, and now they are making between $2,000 to $5,000 from sponsorship!  Subscribe so you don't miss out on great content and if you love the show, leave an honest rating and review here! 

Jarno van Driel talks with Jason Barnard about from entity modeling to knowledge graph maintenance. Jarno van Driel, a structured data consultant from the Netherlands, specialises in using cutting-edge online marketing technologies to give corporate websites a competitive edge. His expertise lies in aligning marketing activities by developing corporate vocabularies based on schema.org that can be used across multiple marketing channels. As one of the first dedicated front-end developers in the Netherlands, Jarno recognized the impact of semantics on search while working on website accessibility. This led him to explore search engine optimization (SEO) and eventually become an SEO specialist. In 2008, he discovered the potential of structured data, particularly RDFa, and began incorporating it into his daily work. As his role expanded, Jarno became increasingly involved in structured data, both as a publisher and as a volunteer for schema.org. Since 2018, he has focused primarily on providing semantic modeling services and guiding organisations into the era of the semantic web. Jarno's contributions to structured data have been recognized in W3C discussion groups, where he is actively involved in improving common standards and deepening his knowledge of semantic technologies. The importance of Entity Modeling and the Knowledge Graph in improving your website's ranking cannot be overstated. As technical SEO professionals, understanding and applying these concepts can make all the difference in the competitive digital landscape. By creating vibrant and engaging content around your identified entities, you not only create an enriching user experience, but also make your website more attractive to search engines. In addition, using structured data increases the machine readability of your content, further optimising it for search. But remember, relevancy is an ongoing process. Updating your information in the Knowledge Graph and routinely monitoring your Knowledge Panel for accuracy and relevance are an essential part of this process. In this incredible episode, Jarno van Driel shares amazing nuggets about Entity Modeling and the need to maintain Knowledge Graphs. Jarno talks about schema markup, the importance of structured data in web content optimisation, the future of structured data, the differences between a bot, a crawler and algorithms. Jarno also gives great tips on how to build trust through effective responses to negative reviews. As always, the show ends with passing the baton…Jarno wonderfully passes the virtual baton to next week's lovely guest, Joyan Chan. What you'll learn from Jarno van Driel 00:00 Jarno van Driel and Jason Barnard 00:47 Jarno van Driel's Brand SERP 01:41 Kalicube Support Group 03:13 What is Entity Modeling? 04:42 The Importance of Structured Data in Web Content Optimisation 06:16 Using Schema Markup 07:25 Building Search Engine's Confidence with Schema Markup 09:47 What is the Broken Plate Analogy 11:15 What is the Difference Between Bot, Crawler, and Algorithms 12:01 The Future of Structured Data 13:50 Authority and Structured Data 15:13 The Importance of Trustworthiness in SEO 16:51 How to Build Trust Through Effective Responses to Negative Reviews  18:28 Humans Vs Machines 20:02 Advances in AI: Surpassing Human Capabilities 22:19 Does Entity Modeling Hold the Key to an Ultimate Cheat Code? 23:50 Can Creating a Structured Data Model Lead to More Converting Customers? 25:46 The Diminishing Returns of Schema Markup 27:47 Maximising the Potential of Structured Data 30:47 The Importance of Knowledge Graph Maintenance 32:36 Brand Management and Entity Modeling 33:22 How Entity Modeling Helps with Branded Search 34:33 Passing the Baton: Jarno van Driel to Joyan Chan This episode was recorded live on video June 13th 2023

Jarno van Driel talks with Jason Barnard about from entity modeling to knowledge graph maintenance. Jarno van Driel, a structured data consultant from the Netherlands, specialises in using cutting-edge online marketing technologies to give corporate websites a competitive edge. His expertise lies in aligning marketing activities by developing corporate vocabularies based on schema.org that can be used across multiple marketing channels. As one of the first dedicated front-end developers in the Netherlands, Jarno recognized the impact of semantics on search while working on website accessibility. This led him to explore search engine optimization (SEO) and eventually become an SEO specialist. In 2008, he discovered the potential of structured data, particularly RDFa, and began incorporating it into his daily work. As his role expanded, Jarno became increasingly involved in structured data, both as a publisher and as a volunteer for schema.org. Since 2018, he has focused primarily on providing semantic modeling services and guiding organisations into the era of the semantic web. Jarno's contributions to structured data have been recognized in W3C discussion groups, where he is actively involved in improving common standards and deepening his knowledge of semantic technologies. The importance of Entity Modeling and the Knowledge Graph in improving your website's ranking cannot be overstated. As technical SEO professionals, understanding and applying these concepts can make all the difference in the competitive digital landscape. By creating vibrant and engaging content around your identified entities, you not only create an enriching user experience, but also make your website more attractive to search engines. In addition, using structured data increases the machine readability of your content, further optimising it for search. But remember, relevancy is an ongoing process. Updating your information in the Knowledge Graph and routinely monitoring your Knowledge Panel for accuracy and relevance are an essential part of this process. In this incredible episode, Jarno van Driel shares amazing nuggets about Entity Modeling and the need to maintain Knowledge Graphs. Jarno talks about schema markup, the importance of structured data in web content optimisation, the future of structured data, the differences between a bot, a crawler and algorithms. Jarno also gives great tips on how to build trust through effective responses to negative reviews. As always, the show ends with passing the baton…Jarno wonderfully passes the virtual baton to next week's lovely guest, Joyan Chan. What you'll learn from Jarno van Driel 00:00 Jarno van Driel and Jason Barnard 00:47 Jarno van Driel's Brand SERP 01:41 Kalicube Support Group 03:13 What is Entity Modeling? 04:42 The Importance of Structured Data in Web Content Optimisation 06:16 Using Schema Markup 07:25 Building Search Engine's Confidence with Schema Markup 09:47 What is the Broken Plate Analogy 11:15 What is the Difference Between Bot, Crawler, and Algorithms 12:01 The Future of Structured Data 13:50 Authority and Structured Data 15:13 The Importance of Trustworthiness in SEO 16:51 How to Build Trust Through Effective Responses to Negative Reviews  18:28 Humans Vs Machines 20:02 Advances in AI: Surpassing Human Capabilities 22:19 Does Entity Modeling Hold the Key to an Ultimate Cheat Code? 23:50 Can Creating a Structured Data Model Lead to More Converting Customers? 25:46 The Diminishing Returns of Schema Markup 27:47 Maximising the Potential of Structured Data 30:47 The Importance of Knowledge Graph Maintenance 32:36 Brand Management and Entity Modeling 33:22 How Entity Modeling Helps with Branded Search 34:33 Passing the Baton: Jarno van Driel to Joyan Chan This episode was recorded live on video June 13th 2023

In this episode, we dive into the world of search engine optimization (SEO) and explore strategies to enhance your website's visibility on Google. We discuss the importance of ranking on Google and share valuable insights on securing a coveted Google Knowledge Panel. Our host Julie Lokun sheds light on using popular SEO research tools like Keywords Everywhere and the significance of diversifying content to improve your chances of success. Join us as we unlock the secrets to optimizing your online presence and earning a prominent spot on Google.[Episode Highlights]:Introduction to Google Ranking (02:15 - 06:40)Understanding the significance of Google ranking for online visibilityExploring the impact of ranking on website traffic and user engagementImportance of staying up-to-date with the latest SEO trendsLeveraging Keywords Everywhere for SEO Research (06:45 - 14:30)Overview of the Keywords Everywhere tool and its featuresHow to conduct effective keyword research using Keywords EverywhereAnalyzing search volume, competition, and long-tail keywords for optimizationDiversifying Content for Improved Rankings (14:35 - 23:20)The role of diverse content formats (text, images, videos, etc.) in SEOCreating engaging and relevant content to attract a wider audienceIncorporating user-generated content and interactive elements for better engagementUnderstanding the Google Knowledge Panel (23:25 - 31:15)Definition and importance of a Google Knowledge PanelKey requirements and eligibility criteria for obtaining a Knowledge PanelStrategies to increase your chances of earning a Google Knowledge PanelOptimizing Your Website for Google Ranking (31:20 - 38:50)On-page optimization techniques (meta tags, headers, URL structure, etc.)Importance of mobile responsiveness and fast loading times for SEOBuilding high-quality backlinks and improving domain authorityQ&A Session with [Guest Name] (38:55 - 50:10)Answering listener questions on SEO, Keywords Everywhere, and content diversificationExpert insights and practical tips for improving online presenceJoin Our Community And Create A Buzz For Your BusinessGet Our Favorite Microphone Here: The Shure MV7⬇https://shure.pxf.io/c/3476149/879980/12212?prod=aonic50&source=facebookWhy We LOVE The Shure MV7:Shure's SM7B mic is a long-time favorite among producers and recording engineers. Now Shure offers a version of this legendary mic at a modest price designed for podcasters and gamers: meet the MV7.The Shure MV7 features both USB and XLR outputs. So you can record directly to your smartphone or computer, or run the signal through a traditional audio mixer. And you can do both simultaneously — a great way to save a backup recording. The MV7 has a built-in headphone jack for monitoring, with a built-in touch panel for easy volume adjustment. #shureFollow us on all social spaces @themediacastersJoin The Mediacasters Community FREE for a limited time: https://themediacasters.mn.coGet our #1 new book release! The book, Audiocasters teaches you how to launch, market, and, monetize your podcast! Get it here!Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themediacastersPodcast website: https://themediacasters.comThe network website, with all our community, shows: https://podpage.com/themediacastersTo Learn More About Your Hosts: Jules and Corinna

On this episode of Accelerate Your Business Growth, host Diane Helbig sits down with guest Jason Barnard to discuss building a successful SEO strategy. Jason shares his process, called the kalicube process, which focuses on identifying available resources and aligning them to what the audience is looking for to project the right solutions to Google and build an entire digital and SEO strategy around it. The conversation delves into building credibility through clear messaging and marketing tactics, and identifying one's brand and resources to serve the audience. They also cover the importance of understanding one's own business offerings and credibility to effectively communicate with clients. Key takeaways include the importance of creating videos and adding subtitles, giving Google more clues through packaging elements, and focusing on branding, marketing, and SEO in that order. Tune in for expert insights on building a successful SEO strategy and growing your business online. Jason Barnard is the CEO of Kalicube. He is also an entrepreneur, author and digital marketer who specialises in Brand SERP optimisation and Knowledge Panel management. Jason uses the pseudonym "The Brand SERP Guy" for his professional work! If you are a small business owner or salesperson who struggles with getting the sales results you are looking for, get your copy of Succeed Without Selling today. Learn the importance of Always Be Curious. Each episode of this podcast provides insights and education around topics that are important to you as a business owner or leader. The content comes from people who are experts in their fields and who are interested in helping you be more successful. Whether it's sales challenges, leadership issues, hiring and talent struggles, marketing, seo, branding, time management, customer service, communication, podcasting, social media, cashflow, or publishing, the best and the brightest join the host, Diane Helbig, for a casual conversation. Discover programs, webinars, services, books, and other podcasts you can tap into for fresh ideas. Be sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode and visit Helbig Enterprises to explore the many ways Diane can help you improve your business outcomes and results. The Importance of Demonstrating Credibility to Google: "What the machine is trying to do is understand who you are, what you do, and which audience you serve. Figure out if you're credible as a solution, and figure out if you actually have the correct solution..."— Jason Barnard 00:05:07 Achieving AI Credibility: "When you search Calicube, Google, its new generative AI, comes up with the perfect description and the perfect follow up questions because of the way we set up our entire understanding, credibility and deliverability system. If we think back to what I was saying earlier on, we make sure Google understands who we are, what we do and what we offer. It knows that we're a credible solution and we've got deliverable content that is useful to it and to its users."— Jason Barnard 00:11:56 How to Solve Duplicate Content Issues: "Your best bet is to be the decisive person. You say, Right, okay, I've got these two pages. I will either choose one or I will merge them, create one single page that actually solves the problem completely, rather than two that half solved the problem."— Jason Barnard 00:20:46 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Understanding and managing the ever expanding Google Local Knowledge Panel:  Google's Knowledge Panel and Business Profile are essential components of a local digital marketing strategy. The Knowledge Panel is a rich search result that appears in response to a user's query and provides relevant information about the queried entity. On the other hand, the Business Profile is a free listing provided by Google for businesses to manage their online presence, which feeds into Google's Knowledge Graph and its understanding of an entity.The Knowledge Panel draws information from various sources, including Google's Knowledge Graph, Wikipedia, Google Scholar, Google News, and other third-party sites. It is dynamic and ever-changing, with the information displayed depending on the user's location, the entity in question, and the search query. However, businesses have little control over the information displayed on the Knowledge Panel.Tracking your way to success:  Tracking user engagement and conversions is essential to understanding which components of your Google My Business Profile are driving user actions. We discuss some best practices for tracking user engagement and conversions across both Google Insights AND your website.By implementing best practices such as UTM tracking, analyzing user actions, and focusing on the primary website link, businesses can better understand their audience's behavior and make informed decisions.Beyond Google Local - being ready to live without Google:  While Google may dominate the search engine market, it is crucial not to rely solely on Google and to diversify your online presence. By focusing on people, controlling your digital assets, maintaining close customer relationships, and trying different services, you can build resilience and prepare for any changes that may come in the future.The Near Memo is a weekly conversation about Search, Social, and Commerce: What happened, why it matters, and the implications for local businesses and national brands.near memo ep 112Subscribe to our 3x per week newsletter at https://www.nearmedia.co/subscribe/

Subscribe To Our Exclusive Podcast Show: https://simplesuccesswithjohnbrandy.supercast.com/ “Work is work. Sin embargo, how you approach work, makes all the difference.” Our Credits: These podcasts are productions of Little Red Hen Industries. OUR THIRD YEAR!! Learn about financial education & personal financial management in this episode with John Brandy on the Simple Success podcast, which comes out on Mondays! Learn more about Simple Success with John Brandy using our all-in-one access link here Visit the Simple Success with John Brandy website today! Guest Credits: Learn more about Jason's backstory as a punk-folk musician, cartoon blue dog, digital marketer and serial entrepreneur: https://jasonbarnard.com/ Why does Jason use the Pseudonym The Brand SERP Guy? https://thebrandserpguy.com/ Take a peek at Jason's Book The Fundamentals of Brand SERPs for Business: https://www.brandserpsforbusiness.com/ Interested in working with Jason and the Kalicube Team on your Brand SERP or Knowledge Panel? https://kalicube.com/ The Big Kahuna Search Link: John Brandy Podcasts Simple Success Web: https://www.simplesuccesswithjohnbrandy.com/ A Choice Voice Web: https://www.achoicevoice.com/ Reddit Sites For CONSTRUCTIVE COMMENTS And Of Course Fun!: https://www.reddit.com/r/simplesuccess/ https://www.reddit.com/r/achoicevoice/ iOS Simple Success: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/simple-success-with-john-brandy/id1549566678 Droid Simple Success: https://podcasts.google.com/search/simple%20success%20with%20john%20brandy iOS A Choice Voice: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-choice-voice-with-john-brandy/id1560026051 Droid A Choice Voice: https://podcasts.google.com/search/a%20choice%20voice%20with%20john%20brandy AI Voices & Other Stuff @ Online Tone Generator& @ Amazon AWS Polly & Google Finally, you can find us on Podmatch, Matchmaker.FM, Podbooker and Podcast Guests, where we consider guests & guesting on other pods. And really finally, our music and sound effects come from freesound.org. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/simplesuccess/message

How do you manage your brand on Google? What is an SERP and why is it important?Joining me for this conversation is Jason Barnard, the founder and CEO of Kalicube. He is also an author and digital marketer who specializes in Brand SERP optimization and Knowledge Panel management. Jason uses the pseudonym "The Brand SERP Guy'' for his professional work! Jason, aka The Brand SERP Guy, has over 2 decades of experience in digital marketing, starting in 1998 (the year Google was incorporated) with a website for kids based on the characters Boowa & Kwala that he built up to become one of the 10,000 most visited sites in the world. In the 1990s he was a professional musician with the Punk-Folk group The Barking Dogs. He currently plays double bass with Barcoustic (Hugo Scott, from the Barking Dogs is the singer).Jason gives listeners actionable tips on: [1:15] What SERP means [3:10] What lawyers are doing wrong when it comes to Google [6:00] What a 'knowledge panel' is [12:40] How to control what shows up on this panel [15:45] Keeping an open feedback loop on Google [17:20] Why reviews are so important  [22:20] How to educate Google about who you and your audience are [32:05] Why you need to focus on SEO as part of your strategy [36:55] Jason's book review Resources mentioned in this episode:Law Firm SEO by Jason HennesseyConnect with Jason here: Twitter LinkedIn Facebook https://jasonbarnard.com  Connect with me Instagram Pinterest Facebook Twitter Karin on Twitter Karin on LinkedIn Conroy Creative Counsel on Facebook https://conroycreativecounsel.com 

How do you manage your brand on Google? What is an SERP and why is it important? Joining me for this conversation is Jason Barnard, the founder and CEO of Kalicube. He is also an author and digital marketer who specializes in Brand SERP optimization and Knowledge Panel management. Jason uses the pseudonym "The Brand SERP Guy'' for his professional work!  Jason, aka The Brand SERP Guy, has over 2 decades of experience in digital marketing, starting in 1998 (the year Google was incorporated) with a website for kids based on the characters Boowa & Kwala that he built up to become one of the 10,000 most visited sites in the world.  In the 1990s he was a professional musician with the Punk-Folk group The Barking Dogs. He currently plays double bass with Barcoustic (Hugo Scott, from the Barking Dogs is the singer). Jason gives listeners actionable tips on: [1:15] What SERP means [3:10] What lawyers are doing wrong when it comes to Google [6:00] What a 'knowledge panel' is [12:40] How to control what shows up on this panel [15:45] Keeping an open feedback loop on Google [17:20] Why reviews are so important  [22:20] How to educate Google about who you and your audience are [32:05] Why you need to focus on SEO as part of your strategy [36:55] Jason's book review Resources mentioned in this episode: Law Firm SEO by Jason Hennessey Connect with Jason here: Twitter LinkedIn Facebook https://jasonbarnard.com  Connect with me Instagram Pinterest Facebook Twitter Karin on Twitter Karin on LinkedIn Conroy Creative Counsel on Facebook https://conroycreativecounsel.com 

How do you manage your brand on Google? What is an SERP and why is it important? Joining me for this conversation is Jason Barnard, the founder and CEO of Kalicube. He is also an author and digital marketer who specializes in Brand SERP optimization and Knowledge Panel management. Jason uses the pseudonym "The Brand SERP Guy'' for his professional work!  Jason, aka The Brand SERP Guy, has over 2 decades of experience in digital marketing, starting in 1998 (the year Google was incorporated) with a website for kids based on the characters Boowa & Kwala that he built up to become one of the 10,000 most visited sites in the world.  In the 1990s he was a professional musician with the Punk-Folk group The Barking Dogs. He currently plays double bass with Barcoustic (Hugo Scott, from the Barking Dogs is the singer). Jason gives listeners actionable tips on: [1:15] What SERP means [3:10] What lawyers are doing wrong when it comes to Google [6:00] What a 'knowledge panel' is [12:40] How to control what shows up on this panel [15:45] Keeping an open feedback loop on Google [17:20] Why reviews are so important  [22:20] How to educate Google about who you and your audience are [32:05] Why you need to focus on SEO as part of your strategy [36:55] Jason's book review Resources mentioned in this episode: Law Firm SEO by Jason Hennessey Connect with Jason here: Twitter LinkedIn Facebook https://jasonbarnard.com  Connect with me Instagram Pinterest Facebook Twitter Karin on Twitter Karin on LinkedIn Conroy Creative Counsel on Facebook https://conroycreativecounsel.com 

Another super interesting Q&A session with Jason Barnard - The Brand SERP Guy - is coming. Don't miss this one! Jason has triggered well over A THOUSAND Knowledge Panels and his company (Kalicube), has data on 40,000 Knowledge Panels going back 5 years. He is the "Google Whisperer" - he knows how to get and keep, a Knowledge Panel for people, companies, events, products, and any other Entity. This Q&A will focus on the easy-to-implement practical tips, techniques, and strategies you need to trigger a Knowledge Panel (if you don't have one) or enrich it (if you do). This is a unique opportunity to get straight answers to your questions about getting, managing, and enriching Knowledge Panels for any entity type. So come along to the live event to ask your noobie questions and get a clear, helpful answer from Jason... he assures me that, because the world of Knowledge Panel management is new, there are no stupid questions, only questions people are afraid to ask for risk of looking foolish. Follow Olga Zarr or hire Olga to help you with SEO Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/olgazarr My SEO newsletter: https://seosly.com/newsletter/ My SEO Podcast: https://seosly.com/podcast/ To learn even more, go to https://seosly.com/blog/ You can hire me: https://seosly.com/hire-me/ Want to learn more about me? Check this: https://seosly.com/seo-consultant/ Want to contact me? Feel free to reach out at olga@seosly.com The SEO Podcast by #SEOSLY is kindly sponsored by JetOctopus, an awesome cloud-based crawler and log file analyzed. Make sure to check JetOctopus and make your technical SEO easy: https://seosly.com/jetoctopus/

12 steps you can take to make the most of your Google Business Profile and begin educating your clients before they even reach your website.   IN THIS EPISODE...[1:34] What makes a "good client"?[3:34] How Google can help educate clients[4:15] What is the Google Business Profile[4:59] The Knowledge Panel [7:15] Our goal & 12 steps[8:50] #1 Business Name[10:20] #2 Cover Photo [11:02] #3 Service Area[12:14] #4 Logo[12:48] #5 Business Info[13:44] #6 Products & prices [15:15] #7 Product categories & product naming[16:34] #8 "From the business" [17:36] #9 Updates[20:37] #10 Reviews[21:22] #11 Social media profiles[23:04] #12 Photos, photos, photos  topics: google my business, google business profiles, knowledge panel, MEREDITH'S HUSBAND SAYS…" Photos, photos, PHOTOS. People love photos." e CONNECT… www.MeredithsHusband.commore... linktr.ee/MeredithsHusband

Feedback from people about my interview with Jason (Knowledge Panel super-expert) last week has been incredibly positive. There is the audio recording of the LIVE Q&A I hosted on the 29th of November. Tons of awesome questions about knowledge panels were asked!

On the eve of the launch of Kalicube's 17-point Knowledge Panel Checklist freebie download, Olga Zarzeczna asks Jason Barnard to explain Knowledge Panels in depth. In this incredibly insightful 70 minute conversation, Jason gets very enthusiastic answering these questions (plus many others) the importance of the Entity Home, how to write entity descriptions using NLP, what corroboration to look for, what Schema Markup to use and when, international Knowledge Panels, how Knowledge Panel Sprouts work how to trigger a Knowledge Panel, when not to claim, some Knowledge Panels are not claimable, how Google is dealing with Knowledge Panel Spam the mistakes SEOs make when managing Knowledge Panels, other common Knowledge Panels mistakes to avoid, typical timelines for Knowledge Panels, Google Knowledge Algorithm updates, how AC/DC record sales can help us understand Google Algo updates, why you should track and manage your Knowledge Panel over time, why changing names isn't as scary as Olga thought. As a bonus, Olga allows Jason to introduce all the members of the Kalicube Team, and what Kalicube can offer agencies, people and businesses. But the HUGE takeaway is that anyone who wants to work on Knowledge Panels can get all the information, tips, and tricks they need for free on https://kalicube.com and can take their skills to the next level with Kalicube's free 17-point Knowledge Panel Checklist. Get Your Free Copy of Kalicube's Knowledge Panel Checklist https://solutions.kalicube.com/knowledge-panel-checklist Helpful Links Knowledge Panel FAQ - https://kalicube.com/learning-spaces/faq/knowledge-panels/?v=1 Knowledge Panel Case Studies - https://kalicube.com/case-studies/knowledge-panel/ Book - https://www.brandserpsforbusiness.com/ Courses - https://kalicube.academy/ Kalicube Support Group - https://kalicube.com/about/kalicube-support-groups/ Kalicube Pro for Agencies - https://kalicube.com/products/kalicube-pro-saas-for-agencies/ Kalicube Done-for-You Services - https://kalicube.com/products/done-for-you-services/ A simple explanation of the Kalicube Process - https://kalicube.com/learning-spaces/faq/digital-pr/the-kalicube-process/ Follow Olga Zarr or hire Olga to help you with SEO Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/olgazarr My SEO newsletter: https://seosly.com/newsletter/ My SEO Podcast: https://seosly.com/podcast/ To learn even more, go to https://seosly.com/blog/ You can hire me: https://seosly.com/hire-me/ Want to learn more about me? Check this: https://seosly.com/seo-consultant/ Want to contact me? Feel free to reach out at olga@seosly.com The SEO Podcast by #SEOSLY is kindly sponsored by JetOctopus, an awesome cloud-based crawler and log file analyzed. Make sure to check JetOctopus and make your technical SEO easy: https://seosly.com/jetoctopus/

Shane Hodge talks with Jason Barnard about make your website a booking and buying machine. Shane Hodge is a globetrotter, speaker, high performance sales and marketing professional, motivator, chef, non-technical expert, motorcyclist and 10-year CEO/co-founder of TheCamel.co, a digital agency in the Philippines that is a global fulfilment partner for Duda agencies around the world, designs and builds sensational websites, does technical development and is a Google partner providing digital marketing services. In this day and age, people will research on the web before they buy anything. As a business owner, it is therefore very important to have a website where customers or potential customers can find out about the product or service you offer. Websites can be more than just a "customer attraction programme" and you can absolutely make your website a booking and buying engine for your business.  This entertaining and insightful episode with Shane Hodge and Jason Barnard offers incredible tips on how to effectively convert prospects into buyers on your website. From call-to-actions that actually work, to text and colour, to where in a page you should place customer reviews and testimonials, to the best way you can highlight features and benefits of the products and services you offer… and how to ensure your potential client understands at a glance "why they should buy from you". Last (HUGE) point: when you are creating a website, think about who you are designing it for. As always, the show ends with passing the baton… Shane delightfully passes the virtual baton to next week's brilliant guest, Joseph S. Khan… with a song! What you'll learn from Shane Hodge 00:00 Shane Hodge and Jason Barnard 00:46 Shane Hodge's Brand SERP01:12 TheCamel.co's Brand SERP01:30 Duda's Knowledge Panel in the US01:56 Kalicube's Knowledge Panel and Brand SERP Support Group02:20 Website Builder: Duda Vs WordPress04:49 Koray Tuğberk GÜBÜR's 25,000 Word Review of Kalicube Pro05:58 Team Kalicube07:49 How to Make Your Website a Booking and Buying Machine08:00 The Importance of Call-to-Action to Any Website08:30 What Role Does a Website Really Perform for a Business09:08 How Social Media has Changed the Way We Look at Website Content10:06 How to Convince Business Owners to Stop Trying to be Pixel Perfect with Their Website11:11 Who Should You Design your Website for?12:24 Where is the Ideal Place for Customer Reviews on a Website?13:40 Effective Website Page Structure13:48 Highlighting Features and Benefits17:30 Distinguish Your Own Personality from Your Brand's Personality20:48 Are Website Text and Color Important to a Customer's Booking and Buying Decision22:16 Shane Hodge's Tips for Including Call to Actions on a Website26:42 How to Effectively Filter Potential Clients on a Website30:46 Passing the Baton: Shane Hodge to Joseph S. Khan This episode was recorded live on video November 8th 2022 Recorded live at Kalicube Tuesdays (Digital Marketing Livestream Event Series). Watch the video now >>

Shane Hodge talks with Jason Barnard about make your website a booking and buying machine. Shane Hodge is a globetrotter, speaker, high performance sales and marketing professional, motivator, chef, non-technical expert, motorcyclist and 10-year CEO/co-founder of TheCamel.co, a digital agency in the Philippines that is a global fulfilment partner for Duda agencies around the world, designs and builds sensational websites, does technical development and is a Google partner providing digital marketing services. In this day and age, people will research on the web before they buy anything. As a business owner, it is therefore very important to have a website where customers or potential customers can find out about the product or service you offer. Websites can be more than just a "customer attraction programme" and you can absolutely make your website a booking and buying engine for your business.  This entertaining and insightful episode with Shane Hodge and Jason Barnard offers incredible tips on how to effectively convert prospects into buyers on your website. From call-to-actions that actually work, to text and colour, to where in a page you should place customer reviews and testimonials, to the best way you can highlight features and benefits of the products and services you offer… and how to ensure your potential client understands at a glance "why they should buy from you". Last (HUGE) point: when you are creating a website, think about who you are designing it for. As always, the show ends with passing the baton… Shane delightfully passes the virtual baton to next week's brilliant guest, Joseph S. Khan… with a song! What you'll learn from Shane Hodge 00:00 Shane Hodge and Jason Barnard 00:46 Shane Hodge's Brand SERP01:12 TheCamel.co's Brand SERP01:30 Duda's Knowledge Panel in the US01:56 Kalicube's Knowledge Panel and Brand SERP Support Group02:20 Website Builder: Duda Vs WordPress04:49 Koray Tuğberk GÜBÜR's 25,000 Word Review of Kalicube Pro05:58 Team Kalicube07:49 How to Make Your Website a Booking and Buying Machine08:00 The Importance of Call-to-Action to Any Website08:30 What Role Does a Website Really Perform for a Business09:08 How Social Media has Changed the Way We Look at Website Content10:06 How to Convince Business Owners to Stop Trying to be Pixel Perfect with Their Website11:11 Who Should You Design your Website for?12:24 Where is the Ideal Place for Customer Reviews on a Website?13:40 Effective Website Page Structure13:48 Highlighting Features and Benefits17:30 Distinguish Your Own Personality from Your Brand's Personality20:48 Are Website Text and Color Important to a Customer's Booking and Buying Decision22:16 Shane Hodge's Tips for Including Call to Actions on a Website26:42 How to Effectively Filter Potential Clients on a Website30:46 Passing the Baton: Shane Hodge to Joseph S. Khan This episode was recorded live on video November 8th 2022 Recorded live at Kalicube Tuesdays (Digital Marketing Livestream Event Series). Watch the video now >>

Shane Hodge talks with Jason Barnard about make your website a booking and buying machine. Shane Hodge is a globetrotter, speaker, high performance sales and marketing professional, motivator, chef, non-technical expert, motorcyclist and 10-year CEO/co-founder of TheCamel.co, a digital agency in the Philippines that is a global fulfilment partner for Duda agencies around the world, designs and builds sensational websites, does technical development and is a Google partner providing digital marketing services. In this day and age, people will research on the web before they buy anything. As a business owner, it is therefore very important to have a website where customers or potential customers can find out about the product or service you offer. Websites can be more than just a "customer attraction programme" and you can absolutely make your website a booking and buying engine for your business.  This entertaining and insightful episode with Shane Hodge and Jason Barnard offers incredible tips on how to effectively convert prospects into buyers on your website. From call-to-actions that actually work, to text and colour, to where in a page you should place customer reviews and testimonials, to the best way you can highlight features and benefits of the products and services you offer… and how to ensure your potential client understands at a glance "why they should buy from you". Last (HUGE) point: when you are creating a website, think about who you are designing it for. As always, the show ends with passing the baton… Shane delightfully passes the virtual baton to next week's brilliant guest, Joseph S. Khan… with a song! What you'll learn from Shane Hodge 00:00 Shane Hodge and Jason Barnard 00:46 Shane Hodge's Brand SERP01:12 TheCamel.co's Brand SERP01:30 Duda's Knowledge Panel in the US01:56 Kalicube's Knowledge Panel and Brand SERP Support Group02:20 Website Builder: Duda Vs WordPress04:49 Koray Tuğberk GÜBÜR's 25,000 Word Review of Kalicube Pro05:58 Team Kalicube07:49 How to Make Your Website a Booking and Buying Machine08:00 The Importance of Call-to-Action to Any Website08:30 What Role Does a Website Really Perform for a Business09:08 How Social Media has Changed the Way We Look at Website Content10:06 How to Convince Business Owners to Stop Trying to be Pixel Perfect with Their Website11:11 Who Should You Design your Website for?12:24 Where is the Ideal Place for Customer Reviews on a Website?13:40 Effective Website Page Structure13:48 Highlighting Features and Benefits17:30 Distinguish Your Own Personality from Your Brand's Personality20:48 Are Website Text and Color Important to a Customer's Booking and Buying Decision22:16 Shane Hodge's Tips for Including Call to Actions on a Website26:42 How to Effectively Filter Potential Clients on a Website30:46 Passing the Baton: Shane Hodge to Joseph S. Khan This episode was recorded live on video November 8th 2022 Recorded live at Kalicube Tuesdays (Digital Marketing Livestream Event Series). Watch the video now >>

In this episode Gert had a delightful and very informative conversation with the widely known title of The Brand SERP Guy, Jason Barnard.  Jason is an author and he used to be known as the Blue Dog cartoon character in Boowa and Kwala in 2007.  Using the child analogy with the History teacher, the teacher is the authority on the subject of history, but not a good authority on how to bake a cake.  This is where  the Knowledge Panel comes into picture and how Google will present you to the searchers, e.g. who you are, what you have to offer, what is your brand, etc. Listen and learn how easy it is or how much less effort you can build up your Knowledge Panel using the Kalicube process than doing it manually.  There's more to this episode that you can pick up especially on brand SERPs, so listen to the very end and make sure to download the transcript of the episode.   Podcast Highlights: 01:05 Introduction of the episode, the guest and how did they get introduced 03:34 The background of Jason Barnard and how he got to correct Google in presenting him as the character Blue Dog. 04:56 Why is it important to connect the dots for Google to see the different properties that they will take into account,  according to Gert? 06:26 What is the difference between branded and non-branded searches? (...When should people start to worry about their brand?) 10:01 How important are rich snippets for  courses or in a coaching program? (...What is Schema Markup in terms of how Google makes sense of what a web page is actually about?) 12:56 What benefit can it give you to take as much advantage of Google, play their game as a bonus perspective, rather than thinking of it as taking something away from you? 17:30 Although Google My Business and the Knowledge Panel are set up differently, how can the two exist together? (...Can everybody get a knowledge panel?) 21:18 What are the different options in Kalicube that people can use and what is the three-step process that goes on an eternal cycle for Google? 24:18 How long does it take to build the Knowledge Panel? (...What are the caveats to it?) 27:55 What are second party websites that you can have partial control of and what about the third party websites that you have no control of, but are confirming what you are saying on your website?   30:24 How much effort does one need to put up a knowledge panel by doing it manually compared to the Kalicube Pro's process? 31:57 How was Jason able to change his description with Google from a musician to being an author first? 35:45 What are the 3 most important things than Google's offering on Schema Markup? (...How important is entity description?) 30:39 How does Google take into account when it comes to ranking non-branded terms? 42:23 Where to connect with Jason Barnard? 43:25 End Resources:  Past episode with Katrina McKinnon - https://seoleverage.com/podcast/088-how-to-write-helpful-content-with-katrina-mckinnon/ Book, The Fundamentals of Brand SERPs for Business by Jason Barnard - https://www.amazon.com/Fundamentals-Brand-SERPs-Business/dp/1956464107 Connect with Jason Barnard:  Website - https://jasonbarnard.com/ Website - https://kalicube.com/ Twitter - https://twitter.com/jasonmbarnard Kalicube Academy - https://kalicube.academy/ LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonmbarnard/   Connect with Gert Mellak: Website: https://seoleverage.com/ Email: info@seoleverage.com

What You'll Learn From This Episode:You want to make sure that when your audience is searching on Google, Especially when they're searching your own brand name, that they see the message as you intended.Why you need to educate Google like you would a child.Don't make the mistake Amazon did for over 20 years.Related Links and Resources:Jason's Gift to you:Copywriting Secrets for SEO in 2022. Get your copy right here:https://solutions.kalicube.com/produce-great-copywriting-for-seo-in-2022Summary:Jason Barnard (The Brand SERP Guy) is an author and digital marketing consultant. He specialises in Brand SERP optimisation and Knowledge Panel management.Jason has over 2 decades of experience in digital marketing, starting in 1998 (the year Google was incorporated) with a website for kids based on the cartoon characters Boowa & Kwala that he built up to become one of the 10,000 most visited sites in the world. In the 1990s he was a professional musician with the Punk-Folk group The Barking Dogs. In 1988 he graduated from Liverpool John Moores University with a degree in Economics and Statistical Analysis. Learn more at: https://kalicube.com/

Colin Shaw talks with Jason Barnard about UX is dead, long live CX (Customer experience is key). Colin Shaw is an original pioneer of "customer experience." LinkedIn has recognized him as one of the "World's Top 150 Business Influencers," where he has 291,000 followers. Shaw's customer experience consulting firm, Beyond Philosophy LLC, has been recognized by the Financial Times as one of the leading business consultancies for the past four consecutive years. Shaw co-hosts the highly successful Intuitive Customer podcast, ranked in the top 5% of all podcasts by BuzzSprout. Understanding people's experiences is important for any business, whether it's a small, emerging startup or a seven-figure company. How people - your company's customers, users or clients - feel and what they think about their experience doing business or using your company's products or services matters. But (oooh!) there's a huge difference between customers, users and clients.And knowing what customers want can be a huge challenge. That means thorough market research is essential... alongside looking at what customers actually do (as opposed to what they say they will do) and a good dose of behavioural science.  In this fantastic episode with Jason Barnard, Colin Shaw shares his extensive knowledge of customer experience. He also gives great advice on how to build long-term customer relationships and why marketers should focus on customer experience.  As always the show ends with passing the baton… Colin delightfully passes the virtual baton to next week's wonderful guest, Meredith Kallaher. What you'll learn from Colin Shaw 00:00 Colin Shaw and Jason Barnard01:20 Colin Shaw's Brand SERP and Knowledge Panel03:09 Jason Barnard's Knowledge Panel Tips03:51 Getting a Knowledge Panel for a Podcast05:49 Why You Should Focus on Customer Experience06:37 How Important It is to Understand People's Experience07:07 Colin Shaw's Four Elements to Understanding Customer Experience07:10 First Element: Understanding What Customers Do07:23 Second Element: Understanding How Customers Feel07:40 Third Element: A Deliberate Customer Experience09:57 Fourth Element: Understanding Why Customers Do What They Do10:56 Colin Shaw's Definition of “User”12:17 The Difference Between Customers and Clients14:13 What is Customer Centricity?14:53 How Do You Know What Customers Want?15:22 Three Ways to Find Out What Customers Want.15:27 First: Customer Research16:18 Second: Looking at What Customers Do17:38 Third: Looking Through Behavioural Science20:11 What are the Most Important Things for Customers?24:52 How to Build Customer Relationship Without Spending a Lot of Time and Resources26:52 How to Build Long-term Customer Relationships31:02 Passing the Baton: Colin Shaw to Meredith Kallaher This episode was recorded live on video September 6th 2022 Recorded live at Kalicube Tuesdays (Digital Marketing Livestream Event Series). Watch the video now >>

Colin Shaw talks with Jason Barnard about UX is dead, long live CX (Customer experience is key). Colin Shaw is an original pioneer of "customer experience." LinkedIn has recognized him as one of the "World's Top 150 Business Influencers," where he has 291,000 followers. Shaw's customer experience consulting firm, Beyond Philosophy LLC, has been recognized by the Financial Times as one of the leading business consultancies for the past four consecutive years. Shaw co-hosts the highly successful Intuitive Customer podcast, ranked in the top 5% of all podcasts by BuzzSprout. Understanding people's experiences is important for any business, whether it's a small, emerging startup or a seven-figure company. How people - your company's customers, users or clients - feel and what they think about their experience doing business or using your company's products or services matters. But (oooh!) there's a huge difference between customers, users and clients.And knowing what customers want can be a huge challenge. That means thorough market research is essential... alongside looking at what customers actually do (as opposed to what they say they will do) and a good dose of behavioural science.  In this fantastic episode with Jason Barnard, Colin Shaw shares his extensive knowledge of customer experience. He also gives great advice on how to build long-term customer relationships and why marketers should focus on customer experience.  As always the show ends with passing the baton… Colin delightfully passes the virtual baton to next week's wonderful guest, Meredith Kallaher. What you'll learn from Colin Shaw 00:00 Colin Shaw and Jason Barnard01:20 Colin Shaw's Brand SERP and Knowledge Panel03:09 Jason Barnard's Knowledge Panel Tips03:51 Getting a Knowledge Panel for a Podcast05:49 Why You Should Focus on Customer Experience06:37 How Important It is to Understand People's Experience07:07 Colin Shaw's Four Elements to Understanding Customer Experience07:10 First Element: Understanding What Customers Do07:23 Second Element: Understanding How Customers Feel07:40 Third Element: A Deliberate Customer Experience09:57 Fourth Element: Understanding Why Customers Do What They Do10:56 Colin Shaw's Definition of “User”12:17 The Difference Between Customers and Clients14:13 What is Customer Centricity?14:53 How Do You Know What Customers Want?15:22 Three Ways to Find Out What Customers Want.15:27 First: Customer Research16:18 Second: Looking at What Customers Do17:38 Third: Looking Through Behavioural Science20:11 What are the Most Important Things for Customers?24:52 How to Build Customer Relationship Without Spending a Lot of Time and Resources26:52 How to Build Long-term Customer Relationships31:02 Passing the Baton: Colin Shaw to Meredith Kallaher This episode was recorded live on video September 6th 2022 Recorded live at Kalicube Tuesdays (Digital Marketing Livestream Event Series). Watch the video now >>

Colin Shaw talks with Jason Barnard about UX is dead, long live CX (Customer experience is key). Colin Shaw is an original pioneer of "customer experience." LinkedIn has recognized him as one of the "World's Top 150 Business Influencers," where he has 291,000 followers. Shaw's customer experience consulting firm, Beyond Philosophy LLC, has been recognized by the Financial Times as one of the leading business consultancies for the past four consecutive years. Shaw co-hosts the highly successful Intuitive Customer podcast, ranked in the top 5% of all podcasts by BuzzSprout. Understanding people's experiences is important for any business, whether it's a small, emerging startup or a seven-figure company. How people - your company's customers, users or clients - feel and what they think about their experience doing business or using your company's products or services matters. But (oooh!) there's a huge difference between customers, users and clients.And knowing what customers want can be a huge challenge. That means thorough market research is essential... alongside looking at what customers actually do (as opposed to what they say they will do) and a good dose of behavioural science.  In this fantastic episode with Jason Barnard, Colin Shaw shares his extensive knowledge of customer experience. He also gives great advice on how to build long-term customer relationships and why marketers should focus on customer experience.  As always the show ends with passing the baton… Colin delightfully passes the virtual baton to next week's wonderful guest, Meredith Kallaher. What you'll learn from Colin Shaw 00:00 Colin Shaw and Jason Barnard01:20 Colin Shaw's Brand SERP and Knowledge Panel03:09 Jason Barnard's Knowledge Panel Tips03:51 Getting a Knowledge Panel for a Podcast05:49 Why You Should Focus on Customer Experience06:37 How Important It is to Understand People's Experience07:07 Colin Shaw's Four Elements to Understanding Customer Experience07:10 First Element: Understanding What Customers Do07:23 Second Element: Understanding How Customers Feel07:40 Third Element: A Deliberate Customer Experience09:57 Fourth Element: Understanding Why Customers Do What They Do10:56 Colin Shaw's Definition of “User”12:17 The Difference Between Customers and Clients14:13 What is Customer Centricity?14:53 How Do You Know What Customers Want?15:22 Three Ways to Find Out What Customers Want.15:27 First: Customer Research16:18 Second: Looking at What Customers Do17:38 Third: Looking Through Behavioural Science20:11 What are the Most Important Things for Customers?24:52 How to Build Customer Relationship Without Spending a Lot of Time and Resources26:52 How to Build Long-term Customer Relationships31:02 Passing the Baton: Colin Shaw to Meredith Kallaher This episode was recorded live on video September 6th 2022 Recorded live at Kalicube Tuesdays (Digital Marketing Livestream Event Series). Watch the video now >>

How SEO May Help Your Business Get Into the Google Knowledge Panel SEO can help you get into the knowledge panel, but it's not the only factor that determines whether or not your business will appear there. Google looks at a variety of factors when deciding which knowledge panels to show. Bo b, Sue, and Jesse talk about the knowledge panel and ways to leverage SEO to increase your chances of appearing there. What You'll Learn Where to find the Google knowledge panel  Why SEO can impact the knowledge panel How you can increase your chances of getting your business into the knowledge panel If you've got questions about SEO or digital marketing, reach out to us today and let us know! Whether you're sending us an email or giving us a call, we'd love to hear your questions and hopefully provide insights for you and other listeners.  Thanks for checking us out, and enjoy the show! https://www.localseotactics.com/what-is-the-knowledge-panel-and-does-seo-help-trigger-it/    

On this episode of The Author Factor Podcast I am having a conversation with digital marketing consultant and author, Jason Barnard.Jason (known as The Brand SERP Guy) specializes in Brand SERP (Search Engine Results Page) optimization and Knowledge Panel management.Jason's first book, The Fundamentals of Brand SERPs for Business, was published in January 2022.This is an insightful conversation not only because of what being a published author has done for Jason, but also because SERP is important to all book authors.Learn more about Jason by visiting JasonBarnard.com.

Jason Barnard (The Brand SERP Guy) is an author and digital marketing consultant. He specializes in Brand SERP optimization and Knowledge Panel management. Matt Rouse, Jason has over 2 decades of experience in digital marketing, starting in the year Google was incorporated with a website for kids based on the characters Boowa & Kwala that he built up to become one of the 10,000 most visited sites in the world. Before that he was a professional musician with the Punk-Folk group The Barking Dogs. And before that he studied Economics and Statistical Analysis at Liverpool John Moores University. https://jasonbarnard.com/ https://kalicube.com/about/invite-jason/invite-jason-barnard-on-your-podcast/ Matthew Rouse (host & author) https://matthewrouse.com Hook Digital Marketing Canada: https://hookdm.ca Hook SEO: https://hookseo.com

In this episode of the Digital Marketing with Bill Hartzer podcast, Bill Hartzer talks about the Google May 2022 Broad Core update, and Alexa Rankings. He also talks about John Mcalpin and getting his Knowledge Panel. He mentions FAQs and the importance of adding them to your website, and how to deal with a trailing slash mismatch in URLs, and recovering stolen domain names.

In this episode, host Leah McTiernan is joined by Alex Bogdan, Associate Director, Public Affairs, Ipsos in the UK, Annie Weber, Executive Vice President, Public Affairs, Ipsos in the US, and Jim Bernier, Senior Vice President, Public Affairs, Ipsos in the US, to discuss Ipsos' knowledge panel capabilities, our propriety probability-based access panel. Learn more about our knowledge panels in the US and the UK.

Guest for this episode is Jason Barnard, or as the internet calls him; "the Brand SERP Guy". Jason is a digital marketer who specialises in Brand SERP optimisation and knowledge panel management. At this episode we addressed the topic of local search and how it correlates (or not) with the rest of the ecosystem for search. A very interesting interview, or as Jason put it; "It was a groovy conversation!" Welcome to our 15th episode, hope you enjoy it! / Erik Andersson, PinMeTo --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pinmeto/message

Bill Slawski talks with Jason Barnard about knowledge panels Bill Slawski is the Director of Search Marketing for Go Fish Digital and the editor of SEO by the Sea. He has been doing SEO since 1996, and is regarded as a teacher and mentor to the SEO community - educating on both core and complex SEO principles. Google created the Knowledge Graph back in 2012, and as it started to focus on indexing “things” instead of “strings” - the world of SEO has not been quite the same again. As Bill explains: “strings to things, where it is not so much about matching keywords, but instead, about answering questions involving things”. This was a fascinating and insightful episode where Jason Barnard and Bill Slawski discuss in depth the Knowledge Graph, knowledge panels, and entities in search. Bill also touches on the concept of “Teachable Moments” - a fascinating concept that ties in with the Zero-click searches Rand Fishkin talks about. We will certainly hear more about in the coming months (and years). How does the Knowledge Graph confidence score work? How does Google ‘learn'? WHat purpose do knowledge panels serve? What triggers a Knowledge Panel?  You'll find out all about that and much more! Further reading: https://gofishdigital.com/what-is-semantic-seo/ https://www.searchenginejournal.com/queries-structured-information-cards/389002/ What you'll learn from Bill Slawski 00:00 Bill Slawski with Jason Barnard02:18 Word Vectors in search05:29 How Google identifies entities in search07:40 Teachable moments in search08:59 Do PAA Boxes mean that Google understood the entity within the query?10:11 Bill Slawski's Brand SERP14:53 How does Google's Knowledge Graph confidence score work?18:48 How Google distinguishes between reliable vs popular sources21:48 Building your presence in the Knowledge Graph today24:18 Geolocation, relevance and topicality as factors in the Knowledge Graph27:35 Does Google understand physical entities better than conceptual entities?33:19 What purpose do Knowledge Panels serve in Google's eyes?35:45 What triggers a Knowledge Panel?38:08 Trigger Terms according to Bill Slawski38:45 Label Terms according to Bill Slawski40:07 Bill Slawski expands on how knowledge panels evolve42:02 Google's challenge in understanding certain entities43:47 The concept of Dominant Entities explained by Bill Slawski Subscribe to the podcast Subscribe here >> This episode was recorded live on video March 24th 2021 Recorded live at Kalicube Tuesdays (Digital Marketing Livestream Event Series). Watch the video now >>

Bill Slawski talks with Jason Barnard about knowledge panels Bill Slawski is the Director of Search Marketing for Go Fish Digital and the editor of SEO by the Sea. He has been doing SEO since 1996, and is regarded as a teacher and mentor to the SEO community - educating on both core and complex SEO principles. Google created the Knowledge Graph back in 2012, and as it started to focus on indexing “things” instead of “strings” - the world of SEO has not been quite the same again. As Bill explains: “strings to things, where it is not so much about matching keywords, but instead, about answering questions involving things”. This was a fascinating and insightful episode where Jason Barnard and Bill Slawski discuss in depth the Knowledge Graph, knowledge panels, and entities in search. Bill also touches on the concept of “Teachable Moments” - a fascinating concept that ties in with the Zero-click searches Rand Fishkin talks about. We will certainly hear more about in the coming months (and years). How does the Knowledge Graph confidence score work? How does Google ‘learn'? WHat purpose do knowledge panels serve? What triggers a Knowledge Panel?  You'll find out all about that and much more! Further reading: https://gofishdigital.com/what-is-semantic-seo/ https://www.searchenginejournal.com/queries-structured-information-cards/389002/ What you'll learn from Bill Slawski 00:00 Bill Slawski with Jason Barnard02:18 Word Vectors in search05:29 How Google identifies entities in search07:40 Teachable moments in search08:59 Do PAA Boxes mean that Google understood the entity within the query?10:11 Bill Slawski's Brand SERP14:53 How does Google's Knowledge Graph confidence score work?18:48 How Google distinguishes between reliable vs popular sources21:48 Building your presence in the Knowledge Graph today24:18 Geolocation, relevance and topicality as factors in the Knowledge Graph27:35 Does Google understand physical entities better than conceptual entities?33:19 What purpose do Knowledge Panels serve in Google's eyes?35:45 What triggers a Knowledge Panel?38:08 Trigger Terms according to Bill Slawski38:45 Label Terms according to Bill Slawski40:07 Bill Slawski expands on how knowledge panels evolve42:02 Google's challenge in understanding certain entities43:47 The concept of Dominant Entities explained by Bill Slawski Subscribe to the podcast Subscribe here >> This episode was recorded live on video March 24th 2021 Recorded live at Kalicube Tuesdays (Digital Marketing Livestream Event Series). Watch the video now >>

Join the staff from Local University as they discuss some of the most significant and interesting developments Last Week in Local Search.  We discuss more Uber news, guides to learning SEO and local SEO, Local University Advanced on April 7, and much more.Mike's Links:Recreate Your Favorite Bar's Atmosphere - IMissMyBar.com - http://www.imissmybar.com/Uber loses a major employment rights case as the UK's top court rules its drivers are workers - CNBC.com - https://www.cnbc.com/2021/02/19/uk-supreme-court-rules-uber-drivers-are-workers-not-contractors.htmlThe Gig Economy Is Coming for Millions of American Jobs - Bloomberg.com - https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2021-02-17/gig-economy-coming-for-millions-of-u-s-jobs-after-california-s-uber-lyft-voteThe State of Online Reviews - Podium.com -https://www.podium.com/state-of-online-reviews/A look at how we tackle fake and fraudulent contributed content - Blog.Google.com - https://blog.google/products/maps/google-maps-101-how-we-tackle-fake-and-fraudulent-contributed-content/How is a Knowledge Panel for an Entity Triggered? - Bill Slawski, SEO By the Sea - https://www.seobythesea.com/2021/02/knowledge-panel/The Essential Local SEO Strategy Guide - Miriam Ellis - Moz.com - https://moz.com/blog/essential-local-seo-strategy-guideMary's Links:Uncover Google Discover Mysteries by John Shehata - Video & Slides | NewzDash - https://www.newzdash.com/guide/uncover-google-discover-mysteries-john-shehataNotice: Google My Business Auto Populating Services - SERoundtable.com -  https://www.seroundtable.com/google-my-business-auto-populating-services-30929.htmlGoogle Forced to Pay $1 Million For ‘Misleading' French Hotel Rankings - SearchEngineJournal.com - https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-forced-to-pay-1-million-for-misleading-french-hotel-rankings/396216Carrie's Links:Learning SEO – A Roadmap with Free Resources - Version 1 Aleyda Solis - learningseo.io - https://learningseo.io/GMBChat Recap: February 9, 2021 - Carrie Hill - LocalU.org - next GMB Chat is Tuesday, March 9 at 11 am ET - https://localu.org/gmbchat-recap-february-9-2021/Troubleshoot GMB Login Issues | Request Ownership of a Google My Business Profile - Video - Joy Hawkins - Youtube & Google Help - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9oupL2pZBw&feature=youtu.be

Chris Savage talks with Jason Barnard about brand affinity Brand identity and authenticity is the key for Brand Affinity. One of the biggest mistakes companies make is trying to over-monetize their companies to the detriment of its authenticity. Chris Savage is the co-founder of Wistia, a very successful company designed to serve businesses with on-site videos for marketing purposes. He talks about the early challenges of building a multi million dollar company from the ground up, and the power of brand identity. Chris talks us through a plethora of topics - from faking brand identity to branding through cult of personality to building affinity with your audience. What you'll learn from Chris Savage 00:00 Chris Savage and Jason Barnard 00:36 Chris Savage's Knowledge Panel around the world 05:20 Wisita's story from it's initial challenges to its current success 12:52 Why Chris and his business partner didn't sell the company when presented with big offers 14:04 Would Wistia have died if they had sold it early on? 15:13 The problem with over-monetizing a company 16:20 A story about the power of brand identity 19:12 Is Brand Affinity fakeable? 20:33 Is it OK to present your brand by just being yourself, without a calculated approach? 22:14 How Tim Cook vs Steve Jobs 23:49 Brand Affinity - Wistia's approach 26:30 Using video to connect with your audience? 28:53 Understanding your client - a practical and effective approach 31:58 Your audiences feedback VS their real needs and how that aligns with your company's mission Subscribe to the podcast Subscribe here >> This episode was recorded live on video January 20th 2021 Recorded live at Kalicube Tuesdays (Digital Marketing Livestream Event Series). Watch the video now >>

Chris Savage talks with Jason Barnard about brand affinity Brand identity and authenticity is the key for Brand Affinity. One of the biggest mistakes companies make is trying to over-monetize their companies to the detriment of its authenticity. Chris Savage is the co-founder of Wistia, a very successful company designed to serve businesses with on-site videos for marketing purposes. He talks about the early challenges of building a multi million dollar company from the ground up, and the power of brand identity. Chris talks us through a plethora of topics - from faking brand identity to branding through cult of personality to building affinity with your audience. What you'll learn from Chris Savage 00:00 Chris Savage and Jason Barnard 00:36 Chris Savage's Knowledge Panel around the world 05:20 Wisita's story from it's initial challenges to its current success 12:52 Why Chris and his business partner didn't sell the company when presented with big offers 14:04 Would Wistia have died if they had sold it early on? 15:13 The problem with over-monetizing a company 16:20 A story about the power of brand identity 19:12 Is Brand Affinity fakeable? 20:33 Is it OK to present your brand by just being yourself, without a calculated approach? 22:14 How Tim Cook vs Steve Jobs 23:49 Brand Affinity - Wistia's approach 26:30 Using video to connect with your audience? 28:53 Understanding your client - a practical and effective approach 31:58 Your audiences feedback VS their real needs and how that aligns with your company's mission Subscribe to the podcast Subscribe here >> This episode was recorded live on video January 20th 2021 Recorded live at Kalicube Tuesdays (Digital Marketing Livestream Event Series). Watch the video now >>

Melissa Fach talks with Jason Barnard about content-focused Google updates. Long gone are the days where the number of inbound links would mostly determine a webpage's position on the SERP. Today, Google has completely shifted its focus to quality content and user experience.During this very informative and enjoyable conversation, Melissa shares absolutely boatloads: her own philosophy on how to create a flawless piece of content, a reliable process for writing an article and the most common mistakes people make when writing content. What you will learn 0:30 Melissa's Brand SERP - looking at multiple verticals3:31 Jason's Knowledge Panel and his ongoing experience with Wordlift4:23 Melissa's role on Jason's copywriting improvement5:22 About the latest Content Focused Google Updates — How important is Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (E-A-T)?7:47 Offering a solution as a content strategy and the value of Content Hubs11:29 Featured Snippets as a sign of Google's trust, and zero-click searches14:41 Google's purpose with “Your Money or Your Life” search quality ratings16:08 How to improve one's authoritativeness 17:00 Can Google identify authors by their writing style?18:03 AI-generated content - it lacks a human soul20:45 Melissa describes her most successful written piece on Semrush21:23 How important is tone and engagement for Google?22:30 Takeaways and hints from the last Google update24:44 The importance of headings and structuring content correctly26:58 Melissa's tips on how to write a great piece of content30:56 Google's shift towards a more content-focused engine in 202034:01 Matching intent for your audience and for Google Subscribe to the podcast Subscribe here >> This episode was recorded live on video June 16th 2020 Recorded live at Kalicube Tuesdays (Digital Marketing Livestream Event Series). Watch the video now >>

Melissa Fach talks with Jason Barnard about content-focused Google updates. Long gone are the days where the number of inbound links would mostly determine a webpage's position on the SERP. Today, Google has completely shifted its focus to quality content and user experience.During this very informative and enjoyable conversation, Melissa shares absolutely boatloads: her own philosophy on how to create a flawless piece of content, a reliable process for writing an article and the most common mistakes people make when writing content. What you will learn 0:30 Melissa's Brand SERP - looking at multiple verticals3:31 Jason's Knowledge Panel and his ongoing experience with Wordlift4:23 Melissa's role on Jason's copywriting improvement5:22 About the latest Content Focused Google Updates — How important is Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (E-A-T)?7:47 Offering a solution as a content strategy and the value of Content Hubs11:29 Featured Snippets as a sign of Google's trust, and zero-click searches14:41 Google's purpose with “Your Money or Your Life” search quality ratings16:08 How to improve one's authoritativeness 17:00 Can Google identify authors by their writing style?18:03 AI-generated content - it lacks a human soul20:45 Melissa describes her most successful written piece on Semrush21:23 How important is tone and engagement for Google?22:30 Takeaways and hints from the last Google update24:44 The importance of headings and structuring content correctly26:58 Melissa's tips on how to write a great piece of content30:56 Google's shift towards a more content-focused engine in 202034:01 Matching intent for your audience and for Google Subscribe to the podcast Subscribe here >> This episode was recorded live on video June 16th 2020 Recorded live at Kalicube Tuesdays (Digital Marketing Livestream Event Series). Watch the video now >>

Geraldine DeRuiter with Jason Barnard at Kalicube Tuesdays Geraldine DeRuiter talks with Jason Barnard about the Pratfall Effect In this podcast Geraldine and Jason talk about how failure can be a sign of a more authentic and endearing person. The pratfall effect is the idea that when a generally successful brand or person fails in some manner, this makes people perceive them more positively. Geraldine expands on that idea, talking about taking that failure or mistake, learning from it and using the lesson learned to improve on future actions. Using previous examples and quite a few recent mistakes by Jason and Geraldine themselves, they reveal how they improved by learning from their errors... and discuss how being fallible is simply part of being human. What you'll learn 00:02 Introducing Geraldine DeRuiter00:39 What is an ‘Everywhereist'?01:58 The Knowledge Graph and Knowledge Panel of this podcast3:03 What defines someone or something as a success in their area of expertise?06:33 Introduction to the pratfall effect07:58 An example of being critical of yourself in the hope of improving10:45 Perceiving our own mistakes as worse than they are12:16 Playing through your failures and leaning on others for support14:37 Do people tie the success of others to their own?15:24 How does being fallible help you?16:24 Failing and falling forward: Recovering from our mistakes and improving upon them17:52 When the fight or flight response kicks in when the mistake occurs19:23 How should you perceive an audience when public speaking: friend or foe?20:50 Is this statement true? The main barrier to your own success is often yourself23:30 Jason's story with the dictionary and the word ‘Zeugma'  26:29 The pratfall effect in marketing advertisements28:02 The significance of strong branding and the pratfall effect Subscribe to the podcast Subscribe here >> This episode was recorded live on video October 21 2020 Recorded live at Kalicube Tuesdays (Digital Marketing Livestream Event Series). Watch the video now >>

Geraldine DeRuiter with Jason Barnard at Kalicube Tuesdays Geraldine DeRuiter talks with Jason Barnard about the Pratfall Effect In this podcast Geraldine and Jason talk about how failure can be a sign of a more authentic and endearing person. The pratfall effect is the idea that when a generally successful brand or person fails in some manner, this makes people perceive them more positively. Geraldine expands on that idea, talking about taking that failure or mistake, learning from it and using the lesson learned to improve on future actions. Using previous examples and quite a few recent mistakes by Jason and Geraldine themselves, they reveal how they improved by learning from their errors... and discuss how being fallible is simply part of being human. What you'll learn 00:02 Introducing Geraldine DeRuiter00:39 What is an ‘Everywhereist'?01:58 The Knowledge Graph and Knowledge Panel of this podcast3:03 What defines someone or something as a success in their area of expertise?06:33 Introduction to the pratfall effect07:58 An example of being critical of yourself in the hope of improving10:45 Perceiving our own mistakes as worse than they are12:16 Playing through your failures and leaning on others for support14:37 Do people tie the success of others to their own?15:24 How does being fallible help you?16:24 Failing and falling forward: Recovering from our mistakes and improving upon them17:52 When the fight or flight response kicks in when the mistake occurs19:23 How should you perceive an audience when public speaking: friend or foe?20:50 Is this statement true? The main barrier to your own success is often yourself23:30 Jason's story with the dictionary and the word ‘Zeugma'  26:29 The pratfall effect in marketing advertisements28:02 The significance of strong branding and the pratfall effect Subscribe to the podcast Subscribe here >> This episode was recorded live on video October 21 2020 Recorded live at Kalicube Tuesdays (Digital Marketing Livestream Event Series). Watch the video now >>

Duane Forrester with Jason Barnard at Kalicube Tuesdays Duane Forrester talks with Jason Barnard about branding in digital marketing. In this podcast Duane and Jason talk about the importance of building your brand persona and how companies can prepare for the future of search: amongst other things, smaller businesses need to take a good long look at their own branding, their customers' needs, the channels they can realistically leverage... and building their own internal knowledge graph. Stunningly enthralling conversation! What you'll learn 00:07 Introducing Duane Forrester00:46 Duane's Brand SERP02:40 Why does the citation in Duane's Knowledge Panel differ across countries UnGagged, Search Engine Journal and BrightEdge?04:38 Answer: Duane's digital footprint06:12 Google Books pushing an author into the Knowledge Graph08:21 How important are knowledge graphs to your business?10:07 What is most important for search engines today?12:12 Is Google's Knowledge Panel for products going to help them compete with Amazon?14:50 How can small, family-owned or independent business compete?18:48 Branded searches going to become more important - how can you build a brand persona?20:50 An example of how important it is to update your brand with your unique selling propositions such as philanthropic ventures24:45 How to target audiences better (avoid the mistake of thinking you can reach and help everyone)26:19 What defines your branding?29:07 Why smaller businesses should start building their own knowledge graph30:24 What can you do to prepare for the future of search on engines such as Google and Bing31:41 Where is Google Discover taking us? Subscribe to the podcast Subscribe here >> This episode was recorded live on video September 30th 2020 Recorded live at Kalicube Tuesdays (Digital Marketing Livestream Event Series). Watch the video now >>

Duane Forrester with Jason Barnard at Kalicube Tuesdays Duane Forrester talks with Jason Barnard about branding in digital marketing. In this podcast Duane and Jason talk about the importance of building your brand persona and how companies can prepare for the future of search: amongst other things, smaller businesses need to take a good long look at their own branding, their customers' needs, the channels they can realistically leverage... and building their own internal knowledge graph. Stunningly enthralling conversation! What you'll learn 00:07 Introducing Duane Forrester00:46 Duane's Brand SERP02:40 Why does the citation in Duane's Knowledge Panel differ across countries UnGagged, Search Engine Journal and BrightEdge?04:38 Answer: Duane's digital footprint06:12 Google Books pushing an author into the Knowledge Graph08:21 How important are knowledge graphs to your business?10:07 What is most important for search engines today?12:12 Is Google's Knowledge Panel for products going to help them compete with Amazon?14:50 How can small, family-owned or independent business compete?18:48 Branded searches going to become more important - how can you build a brand persona?20:50 An example of how important it is to update your brand with your unique selling propositions such as philanthropic ventures24:45 How to target audiences better (avoid the mistake of thinking you can reach and help everyone)26:19 What defines your branding?29:07 Why smaller businesses should start building their own knowledge graph30:24 What can you do to prepare for the future of search on engines such as Google and Bing31:41 Where is Google Discover taking us? Subscribe to the podcast Subscribe here >> This episode was recorded live on video September 30th 2020 Recorded live at Kalicube Tuesdays (Digital Marketing Livestream Event Series). Watch the video now >>

Tim Schmoyer with Jason Barnard at Kalicube Tuesdays Tim Schmoyer talks to Jason Barnard about growth strategies for YouTube. For all new creators reaching a goal such as 100,000 subscribers is the driving force behind their videos. However, in this podcast Tim goes onto discuss why asking for people to subscribe in every video might not be the route to success. YouTube's algorithm plays an important role in whether your content will be recommended on the homepage or left alone to be found using the search bar. With 300 hours of video being uploaded to YouTube every minute it is becoming increasingly important to use YouTube analytics and the information as heard in this podcast to reach your intended audience. Tim's channel ‘Video Creators' offers insight for all small and prospective creators into what will help grow their channel. Using examples from his own experience as a YouTube guru he also goes onto explain how important different calls to action are and how to optimise your end screens can offer (and I went and did what he suggests.... and it works !) What you'll learn 00:14 Introducing Tim Schmoyer00:50 Tim's Knowledge Panel and why he should claim it02:15 Who does the Knowledge Graph associated with Tim?04:30 What does the Video Creators channel aim to do?05:30 Video Creators target audience06:40 What is a 'good' percentage of active subscribers08:32 How your call to action defines whether a video is successful11:00 Keeping subscribers engaged14:13 Is the goal always to get subscribers?15:30 A quick explanation of YouTube's algorithm17:40 How do you assess how satisfied a YouTube user is?19:10 Personalised experience on YouTube20:19 How to gain subscribers without asking for people to subscribe?22:03 Click-through rate (CTR) onto another video23:09 Adding an end screen call to action for a video that is not made yet24:05 How useful are end screens on your channel?26:00 The trick of linking out on YouTube28:05 How the algorithm deals with internal linking 29:44 An example of how Video Creators helped a channel have explosive growth32:20 What you can learn from digging into YouTube analytics33:18 How to plug something in the middle of the video without losing viewers?34:15 What are ‘lean back' and ‘lean in' viewing experiences? Subscribe to the podcast Subscribe here >> This episode was recorded live on video September 8th 2020 Recorded live at Kalicube Tuesdays (Digital Marketing Livestream Event Series). Watch the video now >>

Tim Schmoyer with Jason Barnard at Kalicube Tuesdays Tim Schmoyer talks to Jason Barnard about growth strategies for YouTube. For all new creators reaching a goal such as 100,000 subscribers is the driving force behind their videos. However, in this podcast Tim goes onto discuss why asking for people to subscribe in every video might not be the route to success. YouTube's algorithm plays an important role in whether your content will be recommended on the homepage or left alone to be found using the search bar. With 300 hours of video being uploaded to YouTube every minute it is becoming increasingly important to use YouTube analytics and the information as heard in this podcast to reach your intended audience. Tim's channel ‘Video Creators' offers insight for all small and prospective creators into what will help grow their channel. Using examples from his own experience as a YouTube guru he also goes onto explain how important different calls to action are and how to optimise your end screens can offer (and I went and did what he suggests.... and it works !) What you'll learn 00:14 Introducing Tim Schmoyer00:50 Tim's Knowledge Panel and why he should claim it02:15 Who does the Knowledge Graph associated with Tim?04:30 What does the Video Creators channel aim to do?05:30 Video Creators target audience06:40 What is a 'good' percentage of active subscribers08:32 How your call to action defines whether a video is successful11:00 Keeping subscribers engaged14:13 Is the goal always to get subscribers?15:30 A quick explanation of YouTube's algorithm17:40 How do you assess how satisfied a YouTube user is?19:10 Personalised experience on YouTube20:19 How to gain subscribers without asking for people to subscribe?22:03 Click-through rate (CTR) onto another video23:09 Adding an end screen call to action for a video that is not made yet24:05 How useful are end screens on your channel?26:00 The trick of linking out on YouTube28:05 How the algorithm deals with internal linking 29:44 An example of how Video Creators helped a channel have explosive growth32:20 What you can learn from digging into YouTube analytics33:18 How to plug something in the middle of the video without losing viewers?34:15 What are ‘lean back' and ‘lean in' viewing experiences? Subscribe to the podcast Subscribe here >> This episode was recorded live on video September 8th 2020 Recorded live at Kalicube Tuesdays (Digital Marketing Livestream Event Series). Watch the video now >>

Read the full show transcript below as Aaron and Darren talk about how they run their sprints and release features in their products.Helpful links from the episode: Whitepark's free Google review link generator tool SaaStr Annual conference GatherUp GMB integration launch FULL SHOW NOTES[music]00:11 Aaron Weiche: We are back with episode two, Sprints and Features.00:16 Speaker 2: Welcome to the SaaS Venture podcast, sharing the adventure of leading and growing a bootstrap SaaS company. Hear the experiences, challenges, wins, and losses shared in each episode. From Aaron Weiche of GatherUp, and Darren Shaw of White Spark. Lets go.[music]00:44 AW: Welcome to the SaaS Venture podcast, episode two. I'm Aaron.00:50 Darren Shaw: And I'm Darren.00:51 AW: And we are excited to absolutely 100% what we're doing because we're going from one to two episodes, and that's pretty exciting. I felt good about getting one episode in the books. I don't know how you felt about it.01:05 DS: Yeah. I think that, okay, one in the books and now we're recording two, that tells me this is a thing. It's happening, we're doing it.01:12 AW: Everything from here is hockey sticking up, and to the right.01:17 DS: Yeah, it's amazing. Our growth, from zero to where we've come, has been pretty impressive.01:22 AW: I've actually had some fun figuring out all these little wrinkles of podcast recording, and getting your feed submitted everywhere, and finding an editor and a voice-over talent, and all that kind of stuff, that was an interesting process to get to learn so much about a new medium. It's been a while since I've had to... It was like learning WordPress all over.01:44 DS: And you've really done it. I've basically been sitting back and you just tell me when to show up. So, thank you, Aaron, for managing all that stuff.01:51 AW: Yeah. Well, like I mentioned, that's a personal issue. I need to delegate more and do less, but I love to learn, so it's definitely exciting. But I probably need to hand some of it off to you to get you to feel involved.02:03 DS: Sometimes you're gonna be busy, and I'll take the reins of organizing everything.02:08 AW: There you go. So, what have you been up to the last couple of weeks since we talked last? 02:11 DS: Well, we're trying to get this one tool out the door. We've been building this new tool, which we call Review Checker, and we were so confident. After last Friday, we're like, "We're definitely gonna launch this thing." And then on Monday, we start stress testing it and it's like, "Oh, yeah, oh right, there's this problem." That's the trouble, you always think you're done and then you just have a bunch of people poke at it, and you're like, "Wow, there's still so much more that we need to do before this thing is ready for prime time." That's been taking up all of our time, and I'm really excited about it. I think it's gonna be a great project. I think it's going to be a nice little tool that will bring lead gen into White Spark stuff. We have built that review link generator. Do you know that, on our website? 02:54 AW: Yep.02:54 DS: That thing gets so many mentions and tweets and links to it. It's a really great tool that drives a lot of attention to Whitespark, and so this will be something kind of similar.03:05 AW: Now, do you guys have a formalized process as you're getting ready to release a feature or a new little tool like this that you follow very closely, or is it just like every day, see where you're at, see if it's done, next step kind of deal? 03:20 DS: It's the latter. It's like we're always just picking away at it. So, it's Dmitri will finish the last round of edits, a request that I made of how I want it to look, and then I'll take a look at it or Jesse will take a look at it. It's basically been Jesse and I testing the tool out and writing up a list of things that we want different. And then he'll finish that round, and then we do it again and take another pass at it and think about it some more. So, it's been growing like that over the last little while. And then we had a bunch of our team members take a look at it and we found some problems. The biggest problem... First, I'll explain how the tool works. Basically, it just scans your business name. It'll search Google, it'll find any sites that have review schema with little stars that show up in Google search results, and then it will track that and give you a report, saying, "Hey, you have this many reviews on Google, and this is your rating. You have this many on Yelp, Facebook, Trip Advisor, etcetera." So, it just gives you this nice little report of how many reviews you have.04:23 DS: And so if you were an agency on a budget, or a small business, and you just wanna keep track of this, you could just come back to the tool once a month or once a week, and run it and get a little report back, and you can say, "Okay, this is how our reviews are going." It's this free little once-off, check your reviews tool. In terms of the development, yeah, it's basically just been that we keep plugging away at it. And one of the problems that we're finding is, let's say you put in a really generic name, well, Google returns a whole bunch of stuff that's actually not your business. It's someone else's business, it's some weird business. So, if your name is really generic, you can get a whole bunch of what we are calling false positives in the tool, so we're trying to figure out a way to fix that before we launch it.05:02 AW: Nice. How far into the results does it go? Is it mostly looking at page directories that would rank page one, or does it go further than that? What does that look like? 05:10 DS: Yeah, we do the first two pages.05:13 AW: All right. So, you're looking at, what, page one, and then page two, where the SEO joke is. That's the best place to hide a dead body, is page two of Google search results.05:21 DS: Exactly. And we run about 10 different searches, and then we combine all the results, so we do a whole bunch of variations to try and find everything we could.05:29 AW: Yeah, awesome. You're looking at this as more of a marketing and lead gen tool, at the same time you're building it out? Are other people on the team taking care of the marketing pieces, and how you're gonna promote it? 05:41 DS: Well, promoting is pretty simple. We don't have a huge promotion plan. Basically it's a free tool, so it's this new little free tool. We're going to tweet about it, obviously, put it on our social stuff, we'll put it in our newsletter, and that will mostly be the extent of it. And we think, generally, my experience is, if you launch a free tool that is cool and useful, the marketing does itself. People will just share it because it's free, it's like, "Oh, this is a great new free tool." And we might do a little poking around people that talk about free tools and have free SEO tools. We'll make sure we get listed on those, so just a little prospecting and outreach for that. And then that's about the extent of it.06:18 DS: The thing is interesting though because we have a number of clients... We have this one client in particular who is using Reputation Builder, which is our white labeled version of GatherUp, and they've got 70 of their locations in there, but across the US, they have 120 or something like that. There's some reason there's this other faction of the business that reputation builders overkill for them, they don't want to put them in our reputation builder, and it's like the whole process doesn't make sense for them, but they still wanna be able to track reviews. And so they were just asking me, "Do you recommend any inexpensive rank review tracking tool?" And I was like, "Well we have this little thing." And she's like, "Oh, well, if you could give me that in a monthly report, then we'd pay for it." So, I might actually put a subscription model on this thing. I might say, "In expense of $5 a location, we'll give you this report every month, and then we'll track it over time and give you a nice interface where you can see pretty charts and all that kind of stuff, and multi-location view." I am actually thinking about launching it as a paid tool, but we definitely can't do that until we fix some of these false positives and other problems with it.07:23 AW: Maybe you look at something like you're allowed one scan per email address or something, right? 07:29 DS: Yeah.07:30 AW: You can limit their use if they wanna run it more, then they would need to switch to the paid version.07:34 DS: Yeah. And we already have that actually, we limit it to three searches per day.07:38 AW: Okay.07:39 DS: It also does this cool thing, it calculates a review score for you. It's specifically a Google review score, we look at your primary category, and we compare it with all the other businesses and how many reviews they have and what their ratings are, and we combine that to generate a score based on what the average is and where you fit on that average, and so we report that back to you as well. It's pretty handy to get the sense of, "How am I doing compared to my competition?"08:06 AW: How are you pulling competitors? Is that from others in the same category, regardless of location, others that have ran it in the tool, or are you actually finding a way to pull out others that might be in the Map Pack, against them? What does that look like? 08:20 DS: Yeah. What it looks like is we pull their primary category from Google My Business, so basically... They'll select their business, we grab what we can find for them, and then we look at their GMB business profile, which used to be called the Knowledge Panel, and figure out what the primary category is. And then we take that primary category, and we search it in the local finder results and grab the top 60 businesses ranking for that term. And we parse all their data out, and then that's how we determine the average in your city. So, your average in your city... There might be 60 other hair salons, here's the top 60, these are their reviews and ratings, and this is where you fall in that.08:58 AW: Got it. That sounds really awesome and really helpful. Can I send you a few people to run a test on? 09:05 DS: Yeah, totally. I'll just give you access to the tool.09:07 AW: Hey, I like that even better. Do you guys often do that with features? Do you do an open beta with any of your customers? Is that part of a feature release for you? 09:16 DS: It is, and we will do that for our Local Citation Finder. For a free little tool like this, we probably wouldn't do it. But we are launching a new version of the Local Citation Finder. It's currently getting put through its paces by our internal team, and there's lots of stuff we still have to do before we would open it up to some of our customers. But, yeah, I would imagine we'll have a couple of weeks where we collect feedback from customers, and once we get it to the stage that we're happy with, and then that will probably come up with another few weeks or month of feature updates, and then we'll launch it officially.09:47 AW: Nice.09:48 DS: How about you? What do you guys do? Do you invite your top clients to stress test some your new features? 09:53 AW: A majority... We look at certain things that it is a must, so we go through internal dev servers, then what we actually do is turn every feature into a flag where it can be turned on and off in our admin panel internally. And then we'll do what we refer to... We just call it private beta, and it's usually us just turning it on inside of our own accounts where we maintain some data or businesses. So many things make so much more sense when you're looking at real data, instead of just stuff you're inputting or trying to use without a business case.10:26 DS: Yeah, definitely.10:27 AW: Yeah. And then a normal process that we've moved to is we just do an open invite on our monthly webinars. We just did our January webinar last Tuesday, and we actually have two different features going into beta in the next few weeks. And so we just put out there to send an email to our support team with beta invite in the subject line, and then we invite those people into the beta when it's ready, send them instructions on how it works and things to be aware of. And then if it's a larger feature, we keep track of all the feedback and comments that come in, and then some of the times, we'll even do a survey at the end of it anywhere from eight to 10 questions on is it intuitive, is there something you'd add, just trying to find out more about their experience with it. And that process... We really solidified our process around releasing a feature last year, and it's still a work in progress. We're trying to always optimize it, but it has really served us well, and we've just come leaps and bounds, especially in the last 18 months of that being a more formalized process.11:29 DS: Man, that's nice. That's smart. We are very not organized like that, so I think that I will take some notes on that. And when we do do our proper release for the Local Citation Finder update, we'll follow that process exactly. It's a huge release, it's like we rebuilt the whole software. That release is massive, and that'll certainly be the topic of... It'll come up many times in this podcast as we continue to push forward on it.11:56 AW: Yeah. Those big ones are the hardest. We have the same thing last year when we rebuilt... When we added our client level and introduced an agency dashboard for all of our agency resellers. There were just all kinds of reasons behind it. It was one of those things, and if we didn't get it structurally in, we were gonna wind up with just some issues in how we delivered features to our agency resellers, which is a very important segment to us. We have three buckets of customers. One is a single location small business. The next bucket is multi-location business, might be anywhere from five locations, physical locations, in their business, to 10,000-15,000 locations of their business. And then the third is that white label version of that agencies and resellers, we have hundreds upon hundreds of agencies and resellers that resell our software.12:45 DS: In terms of number of locations, that middle tier is the biggest? Right? Like multi-location brands that are working directly with you? 12:52 AW: Yeah. As far as location-wise, definitely that brings the biggest girth of locations, because you can have one client that has tens of thousands or one client that has a thousand. Location-wise, which is what our pricing model is built off of, that's definitely the one, the biggest. But our agency reseller is so important because it has so much expansion in it. You land an agency and they start selling it, in their first month they get four or five customers on, and then they can just continue to organically do that. They're out selling it and pitching it to their customer base. And so we have resellers who have north of a thousand locations, all by themselves, that are all their customer locations.13:33 AW: As we found, some of the thing behind the the client level and the Agency Dashboard we put into play was really helping a lot of our resellers sell to more multi-locations. Just there were some challenges in how structured the system was. That was one of those, for us, where it was like a three, four-month feature, and held a bunch of other things up that we couldn't release because it wouldn't work for agency resellers and only our direct customers and we never want to do that. And a lot of learning things in the process. So, even though we have a pretty refined process now and things detailed out, and we're still working on it, that's only because we've learned the hard way through operating loosey-goosey, and as you go, and just one foot in front of the other. And it usually leads to frustration and some missed things and things like that, where we just started looking at, "How do we use process to shore more of these things up?"14:26 DS: Yeah. I need to learn from that, because we basically do that one foot in front of the other until it's like, "Hey, we have something, here it is, try it." And I think that refining our processes would be very helpful.14:36 AW: We're always willing to try things, too. Last week, we had our exec team summit, and this was one of our big topics is how our sprints work. And in 2018 ...14:48 DS: I wanna hear this.14:49 AW: Yeah. In 2018, for the most part, we put a sprint together with X amount of features and say, "All right, this is what we think we can bite off," mostly looking at it in about a six-week cycle, four to six-week cycle. And, of course, some a little quicker, most a little longer, depending upon if you weighted them out the right way. And then we have that one really big one that took a big chunk out of the time. So, in our rear view in 2018, we completed eight sprints in total, with one being literally a three to four-month sprint all by itself.15:24 AW: This year, one of the things that we met on that we were looking at is, "How do we have some more predictability, and are we open to trying something a little bit different?"  Because we could definitely continue on the way we are going, but we wanted to see, based on predictability and time management and the marketing aspects, and things that help that way in your business, should we do something else. What we're trying for this year is a combination of a couple different things. One, we pretty much looked at the calendar for the entire year and weighed it out, and said like, "Okay, let's have a feature of the month. This feature is something that we are absolutely going to deliver in this month." So, we need to backdate stuff in our process so that we know we can launch this feature in March, and we know we can launch this feature in April.16:16 DS: Do you ever put some features in the bag, where you're like, "Okay, we finished both our March and April features, and so we're just gonna not release those until March and April?"16:25 AW: Yeah, we'll be willing to do that, if that happens. Because the other thing after that high level is we basically have this huge cascading list of customer requests, and other ideas, and medium and smaller things, and we basically treat that as a running list, that if we're sitting good with when we need to deliver this bigger or the "feature of the month," then we'll just start grabbing from the prioritized thing in that list, which literally there's hundreds, so there's no shortage there.16:56 DS: And some of them they can be banged out in a couple of days, so you're like, "Okay, well, we'll have no problem meeting that for our March feature of the month."17:02 AW: Yeah, right. That's what we're going to try for this year and see how it goes, instead of just really defined sprints that are in a four-week, a six-week... This is something I definitely pay a lot of attention to and listen, read about how other companies do their sprints, and you hear the opinions on what's too short and what's too long. For us, we have a really productive engineering team, and so I don't want to ruin that, 'cause I know some of that is by not having just a ton of rigid guidelines to how and when it's going to happen. And so it's like, "How do we get some of the predictability to hit some of our other goals and some of our other planning?" The nice thing for me is it allowed me to lay out every month of 2019, and say, "All right, this is when we're going to deliver these things," and I know, if I needed to swap something based on a really big need or some type of vision or whatever else, I'm going to have to pull something else out of that feature of the month category and then hope it can maybe find its way into the top of the other list to get handled. It helped me, vision-wise, for the entire year as a planning exercise.18:11 DS: Yeah. If I think about our process, if I say, "Okay, here's our six-month sprint or six-week sprint, these are the features we're going to have done in that six-week sprint." Let's say there's 14 features in there, I know by the time we get to the end of it we only got nine of them done. How do you deal with that, where you're like, "Oh, well, we were overly optimistic... " 'Cause everything always tends to take longer than you expect and there are always things that come up that you couldn't expect. I couldn't predict that this was gonna slow me down for three days while I was trying to build that feature, so how do you... Is there a disappointment at the end of it, or do you just take those extra six features and throw them into the next sprint? What do you do when you're laying out these sprints? 18:53 AW: Yes. Sometimes they do get talked into the next one, we have to shift it over. And sometimes some of them... We had a couple that just would float and float and float, and for different reasons. It's like we just released this week, our Google My Business Authorization, that allows customers to reply to Google reviews right out of GatherUp and that also basically enables the monitoring straight...19:17 DS: Yeah, love that.19:18 AW: And their API. And that's something that we've had in beta and working for customers that asked for it for probably a year. But it was one of those that just never got tied off because of a lot of just quirky things with it. And then Google updated their API in the middle of when we were working on it. So, it's one of those that stretched on and on forever, and it just finally ended up being something where I was tired of seeing it on our to-do list. It was like, "All right, this is it... We're almost to the goal line, we have to get this across," and so we had to buckle down. And it's a much harder thing to test, too, because you need people with access to the Google My Business accounts to be able to authorize it, and then see all the different errors it could throw off, if it doesn't go through. There's just a lot of edge cases with that kind of stuff, so it was a much harder one to deal with than when you build a feature that the data is in your control, and the functionality is in your control, and everything sits on your side. It was one that lingered on for a long time. Yeah, I don't have an exact... This is what we do when those things fall off, because we've had ones that kinda trickle along forever and we have other ones that just get buttoned into the next one, and then get tied up.20:27 DS: Sure. Well, I'm only asking because I don't really structure these six-week sprints, I don't really do anything called a sprint. It's just like these are the projects, we have a massive to-do list, we drag things around and prioritize them, and just things are getting picked off here and there. Features are getting completed, and eventually the project makes its way up to launch. We're like, "Okay, we're good, we're gonna launch this thing." But I don't plan it out in advance into these sprints. And I feel like if I did, I would be disappointed. I'd be at the end of every one, I'd be like, "Oh, well, I guess, we were overly optimistic." And so I'm just wondering how you handle that.21:01 AW: Yeah. Well, don't be afraid there. Don't let fear control you.21:04 DS: I'm not afraid, I'm all right.[chuckle]21:07 AW: Yeah. And that's where... Who knows what the process, we're doing. We could, after this year or even mid-year, if it ends up being something that really isn't working for us, go back to how we were doing it before in more of a traditional, "Here's a sprint, here's the six things included, and here's the six-week timeframe, that we're gonna try to get that done."21:26 DS: Yeah. One thing that would be nice with our loose way is that there's never a deadline, and so no one's got a fire under their ass to get it done by X, right? 21:36 AW: Yeah.21:36 DS: And so that's what the sprints would give you. In one sense, we do have deadlines, because I have a weekly call with the different dev teams that are working on different projects. And in that call we always say, "Okay, what's realistic that we could have done for our next call, for us to review on our next call?" And so these weekly calls is what keeps us pushing forward. And sometimes we're also too optimistic on that. We might pick four things and say, "Okay, we'll have these four things working for demo." But when it comes to it, it's like, "Wow, we were only able to get these two or three done because we got road blocked on whatever." And so that's kinda... We set these weekly deadlines. And that's interesting, it's something I started doing based off of a conversation I had with Dudley Carr, who used to be with Moz, he used to be on the Moz local team, and he's building a new product now and directing a team, and he said that that's the way he organizes his sprints, he has weekly sprints, and every week they check in and, "Did you get these things done? If not, why not, what happened?"22:35 DS: And he's also really... This is something I have to get better at because it keeps coming up. He's got this laser focus. Everything that comes in that could potentially distract the team, he's like, "Can it wait till next week?" 'Cause then he just puts it on the next week's sprint. Or, "Can it wait till next month?" And so he's really like he does not want to take people off the track of the four things that were supposed to get done on that sprint. And so that's one of the problems we have here. It's like, "Okay, well, the team is working on the Local Citation Finder, but we have these clients that keep chirping." They're like, "Oh, hey, we'd like to have this on a Rank Track or we'd like to have this somewhere else." And so someone's asking for things all the time, and every once in a while, we're just like, "Okay, let's just get that done." And so it takes us off track.23:20 DS: And sometimes it works out well. Just last week, or just this week actually, we launched a white labeling feature for our rank tracking platform, so a business can now get their... Our rank tracking on their own sub-domain. I'm pretty excited about that. We now have that feature. We didn't have that before, but it's the kind of thing like, Troy is like, "Okay, I guess I'll do it." And it takes him an afternoon or two to get it done, but it's also a little "ugh" for me, too, because now I know I've pulled him off of the Local Citation Finder, which when we have our call next week, it'll be like, "Well, I could have done more, but you asked me to do that rank tracker thing."24:00 AW: Yeah. So, what you're getting at, that's probably the biggest thing I know I struggle with and I know is on me to always really drive, and that's prioritization. What is a priority, and then how do you set it up for the things that are behind it? 'Cause everything you're talking about, we face it no different. Compared to what you're sharing... A one week sprint for us would never ever work, our product's too complex now. We have too many dependencies, we have multiple user types of our segments, and agencies use things a little different than multi-locations do, and we need to build it so it works for everybody. So, that shorter timeframe is definitely out for us. But we have the same things in that time when we're working on something where, yeah, there's customer needs, the sales team has needs based on something they're trying to close, and if we had this feature, then we would win that deal, and where do you put that into place? And it's hard. You have a product manager that is trying to protect the team and make sure that those things stay within reasonable planning and are reasonable to do.25:06 AW: I think that's hard for every SaaS company. I think evolution is important. To me, it's just being real with what can be done, what is that list. That's the one thing that I really liked about... And again all of it seems like a great idea now until we put into practice. But the feature of the month thing made it so you could only get one big feature each month, and you had to lay them out. So, it gave me some prioritization and some discipline, 'cause there are certain things I'm looking at, like, "Man, I'm not going to get that feature until August." The other things in front of it, that absolutely makes sense to what's there. The one thing to your comment earlier, I think it's absolutely important for people to have a finish line. When you don't have a date that the team is working towards together, and there's the peer accountability that goes into play and a well-communicated deadline, and you're able to cheer people on for it and hold their feet to the fire even and everything else, to me that's a really slippery slope not to get where you want to. I just think that's really important.26:08 DS: For sure. It just becomes too easy to just be floating around doing all kinds of little things that maybe aren't the top priority. Prioritization is really the key. And I think part of the thing that I always look at is, when I get these feature requests, I'm always trying to assess is this a feature that's only going to benefit this one customer, or is it a feature that will benefit all of our customers, make our product better, help us sell more? And then that's kind of how I... I sort of put them on the scale of where they fall in there. So, if they're really valuable, they'll get prioritized higher. If they're really obscure, then they get to put to the bottom of the barrel, and we don't really tell the client that requested it, we don't tell them a deadline. We're just like, "Yeah, we'll put that on the roadmap," but in the back of our minds, I'm like, "I don't know if we'll ever get to that."26:57 AW: Totally. I think the important thing with customer requests is actually peeling back the layers to what they're actually getting at, right? Because a lot of times their request is just the hack or the easiest way to get there that they can see in the product, instead of actually really pinning down to what are they trying to learn, what are they trying to execute, and then I look at it like if we built a feature that could do that, that would solve this for them. But then are there other things that this would also solve or value or benefits it would deliver to the rest of our customers? 27:28 DS: Yeah. And you can help them see a different way of getting at the same results, but with more benefit and also with a broader feature set benefits your whole platform.27:38 AW: No, that's how I mean. Especially the client side is really, really hard, because you'll have all these different voices, different use cases and there's a... Based on if they're the loudest or they're paying the most, co many different things can factor into who and what you have to listen to. And even your own internal team, look at, "Who's bringing this to me? Is it our customer success team? Is it our sales team? Is it our management team? All those things factor in, and that's where you really have to weigh through them, and like, "All right, which one of these am I actually gonna grab a hold of and take and do something with?" 'Cause when you look at all of it... We have the same... Probably as you, we have a stand-up all-team meeting every Monday, and in each department section, there's feature requests in all of them. And so it's kind of picking out where I see it, I don't know if the team always sees it that like, "Hey, guess what?" There was actually 13 feature requests in our meeting today. They saw the three out of their section and maybe not so much the cumulative of all of them from every aspect.28:41 DS: Right. Yeah, I noticed that actually Ahrefs uses a really interesting product called canny.IO, and they're using this to keep track of all of those customer requests that are coming in. And then there's a voting system. So, if you have a feature request, first you can go and see if it already exists, and if it does, you upload it as a customer. And so they really use this to help guide their features and understand what's important. And it pops up within the tool, and it prompts you to request stuff. And I think it's really smart. I've been looking at it, and I have our customer success team testing it out and getting a sense for it, and we might actually roll that out into our product. It just seems like a really good way to get all of that, 'cause there's so many customers that aren't gonna tell you. They're just like, "Oh, I wish it had this feature," but they don't say anything about it. Prompting them, I think, could be a great way to drive that customer feedback.29:36 AW: We have definitely... We've talked about that in the past. A couple of things that we do do. One, we use a product on the product management side called "product board," and we use that to collect other requests and everything else, so we can see when some of these requests are doubling up. We use it for a capture side. It has a lot of other features as well. I don't think we're maximizing it, by any means, but it definitely helps us in certain areas. The other thing we've done for the last two years is we usually send out in the summer a customer survey that's probably only 10 or 12 questions, and we ask, "What feature in our product could you not live without?" We want to understand what's really important to them, we want to understand additional ideas, understand where their head is at.30:21 AW: Really, at the end of the day, for me, it's a combination of those things, because, one, your customers aren't always gonna get what your long-term vision is or where you're trying to evolve to. I have that in my head and my gut, as well as other members of our team that come up and throw ideas into the hopper that we elaborate on. Then you have what customers are asking for. Then you also have what competitors are building and what they're doing, because sometimes you have to build things just to keep up with the Joneses in certain areas, and you have to decide, "Am I fine with this being a differentiator between our two products based on what our vision is and maybe what they're trying to be? Or do I need to have this because this has become the expected feature in this product category?"31:01 DS: Yeah. And your sales team can help you vet that, too. So, they're like, "Oh, we lost this deal to X competitor because they have this future and we don't," and so that's where you really have to prioritize those things.31:11 AW: Yes. And sometimes it makes really nice. I deal a lot with our multi-location sales and I've been really fortunate lately that there's the same one or two features that they're all talking about and mentioning, and that makes it very easy for me when I go to build our use case why we should do it, prioritize it, have it be one of the features of the month, that this is something that customers of this size, that would mean this dollar volume to us, actually want and wanna see. And then we go and marry it against what our vision is and what we're trying to accomplish. If it checks out there, then you can move on those things. But it's a moving target. It's very challenging. As I mentioned, prioritization is really hard and, yeah, we've developed a lot more processes and feature... Our own internal feature set and how we do those things, and I feel like we get better and better every time we optimize it, and tweak it, and try something whether it works or not.32:05 DS: Right. We were inspired actually by your customer survey. We got that customer survey, and we thought we definitely need to do something like this for our Local Citation Finder. And we started putting it together, but I realized... Some of the questions, like, "What is the one feature you would really want," or, "What is the one thing that really annoys you about the product that you wish it could do, but it doesn't do?" All these questions. I already know all the answers to those, because they're the same things I want in the tool, the same things that bug me about our current tool. And so we actually scrapped the idea of sending it out because we're in the middle of rebuilding it to my dreams. We're building my dream version of this software right now, and so there's no point asking everybody, because they're all going to answer the things that I already know. And I also know it because of our cancellation form. When someone cancels, we ask them why they're canceling. And so we've been collecting that data for a long time, and it's all right there. It's like I know exactly why people are cancelling, what they want that we don't provide, and so now our vision is to build all of that and we will... Once we get the new version up and running, and everyone's using it, then we're gonna survey them and see, "Okay, well what's next? What are the things that we didn't catch?"33:12 AW: Yeah. Well, the only thing I would caution you... There's a couple of other second level benefits. One, you're reaching out and getting a touch point with your customers...33:20 DS: Right. That's helpful.33:21 AW: In one that's structured that says, "We care what you have to say." And to me, that's a really important thing, even though if you have a great idea on what they already might say, now you're giving them a chance to be heard. And then when you go to create it, even if it's all the things you already heard, now that customer feels like you listened.33:37 DS: That's such a smart point. We're creating that connection. What you just said makes so much sense, I'm gonna do it. We're going to launch that thing, because then even though everything might be what they asked for, we're going to deliver it. "You asked for it, we deliver it. We're listening to you, we care about you." Oh, my God, yes, we definitely have to send it.33:55 AW: And it helps them realize, too, that you've queried the crowd. So, it's not just like what “Darren decided” or the team decided or whatever else. They understand, "Hey, they did to some extent, they put this out for a vote. They let everybody have a voice, whether we took the time to fill it out or what we said. And even if it's not exactly in alignment with what I put out there, I know they were at least listening to us. We were one of the data points they considered when they made those choices." I think there's a ton of wins, even though you might be exactly right, you might 100% know what's all on there, but there's a lot of validation and just good karma, I think, by engaging with your customers that way.34:32 AW: Cool. Well, hey, speaking of that, as we wrap up, next week, when this airs, you're going to be probably engaging with some of your customers face-to-face, because you're going to be at Local U Advanced in Santa Monica.34:44 DS: Yeah, looking forward to that. There's not very many local search people, other than you, that won't be there. It's pretty much everyone's gonna be there. So many of the local search people will be there, so I'm looking forward to seeing everybody. I can't wait see Susan Staupe. Susan is gonna be there.35:00 AW: Nice.35:00 DS: Yeah. She won one of our tickets to the event. I'm looking forward to hanging out with everyone there.35:05 AW: She's going be super pumped.35:07 DS: And you're going go to SaaStr. Right? 35:08 AW: Yeah. I'm very bummed to miss LocalU. I'll be just north of you in San Jose at SaaStr, which obviously, biggest conference in the SaaS industry. I'm really excited for that. I'm bringing one of the guys on our team that's only been with us a year. He heads up all of our customer experience and interface design stuff, and just excited for him to just see how big our industry is and just absorb a lot of the industry talks.35:35 DS: Nice.35:35 AW: Things that we get after all the time to what we're talking about now. There's tracks on product, there's tracks on churn and sales, just so many of those aspects. That's really exciting. And hopefully, by the next time we talk as well, your new little free tool will be out. We can talk about how to launch that and what the uptake looks like.35:56 DS: Definitely, yeah. It'll definitely be out within the next couple of weeks. [laughter] But you know what, two weeks is this magic number. I always say it's going to be out in two weeks, but...36:06 AW: Well, maybe you'll take some of what we talked about, and you will set a deadline and you will make sure you hit it, just to have some content for the next time we talk. Right? 36:14 DS: I'll definitely have content. We'll be two weeks further ahead anyways.36:18 AW: Nice. That's awesome. Well, it's been another great episode. We now have two under the belt. Hopefully, you guys enjoyed our talk about how we approach some of our sprints and releasing features, and then the things that all go along with that. I don't know about you, Darren. I was really excited to see the amount of people that shared what we're doing socially, some of the comments, starting to see a few reviews trickle in. We would love more reviews on iTunes, especially, and thanks people for sharing what we're doing socially. And don't hesitate to reach out to either one of us if there's a topic you'd like to see us tackle or share about what we're doing inside of our company. That's the whole point of this, is sharing things that people might want to know that don't... It's not always easy to get a look inside other companies and what they're doing. With that, episode two of the SaaS Venture is a wrap. And thanks everyone for listening, and we'll see you next time.37:11 DS: We did it. Thanks, Aaron. Thanks everybody for listening.[music]

Mike Blumenthal, Mary Bowling - Discussion of Knowledge Panel not showing on brand searches DD 12.18.17