Nov 12 2024
Dynamic Search Ads Tap Informational Queries

Dynamic Search Ads have a long history of helping advertisers show for queries they haven’t bid on. Merchants with thousands of constantly changing products cannot realistically create ads for every item. DSAs fill this gap by allowing Google to crawl websites and display dynamic ads when they are relevant to a search query.

For instance, a merchant may bid on the keyword “window curtains” but not “blue rod pocket curtain panel,” as this query is specific and presumably has a low search volume.

I first addressed DSAs in 2021. They often attract unqualified traffic, regardless of how the campaigns are optimized. Google decides which queries trigger the ads, rather than advertisers selecting specific keywords. Fortunately, the cost-per-click for DSA campaigns is generally lower than traditional Search.

Lower CPCs enable more clicks for a given budget, ideally resulting in more conversions and revenue. While DSA campaigns may not be as efficient as Search, they can nonetheless generate conversions unavailable through other channels.

Versatile DSAs

Utilizing DSAs to focus on the depth of product pages is essential. However, there is another strategy that can lead to both short- and long-term success. By targeting blog and resource pages, we can drive top-of-funnel traffic. The approach can garner newsletter and other soft conversions to nurture potential buyers.

A Wayfair DSA campaign, for example, could promote its inventory of household sinks and target pages with “sinks” (or equivalent) in the URL.

A Wayfair DSA campaign could target pages with “sinks” (or equivalent) in the URL.

But Wayfair publishes additional sink-related content beyond product detail pages. Its “Ideas & Advice” section answers common questions and includes articles on different types of sinks. Users in research mode could find the articles extremely valuable. Hence Wayfair should consider a separate campaign to promote that content.

A campaign targeting pages containing an “ideas-and-advice” keyword could promote blogs and similar informational sections.

The original DSA campaign targeting “sinks” in the URL required a negative target for any pages containing “ideas and advice” in the URL. This tells Google not to direct traffic to those informational article pages in the product-based campaign. The goal is to ensure that informational queries only lead to the articles. It’s crucial for any DSA campaign to monitor the search query report for appropriate negative keywords.

Informational queries do not have buying intent, but the articles and guides should direct searchers to the next steps. Wayfair’s pages include links to other resources and product pages (for purchase). For example, a Wayfair article titled “What Is a Drop-In Sink?” describes the materials and links to product pages of stainless steel and porcelain sinks.

Furthermore, visitors landing on article pages are retargeting candidates. Having provided those visitors with helpful info, an advertiser can convert them to customers via retargeting ads. That’s why blog pages should include a newsletter signup call-to-action. Upload email lists to Google and then target those subscribers.

Screenshot of the section in Wayfair's article linking to stainless steel and porcelain product pages.

Wayfair’s article “What Is a Drop-In Sink?” links to product pages of stainless steel and porcelain sinks.

Thinking Ahead

Advertisers must find new strategies when search saturation occurs. One effective tactic is to target broader informational queries. Display and programmatic ads, while essential for brand growth, do not typically deliver strong initial returns. Combining informational DSA campaigns, landing page newsletter CTAs, and focused remarketing can drive additional revenue.

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Nov 11 2024
Google Rolls Out November 2024 Core Algorithm Update via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern

Google has released its latest broad core algorithm update for November 2024. This update continues Google’s refinement of search systems to enhance the quality of results.

On X, Google states:

“Today we released the November 2024 core update. We’ll add it to our ranking release history page in the near future and update when the rollout is complete.”

Core Updates Explained

These algorithmic changes, which Google implements several times annually, are designed to improve the overall search experience by reassessing how content is evaluated and ranked.

Unlike targeted updates, core updates affect search results globally across all regions and languages.

What You Should Know

According to Google’s documentation, most websites may not notice significant changes from core updates.

However, some sites might experience notable shifts in search rankings and traffic.

Google recommends that site owners who observe ranking changes should:

  • Wait until the update is completed before analyzing the impact
  • Compare traffic data from before and after the update in Search Console
  • Pay special attention to pages experiencing major position drops (particularly those falling more than 20+ positions)
  • Evaluate content quality using Google’s self-assessment guidelines
  • Focus on sustainable improvements rather than quick fixes

Recovery & Response

For sites affected by the update, Google emphasizes that recovery may take time—potentially several months—as its systems learn and validate improvements.

Specific changes aren’t guaranteed to result in ranking recoveries. Google emphasizes that search results are dynamic due to evolving user expectations and continuous web content updates.

Site owners can monitor the rollout’s completion status through Google’s Search Status Dashboard.

As with previous core updates, Google is expected to announce when the rollout, which typically takes about two weeks, has finished.

Looking Ahead

This marks Google’s final confirmed core update for 2024, following previous algorithmic changes throughout the year.

We will closely assess the impact as the update rolls out across Google’s search results.

Featured Image: Salarko/Shutterstock

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Nov 11 2024
New Internet Rules Will Block AI Training Bots via @sejournal, @martinibuster

New standards are being developed to extend the Robots Exclusion Protocol and Meta Robots tags, allowing them to block all AI crawlers from using publicly available web content for training purposes. The proposal, drafted by Krishna Madhavan, Principal Product Manager at Microsoft AI, and Fabrice Canel, Principal Product Manager at Microsoft Bing, will make it easy to block all mainstream AI Training crawlers with one simple rule.

Virtually all legitimate crawlers obey the Robots.txt and Meta Robots tags which makes this proposal a dream come true for publishers who don’t want their content used for AI training purposes.

Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF)

The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) is an international Internet standards making group founded in 1986 that coordinates the development and codification of standards that everyone can voluntarily agree one. For example, the Robots Exclusion Protocol was independently created in 1994 and in 2019 Google proposed that the IETF adopt it as an official standards with agreed upon definitions. In 2022 the IETF published an official Robots Exclusion Protocol that defines what it is and extends the original protocol.

Robots.Txt For Blocking AI Robots

The draft proposal seeks to create additional rules that will extend the Robots Exclusion Protocol (Robots.txt) to extend to AI Training Robots. This will bring about some order and give publishers choice in what robots are allowed to crawl their websites.

Adherance to the Robots.txt protocol is voluntary but all legitimate crawlers tend to obey it.

The draft explains the purpose of the new Robots.txt rules:

“While the Robots Exclusion Protocol enables service owners to control how, if at all, automated clients known as crawlers may access the URIs on their services as defined by [RFC8288], the protocol doesn’t provide controls on how the data returned by their service may be used in training generative AI foundation models.

Application developers are requested to honor these tags. The tags are not a form of access authorization however.”

An important quality of the new robots.txt rules and the meta robots HTML elements is that they don’t require naming specific crawlers. One rule covers all bots that are crawling for AI training data and that voluntarily agree to follow these protocols, which is something that all legitimate bots do. This will simplify bot blocking for publishers.

The following are the proposed Robots.txt rules:

  • DisallowAITraining – instructs the parser to not use the data for AI training language model.
  • AllowAITraining -instructs the parser that the data can be used for AI training language model.

The following are the proposed meta robots directives:

Provides Greater Control

AI companies have been unsuccessfully sued in court for using publicly available data. AI companies have asserted that it’s fair use to crawl publicly available websites, just as search engines have done for decades.

These new protocols give web publishers control over crawlers whose purpose is for consuming training data, bringing those crawlers into alignment with search crawlers.

Read the proposal at the IETF:

Robots Exclusion Protocol Extension to manage AI content use

Featured Image by Shutterstock/ViDI Studio

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Nov 11 2024
PPC And Paid Media Budget Planning Tips for 2025 via @sejournal, @LisaRocksSEM

One of the most common questions in PPC management is how to determine the “right” budget and investment for campaigns.

As a business leader investing in paid media, your PPC budget isn’t just about how much you spend. It’s about how strategically you use those resources to grow your business.

For small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) investing between $2,000 and $50,000 monthly, every dollar has to count.

In this guide, we’ll explore how to allocate your budget effectively across platforms, invest in paid media wisely, and adjust based on performance to achieve your marketing goals.

Determine The “Right” Budget

Each PPC advertising platform has its own sweet spot.

Google Ads can reach the widest audience, while LinkedIn works best for B2B companies, and Microsoft Ads can be more cost-effective for certain industries.

Knowing which platform works best for your business type helps you make smarter budget decisions.

Start small and grow smart by beginning with a lower budget to test what works, then increase spending on the platforms that bring you the best results.

As your business grows, you can invest more in the campaigns that are proven to work for you.

What Affects Your PPC Budget?

Industry Competition

Some industries naturally need bigger budgets.

For example, if you’re in legal, insurance, or real estate, you’ll typically need to spend more because the cost for each click (CPC) is higher due to strong competition.

Location And Reach

Are you targeting local customers or reaching across the country? Local businesses often can work with smaller budgets than those trying to reach national or international audiences.

Business Goals

What are you trying to achieve? If you’re generating leads or running an online store, you might need to spend more to test different platforms and drive sales. This is different from businesses just looking to build awareness.

Performance Goals Considerations

Before diving into specific budget allocations, it’s important to understand how we’ll measure success.

Two key metrics that can help us determine if our PPC spend is effective: return on ad spend (ROAS) and cost per acquisition (CPA). Both are a straightforward way to connect your ad budget with your profits.

ROAS is the ratio of the revenue generated by your ads to the amount you spent on those ads. It tells you how much revenue you’re generating for each dollar spent.

To ensure profitability, calculate your break-even ROAS and set a higher target ROAS to reach your profit goals.

CPA is the amount spent on ads to acquire a customer or lead. It helps you understand how much it costs to acquire each customer.

To ensure profitability, make sure your CPA stays below the revenue you generate from each sale.

How To Use ROAS To Set Your Budget

Using ROAS can help optimize your campaign budget to drive higher revenue, not just lower acquisition costs.

For example, if you spend $1,000 on ads and generate $5,000 in revenue, your ROAS is 5 (or 500%), meaning you’re making $5 for every $1 spent, indicating a highly effective campaign.

As a starting point, many businesses aim for an ROAS of 2 (or 200%), which means generating $2 in revenue for every $1 spent.

This typically covers both the Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) and the ad spend, allowing you to break even. Starting at ROAS of 2 gives you room to test, gather data, and optimize.

Once you’ve gathered enough data, you can raise your ROAS target to 3 (or 300%), meaning you’re generating $3 in revenue for every $1 spent. At this point, your campaign should be profitable.

Most of the ad platforms allow you to set ROAS goals to help optimize your campaign. Choose the “Target ROAS” bidding strategy, which automatically adjusts bids to reach your goal ROAS.

screenshot of Google Ads platform ROAS setting for an ad campaignScreenshot by author, October 2024

Avoid this mistake: Many advertisers rush to set aggressive profitability goals without enough data. The ad platforms will need time to optimize effectively.

For example, Google Ads recommends having at least 15 conversions within 30 days before setting a specific ROAS target.

How To Use CPA To Set Your Budget

Setting your budget based on your target CPA allows you to focus on controlling acquisition costs while still driving growth.

To calculate your budget using CPA, start by determining your target CPA and how many sales or leads you want to generate.

For example, if your CPA goal is $50 and you want 100 sales, you simply multiply the two to arrive at $5,000.

This means, you’ll need to spend $5,000 to acquire 100 customers at your target CPA of $50.

Starting with a reasonable CPA goal helps you control costs while gathering data. As you run your campaigns, you can refine your target CPA based on actual performance and adjust your budget accordingly.

Lowering your CPA slowly over time will allow you to generate more sales with the same budget.

Avoid this mistake: Don’t set a CPA that’s too low right out of the gate. Platforms need time to optimize, and starting with an aggressive CPA goal may limit the reach and data they need to make adjustments.

A good starting point is to align your CPA with your break-even point, then work toward lowering it as you optimize your campaign.

Budget Allocation And Reallocation

Allocate Budget To Best-Performers

For budget allocation, prioritize the best-performing campaigns across platforms.

This means, more budget for campaigns that are driving the highest return, whether they focus on branding, product promotion, or competitive positioning.

Regularly analyze performance and optimize spend based on which campaign type or platform is delivering the best results.

For example, you might allocate more budget to product-focused campaigns if they’re driving conversions, while reducing spend on branding campaigns if you have high brand recognition.

Competitive campaigns may get additional budget during critical sales periods to stay ahead of rivals. The key is flexibility to move your budget to where it will have the most impact.

Tracking And Adjusting Your Spend

When managing your budget across multiple months, it’s important to track what was actually spent versus what was planned. This ensures you can adjust and optimize future spend.

An effective way to do this is by maintaining a monthly spreadsheet or account report in the ads platforms. This will help you reconcile your planned budget with your actual spend.

If you underspend in one month (which can happen due to platform fluctuations or pauses in campaigns), you can reallocate that unspent budget to the next month.

Even small monthly shortages can add up over time. For example, if you budget $10,000 for a month but only spend $9,800, that extra $200 can be added to the next month’s or next quarter’s budget.

Reallocate any unused budget to future months, focusing on high-performing campaigns, channels, or key sales periods. This ensures every dollar is used effectively.

This table provides a simple example of how you can track and adjust your PPC budget vs. actual spend on a monthly basis.

Use this as a starting point to inspire creativity in developing your own system for monitoring and optimizing budget allocation.

Table showing a monthly PPC budget tracker Table created by author, October 2024

Daily Budget Setting

In most platforms, budgets are set at the campaign level, meaning each campaign will only spend up to its designated cap per day. The total across all campaigns should align with your overall account budget.

Begin by determining your daily budget. For example, if your monthly budget is $2,000, your daily budget would be $66 per day across the entire account.

This daily budget will also affect how many campaigns you can run simultaneously, as the $66 will be distributed across all campaigns. This can be a challenge for SMBs with a small PPC budget.

Keep in mind that both Google Ads and Microsoft Ads may occasionally exceed the daily budget to maximize results, but your total monthly spend should not exceed the daily budget multiplied by the number of days in the month.

AI Features For Budget Management

AI and automation can help make budget management easier. Here are a few key features that can simplify the process:

  • Smart Bidding: Automatically adjusts bids to maximize conversions or achieve a target return on ad spend.
  • Budget Recommendations: Many ad platforms provide budget suggestions based on historical campaign performance and goals.
  • Performance Max Campaign: Uses AI to optimize budget allocation across all of Google’s ad inventory (search, display, YouTube, etc.) to maximize conversions.
  • Target CPA: Automatically adjusts bids to help get as many conversions as possible at your set budget and desired CPA.
  • Target ROAS: Optimizes bids to get the most conversion value for your budget.

Looking To The Future Of PPC Budget Management

SMBs can expect to see some key developments in PPC budget management as the digital advertising landscape evolves. A few notable trends to keep an eye on:

Increased Automation And AI-Optimization

More advanced AI-powered tools will be released, enabling real-time adjustments to bids, budgets, and campaign strategies based on performance data. This will allow for greater agility and efficiency in budget management.

Focus On Lifetime Value (LTV)

Think about allocating budgets based on long-term profitability and customer retention, not just immediate acquisition costs. This will require sophisticated attribution modeling and AI tools.

Alignment With Broader Goals

PPC budget management is becoming more closely tied to overall marketing strategy and business objectives, driving greater cross-functional collaboration on budgets and spend.

By staying ahead of these emerging trends, SMBs can future-proof their PPC budget management. The flexibility and insights provided by these trends will be key to staying competitive.

Three Examples Of Budget Allocation For Paid Media Campaigns

These examples demonstrate how to allocate a paid media budget across various platforms, for example, industries, target audiences, and goals.

While these allocations provide a starting point, it’s important to remember that budget splits should be customized based on individual research, campaign needs, and past performance data.

The ratios suggested here are examples designed to illustrate how thoughtful planning can improve results.

Often, businesses split their budget evenly across platforms or prioritize a single platform like Google, then allocate a smaller amount to others.

Research and strategic planning based on platform reach, audience demographics, and campaign types available will ultimately drive the budget allocations.

Each scenario provides guidance that SMBs can easily apply to their own campaigns.

To maximize effectiveness, run a four- to six-week test, monitor performance, and adjust your budget allocation based on which platforms deliver the best.

1. B2B Product With $10,000 Per Month

For B2B companies, it’s important to prioritize platforms that effectively target professionals and decision-makers.

Here’s a recommended budget allocation for a $10,000 per month budget with platform rationale.

LinkedIn Ads: 40% ($4,000)

LinkedIn is the leading platform for B2B targeting, allowing precise targeting by job title, industry, and company.

Despite its higher cost per click, LinkedIn generates high-quality leads and builds thought leadership, making it essential for B2B campaigns.

Google Ads: 35% ($3,500)

Google Ads remains critical for capturing high-intent search traffic from B2B buyers actively seeking solutions.

This allocation focuses on search ads to ensure visibility for potential clients looking for specific products or services.

Microsoft Ads: 25% ($2,500)

Microsoft Ads offers a cost-effective way to target professionals, particularly through Bing.

It’s especially valuable due to its integration with LinkedIn data and less competitive ad space, which helps maximize ROI at a lower cost than Google.

2. Consumer Product (Auto, Recreational) With A $20,000 Budget

When marketing consumer products like cars or similar, visual platforms play a key role in storytelling and engaging potential buyers.

Here’s a budget split for a $20,000 monthly budget:

Google Ads: 40% ($8,000)

Google Ads is essential for capturing high-intent search traffic, especially from car buyers researching models and dealerships.

Both search and display ads ensure visibility throughout the buyer’s journey, from discovery to conversion.

YouTube Ads: 30% ($6,000)

YouTube’s video ads are ideal for showcasing cars through immersive content like test drives, feature highlights, and lifestyle storytelling.

This platform builds brand affinity by engaging consumers through compelling visuals.

Pinterest Ads: 15% ($3,000)

Pinterest excels at visual storytelling, making it perfect for engaging users during their discovery phase.

It helps inspire potential car buyers and captures users exploring future purchases, making it an effective top-of-funnel platform.

Microsoft Ads: 15% ($3,000)

Microsoft Ads offers a cost-effective way to reach an affluent, mature audience on Bing.

It complements Google Search by capturing additional leads at lower CPCs, particularly for big-ticket items like cars.

3. Ecommerce (Home Goods Retail) With A $30,000 Budget

For ecommerce businesses selling home goods type products, a balanced approach across search, social, and visual platforms ensures both discovery and conversion.

Here’s a suggested budget split to get started for a $30,000 monthly budget:

Google Ads: 35% ($10,500)

Google Ads is critical for capturing high-intent traffic through search and shopping ads.

Given a higher retail average order value, search ads target ready-to-buy consumers, while Google Shopping Ads showcase products with pricing and visuals, driving qualified traffic.

Meta Ads (Facebook & Instagram): 35% ($10,500)

Meta Ads are perfect for visually appealing home goods, using Facebook and Instagram’s dynamic ad formats to engage consumers.

Meta combines discovery, engagement, and direct conversions, reaching a broad but relevant audience of home decor enthusiasts.

Pinterest Ads: 15% ($4,500)

Pinterest is an ideal platform for home goods, where users often browse for home decor inspiration.

Pinterest Ads engage users at the discovery phase, driving top-of-funnel traffic with visually engaging content that inspires potential customers.

Microsoft Ads: 15% ($4,500)

Microsoft Ads complements Google with lower-cost clicks from Bing.

It helps target an affluent, purchase-ready audience and efficiently captures additional search-intent traffic, making it an excellent addition to your ecommerce marketing strategy.

Note: These suggested splits serve as examples to inspire a strategic approach to budget planning. These examples illustrate how to allocate your budget based on your target audience and campaign goals, ensuring that each dollar spent is driving results in the most thoughtful way.

Key Takeaways

  • Allocate Budget To Top-Performing Campaigns: Regularly analyze performance across platforms to focus your budget on campaigns that deliver the best results.
  • Reallocate Based On Actual Spend: Track your planned versus actual ad spending each month or quarter. Reallocate any unspent budget to the next month or high-performing campaigns to ensure efficient use of your resources.
  • ROAS And CPA: Use ROAS to measure how effectively your ads are generating revenue. Use CPA to control customer acquisition costs and optimize budget for growth.
  • Testing And Optimization: Begin with a four- t0 six-week test period to gather performance data and adjust your budget allocation based on which platforms and campaigns yield the best results.
  • Use AI Tools: Leverage AI features such as Smart Bidding and automated strategies to help manage budgets without constant manual adjustments.

More resources:

Featured Image: Vitalii Vodolazskyi/Shutterstock

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Nov 11 2024
Drive Over 150K A Month In Brand Search Volume: A Case Study [Webinar] via @sejournal, @lorenbaker

Having a hard time increasing brand search volume and building a strong presence on SERPs, especially in a way that’s not consuming all of your precious time?

Let’s face it: many search marketers find it taking years to build their brand search volume when faced against major, established brand. 

So what if there was a way to speed up this process and see results within months, instead of years?

Join us in our upcoming session, How To Drive Over 150K A Month In Brand Search Volume: A Case Study, where we’ll show you how to fast-track brand awareness and engagement through data-driven techniques and advanced audience analysis.

Why Attend This Webinar?

Making your brand stand out requires a strategic touch and a targeted, data-driven approach. By learning to understand and drive audience search behavior, you can improve your rankings, increase conversions, and even earn high-quality links—without waiting years to see results.

We’ll show you first-hand examples of how one brand created a new market category to solve a problem with conversion rates, along with another brand that grew their volume to over 150,000 organic clicks a month.

What You’ll Learn

Hosted by Kevin Rowe from PureLinq, this webinar will cover real-world strategies to increase brand search volume, backed by proven case studies from top brands. You’ll walk away with:

  • PureLinq’s simple yet effective process for understanding your audience’s search habits and how to use these insights to boost brand awareness.
  • Practical methods for leveraging podcasts, PR, and content marketing to drive more brand search.
  • Steps for breaking into new market categories and creating search demand from scratch.

Who Should Attend?

This webinar is perfect for:

  • SEO professionals eager to drive brand visibility in SERPs.
  • Content marketers focused on increasing brand engagement.
  • Business owners aiming to build brand trust and earn organic clicks.

Live Q&A with Kevin Rowe

Following the presentation, Kevin will be taking your burning questions on building your brand’s visibility. This is your chance to get tailored advice, supported by Kevin’s 15 years of experience in digital marketing and audience engagement.

If you’re serious about increasing your rankings and improving brand search volume, then you won’t want to miss this. Save your seat for this LIVE event and get ready to take your brand’s visibility to the next level.

Can’t make it on the day? Register anyway, and we’ll send you a recording to watch on-demand.

Sign up now to transform your approach to brand search and achieve results faster than ever before!

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Nov 11 2024
140 Social Sharing Sites That Boost SEO & Drive Traffic via @sejournal, @jonleeclark

Thankfully, every so often, a tool comes along that makes the complex world of search engine optimization a bit more manageable.

Social bookmarking sites are one of these tools that can be your new best friend in the SEO landscape.

Why are they so crucial? Simple: They’re powerhouses for building links, which are vital for SEO success.

Think of social bookmarking sites as your personal digital librarian. They let users discover, categorize, and store webpages all in one place using virtual “bookmarks.”

Social media platforms like Pinterest have revolutionized how we think about social bookmarking, proving themselves as essential tools in any marketer’s toolkit.

And it’s not just about generating any links; it’s about crafting quality connections that boost your visibility on search engines.

Sure, most of these links are nofollowed. However, the traffic and visibility they bring can catapult your site to the front page of search results.

But remember, there’s more to it than just links. Search engines use these sites to gauge the relevance and value of content. So, while you’re getting your name out there, you’re also building credibility and authority.

If you’re curious about which sites to start with, this guide has you covered.

Take a look at my list of the top 140 social bookmarking sites that are perfect for getting your content noticed and shared.

My Top 24 Social Sites (In No Particular Order)

1. X

X (formerly Twitter), despite what you may have heard, is still huge. In fact, the platform has over 500 million monthly active users.

While it might not be the first site that pops into your mind for submitting content, it has a large audience and is an efficient platform for posting.

Many people use it to post links, content, and images that they find interesting and worthy of a revisit in the future.

2. Pinterest

As the quintessential social bookmarking site, Pinterest has an average monthly user base of 498 million, roughly 72.6 percent of whom are female.

Furthermore, users are pinning over 1.5 billion Pins per week to more than 10 billion Pinterest boards.

3. Mix

In June 2018, the popular discovery platform StumbleUpon became Mix.

Mix lets you experience the internet as curated by machine learning, editors, or publishers.

You can also tag content that you liked, in particular, to share with others.

4. Slack

Slack is a group messaging program that provides users with customizable channels in which chats can occur.

You can also create private groups, and have direct messaging. I, personally, have found tremendous value in groups like The SEO Community and The SEO for Journalism groups.

In 2022, Slack had an estimated 35 million users.

5. Notion Community

Notion Community is a platform for users of Notion, the all-in-one workspace for note-taking, project management, and data organization.

The community allows users to share templates, setup tips, and best practices on using Notion effectively.

It’s perfect for productivity enthusiasts, project managers, and anyone interested in personal or professional organization.

This community helps individuals improve their workflow while connecting with others who use and customize Notion in innovative ways.

6. Pocket

Appropriately named, when you put something in your Pocket, it’s there to be found later.

Users of Pocket can hold onto anything they find on the internet or through various apps.

Bonus points for the fact that once something’s in your Pocket, you don’t need an internet connection to access it.

7. Digg

Got great content?

Then it belongs to Digg.

Digg is an addictive social bookmarking site that’s perfect for sharing your captivating content with a highly engaged audience.

8. Folkd

The Folkd bookmarking site contains a unique social search feature that works much like a typical search engine, except the results don’t come from a complex, machine-driven system of analytics.

Instead, top results display quality content that Folkd users have bookmarked.

The more saves a piece gets, the higher its rank in their social search, which helps connect their visitors with even more quality content.

9. Reddit

What can’t be found on Reddit?

Users generate threads that can then be commented on, upvoted, or downvoted, and it is a great tool when you’re looking to quickly promote content, generate content ideas, or get answers to a question.

It’s also now one of Google’s key AI training data sets.

10. Fark

One of Fark’s best attributes is their commitment to quality.

As a social networking news site, Fark receives mountains of submissions on a daily basis but presents only the best to their audience.

This site isn’t for wimpy, weak content.

But, if you’re ready to showcase your talent and drive traffic to your own site, Fark is the way to go.

11. BizSugar

If you’ve got content about startups, marketing, and the world of small business, then BizSugar is the social bookmarking site that will help build your reputation and brand authority in a growing community of like-minded small business professionals.

12. Slashdot

Slashdot is the ultimate bookmarking site for tech geeks and the techie at heart.

Users of Slashdot submit and share content on gaming, cloud computing, computer hardware, security management, and more.

13. We Heart It

While users can submit and bookmark different types of content, We Heart It is heavily visual.

The app is nice to look at, easy to use, and inspirational – especially for anyone who loves great imagery.

14. Scoop.It

This site, aimed toward professionals, offers solutions for content creation, content curation, predictive analysis, and content intelligence.

Scoop.It offers four different platforms – a free version for individuals, as well as three paid options: Pro, Plus, and Enterprise.

15. Elpha

Elpha is a social network tailored specifically for women in the tech industry, providing a space for networking, job opportunities, and sharing insights.

It’s designed to empower women by connecting them with peers and mentors, facilitating professional growth in a supportive community.

16. Diigo

Diigo is the ultimate social bookmarking site for academic types.

Educators, students, researchers, and anyone with an inquisitive mind love the features that make keeping track of their resources and sharing them easy.

Diigo is perfect for content that’s focused on statistics, analytics, or research of any industry.

17. BibSonomy

Granted, not many businesses publish scientific material as part of their marketing strategy.

But, for those who do, BibSonomy is a premier social bookmarking site for businesses and academic types to collect, share, and collaborate with the most recent, highly relevant research-based material.

18. Instagram

Instagram is one of the world’s most popular apps for photo, video, and live video sharing.

It’s the world’s fourth most-used social media platform, with over 2 billion monthly users.

The largest demographic on Instagram is 18 to 24-year-olds, representing 30.8% of users.

Furthermore, the average time spent on Instagram is 33 minutes per day.

19. Pearltrees

There’s a simplicity to Pearltrees that makes it a favorite among users who love to create collections of their favorite things.

Pearltrees offers functionality and a platform that makes it easy to share and gather new content.

20. DZone

DZone is one of the preferred social bookmarking sites for software developers around the world.

Each day, thousands of developers come to the site to learn, share, and read about the latest technologies and trends in the world of software development.

21. Medium

Typically used to share personal, original stories, Larry Kim has shown just how successful Medium can be for repurposing content.

22. SlideShare

While some claim SlideShare is on its way out, if you’ve created an amazing keynote or PowerPoint presentation, you’re going to want to repurpose that on SlideShare.

23. Quora

Not only a great research tool for Q&A content brainstorming, but Quora is a question-and-answer based site filled with a wide range of topics to discuss and follow.

24. Facebook Groups

A Facebook Group is a closed or open community within Facebook where users can post content ranging from links to events and questions.

As of August 2022, 1.8 billion people used Facebook Groups, and there were over 10 million groups on Facebook.

69 More For Good Measure

Here are 69 more social bookmarking sites for you to leverage in your SEO strategy.

A few of these you’ll be familiar with because they’re already insanely popular, but there are also plenty of lesser-known sites on the list.

25. Facebook

Facebook is arguably the most popular social network in the world.

Despite changes to how Facebook’s algorithm diminishes organic reach, it can still be a major source of traffic for posted content.

26. Flipboard

Flipboard curates the world’s stories you can focus on investing in yourself, stay informed, and get involved.

27. Feedly

Feedly is the most popular RSS blog reader, with more than 15 million users, and acts as a news aggregator for various web browsers and mobile devices.

28. Pinboard

Pinboard is a plainly designed social bookmarking website “for people who value privacy and speed.”

It focuses on the personal management of bookmarks using tags to organize them.

29. Instapaper

Instapaper is touted as the simplest way to save and store articles for reading offline, on-the-go, anytime, anywhere.

30. Untappd

Untappd caters to beer enthusiasts, providing a platform to rate beers, check into locations, and see where friends are drinking.

It combines social networking with user reviews, making it valuable for discovering new beers and venues.

31. LinkaGoGo

LinkaGoGo has been around since 2001.

It allows you to view bookmarks using dynamic bookmark toolbars.

32. LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a 500 million+ member social network designed to build and engage with your professional network.

33. Disqus

Disqus is a global comment system that improves discussion on websites and connects conversations across the web.

34. Listly

Listly helps bloggers and publishers engage readers by viral top 10 lists created by the community.

35. Tumblr

Tumblr, the popular “microblogging” network, allows users to post multimedia and other content to a short-form blog.

36. ArtStation

ArtStation is the hotspot for digital artists and illustrators to showcase their portfolios.

If you’re into game design, concept art, or just love browsing incredible creations, this is your scene.

37. Dotnetkicks

Dotnetkicks is a community-based news site edited by the community that specializes in .NET development techniques, technologies, and tools.

38. Pixiv

Pixiv is a Japanese online community where artists showcase their illustrations, manga, and novels.

It’s big on creativity and perfect for anyone looking to dive into anime-style art.

39. TikTok

TikTok is a video-sharing service that allows users to share videos that are 3 to 60 seconds long.

The app is credited largely with the success of many celebrities whose reach extends beyond the app and into the mainstream.

As of publishing, TikTok boasts 800 million users.

40. Ko-fi

Think of Ko-fi as a friendly tip jar for creators.

Whether you’re an artist, writer, or podcaster, you can receive support directly from your fans with a simple “Buy me a coffee” button.

41. FilmFreeway

FilmFreeway makes it easy for filmmakers to submit their films to hundreds of festivals all over the world.

It’s the go-to platform for indie creators looking to promote their work and for film buffs seeking the next big thing.

42. EyeEm

EyeEm is a global photography community and marketplace.

It’s perfect for budding photographers looking to showcase their work, connect with peers, and even sell their images to brands and publishers.

43. SocialBookmarkNow

SocialBookmarkNow is a social bookmarking site that boasts “instant approval” for submitted content.

44. Academia.edu

Academia.edu is a platform specifically tailored for academics and researchers to share research papers across a multitude of disciplines.

Users can follow each other’s work, update their profiles with new findings, and even track the impact of their publications.

It’s a valuable resource for enhancing visibility in the academic community and improving citations, which is beneficial for SEO in academic and educational content.

45. TechDirt

TechDirt is an online news blog that allows users to post their own stories.

46. AllTrails

AllTrails is a niche social network for outdoor enthusiasts, offering detailed information on trails around the world, including user reviews, photos, and trail maps.

Users can record their hikes, share their favorite trails, and provide updates about trail conditions.

It’s ideal for brands in the outdoor, travel, and fitness industries to connect with a highly engaged audience.

47. Houzz

Houzz is a platform for home remodeling and design, bringing homeowners and home professionals together in a uniquely visual community.

Here, professionals can showcase their portfolios, share design ideas, and connect with potential clients.

It’s a great tool for architects, interior designers, and contractors to enhance their SEO through project photos and customer reviews.

48. MetaFilter

MetaFilter is a community weblog that anyone can contribute a link or comment on.

49. Care.com

Care.com connects people with caregivers for children, seniors, and pets.

It allows caregivers to create profiles, post services, and gather reviews, which helps build their online presence and trustworthiness.

It’s also beneficial for service providers in the care sector to increase visibility and SEO through client interactions and endorsements.

50. Steemit

This is a blogging and social media website that gifts users with its cryptocurrency, STEEM, for publishing and curating content.

51. Bookmarkfeeds

Bookmarkfeeds allows users to submit article bookmarks from anywhere in the world.

52. BookmarkMaps

BookmarkMaps is a bookmarking service that allows members to submit articles and share the most-voted content to social networks like Facebook and Twitter.

53. Leavemark

Leavemark, launched in 2020, is an ad-free data storage and social media app that lets you save videos and photos and share them later.

The app features a time and space capsule option that allows information to be released in increments of 2 weeks, 2 months, 10 years, or when the recipient is within proximity of a given place.

There is also direct messaging, a newsfeed, and a family tree feature that allows you to preserve information for future family members.

54. Fabric

Fabric is like VH1’s Pop-Up Video but in real life (IRL).

It’s an augmented reality (AR) app that allows you to see people’s commentary on things within your immediate proximity.

You can comment on that commentary and start a virtual, and potentially in real life (IRL), conversation.

55. Vero

Vero is a social media app designed to compete with the one-two punch of Facebook and Instagram.

Vero boasts that it doesn’t sell data, features no ads, and uses no algorithms.

Instead, users select who gets to see their posts, and posts appear chronologically.

You can share suggestions for music, books, films, and more.

You can also shop within the app for any recommendations that you find particularly striking.

56. Caffeine

Caffeine is a platform that streams live content that you can interact with, including gaming, sports, and music.

57. Twitch

Twitch is a video streaming service owned by Amazon.

The platform focuses primarily on live video game streaming, but also includes e-sport competitions, music broadcasts, and other forms of creative content.

As of January 2024, Twitch had approximately 8.36 million active streamers.

58. Bluesky

Previously invite-only, Bluesky was started by Jack Dorsey as a project within X (Twitter) to explore decentralized social media.

It was eventually spun off into its own entity, built on an open protocol called the AT Protocol (Authenticated Transfer Protocol), which allows for interoperability between different services and platforms.

The network has seen explosive growth recently, given its similarities to X (Twitter). As of September 2024, Bluesky has over 7.6 million users.

59. Threads

Threads is a social media platform developed by Meta (formerly Facebook) and launched in July 2023.

It is closely integrated with Instagram, allowing users to sign in using their Instagram credentials and follow the same accounts.

Threads was created as a microblogging platform similar to X, allowing users to post short text updates, share photos and videos, and engage in threaded conversations.

Threads was positioned as an alternative to X, particularly after Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter. This led to some changes in the platform that left certain users dissatisfied.

However, Threads has gained traction with a focus on simplicity and familiar functionality for those used to Instagram.

60. BuzzCast

BuzzCast is a newer global social community for young and active people to meet new friends, find dates, and form meaningful connections quickly.

61. Masterminds

Mastermind is a social media platform for coordinating goal-oriented video chats with like-minded individuals.

The aim is to benefit from each other’s shared experience, encouragement, comradery, and accountability.

62. Triller

Triller is a social media video app where you film yourself lip-syncing, dancing, or both.

Triller’s editing algorithm then goes to work to edit your video for you based on audio and facial analyses.

63. WhatsApp

WhatsApp is an encrypted messaging service that allows you to send text and audio messages, make video and phone calls, share media, and send each other locations.

WhatsApp currently has 2 billion monthly users worldwide.

64. Tagged

Tagged is a social discovery platform that lets you browse the profiles of any members and share tags and virtual gifts.

65. Wattpad

Wattpad is a platform that services user-generated stories.

As of 2018, Watpad has 400 million stories and over 65 million users who spend over 15 billion minutes on the app each month.

66. Badoo

Badoo is a social networking website meant to facilitate friendship, romantic relationships, or just brief conversations.

You can search based on who’s nearby, use a more specific geographic search, use a Tinder-type feature where you swipe left or right, and have the option of video chatting as well.

Users are verified by uploading a photo of themselves in a specific pose that’s then verified by a moderator. People can also request selfies to confirm an identity.

Since launching in 2006, Badoo has had 425 million members.

67. Bubbly

Bubbly is an app that allows users to record voice blogs for upwards of 90 seconds to subscribe to the voice blogs of others.

Currently, you can apply voice filters, effects, and background music to the posts.

68. Cellufun

Cellufun is a social program that lets users play games together and comment anonymously using avatars.

69. Classmates

Classmates.com is a social media platform that allows users to make and search profiles, post and view notes, view other profiles and their photos, browse digital yearbook collections, and gain access to reunion planning tools.

70. Dropout

Dropout is an internet comedy company that, in addition to creating original content, allows for user-submitted videos, pictures, articles, and links.

71. Discord

Discord is an instant messaging software that allows you to communicate via text, image, video, and voice.

As of January 2024, Discord has 196.2 million active users.

72. GIPHY

Giphy is an online database and search engine that allows users to search for and share short looping videos with no sound, which resemble animated GIF files.

It is believed to have 1.7 billion daily users on both its app and website.

73. Imgur

Imgur is an image-sharing community and image host.

Many popular viral images and memes are hosted by Imgur and are used by Reddit to share images across the platform.

74. LINE

Line is a messaging service that lets users communicate using smartphones, tablet devices, and PCs.

Text, images, video, audio, and free VoIP calls and video conferences are all available.

Line also has a digital wallet called Line Pay, a news stream called Line Today, a video-on-demand service known as Line TV, and two digital comic services known as Line Manga and Line Webtoon.

Line is one of the most used apps in Japan, with over 88% of the population using it.

75. Mastodon

Mastodon is a decentralized social network offering an ad-free, open-source environment similar to Twitter.

Users can join servers that best fit their interests and engage in discussions or share media.

It’s an excellent alternative for creating content streams that can improve SEO by fostering community interactions and content sharing.

76. LiveJournal

LiveJournal is a social networking platform where people keep diaries. LiveJournal’s highest recorded number of users is 2.5 million.

77. MeetMe

MeetMe is a mix between a social media platform and a dating app.

Meetme works by verifying and populating your profile with data from Facebook.

You’re then shown users nearby who you have the opportunity to chat with and even arrange an in-person meeting.

MeetMe claims to have over 100 million users.

78. MocoSpace

Inspired by Myspace, MocoSpace is a mobile social network that includes games, chat, instant messaging, eCars, and photos.

MocoSpace has over 100 million registered users.

79. Myspace

Between 2005 and 2008, Myspace was the biggest social networking platform in the world, catering to over 100 million users per month.

The most recent statistics available for 2019 show that MySpace had 7 million monthly visitors.

80. Open Diary

Open Diary is an online diary community similar to LiveJournal and Xanga.

81. Skype

Skype is a popular video chat software that lets users communicate via audio, video, or text.

You can also send images, videos, files, and more.

More than 40 million people use Skype every day, with over 300 million active monthly users on the platform.

82. Telegram

Telegram is a chat app available for both desktop and mobile users.

The mobile version features encryption.

You can also send photos, videos, stickers, audio, and files.

As of 2024, Telegram has reached over 800 million monthly active users.

83. Tribe

Tribe is a social messaging app.

You can record and send messages to your friends just by holding your finger on their photo and then releasing it.

You can also create groups to send videos to several recipients at once.

Once the video is tapped and viewed, it disappears.

84. Viber

Viber is a software that allows for VoIP and instant messaging-based communications.

Users are verified by their cell phone. The app can also be used on desktops.

Viber gives users the opportunity to trade images and videos, as well as access to a paid international dedicated video and phone service called Viber Out.

Viber records having over a billion users.

85. Vimeo

Vimeo is a video hosting platform.

Vimeo is ad-free and instead derives its income by providing hosting plans to content producers and tools for video creation, editing, etc.

Vimeo also helps professionals connect with one another, with over 287 million creatives using the platform.

86. WatZatSong

WatZatSong is a community for music lovers where users can help each other identify songs.

Participants post a clip of a song they are trying to identify, and the community pitches in to help figure it out.

It’s an excellent platform for engaging with a music-focused audience and can be a fun way to drive traffic to sites related to music and entertainment.

87. Dropmark

Dropmark is a collaborative sharing tool.

You collect files, drag them into your browser to upload, and then share that collection with a group or individual of your choosing.

88. Droplr

Droplr allows you to take your screenshots or screen recordings, upload them to the cloud, and then share them with anyone.

89. Zight

Zight allows you to share screenshots or screen recordings.

Using its Instant Video feature, users can broadcast screen recordings instantaneously.

90. ePHOTOzine

ePHOTOzine is an online photography magazine offering a social networking platform for photographers to upload photos, participate in contests, and write reviews.

It’s a great space for photographers to improve their SEO by showcasing their work and engaging with a community of like-minded individuals.

91. Patreon

Patreon is an American membership-based platform that provides creators with the means to maintain subscription-based content.

Creators include video makers, podcasters, artists, writers, adult content creators, and more.

There are over 228,000 creators with at least one Patreon. Over the past two years, the number of creators has grown by 20%.

92. OnlyFans

OnlyFan is a content subscription service akin to Pateron that is particularly popular among the adult entertainment industry and fitness experts.

Creators receive funding based on subscriptions, tips, and pay-per-view events.

As of 2022, OnlyFan had over 3,100,000 content creators!

93. Substack

Substack is a platform that allows creators to have paid email newsletters.

Substack provides a content management system to create email newsletters, a way of collecting payments using Stripe, and a website that can provide free or paid-for content.

Don’t Forget The Music/Audio Social Sites

94. Datpiff

DatPiff is an online distribution platform focusing on hip-hop, rap, and R&B.

Basically, DatPiff is the modern-day equivalent of the sort of mixtapes or mix CDs fledgling artists would distribute with the hopes of having their music exposed to a larger audience.

95. Last.FM

Last.FM is a social media platform that follows users’ listening habits to create custom playlists.

Last.FM can gather data from popular music streaming apps, internet radio stations, or the user’s own desktop or mobile devices.

96. SoundCloud

SoundCloud is an audio distribution and music-sharing platform.

The platform would go on to have over 140 million registered users worldwide.

It has launched the careers of many professional and wildly successful musicians.

97. ReverbNation

ReverbNation is a website where musicians, producers, and venues collaborate and communicate.

98. Bandcamp

Bandcamp is an audio distribution platform.

Artists and labels upload their content to Bandcamp and then set how it’s sold, for how much, in what format, and can sell merch or physical media as well.

Plus, 20 Even More Niche Social Sharing Sites

99. Dribble

The go-to bookmarking site for creative types, especially designers.

If you like to explore graphic and visual design, or you have someone on your team who does, Dribble is a great spot to get some SEO backlink action.

100. Meetup

Meetup uses online groups to coordinate in-person meetings based on people’s shared interests.

Meetup has more than 60 million registered users.

101. Weed Life

Weed Life is a social network built for cannabis enthusiasts.

102. Nextdoor

Nextdoor is a social media platform that allows you to connect with people in your neighborhood.

You have to submit your real name and address (your street name without your unit number).

It’s currently available in 11 countries.

Only other members of your neighborhood can see your posts.

Nextdoor has 285,000 active neighborhoods and serves over 10 million users.

103. DeviantArt

DeviantArt is an online community where people share artwork, videos, and photography.

Most recent stats show that the site has over 26 million members and 251 million submissions.

Art can be browsed by categories such as type, operating system customization utilities, skins for applications, and more.

104. Goodreads

Goodreads is a social network where people post about and review books.

Users also have the option of creating groups based on suggestions, surveys, polls, blogs, and discussions.

On a yearly basis, users vote in the Goodreads Choice Awards based on books nominated by Goodreads as well as user suggestions.

As of 2022, Goodreads has more than 140 million members around the world.

105. CouchSurfing

CouchSurfing is a social networking platform that allows users to coordinate lodging and meetings or join and create events.

106. RunKeeper

Runkeeper is a fitness-tracking app that uses GPS to map your workouts.

Some activities include walking, running, and cycling.

Runkeeper has over 51.2 million users. You can share your workouts with others and the Runkeeper community as well.

107. Care2

Care2 is a social media platform that connects people based on the activist causes that they’re passionate about.

Care2 currently has over 63 million members and 2,750 nonprofit partners, has created nearly 457,000 petitions, and has accrued over 1.2 billion signatures.

108. eToro

eToro is a social trading platform and multi-asset brokerage company that offers financial and copy trading services.

Users are able to follow, view, and even recreate the practices of top traders on the platform.

As of 2024, eToro has over 35 million users.

109. Gaia Online

Gaia Online is an anime-themed social network and forum-based platform.

110. Italki

Italki is a platform that connects language learners to teachers using video chat.

Teachers earn money as freelance tutors.

111. Ravelry

Ravelry is a social networking service for people interested in knitting, crocheting, spinning, weaving, and other similar activities.

Users share projects, ideas, and their collections of yarns, fiber, and tools.

Ravelry has over 9 million registered users and roughly 1 million monthly active users.

112. The Dots

The Dots is a social networking program for creative professionals (writers, illustrators, videographers, etc.).

Members get to network, connect, collaborate, and be inspired by the individuals, teams, and brands with profiles.

113. BakeSpace

BakeSpace is a food-focused social networking site for sharing recipes, creating cookbooks, and meeting other food enthusiasts.

Users can exchange recipes, collaborate on cookbooks, and discuss cooking tips.

It’s a delicious way to connect with others who share a passion for cooking and can help food bloggers and brands boost their SEO through content sharing and interaction.

114. Strava

Strava is a social network for athletes, particularly runners and cyclists.

It tracks user activity via GPS, allowing members to share their workouts, compete with each other, and follow friends’ activities.

It’s excellent for motivation and community building among fitness enthusiasts.

115. MyHeritage

MyHeritage is a platform that allows users to create family trees, upload and browse photos, and search through over 9 billion historical records.

116. Viadeo

Viadeo is a professional social networking platform that connects business owners, entrepreneurs, and managers.

117. Yelp

Yelp is a crowdsourced review-based website that provides business ratings.

It also partners with a reservation service called Yelp Reservations.

Yelp has over 265 million reviews.

118. Letterboxd

Letterboxd is a social networking service that focuses on sharing reviews and adoration for film.

Users can keep a diary to track their opinions, films watched, and make lists. Users can also interact with one another.

Last But Not Least, 12 International Social Sharing Sites

119. FilmAffinity

Registered users can rate, find, and create lists of movies.

In the Spanish version of the site, it’s possible to write reviews.

In Spain, which is the platform’s country of origin, there are 3 million unique users.

120. Kuaishou

Kuaishou is a Chinese video-sharing app.

It’s known as “Snack” video in China and “Kwai” in other markets.

Kuaishou is used to create short videos that capture the everyday experiences of its users.

At the end of 2022, Kuaishou’s daily active users sat at 355.7 million.

121. Mixi

Mixi is a Japanese social networking service.

Its focus is on connecting with others based on shared interests.

Users can send messages, keep a blog, read and comment on other people’s blogs, set up and join communities, and invite friends.

Registration is confirmed using a valid Japanese cell phone number.

122. Qzone

Qzone is a social networking platform centered in China.

It lets users keep blogs, send photos, listen to music, and watch videos.

Statistics show that there are over 600 million active users on Qzone.

123. Sina Weibo

Sina Weibo is a Chinese microblogging site akin to Tumblr. Users can upload videos and pictures for instant or extended sharing.

Users can then comment via text, video, or pictures.

There’s also an instant messaging service.

In 2017, the platform reported it had over 290 million registered users.

124. CaringBridge

A health-focused social networking site, CaringBridge helps people stay connected with their family and friends during significant health challenges.

It offers personal, protected sites where users can share updates, receive messages of support, and coordinate help.

125. Tencent QQ

Tencent QQ, known as QQ, is an instant messaging program and web portal in China.

It provides online social games, music, shopping, microblogging, movies, and group and voice chat.

126. VK

VK is a Russian social networking platform. VK facilitates both private and public messaging, groups, public pages, and events.

With VK, you can also share and tag images, audio, and video. There are browser-based games as well.

As of May 2021, VK had 656,000,000+ users.

127. WeChat

WeChat is a Chinese-developed platform that allows for messaging, social media, and mobile payment.

In China, the app has been called the “app for everything.” As of 2019, WeChat had roughly 1 billion active users.

128. XING

Xing is a Hamburg-based social networking site for professionals primarily focused on the German-speaking market.

As of the end of December 2023, Xing reported that it reached 1.3 billion monthly active members.

129. YY

YY is a Chinese-based video social network that has its own virtual currency.

The currency is paid to people who create content ranging from karaoke videos to tutorials. The currency can later be exchanged for real money.

The platform also streams concerts, fashion, and sporting events. Users can chat as well. As of November 2019, YY had 157.8 million monthly active users.

130. Douban

Douban is a Chinese social networking platform that allows users to document information and create content about movies, books, TV, activities in China, and more.

Douban has 60 million registered users and 150 million unregistered visitors.

Registered users get recommendations and add them to other social networking options; unregistered users get reviews and ratings of media.

10 Bonus Social Sharing Sites

131. Blender Artists Community

Blender Artists Community is a vibrant network for users of Blender, the open-source 3D content-creation suite.

Members share projects, get feedback, and find tutorials.

It’s perfect for 3D artists looking to improve their skills, showcase their portfolio, and boost their presence in the 3D modeling community.

132. PixelFederation

PixelFederation is a community for gamers and game developers.

It provides a platform to discuss game development, share projects, and connect with other gaming enthusiasts.

This site is excellent for developers looking to increase visibility and engage with a community passionate about gaming.

133. GrowthHackers

GrowthHackers offers a hub where users can share and discuss strategies for growth, marketing, and scaling businesses.

Content ranges from articles to case studies, making it ideal for marketers and entrepreneurs interested in cutting-edge tactics for driving business growth.

134. Travello

Travello is a social network for travelers, providing a platform to share experiences, discover new adventures, and meet fellow travelers.

Its features include arranging meetups and sharing travel tips and photos, making it a valuable tool for travel bloggers and agencies to increase their reach.

135. Plantix

Plantix is a network for gardening and agriculture enthusiasts.

Users can diagnose plant diseases, share gardening tips, and discuss best practices in crop cultivation.

136. Kaggle

Kaggle is a platform for data scientists and analysts to explore and publish data sets, compete in competitions, and collaborate on projects.

This community is crucial for professionals looking to build their reputations and collaborate on data-driven projects, enhancing their visibility in the tech and scientific communities.

137. Threadless

Threadless is a community-driven site featuring user-designed t-shirts, hoodies, and prints.

Artists submit designs, which users vote on; the top-rated designs are then made into apparel.

It’s a fantastic way for graphic designers and artists to gain exposure and have their work featured on merchandise.

138. Dogster (And Catster)

Dogster and Catster are social networks for pet owners, offering a place to share photos, care tips, and pet stories.

139. Archilovers

Archilovers is a social network for architects, designers, and architecture enthusiasts.

It allows users to share projects, find design inspiration, and connect with other professionals.

140. Spiceworks

Spiceworks is a professional network for the IT community.

It combines community discussions, software tools, and a marketplace where IT professionals can exchange knowledge, tools, and services.

Harness The Power Of Social Bookmarking To Amplify Your Online Presence

Exploring the digital landscape like this reveals just how expansive it truly is!

Every business, including yours, competes to stand out and thrive online.

Effective digital marketing isn’t just about using any tools; it’s about using the right tools. Social bookmarking is one of these powerful tools, essential for building and enhancing your brand’s online visibility.

Remember, achieving success online is a collective effort. Social bookmarking connects you to a broader community, helping you engage with your audience and expand your reach.

Start incorporating social bookmarking into your strategy today and watch your digital presence grow.

More resources:

Featured Image: tovovan/Shutterstock

Ecommerce MGMT 0 Comments
Nov 11 2024
Performance Max For Ecommerce: Advanced Strategies And Pitfalls To Avoid

Since its launch in 2021, Performance Max (PMax) has transformed how ecommerce businesses approach Google Ads.

Google’s machine learning and AI, when applied across its entire advertising ecosystem, promises to maximize conversions and value and simplify campaign management.

However, with automation playing such a crucial role, the question arises: Can advertisers find the right balance between letting the algorithm work and exercising their strategic control?

Understanding Performance Max For Ecommerce

Your ads might get placed anywhere in Google’s network, including Search, Shopping, Display, YouTube, Gmail, and Maps.

For ecommerce businesses, this broad reach represents both an opportunity and a challenge.

While the system promises to optimize your campaigns in real-time, this automation comes with significant transparency challenges.

Mike Rhodes explains a fundamental issue facing advertisers:

“Performance Max campaigns have introduced a significant challenge for advertisers: a lack of transparency in budget allocation. This opacity makes it difficult for managers to understand where their budgets are truly going, hindering their ability to optimize campaigns effectively and maximize ROI.

Without clear insights into which placements, audiences, or assets drive performance, advertisers are essentially flying blind.

My Performance Max scripts solve this critical issue by pulling data from various sources to provide the clearest possible picture of budget allocation.”

This lack of transparency means advertisers must be more strategic in their campaign management and measurement approach.

Understanding the key components and how they work together becomes crucial for success.

Key Features For Ecommerce Success

Feed-Based Optimization

Your product feed – a digital catalogue containing all your product information – serves as the foundation of your Performance Max campaigns.

This is your store’s digital inventory that Google uses to create and display your ads across its networks.

The quality and optimization of your feed data directly impact your campaign’s performance. A well-optimized product feed should include:

  • Descriptive product titles that include key search terms.
  • Accurate pricing and availability information.
  • High-quality images that meet Google’s specifications.
  • Detailed product descriptions and specifications.
  • Proper categorization and product types.
  • Additional attributes like color, size, and brand.

For maximum effectiveness, regularly update your feed with:

  • Competitive pricing information.
  • Current inventory levels.
  • Seasonal product information.
  • New product launches.
  • Updated promotional messaging.

Asset-Based Approach

Your creative assets are fundamental to Performance Max’s success, serving as the foundation for ads across all of Google’s networks.

Unlike traditional campaigns where you create specific ads for each platform, Performance Max uses your provided assets – images, videos, text, and logos – to automatically generate optimized ad combinations for each placement and audience.

Sarah Steman provides valuable insight into asset optimization:

“A powerful PMax strategy is to leverage themed asset groups, especially during holidays or promotions.

By conducting a dedicated photoshoot and comparing its performance against evergreen assets, I can gain valuable insights for campaign optimization.”

Successful asset management requires:

  • Regular performance analysis.
  • Seasonal content updates.
  • A/B testing of different creative approaches.
  • Audience-specific variations.
  • Consistent brand messaging.

Smart Bidding Integration

Performance Max uses automated bidding strategies powered by machine learning to optimize for your chosen goals.

The system continuously learns from performance data to adjust bids in real-time across all channels.

Strategic Campaign Structure

Effective campaign segmentation is crucial for success. Susan Yen emphasizes the importance of audience targeting:

“Segmenting campaigns with custom audience signals ensures your ads target users with genuine intent, leading to stronger performance and higher-quality leads.”

Implementation considerations include:

  • Product categories and types.
  • Profit margins and pricing strategies.
  • Seasonal variations.
  • Geographic targeting.
  • Customer segments.
  • Performance goals.

Advanced Optimization Strategies

Performance Max works best as part of a holistic marketing strategy. Chris Chambers shares an innovative approach to device targeting:

“You can’t set device bid adjustments for PMax, but PMax does follow value rules that you set. So you can still set up a value rule multiplier for device types or geos, which gives you some control over how the PMax serves.”

Artur MacLellan of Hop Skip Media offers crucial insight into performance volatility:

“Some days it kills it, and others it is terrible. This is because if you have a lot of other top-of-funnel (TOF) traffic, like YouTube or Meta or Influencers, whenever those other channels push, PMax goes in and scoops up the conversions.”

Performance Monitoring and Optimization

Key optimization areas include:

1. Channel Management: Monitor how your budget is being distributed across channels:

  • Track performance metrics by placement.
  • Analyze channel interaction patterns.
  • Assess the impact on existing campaigns.
  • Identify and address channel cannibalization.
  • Review placement performance data.

2. Asset Optimization: Regular testing and refinement of creative elements:

    • Monitor asset performance ratings.
    • A/B test different creative approaches.
    • Update seasonal content proactively.
    • Create audience-specific variations.
    • Remove underperforming assets.

    3. Bidding Strategy: Fine-tune your automated bidding:

      • Review and adjust ROAS targets based on performance.
      • Monitor conversion patterns.
      • Analyze competitor activity.
      • Adjust targets for seasonal changes.
      • Consider device and location performance.

      Measuring Success And ROI

      Primary Metrics:

      • Return on Ad Spend (ROAS).
      • Conversion Value.
      • Conversion Rate.
      • Average Order Value.
      • Cost Per Acquisition (CPA).
      • New vs. Returning Customer Ratio.

      Secondary Metrics:

      • Impression Share.
      • Click-Through Rate (CTR).
      • Asset Performance.
      • Channel Distribution.
      • Geographic Performance.
      • Device Performance.

      Implementation of best practices:

      • Set up proper conversion tracking.
      • Use value-based bidding when possible.
      • Monitor cross-channel attribution.
      • Regular performance audits.
      • Analyze customer lifetime value.

      Overcoming Common Challenges

      1. Performance Volatility

      • Implement consistent monitoring schedules.
      • Maintain a balanced channel mix.
      • Use complementary campaign types.
      • Set realistic performance expectations.
      • Regular strategy adjustments.

      2. Creative Performance

      • Regular creative refreshes.
      • Performance-based asset management.
      • Seasonal content planning.
      • Brand consistency across channels.
      • Regular creative testing.

      3. Budget Management

      • Strategic budget allocation.
      • Performance-based adjustments.
      • Seasonal planning.
      • Competitive analysis.
      • ROI optimization.

      Future Developments And Preparation

      As Google continues investing in AI capabilities, prepare for:

      1. Enhanced Transparency

      • Improved reporting features.
      • Better performance insights.
      • More detailed placement data.
      • Enhanced budget allocation visibility.

      2. AI Integration

      • Advanced asset creation.
      • Dynamic optimization.
      • Sophisticated audience targeting.
      • Improved testing capabilities.

      3. Data Integration

      • Enhanced first-party data usage.
      • Better cross-channel attribution.
      • Improved audience insights.
      • Advanced bidding algorithms.

        Conclusion

        Returning to our initial question about balancing automation with control, success with Performance Max requires a strategic approach that combines:

        • Well-structured campaigns.
        • High-quality product feeds.
        • Strategic asset groups.
        • Proper tracking implementation.
        • Regular monitoring and optimization.

        The future of Performance Max in ecommerce lies in finding the right balance between automation and strategic oversight.

        Those who master this balance while maintaining adaptability to new features will be best positioned to succeed in the evolving landscape of ecommerce advertising.

        Each component of your Performance Max strategy should work together to create a cohesive approach that leverages automation while maintaining strategic control.

        This balance, combined with regular optimization and adaptation to new features, will help ensure long-term success in your ecommerce advertising efforts.

        More resources:

        Featured Image: PeopleImages.com – Yuri A/Shutterstock

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        Nov 11 2024
        Automattic Faces Irony Of New WPEngineTracker Protest Site via @sejournal, @martinibuster

        In an ironic twist to the ongoing dispute between Automattic and WP Engine, a newly published website on WPEngineTracker.com is displaying a protest message against CEO Matt Mullenweg.

        Copycat Domain Name Registered

        Someone registered the domain name WPEngineTracker.com using the words that Automattic’s WordPressEngineTracker.com domain uses to describe itself  (WP Engine Tracker) . If people who are looking for Automattic’s WP Engine Tracker domain navigate to WPEngine.com they will land on the variant website which is currently publishing a protest message against Matt Mullenweg.

        Screenshot of Typosquat Domain

        The above domain name was only registered a few days ago on November 7th. The Internet being what it is, it was arguable inevitable that someone would register the typosquat domain name variant.

        Registration Of Domain Announced On GitHub

        Someone posted a comment in the official WordPressEngineTracker.com GitHub repository to announce that they registered the domain name variant. The post was met with approval as evidenced by the 15 likes and 18 laughing emojis it received.

        Screenshot Of Announcement In GitHub Repository

        Domain Registration Announced On Reddit

        The person who made the announcement on GitHub appears to have posted a discussion on the WordPress subreddit announcing that they have registered the domain name variant. The Reddit member who made the announcement is a 16 year member.

        They posted:

        “I found it odd that Matt registered wordpressenginetracker.com when the thingamajig isn’t called “WordPress Engine Tracker” – it’s “WP Engine Tracker”
        Thought I should try to be helpful so I bought https://wpenginetracker.com”

        That post was also met with positive reactions, receiving 138 upvotes three days later.

        Matt Mullenweg’s Dispute With WPEngine

        Disputes can appear different depending on who is telling the story. Automattic’s recent motion to dismiss WP Engine’s lawsuit offers details from its side, providing insight into the situation. Despite multiple opportunities to share its perspective, Automattic has received limited approval from WordPress users on social media. The registration of the WP Engine Tracker domain name variant could be said to be a manifestation of that negative sentiment toward Automattic and Mullenweg.

        Featured Image by Shutterstock/Vulp

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        Nov 11 2024
        AMP for Email Converts Inboxes to Ecommerce Stores

        Ecommerce marketers eager to increase revenue from email campaigns may have a stellar opportunity in a seemingly forgotten technology.

        Zaymo, an interactive email builder, deploys the technology for its clients, as does Mailmodo, a similar provider, which claims a 71% revenue increase in clients’ emails.

        AMP for Email

        The secret to Zaymo’s and Mailmodo’s email performance is Accelerated Mobile Pages, an open-source framework launched by Google in 2015 to encourage faster web pages on smartphones. A subset, Accelerated Mobile Page (AMP) for Email, enables marketers to create dynamic and interactive emails that respond like a website.

        “Interactive emails bring your ecommerce store right inside the email. Rather than redirect customers and make them hop through multiple web pages and forms, interactive emails enable marketers to add items to a cart inside email for quick checkout,” wrote Mailmodo’s head of marketing, Zeeshan Akhtar, in an email message to Practical Ecommerce.

        Permitting shoppers to swipe through product carousels, interact with product variants, and ultimately make a buying decision — in the inbox — removes most of the friction and may significantly increase revenue.

        Moreover, AMP for Email could also improve open rates. Jaina Mistry, director of brand and content marketing at Litmus, explained, “Interactive emails using AMP for Email create more opportunities for the recipient to engage with your email. So yes, it can have a positive impact on your deliverability by improving engagement.”

        AMP email example from Zaymo.

        AMP email example from Zaymo. Click image to view the GIF.

        Problems

        AMP for Email looks an awful lot like HTML. The differences are in the tags, not the structure. Nearly any web developer could construct an AMP email, although tools such as Zaymo and Mailmodo make it relatively easy, depending on the ecommerce platform.

        But before ecommerce marketers race to implement this email conversion panacea, there are at least two problems.

        First, AMP for Email won’t work for every email. According to Brice Douglas, CEO and co-founder of Zaymo, the technology works in only a third of inboxes.

        Litmus’s Mistry agrees, noting, “AMP for Email is currently supported by Gmail, Yahoo Mail, FairEmail, and Mail.ru. While Gmail does account for 30% of email opens, according to Litmus, AMP for Email is not supported in Apple Mail — the most popular email client.”

        And that’s only half of the problem. Mistry continued, “For marketers to take advantage of AMP for Email, their email service provider needs to support the ability to build and send AMP-powered emails. There are hundreds of providers, but only about 30 actually support the creation of emails using AMP for Email.”

        Second, AMP for Email seems nearly forgotten.

        For example, at the time of writing, the AMP’s Slack community has not posted an update since February 2022, and the community’s #using-app channel had just 53 posts in the past five months.

        One might argue the inactivity means that AMP for Email works well, but lack of interest is more plausible.

        “The community has been quiet for a host of reasons. AMP itself is an open-source framework, so it is unlikely to be dismantled. However, there is always a possibility that Gmail could cut its support of AMP. It is very unlikely but possible,” wrote Zaymo’s Douglas in response to my questions.

        Hence a more active community and broader AMP demand could spur Apple and other email providers to get on board.

        How AMP Works

        Most AMP for Email tools create a series of inbox fallbacks. They first deliver an interactive and dynamic experience with AMP. If it doesn’t work, they use CSS, HTML, or proprietary techniques to approximate AMP’s performance.

        Thus shoppers using Gmail and Yahoo (which support AMP) get a compelling ecommerce experience in their inboxes. Folks using Apple Mail and others benefit too, with a fallback experience at least as good, if not better, than the ecommerce messages they receive now.

        Using this approach, Zaymo claims to provide some interactivity in about 80% of email inboxes.

        Ecommerce marketers interested in trying AMP for Email will need to research.

        • Check out interactive email tools such as Zaymo and Mailmodo that integrate with the ecommerce platform.
        • Ensure the store’s current ESP supports sending AMP messages.
        • Register with AMP to send the messages.
        • Test to learn what works best.

        In short, AMP for Email can help merchants stand out in crowded inboxes while streamlining the path to purchase. The technology’s ability to create app-like experiences within email transforms static messages into revenue generators.

        Ecommerce MGMT 0 Comments
        Nov 10 2024
        Cloudflare Blocks Automattic’s WP Engine Tracker For Phishing via @sejournal, @martinibuster

        Automattic’s WP Engine Tracker website was temporarily blocked by Cloudflare over the weekend as a suspected phishing site, sparking cheers from members of the WordPress subreddit. Meanwhile, someone registered the typosquatting domain WPEngineTracker.com to protest against Matt Mullenweg.

        Automattic, presumably under the direction of Matt Mullenweg, recently created a website called WP Engine Tracker on the WordPressEngineTracker.com domain name that lists how many WordPress sites have moved away from managed web host WP Engine. It also recommends web hosts that current customers can move to and offers a download of all domains that are hosted on WP Engine.

        An Automattic emailed Search Engine Journal offered background information about the WP Engine Tracker website:

        “The beauty of open source software is that everyone is able to access data on a granular level, because it’s all publicly available information. That public data has shown that ever since WP Engine filed its lawsuit – making it clear that they do not have an official association with WordPress and attracting greater attention to the company’s poor service, modifications to the WordPress core software, increasing and convoluted pricing structure, and repeated down times – their customers have left their platform for other hosting providers. WP Engine can and always has been able to access the WordPress software and plugins available on WordPress.org, as can anyone.”

        Cloudflare Blocks WP Engine Tracker Website

        Sometime on November 9th Cloudflare blocked access to Automattic’s WP Engine Tracker website with a message alerting Internet users that the website has been reported for phishing attempts.

        The Cloudflare warning said:

        “Warning

        Suspected Phishing

        This website has been reported for potential phishing.

        Phishing is when a site attempts to steal sensitive information by falsely presenting as a safe source.”

        WordPress Subreddit Cheers The Blocking

        A Reddit discussion appeared soon after the site was blocked with the headline: Cloudflare is showing a phishing warning on wordpressenginetracker.com

        Typical comments:

        “Wow I’ve actually never seen that screen before. That’s hilarious.”

        “As it should. Chrome should give it the red screen of death”

        “It’s an interesting development, which made me wonder: Are people reporting phishing to Cloudflare just to mess with Mr. Mullenweg or is there something the site does that can actually be considered phishing?

        Cloudflare’s report form has another type of abuse to select, which, in this case, is as obvious as the sun on the sunniest day: Trademark infringement. Why are people reporting phishing?”

        One commenter noted the website was displaying a “403 Forbidden” error message if a site visitor ignored the warning and clicked through to the site. A 403 server response means that the server acknowledges the browser request but is denying access to the website.

        Screenshot Of Blocked Website

        Typosquatting Domain Name Registered

        Typosquatting is when someone registers a domain name that is similar to a brand name and that users may type to visit. In this case, someone registered the domain name WPEngineTracker.com to take advantage of the fact that Automattic had registered the domain name WordPressEngineTracker.com but was calling it WP Engine Tracker. When people try to reach the Automattic site by typing in the name of the site as the domain they then arrive at the typosquat domain.

        Screenshot of Typosquat Domain

        The above domain name was only registered a few days ago on November 7th. The Internet being what it is, it was inevitable that someone would register the typosquat domain name variant.

        WordPressEngineTracker.com Is Back Online

        After a few hours of downtime Cloudflare removed the phishing block and the Automattic WordPress Engine Tracker website was restored.

        Featured Image by Shutterstock/santypan

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