The Simple Guide to Creating an HTML Email [+ Free Templates]

When you create an email using a drag-and-drop or module-based tool, you're actually generating an HTML email.

There are two main types of email you can send and receive: plain text emails (these are exactly what they sound like — any email that contains just plain old text with no formatting) and HTML emails, which are formatted and styled using HTML and inline CSS.

HTML emails are easy to spot — most of the styled, multimedia marketing emails in your inbox are HTML emails.

As a marketer, you've probably compared HTML emails versus plain-text emails and realized that there are different benefits to each type. HTML emails aren't inherently better than plain text emails, and in different situations, both types can be part of a successful email marketing program.

Here’s what an HTML looks like on the front-end. Click on the HTML button to see the code behind it.

See the Pen HTML Email Template from HubSpot by Christina Perricone (@hubspot) on CodePen.

In this article, we'll cover how you can get started creating HTML emails, regardless of your experience level and comfort with coding, and share some free templates you can use. Let's dive in.

How to Create an HTML Email

Good news: You actually don’t need to know how to code to create an HTML email.

Most tools that create and send email (like HubSpot) will offer pre-formatted, ready-to-go HTML templates that enable you to design emails without ever needing to access the actual code on the back-end.

As you make changes in the email editor, those changes will be automatically coded into the final product. Email building tools like this are an ideal option if you don't have an email designer on your team, but you still want to send professional-looking marketing emails.

Still want to create an HTML email from scratch?

If you're comfortable with HTML and want more direct control over the code of your emails, most email tools will allow you to import HTML files directly for use as custom email templates.

There are a wide variety of free HTML email templates available on the web (some of which we'll share below), and if you know your way around an HTML file, it's usually quite straightforward to adapt the template to the email building tool of your choice.

To create an HTML email completely from scratch, you'll need to have an advanced knowledge of HTML (or work with a developer who does). This guide offers a solid overview of coding a basic HTML email. Because the process of creating an HTML email from scratch can be quite involved, we recommend working with a developer or using a pre-made HTML email template instead.

Developing an HTML email specifically for HubSpot?

If you're developing an HTML email template specifically for use in HubSpot, you'll want to make sure you include the required HubL tokens (these ensure your emails can be customized and are compliant with CAN-SPAM laws). You can find a complete guide to coding HubSpot-specific HTML email templates here. Or alternatively, just use our simple what-you-see-is-what-you-get email editor.

Now that you understand the basics of what goes into developing an HTML email, let's go over a few important best practices you should keep in mind. No matter what method you plan to use to create HTML emails, these best practices will help improve the design, user experience, and deliverability of your emails.

1. Make sure your HTML email is responsive for different screen sizes and devices.

The way your email looks in a user's inbox depends on a wide variety of different factors.

One of the biggest and most obvious factors is the screen size of the device it's being viewed on. An email that looks amazing and well-formatted on a desktop can easily devolve into a tangle of illegible, overlapping text and images when viewed on a smartphone screen.

To ensure your HTML emails look the way you intended across a wide spectrum of screen sizes, the best thing you can do is keep your layout simple and straightforward. When you start adding more complex elements like multiple columns and floated images, it becomes more difficult to translate the format of your email for different screen sizes.

If you do decide to develop a more complex layout, make sure you're actively solving for how the elements will be rearranged to suit different screen sizes. For example, if your email displays as multi-column on desktop, that same structure won't fly on mobile — you'll need to use media queries to define how elements will be displayed on different screen sizes.

Remember, developing truly responsive HTML emails goes beyond the structure and format of your message. Think about how the overall user experience of your email will be perceived on different devices. Make sure your font choices are just as legible on mobile as they are on desktop, and use mobile-friendly buttons or CTAs in place of hyperlinked text (have you ever tried to tap a little line of hyperlinked text on mobile? It's not very easy).

You can find our more in-depth guide to mobile email best practices right here.

2. Make sure your styling works in different email clients.

Another big factor that heavily impacts the way your HTML emails appear in your subscribers' inboxes is the email client they're using to open the message. Every email client loads emails slightly differently, so an email that looks a certain way in Gmail will likely look different in Outlook.

Luckily, if you know how most popular email clients load particular HTML and CSS elements, you can create a pretty consistent experience across different users' inboxes. It's all about knowing which unsupported tags to avoid and adapting accordingly. This comprehensive guide explains how the most popular email clients (including Gmail and multiple versions of Outlook) support and render different styling elements.

You can also check out an article we wrote on optimizing emails for different email clients.

3. Be conscious of how long your HTML emails take to load.

How long your email takes to load could very well be the difference between gaining a new customer and losing a frustrated subscriber. While it can be tempting to take advantage of all the different styling options and opportunities to incorporate visuals that HTML emails offer, none of that matters if your email takes too long to load.

As you design your HTML email, remain conscious of how long your email will take to load — especially if someone is, say, opening your message on their morning subway commute with a weak data connection. Here are a few little steps you can take that will go a long way towards improving load time.

Use images sparingly.

That way, you’ll bolster the message you want to get across to subscribers. Always use an image compressor (like Compressor.io) to reduce the file size as much as possible. Most image compressors can significantly reduce the file size of an image without compromising on quality, so taking this extra step won't hurt the visual integrity of your email.

Use standard web fonts.

Custom fonts are great for spicing up a landing page, but they can add an extraneous layer of complexity when added to an email. As we talked about above, all email clients handle style elements differently, and this especially extends to fonts. To be safe, use standard web fonts and check to make sure the email client most of your subscribers use supports a particular font.

Try an HTML minifier.

An HTML minifier (like minifycode.com and smallseotools.com) automatically removes code that isn't needed in an HTML file. Repetitive, extra elements will be stripped out, but the actual rendering of your email should remain the same (always test it out!). Each line of code impacts how long an email takes to load, so taking the time to remove junk code can have a positive effect on load time.

Keep your message focused on a single objective.

The best way to reduce email load time is to reduce how much content you add to each of your email sends. It might seem obvious, but too many marketers try to stuff too much content into their emails. Not only does that lead to an off-putting user experience (nobody wants to read a novel in email form), but it can send your load time off the charts and cause users to abandon your email. Keep it simple, and your users will thank you.

4. Plan (as much as you can) for end-user inconsistencies.

The screen size and email client aren't the only factors that can alter the way your HTML email renders in your subscribers' inboxes. Elements like the version of their email client, their operating system, their unique user settings, their security software, and whether or not they're automatically loading images can all impact how your email loads.

As you can probably guess by that hefty list of factors, trying to solve for all of them (every single time you send an email) would probably be enough to make you throw your computer across the room.

But you don't have to be completely helpless in the face of these variables — you just have to do a little pre-planning.

Consider creating a webpage version of your email.

This is kind of like giving your email a fail-safe button. If for some reason — due to one of the many factors discussed above — your lovingly designed email renders like an absolute mess when a subscriber opens it, they will at least have the option to click "view as web page" and see the email as you intended it to be.

Since style elements render much more consistently across web browsers versus email clients, you'll be able to have way more control over the web page version of your message. In HubSpot, there's an option you can turn on that will generate a web page version automatically.

Create a plain text version of your email.

A plain text version is exactly what it sounds like — an alternative version of your HTML email that renders in completely plain text. Adding a plain text version of your HTML email is important because some email clients and user settings can't (or choose not to) load HTML.

If this is the case, the client will look for a plain text alternative version of your HTML email to load for the user. If one doesn't exist, it could signal to the recipient's email server that your message is spam — or potentially dangerous.

Most email tools like HubSpot will automatically provide a plain text version that displays if a recipient's email server requires it, but if you're coding an HTML email from scratch, you'll need to create something called a multipart MIME message.

A multipart MIME message is an email that contains both a plain text and HTML version of the same email. If a recipient's email client or security system doesn't allow HTML email, the plain text version will be displayed. This is a process that requires an advanced knowledge of coding, so we recommend working with a developer.

Make sure your email still makes sense if the images don't load.

Some users have automatic image-loading turned off, which means they'll see your email without images when they open it. For this reason, don't rely entirely on images to get the meaning of your message across, and always add alt-text to the images you do include. Alt-text will load even when images don't, so your subscribers can get the general idea of what the visuals include.

5. Conduct thorough testing.

Finally, you'll need to test your HTML email at every stage of development to ensure it works across different email clients, operating systems, and device types. Don't wait until the very end of the process to test out your email — testing as you work is the best way to spot inconsistencies between different email clients and ensure you're creating the most consistent experience possible for your recipients.

Some email tools (like HubSpot) offer in-app testing within their email builders to make the process easier. If you're working from scratch, you can use a tool like HTML Email Check or PreviewMyEmail to get a better idea of how your email will look in different email clients and devices.

Simple and Free HTML Email Templates

There are an overwhelming amount of HTML email templates available on the web, and they vary in quality, responsiveness, and price. We've pulled together a selection of free HTML email templates that provide a responsive user experience. Be sure to read the terms and conditions on each individual template before use.

1. HubSpot Free HTML Email Template

Included in the free version of Marketing Hub, this template is a great place to start if you're looking for a template with more room for customization. You can easily add images, text, and buttons in an intuitive drag-and-drop editor, and you can be confident that the templates you design will be fully responsive on any device.

2. Company News HTML Email Template by Campaign Monitor

This modern template is sophisticated and minimal. The subtle color palette and simple design make it a versatile option for many different industries and purposes, and it's been tested on different email clients and devices to ensure a consistent user experience across different platforms.

3. Free HTML Email Template by Unlayer

Though this template was designed for a fitness company, you can easily adapt it for your own. This clean, muted template is a great way to display content your team has created and connect subscribers with your most recent products or blog posts. The design features two fully responsive columns with multiple color scheme options, and room at the top to highlight a call-to-action.

4. MINImalist Free HTML Email Template

Proof that sometimes less really is more, this easy, fully responsive design makes the most of whitespace and keeps the focus firmly on your words and visual elements. Without design distractions, your content can really shine — on any device.

5. Free HTML Email Templates from Bee Free

This collection of free, open-source templates are completely responsive and tested across popular email clients. You can edit and build on them on the Bee Free platform, then export the HTML file to your local drive.

These are an ideal option if you want a more styled, polished starting place, but you still want to be able to customize the design to fit your company's needs. Each template is available in multiple formats for different marketing purposes, like transactional emails, NPS collection, and email subscriber re-engagement.

6. Free HTML Email Template by Campaign Monitor

This sleek, responsive design from Campaign Monitor would be perfect for sending out a discount code — but it could also serve as a stylish way to showcase your latest products to email subscribers. It’s also worth checking out Campaign Monitor’s full library of responsive email templates.

Create HTML Emails to Increase Your Subscriber Count

HTML emails are an engaging way to share what’s happening in your business and keep subscribers coming back for more. With the tips and templates we’ve shared, you’re well on your way to creating beautiful HTML emails without writing a single line of code.

Editor's note: This post was originally published in June 2019 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

The Simple Guide to Creating an HTML Email [+ Free Templates] was originally posted by Local Sign Company Irvine, Ca. https://goo.gl/4NmUQV https://goo.gl/bQ1zHR http://www.pearltrees.com/anaheimsigns

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How to Embed Video in Email [Quick Tip]

Nowadays, video is an undeniably popular channel for marketing purposes.

In fact, in 2021, 86% of businesses use video as a marketing tactic.

If you're an email marketer, I'm willing to bet you've considered how you might spruce up your subscription and click-through rates with video. It's a good idea in theory, with roughly two-thirds of consumers preferring video over text when learning about new products or services.

In reality, however, it can be tricky. Major email clients including Gmail, Yahoo, and Outlook don't support embedded videos, so your subscribers either won't be able to watch your video within the email, or worse -- they won't see your email at all, because it'll end up in their spam folders.

Fortunately, there's a creative workaround to help you embed part of your video within your email, and incentivize subscribers to click-through to watch the rest. Here, let's explore how to do just that.

Embed YouTube (or Any Other) Video in Email

There are two options you might consider when embedding a video within your email -- you can either embed a GIF of your video with a "click here to watch full video" CTA, or you can embed a still photo of your video, and when subscribers click the "Play" button, they'll be re-routed to your video's URL.

Let's explore the GIF option, first.

You can use the following instructions on any video from a video hosting platform of your choosing, including YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook, DailyMotion, etc. In the following examples we used a Facebook URL, but a YouTube URL would work just as well. 

1. Find the URL of the video you want to include, or download and save your video to your computer.

To create a GIF of a video I wanted to include in my email, I first went to HubSpot's Facebook page and copied the URL of a recent video the team uploaded to the site — "How a Senior SEO Strategist Sees the World".

2. Go to Imgflip.com, a tool that enables you to create GIFs of videos.

You can upload a URL directly to Imgflip, or you can upload a video you have saved on your computer. For our purposes, I copied and pasted the URL from HubSpot's Facebook page. Alternatively, you can copy and paste a YouTube URL or website URL. 

3. Choose a starting point and end point for your GIF.

Once your video is finished downloading, you'll see this pop-up. There are two triangles that can help you choose where you'd like to start and stop your GIF -- if you move the green one you're choosing a starting point for your GIF, and if you move the red one you're choosing an end point.

 

(It's important to note, for non-Pro accounts, you can't create a GIF that lasts longer than 20 seconds on Imgflip.)

Once you've chosen a clip you'd like to use for your GIF, click "Generate GIF".

4. Download your GIF. 

Once your GIF has been generated, you'll have the option to copy-and-paste the image link or image URL. Instead, click "Download .gif".

5. Drag-and-drop your GIF into your email, and add a video CTA linking to the full video. 

Now comes the fun part! Simply create your email to send to your subscribers, and drag-and-drop your GIF from your desktop into the email itself.

Below the GIF, create a video CTA, like "Click to view full video here" with a URL to your video (the URL will likely lead to your own website, YouTube, Facebook, or another social platform).

You can spruce up your email subject line with "Video included" to further incentivize click-through rates.

Of course, you'll want to use email marketing best practices when embedding a GIF, and ensure the video you want to include is truly a compelling, interesting piece of content for your email subscribers.

This is a unique opportunity to further engage with your prospects and customers, so make sure to use it wisely — don't just send a video advertisement for your products or services.

Next, let's explore how you might include a still image of your video with a "Play" button.

How to Create a Still Image of Your Video With a Play Button

1. For this example, I'll use the same video as before. Instead of copying the URL, however, I simply screenshotted a paused section of the video.

2. When I paused the Facebook video, it automatically included a "Play" button. However, if you screenshot a video while it's playing, you might not have a "Play" button. To add one to a still image, go to the website Add Play Button to Image, upload your image, choose a play button design, and click "Create Play Button Image".

Then, click "Download Image".

3. Next, simply click "Insert Photo" in your email to include the image with the Play button. Then, highlight the image and select "Insert Link". Copy-and-paste the link to the full video (in this case I pasted the Facebook URL, but you can also paste a URL to a website with your video, or YouTube).

4. And that's it! Now, when a subscriber clicks on your image, they'll be redirected to the full video. Ensure the video auto-plays so the subscriber doesn't have to click "Play" again.

How to Embed a Video in a HubSpot Email

1. If you're a HubSpot email tool user, you'll see a Video module on the left-side of your screen when you're creating an email. 

Simply drag-and-drop the module into the section of the email you'd like to include a video.

2. Next, you have the option to Embed a video using a URL, or uploading a video to your COS. For our purposes, let's copy-and-paste a YouTube URL into the text box.

3. Finally, edit the video to suit your needs. You can modify the video's width and height, and even create a custom thumbnail.

4. When you're ready, click the orange "Review and send" button at the top-right of your screen.

How to Use HTML5 Code to Embed Video in Email

Finally, some email clients do support embedded video. If you feel it's the right strategy for your subscribers, you can embed a video within email using HTML5.

Here's an example of an HTML5 code you might use in your email:

<video width="300" height="200" controls>

<source src="movie.mp4" type="video/mp4">

<source src="movie.ogg" type="video/ogg">

https://www.facebook.com/hubspot/videos/2321291574789962/

</video>

If the video isn't supported, your subscriber can see a static image linking to another page, instead.

If you don't have experience coding, you might consider asking a developer to help you, or take a look at W3 School's HTML5 Video article.

However, it's important to note -- we don't recommend this strategy, since you risk either ending up in your subscribers' spam folders, or using code that many of your subscribers' email clients won't support. Ultimately, it could be more trouble for many of your subscribers' than it's worth.

To ensure your video can be seen by all your subscribers, I'd recommend one of the strategies listed above, instead.

If you're looking for other opportunities to boost email click-through rates and conversions, take a look at HubSpot's free email marketing tool.

 

How to Embed Video in Email [Quick Tip] was originally posted by Local Sign Company Irvine, Ca. https://goo.gl/4NmUQV https://goo.gl/bQ1zHR http://www.pearltrees.com/anaheimsigns

25 Google Search Statistics to Bookmark ASAP

In many ways, marketing is a game of trend watching. The marketer who’s best at spotting and using trends earns their business market share, brand recognition, and ultimately, revenue.

But how do you search for trends? And where do you start?

Well, since it owns more than 92% of the global search engine market, the answer to both of these questions is, Google.

Google’s nearest competitor, Bing, only holds 2.5% of market share, while Yahoo accounts for 1.5%. The distribution has remained relatively stable over the past few years with Google consistently claiming competitive victory thanks to detailed search results, in-depth analytics, and evolving service offerings.

Consider the rapid uptake of "Google" as a verb meaning, "to search" — "I’ll just Google it," "can’t you Google that?" "isn’t it on Google?" It’s not an exaggeration to say that when it comes to searching for information online, Google is — by far — the digital frontrunner.

Google also makes efforts to personalize search results, in turn, increasing the chances that users will opt for Google the next time they have a question. For users that aren’t logged into a Gmail or another Google account, the company uses anonymously stored browser cookies to get a sense of search histories and preferences.

For users signed into their Google account, Chrome’s browser history provides the data necessary for Google to construct a profile based on age, language preference, gender and search preferences, which informs the type of search results returned. Location offers an easy example of this approach — if users have location services turned on, Google search results will be filtered by geographic location to increase overall relevance.

Now, let’s look at a few of this year's top Google Search statistics and take a deeper dive into the trending searches that guide your marketing strategy.

Top Google Search Statistics in 2021

Now that we know how to search for trending topics, let’s look at how Google influences search with these latest statistics.

1. The top five Google searches in 2020 were "Election results," "Coronavirus," "Kobe Bryant," "Coronavirus update," and — unsurprisingly — "Coronavirus symptoms." (Google)
2. More than 50% of Google searches end without a click. (Search Engine Land)
3. 92% of all search queries are long-tailed keywords. (Backlinko)
4. As of October 2020, there were more than 267 million unique U.S. visitors to Google. (Statista)
5. 89% of URLs and 37% of URLs in positions 1-20 rank differently on mobile and desktop. (SEMRush)
6. There are now more than 1.8 billion Gmail users worldwide. (TechJury)
7. Compressing images and text could help 25% of web pages save more than 250KB and 10% save more than 1 MB. These changes reduce bounce rates and increase page rank on Google SERPs. (Google)
8. Chrome accounted for 69% of web browser market share in 2020. (Net Marketshare)
9. In 2021, 56% of web traffic took place on mobile phones. (Broadband Search)
10. 14% of Google searches are a question. (Backlinko)
11. In 2020, 500 keywords accounted for 8.4% of all search volume. (Backlinko)
12. The average click-through rate for first place on desktop is higher than that of mobile, at 31.5% and 24% respectively. (Advanced Web Ranking)
13. Four times as many people are likely to click on a paid search ad on Google (63%) than on any other search engine — Amazon (15%), YouTube (9%), and Bing (6%). (Clutch)
14. 55% of teens use voice search on Google every day. (Marketing Dive)
15. 55% of people clicking on Google search ads prefer those to be text ads. (Clutch)
16. For every $1 businesses spend on Google Ads, they make an average of $2 in revenue. (Google)
17. The average click-through rate in Google Ads across industries is 3.17% in the search network and 0.46% on the display network. (WordStream)
18. The average cost-per-click for a keyword is about $0.61. (Backlinko)
19. The average cost-per-click in AdWords across all industries is $48.96 for search and $75.51 for display. (WordStream)
20. More than 90% of web pages receive zero organic traffic from Google. Just about 5% receive 10 visits or less each month. (Ahrefs)
21. A third of all Google searches are for an image and 13% of SERPs feature an "Image Pack." (Moz)
22. The average keyword is roughly two words long. (Backlinko)
23. The average conversion rate in AdWords across all industries is 3.75% for search and 1.77% for display. (WordStream)
24. There are over 190 different versions of Google Search. (GiT Magazine)
25. 25. When Google opened its proverbial doors in September 1998, it only averaged about 10,000 daily search queries. ("The Search

With search volumes constantly fluctuating in response to world events and evolving news coverage, it’s worth knowing what searches are trending, how quickly they’re ramping up, and how they tie into similar keyword queries.

While one option is a scattershot approach — simply type a potential trend term into Google and see how many total results are reported — more targeted options often provide an easier path to improved search performance.

Let’s review some of the most useful tools available in the section below.

1. Google Trends

Review the "Year in Search," take Google Trends lessons, and see what’s trending now. You can also view the peaks and valleys of topic interest over time, which uncovers seasonality and allows you to plan your marketing calendar accordingly. Plus, find related topics and queries, and identify sub-regions your topic has been trending to better target your campaigns.

2. Think with Google

Discover articles, benchmark reports, and consumer insights that keep you up to speed on search. From ad bidding strategies to brand jingles, you’ll find interesting content that helps you think bigger while staying educated on how to leverage Google search for your business.

3. Twitter

Sign on to Twitter for more than vaguely hostile political debates. Use the "trends" feature to uncover what’s trending in your state, country, or around the globe. When you click into a trend, you’ll see top tweets about the topic, relevant news stories, and live responses as well.

Image Source

4. BuzzSumo

Identify the most shared content in the previous 12 months or the last 24 hours with BuzzSumo. BuzzSumo allows you to drill down and analyze the topics that matter to your industry, your competitors, and the influencers you learn from.

5. Feedly

This RSS feed aggregator allows you to follow your favorite brands and see their most recent content in one place. Add your favorites and discover new publishers by searching your industry, skills, or — you guessed it — trending topics. Feedly also allows you to set up keyword alerts, so you’re always tracking the latest trends on topics you’re interested in.

6. Reddit

Freshness and user-based voting determine how content is prioritized on Reddit. A quick visit to the homepage shows you trending or popular posts. And, you can filter by country or recency for a more relevant feed.

7. Ahrefs

Conduct competitive research, home in on a keyword, or search for trending topics. Ahrefs helps you identify trending content and shows you what to do to outrank your competitors.

8. Pocket

Pocket allows you to save content from anywhere on the web. Review your content whenever you wish and head to the Explore page to find trending topics that are relevant to you.

9. Quora

Sign up for Quora and select topic areas that interest you (e.g., "startups," "marketing," and "economics"). Quora will stock your feed with questions related to your content interests. This gives you insight into what your customers are asking, real-time debates about competitors, and even allows you to answer questions about topics you have experience in.

Expanding Your Google Impact

Bottom line? Google owns the largest piece of both search and web browser market shares and provides a host of interconnected services that empower the company to deliver personalized, real-time search results.

For marketers, this makes Google an irreplaceable tool for boosting consumer loyalty, courting new clients, and improving customer conversions. Armed with actionable trend data and relevant source statistics, marketing teams can expand their Google impact and ensure the right content gets seen by the right customers to jumpstart the sales process.

25 Google Search Statistics to Bookmark ASAP was originally posted by Local Sign Company Irvine, Ca. https://goo.gl/4NmUQV https://goo.gl/bQ1zHR http://www.pearltrees.com/anaheimsigns

The Modern, Inside Scoop on Google PageRank In 2021

If you have been in SEO for a while, you may remember the days of working hard to increase the PageRank of websites — it was the metric every SEO cared about and wanted to improve.

Improving PageRank meant improving your authority (usually with backlinks), which in turn could result in higher rankings and more traffic. 

But what happened to PageRank? It's rarely talked about anymore. 

Believe it or not, PageRank is still used as a ranking signal for Google, even if you haven't heard it mentioned in a while. Here, we'll explore what you need to know about Google PageRank in 2021.

What is Google PageRank?

Google PageRank is a very complex concept, but we are going to try and break it down to make it easy to understand.

PageRank uses a mathematical formula to score the value of a page based on the quality and quantity of the pages linking it to it. 

The PageRank formula will look at the number of inbound links, external links, and the PageRank of those links to determine authority. The formula will create a score using a logarithmic scale with values ranging from 0-10. 

The higher the PageRank score of a page, the more authoritative that page is.

You can get more in-depth information about the PageRank formula in the original paper that was published back in 1997.

The PageRank Toolbar

Years ago, there used to be a toolbar that could show you the PageRank of any webpage you visited. 

Unfortunately, the toolbar was removed by Google back in 2016 — and the mystery of what your PageRank is has existed ever since. 

The problem with the toolbar was that it created an obsession and caused many SEOs to try and find ways to manipulate it. 

Essentially, the Google team realized that making this score public was adding little value to website owners and decided to stop investing in it. 

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Does Google still use PageRank?

Yes, Google does still uses PageRank. 

While it may not be a metric that website owners have access to, it is still used in their algorithms.

A tweet by John Mueller, a Senior Webmaster Trends Analyst at Google, solidifies that PageRank is still used as a ranking signal.

Yes, we do use PageRank internally, among many, many other signals. It's not quite the same as the original paper, there are lots of quirks (eg, disavowed links, ignored links, etc.), and, again, we use a lot of other signals that can be much stronger.

— 🍌 John 🍌 (@JohnMu) February 24, 2020

How important is PageRank?

There is no clear measure of how important PageRank is. With there being over 200 Google ranking factors, they do not provide data on the importance of each factor.

But we do know that backlinks play a very large part in SEO success. So it's safe to assume that PageRank still plays a part in how highly your pages rank. 

Spending time trying to improve your PageRank is probably not the best use of your time. But building relevant and authoritative backlinks to your website is an undeniably effective SEO strategy, and will likely improve your PageRank as a result.

You may not see the improvement as a metric, but you will see it in your organic traffic.

What influences Google PageRank?

There are some factors you should know about that can positively impact your PageRank. Let's dive into a few of those, now. 

1. Backlinks

The primary way to improve your PageRank is through backlinks. The more relevant, high authority websites that link to you — the higher your PageRank will be. 

Below are some ways to build valuable backlinks:

• Build relationships with influencers and community members in your niche.
• Create original infographics, webinars, videos, and other creative assets that encourage website owners to share and link to your post.
• Participate in forums and communities that are related to your niche. 
• Share your content on social networks — tag relevant people if they are part of your content so they can share, too. 
• Create amazing content! 

Building backlinks is one of the best ways to grow your website, but it needs to be done properly. Be authentic, do not spam groups or communities, and most importantly — create content with which people can engage.

You also want to be sure you have cleaned up any bad backlinks. You can learn more about how to Disavow Links here. 

Getting links from directories or pages that have a lot of links is not as beneficial for improving PageRank. Every link on a page will dilute the value of your link, so while directory-type links can be valuable in other ways, they will not be a big help for improving RageRank.

2. Internal Linking

One of the most underrated SEO tactics is internal linking. By using internal links to pass PageRank from one page to another, you can make a big impact on your rank and traffic. 

As an example — your homepage will usually have the highest PageRank because of the number of websites linking to it. 

Every link from your homepage to another page on your website will boost the authority of the page being linked to. 

Additionally, consider using an SEO tool to identify pages within your website that have high authority, and adding links from those pages to lower-authority pages (when relevant) to give your pages a boost. 

A quick trick is to look at your Google Analytics — usually the pages with the most organic traffic are the highest authority pages. So you can start using those pages to build internal links to less authoritative pages to give them a quick boost, as long as the links are relevant to the content on the page.

3. External Linking

One of the biggest myths I can remember about external links is that linking out from your content can diminish the PageRank of that page.  

This is not true. Remember, the whole premise behind PageRank is links. 

While the number of links on a page might affect the "value" of that link to the page being linked to, it does not harm your own. If you find a resource that is helpful for your viewers, then you should absolutely add a link to that resource.

A study done by Reboot showed that there was a positive correlation between rankings and the outbound links of a page.

How To Check Your PageRank

Unfortunately, there is no way for you to accurately know what your PageRank is. 

There are some websites that claim to provide you with your PageRank, but these are not verified tools so there is no proof they are providing accurate data.

Other tools — like Ahrefs, SEMrush, and Moz — have all created their own version of numerical values that were meant to replicate the PageRank score. 

For example, SEMRush has what they call an "authority score", which offers a numerical value that can signal how helpful a backlink from a website may be. This score is based on the following:

• Monthly traffic to a website
• Average keyword position
• Backlink data

But Google doesn't use these scores in their ranking algorithm. So, while you can use them as a guide to understand your website authority, they do not replace PageRank. 

While most SEOs don't give much thought to PageRank anymore, and do not try to optimize for it, it's still worth understanding. Ultimately, if you're working on building backlinks, improving your internal linking, and using authoritative external links, your PageRank will thank you for it. 

The Modern, Inside Scoop on Google PageRank In 2021 was originally posted by Local Sign Company Irvine, Ca. https://goo.gl/4NmUQV https://goo.gl/bQ1zHR http://www.pearltrees.com/anaheimsigns

How Bonnier News Brand Studio Helps Customers Reach Audiences Online

Publishers play a unique role in the world of digital advertising, and in particular display advertising. Not only do they boast the content that brings audiences to their site but they also cater for and create a range of contextual advertising for a range of different brands to use their network.

One such organisation at the top of it’s game is Bonnier News – a major player in the Swedish media scene, and part of the Bonnier family of companies. Through Bonnier News’ Brand Studio it offers a suite of different advertising services.

We spoke to Fredrik Hagdahl, Head of Concept & Design at Bonnier News Brand Studio, until recently a conversion expert at Bonnier News Sales Growth & Performance about display advertising production at the publisher.

What are the challenges facing you as a publisher when doing digital marketing?

Fredrik Hagdahl, Head of Concept & Design, Bonnier News Brand Studio: Since we are Sweden’s largest media house, we have no problems driving large amounts of traffic. Our focus is instead helping our customers reach the right target groups across our publications – this is a major challenge but it is also something where we have made great progress.

In fact, at Bonnier News, we offer a whole range of services. Brand client’s of ours receive help to successfully place campaigns across our publications, as well as maintain the performance marketing side of things – plus, we offer the capability to build brand campaigns from scratch. Within this area we now have an interesting new asset at Bonnier News Brand Studio, which is our new Studio Agency team.

How important is it to be able to work simultaneously across all formats and channels when creating digital campaigns?

Fredrik Hagdahl: This is very important. As a major player at all levels – national, regional and local – and with all our titles, we have unique opportunities to reach out to audiences. A fact, which many of our customers are delighted with.

During the pandemic, how important has it been to stay hyper relevant and get messages out quickly?

Fredrik Hagdahl: Fortunately, we have always worked at a high pace and had the agility to be able to turn things out quickly. However, I feel the pandemic has changed the ways we communicate with our readers. And it is clear that the pandemic has also changed people’s living habits and their altered buying patterns.

How do you ensure advertising that is consistent and works contextually for your external customers?

Fredrik Hagdahl: We have many different types of sites, across our network with many sub-sites. This means that for our customers there are many good opportunities to advertise contextually at Bonnier News. Plus, we offer the option of using native content too, which is very popular across our customer base.

How has technology, such as Bannerflow, enabled your team to maintain standards and work remotely?

Fredrik Hagdahl: Bannerflow is an excellent platform for working towards better CTR and CVR – and for being able to achieve a good ROI. In particular, it is a great tool for testing different creative materials and comparing results.

What made you realise Bannerflow was the right solution for your organisation?

Fredrik Hagdahl: If you have the opportunity to drive a Tesla instead of a Ford Fiesta, then it is obvious which one you would like to drive. For me, Bannerflow is a great way of creating effective content, which enables us to avoid banner blindness.

How in particular does Bannerflow help you create engaging campaigns for external customers?

Fredrik Hagdahl: The content comes alive when using Bannerflow – in a good way! In particular, it is easy to edit and work copy, and drive the messaging towards ever more effective communication.

Next steps

Empowering your team to do more through the power of automation, or transforming how you collaborate is easier than you think.

If you would like to know more about the different capabilities of the Bannerflow platform and how it can benefit your organisation then get in touch, or apply for a demo.

The post How Bonnier News Brand Studio Helps Customers Reach Audiences Online appeared first on Bannerflow.

How Bonnier News Brand Studio Helps Customers Reach Audiences Online was originally posted by Local Sign Company Irvine, Ca. https://goo.gl/4NmUQV https://goo.gl/bQ1zHR http://www.pearltrees.com/anaheimsigns

How to Build a Market Development Strategy [Free Planning Templates]

Your business is getting by just fine – but still, the questions remain: Could you be selling more? Is there an opportunity to increase market share? Is there any way you could further your product diversification efforts?

Companies hoping to increase revenue can do so in a variety of ways — such as increasing their advertising budget, expanding their sales teams, and investing heavily in product development.

However, one of the often overlooked ways to strengthen your gross sales is a purposeful, well-researched, and expertly executed market development strategy.

In this article, we'll explain what market development is and how you can employ it to increase sales and grow your business. Then, we’ll take a look at some examples of market development strategies that work for top businesses today.

Each category rests upon two axes — one for market and one for risk. A company can expand its efforts into new or existing markets and each poses more or less risk to the business.

Market Penetration

When businesses want to expand within their existing markets with low risk, they might attempt a market penetration strategy. In this scenario, TAM increases because by offering a new product or service, a business can effectively increase the maximum amount of revenue it can possibly attain from its existing customer base. A product launch is an effective way to execute this strategy.

• Product Launches — A company may release new iterations of a product they already sell successfully within the market. The purpose of launching a new product is to generate excitement and buzz around the brand to increase sales.

Product Development

A more high-risk way to expand within an existing market is through product development, but make no mistake — this market development strategy can be rewarding. Developing new products is a delicate process. Businesses should be keenly aware of their market as market interest is a driving factor for product development. If the audience isn’t receptive due to a lack of education around the product, a poor marketing campaign to promote the product, or even poor timing of launching the product, this strategy can be difficult to execute. However, companies that have failed at developing new products usually have in-depth learnings to apply to their next market development strategy. Product development comes in many forms, here are a few:

• Rebranding — If a business has been around for a long time or has been in hot water recently, it’s possible that the market has become disconnected from the brand. This can happen due to a lack of advertising around the brand itself, outdated positioning of a product when compared to the competition, or distrust within the market. Companies can rebrand themselves to reconnect with their existing market while positioning themselves as a viable option among the competition. Adjusting the packaging of a product, offering a new size, flavor, or color, or even changing the name of the product or brand can help a company rebrand a product to have a better position within its existing market.
• Repricing — Another way to gain traction within an existing market is for a business to make its products more accessible or desirable to that market through its pricing. Repricing doesn’t necessarily mean lowering prices, although that is one way to execute a product development strategy. It could mean shifting the brand within the market to showcase value or luxury, thus justifying a rise in prices to capture those consumers.

Market Development

It’s possible to take a less risky approach when expanding into new markets. To develop a market, a business may offload some of the risks. In this example, TAM increases because a business is adding more people to its target market — thus being able to service new customers without investing in a new product line. Here are few ways a business can develop a new market:

• Geographic Expansion — Research can reveal markets that are suitable for a business to thrive within based on where the business currently operates. Geographical expansion can work for both brick-and-mortar as well as online businesses.
• Franchising — Giving individual business owners the right to use the brand and trademarks associated with a company is another way to expand into a new market without high risk. In franchising agreements, the franchisee usually pays an upfront fee to the franchisor to obtain the rights to operate the business.

Diversification

Occasionally, a business may step out of its normal operations and market to create a product for a completely different industry and market. For this reason, diversification can present a major risk to the business, but it can be very rewarding if it’s carried out effectively.

• Similar Product Diversification — A company may realize that the raw materials or byproducts of the goods they sell can be repurposed into a completely new product that can be marketed to a different audience than the one currently purchasing its products.
• Unique Product Diversification — Rather than using existing products, a company may take a completely unique approach to penetrate a new market by offering a product or service that is different from anything offered in its industry.

The decision of when and how to develop your existing market should be a methodical process.

Just because your business has struck lightning once does not mean your new expansion plan is a guaranteed success.

Because of that reality, follow these steps and use these resources to determine if you should develop your market, how it should be developed, and whether or not the initiative is successful.

Step 1: Research your development opportunities.

It's always tempting to go after the hottest trends – whether that means adding more areas of focus to your consulting business or adding more items to your restaurant menu.

However, before you spend time, money, or resources on developing your market based on trends, take these steps to determine if the expansion is worthwhile.

Review Your Buyer Personas

Featured Tool: HubSpot Buyer Persona Templates

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When expanding your market, you face the potential need for net new or revised buyer personas, which are semi-fictional representations of your ideal customer based on market research and real data about your existing customers.

Consider the motivations, demographics, and backgrounds of your new target market to help you decide whether or not the development initiative makes sense.

Research Your Market

Featured Tool: HubSpot Market Research Kit

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Understanding your hypothetical positioning in a market is key before attempting to enter it. To that end, conduct market research exercises like Porter's Five Forces Analysis or a SWOT Analysis to determine your strengths, weaknesses, buyer power, the threat of substitutes, or other attributes compared to competitors in this new market.

Additionally, you'll want to calculate market penetration before moving forward with any plans to expand.

Survey Your Customers

Featured Tool: Customer Satisfaction Survey Templates

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If you're hoping to expand your current product line to generate more revenue from existing customers, make sure your intended expansion will be warmly received. Asking yourself why this development makes sense coming from your organization is a good first step.

However, talking to and surveying your customers to see if your proposed expansion is beneficial to their lives (and, more importantly, whether or not they would purchase it from you) is a necessary proof point before expanding your offerings as a business.

Step 2: Set your growth goals.

A successful market development will come with added sales, profit, employees, customers, products, users, locations, or some combination of these criteria.

Because there's so much on the line, develop goals for which facets of your business you intend to grow, in addition to what your growth goal for each criterion is.

For example, by adding one more location, you may set the following growth goals:

• Increase customers by 90%.
• Increase revenue by 100%
• Double annual profits after recouping the initial investment.
• Increase employee headcount by 20 people.

During this stage, you should also consider the requirements needed to help you hit your growth goals, such as initial funding, tools, and software to help you get the initiative successfully up and running.

Lastly, the most important metric to measure before attempting to expand or develop your market is ROI. In this step of the process, compare the upfront costs of developing your market as intended with the projected revenue numbers of a successful expansion.

If the ROI is not encouraging enough to move forward with, you may need to go back to the drawing board and determine a new growth strategy and set of goals.

Featured Tool: Growth Strategy and Planning Template

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Using the template above, outline your growth goals and strategy to lay the foundation for your market development initiative. This template will help you plan out the steps necessary to achieve your goals and help you determine whether or not they are realistic for this project.

Step 3: Create your marketing plan.

An increased market means an increased need for effective marketing.

To generate demand – or to capture existing demand in your market – make sure your marketing plan is up-to-date and reflective of the initiatives it will take to grow your market share to its desired level.

Consider all of the following initiatives and how they'll play a role in generating more revenue in your newly developed market:

• Email Marketing: Will you communicate with existing prospects via email to alert them of your initiative? Do you have a list of saved contacts who expressed interest in what you sell, were unable to make the purchase, and might now be able to purchase from you?
• Social Media: Do you have organic and paid initiatives to generate buzz and spread the word to grow awareness on social media?

• Content & SEO: Do you have website and blog content planned to capture the interest of website visitors hoping to learn more about what you're selling?

• Local Marketing: If you're developing your market on a regional level, are you working with local publications, PR agencies, or advertising platforms to appeal to nearby potential customers?

Featured Tool: HubSpot's Marketing Plan Template

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Document your marketing plan supporting your market development with the template above, and make adjustments to it as needed to ensure you're reaching your market in an accurate, appealing, and consistent fashion.

Step 4: Go to market.

The time has come – your research and planning are complete, and you're ready to formally enact your development strategy, whether it's opening the doors of your new location or making your new product available for purchase on your website.

But before you start collecting revenue, there are a few final steps to take – specifically, aligning your team on the best way to conduct this go-to-market launch.

Go to market successfully by managing three imperative internal tasks – all of which can be done with this Product Go-to-Market Kit:

Campaign Planning

The campaign plan should be a one-stop shop for anyone who has a stake in the success of this project. It should provide a general purpose for the market development project, in addition to the tactical and strategic elements team members need to adhere to in order to see the project go off without a hitch.

Sales Planning

The sales plan should provide more specific insights for the sales team – especially regarding overall projections, team or individual goals, and strategies for how the organization intends to meet these goals

Team Email Updates

For the company at large – particularly for individuals who need to be informed but may not have set tasks to complete – team email updates are a staple of communication during market development. This messaging should contain a status check for the launch timeline and outstanding tasks, and any notifications the company should be aware of during their day-to-day work.

Featured Tool: HubSpot Go-to-Market Kit

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To centralize your internal planning and communication efforts during your market development process, use the HubSpot Go-to-Market Planning Kit.

Step 5: Analyze your results.

Once you've taken the necessary actions to develop your market, the work has only begun. After launch day, you'll need to be sure customers are satisfied, products and services are high-quality, employees are retained, and – most importantly – goals are met.

Start collecting sales data as soon as possible so that you can begin analyzing whether or not you'll meet your projections. If not, you may have to determine a plan to either adjust your goals to become more realistic or adjust your strategy to ensure your goals are met.

Once data is available, make sure you're presenting your findings accurately and clearly so that stakeholders can fully understand what the results are, how you achieved them, and what the next steps of your market development strategy are.

Featured Tool: Marketing Reporting Templates

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Available in PowerPoint, Excel, and Google Drive, these templates will help the project driver communicate the results of your market development strategy to your team.

Market Development Strategy Examples

1. Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s - Geographic Expansion

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Although these two companies started as separate restaurants — Carl’s Jr. on the west coast and Hardee’s on the east coast — they merged in the late 1990s to become one company under two names. From a high-level perspective, this might seem like a branding and marketing nightmare, but within their respective geographic markets, the different names have been successful. Carl’s Jr. took the opportunity to acquire Hardee’s, thus expanding the burger chain across the country, becoming one of the largest burger chains in the United States.

2. Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen - Market Penetration

Image Source

Sometimes, a market development opportunity can appear when you least expect it. That was the case with Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen. The company’s brand was so well-integrated into its marketing operations that a simple tweet in response to Chick-Fil-A prompted a tumultuous beef over which brand had the best chicken sandwich. Once the Tweet gained traction, Popeyes quickly capitalized on the opportunity to sell more of a product they had recently launched.

Although there were some logistics issues that caused supply and demand imbalances, the brand was able to maintain a stronghold on the market with lines wrapping around parking lots and into the streets once the sandwiches were back in stock.

As recently as Q2 2021, Popeyes is still running TV ad campaigns for the chicken sandwich — more than two years after the incredibly successful product launch.

3. The Lash Lounge - Franchise

Since 2010, The Lash Lounge has been scaling its presence across the United States through franchising. As of 2020, the company has grown to 108 locations, most of which opened around 2019. Franchising helped this company expand into new markets with relatively low risk.

The Lash Lounge team trains the new franchisees on their techniques and immerses them in the culture to create one cohesive team that doesn’t feel disjointed.

4. Unilever - Diversification

Today, we know Unilever as the parent company of some of the most notable brands like Dove, Breyers, and Hellmann’s. However, the company initially went into business selling soap. After realizing that the ingredients for making soap shared similarities with those needed for making margarine, they diversified and expanded into a new market with a new product. Over time, Unilever created and acquired new brands in the soap, cosmetics, butter, and ice cream industries, essentially diversifying its product line and market.

Developing Your Market

Before you follow the latest trend in marketing, take a moment to analyze your strategy thus far to forge a path that will yield success. By planning a market development strategy, you’ll have the opportunity to assess your company’s risk tolerance and understand where your business stands within the market so you can turn your market development idea into a reality.

Editor's note: This post was originally published in November 2020 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

How to Build a Market Development Strategy [Free Planning Templates] was originally posted by Local Sign Company Irvine, Ca. https://goo.gl/4NmUQV https://goo.gl/bQ1zHR http://www.pearltrees.com/anaheimsigns