🚨Website redesign.

Retail brands are adjusting their marketing, Google has two PSAs for SEOs, and more. January 31, 2023 [Read in browser]( [logo] [sponsor]( Good morning. In yesterday’s intro we mentioned how difficult Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is for many marketers. Then Joao, one of our readers, wrote back saying GA4 is not as bad as some marketers claim. Joao says GA4 is “one of the most underrated tools—it has allowed me to find new winning audiences currently delivering over 6x ROAS—audiences that I would not even have thought of otherwise.” He recommends studying up at [Loves Data]( and putting in the work. Rock on, Joao! SEO Two PSAs from experts at Google [article-image] Heads up, SEOs. Gary Ilyes—one of Google’s top industry experts on search—has been answering user questions directly on LinkedIn over the past few weeks. And the most recent ones are pretty interesting… Careful with that refresh: Gary says that if you redesign a website, there’s a [big chance your rankings will become volatile](. Or, in his words – “go nuts.” Search engines use HTML to understand the content, so if you break up the paragraphs, remove header tags “in favor of CSS styling,” etc., you may accidentally disrupt your rankings. To avoid the “nuts,” Gary suggests using “semantically similar HTMLs” and not adding tags you don’t need. Fair enough! … And don’t be relative: Also, you should [never use relative paths in your rel-canonical tags](. Yes, it may save a few bytes, but it could cause your website a bunch of other problems. John Muller [further explained in a Tweet]( that one of the problems has to do with “where the content was found,” or whether it’s from www or non-www, http or https, etc. John says “It’s good to be specific.” What to do instead: Spell out the entire URL path, of course. Why we care: When Google’s experts explain particular SEO issues, it’s smart to listen to what they say… and act accordingly. Also, these occasional “LinkedIn AMAs” are a nice practice and can definitely make SEO life’s easier. Here’s hoping the pros at Google and elsewhere do more of these! MARKETING Affordability is the new angle Looks like more and more brands are [promoting affordability in their marketing campaigns](. Feeling thrifty: Households are feeling the rising prices, and shoppers are getting more careful with their money. So many brands have started changing their marketing narrative, promising value for money in every advertising campaign. Saving with style: Now, most of the brands interviewed are in the apparel industry and eager to prove that customers can get high-quality products and still style themselves affordably. Another interesting trend is the rise of the clothing rental industry – a service that charges you monthly in exchange for five to six pieces of clothing while promoting sustainability and affordability. So while cut-price is important, brands seem to think there should be a “higher cause” in your messaging, too. Why we care: Depending on your product and how “essential” it is, tweaking your marketing strategy to cater to money-conscious consumers could be a good move. However, make sure you stay true to your brand’s core values, otherwise the tactic may backfire – and make your brand look cheap. SPONSORED BY STACKED MARKETER PRO The psychology behind why some emails get read while others don’t—and how to get yours on the must-read list [article-image]( Psychologists don’t have to be marketers, but marketers definitely need to know a thing or two about psychology. It’s the difference between getting read and sinking into the spam folder. Everyone has preconceived notions. Identifying their beliefs and acting upon them can help your emails stand out. That's why we put thousands of email campaigns sent by hundreds of businesses on the couch. Here are the psychological principles mastered by the top 1%: - Rhyming statements help people believe. - Humor makes them more likely to remember. - Numbers attract people’s attention. - Curiosity hooks them into opening emails. … And much more. Plus, you'll find hundreds of emails that demonstrate these strategies. [You can check out a sample here](. Join Stacked Marketer Pro now to start applying these powerful email psychology hacks, and get access to 20+ other Pro reports you can use to level up your marketing. [Go Pro and nail your next campaign.]( SEO Four tips to build links internationally [article-image] Sure, you’ve built links to English content countless times. But now you find yourself trying to build a presence in non-English markets, and things are challenging and tedious because: - There are more ways to violate Google’s guidelines and get in trouble. - What’s successful in one market doesn’t work in another. - International link building knowledge remains “local” and tough to crack. Luckily, a few experts in this type of link building [gathered to share great insights]( and make the entire process easier for SEOs struggling to make their worldwide network… well, work. So put on your hard hat, it’s time to build… #1 – You need to pay to play. SEOs don’t say it out loud, but buying links is a common practice. Especially in markets with less opportunities for link prospecting or PR campaigns. In some markets you have to overpay to get a “dofollow” tag on your link, with average price per link going over €100 and in some countries even over €300. #2 – Build relationships, not only links. When building internationally, don’t venture in the dark. Cultivate relationships with publishers, journalists, and local SEO experts instead. That way you can engage in more sophisticated link building methods – such as reciprocal or A-B-C link building. Pro tip: local experts are usually connected with the strongest local domains, making them more useful than any link building skill. #3 – SEO knowledge may vary. Sometimes, your outreach can fail because international webmasters aren’t as versed in SEO as you. So before you offer a “50+ DR link” to your contact point, make sure they understand what you mean, or they might flag your email as spam… and tank your email domain, too. #4 – Sometimes, you need to drop the email. Yes, it’s the most common way to do outreach. But link builders in some countries disagree. In fact, in some Southeast Asian countries like Thailand or Indonesia, email doesn’t work at all. Wembasters usually interact via social media like LInkedIn or Facebook Messenger – or their own communication tools, like WeChat in China. So do some research first. Ready to conquer the links of the world? If not, [there are five more insightful tips to check out]( before you start. SPONSORED BY CHARTR Are you a visual thinker? Cut the reading and get graphic insights into business, tech, and more [article-image]( If you’re bored of stock images or wish you had less to read, try Chartr, [the visual newsletter]( you can consume in five minutes. Its stories are more fun, factual, and the kind you actually want to read, share, and debate. Join 300,000+ readers who love insights into business, tech, entertainment, and society, with a side of visual snacks, charts and graphics. [Get it here for free.]( THE CREW’S INSIGHTS We need to talk about the influencers you’re sponsoring. [article-image] It’s 2023, and you just sponsored an influencer with millions of followers to post about your product. … And maybe you feel like you just sold your left kidney to pay for it. It won’t be long until you realize that you’re not going to generate the returns you want with this approach. Don’t say we didn’t warn you. Here’s the problem: Too many brands are blindly choosing celebrity influencers to post about their brand, without doing the proper research beforehand. The solution? Prioritize engagement over followers. There are three ways to verify an influencer’s engagement: - Read the comments on their posts. Do they look like bots, or are they real and thoughtful interactions? - Their endorsement history. What kinds of products have they endorsed before? If they’re endorsing similar products regularly, their audience is probably a good fit for your product. - The performance of their previous endorsements. How do their sponsored posts perform compared to their other posts? This will give you an idea of how they will perform for your brand. The bottom line? Follower count does not automatically correlate with engagement rate. And if you’re ever in doubt, ask for their audience analytics. That way, the next time you hire an influencer, you’ll see good results—and you’ll feel better about the deal, too. ROUNDING UP THE STACK [VIDEO CONTENT:](Stop the scroll and grab your audience's attention with HD/4K footage, sound effects, After Effects templates, and more from Storyblocks. Get quality royalty-free content faster plus unlimited downloads and no-hassle licensing with subscriptions starting at just $30 a month. [Get started with Storyblocks now.](* [INSTAGRAM:]( Take note… Notes just launched worldwide. This feature allows you to write a 60-character message and display it above your profile picture in your followers’ inboxes. Seems simple, but it could be a nice little content promotion tool for creators! [SEARCH:]( The return of the king? Yahoo has been quietly hinting at getting back into search in job postings and vague Tweets, but everything points to the company competing with Google and Microsoft for search engine supremacy. Welcome back, Yahoo. [BUSINESS:]( Recession or stagflation? While it’s hard to say, the Federal Reserve predicts stagflation is more likely – meaning prices will keep rising while purchasing power drops off. Well, we did cover affordability might be a new angle... *This is a sponsored post BRAIN TEASER What can travel around the world while staying in a corner? You can find [the answer here](. [poolside-logo] POOLSIDE CHAT Call your husband. You could win a prize. [article-image] Maybe Bob finds it annoying when his wife yells “Bob! Bob! Bob! We’re going to be late!” over and over… … But his neighbors in Iowa love it. They love it so much that it’s a tradition at the Iowa State Fair husband calling contest – where [top 5 finalists were getting seven-figure views on TikTok](. What’s the husband calling contest? It’s where wives compete to see who can call their husbands in the most creative way. We’re talking yodeling, yelping, singing, shouting… The winner brought home a ribbon and a $5 prize. Totally worth it. SHARING IS CARING Pro tip: our newsletter is better with a beverage. And we’d love to send you a mug to go with your coffee, tea, or… whatever you drink in the mornings. All you have to do is share our newsletter with other smart marketers. Once you get to 30 referrals, we’ll send you a free mug. Plus, you’ll unlock other prizes along the way, like: - The Crew’s Top 10 Insights (2 referrals). - The Ultimate Holiday Marketing Deep Dive (4 referrals). … And more. Sip. Mmm, not bad. Share the referral link below to get started. 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