95% Of ChatGPT Citations Are Recent.. AI Is Beating Humans, Charlie Munger’s Sales Leader On Closing EVERY Deal, Google Dropping Rich Results To Simplify Search, Marketing Agencies Hit Summer Slumps Even With Steady Traffic

In Episode #162, Eric and Neil discuss how to outrank your competition when you have fewer links. Link building is an essential part of ranking your website; however, Neil and Eric teach us that it is possible to outrank your competitors thanks to Google Hummingbird. Tune in to find out how to maximize on Hummingbird’s new update to increase search engine traffic to your website. Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:28 – Today’s topic: How to Outrank Your Competition When You Have Less Links 00:42 – Links have a lot of impact in Google ranking 00:50 – The “Hummingbird Update” had the biggest impact on search engine listings 01:02 – Hummingbird looks at everything in a topical sense 01:27 – The new update looks at topics and themes 01:29 – “Websites with the strongest themes tend to rank the best” 01:49 – The new algorithm looks for depth and detail 02:25 – Look at these blogs to learn more about Hummingbird: GetRichSlowly, MyMoneyBlog, PennyHoarder, and MagnifiedMoney 02:40 – GetRichSlowly is the oldest website among the 4, but PennyHoarder gets more traffic because of their thorough content 02:57 – More links does NOT mean a better website 03:32 – Hummingbird looks at the overall relevancy of a post, not just keywords like before 03:45 – Use tools like MarketMuse to tell you how topically relevant you are for phrases in that space 05:04 – UberSuggest will give you suggestions of what to incorporate into your content 05:17 – Don’t forget about The Skyscraper Technique! 05:58 – Linking out too much can make your website look like a directory 06:15 – Neil shares what his team did for his website to get another 10% in traffic 07:28 – Remove default URL date structures 08:16 – That’s it for today’s episode! 3 Key Points: Google’s Hummingbird update looks at the whole meaning of sentences as opposed to keywords. Having more links does NOT guarantee you a top spot – RELEVANCY is key. Use tools to help you plan and strategize your content for overall relevance. Leave some feedback: What should we talk about next? Please let us know in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review. Connect with us: NeilPatel.com Quick Sprout Growth Everywhere Single Grain Twitter @neilpatel Twitter @ericosiu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

9 Jan 201711min

In Episode #161, Eric and Neil discuss the 7 elements of an effective marketing report. The marketing report reflects the health of your business and is a great sending base to inform that next step. Tune in to find out WHAT you need to assess and HOW to gather that information, in order to have that clear assessment of how your business is doing. Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:27 - Today’s topic: 7 Elements of an Effective Marketing Report 00:45 – First, have high-level goals 01:08 – Have a different kind of threshold 01:24 – “Have your targets laid out so it is easier for people to digest” 01:31 – Second, look at the growth 01:47 – Examine your growth weekly 03:25 – Assess how to calculate your growth properly—don’t just look at the total visitor count 04:28 – The growth rate should be staying the same, if not increasing 04:39 – Third, use simple, report tracking tools, like Cyfe, and connect it to your spreadsheet report in order to pull data 05:27 – GA data grabber helps you to pull reports, too 05:50 – Fourth, track the lifetime value of the customer and the cost to acquire new customers 06:15 – You need a metric 07:11 – Fifth, look at your revenue churn and customer churn 07:28 – Lincoln Murphy’s How Much Churn is Acceptable 07:47 – Ideal churn is less than 10% a year 08:30 – Sixth, Neil shares the time he talked to Ryan, from HubSpot 09:16 – Add your total headcount in your marketing report 10:18 – Lastly, the net promoter score allows you to measure the sentiments of the customers 11:12 – That’s it for today’s episode! 3 Key Points: Have a clear and simple goal which is easy for people to understand. Do NOT miscalculate your growth or it will lead you to a wrong impression of your business’ health. Quantifying customer satisfaction is IMPORTANT – know and understand your supporters and detractors. Leave some feedback: What should we talk about next? Please let us know in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review. Connect with us: NeilPatel.com Quick Sprout Growth Everywhere Single Grain Twitter @neilpatel Twitter @ericosiu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

8 Jan 201714min

In Episode #160, Eric and Neil discuss the 7 tips that will help you improve the reach of your podcast. Starting a podcast is not easy and improving its reach requires putting in some work. Tune in to learn tips and strategies such as growing your network, changing up your headlines, and maximizing off the traffic you get on iTunes. Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:27 – Today’s topic: 7 Tips to Improve the Reach of Your Podcast 00:35 – #1: Have a following and email list AND push your content out to your channels 00:48 – Eric uses a podcasting host called, “List It” to push to multiple channels 01:15 – Email blast has also been effective for Eric and Neil 02:30 – #2: Show every single episode that you have recorded 02:50 – Eric uses MeetEdgar to schedule his posts 04:04 – #4: “The headlines really impact how many downloads a podcast gets” 04:13 – Copyblogger headline formula can give you templates to create attractive headlines 04:32 – Fortune’s headline generator also helps 04:36 – TitleCapitalization will fix your headline 04:57 – #5: If you have a podcast, have a blog, too! 05:48 – #6: The more ratings and reviews you have, the more you will get 06:18 – If you can get more traffic in iTunes, use it to get more views! 06:30 – Mention in your podcast to leave a review and rating 06:48 – Tim of LeadPages made The Marketing School’s intro and outro 07:20 – #7: Cross Promote 07:40 – John Lee Dumas has a great community called The Podcaster’s Paradise 08:10 – Share in a podcasting community to grow your network 08:15 - That’s it for today’s episode! 3 Key Points: Be in multiple channels and improve not just your content, but your headlines as well. Get feedback and ratings from iTunes—it can boost your traffic significantly. With the growing number of podcasters, it is much easier now to share, connect, and help one another. Leave some feedback: What should we talk about next? Please let us know in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review. Connect with us: NeilPatel.com Quick Sprout Growth Everywhere Single Grain Twitter @neilpatel Twitter @ericosiu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

7 Jan 201711min

In Episode #159, Eric and Neil discuss what you need to know about digital marketing before investing your time and money. Listen as they explain the benefits of zeroing in on one channel over time and more first hand advice about how to tackle digital marketing for yourself as opposed to outsourcing to an agency. Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:28 – Today’s topic: What You Need to Know About Digital Marketing Before Investing in It 00:50 – First is to get a high level view of what is going on 00:57 – There are a lot of YouTube videos available, like the one from HubSpot 01:30 – Know what your goals are and be clear with your target 01:51 – Figure out what channel you want to tackle first 02:02 – Neil’s focus is content marketing 03:00 – Neil wants to use YouTube 03:58 – Neil shares how he still maximizes on Facebook, even after he stopped spending money on it 04:30 – “Focus on one channel at a time and focus on things that work” 05:29 – Neil only does a few channels at once 05:49 – NeilPatel.com has been around for 2 years and Neil is focused on content marketing 06:40 – If you haven’t figured out your foundation for the different channels you’re running at once, it will slow you down 07:45 – Success takes time 08:07 – Eric shares how he grows “Growth Everywhere” 08:26 – Everything compounds in time 09:00 – Neil advises to not hire an agency on your first year 09:05 – If you can’t figure out traction on your own, your agency is going to just spend all your money before they figure things out 09:34 – You don’t have to be an expert – work to figure out the basics on your own 09:47 – That’s it for today’s episode! 3 Key Points: Don’t go into multiple channels at once – pick one at a time, conquer it, and be the best at it. All good things take time when it comes to maximizing on a digital marketing strategy. You don’t have to be an expert – just be technical enough to figure out the basics on your own. Leave some feedback: What should we talk about next? Please let us know in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review. Connect with us: NeilPatel.com Quick Sprout Growth Everywhere Single Grain Twitter @neilpatel Twitter @ericosiu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

6 Jan 201713min

In Episode #158, Eric and Neil discuss a how long it actually takes for SEO to work. Having the right expectations in mind will help you as you wait for results. Tune is as Eric and Neil discuss their own experiences with SEO and the techniques that you can do now to boost your traffic. Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:28 – Today’s topic: How Long it Takes for SEO to Work 00:35 – For a brand new website, it takes 6 months to 1 year. For an established website, it can take 6 months or more to get ranking. 00:50 – Neil shares his website’s ranking as an example 01:45 – It took Neil 9 months for him to see a decent ranking 02:00 – The search traffic goes up slowly 02:39 – “It takes good placement to see traffic” 02:53 – Eric shares his own experience with SEO 03:12 – Eric decided to buy a decent age domain 04:00 – Eric made a lot of adjustments with the domain and their website traffic went from hundreds to millions 04:54 – Redirecting an old domain to a new domain helps 05:03 – Having high brand keywords increases traffic 06:28 – Have an on-page SEO set up right 07:30 – There’s a lot of SEO consultants available and don’t be afraid to approach them if you’re not confident enough setting up SEO 08:19 – SEO takes time and effort, so be patient 08:27 – That’s it for today’s episode! 3 Key Points: There are no shortcuts in SEO, so BE patient as it takes time and effort to see the results. To get that traffic, you need to focus on having a proper on-page SEO setup. Do NOT be afraid to ask the experts—it’s better see real results than to overestimate your abilities. Leave some feedback: What should we talk about next? Please let us know in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review. Connect with us: NeilPatel.com Quick Sprout Growth Everywhere Single Grain Twitter @neilpatel Twitter @ericosiu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

5 Jan 201711min

In Episode #157, Eric and Neil discuss whether guest posting is irrelevant or still effective. Guest posting today works differently than it did before – its main ROI is not to build links, but to deliver value and drive those leads. Listen as Neil and Eric discuss how to best utilize guest posting for your marketing needs. Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:28 – Today’s topic: Is Guest Posting Still Worth It? 00:44 – Guest posting is posting on other websites for link building purposes 01:30 – It’s still worth it 01:48 – Before, guest posters get author accounts 02:00 – Now, if you’re given an author account, it will be in a sub-page without indexes 02:32 – DON’T waste your time guest posting for links anymore 02:41 – Focus on guest posting to drive leads 03:13 – Neil talks about his friend, Jason, who specializes in guest posting 03:57 – You will see little to no results on your first 6 months of guest posting 04:00 – It takes a year to get traction 04:29 – Eric shares an article he wrote about YouTube advertising 05:33 – Guest posting has it’s ROIs 05:53 – Focus on delivering value 06:19 – Yields from guest posting will definitely take time 06:41 – That’s it for today’s episode! 3 Key Points: Guest posting is STILL relevant as a marketing tool. Do NOT focus on link building – it’s about driving those leads. Make sure you are delivering VALUE in your posts. Leave some feedback: What should we talk about next? Please let us know in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review. Connect with us: NeilPatel.com Quick Sprout Growth Everywhere Single Grain Twitter @neilpatel Twitter @ericosiu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

4 Jan 201710min

In Episode #156, Eric and Neil discuss a valuable opportunity that is worth considering for your team and business—hiring marketing interns. Listen as they reveal the benefits of hiring interns, tips and tools that can make the hiring process easy, and factors you should consider while looking for the next best fit for the company. Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:28 – Today’s topic: How to Hire Marketing Interns 00:40 – “The people that are really hungry [to learn]; sometimes, they end up being the best hires” 00:43 – Having a long-term internship program will be good for a business 01:03 – Use Craigslist or a tool called Workable to keep your hiring process simple 01:10 – First, create a good job description 01:19 – Eric uses Spark Hire, which allows video interviewing 02:38 – Neil uses Elevation Scholars to offer marketing scholarships 03:17 – Neil lists his requirements for the marketing scholarships he offers 04:59 – Neil pays for their interns’ services 05:15 – Take your interns to training 05:34 – Help them grow and pay them at the same time 06:11 – Make sure there is a “light” in your program 06:28 – Constantly give your feedback 06:46 – Target websites about career change to promote your search 07:26 – Use 15Five to setup automated feedback for your interns 08:08 – Be supportive to your team 08:17 – That’s it for today’s episode! 3 Key Points: No need to reinvent the wheel—use the online tools available to you for your hiring and selection process. Do NOT focus solely on talent alone, consider the person’s character too. Give training and constant feedback—interns need your direction. Leave some feedback: What should we talk about next? Please let us know in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review. Connect with us: NeilPatel.com Quick Sprout Growth Everywhere Single Grain Twitter @neilpatel Twitter @ericosiu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

3 Jan 201711min

In Episode #155, Eric and Neil talk about 7 creative marketing tactics that you ought to be leveraging. Tune in to discover the online tools that will work for you and the tactics you need to keep your content one step ahead of your competitors. Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:28 – Today’s topic: 7 Creative Marketing Tactics that You Ought to be Leveraging 00:37 – #1 Use TurboDial to collect phone numbers of visitors on your website 00:56 – Send TurboDial a signal to send a text message to the person 01:30 – You can program replies when a person responds to your text 02:09 – #2 Make your stuff is available for pirates on torrent sites 02:52 – #3 Use exit pop-ups 03:17 – #4 Make sure your funnel is congruent with your client’s interests 04:13 – #5 Go to BuzzSumo and find out which of your competitors’ posts are going viral 04:21 – Ahrefs will also show you your competitors’ most popular posts 04:29 – Take the post’s URL and put it into Twitter search to show the top users sharing the content 04:37 – Write something similar, but better, then start emailing the users about your content 05:15 – When they respond, ask them what you can do for them and make a P.S. about sharing your content 05:35 – #6 Have a content creation checklist or learn about content repurposing 06:34 – Google “content repurposing workflow” 06:44 – #7 With remarketing, put your pixel in your email signature 07:35 – That’s it for today’s episode! 3 Key Points: Make your content available for pirates – let them do the work of spreading the word for you. Use exit pop-ups, they are triggers for opt-ins. Keep an eye on your competitor’s posts, create betters ones, and share them with the people who are engaging with your competitor’s content. Leave some feedback: What should we talk about next? Please let us know in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review. Connect with us: NeilPatel.com Quick Sprout Growth Everywhere Single Grain Twitter @neilpatel Twitter @ericosiu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

2 Jan 201711min