February 7, 2016 / Nate Holman
While the direct significance of keywords to SEO has dwindled in comparison to other signals that stress user experience thanks to the 2013 Google Hummingbird update, keyword research is still such a critical step 1 for just about any on-page, site architecture, or marketing SEO project. Sure, keywords aren’t as sexy as newer SEO topics. […]
read full articleNovember 18, 2015 / Nate Holman
When you consider social media adding a “dimension” to traditional branding & promotional mediums, people and companies today have more power to not just inform and market themselves – but interact in ways we didn’t have power to before. It’s obvious, right? As an American consumer, you can’t escape the hashtag onslaught across digital and T.V. (About every other ad was #tagging during […]
read full articleSeptember 19, 2015 / Nate Holman
Today I wanted to take a look at how social media trends influence SEO…and vice versa. (Given the fluidity that typifies the digital space, we wouldn’t want it any other way.) When I pull up a preliminary “SEO social media” search on Google, the first thing I notice isn’t the relevance of the results – or the results themselves. It’s that […]
read full articleAugust 19, 2015 / Nate Holman
Ok, so if you got to this point, you’re maybe interested in interaction design and what it’s all about for converting users and customers. What does interaction design mean, then? Well… here’s pretty much the easiest way for me as a user to find out: Interaction design at work — 3 (easy) steps 1) I go to […]
read full articleAugust 2, 2015 / Nate Holman
What makes a perfect ad? In a 2013 post on the psychology behind ad and digital copywriting, I elaborated on a fundamentally different appeal that traditional ads (print, radio, TV) make to “captive” audiences, versus content & copy for digital experiences – where by nature we participate in the medium rather than being subject to it. On […]
read full articleJuly 5, 2015 / Nate Holman
Ah, to open a link in a new tab or not… that is the question. Sure, might not be the type of critical life question you find yourself faced with regularly (fortunately) but it’s a good one for us in the digital space to examine – whether you’re a UX or an SEO person, content strategist/manager, […]
read full articleJune 9, 2015 / Nate Holman
Why you should know the rules, and then break them. (Sometimes.) Despite the overwhelming ubiquity in digital copywriting – everyone wants good SEO – there’s no magic formula to original, share-worthy content. The numbered-list format, for example, only works if you understand WHY your audience is drawn to click: a promise of usefulness in the post/article itself. What I want to […]
read full articleMay 20, 2015 / Nate Holman
May of 2015 has been a busy month… I recently updated my resume to reflect a freelance SEO gig I’m doing for Jigsaw – an agency based out of Milwaukee – and their healthcare client. I’m optimizing site content for natural search behaviors (e.g., improved navigation, H2s, strategically placed keywords) as well as working with a digital […]
read full articleMarch 9, 2015 / Nate Holman
(Or, why you should avoid bland CTAs and button copy.) In some side work I’m currently doing involving content management & strategy, I’m on the hunt for ways to reach new “untapped” audiences. This article content we’re working with lives in the digital media world, however, where any sort of promotional messaging that might dilute the integrity of the […]
read full articleFebruary 8, 2015 / Nate Holman
I recently came across a page I really liked (read: nerded out on) and wanted to share here: apple.com/start-something-new. Not only is the concept cool and different – marrying artistic inspiration with Apple products – but I liked that the “preview” copy held my attention even though it wasn’t a traditional intro in terms of length. It’s breaking the rules just a […]
read full articleMarch 25, 2013 / Nate Holman
What is it about a certain ad message that resonates and stays with us? Is it a feeling of being assailed – by Old Spice’s clever (and now-trademark) use of the bizzare, for example? Is advertising’s appeal in its ability to “arrest the human intelligence long enough to get money from it,” as the quote […]
read full articleFebruary 25, 2013 / Nate Holman
In a previous post I talked about my current UX strategy work, and how some organic traffic challenges can prompt innovative thinking and perhaps even success – in my case, creating usable travel guides using archived travel article content (as old as 2009!) and the site Storify. Today I wanted to look at the big […]
read full articleDecember 13, 2012 / Nate Holman
While in the job hunt over the past few months, I’ve come to realize the value of “it isn’t what you say, but how you say it” – not just in the packaging of all I represent as a job seeker to potential employers – but in the aesthetics of my work. It doesn’t mean […]
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