Concerns regarding data privacy have increased over the past several years and things are continuing to change as a result. We are currently in the midst of a change to data collection as Google starts disabling third-party internet cookies. If you are asking what makes third-party cookies different than others, you aren’t alone. Today, we’re diving into what third-party internet cookies are, why they’re unique, and why they’re on their way out.

Most websites employ first-party cookies. These cookies are installed directly onto the website itself and collect analytics data such as language settings or other details that can improve your overall experience. Some of this can be used for audience targeting in the future but it is largely employed to ensure that the user experience is as enjoyable and smooth as possible.

The third-party cookie is installed by a third party onto a website to collect information on users. After users visit a site that enables third-party cookies, the cookie is stored onto their browsers, tracking their online activity and building a profile on them. These cookies are installed to research behavior, demographic details, or spending habits that will help advertisers create content or products that better target their audience more accurately.

The use of third-party cookies can benefit consumers as they are less likely to encounter advertisements that are irrelevant to them. These cookies are the reason why the ads on multiple different websites seem to always be specially targeted to you and your interests. The catch here is that people have begun to realize this means their data is available to far more businesses and brands than they ever consented to. There isn’t a lot of transparency as to what their data is used for when collected by a third party which can leave users feeling vulnerable. Google is following other search engines in the pattern of disabling third-party cookies in the near future. While it is taking a slower approach to this action, Google is working through answering the question of what will fill in the gap that third-party cookies leave behind so that nothing worse pops up.

If you are still offering value to your target audience and you are still using context clues to aim your ads at where they will spend time and what they’re looking for, then you’re likely to be in good shape, even without knowing all of their online activity. While the future remains to be seen, the loss of third-party data will likely shift marketing to be more organic and safer. It may lead to some irrelevant ads for different audiences, but it will also set apart the truly effective marketing strategies that don’t need invasive data to get the attention of their buyers.

Keeping up with the never-ending changes that impact the digital marketing world can be tough when you are trying to run a business at the same time. Why not use the resources at your disposal at Varga Marketing, Inc? We provide digital marketing agency services, including helping you build marketing strategies that prove effective even in the face of big industry shifts like this. Reach out today to get help building your marketing strategy today.

Digital marketing has evolved alongside the internet. We’ve come a long way from the years of just selling products in local marketplaces. Now that the internet provides the ability to reach more people than ever, digital marketing has developed to be a vital key to success for many businesses. As global communication and commerce have grown and become easier, marketing has adapted to include the new mediums made available through the internet. Understanding what digital marketing is and how the evolution of the internet got it to where it is today is an important first step for anyone learning about marketing or doing their own.

Digital marketing is dependent on the extended, international communication that is made possible with the internet. Understanding the growth and expansion of the internet helps to improve understanding about how digital marketing has gotten to where it is today.

opted for the ads didn’t even have their own pages yet, since everything was still so new and not easy to understand. This meant Wired needed to make them some landing pages as well. Talk about full-service! The “first” banner ad (even though 14 were released at the same time) was part of the “You Will” campaign. The ad asked users “Have you ever clicked your mouse right here?” followed by an arrow pointing to the words “You Will.” Simple, yet effective. These ads were a turning point for digital marketing as more sites followed. By 1995, Yahoo had announced an advertising deal for their own type of banner ads. This fundamentally helped shape the internet as we know it today with information made available to users for free as advertisements made up for the costs of the site.

Search engines like Google also discovered the benefit of offering users content for free by using ads for funding. Two years after its release, Google unveiled its AdWords platform, allowing marketers to target audiences with paid advertisements within its search results. The release of a new paid advertising platform as big as Google’s emphasized the importance of the internet to marketing.

Google’s approach made the internet more easily accessible and understandable to the average individual and allowed more people than ever to access the ever-expanding amount of information and advertisements being added to the online world.

With increased affordability and the rise of personal home computers, Web 1.0 was replaced with Web 2.0. Released around 2004, this version of the internet was more interactive and collaborative for users, giving them a way to participate. This is the version that we are currently using too. The switch to Web 2.0 marked the turn to interactivity and socialization on the internet. No longer were you just passively scrolling static pages on the internet. Now, pages were dynamic, information was constantly changing, and you could interact with other users and businesses easily.

Web 2.0 is considered a highway of information that also saw an increase in user-generated content as users were now able to better communicate and interact with one another. Features like blogging, media sharing and storing sites, wikis, and social media all became staples of the new Web 2.0 interactivity.
Businesses were able to take advantage of this for their own digital marketing efforts with blogs being used to inform customers about products and increase the rank of a site in search engine results. This opened the door to the ability for brands to increase and improve their reputation and allowed users to share their input about products and services.

From here we also saw the rise of marketing automation platforms helping businesses understand the vast amounts of data they received from users. Advertising continued to thrive and by 2004 advertising spending on things like banner ads, Google Ads and other internet marketing in the US reached $2.9 billion.

Since 2004, the internet landscape has continued to shift and change with the biggest change coming from social media and smartphones.

Both social media and smartphones have had additional impacts on marketers, such as the shift from focusing on TV ads being put on Google Ads instead. Other tactics like content marketing also saw increased popularity as people began to crave fast, easy-to-consume content. With the use of cookies and social media platforms, digital marketing seeped into every aspect of the internet.

Marketing is all about connecting with the right audience at the right time. Digital marketing takes that practice and uses the internet to make it easier and faster to accomplish. While traditional marketing still works, digital marketing can be a way to grow and capitalize on what you have done with traditional tactics up until now. Having a strong presence in the online spaces where your customers spend their time helps increase brand awareness, creates a more human connection with them and allows you to maintain a relationship that will increase customer retention. You also get to target an audience that’s more likely to convert, track your progress and use the data you find to optimize campaigns for success. In many cases, digital marketing is more cost efficient and beneficial for your business over the traditional forms of marketing.

We’re at a point in our digital marketing history where we’ve already begun to evolve into Web 3.0 which uses extensive targeting capabilities, emphasizes mobile friendliness, and uses SEO strategies to increase visibility and better user experience online. At this time, we are also watching as artificial intelligence is beginning to become a part of many marketing strategies while, simultaneously, third-party cookies are being disabled to protect user privacy. There’s no way to know exactly where digital marketing will go once Web 3.0 is finally here. It’s expected that Web 3.0 will use more modern technologies coupled with what we have now to drive even greater value to the information and connections on the internet.

Digital marketing strategies are always evolving to keep up with changes on the internet and user preferences. Keeping up can be tough, which is why digital marketing agency services can be a great investment.

Varga Marketing Inc is a full-service digital marketing agency that keeps up to date on the best strategies for marketing and advertising, along with keeping on top of new social media platforms and technologies. No matter what your business goals are, when you work with our team, you’ll be able to sit back and relax while we do the (digital) heavy lifting. Reach out to us today to see how our modern marketing skills can be used to benefit your business.

Domain authority can be confusing to grasp at first. This numerical score doesn’t define your site’s security, nor does it actively improve your ranking on Google, leaving people asking why it matters at all. The quick answer is that domain authority, though it can’t directly impact your search results ranking, is tied to it. A higher domain authority score usually leads to a better ranking. Don’t worry, we are going to break it down to make this concept easier to understand. Here’s what you should know about the role that domain authority plays and why improving yours is valuable to your overall Search Engine Optimization strategy.

Did you look at your DA score and panic a little bit? While we know a lower score can be disheartening, it isn’t the end of the world. For starters, when your site has only just launched, it will start out with a score of 0. It takes time to improve that number. Another thing to remember is that the score can be changed. It may drop overnight if, for example, one of your competitors adds multiple new backlinks or webpages, increasing their ranking and score. It can also increase as you improve your own website. The reality is that your DA score changes and fluctuates over time and should be used to gauge if you need to look for ways to improve your site.

A clarification for those wondering about the Ahrefs domain authority ranking. While these two ranking sites are similar, Ahrefs and Moz measure your domain authority in different ways. And the difference matters. As Ahrefs explains on their free Website Authority checker page, their ranking measures the website authority based on the quality and quantity of external backlinks to a website. In contrast, Moz takes backlinks and a multitude of others factors as well.
Ahrefs is best for when you are trying to judge the authority of your backlink profile while Moz is best for when you want to get an idea of how all onsite, offsite, and technical SEO factors add up.

We already clarified that your site’s DA score doesn’t directly impact its rank on a SERP. That said, your site’s rank is still tied to your score. The many factors that the checker considers are SEO ranking factors, like keywords, internal links, and external links. The same factors that impact your search engine results rank are used to determine your DA score. It’s correlation, not causation: the higher your score, the more likely it is your site will rank well in the search results.

To improve your domain authority score, you need to look at your overall SEO strategy. Here are a few ways to improve your position in both ranking situations:

Taking the time to adjust these and other SEO factors on your website can go a long way in helping to improve how visible it is to your ideal audience.

SEO best practices change frequently so it is advisable to work with a professional team to make sure your website stays in good standing with a good DA score and good search results rank. When you opt into our organic SEO services you can relax knowing Varga Marketing, Inc. will keep your website optimized and ranking well.

Looking to improve your website’s search engine optimization (SEO)? It may be time to look behind the scenes at how you can use technical SEO tactics to your advantage. You can think of technical SEO like the framing of a house. No matter how beautiful a house is, it would collapse without good framing, right? Likewise, even the most beautifully designed website with the best content won’t rank well if its technical SEO isn’t considered. Let’s look at what technical SEO is and the ways to use it to improve your site rank and the user experience for anyone who visits.

We understand not everyone wants to spend their time on this. However, there are noticeable improvements to your site indexing and ranking when you also optimize the technical side of your site. (plus you can check out our organic SEO services too to help relieve some of the burden.)

When you optimize the technical side of your website, it makes it easier for a search engine to crawl and index the site. This can help improve its ranking, making it easier for more of your target audience to see it.

Improving technical site details like accessibility or site speed will make the overall user experience far better, which helps improve their impression of your organization.

When your site provides a great experience for a larger number of people, it will increase the chances that they will purchase from or work with you. It can also increase the likelihood that they’ll come back to you again in the future.

If you are struggling to find a starting point for improving your website’s technical SEO, we have a few ideas to make things easier.

Improving your website in every possible way is worth it but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to do so. Thankfully, when you tap into the SEO services at Varga Marketing, it can be. You can rely on a Varga SEO specialist to optimize your technical SEO, onsite SEO, and offsite SEO, bringing your audience to you and increasing the chances they’ll convert into paying customers.

Want to get better results from your pay-per-click campaigns? Here are some PPC mistakes that you might be making and how to correct them.

If you’re looking to get more from your PPC campaigns, reach out to us today. We make it paid search campaigns easy and help you avoid common mistakes.

Google is always updating how it does things in an ongoing effort to be as reliable and helpful as possible to the millions of people who use it. Anyone who has tried to keep up with their algorithm can confirm that the tech giant keeps people on their toes. Google has done it again with their rollout of the continuous scroll. You may have already noticed this update when your page of search results just…kept…going. Your computer isn’t malfunctioning. This is the new Continuous Scroll function. Here’s what you need to know about the new continuous scroll update and how you can adjust your search engine optimization strategy to improve or maintain good results.

The goal of search engine optimization (SEO) is still to get higher rankings on search engines in order to drive traffic to your site and increase leads, sales, and revenue, but marketers will need to shift their focus away from trying to rank for the first page and how they measure results. Rather than looking at which page your website lands on, pay attention to your placement number (i.e., your blog page ranks #15 in the list of search results.)

Though the long-term positive or negative impacts are still yet to be seen, many experts believe that this update can end up improving visibility and engagement for some lower ranked sites. Search Engine Land found that the top 3 results shown for any search query still get the highest number of impressions and clicks. However, they also noticed that sites with lower positions (#15-20) got a boost in impressions, which could very well lead to more clicks over time.

Even though we need to shift our strategy a bit to focus on placement ranks instead of page ranks, the goal of SEO remains the same. If you are looking to improve your search rankings, we have some tips for you to consider:

Remember, if you want to increase your search rankings, your website needs to be user-friendly and backed up with quality content to drive more traffic and achieve your end goals of lead generation, conversion, or customer retention.

Although they are meant to improve the user experience and keep the competition fair for content creators, we know the constant algorithm updates from Google can be frustrating. Having a team in your corner, like Varga, to support your needs in the ever-changing world of search engine optimization makes everything easier. Our comprehensive marketing services let you sit back and relax while we keep up with algorithm updates. If you’re looking to break through the noise and level up your brand, we’re only one click or call away!

It is important to optimize as many on-page details as possible. This can impact how both search engines and your audience view your website. Here’s some tips to give you a good start:

Off-page SEO is any action taken outside of your website that is meant to help your rank on search engine results pages (SERPs) which will ideally lead to better brand awareness and credibility, along with increased organic site traffic. Off-page efforts may involve earning backlinks, social media marketing, guest blogs, customer reviews, and more, which all link back to your site. While some Off-page SEO can be created internally (think social media content), the best type is created organically by outside parties, such as a journalist writing an article about your business.

These kinds of optimization efforts can be a combination of created and earned media. We’ll go over some opportunities to increase your off-page SEO and the benefits that come with it.

All the backlinks in the world won’t help your website if they are from poor-quality sources. Links from reliable and high-value sources are better than ten times as many links from mediocre, spammy sites. It is worth the time to go through your website and make sure that all your backlinks are going to viable sources first. Then, check on who is linking back to you. Make sure to disavow links from less-than-reputable websites as this could negatively impact your ranking otherwise.

If you are feeling stuck between managing your business or managing your website, then it might be time to consider getting a helping hand from our team. When you work with the specialists at Varga, you can rest assured that we’ll take your search engine optimization results up a notch. We know the tricks and tools to use to help your site perform well and allow you to get back to business without worry.

The idea of finding UGC to reshare on your social media may feel like yet another thing to manage. However, this can take work off your plate while simultaneously bringing in benefits.

You can add UGC curation or collection into your content strategy to fit seamlessly with the rest of your content production. It may feel a little strange to do at first. Can you ask for it? Do you just earn it? The answer to both questions is yes!

Here are three ideas to get you started:

You’ve probably noticed a common theme in the ideas that we’ve provided: consent. Reposting and resharing content are a core part of what makes social media unique. However, things can get sticky for a brand or business reposting content on social media because there is the potential that it can help them generate revenue. The best thing you can do to protect yourself is to ask permission before using any kind of UGC. It can save you trouble down the line and reinforce the trustworthiness of your brand with your followers.

Varga can help you create a comprehensive social media marketing strategy or take your current strategy to the next level. Reach out today to see how we can improve your organization’s social media engagement.

Some examples of white hat best practices include:

These are a few examples of Black Hat tactics we’d suggest avoiding:

Struggling to figure out why your website isn’t ranking well? It could be due to Black Hat SEO practices that you don’t even know you’re using! Let our SEO experts give your site a look to find the right solutions that will get things back in shape.

Google Ads is a paid advertising platform that provides businesses a way to advertise online without breaking their budget. If you aren’t using Google Ads yet, today is a good day to get started. With over 8 billion searches conducted on Google each day, it is easy to imagine the impact that well-done advertising on this platform can have. The content that Google shows on its search results pages has the chance to influence over 2 billion digital buyers. Here’s what you’ll need to know to add Google Ads to your marketing strategy.

If you’ve ever used Google to research anything, you’ll have landed on the SERP or Search Engine Results Page. The SERP is meant to provide you with the best results that match the information you’re looking for. Paid advertisements are scattered throughout the page based on what Google’s assessment of their relevance to the original search query, quality, and other factors. These ads will always appear with a small “ad” or “sponsored” symbol next to them to let the user know that they are paid ads, which won’t be a problem if your ad is just what that person is looking for.

Paying for an advertisement to be portrayed on Google doesn’t mean it is guaranteed to pop up every time someone looks up a related query. Google chooses from a lottery when selecting the ads to portray on the SERP page, basing its selection on some of those factors listed above. The process starts with a look at the keywords or terms that you are targeting and how closely they match the user’s search query. This can include the match type you have selected, such as broad match, phrase match, and exact match. It will also consider your budget and your bidding strategy alongside factors such as location, previous ad performance, and the quality of the landing page the ad is attached to.

Wondering if Google Ads is worth it? The potential benefits of incorporating this PPC platform into your marketing strategy are clear.

PPC advertising is something you pay for as you get results, but the best part is you determine how much you are willing to spend. It is estimated that most businesses will make $2 for every $1 spent on Google Ads so, on average, the ROI is worthwhile.

There’s a lot of moving parts to keep track of when running a successful Google Ads campaign. Get ready to sit back and relax because we’ll handle it from here. Varga Marketing can handle your pay-per-click ad management on Google Ads and other platforms. Not only are we taking the work off your plate, but we are also going to help you maximize the return on your PPC ads. Reach out to us today and get a free account analysis!