Google News Publishers No Longer Require Three-Digit Numbers In URLs

After years of Google News requiring URLs to contain 3-digits, Google has finally dropped that requirement. The post Google News Publishers No Longer Require Three-Digit Numbers In URLs appeared first on Search Engine Land.

Please visit Search Engine Land for the full article.

Microsoft copies Facebook and adds Likes and @Mentions to Outlook

Microsoft wants email to learn some tricks from social media. The company today announced it’s bringing Likes and @Mentions to Outlook on the Web. Indicated by the classic thumbs-up, Microsoft says the Likes are meant to help you endorse a specific email, or bring attention to it. Or as on Facebook, it could simply be used to acknowledge you’ve read something or empathize with it, without having to type a full response. As you might expect, you’ll receive a notification when someone likes an email, and it will show up highlighted a top the message. Meanwhile, you can also tag people…

This story continues at The Next Web

Communication & Transparency In Enterprise Link Building

Columnist Andrew Dennis reminds us that the foundation of any successful link building campaign is a strong and open relationship between client and agency. The post Communication & Transparency In Enterprise Link Building appeared first on Search Engine Land.

Please visit Search Engine Land for the full article.

Facebook tests GIF-style profile pictures and a new layout

Facebook profiles for mobile are about to change — for some. In a limited trial for iOS users in California and the UK, Facebook is testing new controls and layout features. In what Facebook calls the “obvious evolution of profiles,” looping videos may be added instead of a profile picture. Users can record a simple greeting, or choose a favorite snippet from a recent event they attended. For static images, Facebook is testing a way to let users temporarily change them. While we’ll still have a go-to image for a profile, it could temporarily change for a small period of time.…

This story continues at The Next Web

How Joe Berkowitz (Journalist and Fast Company Editor) Writes: Part One

Author and Fast Company Editor Joe Berkowitz stopped by The Writer Files this week. His latest, a humor book titled You Blew It!: An Awkward Look at the Many Ways in Which You’ve Already Ruined Your Life, lands this October. He took a break from his busy schedule to rap with host Kelton Reid about how he survives the harried life of a big city journalist.

In addition to his work for Fast Company, Joe’s writing has been featured in The Awl, Salon, The Village Voice, Vulture, RollingStone.com, GQ.com, McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, and many others.

For a writer who works on breakneck deadlines, and almost never gets a break from the writing life, he has some pretty solid advice for keeping the cursor moving.

Join Kelton and Joe for this two-part interview.

In Part One of the file, host Kelton Reid and Joe Berkowitz discuss:

• How a bad breakup can boost your productivity
• When to throw out the rule “All Killer, No Filler”
• How to build your writing endurance
• Don Draper’s advice for beating writer’s block
• How making lists can help your head
• The magical power of 4:00 a.m. dementia

Click Here to Listen to
The Writer Files on iTunes

Click Here to Listen on Rainmaker.FM

About the author

Rainmaker.FM

Rainmaker.FM is the premier digital marketing and sales podcast network. Get on-demand digital business and marketing advice from experts, whenever and wherever you want it.

The post How Joe Berkowitz (Journalist and Fast Company Editor) Writes: Part One appeared first on Copyblogger.

SEJ Unveils Speakers For #SEJSummit Atlanta! (Part 2) by @megcabrera

SEJ completes the speaker line up who will lead #SEJSummit Atlanta on November 10, 2015 at The Westin Peachtree Plaza, Atlanta, Georgia.

The post SEJ Unveils Speakers For #SEJSummit Atlanta! (Part 2) by @megcabrera appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

3 Practical Content Conversion Tactics That Actually Work Today (and Where You Can Find Even More)

Ever wondered if those content tips you read a few years back are still relevant today? Hit Publish host Amy Harrison has just returned from a conference of conversion experts who spilled the beans on what tactics are working right this minute. And she wants to share them with you …

Last week, Amy was part of a copywriting panel at the Call to Action Conference in Vancouver. The two-day event was packed with practical, actionable tactics from conversion experts all around the world.

These are the people who know what to do to your landing page, in terms of design and content, to make people want to take action.

Amy has picked her top three takeaways that she thinks you, as a Hit Publish listener, will love, but she’s also linking to more resources on Rainmaker.FM to help you boost those conversion rates.

Tune in to Hit Publish to find out:

• The call-to-action mistakes that can cause you to lose sales and sign-ups (one of them defies classic copywriting convention)
• Why you should practice flipping your headline if you want people to know in seconds what it is you do or offer
• Why putting obstacles in front of your reader can be the best conversion tactic (even if it makes you uncomfortable)

Click Here to Listen to
Hit Publish on iTunes

Click Here to Listen on Rainmaker.FM

About the author

Rainmaker.FM

Rainmaker.FM is the premier digital marketing and sales podcast network. Get on-demand digital business and marketing advice from experts, whenever and wherever you want it.

The post 3 Practical Content Conversion Tactics That Actually Work Today (and Where You Can Find Even More) appeared first on Copyblogger.