In the SEO world, there's a rule of thumb that as soon as one tactic works, everyone finds out about it and overuses it until it no longer works. This might be a cynical way to look at marketing. But I think that's how outsiders see this industry. Those people ruining their online experience with pop up ads, and holl... more
One of the things I've liked best about interviewing so many nonprofit organizers and leaders has been seeing the great amount of love so many people bring to their work. When your job is to serve others, I think you develop a sense of care, and a greater sense of love, for the people you're working to help. This isn't... more
Giving isn't simple. Think about the last time you tried to pick up the check for a friend or family member after dinner. There's always that moment where someone puts the card down, and then the other person protests - there's some back and forth. "No, you don't have to," etc etc. In my experience, this moment can eve... more
It's so easy to look at life as a series of major goals and milestones. Accomplishments. When we start walking, start speaking, start reading, start school, Start driving! These milestones make life measurable. They help us celebrate our hard work, and give us a reason to pat ourselves on the back. But milestones can a... more
Las Vegas is a name with a lot of meaning. Especially lately. I had too much fun in Vegas, in my early 20’s, so in recent years, the idea of Vegas makes me think of late nights and hangovers. And this very strange encounter with Andy Dick? Which… is a story for another time. For many of us, that’s the spirit of Veg... more
What do you want to do when you grow up? As I get older, I’m beginning to think this is a question that many of us never answer. As long as there’s a tomorrow, there’s an opportunity to do something new, whether it be a career move, a promotion, seeking new friendships, or getting involved locally. Sometimes I imagine ... more
SEO, like any industry, has its mainstays. Like, if you’re going to write an article on SEO 101 in 2017, you’re probably going to tell your reader to ensure that their URLs are set up properly, to double check that they’re using H1s and H2s and giving titles to their pages. And you’re going to drive home the idea of un... more
Lexi Mills’ career started with breaking and entering. Well, sort of. There were also firemen involved.So I heard Lexi speak at the Inbounder Conference, she was a presenter along with Lindsay Wassell, whose episode is a few weeks back, and a handful of other brilliant marketers. And Lexi’s presentation stuck out to ... more
My parents have a piano sitting in their living room that hasn’t played a note in a few years, at least. Someone’s always meaning to take lessons again. But it just doesn’t happen. And yet, the piano makes the house feel cozier. It adds personality, even silently. I’m sure my parents aren’t alone. The United States h... more
First off, heads up – I’ll be at MozCon in a couple weeks. If you’ll be there too, I’d love to meet up, if only to say “hi and THANK YOU for listening to The Zip.” Give me a shoutout on Twitter @zipsprout, and I’ll try to bring swag to share too.Now let’s get into today’s episode.Some marketing feels especially shi... more
There’s a rumor going around The West lately. Its basic premise is a fear of machines. Not because of privacy or because some fear that we’re in the Matrix situation. But because they’re taking our jobs - they’re automating processes that used to be done manually. They’re doing things faster and better than a person co... more
Apparently the center of industry used to be New Jersey. If you were an inventor, you went to new jersey - Thomas Edison, feel as you may about the man, brought the modern lab to new jersey. The Bell Labs (as in Alexander Graham Bell) also placed its headquarters there. According to an NPR story I just heard on the top... more
Heads up - this episode of the zip has a fair share of acronyms. For example, AMP, JSON, PWA, iOS and even …MTV. But sometimes the message is worth a bit of jargon, and that’s certainly the case with today’s guest, Cindy Krum. Cindy is the founder and CEO of MobileMoxie, a mobile web consultancy, and a frequent speak... more
What if I changed the name of my podcast to “the zip - a very popular podcast,” and people found my podcast every time they searched for the mosts popular podcasts. Or what if changed my domain name, properly redirected all of my pages, but forgot to tell some obscure directory in a dark, cobwebbed corner of the Inte... more
It’s spring. Almost summer, really. Let’s say you’re in the mood for camping. But you need a new tent. So you go to your local camping supply store and browse through the tent aisle. Maybe you have a conversation with the salesperson, and he, let’s say it’s a he, he shows you your tent options. Tents for one, tents for... more
The PR industry can sometimes get a bad rap. Which is a little funny if you think about it - like, who’s doing PR for PR? But public relations - especially for local marketing - can be a tough job. How do you create messaging that’s unique for each local market… without sounding like you’re trying to create messagi... more
So often, when people ask what I do, even people who work in business or technology, I feel like… it can be very hard to explain the big picture of working in search and digital. Eight years ago, online marketing was highly specialized - you were a social media person, or you were an SEO person, or maybe you created ba... more
It’s hard to be a big fish in a small pond. The thought is - hey, I’m a big fish. I’m badass. Everyone’s gonna wanna watch me swim, see what I do, follow me around. You get to the small pond, and it works for a while. A generation or two of small fish think you’re cool, because you’re the big fish, from the big pond. Y... more
The expression ‘quarter life crisis’ is often said with a sort-of smirk. Like it’s a joke - oh, you know, those young people with all their “air quotes” problems. I spent my quarter life crisis trying to write a screenplay, and probably spending too much money on wine. It feels sort of silly. You’re so young, of course... more
I’m working on a presentation in which I tell a lot of marketers that content development is an experiment. And I’m loving the idea. I mean, The Zip, this podcast, has been an ongoing experiment, now on it’s 30th episode. You know, we allow technology products to say they’re in ‘beta,’ but we expect so many other areas... more
If you watch Black Mirror, there was recently an episode, in the netflix reboot, where everyone walks around with their cell phone all day, reviewing each other. Did the coffee barista smile at you? He gets five stars! Did someone forget to compliment your haircut? They get one star. Watching that episode was so cringe... more
We’re in a month of love, right? I’m not the biggest Valentine’s Day fan, but it is kind of cute to see some guy running down the street with cookies and a card. Or a couple arriving at a reservation-only restaurant before it opens - just to make sure, I guess. Valentine’s Day is cute - it’s easily digestible love. But... more
I’m speaking to someone today who’s been mentioned in at least two or three previous podcasts. Rand Fishkin is pretty well known in the SEO and marketing spaces, and for good reason. He’s got a great story, a great personality and a lot of insight into marketing, business, and just people in general. Rand and his mothe... more
I’m just going to start with my favorite quote from today’s conversation: "Every company is a technology company. It's just a matter of when they really embrace technology."It may not come as a shock to you that this note came from a developer, but he’s not wrong. Even if our operation is completely real-world, the... more
Hi everyone. It’s a big week here in the US. There’s a lot going on nationally, but, as always, we’re going to focus on the local perspective here on The Zip.Just a couple of neat announcements before we get started with today’s interview, with David Mihm.First - ZipSprout, and therefore, by extension, The Zip, is ... more