Yesterday, Google announced they will be offering a fee based version of Google Analytics, aptly named Google Analytics Premium. The service is targeted to large companies that need an Enterprise-scale web analytics tool to meet needs unaddressed or short-changed by the free Google Analytics (now being referred to as Google Analytics Standard Edition). Google Analytics Premium is positioned to compete with robust on-site analytical tools such as Adobe’s SiteCatalyst and IBM’s Core Metrics. We will discuss several key enhancements and offerings included in Google Analytics Premium which make it a more advanced solution than the Analytics Standard Edition. (more…)

As we all know, Facebook is the #1 social media platform worldwide, boasting 800+ million users.  Still, Facebook is constantly attempting to improve a product that is number one— attempting to widen the gap from their closest competitors.  They have recently unveiled an update at their F8 conference to assist their users in remaining informed on important topics, but have they gone too far? (more…)

No, “Facebook engagement” doesn’t mean changing your relationship status on your profile.  It refers to how people interact with your brand on the social media platform.  Yesterday, we posted about why it’s more important than ever for your brand to be engaging fans on Facebook (hint: It has to do with the new dual-news feeds and where your content shows up).  Today, we’re going one step further and sharing some tips on how to achieve this.  These 8 easy ideas will help keep your content front-and-center in the Top Stories news feed and out of the ticker, never to be seen by your fans again. (more…)

In case you have been living under a rock recently and haven’t heard, Senator Rick Santorum, has gotten into a bit of a predicament in Google search results. These leave many people questioning how this even happens? How did a website with a false definition make it to the #1 position in Google? The answer: crafty SEO techniques. (more…)

By now, you’ve almost certainly heard all about the significant new changes Facebook announced at their f8 summit.  Mark Zuckerberg and company proudly unveiled a brand new user experience, equipped with multiple news feeds, timeline profiles and apps that are more pervasive than ever.  What they left out, seemingly, was how these changes would impact brands using Facebook to reach consumers. (more…)

Link building can be hard; link building for big brands can be even harder. Traditionally, link builders are at their best when they can quickly move around the web, reaching out to bloggers and web masters and looking for that perfect opportunity to make a connection. When link building for a big, corporate client however, this freedom disappears. The link builder is restrained by branding restrictions, employees looking to protect their online turf and perhaps a not so web-savvy executive or two. Even with these restrictions, a link builder who knows how to handle the situation can leverage the massive corporate structure and really move the needle. Here are five examples, though there are many more: (more…)

First things first, what is the Google Analytics Individual Qualifications Exam?

It is a test put together by the fine folks at Google to prove proof of proficiency in utilizing Google Analytics. Seems pretty straight forward, but why is this important, or even necessary? (more…)

Here at Rise, you’ll notice that we have lots of staff blog writers. From our Marketing group to our Internet Marketing Consultants, everyone wants to get involved in the Rise blog.

So, you might be wondering… how do I motivate employees to write blogs? (more…)

This past Wednesday, September 21^st, was the Google@Chicago event at Google’s regional headquarters. Google hosted three “Spark Sessions” which were presented by Ryan Stonehouse, speaking on Social, Brian McDevitt, speaking on Mobile, and John Militello, speaking on Creative. The “Spark Sessions” were followed by hands-on Google product demos. (more…)

You’d think with a title like that I’d be discounting the impact data and analysis play in the role of marketing operations… actually, it is quite the opposite. Numbers drive everything, but are you equipped to generate, analyze and act upon your data? (more…)