Are you looking to give your YouTube channel a more professional look? Do you want to make it easier for your viewers to find and remember your channel? One great way to do that is by getting a custom YouTube URL.
Please note that YouTube no longer allows the creation of new custom URLs, and existing ones cannot be modified. However, your current custom URL will still work. If you need to permanently delete your custom URL, you’ll have to delete your entire channel, which is a permanent action.
If you want to create a new URL for your channel, you can change your handle. Whenever you do this, a new handle URL will be generated automatically, such as youtube.com/@youtubecreators.
But don’t worry, changing your handle is a quick and easy process, and it can be well worth it to have a custom URL that reflects your brand or channel name.
In this article, we’ll guide you through the steps on how to change your YouTube handle and get a custom YouTube URL, so you can take your channel to the next level. Let’s dive in!
How to get a custom YouTube URL?
Step 1: Open YouTube and sign in you your account.
Step 2: Click your profile icon in the top right corner and select YouTube Studio from the drop-down menu.
Step 5: Type in your new handle name to see available handles. When the green tick icon appears, it means the handle is available.
Note: Copy your handle URL below the handle name. That’s also your YouTube channel URL, you can share it with your audience.
Step 6: Click the publish button and you’re done.
Final words
To sum up, obtaining a custom URL for your YouTube channel can be an effective way to enhance your channel’s branding and make it easier for viewers to find you. Although YouTube no longer offers the option to create new custom URLs, you can still change your existing URL by updating your handle. Following the steps and tips outlined in this article, you can successfully obtain a custom YouTube URL that reflects your brand and helps you stand out on the platform.
FAQs
Can I change my custom YouTube URL?
YouTube no longer allows changing of custom URLs. However, you can still update your handle, which will automatically create a new handle URL for your channel.
Can I delete my custom YouTube URL?
Yes, you can delete your custom YouTube URL by deleting your entire channel. However, please note that deleting your channel is a permanent action and cannot be undone.
How many subscribers do I need to get a custom YouTube URL?
To be eligible for a custom YouTube URL, you need to have at least 100 subscribers, be at least 30 days old, have an uploaded profile picture, and have uploaded channel art.
What happens if I change my YouTube channel name?
If you change your YouTube channel name, your custom URL will still work. However, your handle URL will be updated with your new channel name.
QR code is the bridge between your online and offline marketing efforts. Nurturing your consumers through the marketing funnel by giving them the correct information at the right time is the key to a successful influencer marketing campaign.
Technology is meant to complement traditional print marketing and advertising instead of replacing it. The most successful and engaging marketing campaigns have one thing in common: integrating digital marketing approaches with conventional advertising.
What is QR Code?
QR are 2D barcodes that are scanned through smartphone devices through cameras or their QR code scanning capability.
The strategic use and placement of QR codes with access to the updated and relevant information can be the most significant asset.
Why does QR code marketing matter?
The QR codes were used by a Toyota subsidiary named Denso in 1994. They helped in tracking the vehicle parts and streamline the manufacturing process.
This allowed the fast-decoding process and thus called Quick Response Code.
Back when it was introduced, there was a minimum number of people leveraging this technology. With a tiny number of use-cases, marketers predicted the QR code trend not to last too long.
Fast forward to 2020; the pandemic catapulted the QR code adoption not because of its versatility but for the fact that it was a safe, hygienic and cost-effective solution.
Not just that, it also gave an option to collect data from the traditional marketing campaigns.
Is QR code marketing here to stay?
According to Bank My Cell, there are 6.648 billion smartphone users globally, which means 83.40% of the world population owns a smartphone. With the growing rate of QR code adoption, they can help increase brand awareness, increase sales and enhance customer engagement with the brand.
Modern way to create QR codes is through URL shorteners. Tools like Replug, Bitly and other allows users to create custom shortened URLs without needing to know anything about HTML. When sharing these shortened links, users just need to scan the link with their smartphone camera. This method is great because no technical skills are required, and any recipient can access the shortened URL.
How can you use QR codes for your marketing goals?
Increase social media following:
Social media presence for any business is no longer an option. It’s a necessity. You can use QR codes on the products for your marketing material to direct users to your social media pages like Facebook, Instagram.
This is a great way to maximize reach on social media networks. You can also ask them for a review of your product or tag them in the user-generated content with your product.
Get app downloads:
If used strategically, QR code marketing can be one of the fastest ways to increase app downloads and drive users into the mobile app marketing funnel. Burger King used them during 2020 MTV VMAs to let viewers download the Burger King app. These ads encouraged the viewers to scan the codes to download the app and avail various discounts.
You can use the QR code to direct viewers to a page or website with detailed information. The information not covered in the print ad, such as product description, pricing list, dates and time, the procedure to place an order, can be communicated via the code. The luxury brand, Burberry, introduced sustainable labeling where they outlined the product attributes through this.
QR codes can be used on marketing materials from billboards, print ads and business cards to direct users to webpages. This helps marketers to build email lists by asking users to sign up to avail certain offers. This will be a good strategy to boost your email marketing strategy.
Enhance the user experience:
You can improve the user experience by offering them valuable and necessary information in the QR code—for example, an instructional video to set up the product or printable sheet or link to the recipe on food products.
QR codes can be strategically used for lead generation according to the kind of business. For example, a real estate agency had to sell a large office building. They used these to generate and track leads.
You can use QR codes for establishing product transparency through product packaging. This will help you to win your customer’s trust. It will increase the customer’s loyalty and engagement which is why they are more likely will stick to the brand.
With the vCard QR code, you can share your contact details such as email, work address, phone details, location etc., with your customers. The dynamic one gives you the freedom to edit the information many times without reprinting the code.
With the flexibility to embed multiple content formats into QR codes, brands have attracted customers with personalized shopping experiences. JC Penny on Christmas released “Santa tags”. The idea was to allow the giver to record a personalized message played when the recipient scans the code.
Increase post purchase engagement:
Avail the opportunity to engage your customer after the purchase. QR codes for rating and review pages are the one way to go about it. You can also link these to discount coupons for their future purchases, so they continue shopping with you. The Amazon QR codes drive repeat purchases and thus increasing the website traffic.
According to writers block hive, 86% of people said they trust online reviews as much as they believe in word of mouth. You can use a QR code to ask for product reviews and build the customer’s trust by providing them with the information they are looking for.
With the pandemic, restaurants looked for safe and hygienic options for their customers. From menus to payments, restaurants used QR codes to design a contactless experience for their customers.
QR code menus lower the printing price and are also more convenient to update about the availability of items, price, details etc., without reprinting.
One cannot deny the effectiveness of OOH advertising. According to Dash Two’s study, 71% of consumers said digital billboards are more appealing than online ads. Pairing the billboard with a QR code strategically can drive consumers to take action and thus getting you data.
Walmart, during the 2020 holidays, when their sales are supposed to be high, didn’t observe the shoppers due to the covid-19 pandemic, they launched virtual billboards at places where they did not have brick and mortar stores.
These virtual stores allowed people to scan and buy the products on the spot from their online stores.
Visitors scan the code next to a painting, and they get a series of stories about the artwork, its history and the painter themselves.
The intriguing stories about war, deception, insanity, love and romance added to the experience of the museum visitors.
4- Recycling:
PepsiCo used an integrated hydration platform with QR codes in their soda stream style dispenser. For single-use plastic, PepsiCo used an integrated hydration platform. Other companies are embracing this innovation as well. Waste Direct, a leading waste disposal and recycling service in the UK, is leveraging QR codes to simplify waste management for convenient waste collection scheduling and more.
The users can bring their bottles to fill them with still or carbonated options. Thus, replacing the vending machine with dispensers that use QR code stickers. The system was launched in schools and offices, but it was later expanded into public places.
Add a call for action next to your QR code: A QR code is like the door opening into the experience your customer wants to have. But if there is no sign on the door, nobody will enter. A compelling call to action is therefore necessary.
QR code Placement: Make sure your QR code is strategically placed in a well visible place where your target user can notice it and quickly scan it. It should be set against a bright background to increase its readability.
Brand your QR code: Make sure the QR code reflects your brand identity. Branding is an essential part of it as well to generate more scans. Make them more attractive by customising them with brand colours and logos. Source
Mind QR code proportion: While using it on the marketing material or packaging, make sure not to distort the ratio since it can make the scanning difficult.
Minimize the number of QR codes: If there are multiple QR codes on the package or your print ad, it’ll confuse the audience, and thus you’ll miss the opportunity. Ideally, you should go with one goal per QR code, but if you want to give them a holistic view of your product, then you should create a universal link and direct them to the information they are looking for.
Use interactive landing pages: When linking your QR code to the video, file or landing page, make the content accessible on a smartphone and mobile-friendly.
High-quality QR code: Make sure you use a high-quality QR code with well-maintained whitespace so it is easy to read and scan.
Track data: Once your QR code marketing goes live, keep track of data. This data will tell you about your best performing and underperforming campaigns, and you can optimise them accordingly.
Benefits of dynamic QR code:
Editable: You can edit your dynamic QR code’s content at any time, allowing you to print your active QR codes, and you can still change the content at any time.
Data tracking: You can track data of your dynamic QR code addresses, contact numbers, and names; you can follow the number of scans, time of a scan, location of the scan and even people used it to scan it.
Cost-effective: A QR code generator is very cost-effective, and some platforms even offer it for free
Choosing a QR code generator:
Making the right choice of a QR code generator is the prerequisite of leveraging QR code marketing for your business. There are unlimited free QR code generators available, but make sure to choose with:
What are the data points you can get from QR codes?
QR codes are easy to use and are a great tool to analyse users’ click behaviour. They offer multiple data points such as time of the scan, location of the scan, times it has been scanned etc. With the right messaging and strategy, you can ask your users for email addresses, contact numbers and names.
Is there any expiration date for QR codes?
Some QR code generators offer a limited period or a limited number of scans. Once that is over, your QR code expires. However, some QR codes provide a lifetime of free access, and there is no limit on time or number of scans. In this case, you only have to make sure the URL is not broken.
How can we use QR codes in marketing?
QR codes are one of the most widely used tools for marketing by brands and businesses of all sizes. You can use QR code for: – Directing customers to your website – Getting App downloads – Share the business and contact details with potential clients – Share the address and location – Building email lists – Encouraging customers to leave a review – Engaging the customers for post-purchase – Personalized marketing tools the marketing – Sending prompted SMS and emails – Access AR for marketing
How to promote QR codes for your business?
There are various ways in which you can promote QR codes: – Include QR codes on the packaging – Include QR codes on marketing material both online and offline – Include QR codes in email signatures – Include QR codes on your business cards – Stick QR codes on tables, doors and signage where it can grab customer’s attention
Meta Pixel, previously known as Facebook Pixel, is a small piece of code that can be added to the back-end of a website, mobile app, or partner application to track user’s footprints, making it easier for advertisers to retarget them on Facebook. Moreover, the Meta Pixel assists brands, organizations, entrepreneurs, and marketers with Facebook pages in determining and enhancing their return on investment from the largest social network in the world.
While e-commerce has never been this popular, social media platforms are adapting to the latest technologies and advancements.
Since Facebook is the number one social media platform with over one billion monthly active users, digital marketers and online advertisers need to tighten their grip on every aspect of Facebook ads.
In a world full of AI tools and chatbots, it’s crucial to figure out the basic online marketing techniques that could give you a slight edge over the competition.
Let’s dive deep into Meta Pixel and understand more about it.
Why is the Meta Pixel called “Pixel”?
Since Meta Pixel is a powerful analytical tool that tracks website visitors’ activities. The way it works is that it uses a short code that leaves a cookie on each website visitor and helps advertisers track them via Facebook ads.
Pixel is the industry-standard name for retargeting code that sits on the advertiser’s website or app and provides them with insights into consumer behaviors, actions, and choices.
Meta Pixel helps identify Facebook advertisers and how users are interacting with the content or products on their website.
Installing a pixel, whether you’re running Quora ads or Facebook ads, is vital to remarketing the previous website’s visitors and understanding the audience’s behavior toward your ad.
What are the benefits of installing the Meta Pixel?
Digital marketing gurus and online advertising experts rave about retargeting and often consider it one of the most important aspects of e-commerce sales growth.
Installing the Meta Pixel in your website or app can provide various benefits that can help improve your Facebook advertising efforts – no question about it.
So let me shed some light on the capabilities and benefits of installing or using the Meta Pixel:
Essential for Facebook remarketing:
Retargeting or remarketing is the core reason why meta-pixel is a thing now. With the help of the Meta Pixel, you can track the behavior of users who have visited your website or app, and target them with specific ads to encourage them to return to your site or complete a desired action.
Track and improve conversions:
Advertisers can track user behavior on their websites or apps and analyze the effectiveness of their advertising campaigns. The data can help them identify areas where they need to improve their campaigns and optimize their ads to increase conversions.
Helps build custom audiences:
Marketers and advertisers could create custom audiences based on the actions users take on their website or app. This can help them create targeted ads for specific groups of users and improve the relevance of their advertising campaigns.
Assists in building lookalike audiences:
By analyzing the behavior of users who have interacted with your website or app, the Meta Pixel can help advertisers identify similar audiences that are likely to be interested in their products or services. It can easily expand the reach of the advertising campaigns and help target new potential customers.
Measures the results of your ad campaigns:
The Meta Pixel provides advertisers with detailed data about the performance of your advertising campaigns. They can track the number of clicks, conversions, and other metrics that help them understand the effectiveness of their ads.
Enables advertisers to show ads to the right audience:
It gets easier to track user behavior with such a facility. Therefore, the advertisers could create targeted ads that are shown to the right people at the right time. It can significantly improve the relevance of their advertising campaigns and increase the chances of users taking action.
How does the Meta Pixel work?
The Meta Pixel works by inserting a one-time code into your website or app source so that it could track the users and allows you to remarket them using Facebook retargeting ads.
To use the Meta pixel effectively, you must first install it on the website or app – wherever you’re trying to capture the audience footprints for Facebook retargeting.
The retargeting pixel goes into the header section of the website or the source code of your app and helps you monitor, analyze, and track the audience visiting the pages/sections with the code on it.
For example, an author is selling an ebook through a website and has already set up a landing page, a checkout page, and a thank you page for the campaign. The Meta Pixel would be installed on all three pages to record the buyer’s journey.
In most content management systems (CMS), the header and footer are common on all pages. Therefore, adding any piece of code into the header or footer section means it’s been added to all pages eventually.
What does Meta Pixel collect?
The Meta Pixel is a powerful tool that enables advertisers to collect valuable data that can be used to improve the effectiveness of your Facebook ad campaigns.
The data collection using Meta Pixel begins by installing the Meta Pixel on the back end of your website or app. Once it’s added, you can monitor and track conversions on the website/app.
This valuable data can be used to optimize your ad campaigns, ensuring that they are delivering the best possible results.
The reason why advertisers collect data is because of its ability to facilitate remarketing to people who have already taken some kind of action on your website.
By tracking the actions of visitors, such as adding items to a cart or completing a purchase, the Meta pixel can help facilitate the delivery of targeted ads to those individuals.
Furthermore, one of the benefits of using the Meta pixel is that it allows you to build targeted audiences for future ads. As visitors interact with your website, their actions are recorded and analyzed by the Meta pixel.
This empowers you (or the advertiser) to create audience segments based on specific behaviors or interests, which can then be used to target future ads. This process is called retargeting or remarketing.
So the Meta Pixel collects valuable information about the website visitors so that the advertiser could design or create a relevant ad campaign to target the right audience.
What are Meta Pixel Events?
Meta has provided several “Events” for conversion optimization. If you’re new to Facebook advertising jargon, then let me make it easier for you.
Events are defined as any type of action that takes place on your website after the visitor lands on the website as a result of the ad.
There are several “Standard events” which are predefined by Meta and advertisers could use them to log user activities, conversion analysis, and build an audience.
Besides the “Standard events,” there are “Object properties” that are also predefined by Meta and can be included with “Standard events” based on compatibility. For more clarification on Meta Pixel or to access the event codes, check out this page.
How to setup Meta Pixel?
Setting up the Meta Pixel is not a complex process unless you haven’t done any Facebook ad campaigns before or you never edited even a simple HTML code.
I’ll try to break down the process into brief sections so that it gets easier for an average Joe to digest, comprehend, and implement it.
Before I head over to the next part, just remember that Meta Pixel is a code that works as a cookie and helps advertisers target the website audience on Facebook.
Since you have already learned about the Meta Pixel by now, it’s important to know how you can create it. It’s not a complex process so no need to panic.
Here are the steps involved in creating a meta pixel:
Step 1: Access the ads manager
Ads Manager is a platform provided by Facebook that allows you to manage and create advertisements for your business.
To create a meta pixel, you need to first access the Ads Manager by logging in to your Facebook account and clicking on the “Ads Manager” button in the top left corner of the screen.
Step 2: Go to the events manager
Once you are in the Ads Manager, you need to navigate to the Events Manager section. This can be done by clicking on the “Events Manager” button in the left-hand menu.
Step 3 Connect a data source:
After accessing the Events Manager, you need to connect a data source. A data source can be any platform that you use to collect data related to your websites or apps, such as Google Analytics or Shopify.
By connecting a data source, you can collect information about user behavior on your website or app and use it to create targeted ads.
Step 4: Choose the data source
Lastly, you need to choose the data source that you want to use for creating your meta pixel. This can be done by clicking on the “Connect Data Sources” button in the Events Manager. In most cases, the data source is the website, so you’ll need to provide the URL of your website.
You can either connect through the Conversion API method or Facebook Pixel method. For the said case we have selected the Facebook Pixel method.
Step 6: Connect website activity using Facebook Pixel
Once you have chosen the data source and followed the on-screen instructions to complete the process of creating a meta pixel, you’ll be able to generate your meta pixel for installation on your website or landing page.
How to install the Meta Pixel on your website?
There are two basic ways of installing the meta pixel on your website.
i. Insert Meta Pixel code manually
The simple yet basic method of inserting the meta pixel code into your website is by accessing the source code of the website and putting the code into it. It’s usually done by editing the HTML or PHP file using a code editor and pasting the code into it.
Make sure to add it to the pages that need the most or else you won’t be able to track the conversion. If your website is built with PHP, you might have a header.php file, just insert the code into it and it’ll be available/accessible on every page of the website.
Below are the steps to follow to install the Meta Pixel code manually.
1.Naviagte to the Events Manager in your FB Business Suite and click the Data Sources.
2. Select the Meta Pixel you want to setup, and click Continue Pixel setup.
3. Select Meta Pixel and click Connect.
4. Select Install code manually
5. Copy the pixel base code.
6. Paste the pixel code at the bottom of the header section above the closing header tag in your CMS or web platform.
Note: Ensure to toggle on Automatic Advanced Matching
ii. Add Meta Pixel code via Partner Integration
The second method is more convenient than the previous one. It will work only if you’re using a CMS like WordPress, Drupal, or Shopify. All you need is to edit the source file and insert the meta pixel into your website’s code.
Most people use WordPress for building their websites, blogs, and landing pages. So you could use any code insertion WordPress plugin for that matter. All you have to do is to install such a plugin and paste the code into it. The plugin would do the rest of the process of code placement on the website.
Here are some of the popular code insertion plugins: ⦁ WPCode ⦁ Woody code snippets ⦁ Header Footer Code Manager
Below video by digital marketer Jacob Lee explains the steps to add Meta Pixel code via WordPress partner integration.
How to find the Meta Pixel ID?
Locating the meta pixel ID might be difficult for beginners, but it’s quite simple. If you have created your meta pixel ID, then it won’t be difficult for you to find and access it.
However, if you’re new to Facebook ads, then it might seem intimidating at first. Don’t worry because I’ve got your back.
To find the Meta Pixel in the Facebook Ads Manager, you can follow these steps:
i. Log in to your Facebook account and go to the Ads Manager. ii. Click on the hamburger menu icon (three horizontal lines) in the top left corner of the screen. iii. Select the “Events Manager” option from the list of available options. iv. In the Events Manager section, click on the “Data sources” tab in the left-hand menu. v. Once you click on the data source button, you will be taken to your pixel page. Here, you can see the pixel ID, view the pixel code, and make any necessary changes to the pixel settings. vi. If you want to use the pixel to track specific events on your website or app, you can click on the “Settings” button next to the top menu and access the specific option. This is the area that will give you access to the cookies set, event setup, and conversion API.
That’s pretty much it!
Now you have successfully found your Meta Pixel in the Facebook Ads Manager and can now use it to track user behavior on your website or app and create targeted ads.
How to setup Events using the Event setup tool?
Setting up Events is an essential step in optimizing and improving the ad campaign as it directly influences the customer base targeting. Since retargeting is all about reaching out to the audience that has shown some interest in your website, setting up the right event helps identify the intent of the website visitors.
To start using Events, you first need to set them up. Facebook has a dedicated section for Events setup, and it’s called Event Setup Tool.
Step 1: Go to the Ads Manager The first step in setting up events using the Event Setup Tool is to log in to the Ads Manager. If you don’t have an account, you can create one for free by going to the Facebook Ads Manager.
Step 2: Open the Events Manager Once you have logged in to the Ads Manager, you will need to navigate to the Events Manager. You can do this by clicking on the hamburger icon in the top left corner of the screen and selecting “Events Manager” from the menu that appears.
Step 3: Access the Data Sources Once you have opened the Events Manager, you will see a menu on the left side of the screen. From here, click on “Data Sources,” which will take you to a page where you can manage your data sources, such as your website, app, or offline events.
Step 4: Go to the Settings Section After accessing the Data Sources page, you will see a list of your data sources. Select the data source you want to set up events for and click on its name. This will take you to the Settings section for that particular data source.
Step 5: Open the Events Setup Tool Within the Settings section, scroll down until you see the “Events” section. Here, you will find the option to open the Events Setup Tool.
Once you click on this button, you will be taken to a page where you can create and manage the events that you want to track on your website.
How to confirm that the Meta Pixel is working using the Meta Pixel Helper?
The Meta Pixel Helper is a convenient Chrome browser extension that can be used to check for the presence of Meta Pixel code on websites without any hassle.
This browser extension operates in the background and doesn’t bother the script or performance of the website. Plus, it is quite easy to install even for newbies.
After installation, an icon resembling </> – the Pixel Helper icon – will appear in the upper right corner of the browser alongside the address bar.
When a website has a Meta Pixel installed, the Pixel Helper icon will change color from grey to blue, and a badge will appear showing the number of Pixels found on the page.
If the icon does not turn blue, it means that there are no Meta Pixels installed on that particular webpage. To access the Pixel Helper, click on the Pixel Helper icon and a small popup will appear containing information that can be used to verify, troubleshoot, and improve the Pixel.
Therefore, the Pixel Helper is a helpful tool for confirming the installation or existence of the Meta Pixel on the website. To download this Chrome extension, visit this page.
How to use Meta Pixel with Replug?
Replug is a powerful URL shortener that offers several features such as URL shortening, branded short URLs, retargeting, deep links, and bio links.
You already know by now that Meta Pixel is used for retargeting people through Facebook ads. Since Replug also provides a retargeting feature, it’s time to figure out how the combo of Meta Pixel and Replug plays out.
You can use the short links created with Replug’s link converter tool to reach out and retarget the users that click on your short URLs through Facebook ads.
Here are the steps involved in using Meta Pixel with Replug:
i. Grab the Pixel ID from Facebook
You’d surely know by now where to get the pixel ID from your Facebook account. Here’s a quick guide if it all seems intimidating or too much to digest:
Go to the Ads Manager section and click on the Events Manager button from the options.
Then, go to the Data Sources from the left menu and you’ll see the Facebook pixel.
Open the settings area of your pixel and copy the pixel ID from there.
ii. Login to your Replug Account
Now go to the Replug website and log in to your Replug account.
In case, you haven’t signed up for a Replug account, I highly recommend doing it now. Replug has a 14-day free trial. Try Now!
iii. Add a Retargeting Pixel in Replug
Once you’re in, access the profile settings from the top-right corner. Just click on your profile icon to do so.
A drop-down menu would appear; click on the Retargeting Pixels.
You’ll land on the Retargeting Pixels page. Now click on the “Add Pixel” button.
Once you click the Add Pixel button, a popup window would appear. Choose Facebook, provide your pixel name, and paste your Facebook pixel ID.
Once it’s done, click on the “Add” button to proceed.
iv. Create a retargeting campaign
The next up is creating a new campaign for retargeting the Replug audience, meaning the visitors who click through your short links, so you could start retargeting them through Facebook ads.
To do this, go to your Replug dashboard and access the Campaign section.
Click on the “New Campaign” button to create a new campaign for this purpose.
Select the appropriate brand or create a new one for this campaign.
Name this campaign and select the campaign type. You must check the “retargeting” option at this stage to let Replug know that it’s a retargeting campaign.
Choose the retargeting script afterwards.
In this case, it’ll be the one associated with Facebook. Choose the Facebook pixel you created earlier in your Replug account.
Now save the campaign and you’re done with creating a new campaign using Replug.
Changing the meta pixel’s name might not be on your mind, but you should know whether or not you can do it, just in case.
It’s possible to change the meta pixel’s name. All you have to do is to follow a few simple steps to do this:
i. Go to your Ads Manager account after logging in to your Facebook account. ii. Access the Events Manager section from the Ads Manager. iii. Open the Data Sources to access your already created meta pixel. (Remember that you could create only one meta pixel per account). iv. Now click on the edit button next to your meta pixel’s name. This is where you could change the meta pixel’s name.
That’s it.
Easy-peasy!
FAQs about Meta Pixel
Is meta pixel a cookie?
The Meta Pixel is a pixel code that helps advertisers target the audience who have visited their websites through Facebook ads. A cookie also does the user-tracking on the websites, but may not be directly influencing the retargeting like the meta pixel.
How do I create the Meta Pixel?
Log in to your Facebook account, go to the Ads Manager, access the Events Manager, and click on the Data Sources. You’ll see the option to create your meta pixel.
Is the Meta pixel different from than Facebook pixel?
No. The Meta Pixel and the Facebook Pixel are the same. The Meta Pixel was formerly known as the Facebook Pixel.
What is Meta pixel in Facebook ads?
It’s a pixel code that helps advertisers track the website visitors and empowers them to advertise to those visitors using Facebook ads by retargeting them.
What is a Facebook Pixel notice?
This is by no means legal advice, but a lot of countries require websites to display the cookie consent notification which tells the website visitors that this website is using cookies to track visitors.
When a website is using Meta Pixel or any other user tracking tool to track website visitors’ activity, performance, and behavior, they must notify the website visitors about this.
Have you ever seen a cookie consent notification on websites, especially when you visit it for the first time?
The website is trying to tell you that they’re using some tracking tools or softwares to track the visitors’ activities and behaviors – it’s a very common website management practice.
I’m no expert on GDPR or CCPA, so you should consult your lawyer for more clarity. However, I simply use a cookie consent WordPress plugin on my website that displays a cookie consent notification on the website.
Some several tools and plugins automatically add cookies consent notices to the websites, but here are some of the popular website plugins for this purpose:
⦁ Cookie Notice & Compliance for GDPR / CCPA ⦁ Cookies and Content Security Policy ⦁ Cookie Script
Are you an avid gamer or just a casual viewer of gaming streams? Then you’ve likely come across Twitch, the popular live-streaming platform that has taken the gaming world by storm.
Whether you’re watching your favorite gamer or streaming your own gameplay, sharing your Twitch URL link is essential to getting more viewers and building your online presence.
But with all the different types of links available, from stream links to PDF links to channel URL links, it can be confusing to know which one to share and how to do it.
In this article, we’ll walk you through the process of sharing your Twitch URL link and give you some tips on how to make the most of it. So, let’s get started and make sure your Twitch channel gets the recognition it deserves!
How to find and share your Twitch channel URL?
Your Twitch Channel URL is the link to your Twitch profile, which viewers can use to find and follow your channel. Here’s how to find and share your Twitch Channel URL:
Step 1: Follow the above steps and copy the URL by selecting it and pressing Ctrl+C.
Step 2: Open the platform or social media where you want to share the link (e.g., Twitter, Discord, or Facebook).
Step 3: Create a new post or message and paste the copied URL into the text field.
Noteworthy Tip: Promoting your Twitch Channel URL on social media and other platforms is a great way to attract new viewers and build your audience. Consider joining Twitch communities and groups to connect with other gamers and potential viewers.
How to share a Twitch Link of a stream you’re watching?
Sharing a Twitch link of a stream you’re watching is a great way to introduce your friends and followers to new content and support your favorite streamers. Here’s how to do it:
Step 1: Open the Twitch stream you want to share on your preferred device.
Step 2: Click on the “Share” button located below the video player.
Step 3: Choose how you want to share the link – you can copy the link to share it on other platforms or share it directly to social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, or Reddit.
Step 4: Add a message or comment to your post to provide context for your followers and encourage them to check out the stream.
Step 5: Publish your post and wait for your followers to start watching the stream!
Sharing Twitch links is an essential part of building an audience and connecting with other gamers on the platform. Whether you’re sharing your own stream link, your Twitch Channel URL, or a link to a stream you’re watching, it’s important to provide context and encourage viewers to tune in. By promoting your Twitch content on social media and other platforms, and by supporting other streamers in the community, you can build your audience and create a thriving Twitch channel.
So don’t be afraid to share your links and get involved in the Twitch community – the more you engage with other gamers and viewers, the more successful your channel will be!
FAQs
How to change your Twitch URL link?
Yes, Twitch allows you to change your Twitch URL (also known as your Twitch Channel URL) once every 60 days. Here’s how to do it: – Log in to your Twitch account and click on your profile picture in the top right corner. – Select “Settings” from the dropdown menu. – Scroll down to the “Profile” section and locate the “Profile URL” field. – Click on the “Edit” button next to the field. – Type in your desired username, making sure to follow Twitch’s guidelines for usernames. – Click on the “Check Availability” button to make sure the username is available. – If the username is available, click on the “Update” button to change your Twitch URL.
How do I share my Twitch stream link?
To share your Twitch stream link, navigate to your stream page and copy the URL from the address bar. Then, paste it into a post on your preferred social media platform or messaging app, along with a message encouraging viewers to tune in.
What is the best way to promote my Twitch channel?
The best way to promote your Twitch channel is to engage with your audience on social media and other platforms and to collaborate with other streamers in the community. You can also consider creating content for other platforms like YouTube or Instagram to attract new viewers.
How often should I share my Twitch links?
There’s no set rule for how often you should share your Twitch links, but it’s important to strike a balance between promoting your content and not overwhelming your followers. Aim to share your links a few times a week, and make sure to provide context and encourage viewers to tune in.
Picture this: you’re hurrying to type your desired website’s address, but unfortunately, you hit the wrong key. What seems like a tiny slip becomes the cue for a scammer.
This is the problem of URL hijacking, where unnoticed typos in our favorite URLs lead us straight into danger. It may seem unlikely, but studies show that the top 3,264 domains alone are targeted by roughly 281 typo variants each, on average.
Now, imagine the consequences: identity theft, drained bank accounts, brand reputations collapsing, all triggered by a single mistyped letter.
The agitation here is real, and the numbers don’t lie: around 68% of phishing sites rely on brand imitation, like misspelled domains.
But don’t worry, we’ve got some good news for you!
In this post, we’ll explore solid defense techniques for spotting, blocking, and preventing these hijacks before they happen. So let’s get started with a closer look at what exactly URL hijacking is, beginning with a quick summary of what it means when someone hijacks a web address.
What is URL hijacking: A brief overview
Think of browsing the web as entering the correct building number to meet a friend, but ending up at a look-alike house instead. That’s essentially what happens in URL hijacking.
Attackers manipulate web traffic so you end up somewhere you didn’t intend to. At its core, URL hijacking (or “typosquatting”) means redirecting users or using near-identical web addresses to funnel them away from the legitimate site.
The major objective? To exploit unsuspecting users (and search engines) for personal data theft, brand damage, or profit, typically through services disguised as the real deal.
What is URL hijacking in cybersecurity
When we talk about URL hijacking in the context of cybersecurity, we’re zooming in on how attackers take advantage of the web addresses you visit, i.e., the actual “links” or “locations” you type or click.
One frequent tactic is called typosquatting, in which an attacker registers a misspelled version of a brand’s domain (for example, “amazom.com” instead of “amazon.com”) and waits for people to land there by accident.
Another is redirecting or manipulating DNS or redirect codes so that you believe you’re going to a trusted page, but you actually land on a malicious look-alike.
From a user’s perspective, this means: you click a link, everything looks legitimate, but behind the scenes, you may be entering your credentials, payment info, or other sensitive data into a fake site. That’s what makes URL hijacking a serious cybersecurity threat.
How does URL hijacking work?
Let’s walk through how this sneaky trick happens in real life. First, the attacker sets the stage, then everything else falls into place. Here’s how the workflow typically unfolds, in a reasonably straightforward way.
Workflow steps:
Domain registration or control: The attacker registers a domain name that closely mimics a legitimate site’s address (e.g., by adding or changing a letter, swapping characters, or using a different top-level domain).
Replication of look and feel: They build a website on that domain that imitates the legitimate brand’s logo, layout, colors, and content, so that casual visitors don’t notice the difference.
Driving traffic: Victims arrive via mistyped addresses (e.g., entering “exampel.com” instead of “example.com”), phishing emails with the fake URL, misleading ads or links, etc.
Redirection or landing: Once the user lands on the spoofed domain, they might be redirected elsewhere, asked to log in, enter payment details, download something malicious, or simply be shown ads.
Exploitation or profit: The attacker gathers credentials, installs malware, hijacks sessions, steals financial or personal data, or monetizes the traffic via affiliate links or advertising.
Covering tracks or scaling: They may register multiple domain variants, shift hosting, change DNS entries, or use redirection chains to evade detection and keep the scam alive.
That’s the typical route from a simple typo or deceptive link to a full-blown hijack.
Permanent & temporary redirects: The major culprits behind URL hijacking
Redirects are a widely utilized tool on the web today. They are used for everything from changing domain names to rerouting traffic during maintenance.
But when used (or misused), especially with the wrong type of redirect, they can become a major weakness that allows someone to hijack your URLs quite easily.
Here are the key types of redirects and how they play a key role in URL hijacking:
Permanent redirect (HTTP 301 / 308): This tells browsers and search engines, “this page has moved for good to this new address.” When used properly, it’s safe and clear. But if someone uses it maliciously, they can shift traffic and visibility away from your legitimate URL.
Temporary redirect (HTTP 302 / 303 / 307): This says “the content is temporarily at this address, but it will return.” The issue here is that search engines may get confused about which URL is the “real” one and may transfer ranking or visibility to the wrong URL. This is exactly what hijackers exploit.
Redirects from typos or look-alike domains: An attacker registers a domain that’s almost the same as yours (think one letter off) and sets up a redirect. Sometimes the redirect is temporary and sometimes permanent. However, the ultimate goal is to divert visitors or hijack your traffic.
Redirect chains or hidden/mis-handled redirects: Multiple hops of redirects, or the use of scripts/meta refresh, may conceal where a user ends up. This increases the chances of something going wrong, getting flagged, or getting hijacked.
In short, you must make sure you’re using the correct type of redirect for your purpose, and monitoring any unexpected ones. This is because misused temporary or permanent redirects are often the gateway to unauthorized traffic takeover.
Various forms of URL hijacking: Common methods listed
URL hijacking isn’t just one simple trick! There are several different practices attackers use to redirect or steal traffic.
Here’s a look at the major ones:
Typosquatting/Brandjacking
This happens when someone registers a domain name that’s almost identical to a trusted one, maybe one letter off, a plural version, or a different top-level domain (say “.net” instead of “.com”).
The goal is that users make a simple mistake and end up on the fake site instead of the real one. Once there, the fake may mimic the real site’s design, tricking you into entering login details or giving up personal info.
Domain hijacking
Here, the attacker takes control of the actual domain name from the rightful owner, for example, by getting access to the registrar account or exploiting lax domain transfer controls.
The main aim is to redirect all traffic meant for the real domain to a malicious site or to claim the domain for themselves. It’s especially dangerous because your brand or site might be “you,” but the traffic goes somewhere completely different, under someone else’s control.
DNS hijacking/poisoning
In this method, instead of attacking the domain name itself, the attacker corrupts the DNS lookup process, i.e., the system that translates your typed address into an IP address.
They insert false DNS records so that when you type a valid URL, you’re routed to a malicious server instead. Since your browser shows the correct URL, many users don’t notice anything’s wrong until it’s too late.
Malware-based browser hijacking
This one doesn’t always involve domains or DNS. Instead, malware or browser add-ons modify your browser settings (homepage, search engine, or extensions), redirecting you or exposing you to malicious content.
For instance, you click what appears to be a normal link, but a malicious extension changes the destination behind the scenes.
Malicious redirects
These are simpler but pretty effective. You arrive at a webpage (maybe by typo, click, or link) and are immediately or slowly redirected through one or more intermediate sites to a final malicious destination.
It might be designed to steal credentials, serve ads, or install malware. This method often overlaps with the others (DNS, domain, or browser hijacks), but the key is the redirect chain itself.
The consequences of URL hijacking: Severe dangers & impacts
When someone hijacks your URLs, it’s not just a harmless annoyance; it can lead to serious fallout for both individuals and organizations. Let’s walk through the main risks you’ll want to keep an eye on.
Theft of sensitive information
When a hijacked URL redirects you to what looks like a legit site, you might end up entering usernames, passwords, credit card details, or other personal data. This kind of data capture sits at the heart of many phishing-based URL hijacks.
Once attackers have that info, they can commit identity theft, access financial accounts, or carry out further attacks seamlessly.
Financial losses for businesses
For companies, the impact extends far beyond a single user being defrauded. A hijacked domain or URL can redirect traffic meant for you to someone else’s site, leading to lost revenue, diverted customers, and the cost of recovering systems. Plus, when customer trust is broken, the long-term hits can be even worse.
Malware installation
Some hijacking schemes involve more than just redirecting users. They may lead to malicious downloads, drive-by installs, or the execution of hidden browser scripts.
In other words: you click a link, land on what looks like the right page, and boom. You’ve got malware quietly running in the background.
SEO damage
Finally, if your domain or URLs are hijacked, your search engine standing can take a hit. Traffic gets diverted, link equity gets lost, and search engines may flag your site for suspicious behavior. All of this can severely hurt your rankings and visibility.
So with these risks in mind, it’s clear why URL hijacking is something you need to take seriously. Up next, we’ll look at how to prevent these kinds of attacks and protect your brand and users.
How to prevent URL hijacking: Protection & mitigation techniques
Protecting against URL hijacking isn’t about one silver bullet; it’s more like putting together a toolbox of good habits, clever tech, and proactive monitoring.
Here’s how you can build that protection together.
Be vigilant
Always keep your eyes open for anything odd, such as unexpected domain variations, sudden traffic drops, or links that look slightly off. Training your team and even your users to double-check the URL before entering credentials or clicking unknown links is a simple but powerful step.
Use reliable security software
Installing and maintaining effective security software, such as firewalls, anti-malware, and endpoint protection, can help block malicious sites, stop compromised redirects, and alert you to any suspicious activity. Keeping everything patched and up-to-date makes a big difference.
Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA)
Even if someone lands on a spoofed site and steals a password, MFA adds another layer of defense. The attacker still needs that second factor (a code, token, etc.) to breach in fully. It doesn’t stop the hijack entirely, but it reduces the damage quite well.
Monitor domain variations
Register common misspellings or look-alike domains of your brand before someone else does, and keep an eye on newly registered domains that resemble yours. This proactive move can block hijackers at the starting line.
Monitor website traffic & backlinks
If you notice a surprising drop in traffic or strange links pointing to domains you don’t recognize, that could be a sign someone’s hijacked your URL or is redirecting your traffic. Things like backlink monitoring and domain name checks are pretty helpful in this case.
Use secure DNS providers
Choosing DNS services with protections (such as DNSSEC, filtering of malicious domains, and monitoring) helps prevent someone from tampering with your DNS records or redirecting your site behind your back.
URL hijacking vs. URL phishing vs. URL masking vs. URL filtering
Here’s a friendly breakdown of how these terms differ from each other, so you can spot exactly what’s going on.
Technique
What it is (definition)
Key purpose
How to recognize it
URL hijacking
Redirecting or hijacking legitimate URLs to send traffic elsewhere.
Attackers aim to steal traffic, credentials, or hijack brand identity or reputation
You expect to go to site A, but you’re taken to site B. The domain looks similar, or a redirect happens
A defensive tool: blocking or allowing access to URLs based on rules, categories, or threat intelligence.
To protect users and networks from malicious or off-policy web traffic
On your network, you try to visit a site and get “Access denied” or see a block page. The admin controls which URLs are allowed
Wrapping up
URL hijacking might sound like a technical issue, but as we’ve seen, it’s a real threat that can harm your data, business, and online reputation. From typosquatting and DNS hijacking to malicious redirects, attackers keep finding new ways to trick users and steal information.
The good news is that with a bit of awareness, the right security habits, and smart innovative tools, you can stay one step ahead. Always keep an eye on your domains, monitor redirects, and use secure DNS providers.
And if you’re looking for a safe, reliable, and professional way to shorten long URLs, give Replug.io a try today. It’s one of the best custom URL shorteners out there to shorten links hassle-free, built with both branding and security in mind.
Frequently asked questions
What’s another name for URL hijacking?
Another name is “typosquatting”, which often involves registering misspelled versions of a legitimate URL to redirect traffic.
Why does URL hijacking occur, and is it bad?
It occurs because attackers want traffic, credentials, brand misuse, or ad revenue. Yes, it’s a very bad practice because it steals visitors, damages reputation, and enables further attacks.
What is an example of typosquatting?
Here is an example of typosquatting:
For instance, someone registers “faacebook.com” instead of “facebook.com”, so users who mistype their URL land on the fake site instead of the original one.
How do I know if I have a browser hijacker?
If your browser’s homepage, search engine, or new-tab settings change without your approval, or you’re frequently redirected to weird sites, you likely have a browser hijacker.
What is the difference between typosquatting and prepending?
Typosquatting uses misspelled domains to trap users. Whereas prepending involves adding extra characters or domains (like “search.legit-site.com.fake.com”) to trick viewers into thinking they’re on a trusted site.
When are 301 and 302 redirects used?
A “301” redirect is used when a page has permanently moved, while a “302” redirect indicates a temporary redirect. Improper use of these redirect types can cause hijacking issues with search engines.
What is the difference between URL hijacking and domain hijacking?
URL hijacking redirects traffic from a URL variant to a malicious destination, while domain hijacking involves taking control of the actual domain registration or DNS settings without permission.
How do hackers use URL hijacking?
Hackers register look-alike domains, set up malicious redirects, or clone sites. Victims who click or mistype end up on those sites where credentials are stolen or malware is deployed.
What are paid search hijacking and display hijacking?
Paid search hijacking happens when someone bids on your brand’s keywords and appears in your ad space. On the other hand, display hijacking occurs when someone uses your brand’s ad creative on-site to redirect or steal clicks.
Are typosquatting and cybersquatting the same thing?
Not exactly! Typosquatting is actually a subset of cybersquatting. Cybersquatting broadly refers to registering domains that mimic trademarks to profit from or misuse them, while typosquatting specifically exploits typing errors.
A URL blacklist is a list of website addresses (URLs) that are identified as potentially harmful or malicious by security organizations, internet service providers, or other entities. When a website is blacklisted, it is often blocked or flagged by web filters and security software to prevent users from accessing it.
The URLs listed on these blacklists are often identified through automated scans or reports from users who have encountered suspicious websites. URL blacklisting is done to protect the end-user’s privacy, sensitive information, and important data against hacking attempts or malware attacks.
Website owners, bloggers, and digital marketers rely on several channels and attention sources, such as social media, email lists, blogs, online communities, and advertising.
However, most of these channels drive the audience to the website for conversion, no matter how long it takes to build a relationship between a brand and the prospective customer.
No wonder entrepreneurs, bloggers, and affiliate marketers pay close attention to setting up their websites along with sales/landing pages, blog sections, and email newsletter opt-in forms.
It’s no surprise that a well-designed and optimized website is crucial to your digital marketing campaign’s success.
Speaking of website optimization, URLs play a key role in optimizing the website pages. Therefore, it’s essential to discuss URL blacklisting, and more importantly, how to fix the URL blacklisting issue.
If you have no idea about URL or website blacklisting and you’re confused right now, don’t worry about it, because we’ve got this covered.
Pay attention to every section of this very article.
Is URL blacklist dangerous?
Are you curious whether or not URL blacklisting is bad for your business? Always remember that businesses grow on relationships and reputation. A brand needs to establish strong brand positioning in the audience’s mind.
Since URL blacklisting destroys a brand’s reputation, online reach, and business development ability to the core, it’s surely not something any brand or business owner would want to be associated with.
More importantly, if a brand or entrepreneur somehow ends up getting their URLs blacklisted on search engines or social media platforms, it affects their communication, reach, and marketing. I do not doubt that URL blacklisting is quite dangerous for any business or personal brand. The impact of URL blacklisting has been discussed in detail further in the article. But before that
What do blacklist warning messages look like?
When websites or some of the website URLs are blacklisted, a warning message may appear in web browsers regardless of the operating system. These warning messages typically alert the user that the website is potentially dangerous, and advise them to proceed with caution or avoid the site altogether.
Here are some common URL blacklist warning messages:
This site may be harmful to your computer
This message is often displayed by web browsers such as Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox when a website is detected as containing malware or other potentially harmful content.
How does URL blacklist affect your website and business?
Being on a URL blacklist can have serious consequences for a website and brand. Here are 9 ways in which URL blacklisting can impact your website and businness:
1. Decreased visibility in the SERP
When a website is blacklisted, it may be removed from search engine results in pages or pushed down in rankings. This can lead to a significant decrease in traffic to the website, as users are less likely to find it through search.
2. Loss of trust by users
When a website is flagged as potentially dangerous, users may lose trust in the website and its content. This can lead to a decrease in engagement, as users may be hesitant to interact with the website or share its content.
This loss of trust could result in customers seeking out alternative providers and ultimately harm the website’s long-term sustainability. Losing customers’ trust is the last thing any brand or e-commerce website would want to happen.
3. Brand reputation at stake
If your website is associated with malware or other malicious activity, it can damage your brand’s reputation and credibility. This can have a long-term impact on your business, as consumers may be less likely to do business with you in the future. As users may view the website as untrustworthy, which could harm the website’s brand image and make it challenging to establish trust with potential customers.
4. The security risk for visitors
If your website is blacklisted due to malware or other security issues, it could pose a risk to your visitors. Malicious software can infect users’ devices or steal personal information, which can lead to legal issues and also damage your brand’s reputation.
5. Revenue losses
If your website relies on advertising or e-commerce, being blacklisted can result in a significant loss of revenue. Advertisers may be hesitant to place ads on a potentially dangerous website, and customers may be less likely to make purchases if they don’t trust the website.
6. Difficult to get rid of
Getting off a URL blacklist can be a long and difficult process. You may need to identify and remove all malicious content from your website, and then submit a request to the entity that added you to the list. This process can take time, and during that time your website may continue to experience negative consequences.
7. Decrease website traffic
One of the most painful things that happen to a website is when the traffic graph goes down for whatever reason. Once a website is blacklisted, it is likely to be excluded from search results and flagged as potentially harmful by web browsers, leading to a decrease in website traffic. Users may be warned about accessing the site or redirected to a warning page, which could deter them from visiting the site altogether.
8. Reduced conversion rate
If a website’s traffic and credibility are affected, its conversion rate, i.e., the number of visitors who take a desired action, such as making a purchase or filling out a form, is likely to decrease. This could harm the website’s revenue and profitability.
9. Affect organic visitors
Organic website traffic is an essential source of visitors for millions of websites around the web. Organic visitors are users who find a website through search engine results, and when a website is blacklisted, it is likely to be removed from search engine results pages. This could significantly affect the website’s visibility and reduce the number of organic visitors.
How blacklisted URL affects website SEO performance?
URL blacklisting comes with loads of problems for a brand or organization. It could be fatal for brand reputation and SEO performance if not fixed immediately.
Search engine optimization has become extremely competitive. When a website gets expelled from the good books of search engines, it’s not easy to crawl back to the same position.
Once something goes wrong, it takes sheer hard work and a lot of time to win the same position back in the SERP.
Here’s how blacklisted URLs affect a website’s SEO performance:
1. Triggers traffic loss
One of the most devastating issues webmasters and companies face when their URLs get blacklisted is that their website traffic takes a hit. It results in a revenue decrease, no matter the size or scale of the organization. More website visitors mean more revenue, it’s that simple.
2. Rankings start to drop
Since website page rankings are a crucial part of the SEO process, URL blacklisting causes the ranking to drop in search engines. The reason behind this issue is that search engines want to provide their users with the best experience when they’re using them. Any turbulence during the search process that causes the end-user to get frustrated is a serious matter for search engines.
3. Decrease in inbound links
People want to link to authoritative and trustworthy websites. When a website’s URL gets blacklisted by Google, it eventually sends out a negative message to others in the industry. Nobody wants to link out to a spammy and blacklisted website, because every company or website wants their users to have a great experience when they browse their website or reading their content.
4. Bad user experience for visitors
When a website’s URL is blacklisted by Google or any other search engine, it directly affects the user experience. The web browsers may block those websites with blacklisted URLs and anti-virus softwares to start notifying the visitors with cautionary messages forcing users to exit the websites for safety purposes. Therefore, it results in a bad user experience for the end-user.
5. Dip in the website conversions
Nobody wants to spend money using their credit card or PayPal account if there is a hint of malware or malicious activities on the website. While URL blacklisting affects the SEO performance of the website, it also decreases the website conversion rate very quickly.
URL blacklisting is the process of adding a website’s URL to a blacklist filter, usually maintained by search engines, web browsers, or anti-virus softwares, due to various reasons such as spamming, malware distribution, or other malicious activities.
It’s vital to understand a website ends up getting flagged by search engines, web browsers, or anti-virus softwares. So I came up with a list of reasons why a website’s URLs get blacklisted:
1. Phishing Attacks
Phishing attacks involve tricking users into providing sensitive information such as usernames, passwords, or credit card details through fraudulent websites or emails. If a website is found to be hosting a phishing attack, its URL may be blacklisted to protect users from falling victim to the scam.
2. SEO Spamming
SEO spamming involves manipulating search engine rankings through various unethical practices such as keyword stuffing, cloaking, and link spamming. If a website is found to be engaging in such practices, search engines may blacklist its URL to maintain the quality and relevance of search results.
Website owners often use third-party plugins or libraries to add functionality to their websites. However, if these plugins or libraries are found to have security vulnerabilities, they can be exploited by hackers to gain access to the website’s server. In such cases, the website’s URL may be blacklisted until the vulnerabilities are fixed.
4. Website Defacement
Website defacement refers to the unauthorized modification of a website’s content or appearance. This could be done for political, ideological, or malicious reasons. If a website is defaced, its URL may be blacklisted until the website owner restores it to its original state.
5. Trojan Horses
A Trojan horse is a type of malware that disguises itself as a legitimate program or software. Once installed on a computer, it can perform various malicious activities, such as stealing sensitive information or damaging files. If a website is found to be hosting a Trojan horse, its URL may be blacklisted to prevent users from unknowingly downloading the malware.
6. Malware Codes
Malware code is a type of malicious software designed to infect computers and cause harm. If a website is found to be hosting malware code, its URL may be blacklisted to prevent users from being infected.
Server vulnerabilities can be exploited by hackers to gain unauthorized access to a website’s files and data. If a website’s server is found to have vulnerabilities, its URL may be blacklisted until the vulnerabilities are fixed.
8. Suspicious download links
If a website includes suspicious download links that lead to potentially harmful software or files, its URL may be blacklisted to protect users from downloading such content.
9. Malicious content
If a website is found to contain malicious content, such as viruses or spyware, its URL may be blacklisted to prevent users from being infected.
10. Downloading unwanted programs
If a website prompts users to download unwanted or potentially harmful programs, its URL may be blacklisted to protect users from downloading such programs.
11. Information scraping
Information scraping involves the unauthorized harvesting of data from websites. Using reliable web scraping software ensures compliance with legal and ethical guidelines, helping avoid copyright violations and potential blacklisting. If a website is found to be scraping information from other websites without permission, its URL may be blacklisted for violating copyright and intellectual property laws.
How do you check if Google has blacklisted you?
There are clear signs and indications to figure out whether or not Google has blacklisted or penalized your website. I’ll dig deeper into this and try to help you out by sharing what I know.
Here are the indicators to look out for when checking if Google has blacklisted your site:
1. Page removal from the search index
One of the clear indicators of Google blacklisting a URL or a set of URLs from the same website is the removal of the website’s pages from its search index. What it means is that your site is no longer appearing in Google search results.
This could be a sign that Google has blacklisted your website, possibly due to a violation of Google’s Webmaster Guidelines.
2. The huge dip in organic traffic
Website owners keep an eye on the traffic numbers of their websites. As soon as they notice a significant drop in your website’s organic traffic (without any notification), it could be due to Google blacklisting the website for some reason.
This could happen if Google has removed your website’s pages from its search index or if your website’s ranking has been penalized.
3. Manual penalty for the site
Manual penalty could lead to up to 90% drop in traffic or the website URL getting blacklisted. If you receive a manual penalty notification in the Google Search Console, it means Google has identified a violation of its Webmaster Guidelines on your website. This could be due to black hat SEO techniques, such as keyword stuffing, misleading content, or link-building schemes. A manual penalty can result in your website being removed from Google’s search results or a significant drop in organic traffic.
4. Malware notification in the Google SERP
If a website has been infected with malware, Google may detect it and warn users in its search results with a notification that the website may be harmful. The notification may look like this: This site may harm your computer.” This can lead to a decrease in traffic and a damaged reputation.
If Google has identified malware on your website, it could lead to URL blacklisting. If the malware notification appears with your URLs in the SERP, ask your website host to scan your website for malware and hire a website developer to do code inspection for code injection. It’s always best to change the web hosting if the problem persists.
How to protect the site from being blacklisted?
Building an optimized, well-designed website for marketing isn’t enough. Often, it’s vital to protect a website property from fatal attacks that could turn out to be a pain in the butt if not taken seriously. While at the same time, it’s easy to get caught up in other marketing strategies which leads to putting website security and SEO techniques often on the back burner.
If you need a precise plan of action to avoid URL blacklisting, then the following 10 tips would come in handy for you:
1. Use a secure web hosting service
Choose a web host that is reliable and provides a secure environment for your website. This can help prevent your website from being compromised or hacked, which can lead to blacklisting.
2. Choose a high-quality theme & plugins
Make sure your website code and layout are clean and optimized for search engines. It can help prevent any issues that may cause search engines to blacklist your website. A premium, high-quality WordPress theme would do the job for you. Secondly, use only genuine and premium plugins/themes on your website to ensure that they are secure and optimized for search engines. Using pirated or un-trusted plugins/themes can lead to security risks and blacklisting.
3. Improve your website security
Use a reputable website security tool to scan your website to ensure it is free from any malicious code or scripts. Moreover, monitor your website for any suspicious activity and take action immediately if you suspect any security issues. This can help prevent your website from being compromised or hacked.
4. Assign user roles and permissions
Assign user roles and permissions to ensure that only authorized users have access to your website. This can help prevent unauthorized access, which can lead to security risks and blacklisting.
5. Install an SSL certificate
Use HTTPS encryption on your website, meaning buy and install an SSL certificate on your domain. Install an SSL certificate on your website to ensure that all communication between your website and users is encrypted and secure. This will help prevent security risks and blacklisting. Contact your domain and hosting provider for the SSL certificate installation.
6. Update your WordPress edition
It’s important to keep your website software and plugins up to date. Outdated software can be vulnerable to security threats, and updating it can help prevent your website from being compromised. Keep your WordPress edition up to date, and ensure that your website is secure and optimized for search engines. It may also help prevent site security issues that lead to URL blacklisting.
7. Apply white hat SEO techniques
Use only ethical and legitimate SEO techniques to optimize your website for search engines. Using black hat techniques can lead to blacklisting. Avoid using black hat SEO techniques. These tactics can include cloaking, hidden text, bulk backlinks, and other manipulative tactics that violate search engine guidelines.
8. Limit WP login attempts
Limit the number of login attempts on your website to prevent brute force attacks and hacking attempts. Plus, keep a strong login password for your WP admin account.
9. Replace broken links
Regularly check for broken links on your website and replace them to ensure that your website is functioning properly. While broken links may not lead to URL blacklisting, it sure sends out an SEO signal.
10. Implement a DMARC policy
Implement a DMARC policy to help prevent email spoofing and phishing attacks. This will help protect your domain reputation and prevent your website from being blacklisted by email providers. 25.5% of email senders who use p=none policy expect to move to stronger DMARC policy in the course of the next year which further showcase the important of using stronger email authentication standards.
How to access website with URL blacklist warning?
Your website browser might prompt a warning notification to exit the website or move ahead with caution. It’s always best to keep your anti-virus software active and updated just in case.
Furthermore, try to understand the essence of the blacklist warning. Often the expiration or the absence of the SSL certificate prompts a warning message on the website. Some website visitors who have no idea about an SSL certificate, chicken out immediately.
Similarly, if your anti-virus software warns that there is a serious threat of malware or phishing attack on the website you’re browsing, you shouldn’t move forward. Instead, try to exit the website and find an alternative website to visit.
When to block and allow URLs?
Before figuring out when to block or allow URLs, it’s important to comprehend how URL blocking works.
There are levels of URL blocking. On the user level, you may install a Chrome extension for blocking the website and blacklist the website URLs you want to block. This way, no one on your PC would be able to access those URLs.
Furthermore, there is country-level URL blocking where a governing body orders the concerned department to block a specific website on a state or country level.
So URL blocking could be due to any reason, for instance, national security, blasphemy, rules violation, etc. The decision to block or unblock a URL depends on the case and the reason varies from case to case.
Conclusion on URL Blacklisting
I do not doubt that URL blacklisting is an important tool that helps protect users from visiting websites that are deemed unsafe, malicious, or contain harmful content.
Search engines and web browsers use site filtering systems to identify and block access to such blacklisted websites, thereby preventing users from being exposed to potential security risks or malicious content.
While URL blacklisting is an effective tool, website owners must take measures to ensure that their websites comply with search engine guidelines and do not engage in any malicious activity that may lead to URL blacklisting.
By taking proactive steps to maintain website security, website owners can help prevent their websites from being blacklisted and ensure that their websites remain safe for users to visit.
A lot of digital marketers, bloggers, and entrepreneurs prefer using URL shorteners to share their content on social media.
While there are so many benefits of using link management tools, one of the reasons is to hide the main URLs from suspicious users and hackers on social media.
I hope you learned a lot about URL blacklisting and taking away a ton of value from this article.
FAQs
Is URL blacklist a virus?
URL blacklisting isn’t a virus, but malicious viruses on the web server could lead to URL blacklisting in search engines. So always keep an eye on your website performance and security.
Is a blacklist permanent?
URL blacklisting may last until the appropriate actions aren’t taken to clean the website code or change the web hosting server to ensure a smooth and safe user experience for the website visitors.
What does blacklist mean in security?
Blacklisting refers to the act of being flagged by an authority or a platform. The cybersecurity experts educate and help audience the audience on the security of websites, apps, email addresses, and social media accounts.
What kind of websites will the search engine blacklist?
Any website that contains malicious viruses, phishing codes, and suspicious scripts may get blacklisted by search engines.
How can I check if my site is blacklisted?
There are several ways to check the site’s blacklisting status, such as hiring a cybersecurity expert, using an online URL blacklist checker tool, and keeping an eye on the site status in your Google Search Central account.
Are blacklisted URLs and blacklisted domains the same thing?
Blacklisted URLs mean the specific page URLs have been blacklisted, whereas the blacklisted domains mean the complete websites have been blacklisted.
You can expand your professional network by sharing your LinkedIn URL with other professionals in your industry. This can lead to new business opportunities, mentorship, and collaborations. It can also help you stay informed about your field’s latest trends and developments.
For job seekers, sharing your LinkedIn URL can be useful in the job search process. It allows potential employers to learn more about your qualifications and experience and can help to showcase your skills and accomplishments.
For businesses, sharing a LinkedIn URL can be a useful tool for marketing. It allows businesses to promote their products or services and reach a wider audience. It also allows businesses to establish themselves as thought leaders in their industry, which can lead to new business opportunities.
Finally, for freelancers, creatives, and entrepreneurs, sharing a LinkedIn URL can be a good way to showcase their work and portfolio. It allows them to promote their skills and accomplishments to a broader audience, which can lead to new business opportunities and collaborations.
Follow this method to share your LinkedIn URL outside LinkedIn. It could be any social media platform other than LinkedIn. You just need to copy your LinkedIn URL and for that, follow the steps below:
On a computer device:
Step 1: Log in to LinkedIn on your computer device and click the profile “Me” icon at the top.
Step 2: Click “view profile” from the drop-down menu.
You can add your LinkedIn URL to your resume by including it in the contact section. This is typically located at the top of the resume and includes your name, address, phone number, and email address. You can add “LinkedIn: [Your LinkedIn URL]” or simply “LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/[Your Profile Name].”
How to shorten LinkedIn URL?
LinkedIn has its own feature to shorten the LinkedIn profile URL, and you can follow these steps to shorten your URL:
1. Log in to your LinkedIn account. 2. Click on me icon in the top bar and select view profile. 3. Click on the edit public profile & URL button on the right side of the top of your profile. 4. Scroll down to the Public Profile URL section, and click the Edit button on the right side. 5. You can customize your public profile URL by clicking on the Edit button and then changing your URL to something easy to remember and share.
Alternatively, you can use link-shortening services like Replug to shorten your LinkedIn URL if you want it to be more memorable or to fit in a limited space.
Want to tap into the latest content marketing best practices to ensure you’re doing what’s best for your business? Then, you are in the right place. In this piece, we dive into the latest content marketing best practices for 2022 that are a must-do.
Content marketing is one of the most critical marketing strategies for companies today. After all, content is king. The right content can help you win new customers, expand your company’s reach, and generate more leads. But inappropriate content can backfire and hurt your brand more than anything else.
Here are some Semrush stats and facts of 2021 that you must know before developing a content strategy for 2022.
High-performing content types in 2021 were videos followed by blog posts, success stories, and case studies.
The top channels for AI content distribution were organic social media, email marketing, paid social media, and organic search.
The top 5 content marketing challenges in 2021 were attracting quality leads with content, promoting content, creating content that resonates with the audience, proving ROI of content, and improving the SEO performance of the content.
Below we have discussed each of the content marketing best practices. We’ve also shared amazing content marketing tips to help you put them into action and overcome the challenges. By organizing information into structured content, you can make your strategy more scalable, consistent, and easier to repurpose across different channels.Ready to up your content marketing game? Let’s dig in:
1. Increase Use of AI-Technology
AI Technology is becoming a significant game-changer, and it will add more innovation to the business practices in the coming years. For example, AI-based content generation tools like Vondy, Jarvis, and Sonic help put out larger quantities of content with lesser effort.
But the negative side of AI tools is that they can affect the authenticity of the content.
How to Make the Most of AI Tools?
Google AI is getting smarter day by day, and it can detect AI-generated content. However, using cheap AI will surely cost you as Google will not rank such articles. Here’s what you can do:
Do not completely generate a piece of content as user-generated content has a higher value.
Write a piece of content and improve the content structure using an AI writing tool.
Use AI tools such as Grammarly to refine your content.
Many keyword research and content analysis tools, such as SEMrush, Aherefs, etc.., give you a better idea of what keywords to use and perform better to rank Google SERP. However, it’s always good to explore other options as well. If you’re looking for different solutions, Semrush alternatives can offer unique features and pricing models that may better suit your needs.
Tools like answerthepublic.com and Sparktoro.com help determine what the audience is talking about.
AI is not confined to automatic writing but also other technologies. For example, the use of AI-based chatbots is increasing, and by 2023 it will drive $112B in retail sales. In addition, as AI, machine learning, and Natural Language Processing grow, chatbots will become more used as 24/7 customer service agents.These advancements also play a crucial role in managing high call volume, ensuring efficient and timely responses to customer inquiries
Here’s a statement of SEO expert Eli Schwartz on AI Technology
Source:contentmarketinginstitute.com
2. Use of AR and VR
Since 2017, augmented and virtual reality use has doubled as 85 million people used VR/AR technology in 2021. It is expected that the market size of the VR industry will grow up to $300 billion by 2024. Also, VR and AR enhance user experience so that they will become an integral part of the content marketer’s strategy and content.With innovations like Apple VR, companies are pushing boundaries, making these technologies more accessible and immersive for consumers and businesses alike.
Why Incorporate AR and VR into Your Content Marketing Strategy?
Augment Reality
3D imaging and AR have become a popular part of the e-commerce industry. Incorporating AR tech gives customers higher visibility on how the products will fit the actual space. Evolve your content strategy to evolve the customer’s shopping experience for years to come. 71% of consumers believe AR technology will positively impact their purchase decision.
Hybrid Events
The pandemic has given businesses a long break from hosting in-person events. Now that doors of streaming events live have reopened, 93% of marketers plan to invest in virtual events as it is allowing them to reach a wider audience. It’s believed that a hybrid solution of both offline and virtual events is the way to go in the future.
If you are a start-up or if it’s your first time hosting an event, then holding an online webinar or live session would be suitable for you. However, a hybrid strategy is better for more prominent companies as virtual events significantly drive traffic and leads. Do invest in a good microphone and camera setup.
3. Incorporate Data Driven Content Marketing
When people think content, they often think creative. But in reality, great content marketing is a blend of both creativity and data. A proper data-driven approach to a content strategy can help brands avoid wasting resources by trying to connect with the wrong audiences in the wrong places. Data can help identify target audiences and their trending topics, channel-specific preferences of potential customers, and the influencers most relevant to those groups.
The difference between good and great will be a brand’s ability to leverage data-backed insights. Data insights empower content marketers to create more impactful content. Be sure to incorporate data-driven analysis into the following areas of your content strategy.
Deliver data-driven content marketing using the below tips.
Go for Hyper-Personalization
Customer hyper-personalization goes beyond simply addressing them by name. Instead, it caters to their wants, needs, and preferences. Hyper-personalization creates unique interactions with each customer by using data, analytics, automation, and artificial intelligence.
In doing this, marketers cater content to each buyer’s persona, using targeted products, marketing channels, and language. Brands such as Amazon, Netflix, Stitch Fix, Naked Wines, WES, and VI Trainer already using hyper-personalization strategies effectively.
Trust cannot be manufactured. An influencer’s fan base is as powerful as a friend’s recommendation when endorsing a product, service, or business.
In addition, real stories shared by real people have an impact. Considering all these factors, you will see higher sales and better-qualified clients.
Understand what your target audience discusses and to whom they listen. For example, if you create joint content with other companies and people in your field with a broader audience, your content marketing will be most successful.
These brands attribute their social media following gains according to their influencer strategies. Over a single year, GNC credited social influencer targeting with over 380,000 new Facebook fans.
In the B2C and D2C spaces, influencer marketing is now established, and the days when influencer marketing was a dirty word in the B2B sector are now long over.
More B2B businesses will embrace influencer marketing and sponsored user-generated content this year, two of the most successful marketing methods.
Content creation requires more than intuition. The aim is to create content that’s accurate, relevant, and based on user needs. It’s possible to test your content’s effectiveness using A/B tests.
Through A/B tests, you can gain insights into user behavior and what elements influence vital metrics. Conversions, bounce rates, customer confidence, and revenue generation are some metrics. Revenue increases are a more tangible metric than something subjective like visitor experience.
Best URL shorteners include features such as creation of branded links, A/B testing of landing pages, traffic routing, traffic analytics, etc., that amplify your content marketing campaigns. Get a URL shortener, create branded short links and use the content that gives you the most traffic and conversions.
4. SEO Content will Win
In 2019, Google processed over 3.5 billion searches daily. Now in 2022, it’s 8.5 billion searches per day. Translation: everyone will race for the search engine results pages (SERPs) to rank better for improved brand awareness and organic traffic.
We have a comprehensive guide on how to publish content that ranks, but here are some quick tips to get you started:
Content Optimization
Target long-tail keywords or key phrases with less competition to rank better
Answer frequently asked questions. Perhaps they’ll land you in Google’s Featured Snippet.
Structure your content based on questions asked by the searchers. Get these insights from the ‘People also ask’ and ‘Related searches’ sections.
Not to forget, focus on quality now more than ever. “It will become more difficult to crush it with SEO because the competition will be stiffer, but we’ll see a major increase in the quality of content that brands publish.” Odak comments.
So what’s quality content, again? First, it’s content that solves your audience’s problems–thoroughly answering their questions. Second, the content reflects expertise, authority, and trust (E.A.T.).
While building your brand’s authority takes time, for instance, by consistently creating content on specific topics to help visitors, you can work on improving your expertise right away. How? By interviewing subject experts.
Let’s give you an example: for this piece on how you can grow your YouTube subscribers, we reached out to someone who’s done it so that we can share actionable advice with you. See? Doesn’t that make the guide even more trustworthy?
Additional tip: Use AI tools to create SEO-optimized content. Explore the best AI tools for business to streamline your workflow.
Mobile Optimization
It doesn’t matter how great your website content is. However, suppose it isn’t optimized for mobile. Then, You are about to lose out on a massive part of your audience. Content marketers will probably continue to pay close attention to this trend as most searches will come from mobile devices.
Voice search is expected to rise as apps like Siri or Alexa have become popular in asking about any random query.
One of our top content marketing best practices for 2022 is to answer questions with long-tail keywords.
Significance of Core Web Vitals
Algorithms and search engines have improved and are more sophisticated. Strong web vitals contribute to better search engine results. All content marketers should optimize speed for desktop and mobile, images with the proper tags and labels, and even a site map.
These technical elements must contribute to the visibility of your content, just as a wall hook or picture hanger contributes to a painting on your wall. A big mess is inevitable if you do not follow the proper structure or fundamentals. Don’t let this happen to your content! Instead, implement technical SEO tactics to maximize your content visibility.
5. Prefer User Generated Content
User-generated content (UGC) has become an essential component of content marketing strategy in today’s era when customers are ready to talk about your services and products online. In UGC, users create content about brands.
The Nielsen Consumer Trust Index reports that 92% of consumers trust organic, user-generated content over traditional advertising.
Ways to Use UGC
Reviews
User reviews show potential customers that your products and services are reliable.
Video
You can connect with your audience through videos in ways that other media cannot. In addition, you are much more likely to gain sales from user-generated videos since they are more likely to go viral.
Gamification
It is another way to create UGC and engage users. Gamification aims to allow users to earn points and rewards for completing specific tasks.
Holiday Season Content
During the holiday season or other special events, consider great ways to incorporate UGC into your content marketing strategy. Businesses can engage with customers at an emotional level in several ways. For example, Starbucks runs the #RedCupContest every year during the holiday season and invites its fans to take part by sharing their personalized coffee cups across social media to win Starbucks gift cards.
This alone reveals how marketers value reusing content. Essentially, content repurposing helps you get more eyeballs to the content you create. Not everyone in your audience might be a reader, for example. So you can always take the blog post’s content and make a video of it for the video-lovers in your audience.
Repurposing helps keep your content bank full to the brim. With your content pool complete, you can consistently grow your online presence and support your community-engaged while saving time.
How to Repurpose Content?
It’s easy to assume that content repurposing involves copying and pasting content from one platform to another, from your blog to a Medium publication. But that’s not what it is about.
Content repurposing is creatively tweaking and reusing content you’ve created in different formats to use on other platforms. For example, curating medium-length articles on the same topic idea into an eBook by developing a narrative for them, so they’re all arranged. Then, reading them is easy for the reader (and makes sense too). Capeesh?
Now follow these two steps to start content repurposing today:
One, look at your content performance metrics
Example: dig them out from Google Analytics. If a piece on evergreen content is doing relatively good or a video has impressive views, consider repurposing it. But hang on. Why look at this metrics? So you know that you’re recycling content that’s popular with your audience since it resonates with them.
Two, decide which format you want to recycle content into
You can always turn blog posts into videos, Facebook and LinkedIn posts, Quora answers, and Twitter threads. You can get exciting stats from your written content into social media graphics or present steps in a LinkedIn carousel.
Also, you can do the exact reverse. For example, if you write Quora answers addressing different questions people have on the same topic, you can put them together into a blog post. Similarly, you can take all the social media stats graphics and package them into an infographic for your blog.
Diversifying your content will allow you to reach different audiences.
To achieve success, companies need various content types across all marketing channels. The human brain is receptive to images, increasing the likelihood of consumers engaging with them more quickly. As a result, consumers will continue to be attracted to visual content, particularly infographics.
Well-created infographics can be a great source of helpful information.
Infographics allow consumers to engage, gain information, and understand quickly what you are presenting simply by a glance. Visual learners will particularly benefit from infographics.
Visually appealing and informative content contributes to a more engaging customer experience and improves message and communication.
It can convey information using graphic representations of data or knowledge in less time.
Infographics are essential for content marketing because, as the saying goes, a picture speaks a thousand words.
Infographics are graphics that provide a visual representation of data or explain a concept. They are typically used to communicate important information quickly, and 45% of marketers who leverage content marketing use them.
According to 56% of content marketers, it’s the most effective marketing type.
Most marketers will invest the same amount in infographics over the next 12 months.
Information graphics are popular because of their shareability, aesthetic appeal, informative nature, and ability to provide helpful information to the reader.
8. Personal Brands will Take Over
For businesses, personal branding has been the talk of the town lately. That translates as having a brand identity and a voice while letting your employees take the online stage.
This comes with multiple benefits: it shows your work culture, helps you grow brand awareness as people come to know your employees, employees share behind-the-scenes content, and many other things.
Having an online presence also means you can keep a pulse on your target audience’s likes and interests and maybe even source content ideas from them. It also means you can grow your authority, promote content and grow an online community.
If you’re not ready, simply bring your social team forward. SEMrush’s Diana Richardson is famous in their Twitter circle.
How to grow your Online Presence?
Pick a Platform
This could be a social media channel or a Q&A community like Quora or Reddit.
Create an Action plan
Answer: How do you plan to engage on the channel? What content will you share with your audience? How much time will you invest? Who’s going to be involved? Don’t forget to jot down precisely what you stand about so people can see your human side.
Be Consistent
When all’s said and done, consistency is what’s going to take you to success. Show up regularly, share value, and focus more on ‘giving’ than ‘taking.’
9. Video Marketing is going to be big, including Live Streaming
People are in love with videos, and whether it’s a virtual event, a social media live streaming session, an informal Zoom coffee hour, live audio streaming, or a pre-planned webinar series. And marketers are already making the most of it in a zillion ways. In 2022, videos will be the leading source of internet traffic (82%). Furthermore, 93% of marketers say videos are essential for their marketing strategy. While, 86% of marketers believe videos will be a crucial source in getting leads.
Video Trends to watch out for in 2022
Short-form videos will be the significant video trend.
Using interactive videos will increase.
CTA’s in videos will increase leads.
Live streaming videos, such as Vlogs, Webinars, etc., are becoming an essential part of content marketing strategy.
Using videos as a storytelling approach in content marketing connects you with your target audience. People watch live streams 10-20 times longer than on-demand content. You know what that means, right? So you got to invest in video marketing if you already haven’t. But don’t worry, you don’t have to break the bank doing so.
DIY video creation tools can help you create videos from templates. Thus, making the job easy to do, quick and cost-effective. Besides using a DIY video tool to create intro videos, customer testimonial videos, client onboarding tutorials, etc. Therefore, considering going live is a must. Exclusive AMA sessions, masterclasses, fireside chats, live tutorials, and sharing behind the scenes content are some ways to engage your audience with live video.
How to start with Video Marketing
The following steps will help:
Get Started with a Plan First
How many videos do you aim to create? What content will you cover? Who will you target, and at which stage of the buyer’s journey?
You’ll need an action plan covering where you want to stream (YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or LinkedIn), what content you want to protect, and how you’ll engage your audience.
Don’t forget that you need a content sharing plan for videos and live streams.
Get your Gear
We’ve already suggested InVideo as a video-creating tool. Just make sure your video specs are correct since each social platform has a different requirement.
If you’re planning to create a video by recording your screen, plenty of AI tools and Loom alternatives can make the process easier and more professional. For live streaming, most social platforms already offer free built-in options. The key is to choose the platform where your target audience spends the most time and start creating from there.
Suppose you find yourself divided between two or more platforms. Then consider live streaming on multiple platforms. How? By simulcasting using a tool such as Vimeo that supports it.
Suppose you are ready to shell out some money. In that case, it’s a good idea to get some low-cost live streaming tools, including a microphone, camera, or even a tripod and an encoder.
Prepare an outline and Shoot
The script is also a crucial part of the video content. Whether it’s a live stream or template-based video for your social media, you need to be careful with your words. So, an essential step is to work on your script. Then, once ready, start creating.
10. Audio Content
Audio content is as popular as video content. Instead of a video ad, real human voice-based interaction builds trust among consumers. The number of voice assistants users is continually growing. Therefore, optimizing content for voice search has become a necessity. It’s no hidden truth that the trend of Podcasts will keep growing. Apps like Clubhouse (audio chatroom) provided new ways to reach out to customers.
What to Do?
Set up your podcast as it offers an excellent opportunity for marketers to reach out to new audiences.
Optimize content for voice search.
Use good audio tools like Audacity’s Levelator tool to adjust audio levels in segments and ensure that your content is of top quality. This saves you time, so you don’t have to do it yourself!
11. Targeted Content that Resonates with your Audience
Last year also taught content folks the significance of creating content that resonates with their audience and helps them through their buyer’s journey (the awareness, consideration, and decision stages).
The Creative Marketing Alliance’s Director of Content Strategy, Kenneth Hitchner, notes, “Structured content that addressed a specific part of the buyer’s journey will go mainstream. More companies will adopt this style to reach their prospects along the sales funnel no matter where they are.
This type of content program is long-term cost-effective — remember, this content is slowly replacing your ad budget, which is gone once it’s spent, at three critical things:
Moving future customers down the sales funnel in a way that makes them believe it was their idea,
Drive content engagement, which is a new-fangled word for ‘involvement’ that breeds commitment, and
Connecting the marketing team with the sales team, blaming others for shortfalls.
How can you get to know your Audience in-Depth?
Four ways to learn about your audience:
Talk to your Customers or Target Audience
Ask your sales team to get you connected with your loyal customers. So you can ask them about the challenges they face, how they prefer to consume content, and so on and on.
Survey your Email list
You can also share the same survey with your connections on social media. But remember: take the time to study the study to create better content.
Take to Social Listening
Surf through hashtags to uncover what troubles your target audience and what sort of content they prefer to consume.
Analyze Google Analytics
This lets you see what content gets the most views (therefore, resonates with your audience), your target demographic, and other details to polish your content strategy.
12. Improve Content Experience
Next up on content marketing best practices is a better content experience or making it easy for your audience to enjoy your content. Visitors need to stay on your site, love the content you’ve created, and enter your sales funnel.
How to improve the Content Experience?
Good page design involves a few fundamental things: readable font size and type, optimal use of white space, and a good color scheme. Medium, for example, is designed with content experience on the front with everything from the font type and size, white space, design elements used, navigation, and so on.
Interactive content is one that your audience can engage with.
That doesn’t mean you create the next Black Mirror: Bandersnatch. A Netflix interactive film about a game developer, Stefan, who had to decide (that users made on his behalf) to develop a game.
Quizzes will also do instead. Women.com credits over half of its engagement to online quizzes, which helps it dominate even BuzzFeed!
Other ideas for interactive content include sliders, timers, calculators, tools, and interactive visuals.
Last, make it easy for readers to consume content. While the design does half the job, the way you format your content and write does the rest. We know that lengthy content may rank first on SERP, but most readers likely move on towards something shorter and digestible.
Hitchner applauds storytelling as he states, “we’ve come a long way from keyword stuffing.” As search engine algorithms continue to advance, so will online marketing content.
Start connecting people to brands through the story. It will drive engagement and cut through the noise by helping others.
Follow these tips to make your content easy to read,:
Write short sentences and paragraphs
Use active voice and get rid of fluff words
Get straight to the point or use the BLUF (bottom line up front), giving the essential details first.
13. Community Building will continue its Upward Trajectory
Last year saw the rise of personalization in marketing, Money Heist trending, and creative ways to make the most of chopped marketing budgets. One such approach included community building. Whether it’s a content community or a customer community, the benefits of both are unparalleled.
According to the 2022 Community Industry Trends Report, 87% of community professionals say that community is essential to their company’s mission.
So how can growing an engaged community help you? If it’s a content community, you can:
Welcome guest posts to keep your content pipeline full and
Pool subject experts or request community members to connect you to experts in their network
Here’s Shopify’s Content and SEO Lead, Kameron Jenkins, leveraging the content marketing community on Twitter:
On the flip side, a customer community delivers the following benefits:
Better learn your target audience’s pain points to create targeted content.
Source user-generated content to share on your marketing channels
Improve customer journey and trust as customers or customers-to- learn about the humans behind your brand, your values, processes, and more.
In short, online communities can help enhance brand awareness and credibility, giving you the most bang for your buck.
How to start an Online Community today?
Now that you know how fruitful an online community can be, how do you start one?
Starting a community is no rocket science and doesn’t require you to invest early. However, you might need to later on. For example, host giveaways for keeping your community engaged.
Take the following steps:
One, decide whom your target audience is by selecting whether you’d like to start a customer or content community.
Two, pick a platform. Slack is a great paid platform for starting a community. Facebook and LinkedIn groups are free to make. Similarly, Twitter chats are free to start. Or, if you’re an email marketing enthusiast, create a newsletter to grow your community.
Here’s an inside look at Christina Pashialis’ paid Content community:
Third, prepare an action plan, answering questions like,
What will your community be about?
How will you promote it?
How do you plan to provide value to your audience and stand out from similar communities?
What steps will you take to keep your community engaged?
Once done, get started.
Alternative plan: if it’s a content community you are after, join one. How? Look for relevant Facebook and LinkedIn groups. The Content Marketing Lounge on Facebook, for example, is a valuable community for content marketers. Are you looking for social media marketers in the community?
We have a Facebook community named ContentStudio.io Community (Marketing Strategies, Tips, and Hacks).
There’s a lot to be excited about, from working on establishing your online presence to creating an engaged community, repurposing content, and polishing your storytelling skills. Focus on these content marketing best practices to stay competitive and updated with the market.
Do you know, affiliate marketers earn $59,060 per year? It is considered a reliable source of passive income. Isn’t it amazing? But how to set up and track affiliate links? Let’s find out in this blog.
What are affiliate links?
Affiliate links are special URLs that contain a unique identifier that associates a sale with an affiliate marketer. When a user clicks on an affiliate link and makes a purchase, the affiliate marketer earns a commission on the sale.
Affiliate marketing is a popular way for bloggers, influencers, and website owners to earn money by promoting products or services to their audience. It can also be a cost-effective way for businesses to reach new customers and increase sales.
What does affiliate tracking mean?
Affiliate tracking refers to the process of tracking the performance of affiliate marketing campaigns. It involves using a unique tracking link or code to monitor clicks, conversions, and sales generated by affiliate marketers.
When an affiliate marketer promotes a product or service, they include a special affiliate tracking link or code in their content. When a user clicks on the link and makes a purchase, the affiliate tracking software records the transaction and attributes the sale to the affiliate.
The tracking software then calculates the commission owed to the affiliate based on the agreed-upon commission rate and other terms and conditions of the affiliate program.
This allows businesses and affiliates to track the performance of their campaigns, monitor their earnings, and make informed decisions about their marketing strategies.
Affiliate tracking can be done using a variety of software tools and platforms, including affiliate networks, third-party tracking software, and in-house tracking systems.
These tools typically provide detailed analytics and reporting features, which allow businesses and affiliates to analyze their performance data and optimize their campaigns for better results.
Why is link tracking important for affiliate marketers?
Let’s look into a few reasons why link tracking is important for affiliate marketing:
Monitor campaign performance:
Link tracking enables businesses and affiliates to track clicks, conversions, and sales generated by their marketing campaigns. This information can help them identify which campaigns are performing well and which ones need improvement.
Optimize marketing strategies:
With link tracking, businesses, and affiliates can analyze data to identify trends and patterns that can inform their marketing strategies. For example, they can determine which marketing channels or tactics are driving the most sales and focus their efforts on those areas.
Calculate commissions accurately:
Link tracking ensures that affiliates are credited for the sales they generate, and they receive accurate commissions based on the agreed-upon commission rate and other terms and conditions of the affiliate program.
Avoid Scam:
Link tracking can help prevent fraudulent activities, such as click fraud or cookie stuffing, which can artificially inflate clicks and conversions and result in inaccurate commission payments.
What to look for in affiliate tracking software?
When selecting an affiliate tracking software, there are several key features and factors to consider. Here are some important things to look for:
Reliability and uptime:
The software should be reliable and have a high uptime to ensure that tracking is accurate and uninterrupted.
Compatibility:
The software should be compatible with the platforms and systems used by your business and affiliates, such as website platforms, payment gateways, and advertising networks.
Customization:
The software should be customizable to meet the unique needs of your business and affiliates, such as commission structures, tracking parameters, and reporting features.
Tracking accuracy:
The software should provide accurate tracking to prevent fraudulent activities such as click fraud or cookie stuffing.
Reporting and analytics:
The software should provide detailed reporting and analytics features, such as campaign performance data, earnings reports, and conversion rates.
Integration with third-party tools:
The software should integrate with other tools and services used by your business and affiliates, such as marketing automation tools, email marketing software, and customer relationship management (CRM) systems.
Customer support:
The software provider should offer reliable customer support and resources to help businesses and affiliates use the software effectively and resolve any issues that may arise.
Best affiliate link tracking tools
Selecting the right affiliate tracking software is an important decision for businesses and affiliates, as it can have a significant impact on the accuracy, effectiveness, and profitability of their affiliate marketing campaigns.
Here are some of our recommended tools.
Replug
Whether you’re an affiliate marketer or looking to enhance your personal brand, Replug is a top contender. With Replug, affiliates can create custom short links that feature their own branding and logo, making it easy to promote their business or product across different channels.
Replug’s powerful set of features help you promote your brand across multiple channels and monitor your performance with its analytics and reporting capabilities.
Additionally, its retargeting pixels and call-to-action features can help you increase engagement and conversions on your content. Thus, making Replug an excellent choice for those looking to enhance their branding and track their performance. Some of the key features of Replug include:
Branded URL Shortening: The platform enables users to create custom-branded short links with its efficient short URL generator, which can help increase brand visibility and recognition.
Link Tracking: This feature enables users to monitor how their links are performing and make data-driven decisions.
Call-to-Action Overlays: The platform allows users to add call-to-action overlays to their links, which can help increase engagement and drive conversions.
Custom Domains: Custom domains give the user the option to use custom domains, which can enhance the credibility and trustworthiness of the links.
Link Rotators: The platform provides link rotators, which allow users to rotate multiple links within a single shortened URL, making it easier to manage and track multiple campaigns.
Retargeting: Replug enables users to create retargeting campaigns for their links, which can increase the effectiveness of their marketing efforts.
Bio Links: Users can create custom bio link webpages to market their links on social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
Let’s say we want to change a long messy URL into an affiliate link.
Make a new campaign or select any previous one (if you have one).
For the said case, I am using an already created campaign. Now copy and paste the link to shorten and click on create.
Now you can edit this shortened link with your brand name or affiliate e-commerce store name.
With Replug, monitor the performance of your links and make data-driven decisions. Lastly, share your branded links on social media platforms, email campaigns, or other marketing channels to drive traffic and conversions.
Pricing: It offers three pricing plans, Basic $19, Professional $49, and Agency $79.
Tapfiliate provides an easy-to-use platform that allows businesses to set up their affiliate programs quickly. It also allows businesses to track sales from their affiliates. Tapfiliate offers white-labeling options that allow businesses to customize the platform’s branding to match their own.
Pricing: It offers three plans; Essential $89, Pro $149, and a custom plan.
Pretty Links can be a useful tool for affiliates, as it provides a way to create customized, shortened links to use in their marketing efforts. Affiliates can track clicks and conversions on their links, as well as monitor which sources are driving the most traffic and revenue.
It also provides an automatic link replacement feature, which can be useful for affiliates looking to update their links across their entire site. Pretty Links also offers advanced features such as split testing, which allows affiliates to test different variations of their links to see which performs best.
Pricing: It offers three pricing plans; Beginners $99, Marketer $149, Super Affiliate $199.
ClickMeter is a web-based link tracking and optimization tool that provides users with powerful insights into how their links are performing. It also enables users to create custom tracking domains, which can help improve the credibility and trustworthiness of their links. ClickMeter allows users to perform A/B testing on their links, which can help optimize their performance over time.
Pricing: It offers two different plans in two categories For everyone: Lite $12/month, Essential $28/month, Professional $85/month. For business: Professional plus $359/month and a custom plan.
Sniply offers a unique perspective on affiliate marketing, with its call-to-action overlay feature allowing you to promote your own products or services while sharing third-party content with your audience.
By directing traffic back to your own site, you can increase visibility and potentially boost conversions. Moreover, Sniply’s analytics and reporting features help you track your success and identify areas for improvement.
Pricing: It offers a basic plan of $9 per month, a pro of $29 per month, a Business $59/per month, and custom pricing.
Bitly is a versatile and powerful tool for anyone looking to manage and track their affiliate links and campaigns. This link management platform allows users to create shortened, customized links to share on social media, email, or other online channels.
With Bitly, users can create branded links that incorporate their own domain name, as well as track clicks and conversions on their links.
Pricing: It offers a free plan, starter $8/month, basic $29/month & premium $199/month.
Voluum is a comprehensive affiliate marketing platform that provides tools for tracking, optimizing, and managing affiliate campaigns. One of the key benefits of Voluum is its ability to track traffic from multiple sources, including paid advertising, organic search, and social media. It also offers integrations with a wide range of advertising networks, affiliate programs, and other marketing tools, making it easy to manage all aspects of an affiliate campaign in one place.
Pricing: It has 3 pricing plans, profit $149/month, scale $299/month, and start-up $499/month.
PixelMe
Customize the appearance of your links to match your brand using PixelMe. PixelMe allows users to create shortened, trackable links for their marketing campaigns. It also provides features such as retargeting and conversion tracking to help users optimize their advertising efforts. PixelMe integrates with tools, such as Google Analytics and Facebook Ads.
Pricing: It offers Growth at $99/month, Scale at $149/month, Elite at $249/month, and a customized pricing plan.
Affiliate tracking: Wrap up
In conclusion, affiliate links have become a popular and effective way for businesses to expand their marketing reach and drive sales, while also providing an opportunity for affiliates to earn a commission for promoting products or services.
By using affiliate tracking tools such as Replug and tagging links with UTM parameters, businesses, and affiliates can track the performance of their affiliate campaigns. Overall, affiliate links can be a valuable tool for businesses and affiliates alike, as they provide a way to reach new audiences, increase revenue, and build long-term partnerships.
FAQs on affiliate link tracking
Can Google Analytics track affiliate links?
Yes, Google Analytics can track affiliate links, provided that the links are tagged with UTM parameters. UTM parameters are tags that can be added to the end of a URL to track the source, medium, and campaign name of traffic to a website.
What is a good percentage of affiliates?
The percentage of commission for affiliates can vary widely depending on the product or service being promoted, the industry, and the affiliate program. Generally, commissions for affiliates can range between 5% to 30% of the sale price.
Are you a TikTok user looking to share your profile with others or promote your content on other social media platforms? Or maybe you’re just curious about how to access your TikTok profile link? Either way, you’ve come to the right place.
In this article, we’ll guide you through the process of getting your TikTok profile URL. TikTok URLs are important for building a following, sharing content, and engaging with viewers. By the end of this article, you’ll have the knowledge necessary to easily find and customize your TikTok profile URL, allowing you to share your content and grow your TikTok presence.
So, let’s dive in and learn how to get your TikTok URL!
A TikTok URL is a link that directs you to a specific TikTok user’s profile or video.
Every TikTok user has a unique URL associated with their profile, which can be shared with others to allow them to view their content or follow them on the platform. The TikTok URL for a user’s profile typically includes their username and the TikTok domain, such as “tiktok.com/@username”.
TikTok URLs can also be used to direct viewers to specific videos on the platform. Each TikTok video has its own unique URL, which can be found by clicking on the “Share” icon on the video and selecting “Copy Link.” This link can then be shared with others or posted on social media platforms.
How to get TikTok Profile URL?
There are two methods to get a TikTok profile link on mobile devices.
From the edit profile button
From setting & privacy
Follow the steps below for both of the methods to easily get your profile link.
Note: Once you’ve updated your username, your TikTok Profile URL will also be updated with your new username. This process may take a few minutes to reflect the changes, so don’t worry if your old username still appears for a short time.
It’s important to note that you can only change your TikTok username once every 30 days. So, make sure to choose a username that you’re happy with and that represents your brand or personality. Additionally, changing your username may also affect the discoverability of your content, as users may have saved or shared your previous username.
Frequently asked questions
How do I add a clickable link to my TikTok bio?
You can add a clickable link to your TikTok bio by going to your profile, clicking “Edit profile,” and then entering the URL in the “Website” field. Note that this feature is only available to users with over 1,000 followers.
How do I use a TikTok URL to direct viewers to a specific video on the platform?
You can use the specific video’s URL to direct viewers to a specific video on TikTok. Just copy the URL of the video you want to share and share it with your viewers.
How do I find the TikTok URL for a specific video?
You can find the TikTok URL for a specific video by clicking on the “Share” icon located on the video’s page and selecting “Copy Link.”
Can I change the URL for a specific TikTok video?
No, you cannot change the URL for a specific TikTok video.
Can I use my TikTok profile URL to promote my brand or business?
Yes, you can use your TikTok profile URL to promote your brand or business by sharing it on other social media platforms or using it in your marketing materials.
How do I check the analytics for my TikTok URL and track clicks and engagement?
You can view your TikTok analytics by going to your profile, clicking on the three dots in the top right corner, and selecting “Analytics.” From there, you can view metrics like views, engagement, and follower growth.
