SEO in 2020: Tips and Trends for your Business

In MARKETING
12 March 2020
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As the amount of content available online continues to grow, the most effective ways to be discovered from a simple search are changing. The basics of SEO in 2020 are still simple. Your content should be fully indexed, easy to link to and from and include relevant keywords in titles, descriptions and even URLs.

If you’re publishing your content digitally on Calaméo, you’re in luck—all of that is a snap to accomplish. So we decided to go a step further and look at some of the biggest new trends in search engine optimization strategy. Keep reading for the five things you need to know about SEO in 2020, as well as our best tips for your business.

SEO in 2020: Emerging Trends

MOBILE SEARCH

Our first pick for SEO in 2020 goes beyond just being mobile-friendly. Last year, 55% of all internet traffic came from smartphones and tablets. As a result, all of your content from blog posts to product catalogs should always be responsive. But to take advantage of the 58% of searches happening on mobile, every related element needs to be optimized for phones. Titles, descriptions and embeds should sized to display correctly on smaller screens so readers can more easily find and explore your content.

VOICE SEARCH

Next on our list is a trend that’s been buzzy for quite a while now: searching the internet by using your voice. For several years, the popularity of devices like the Apple Watch and Google Home has been increasing. Since these devices allow users to ask questions out loud and receive answers from Google, Amazon and other services, search engines have started taking voice into account as they index content. Although it seems unlikely that voice will take over search any time soon, you may want to try out getting some of your content voice-ready in 2020.

NATURAL LANGUAGE

In the same vein as voice search, natural language search is set to be an important trend for SEO in 2020. Originally announced in a Google search algorithm update at the end of 2019, BERT means that the search engine will focus less on individual keywords and more on user intent. In other words, Google will get better and better at understanding complicated and conversational searches. The good news? Natural language search should make high-quality content even easier to find.

MORE ADVERTISING

After introducing its natural language search update, Google shook things up again when it changed the design of search results. This redesign included site favicons displayed next to the URL snippet of organic results. But the small “Ad” label in the same place for paid results caused controversy about ads looking more like regular content than ever before. While Google ultimately removed the favicons from desktop search, the lesson for SEO in 2020 is clear: paid results are here to stay.

FEWER CLICKS

The last major SEO trend on our list is the growth of so-called “zero click” searches. That is to say, searches where the user does not click on any of the results at all. Instead, she finds the desired information directly on the results page and ends her search there. Almost half of all searches were zero-click on desktop in 2019. And that number topped 60% for searches on mobile devices. In short, the zero-click search adds another challenge to the SEO puzzle.

SEO in 2020: Quick conclusions

So what does all of this mean for your business’s online content? Here are a few simple recommendations.

  • Focus SEO efforts on essential content. With more competition for fewer clicks, don’t spend too much time trying to be the number-one result for every possible search out there. Choose keywords wisely and optimize your content so searchers can find you when it counts. And remember to consider potential natural language searches!
  • Boost your brand name in natural results. Despite the trends towards more ads in search results, you should still aim to be the top results for your own company name. Try customizing your account URL on Calaméo to increase your brand name’s visibility and optimize your publications.
  • Maximize direct user contact. Above all, SEO is one part of a larger digital strategy. If your business is using content marketing, for example, you’ll also want to encourage readers who find your content through search to become subscribers. Add sign-up forms to gather email addresses and stay in touch with your audience through their inboxes.

And there you have it—five big trends and three quick takeaways to help you get a handle on SEO in 2020. Not sure where to begin with your online content? Take a look at our Guided Tour to see all of the advantages that digital publishing has to offer on Calaméo.

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MARKETING

Brand style guides: the key to your brand identity

In MARKETING
19 May 2022

Have you ever seen an advertisement and immediately known which company it belonged to, even if you didn’t glimpse the name? Chances are you recognized certain facets of that company: special fonts, taglines, logos, and color combinations that belong unmistakably to a brand. These elements, and more, make up a brand’s identity. All visual and editorial aspects of a brand’s identity are determined by the brand’s style guide.

On the Calaméo blog we have talked about logos, brand identity and brand image. Next up? Brand style guides, sometimes called graphic charters or brand guidelines. In this article we will discuss the ins and outs of this important document, so let’s dive in!

  1. What is a brand style guide?
  2. Who creates the style guide?
  3. Why and how should you use a style guide?
  4. What is included in a style guide?
  5. Applying your style guide to digital publications

What is a brand style guide?

First thing’s first: what is a brand style guide? A brand style guide is a document that governs all the visual (and sometimes editorial) elements of a company that make it recognizable and unique. It also explains when and how to use these elements. Simply put, a style guide is the key to all communications!

These guides ensure that there is no confusion when it comes to what the brand’s content should look and sound like. Using the guide as a reference, all company communications are consistent across channels and mediums. The style guide can be as detailed as you like; typically, larger companies have more comprehensive style guides because they are more likely to use a wider range of communication channels, and they appear in more places (television, print, online, etc.).

Who creates the style guide?

The creation of brand style guides is best left to professionals. However, it’s a collaborative process: graphic designers or design firms will work with you to create a style guide that suits your company and fits your brand identity. You must decide who you are, your values, and the image you’d like to portray to the world.

Why and how should you use a style guide?

A brand style guide is essential for your company’s brand identity. In order to maintain clear and cohesive communications across all channels, a style guide is the ultimate reference. Internal documents such as slide decks and employee newsletters, external communications such as advertisements or social media posts, plus everything in between: all of this content must look similar and adhere to your brand identity. To achieve this consistency, companies must have a brand style guide. Otherwise, logos may appear in the wrong colors and dimensions, there won’t be a uniform look to your communications, and your tone will be all over the place. Any communication that comes from the company, both internally and externally, should use the style guide as a reference.

What is included in a style guide?

Length and details may vary depending on the company, but a brand style guide is usually made up of the following visual and editorial elements:

Logo

Logos are a crucial part of a brand’s identity, its most visible identifier. Logos are images, texts, or shapes (or a combination of the three) in the company’s color palette that represent the company. A blue bird invokes Twitter, three stripes on a sneaker will certainly mean that they are Adidas, and a swoosh (both the shape and the word) is emblematic of Nike. 

A company’s logo cannot be used haphazardly. The brand style guide should explicitly outline the exact colors and dimensions of the logo. Even the background on which the logo appears is specified in the style guide.

Take Calaméo’s logo, for example. The spacing and colors are exact: the dimensions around the lettering are determined by the height of the green accent, and the colors are specific to our brand.

There are other elements to consider. Do you have a slogan or motto with words as part of your logo? If so, you must clearly state where the slogan goes, how big it can be, the color(s) to use, and when to employ this version of the logo. There are many rules you must define in your brand style guide, especially when it comes to your logo. 

Colors

Companies have specific brand colors, usually two to three, that they use in logos and branding. The style guide will include complementary colors as well. These colors all together are known as the company’s color palette. 

Great thought and care go into a company’s color palette. There are even psychological tricks behind choosing certain colors that the company wants associated with the brand or product. They may want to demonstrate trust, youth, sophistication, or other descriptors.

The brand style guide should outline all the ways to find these colors: a visual representation of the color, HEX and RGB formats, and other formats if necessary. Rather than just “blue” or “red”, companies choose very specific shades of these colors that go well together and set them apart from other brands. These exact shades need to be used every time.

Examples of Calaméo’s color palette using the HEX values

Typeface

Another important element of the brand style guide is typeface. Typeface is the kind of lettering used in communications, which includes fonts. Does your company use only lowercase letters? All capitals? You must include the size, spacing, and color of your typeface in your style guide so employees know exactly how the typeface should look.

Work with a graphic designer to choose the best typeface for your company. Some brands even create their own fonts! Keep in mind that your typeface also reflects your tone– is it silly, serious, elevated? Your typeface must work well with the other elements of your style guide.

Images

Some brand style guidelines include rules about styles of images or photographs to use. These images must fit into the brand’s identity and remain consistent; you should not use a bright and airy photograph one day and then a dark and moody photograph the next. The rules could include using colors from the company’s color palette or desired emotions that the images should evoke (energetic, powerful, soothing). Images are available to download on sites like Getty Images, Shutterstock, or Unsplash, if your company does not have access to a photographer or photography studio to create your own images. However, make sure to check that you have the right to use the images.

Icons

Brand style guides may also include illustrations or icons. Consider the icons you see on a company’s website: a shopping cart to click on when you are ready to purchase or an envelope icon if you want to communicate with the company via email. These icons must be coherent across all platforms. Icons will, much like the rest of the elements of the style guide, reflect the brand identity. Whimsical, rigid, colorful, playful…your icons can express a lot about your brand!

A few of Calaméo’s icons

Tone

Your tone and voice give your brand a personality via the written word. Once you decide who you are, it should be easy to find your company’s tone The brand style guide may include different instructions depending on the channel– perhaps your social media tone will be slightly less formal than that of your advertisements, for example. The guide should include written examples so employees can see how to employ the tone in different situations. Think of the image you want to project, and stay consistent.

Applying your style guide to digital publications

So now that you know all about style guides, it’s time to apply this knowledge to your digital publications! Because digital publishing is a visual medium, consistent brand visuals make all the difference between an amateur-looking document and a professional-grade publication.

With Calaméo, you can personalize your viewer Theme, add your logo, and enrich your content yourself so that your digital publications match your brand identity. With our White Label feature for PLATINUM members, your publications appear in your name and image, without the Calaméo logo. Start your free trial today!

🔎 READ: What content can you publish with Calaméo?

MARKETING

How to create a white paper with Calameo

In MARKETING
13 April 2023

Nowadays, Internet users have access to a huge amount of information on the Internet. For companies, this means it’s increasingly difficult to get the attention of their target audience. That’s where white papers come in. White papers are detailed documents that provide quality information on a particular topic. In this article, we will explain why white papers can be an effective marketing tool for your business and how you can create one easily with Calaméo.

Why you should create a white paper?

White papers are a great way to establish your company as an authority in your field. By providing valuable, quality information to your target audience, you can gain their trust and loyalty. White papers can also help you reach potential new customers by enticing them with topics that interest them and showing them that you are an expert in the field. Finally, white papers can be a great lead generation tool. In exchange for their email address or contact information, you can offer your readers a free download of your white paper, allowing you to add them to your mailing list.

How do you create a white paper?

To create an effective white paper, there are several steps to follow:

Step 1: Choose a relevant topic

The first key to creating an effective white paper is to choose a topic that is relevant to your target audience. Think about what your target audience is interested in and what they would like to learn. Topics that lend themselves well to white papers are usually topics that are complex or difficult for the uninitiated to understand.

Step 2: Research thoroughly

Once you’ve chosen your topic, it’s important to do thorough research to gather all the necessary information. Use reliable sources to obtain accurate data and statistics that will lend credibility to your white paper.

Step 3: Write your white paper

Once you have collected all the necessary information, you can start writing your white paper. Be sure to write the white paper in a clear, easy-to-understand style. Use graphics, images and examples to help clarify important points.

Step 4: Design your white paper

Once you’ve written your white paper, it’s time to design it. Use a professional layout that will make your white paper attractive and easy to read. Be sure to include images and graphics to help illustrate key points.

Step 5: Publish and enrich your white paper on Calameo

Now it’s time to publish your document on Calameo. Enrich it with our Editor tool that allows you to add: internal and external links, videos, images, sounds, and much more. Don’t forget to include a call to action that links to your website or allows the reader to contact you directly.

Step 6: Share your white paper with Calameo

Once your white paper is published, it’s time to promote it. With Calameo, it’s easy to share your documents on social networks, and you can embed your white paper directly on your website to promote it to your target audience. Be sure to clearly explain the benefits readers will get by downloading your white paper.

Conclusion

White papers can be an effective marketing tool for your brand. By providing valuable information to your target audience, you can establish your company as an authority in your field, reach new potential customers and generate leads. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can create an effective white paper that will be useful and appreciated by your target audience.