Hi all, I’m going through sendgrid’s api and I cant seem to find the functionality to query opened and clicked email for a specific user. Does any EMS provide’s that?
People love watching stories unfold. That’s why tappable story experiences are so popular. Many platforms exist to create these tappable stories and now Google has their own version, called Google Web Stories.
Google Web Stories: Explained
Google Web Stories are powered by AMP technology and are owned by Google. They are immersive, full-screen experiences that you can host on your own website.
The ability to post them on your own site is what makes them different from other story experiences, such as Instagram or Facebook stories. In addition, you can include links, calls to action, and Google AdWords in your Google Web Stories.
Using individual story panels with videos, graphics, and other features, you can share brand narratives that users can click through to experience the story you want to tell.
In addition to viewing them on your website, people can also experience Google Web Stories in a Google search, in Google images, or through the Google Discover app, available on Apple and Android devices.
Owning your Google Web Stories content gives you the full advantage to leverage SEO opportunities and make the most of this immersive storytelling option.
Examples of Great Google Web Stories
Every brand has a story to tell—and Google Web Stories helps you tell yours. Do you need some inspiration to get started? Here are a few examples.
Refinery29 has created a series called How Stuff Is Made, including this piece called How Money Is Made. It’s the kind of story that sounds rather boring, but throw in some great copy, videos, and photos, and it’s suddenly compelling. You are eager to find out what happens next.
Sometimes the world just needs more good news, and Google Web Stories are a great way to tell heartwarming stories. Brands can leverage the opportunity to tell inspiring and heartwarming stories, as NowThis has done with this one. It’s a story about a Paralympic swimmer who built his own pool when his training pool closed during the pandemic shutdown.
Stories about travel, animals, and kids are all just asking to be told in a visual format like Google Web Stories. Lonely Planet has run with it in this story about traveling to see wildlife with your kids.
How to Create a Google Web Story
Before you create your first Google Web Story, think about your brand’s image. What stories should you be telling? Leveraging the power of stories can be an engaging way to get people to care about your brand and what you have to say.
Don’t forget to take a few minutes to storyboard your story first, whether it’s on a white board or back of a napkin. Sketch out your plan and decide how many panels you need. Which visuals or videos need to be on each panel? Don’t forget your CTA or ads.
Next, it’s time to actually start creating your Google Web Stories.
Google stories are code-heavy. If you have a coding engineer on your team, they may be able to create the story for you, but they need to be familiar and comfortable with the AMP framework. If you want to start exploring that route, AMP does have a lot of documentation to support creators.
If you’re not a developer and want to create Google Web Stories for yourself, you can explore a number of tools.
Tools for Creating Google Web Stories
Knowing that many of their creators would not be coding engineers themselves, Google offers a number of third-party suggestions for developing Google Web Stories.
Since it’s integrated with your website, your WordPress media library is available to your Google Web Stories. The plug-in offers drag-and-drop creation and allows you to publish your story right to your website.
You also have access to templates to assist your design. If you have a WordPress website, this may be the most obvious and seamless option, especially if you’re already comfortable with the content manager.
Newsroom AI
Newsroom AI allows you to start creating Google Web Stories for free, with a lot of available features. Even with the free version, you can embed stories onto your website and start getting your stories out on Google. You can track how well your stories are doing with the analytics reporting feature.
Creating is simple. Just set up an account with your Google account and click “Create Story.”
Newsroom AI provides a lot of different templates to choose from. Grab one to get started. Next, you’re taken to the “create” page where you can start designing.
This is where the visual fun begins.
From here you can change up each page with the content you want, including text, photos, and videos. You can also change the template midway through or choose other layouts and presets. The design options are as limitless as your story ideas.
If you find yourself wanting to get more out of the experience, you can upgrade to a paid account.
There are a couple of different options, but the main feature paid accounts offer is allowing you to leverage Google ads for yourself. This may be worthwhile if you want to make some money with the content you are create.
Another great feature of Newsroom AI is the Getty Images integration. With the free version, you gain access to Getty Images’ creative commons images. This is more of a convenience, so you don’t have to search images out separately.
The paid versions, however, get you access to the Getty editorial image library and Getty videos. If you’re brand is into history and culture, this may be a benefit for you.
Make Stories
Much like the first two options, Make Stories boasts easy-to-use features. They have a catalog of free images, icons, symbols, and more, and use a drag-and-drop interface for design. They also have templates to get you started.
They have a WordPress integration, but also allow you to export each story in a zip file or publish to your FTP on your website, as well as use embed options like iFrame.
If you just want to explore a bit, this one might be the lightweight option that can let you see what it’s all about before diving in.
Benefits of Using Google Web Stories
Are you sold yet on the idea of creating Google Web Stories for your brand? If you’re still on the fence, let’s talk about some of the benefits that Google Web Stories may have for your organization and why they may be better than some of the social media alternatives.
It’s a new way for users to find your site.
Because of Google’s powerful search engine capabilities, the opportunity for Google Web Stories to be seen in Google search pages or in Google images is a compelling reason to consider creating them. It’s another angle to up your SEO game.
Furthermore, because Google Web Stories are so customizable, you can feature links or CTAs that drive traffic to your site.
You own the content.
Content ownership is the major difference between Google Web Stories and social media alternatives. You created the content with AMP or through a third-party platform so it’s yours to do what you’d like with it.
You can embed it onto your own website or share it however you would like. Think about how you want to use Google Web Stories and how users will find yours. This can help drive your creative choices as well. The options are nearly limitless and left in your own hands.
They bring immersive experiences to your website.
Whether you’ve been looking for a way to bring some sparkle to your blogging, storytelling on your website, or just like the look of a full-screen experience, Google Web Stories can add a new dimension to your website.
Both mobile users and desktop viewers can view Google Web Stories that are full screen, limiting descriptions and helping them feel part of your story.
They are fun for your viewers.
Americans spend an average of 5 hours per day on their mobile device. People love scrolling through topics that interest them
To break through the noise and clutter of the internet, you need to find your niche and share beautiful and dynamic stories, ensuring your audience wants to keep viewing your content.
They can be fun to make.
This may not be true for everyone, but a lot of creators may find the experience of creating Google Web Stories to be enjoyable. The various tools we discussed above include drag-and-drop options, which make the designing task intuitive for many. You may find yourself constantly coming up with new story ideas and splashy ways to present them.
They allow for unique ad opportunities.
We will explore this more in a moment, but you should know that Google Web Stories can be integrated with Google AdWords and other ad opportunities. With their strong SEO tie-in, this could be a good option for some brands.
Google Web Stories Ad Opportunities
Historically, content creators make money by selling ad space. This is true for everyone from a print newspaper to an online news blog. Google Web Stories can utilize the same concept as programmatic ads.
You can create immersive, engaging stories that include ads designed to flow well with the rest of your story. Depending on your reason for creating a story, you can add CTA boxes, links to landing pages, and links to product pages.
Conclusion
Most brands have stories to tell. Sharing your stories via Google Web Stories with your followers helps you grow your online reputation and build trust with your customers.
Your videos can cover everything, from your company’s culture to new product releases. Though it’s difficult to build the code to create your own Google Web Story, there are many plug-ins that help you create them.
If you need some help with your online marketing strategy or execution, let us know! We can help.
Music can be a game-changer for creating online visual content for your brand. But where can you find music available for commercial use?
More specifically, where can you get it for free?
Before we dive into the resources available, let’s talk about commercial use.
When you’re wondering whether something counts as commercial use, think about whether you’re using it for your business. If what you’re creating is for your brand in any way, then it’s probably for commercial use.
For use directly connected to making a profit, it’s almost definitely commercial.
If you’re getting the word out or are marketing your business without directly making money on the content, it’s still best to err on the side of caution and treat it as commercial.
Using someone’s music or art without express permission can result in a cease and desist—or worse.
Free Music for Commercial Use Resources
Free music for commercial use does exist—even on reputable websites. Whether you’re looking for instrumental pieces to play in the background of your next explainer video or you need some hot sounds for your social media campaigns, there are lots of great resources to choose from.
How Can I Use Free Music for Commercial Use?
Music can be a great addition to online marketing efforts—but how you can use the music depends on the owner of the tunes. We will talk about the variances below, but be sure to do your research on the site you are interested in downloading music from to be sure you’re within their parameters in your use.
Just because music is free doesn’t mean there won’t be attribution requirements. Think of attribution as your nod to this music’s creators or distributors. Check carefully to see how each site requires credit for the song— this is often with a link in your video description or caption.
In addition, free does not necessarily mean unlimited use. For instance, some places may allow for remixing or adding lyrics, while others may not. Check the licensing agreements on each website.
Is There Really “Free” Music for Commercial Use Available?
Sometimes free music for commercial use is entirely free. Other times, you need to pay a subscription fee to access some or all of the content.
The subscription often opens more opportunities for use or may give you a more extensive library to choose from.
Others have genuinely free music, but usage may still be limited–so be sure to look at the fine print.
Royalty-Free Vs. Free Music for Commercial Use
As you’re looking for free music for commercial use, remember “free” isn’t the same as “royalty-free.”
Royalty-free means you aren’t obligated to pay a royalty fee to the music’s creators. But, use is still restricted to certain formats, amounts of usage, etc.
Bensound
Billed as royalty-free music, the songs on Bensound are free to download—with a few stipulations.
If you want to go with the free option, click the black download button on the music you choose. When the window pops up giving you a choice between free and subscription, click the button again. This downloads an Mp3 file.
You can use the file in various audio and video projects, with licensing stipulations outlined on the Bensound website. For instance, you can use them in your videos with a link giving the Bensound website credit. However, you can’t use the music in podcasts or audiobooks, register it as your own, or remix the music.
You can browse by genre, with tons of options to choose from. Or, you can search by keyword. When you find a song that interests you, click to find out more. This will take you to a page with information about the composer, a description, keywords, and more.
Bensound offers both free and paid subscription options. Free downloads are limited to a smaller library of music than subscriptions.
The standard subscription allows for limited usage, including online videos or music in your bar or restaurant.
Meanwhile, the extended subscription allows broader use, such as for movies, stage productions, and local tv and radio advertising. National tv and radio advertising usage comes with an additional fee.
Bensound has specific rules for how the music can and can’t be used. They don’t allow you to remix or add lyrics to any music you use, whether you download them for free or with a subscription.
In addition, you can’t use them for international tv or radio advertising, in podcasts or audiobooks, in meditation projects, or resell them as music-only projects.
Audionautix
Audionautix is a passion project by founder Jason Shaw. He wanted to provide a way for people to grab great music for their projects—even commercial ones—without getting caught up in copyright issues. The website primarily hosts music created by Jason himself, full of music from a range of genres.
You can search by features like mood, genre, tempo, style, and more.
When you find something that interests you, click “Listen Now” to hear it. If you want to hear more like it, you can click on relevant tags to check out other similar songs.
When you’re ready to download, click the “Download Mp3” button.
Free Music Archive was put together by WMFU, a radio station in New York and New Jersey, to provide original music to creators on the internet. Its creation stems from the belief that copyright laws can be outdated, stymying digital creativity.
They believe providing a place for music creators to share their music with creative commons licensing helps musicians be heard by a wider audience while also assisting other creatives in enhancing their work.
Like other free music for commercial use websites, you can browse by various genres. You can also click individual artists’ links to see more from them or scroll to the bottom to the “List of Artists” link to see all available creators.
To hear a song or piece, click the play button. To download a recording, click the download icon (an arrow button pointing downward). When you click that button, a small pop-up window will appear with information about the song as well as licensing information.
The website uses creative commons licensing definitions, so be sure to check out the icons in the pop-up for information about how you’re allowed to use the music.
The one thing you’ll want to look for is this dollar sign with a line through it. This means you can’t use this free music for commercial use.
If you don’t see that icon, you’re clear to use it for commercial purposes. You can click for more information about each creative commons use.
MusOpen
If you’re looking for free music for commercial use that’s in the public domain, give MusOpen a try. MusOpen is a non-profit group focused on music education and getting more music into the hands, or rather the ears, of the public.
By focusing on music in the public domain, they provide access to pieces with expired copyrights, making these songs available for redistribution or reuse, including commercial use.
You can browse for songs based on unique categories like romantic, happy, sad, relaxing, energetic, or fun. You can also search by composer, instrument, or time period.
As you browse, you can listen to each piece and see licensing information next to each one. Look for the ones without the dollar symbol with the line through it—that symbol denotes it’s not for commercial use. The ones without this symbol can be used for commercial purposes with proper attribution.
To start downloading songs, you need to create an account.
DL Sounds
DL Sounds is based in the Netherlands and run by a group that produces original music for creators worldwide to use in their multimedia projects. Because their music is made by them and isn’t available anywhere else, they can provide fresh music for digital projects.
In addition to songs, they have sound effects and loops, which are short, repeating sections.
You can search in the search bar or go to the music tab to explore all the songs, browsing by genre, mood, file type, or even beats per minute.
Most of the music on DL Sounds is only available via subscription. They offer a one- or three-month subscription with unlimited downloads.
However, they also provide some free music for commercial use as well. Look for the “free” icon on the bottom right of a song’s visual, shown below:
Conclusion
Once you find free music for commercial use, your creative ideas could indeed become a reality. Your ideas are only limited by each website’s licensing agreements and attribution requirements.
Using the resources above, you could find inspiration in the original tracks, public domain choices, and more as you start thinking about the videos and other marketing projects you want to create. From how-to videos to quick social media posts, your marketing efforts can be enhanced by all this music.
Which piece of free music is inspiring you to create something new?
You don’t want to create content, publish that content, and then find that your SEO juice is getting split between the original page and an unintended duplicate page.
That would cause both pages to rank mediocrely instead of having one page rank exceptionally.
Ideally, you want to combine the SEO juice of those two pages and not leave each to its own devices.
Enter your business address information and your zip code. Then click “Next.”
Keep following the prompts until you’ve arrived at the end and your account is active.
Eventually, you’ll have to enter more specific business information about what you do, the kind of products you sell, and your target audience.
All of that information will help Google quickly and easily place your business in the correct SERP, so take the time to optimize your Google My Business page.
This is an easy way to rank in Google with very little additional time or effort.
Ranking Mistake #3: You’re Not Leveraging Social Signals
Are you active on social media?
Lots of businesses have accounts and some even run advertisements on social media.
But how many businesses are actually active with their accounts?
Probably not very many.
Why does all of that matter, though?
Because, believe it or not, your social media accounts help determine how you rank in Google.
If you want to increase your SEO efforts, which you do, then you should stay active on social media and keep your information updated.
Google uses social signals to determine which websites are active, which are stagnant. This tells them which should rank higher.
As you see in the graph below, all of the top results stay exceptionally active on their social media accounts.
The good news is, it doesn’t need to be complicated.
Did you publish a blog article? Post on Facebook about it.
Did something interesting happen at work today? Tweet about it.
Capture a funny picture of an office-hours prank? Post it on Instagram.
The more that you post on your social accounts, the better your website will rank.
If you think that you’re doing everything right, but your rankings are still suffering, then social signals might be your answer to a brighter SEO future.
You’ll generate more traffic and increase your rankings this way.
You can do everything right, but if you don’t have social signals, the website that does will beat you.
Ranking Mistake #4: You Don’t Create Consistent Content
Maybe you write and publish a blog post every now and then.
Maybe you record and publish a video when the mood strikes.
Sadly, “every now and then” and “when the mood strikes” aren’t enough to claim your spot in the rankings.
You probably already know, for instance, that I write a lot of blog posts on my own. I can often even finish three or four a day if I’m really focused.
This is because I’ve had a lot of practice.
After a bit of time, you’ll be able to do the same thing.
Why is creating consistent content such a challenge for you and the vast majority of marketers?
The answer is simple. Writing, recording, and editing takes a lot of time.
It’s even harder when you don’t see immediate results.
Obviously, you want to be in the blogging category that sees more traffic, links, and indexed pages.
Part of the reason, of course, is because each piece of content they create and each new page they publish gives them another chance to rank in Google.
If you’re creating content consistently, then it’s only a matter of time until you start to rank.
Ranking Mistake #5: Your Website is Not Mobile-Friendly
Maybe you’re doing everything else right.
Maybe you don’t have any duplicate content on your website. Maybe you’re registered with Google My Business. And maybe you even leverage social signals and create consistent content.
Then, you check your results and still, you’re not ranking.
What gives?
Well, if you don’t have a mobile friendly site, then that is what gives.
In today’s world where people browse the Internet on different devices every single day, you need to cater to all of those different screen sizes.
It’s so important that Google even moved to mobile first indexing–which means they look at your mobile site first, rather than your desk top version.
Google’s robot will then crawl your website at its earliest convenience.
Remember, if Google isn’t able to crawl your website and analyze it, then you have absolutely no chance of ranking.
Make sure your settings in Google Search Console are correct and that the code of your website doesn’t block crawling bots from looking at it.
Ranking Mistake #7: Your Website is Slow
Few things are worse than browsing the internet, finding a result you like, and then waiting more than 10 seconds for that website to load.
You want information, and you want it fast.
Your audience and target market are no different.
For that reason, Google puts significant ranking weight on how quickly your website loads. In fact, they had a whole update that specifically targeted page speed.
There are two reasons that rankings decrease with slower load times.
The first is that Google directly ranks websites with fast load times better than those with slow load times.
People don’t want to wait, after all.
Google doesn’t want to make them wait.
The second reason, though, is that when your website has a slow load time, your bounce rate increases which, in turn, hurts your rankings.
It’s a double whammy of loss.
Fortunately, you can check your website speed for free by going here and typing in your domain.
Then click “Site Audit” and scroll down to the “Site Speed” section. Here’s what you’ll see:
This will tell you how fast your website is and how optimized it is for speed. My website loads in one second on desktop and two seconds on mobile devices, both of which are in the “excellent range.”
If your speed is low and your optimization is also low, that means you can take steps to increase your website speed.
Try, for instance, compressing your image files or simplifying your design.
Here’s a few more tips so speed up your website.
The faster your website loads, the higher your rankings.
Conclusion
If you’re anything like other ambitious entrepreneurs, you know what it’s like to struggle through the rankings and come out on page ten.
No one wants that to happen.
Yet, more often than not, it does happen.
There are, after all, only ten positions that actually matter in Google and millions of results.
Once you’ve done all the right things, sometimes you still don’t rank. That’s when you need to take a look at potential SEO mistakes you’re making.
Now you know some of the most common ranking mistakes: having duplicate content on your website, not registering with Google My Business, ignoring social signals, and creating content sporadically.
Beyond those, using only a desktop version of your website, blocking your website from Google, and having a slow load speed also hurt your chances of ranking.
Fix those problems, though, and you’ll be ranking in no time.
What problem have you encountered before that hurt your rankings and how did you fix it?
I have email submit form with double opt-in confirmation. Lots of bots (thousands) submitted their emails but never confirmed the subscription witch made my email look like spam (thousands non opened emails vs 20 that were opened and confirmed).
Now my confirmation email and all the next ones go straight to spam.
How can I get them go to inbox again? I am using getresponse. Should I just create a new email address to send them from? Do I need to set up a new domain as well?
