SEO

3 Steps To Better Website Marketing

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There are two ways to improve your marketing on your website and both are extremely important for growing your business through increased clients and sales.

1) Review how you use your website to attract clients (to get leads)
2) Review how you actually market your website (to get traffic)

You may be wondering why I focus on the website itself first when it is further down the marketing funnel than marketing your website (it is about creating leads from the traffic you already have). However, you cannot get quality traffic to your website without first having the right content on your website.

Website Marketing - Attract Your Ideal Client

1. Set a Goal For Your Website

Websites can have many different purposes, they can be purely informational, they can be a lead gathering source, they can position you as an expert in your field, they can be educational, they can build trust, they can sell your products and services, and many more opportunities!

The first thing you must do is know why you are creating a website. What is the goal for your website?

If it is purely informational, then all you need is to ensure you have the right content to share what your sales team or customers need to know.

If it is a lead generating source, you need to have the right content on there to magnetically attract clients. You also need to have a marketing system in place on how you will attract clients to your website (Search Engine Optimization).

If you are selling on your website, you must ensure that you have a smooth, user-friendly buying process. Is it easy for customers to find what they want? Is the payment process simple, secure and trustworthy to your customers?

Once you know your website goal, you can then build a plan to create that.

2. Create Content That Appeals to Your Ideal Client

Success! You have potential clients coming to your website (strangers, networking contacts & referrals, etc.). Now you must check that your message speaks to them. If you have content on your website that is unclear either in what you do, or what action your visitor should take, you will lose business opportunities.

The reason I consider you website content marketing more important is that you must have a website that serves it’s purposes and converts the traffic you are receiving. If you focus on marketing your website to get more traffic and then can’t convert them, it was all a waste of effort and money.

You convert traffic on your website by understanding your ideal client persona to create messaging that addresses their paint points and offers a solution that compels them to sign up with you. (No you aren’t brainwashing them, you are just letting them know that you understand them and CAN help them.) Understanding and creating magnetic content for your ideal client leads to a more qualified lead and a higher closing rate in sales.

3. Market Your Website on the Internet

The next step to improving your website marketing is to get it to show higher on the correct search terms for your business. The art to this is understanding the phrases that your ideal clients are using, and optimizing their use throughout your website in order to be found for those search terms.

These terms are called long-tail keywords and a recommended for several reasons. The first is that there is so much content on the internet that you need to find a way to stand out. You have a higher chance of being found for “real estate attorney in Eugene” than you do for “real estate attorney” because it is more specific and localized. Another example is “smooth Italian olive oil” rather than just “olive oil”.

You want to be specific so that you are found by your ideal client, rather than everyone (everyone is less likely to close than your ideal client). You also have less competition the more specific your keywords are, and therefore are more likely to be found in the top results.

The most important thing to remember with SEO is that search engines want to show the right content that their customers are looking for. You improve search rankings by producing the results (information, products, etc.) that you promise so that your visitors stay on your website.

Related Articles:

https://designflairstudio.com/blog/seo-keywords-influence-web-traffic/

https://designflairstudio.com/blog/seo-v-s-inbound-marketing/

Have questions? Schedule your Get Acquainted session by contacting me. Can’t wait to hear more about your situation and see if I can help!

 

Search Engine Optimization Basics: How to Use Title Tags & Meta Descriptions

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Last month, we went over what keywords are and how they affect your website’s Search Engine Optimization. We saw that when you want your website to appear in search results, you need a cohesive keyword strategy that informs your website’s content. Once you have figured out an initial keyword list, it’s time to start using those keywords effectively on your website.

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What are SEO Keywords & How do they Influence Web Traffic?

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If you’re new to online marketing and you’re trying to learn more about how to drive website traffic, you will hear the terms SEO and Keywords often. So, let’s take a minute to unpack what these terms really mean and how you can start using them to inform your website content. Since the online marketing learning curve is fairly steep, this is a great place to start if you want a firm grasp of the basics!

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Categories SEO

Overcoming Content Overload and Blogging To Get the Right Leads

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As we’ve explained previously, blogging is an important element to both search engine optimization and Inbound Marketing. However, most businesses now understand the value of creating content and we are reaching a point of content overload. If EVERYONE is writing blogs, what do you need to do to stand out from the competition?

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11 Blog Ideas To Get New Leads From Your Website

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Generating quality leads is a part of life when running a business, but whether you are laboriously creating leads manually, or using an independent & repeatable systemized process, you can make a choice on what you do in your business. Turning your website into a lead generating machine is one of the many benefits of creating a website that sells for you. Who doesn’t want to bring in new business without increasing your own workload?!

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How Web Design Impacts Your SEO

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Google_SEO_ranking_web_design_pleasanton

Does web design impact your search engine optimization? Absolutely. SEO has everything to do with your content, and the design of your site either benefits your website’s ranking or makes it harder to find. On-page SEO is one aspect of ensuring that your website shows up in search engines. We’re here to share what website design elements are most crucial for SEO.

What Research Shows

Recent research done by Moz has found that which ranking factors are most important to Google’s SEO algorithm. Moz conducted surveys “to determine which features of websites and webpages are associated with higher search rankings.”

Google_SEO_ranking_web_design_pleasanton

Here are the top three factors that they found to be most relevant to high search engine rankings:

  1. Domain-level Link Features – This means your domain name length, TLD extension (top level domain, such as .com), and SSL certificate likely impact your ranking. It’s wise to make your domain name clear and memorable. This will it easier to find for people who are searching for your business or relevant searches.

Sources for creating an SEO-friendly domain name:

  1. Page-level Link Features – This factor includes the quantity and quality of links to a certain page on your site. The effects of this page feature explains why it is so beneficial to have high-quality links from other sites to your website.
  1. Page-Level Keyword & Content Based Features – Content continues to be crucial in order for your site to rank in Google’s search engine. This means having a good amount of quality content that is relevant to your business field.

The research done by Moz shows correlations between certain site features and search engine rankings, which you can read more about on their site.

Text & Typographical Design

Another important aspect of web design that can impact your site’s SEO is how you utilize text.

Your typography needs to have clear hierarchy. Great hierarchy ensures  your most important information is processed understood first. A common example of this is having page titles larger and bolder than the rest of the body text. If it is your homepage, the call to action should call attention to itself immediately, so that they know what they need to do on your website. Hierarchy makes your website easier to navigate which in turn ensures that your visitors stay on your website. People often think website design just includes graphics and images, yet typography is a crucial aspect that influences the user experience of your site. Don’t neglect the text on your website and how it’s arranged.
Another important thing to remember with text is that negative space is a good thing! As mentioned by The Branded Solopreneur, “No-one wants to read huge chunks of blocky paragraphs.” When it comes to text on your website, it’s always best to keep it clear and succinct.

Text_SEO_Web_Design_Livermore

image from The Branded Solopreneur

Load Time

The evidence continues to show that the amount of time your site takes to load affects your search engine optimization. According to an article from Search Engine Land, Google compares your websites loading speed to competitors when determining page rankings. The faster your site loads, the better.

Google considers your page speed because it affects the website user’s experience. Web users expect a website to load quickly, which is why Google is going to give people the result with the quickest loading time. Remember, everything that Google does is to provide their users with the best, most relevant results they are looking for.

One factor that impacts your page rankings are the images on your site. A common website mistake is to upload images in the largest size, however, you often don’t need the largest possible size. Scale the image to the size that you want before loading into your website. One easy way to downsize images is editing photos in Photoshop and using the “Save for Web” option.

Speaking of images, make sure you fill out Alt Text and Title Text with relevant and unique keywords for your images. Proper image titles will also improve your search engine optimization.

Mobile-Friendly Site

Your website must be mobile-friendly. Incase you missed it, at the beginning of the year Google announced a change to their algorithm that was aimed to improve mobile search rankings. This update was called “Mobilegeddon” and was the buzz in the digital marketing world for a few months. Websites that were not mobile-responsive likely experienced a drop in their page rankings as they no longer show in mobile search results.

Having a mobile-friendly website ensures a better overall user experience. As search engines cater the user, SEO is largely about the user experience. Searchmetrics writes that “responsive web design may be having a positive effect on rankings.” Ensuring that your website looks good on any device will boost traffic to your website.

A simple way to put it is that the more beautiful your site is and the easier it is to navigate through, the more likely your site is to have a higher ranking in search engines. A well-designed site that is easily found online will also improve your overall brand identity.
As you’re gearing up for the New Year it’s the perfect time to review your website and how it’s performing. Optimizing your website for search engines allows you to bring in more traffic to your site! Need help with your on-page SEO? Take action today by setting up an appointment with us and learn more about our SEO services.

The Perks of Video Marketing 2015

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Did you know this year is the year of video marketing? If you’re active on social media, then this is no shock to you and probably isn’t a surprising insight. Videos are all the rage, and reports are finding that businesses are reaping the benefits of using video marketing. As mentioned from Hubspot’s blog post on Meerkat v.s. Periscope, “It’s obvious that live video streaming is here to stay, and marketers will need to get on board if they want to stay relevant.”

This infographic from HighQ gives great insight into the benefits of using videos in your marketing strategies and how marketers are currently using them. It reports, “In 2015 experts believe that video will take up 57% of consumer internet traffic.” 57 percent!

Video Marketing Statistic

As videos are being utilized more and more for marketing, here are some reasons to jump on the bandwagon and start making video content!

Mobile Reach & Videos

According to an article from Singlegrain’s marketing blog, “92% of mobile viewers share videos.” Videos have really taken off, and users are viewing them from their phones more frequently.

Think about it, if you’re visiting a website from your smart phone, would you rather read a page of text or watch a video to obtain the information you need? Videos are a great way to deliver (and receive) information quickly, and to get people to share content. This is why videos are also ideal for landing pages! Make sure your website is mobile-friendly and use videos to bring in more traffic.

Brand Awareness & Videos

Another benefit of using videos for marketing is establishing brand awareness. As we’ve mentioned, videos are engaging and shareable. They are the perfect avenue for informing people about your business and getting your name out there.

Videos are a great vehicle to convey your brand’s tone and voice. If there is one main person behind your business, videos allow you to show the face behind your business. The tone of your brand can be conveyed without necessarily using people. This is accomplished through the style of your video; is it comedic or serious? Is it more informative or entertaining?

When thinking about brand awareness, it’s also a good reminder that the content of your video is of utmost importance. You don’t want to start creating videos just because they are good for marketing and to follow a trend. Videos need to have substantial content that is valuable, informative, and true to your brand identity.

If you’re having trouble imagining what that looks like, get in touch with us today and we can create ideas for video marketing content for your business! We have created a variety of videos for our clients, including informative and testimonial videos.

SEO Benefits of Video Marketing

Using videos along with keywords strategies will allow your content to rank higher in search engines. If you have a WordPress website, you can use plugins such as Yoast to optimize your video content. Even if you’re simply uploading your video to YouTube, you still need to make sure that it is search engine friendly. This means creating a catchy title for your video, utilizing keywords and filling out the description. Doing keyword research beforehand is a great way to figure out what your audience is looking for. Just as with any other marketing content, you want your video content to address a need that people have.
One great keyword tool is Ubbersuggest, and it’s completely free! This tool generates longer keyword phrases that can help you tailor your keywords to your content.

Ubbersuggest SEO Tool

To use this tool, simply visit the website and enter your keyword or key phrase into the generator. Then select which type of content you are utilizing the keyword for from the drop down bar.

Ubbersuggest SEO Tool for Video SEO

Then click “suggest” and give you a comprehensive list of keyword suggestions in alphabetical order.

Ubbersuggest SEO tool- Video SEO

This can help you put a name to your content and get specific with your keywords. It’s easy to to be general in keyword use, but being more specific will ensure that your content appears for more organic searches.

Social Media Marketing

So not only can videos help your website or blog be found in search engines, but they are also ideal for social media engagement. As we’ve mentioned, videos are engaging in nature and therefore are more likely to go viral than other types of content.
As an example, our Facebook posts with videos of client testimonials performed better in terms of total people reached compared to other posts. This is likely due to the fact that this post received more likes, and therefore is more likely to appear in our client’s Facebook feeds.

Facebook Video Marketing

According to Facebook, they determine which stories to show in a feed based off the user’s activity and what type of post it is. It’s also important to tag people in a Facebook post if you mention them. This may seem like a no-brainer, but it’s easy to forget and the benefits are huge when you do.

One of the way Facebook ranks your post is whether or not people are tagged. Basically, if people are tagged in your post then their audience is likely to see your post, as well. This ranking system is part of Facebook’s ranking algorithm, called Edgerank. (Check out Sprout Social’s blog post if you want to learn more about this algorithm). Facebook is becoming increasingly popular in terms of video marketing, so make sure to upload all your videos to your Facebook page.
Don’t miss the opportunity to engage users through video marketing and increase your business! Contact us today to hear more about the video marketing services that we offer.

SEO v.s. Inbound Marketing

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Search engine optimization! Inbound marketing! These are some of the latest buzzwords that you will hear from marketers, other business owners and even spammers warning you of impending doom if you don’t hire their services! (Don’t get us started on some of the scare tactics that spammers use…) Search engine optimization and inbound marketing are utilized in a variety of strategies, which made us wonder; how are search engine optimization and inbound marketing related? Taking a deeper look at SEO and inbound marketing, we found that the two overlap in many ways and, most importantly, have the same end goal.

SEO is used by many businesses and companies to reach certain goals.

Here are some common reasons why SEO tactics are utilized:

  • Increase your ranking on search engines
  • Improve traffic to your website
  • Increase your website engagement
  • Establish a strong online digital presence for your business

Many of the goals of SEO are interdependent; having a higher ranking on search engines will consequently increase traffic to your site because it will be one of the first pages people see. Overall, SEO is focused improving your website’s search engine rankings so that you appear at the top of search result pages, leading to more traffic to your site and more clients for your business.

Inbound marketing strategies are employed to:

  • Gain new clientele through marketing materials
  • Increase traffic to your website and turn traffic into leads
  • Increase conversion rates
  • Set your brand up as an expert resource, creating valuable content that increases your brand identity while attracting new clients to you
  • Update and maintain your website with content that markets your business

Overall, inbound marketing is focused on creating high quality content which will cause people to seek you out as an expert resource on your chosen subject and will rank well in search engine results. By generating this interest in your business, you will be increasing your website traffic and your search engine results.

So while SEO and inbound marketing involve varying techniques, the end goal is the same – to increase the visibility of your business.

Through our experience, we’ve discovered is that inbound marketing and SEO overlap when it comes to content creation. When using inbound marketing strategies, you need content that is search engine-friendly and engages users. 

SEO and inbound marketing require content that:

Speaks to Your Audience

Creating content that is tailored for your audience is what makes inbound marketing effective. Knowing your audience also allows you to effectively optimize your content for search engines. For example, if you know what search terms your ideal market is using then you can build content based on those terms.

Is Authentic to Your Business

Any content that your business puts out should be true to who you are. This is important because marketers can get carried away with getting higher rankings, and use SEO tactics ingenuinely. Examples include putting keywords into blog posts and meta descriptions just to be found, even when it doesn’t apply to the content of that page. All content for your business should speak from your business and carry a coordinated tone; be mindful of the personality your business is developing through content. Content creation takes time, but it’s worth the investment.

Is Visible Online

If you’re spending time and possibly money on developing inbound marketing material, you want people to be able to easily find it online. This is how SEO really supports your inbound marketing strategies. Using on-page SEO techniques improves the chances of your website being found. Ensuring that your page has quality information, useful keywords and proper meta descriptions will bring people to that landing page when it is part of a larger campaign!

SEO and inbound marketing are linked in a way that is inseparable, as they both stress the importance of quality content for marketing your business. This is why content marketing is all the buzz now.

Businesses are currently shaping their marketing strategies with the user in mind, as they should. Several years ago, when SEO started to gain momentum, some businesses got carried away with taking into account Google’s algorithm changes rather than focusing on the larger picture – providing value to their client through their website. Now the pendulum is swinging the other way, as marketers are discovering it’s more effective to create content with the user in mind, not the computer. Remember that all the tools out there are helping you to be found by people who are searching for what they want to find online. Creating useful content is how you will be found, create leads, and gain business.

Creating content for your business can be daunting, but it’s worth the investment to create quality content for your website because it will truly improve your business. Get in touch with us today to discuss how we can help you reach your target market! You can also leave us a comment on Facebook to tell us what marketing strategies you currently use.

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