Google processes more than 40,000 search queries every second, which translates 3.5 billion searches per day and 1.2 trillion searches per year, according to internetlivestats.com. To rank among the top search results (your main goal through SEO), you can entice users to click your link through a meta description.
In today’s digital marketing world, trends and tools are constantly evolving and changing to appeal to the consumer – whether that be through social media, internet, television, or third-party applications (and this is just touching the surface). While the need for marketing has been and always will be essential – the way that businesses market their products and services, as well as what platforms they’re using, has changed drastically.
We use Google daily. When we need to know something quick, it’s the first resource we think of. Have you ever wondered how Google determines what information and which sites to present to you first? Often, we supply even the vaguest of terms and still receive detailed and helpful search results that get us the answers or information we want.
So how does Google do it? Algorithms. These algorithms search for key components or material from web pages and organizes them into relevant search results. For many new or smaller businesses, hacking these algorithms can be a bit difficult. The easiest place to start is through Search Engine Optimization (SEO). SEO is an organic way to give your brand the boost it needs and to refine your search result placement.
Here are 3 ways to improve your SEO results and bring your website to the top of a search:
Images are a great way to keep your audience interested. Approximately 65% of individuals are visual learners, meaning they search for visuals or remember things best from visual representations. This is your chance to appeal to both audiences. Make sure that your image is relevant to your company and the page it’s on. The size of the images you use can also make or break user interaction with your site. Larger images don’t only take away from the meat and potatoes of your site, but they also take longer to load. Always remember the 8-second rule: if your site takes longer than 8 seconds to load, 50% or more of visitors will leave.
Another essential to differentiating your page amongst others is the use of keywords. This one might sound simple but take this into consideration. Is what your sharing revolutionary? Have others already discussed the topic? Most likely, yes. Find a way to tie keywords together in a way that connects similar topics or take advantage of new hot topics. If you’re one of the first to share insight on a new topic, you’ll have a competitive advantage over others late to the trend.
With over 2.5 billion people in the world owning a smartphone, mobile web pages have become increasingly relevant. If your website isn’t mobile friendly, a good majority of your audience may turn away and search for another site that is. Most website building platforms allow you to toggle between both and offer simple and easy to use layouts that make it easy for people to find what they’re looking for. Always make sure that your website performs well on a mobile device, and that everything formats correctly. If it’s all out of order and scattered, you risk losing all connections with your mobile audience.
If you follow these three tips, you’ll have a head start in optimizing your search engine results. Though there are more helpful tricks and benefits that SEO can have to your web page, starting here will help you establish your brand and increase your engagement.
At Traffic Jams, we specialize in web design, SEO, social media and content creation. If you’re searching for more ways to improve your SEO performance and increase your visitor’s engagement, give us a call at (855) 859-9998 or email us at sales@trafficjams.com.
Our smartphones and smart devices such as Amazon’s Alexa and Google Home are becoming more commonplace as consumers have come to love the simplicity, speed and usability of these devices. Nearly 20 percent of all searches are done through voice, and with the growing popularity of smart speakers and consumers making their homes ”smart,” business owners and marketers have already started implementing voice search SEO as a part of their long-term goals and strategies to drive traffic.
As we quickly approach the end of 2018, here are some useful pointers to ensure that your business is getting the most out of voice search SEO and preparing for success in 2019.
Implementing Voice Search into Your SEO Strategy
Traditional forms of SEO such as tags and keywords are still relevant, but voice search requires a slightly different approach. One important factor that accounts for this difference is in the way people write versus how they speak. Depending on the type of business, certain words or phrases are more commonly utilized when doing a voice search, such as ”coffee” and ”café,” or ”food” and ”restaurant.” When coming up with a voice search SEO strategy, it is crucial to take this difference into account to ensure that you take full advantage of voice search capabilities.
Below are just a few helpful tips that can help you leverage the power of voice search SEO:
Blogging is an important marketing tool, because it adds a human face to your business. It’s relatively inexpensive to start a blog, and the positive implications are endless. For a small business especially, blogging is a strategic tool that can increase customer traffic and create solid sales leads.
Here are four reasons why your business could benefit from a blog:
Simply put, blogging increases SEO. Search engines love unique content, and they rank frequently updated web pages higher. The more you update your blog, the more content search engines will have to index. This means higher rankings, more site traffic and ultimately, increased brand awareness.
It’s important you update your blog consistently. Ideally, you should update at least once a month. However, it’s quality over quantity when it comes to blogging. Stray away from posting content that lacks clear information and reads like a sales pitch. Fresh, quality content captivates your audience and solidifies a loyal brand following.
Blogging on a regular basis builds trust in your audience, so don’t skip over this important strategic marketing tool. You’re an expert in your SMB, so use your unique industry knowledge and perspective to your advantage. Blogging provides an informal yet effective way to communicate with your target audience and increase long-term ROI. Additionally, it differentiates you from your competitors, so your business emerges as an industry leader.
Once you decide to blog, you also decide your company’s tone of voice. Typically, corporate blogs are written in first person, which creates a more personal connection between the customer who’s reading the blog, and the company who’s writing the blog.
When it comes to committing to a blog topic, the possibilities are nearly endless. Your blog can feature relevant industry news and trending topics, or you can highlight personal narratives of your leadership team or a standout employee. As you can see, blogging is a great avenue for featuring both “hard” and “soft” company news. Other topics you can discuss include:
Small businesses often overlook the importance of establishing an online identity. As more and more people search for local services online, it’s critical for your business to have a digital presence.
A strong online presence leads to higher traffic and increased customer loyalty—not to mention credibility.
While managing your company’s online identity can seem too daunting a task, you certainly don’t have to be an IT professional to get your business online.
Here are four effective tips to improve your businesses’ digital identity.
You don’t have to be a web designer to launch a simple and responsive website that gets the job done. Site builders like WordPress, Squarespace and Wix offer customizable templates for any business.
When choosing a template, look for responsive ones. A responsive design “responds” to the user’s needs based on their devices. Simply put, your website needs to look the same whether viewed on a computer, smartphone or tablet. Besides offering a seamless customer experience, the benefits of responsive web design include:
With two-thirds of Americans on Facebook, it’s one of the best places to establish your small businesses’ online identity. Your Facebook page features important information such as location, directions, hours and product information. Creating a company page also means access to Facebook Insights, so you can better understand your target audience and cater your messaging towards them.
Despite hundreds of social platforms on the market today, creating an account for your small business doesn’t have to be overwhelming—and you certainly don’t have to be present on all of them. In fact, focusing on one or two platforms is ideal for sending out a clear message.
Communicating with your customers through a company blog not only increases your online visibility, but it drives traffic to your website. Creating original content centered on your product, brand or business is also an effective way to develop meaningful customer relationships.
It’s important to update your blog frequently, or you risk looking like you’ve gone out of business.
4. List your business in online directories.