Posts Categorized: Search Engine Optimization

As always, there are a number of different online marketing strategies that can help generate leads. One of the most important of all, however, is Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Over half (53%) of marketers say content creation for blogs is the most important inbound marketing priority. When choosing an SEO firm for your business’s blog, you should make sure they can do the following.

1. Keyword Research
   A good SEO company will do thorough research to identify the most effective keywords for their client’s product. While ‘fast cars’ might be what your company sells, that keyword is highly competitive. Keyword research will reveal the intersection of what your company sells and what keywords are more accessible to rank on. This could include local SEO terminology like ‘fast cars near me’ or particular brands or specification.
2. Backlinks
   One of the biggest ranking factors for a website on Google is the number of other websites that link back to it. When choosing an SEO firm, you must make sure they have a strategy to generate these links. A while back this was fairly easy to accomplish by building a bunch of dummy websites and spam linking to clients. Today, Google’s algorithm is much more sophisticated, making this technique obsolete. Backlinks need to come from trusted, well-ranked websites to be helpful.
3. Data Tracking
   In order to know if the content marketing is effective, the SEO firm you choose must provide data tracking tools. This can include organic clicks per week, backlinks generated, conversion metrics, and specific keyword efficacy.
4. Frequency
   Any good SEO firm knows that you must consistently and frequently update a blog for these strategies to be effective. Make sure to choose one that is capable of regular posting at a volume commensurate with your SEO goals.
5. Content Length
   Studies have shown that long-form content consistently ranks higher than short form content. You can test this by simply Googling anything at all. Open the first three links on the results page, and do a visual assessment of their length. Then go to page two and do the same thing. You will more than likely find that top page rankings are much longer than those on page two.

 
These are not the only things to look for when choosing an SEO firm, but they certainly make up a huge chunk of the important ranking factors. Search Engine Optimization is far from an exact science since it is an ever-changing landscape. Perhaps after you know that an SEO firm is capable of the above practices, the next most important quality is adaptability. Google changes its algorithm so frequently that the ability to adapt in the SEO space is the x-factor that can give one digital marketing company the edge.

The world of digital marketing is wild, new and has fantastic potential to transform the way people market both their companies and themselves. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is on the front lines of this new marketing landscape, but to stay there, it has to be agile. Google, the search engine overlord, knows all about SEO strategies. All they had to do was google it. Due to SEO, there are many updates to Google’s search algorithms every year. So, SEO experts need to change tactics all of the time. Here are some trends you should expect to see early on in 2018.

1. RankBrain
   This is Google’s most advanced deep learning algorithm to date, and it has become the third most important ranking factor in the interconnected web of wonder that is the Google ranking algorithm. Among other data, the primary focus of this almost-AI is on measuring the duration a person spends on a website (Dwell Time), and the percent of people clicking on your page(Click Through Rate).
2. The Knowledge Graph
   This can make or break your page’s CTR. The knowledge graph, or answer box, or featured snippet, or any of Google’s clean-cut boxes of information that come up with generic or broad searches could preclude people from clicking your link. Either you make a website so attractive that you can overcome the knowledge graph, or you become the knowledge graph.
3. Content
   The more you factor in Dwell Time to the decision-making process that Google’s algorithms must undertake, the more you will see why long-form content reigns supreme. Most top-ranked links on any Search Engine Results Page (SERP) will be in the thousands for their word count. Not only that, but they will be good.
4. Image Search
   Google image searches are an ever-improving enterprise. Using picture keywords in content might become an emerging strategy in the upcoming months. Images will be especially useful in social media marketing campaigns.
5. Alternative Search Markets
   For a long time now, Google has been the only relevant platform to do SEO, and in the broad sense it still is. Specific search engine optimization can be done on the engines used on Amazon’s internal search engine by writing reviews in much the same way articles are written for Google. Likewise, Yelp, Siri, and other widely used platforms with internal search functions could be optimized.

Google gets more than 100 billion searches every month. They have some of the most brilliant minds and complicated algorithms in the world working to provide a platform for people to find knowledge. SEO experts are the silent infantry of online marketing. They work tirelessly behind the scenes to make your business visible to consumers worldwide. On the bleeding edge of digital marketing stands search engine optimization, ready for whatever algorithm Google decides to make next.

Online marketing Pro Tip: Companies that post 16 pieces of blogging content or more per month seealmost 3.5 times the volume of traffic than those who publish between zero and four monthly blog posts. Content drives clicks. This fact is inescapable and one of the main tenants of search engine marketing. If you want Google to notice your company, then visitors need a reason to spend time on your site. This is where Search Engine Optimization (SEO) comes into play. If you want to compete in the wild and intimidating world of online marketing, you need to enlist SEO services.

Out of all the digital marketing strategies available to you — pay-per-click, social media marketing, email marketing, and more — here’s why search engine optimization should be at the top of the list:

1. Informing The Customer
   We are living in an age where prospective customers are better informed than ever before. But where are they getting all their information? If it isn’t you, they are getting it from another company using similar online marketing methods. This is one of the biggest realizations many small businesses have while adapting to the Information Age. The digital marketing world isn’t about making the hard sell; it is about convincing customers that you are the authority on their subject of interest and you have the solution to their unique problem. If your company doesn’t engage in content production, how are you supposed to inform the customer?
2. Generating Leads
   The way digital marketing companies go about getting leads is not too different from offline marketing companies. It’s all about finding qualified leads and converting them into customers. That said, SEO is one of the most effective methods of generating inbound leads. Through keyword integration and having a high ranking on Google for a specific topic of interest, customers will start coming to you. The closer to the top of the search results you appear, the more likely consumers are to trust your site enough to buy something. Customers are less likely to trust information they find in an advertisement, which is why inbound marketing is so effective. This leads to more leads and more sales.
3. Cost Effective Visibility
   Inbound leads, even offline, are some of the most cost-effective. That is, you have to put in less money per SEO lead than you would with an outbound ‘sales pitch’ type of lead. This frees up resources to execute your services more effectively and expand your marketing reach to other areas.

 
Search engine optimization is becoming ever more important in an online world dominated by a single search engine. Professionals who know how that search engine comes up with its results are able to push a website as high as possible. Having a site that ranks on regularly searched for keywords is an invaluable marketing tool that could bring your company to the next level.

The search engine optimization world changes rapidly, but one strategy is emerging as a constant. In July 2015, a study by Moz and Buzzsumo found that long-form content, defined as articles with more than 1,000 words, consistently received more links and social shares than shorter content. And as of 2017, Google has confirmed that longer content often ranks better than thinner content on the same topic. The longer a post is, the more useful information it can provide. Of course, there are hundreds, maybe thousands of other factors, but for now let’s look at the true value of long-form SEO content.

What Is Search Engine Marketing?
Before we get into the nitty-gritty, it’s important to know what an SEO company wishes to accomplish. The basic goal is to get client websites to the first page of Google searches. The old saying, ‘if you’re not first, you’re last,’ is sort of how it works in this wild digital marketing world. Think about the last time you were desperate enough to resort to the second page of Google. Though page two is better than page three, as any SEO company will tell you, companies compete viciously for page one rankings.

Why?
Think of the number of companies that sell ribbon and yarn. If a potential customer goes online and searches ‘ribbon and yarn’, they’ll be spoiled for page one choices. This is where search engine marketing (SEM) comes into the fray. SEM is essentially an umbrella term for all marketing done on a search engine. This can include Pay Per Click Advertising, SEO, and many other marketing techniques that happen on a search engine. The goal with these strategies is to get as many consumers to see a website as possible.

Why Does Long Form SEO Content Matter?
Google consistently ranks long-form content higher. This is evident in Hubspot’s 2017 analysis of word counts for their posts. They found the word count that consistently generated the highest average organic traffic was around 2,500 words. The data peaks here and falls with either lower or higher word counts. In general, though, significantly more traffic was generated by long-form, SEO optimized articles and blogs.

Now, this doesn’t give you the green light to type out a trillion words that will read like a lumpy jumbled mess, or that it’s a good idea to write a long-form piece about something very simple. The key to these pieces is that they provide value to the reader, something they can learn.

For an SEO company, long-form content can be a marker of their talent. For a digital marketing company offering long-form content, it can be an asset. For your website, it could mean a ticket to page one.

Securing your spot in the ever-changing digital universe that is the internet can be frustrating. This is especially the case if you aren’t sure what goes on behind the red curtain of Google’s search results. Today, in a society where everything and more is accessible from the tip of our fingers, people increasingly rely on search engines. Everything from products to research projects, sports news to USB cord reviews, free-to-watch media to remedial arithmetic. Anything and everything — the internet in a nutshell. But how does Google determine which results to show you? And how are companies using this knowledge to their advantage?

Search Engine Optimization
This is big in today’s digital marketing world. SEO is a way to generate inbound leads for websites like yours, driving both traffic and customers your way. In fact, SEO leads have a 13.6% close rate compared to outbound leads that only close 1.7% of the time. These numbers might surprise you, but when you think about the way people find products today, it begins to fall into place. People want to find what they want. They don’t want to be told what they want.

With hundreds of informational articles on any given topic, it’s pretty important for any company that wants to be discovered to have content that directs people to their product. This is where SEO comes in.

First, you will need to identify the market you are after. This is true of any company’s marketing strategy. Next, you will want to hire an SEO company. Trying to quickly learn all of the intricate SEO services that these companies provide is a fool’s errand. Learn over time how to integrate optimization practices. But what does an SEO company do?

There are too many SEO services to explore them all in this article, but the goal of search engine optimization is to convince Google that your website should show up on the first page of search results. This is a monumental task and it involves many steps. One major part of any successful SEO campaign is the preliminary keyword research. Which words do you want Google to associate with your company?

Now, it’s far from this simple, but say you’re a car dealership that wants to sell cars in Fort Worth. Some of your keywords should include ‘Fort Worth’. You certainly don’t want such a simplistic keyword like ‘car’ because far too many people already want to hold the top spot on Google for highly competitive keywords.

This is step zero of a successful SEO campaign. If you would like to learn more about SEO services and how it can grow your company, consult with an SEO firm today.

Search engine optimization (SEO) and search engine marketing (SEM) are some of the most important tools a company can utilize today. Search engine optimization leads can have a 14.6% close rate, while things like direct mail or print ads only have a 1.7% close rate. They have a lot of marketing power.

However, for those that aren’t familiar with them, they can also be incredibly confusing and difficult to master. That’s why you need to hire an SEO expert. An SEO company will review your business and your website and figure out exactly what you need to improve your internet marketing strategy. But finding one can be difficult.

And that’s why we’ve compiled this list of tips. Here are three things you should look for in order to get the best SEO services for your business:

Years Of Experience
How many years have the companies you’re looking at been working in the industry? The best experts will know what has changed over the years and be able to adapt to changes that are coming because they’ve had so much experience with this particular business. They’ll also be able to see what techniques or digital marketing strategies will work for your website, and what won’t.

A Deep Understanding of SEO
There are multiple factors that go into search engine optimization. Some of these include:

1. Technical Aspects – This includes things like the website’s structure, or how easy it is for a search engine to index your content.
2. Page Optimization – Using the correct keywords, HTML tags that aid the traffic to the site, etc.
3. Off-page Optimization – This includes things like link building and similar SEO strategies.

A successful online marketing campaign understands and utilizes all three of these elements. you may not know which strategy to begin with, but an SEO expert will.

Past Success
The company that you hire should have the ability to show you their past successes and demonstrate that they know what they’re talking about. References should be available to you upon request, and that should allow you to get a feel if their past clients were happy with their services.

You need to make sure that you get the best option for your company when you hire an SEO expert. Keep these things in mind going forward, and don’t hire just anyone who offers their services. If you have questions, our team at Think Cre8tive has your back.

When it comes to marketing your small business, search engine optimization should be at the center of your digital strategy. Google receives up to 100 billion searches each month, but an SEO strategy allows you to hone in on the searchers looking for businesses like yours.

So how do you reach them?

With the right SEO services and techniques, the right searchers will come to you, hopefully becoming customers in the process. Of course, SEO techniques and trends change all the time. To stay up to date, the following are just some of this year’s top SEO trends that favor small business marketing.

1. Mobile First
   Marketing is all about meeting potential customers where they already are. And today, they are on their smartphones. Google now crawls your site to make sure it’s accessible on both desktop PCs and phones. This means that your website design must be optimized for a mobile audience.
2. Quality Content
   Users are no longer satisfied with clickbait blog posts with clear promotional motives, and neither is Google. Visitors to your site want high quality content with useful information. This goes for your social media posts as well. Keep everything relevant and on brand while giving your audience a reason to read.
3. Localized Keywords
   This may be good news for lower budget startups. Less-competitive, localized keywords are often more effective for small businesses. So, if you have been targeting broader, more competitive search terms, try to think more narrow. Perhaps that will give you the traffic boost you need without stretching your digital marketing budget too far.
4. User Experience Optimization
   Meet UEO, SEO’s cool new cousin. User experience optimization is all about making your website as user-friendly and enjoyable as possible. This includes faster load times and simple, interactive, and visual content that breathes life into your site. The perfect UEO formula will take some trial and error to pin down, so keep a close eye on analytics metrics like the average time spent on page and bounce rate.
5. Social Sharing
   Remember that SEO does not stop on your website. By sharing posts from your website’s blog on social media, you increase your chances of receiving more backlinks from around the web. Guest posting and blogging are also great ways to up your social media engagement.

 
Remember: Crafting your best online marketing strategy all starts with finding the right SEO services. Once you select an SEO company to work with, collaborate with them closely and listen to their advice. Together you can create a strategy that is perfectly tailored to your small business. And if all goes as planned, this will boost your lead generation and revenue.