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2020 changed the way we do business. Employees are working remotely without plans of returning to the office. Employers are relying on their online presence, rather than building local connections. The demand for a digital presence has increased exponentially.
When it comes to digital marketing, I always consider website design and search engine optimization (SEO) as one. You can hire a website designer to build an amazing website. However, the website will do little for your business unless customers can find the site online.
If you choose to invest in SEO, you need to make sure you receive the techniques to increase your rankings. In 2021, these are the most important factors for your SEO campaign:
Content writing is essential to your SEO strategy. Your content could be blog articles or pages. The benefit for your site is to include fresh information so search engines know you are still relevant to your industry. If you don’t add new content regularly, Google considers the site as outdated and increases the rankings of sites that are active.
Most importantly, write the content with keywords that you want to rank for! For example, my blogs have keywords that relate to SEO, website design, and digital marketing. Not only is this my area of expertise but these are the keywords that I want to rank for on Google. Keywords should be included in your content, post title, and meta data.
On average, Google bots crawl websites every two days. I recommend adding a blog at least twice per month. An SEO expert can help generate content with topics that will increase your rankings and benefit your audience.
Additionally, adding content benefits your brand. According to Small Business Trends, 80% of people prefer learning about a company through custom content. Besides the benefits of a blog for SEO, your blog has the following benefits:
Link building is the process of acquiring hyperlinks from other websites. The benefits of link building is establishing authority. Search engines crawl individual pages of websites. When search engines discover links, they index the linked website as a good resource. Building links is one of the most difficult tasks for an SEO expert. If possible, it is more beneficial to obtain a link using anchor text with a keyword that you want to rank for.
There are many types of methods to earn links:
Directory Links
Directory links are the most common form of link building. This is where you earn a link from directories such as Yelp, White Pages, or Angie’s List. However, many of the sites will not provide you a follow link unless you pay for their services.
Guest Posting
Guesting posting is where you write an article for another website, which then links back to your site. This is a competitive and time-consuming form of link building, although highly effective when you earn a link. You can hire a guest posting provider to expedite the process. Among the most popular are:
Black Hat Link Building
Stay far, far away from black hat link building! The term “black hat link building” was originally coined from computer hackers’ black hat practices. This form of link building uses loopholes to trick search engines into thinking the link is a resource so the site ranks higher than it should. If search engines discover black hat practices, your website rankings will drop.
A few black hat practices include:
Technical SEO is the foundation of a website’s SEO campaign. Without it, none of the other strategies will succeed. When I perform an SEO audit, technical deficiencies are often the first thing I look for.
So, what does technical SEO entail? Technical SEO encompasses the following techniques:
Two of the most important aspects of technical SEO are your meta titles and descriptions. A meta title refers to the page title in search engine snippets. It is retrieved by search engines as the primary keywords for your site. When you are performing a search, the meta title shows on the result pages as the overview of the page or post to determine whether or not you want to click on the reference.
For example, my homepage meta title is “Get Global Marketing: Bend, Oregon SEO and Website Design”. When you search on Google, this meta title is what will appear. If you are a local business, it is essential that you include your location into your meta title. Your SEO expert should have a strategy for optimizing the meta titles to increase your rankings.
Have you ever visited a restaurant just because your friend said it was great? Referrals are one of the best techniques to build new business. You can also build customer trust through online reviews. When someone raves about the food being great or receiving superior service, you are more likely to earn new customers.
There are several online databases to collect reviews. Most businesses receive the highest conversions through their Google Business page. Your Google Business page is an essential resource for your customers. You are able to include hours, contact information, location, a description, website, logo, reviews, services, and even post company updates. Often, your Google Business page shows first with a Google search. The benefits of building reviews on Google are that you build more customer trust and also increase the rankings of your website.
Other important platforms for reviews are Facebook and Yelp.
Improving your online presence is an essential tool to increase your revenue. You may have a beautiful website, but the site needs exposure to achieve the business goals that you are determined to meet. Contact Get Global Marketing if you are interested in high-quality SEO services. We have a variety of packages to fit your needs. You can reach us at (541) 706-9442 or gillian@getglobalmarketing.com
Every business evolves overtime. If you own a business, you probably experienced that year one of your start-up has taken a different path ten years later. Did you know Amazon started as a platform to sell used books?
I have experienced a range of adjustments as I learn more about what my clients need. Providing superior service that earns my clients results has always been my top priority.
Recently, my experience with search engine optimization (SEO) has changed. For one, SEO has gotten more competitive. It is great that business owners are now realizing that they need to amplify their online presence. If you do not have a website with powerful conversion techniques and high rankings, you can lose thousands of dollars per month.
Secondly, more complex techniques are necessary to increase your rankings. You can no longer increase your Google ranking by inserting keywords into your meta data. You now need to post regular content, build links, and earn reviews, in addition to the technical edits of a website. This means SEO has gotten more expensive to support the staff and software necessary to meet Google’s demands.
When I started Get Global Marketing, my goal was to keep my prices low. However, since my top priority is to provide earn the highest quality results, I recently had to reevaluate my prices. Maintaining low prices prevents me from being able to access the tools that I need to increase my client’s rankings, especially if they want to convert nationwide.
I still have a starter package for local clients who can write their own content. Other than that, my SEO packages are now more strategic and sophisticated to earn clients more revenue. You can find my new pricing table below.
While I realize that many start-ups and small businesses won’t be able to afford my new SEO prices, more services are required to earn page one rankings which costs me at least $700 per month.
Like my dad told me when I was a teenager, “you have to spend money to make money!”
If you own a business you have a website- you have to in this day and age. Your website probably has a homepage with a toolbar at the top that has buttons for About Me, Get a Quote and Services. You even have some professional photos of you and your employees looking your best. Your website wasn’t something you took lightly.
Now that your website is launched, you are good to go, right? Anytime someone does a Google search for your service+ city you should come up first, correct?
Wrong.
There are a number of things you need to optimize on a consistent basis to make sure your website is truly an asset that brings you business and increases your bottom line. Below I have included some ways that will help you rank higher and increase traffic to your website.
If you are on a tight budget, you may not be able to afford the Search Engine Optimization (SEO) services to optimize your website to its fullest potential. Until you can, use these four basic DIY SEO methods to start gaining traction on Google.
Meta Titles are one of the most powerful tools to increase your website’s rankings. In layman’s terms a meta title gives searchers and most importantly, search engines (like Google) a short title of the content on a particular page. For this reason alone, choosing the right meta titles is paramount for attracting traffic to your site.
So, what goes into crafting a good meta title? Something called keywords. Keywords are words or phrases that appear frequently on the page and are relevant to the subject.
As an example, if you’re webpage has an article about losing weight, keywords you might consider for your meta title would include fitness, diet, healthy, exercise and cardio. These words are all associated with weight loss and let both the reader and search engine know what the page is about. An SEO expert can use keyword research tools to discover traffic and difficulty so your website reaches the right customers for your business.
If you are a local business, add your city and state. For example, Nutritionists Bend, Oregon.
Your meta title should also not be more than 70 characters. Stick to the keywords that mean the most without the tagline or phone number.
Much like meta titles, meta descriptions are used to help someone doing an internet search click on your link. Found under the title on a search page, meta descriptions look like code and provide a description of a sentence or two about what the website is about.
Even though Google doesn’t use a ranking algorithm for meta descriptions, they do help increase your click through rate which helps the search engine determine if your site is a quality result.
So, what makes a good meta description?
The first characteristic is length. You want your meta description to contain enough information so that the web searcher knows what your website is about, but you don’t want to make it so long that it takes forever to read. While there is no hard and fast rule when it comes to length, most meta descriptions are between 90 and 150 characters.
Because your meta description is an invitation to visit your page, it should be clear and actionable. The use of simple words that get to the core of what your website is about is key.
Lastly, all effective meta descriptions have a call-to-action. If you’re selling a product, tell the reader a little about it and to find out more. Consumers want information quickly so they’ll be much more enticed if you encourage them to take advantage of a free sample, 30-day trial, free shipping, etc.
If you have trouble coming up with good meta titles or meta descriptions, hiring a qualified copy writer can do wonders for increasing your traffic and therefore your bottom line.
Another critical component of high-ranking SEO sites has to do with your contact page. Something that often gets overlooked is the correct spelling of your business name, address and phone number. It’s also a good idea to include a Google map of where your business is located as well as a Google street view.
The contact pages for the majority of websites are little more than an afterthought. They usually only contain some basic text like the business name, phone number and address. There might be a few fields you can fill out with your information if you wish to inquire more but not much else.
In order to make your contact page more appealing, consider adding some graphics that complement your business whether they are of the office or the products the you offer. Your contact page is also a great spot for testimonials. After all, if someone has clicked all the way through to this page, they are considering getting in touch. Why wouldn’t you want to have some positive reviews posted to push them over the edge?
Google My Business is a free tool that lets you manage how your business appears on the search engine. This is especially beneficial if you’re a local business. When people google things local plumbing companies for example, chances are good they need a product or service and are likely going to make a purchase. Why shouldn’t they use you?
Setting up Google Business Page is free, only involves a few steps and can do wonders for your business. First, create an account, claim and verify your business. Next, optimize your listing to your liking with appropriate information and images. Lastly, download the Google My Business app and you’re all set!
After you launch your Google Business Page, ask clients to leave you a review. I do this by emailing a link to the Review form. Businesses that have more reviews will rank higher on the Google Business listings.
Even if you have a business that offers the best products, services and prices around, you’re going to struggle unless your website is SEO optimized. The number of consumers that shop at brick and mortar establishments is becoming less and less. Instead, they are turning to the Internet for virtually all their consuming needs. For this reason alone, having the know-how to optimize your website is critical if you want to be successful. If you take the time to monitor and improve the items above, you’ll quickly find that your ranking will increase and your bottom line will grow as a result.
If you decide to work with an SEO expert, contact me, Gillian Rowley, at Get Global Marketing. I will take you beyond DIY methods to increase your rankings on Google with clients that will build your business. Contact us in Bend, Oregon today!
Websites are hacked every day. Most of us assume that won’t happen to us.
Well guess what… the other guys did not think their websites would get hacked either!
Security precautions can be taken to block hackers. Every website should be secured with an SSL certificate.
SSL stands for “secure sockets layer” and is a form of security for sites that handle sensitive information such as customer names, phone numbers, addresses and credit card numbers. It creates a secure connection between the customers browser and the server. An SSL certificate is essential for ecommerce companies.
As a website developer, I secure all of my websites with an SSL certificate. Most of my websites are hosted by Bluehost. A security service allows you to apply the SSL certificate within the CPanel. Your SSL certificate is easy to set-up. Web developers can upgrade the account for subdomain protection.
Checking your web security is simple. The most obvious method is looking at the URL of the website. A green padlock is displayed when a website is secure. The website will also say HTTPS instead of HTTP.
HTTPS is the acronym for Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure. It is the protocol for secure communication over the computer network. HTTPS ensures that the website data is encrypted.
Chrome will be making more obvious alerts for internet users beginning in July 2018. Over 55% of internet users use Chrome. Now Chrome is labeling websites “secure” or “not secure” on the search bar of the domain. Many internet security software programs like SiteAdvisor will provide warnings for websites that do not have the “secure” tag.
You should know why SSL certificates exist if you own a website.
Picture a website like your home. An SSL certificate is like a door lock. You lock the door to keep your family and belongings secure. You lock your website to ensure that hackers do not break into your database.
Your SSL certificate encrypts sensitive information. This include credit card numbers, addresses, names, usernames, and passwords. Only you and the server are able to understand the information. It will be unreadable to a hacker and identity thief. SSL certificates are essential for ecommerce companies.
Identity theft can be a nightmare! A thief can ruin your credit, take out loans, and steal your social security number. Online purchases make it easier for someone to steal your identity. A secure website is protected from hackers, therefore earns more customer trust.
84% of people will abandon a transaction if the website is not secure. Your company loses revenue with a website development error that is a simple fix. Every website that I develop is protected with an SSL certificate.
HTTPS is essential for website security. However, a secure website can also be good for SEO.
As an online marketer, I provide SEO services in Bend, Oregon. Creating a secure website is one of the primary responsibilities on my SEO checklist.
Beginning is July 2018, Google will mark all websites that are HTTP as “not secure”. This will hurt the rankings of those websites. Secure websites will get more traffic which is essential for to increase rankings on search engines.
Speak with your website developer about securing your website with HTTPS and SSL. Get Global Marketing develops secure websites in Bend, Oregon. Contact us today to revamp or build a new website.
Marketing has many different avenues. There is social media marketing, SEO, print, radio, billboards – the list goes on. Nevertheless, blogging is one of the best things that you can do to build a new client base.
As an online marketer, I know that an optimized blog can improve your professional reputation, help you gain leads and sales, and increase your rankings on Google. Let me explain how this works:
Every business owner I know wants to rank on the first page of search engines. If you have higher rankings than you can gain more traffic to your website, therefore exposure to potential clients. A variety of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) methods can increase your likelihood of ranking on the first page of Google. Blog articles are one of the most important methods to include into your SEO strategy.
Why Blogs Are Valuable for SEO
Blogs create opportunity for your website. You can strategically place keywords, back links, and images that creates domain authority. Blogs create more content for Google and other search engines to index. You can also link your blogs to social media.
Most businesses have fierce competition. When you have competition, you have to find a way to make yourself stand out.
You could create amazing ads and beautiful social media posts but it’s essential that you depict yourself as an expert. There are two great ways to portray your expertise online:
In your blog provide tips and “how-to” articles. For example, if you are an interior decorator, provide “Best Interior Paint Color Combinations,” or “Laminate Versus Hardwood”. You are not only a service provider but a resource of knowledge.
Your clients want to work with a business that they can trust. Writing blog posts personalizes your company. You can optimize these effects by introducing the author at the beginning of the article.
Do not be afraid to say, “As the business owner of blank…” That way, your audience will know that the article is being written by an expert.
You might notice that, I use this technique throughout my blog articles. I do not want my readers to feel like they are reading another generic blog article. Readers are obtaining information from the perspective of an online marketer and small business owner.
How many times have you found a random article online and posted it on social media? Probably more than you can count!
Your blogs provide opportunities for others to share as a resource on social media or link on their own website. Inevitably, sharing content can get you more traffic on your website which is great for SEO! Create beautiful blog articles for plenty of opportunities to flourish on the web.
If you do not have a blog on your website, it is time to start! I recommend posting a new article once a week. Contact the professionals at Get Global Marketing in Bend, Oregon to get you started.
There are thousands of SEO tools available on the internet. We can drain our pocket books purchasing the best tool to measure our website performance. Before you spend $50, $100, or even $300 in SEO tools that you don’t need, I want to give you an overview of some of the tools that have been the most valuable for me.
If you are familiar with SEO than you probably know that building links can be one the best things that you do to increase your rankings. The hard part is finding blogs that accept guest posts.
As I was building a link list for a fitness company, I stumbled upon Guest Post Tracker. The link building tool maintains an updated list of websites that accept guest posts. The websites are divided into categories. For example, “Business”, “Fitness”, “Food”, “Education” and “Insurance”. You can find exactly the type of website that you need to link your article.
Guest Post Tracker also provides the domain authority, price, and tracks your submission. I have saved hours using Guest Post Tracker. There is no more need to build incomplete link lists.
You can use Guest Post Tracker for a very reasonable cost. The software is $47 with no reoccurring monthly fees. As a business owner, I watch every penny that goes in and out of my business bank account. From my experience, Guest Post Tracker is worth the investment.
Every SEO analyst needs a tool to track their website’s progress. SEM Rush provides you with custom reports to your website’s data.
The software creators advertise the following 7 SEMRush capabilities;
I use SEMRush specifically for the detailed site audit. You can get much of that information from third party website but it can take you hours to gather. SEMRush creates your accurate website audit within minutes. It is vital to have a thorough audit before starting any SEO campaign.
SEMRush’s essential tracking software isn’t available without a hefty price tag. The most basic package is $99 per month. At this price, you can track 500 keywords, 50 social media profiles, with 5 active projects. So far, the basic package has done everything that I need.
SEOMoz is SEMRush’s direct competitor! Both provide superior tracking capabilities. I like how SEMRush provides the website audit. On the other hand, SEOMoz has a variety of tools that can help you streamline your workflow.
The SEOMoz lists the following features to improve your rankings;
These are just a few of the features mentioned. From my experience using SEOMoz, you can get complex information on your website’s ranking, along with helpful competitor research.
The cost between SEOMoz and SEMRush is parallel. The basic SEO package starts at $99 monthly. Both SEOMoz and SEMRush offer trial periods. I suggest experimenting with the trial periods before choosing which is right for you.
Even if you don’t use subscribe to SEOMoz, I recommend watching the mozinars. The information is shared by industry leaders and can help you improve your SEO skills.
There are also many free SEO tools available. The following are my top choices:
1. Google Page Speed Insights
Enter a URL and this tool will calculate your website’s loading time.
2. Mozbar
This chrome extension will tell you the domain and page authority, H1 tags, meta titles, and links on any website that you view.
3. Keywordtool.io
Enter a keyword and the Keyword Tool provides a list of long tail keywords opportunities.
4. Google Analytics
Google Analytics is your complete source of website stats and search insights.
5. Google Webmaster Tools
Google Webmaster Tools provides constant website analysis, alerts, and error reports.
6. SERPs Rank Checker
Find out where your website ranks among competition.
7. Screaming Frog SEO Spider Tool
Crawl each URL for critical data that could be decreasing your website’s rankings.
As an SEO specialist, I know that the right SEO tools can improve your online marketing campaign. Give the SEOMoz and SEMRush a test drive! They both provide tracking information that you can count on.
For me, Guest Post Tracker has been a lifesaver! The tracker software can save you hundreds of valuable hours to link to industry leading websites.
Time is money! Choose the software that saves you time in getting exactly what your company needs to succeed.
Do you have any favorite SEO software? I would love to hear your feedback in the comments below!