Category: Online Marketing

7 Features Your Website Must Have in Order to Be Successful

You want your business to thrive, right? Looking to increase your credibility and exposure to potential customers? Need an easy way to drive revenue? Good news! There is a simple answer to get your business on the right track and one that might seem like common sense.

In order to achieve all the above goals, you need to ensure you company has a website.  I know, you’re thinking, of course, everyone knows you need a website today.  So, you did the due diligence and launched a website for your business.  But what if that website doesn’t seem to be performing for you like it should?  Just having a website doesn’t mean customers are automatically going to flock to your business.  Having a website is like having a storefront without a sign.  You have a location that allows people to do business with you.  The only problem is, they don’t know who you are, where you are located, and what you do.  That is why business owners invest in signage, marketing, product placement, and, of course, a website.

So, you know you need a website, but just like with a storefront, your website must be a great representation of your business and what you stand for.

Here are 7 must-haves with your website:

1. Responsive Website Design

Responsive web design simply means your website automatically conforms to the best user experience, regardless of the device. 70% of website traffic comes from mobile devices. To stay on top of your competition, your website must have a comparable user experience across all devices, whether mobile or desktop.

2. Clear Navigation

Think about your own experience on a poorly designed website. You are trying to find contact information or specific content about the company’s services and yet, you get lost in a never-ending scroll and click monstrosity of annoyance. You end up leaving that website to find a competitor with a clearer direction. People are looking for quick, simple, and efficient. Having a clear navigation path on your site will enable a better user experience, as well as aid in your search engine optimization growth.

3. Content, Content, Content!

When it comes to your website, content is king! You must infuse high quality, engaging content to attract your ideal consumer AND keep them on your site. People coming to your site have a problem in which they are hoping for your products or services can solve. Say they need a new roof. They want to investigate a bit to see if it is the best company to hire to replace their roof. They want to know you have knowledge and experience in the area. They want to be sold on the fact that your company is the best in the business when it comes to roofing. That is all done with content. Content is what draws the customers to your website. Relevant and engaging content is what pulls your website to the top of search engine results. Content is what is going to set you apart from your competition.

4. Thoughtful Design

You always want to be thinking about the user experience when it comes to your website design. Having an explosion of colors, a gazillion pictures, and 24 various fonts and sizes will make any visitor dizzy and drive them right onto the pages of your competition. Your color pallet, images, and content should all be placed with purpose throughout your site and guide the user to the information you want them to focus on. Think of it like a road map, guiding your ideal customers to exactly what you want them to do.

5. Customized Call-To-Action Buttons

Also referred to as CTAs, this is one of the most critical parts of your website. Call-to-action buttons guide your customer to interact with you in a preferred manner. It could guide them to fill out a form, or maybe to call now, (which they can do right from your site!). Maybe it is to complete a sale right on your site if you are an ECommerce business. Your call-to-action buttons are a subset of your well thought out design. They remind your customer to engage with them and further their interaction with your business to get closer to the sale.

6. Consistency

It might sound repetitive, but consistency is so important for a good user experience. Consistency on your website means that your colors, images, content, navigation, messaging, and overall message has a cohesive flow throughout the entire site. When a customer lands on your website, whether they land on your home page or a product page within your site, they should know right away what business site they are on, what you do, and how you can solve their problem. A great deal of this will focus on your brand messaging, a topic we will explore deeper in a separate blog.

7. Engaging Visuals

There is an old saying in marketing that is still true today. If you were to remove all the text from an advertisement, a customer should still be able to tell you what you do or what you are selling based solely on the image used in that ad. The same is true for your website. The first thing people will focus on is one that lands on your site if the images. Your images need to tell a compelling story. Much like your content. They need to be engaging and purposeful in both placement and messaging.

Another concept to embrace is video. People are 10 times more likely to engage with a video versus a static image. You are allowing people to learn about your business, what sets you apart, and pull them in with compelling content – all at the ease of watching a video. A well-executed design that incorporates both static images with thoughtful and poignant video will take your website to the next level.

Just like your food in your refrigerator, don’t keep your website past its expiration date.  Websites created in the 90s and early 2000s are in desperate need of a refresh!  Technology changes quickly today.  For your website to stay relevant and be found by customers online, you need to keep your content fresh and your platform and design current to your customers standards.  

How Can You Get Your Website to Attract More Customers?

Perfexion is a full service, interactive agency. We harness the power of great design, the most advanced technologies, and strategic branding to enhance your professional presence across the web and beyond. Click here to get a FREE website audit and customized solutions for your business.

PPC Best Practices for Extra Effective Text Ads

What is PPC?

PPC, also commonly known as pay-per-click, is a method of search engine advertising to generate clicks to your website. Unlike organic search, PPC involves paid search marketing. Paid search marketing means you pay for your website to appear in paid advertising sections of relevant search engine results pages. In simpler terms, results are determined by payment from advertisers.

What is the difference between organic and paid search?

Organic search is based on natural, unpaid rankings. These rankings are determined by SEO best practices, including well written optimized content, creating accessible and relevant URLs and keywords, producing captivating title and description tags, and off page optimization strategies. These efforts can be performed in-house or by outsourcing SEO campaigns to an experienced agency.

Other popular SEO practices are updating and posting new blogs, finding and removing broken links, looking at competitors’ keywords, and using outreach and marketing tools to make the company more known.

Paid search allows you to pay to have your website displayed on the search engine results page when someone types in specific keywords and/or phrases that match the demographic and other targeting setup within the 3rd party search providers system. There is budget setup as well as detailed targeting criteria that determines where and how your ads are shown. The paid search providers have a campaign setup and maintenance process involving keywords, negative keywords, demographics, geo-graphics, campaign performance metrics, landing page optimization, as well as bidding strategies.

Types of Ads

Search ads, like mentioned above, means a business advertises within the sponsored listings of a search engine or a partner site by paying each time your ad is clicked (PPC).

For example, a consumer who wants to look for new iPhone headphones will head to Google and search for a keyword or topic related to headphones for a smartphone. When an ad is shown, he or she will click the ad and be taken to a landing page having content related to the search, and hopefully, purchase the product.

Display ads are shown to consumers when they are browsing online. Based on the targeting being used, this happen when searching for your product or service, or when they are reading online where the content is related to their search. The ad can be triggered by their intent, or because of the relevant web property or placement they are on. These ads are advertised through banners or other ad formats made of text, images, audio, video, etc. These formats can include various placements including the top of web pages (similar to the traditional banner ads) and larger text, such as billboards.

For example, a consumer is searching the web for study materials for his/her upcoming exam. Various musical artists are shown with new releases. The consumer isn’t specifically looking for new music, but display and banner ads are showing up throughout Google. He or she then clicks on the image with the promotion taking them to the corresponding landing page.

Remarketing ads are strategically placed ads to connect with people who previously interacted with your website. If a customer leaves your site without buying, remarketing allows you to market to them again.

For example, a consumer has recently browsed Best Buy and had added items in his or her online shopping cart. He or she decided to leave the site before purchasing a product. A week later, that same consumer went back online and your ads are show again or remarketed to the consumer. Based on the web property, the same items recently added to her Best Buy shopping cart can appear, alongside other similar products that he or she may think of purchasing.

Paid Search Optimization

For paid search optimization, there should be a prioritization approach to maintain consistent growth and performance. Here are some common goals that companies tend to have:

  • You should always define your goals and objectives (both short and long-term). This includes identifying and maintaining your specific audience. This should include repeat customers but also new customers.
  • Determine which type of campaign(s) best fit with your goals and audience. Companies often use both organic and paid search programs. Search-based campaigns can be a better fit for some, while sales-based campaigns can be better for others.
  • You want to increase sales and revenue.
  • You want to increase site visitors.
  • Do what your competitors are doing.
  • Do what your competitors are not doing.
  • Optimize content to maximize shareability.
  • Improve company outreach and recognition.

Guidelines for Effective Text Ads

Writing good ad copy for PPC ads can be tough, but if done well, can make your company more profitable. Similar to any approach, you should define and thoroughly know your target audience and what they want. A crucial way to gain the attention of potential customers is to ensure that you know how to, and more importantly, can fix their issues and pain points. To help you better figure out what your audience wants, look at it from the customer’s perspective and decide what you personally would want from the specific company. Then, determine how you as a customer would fix the problem, and implement this into your actual practice.

Next, you should always address the audience in your ads. Using the words “you” and “your” are extremely important. If the audience believes that you are talking directly to them, they will more likely have a positive attitude towards your business.

Make sure to utilize human emotion. A potential or existing customer does not want to read a boring ad that he or she cannot relate to. You want to make your audience feel something. To do this, determine what emotion(s) you want to captivate and tap into. Sometimes evoking negative feelings can be better than positive feeling because people tend to act quicker when they see or hear something bad happening and want to solve a problem.

For example, if you are doing an ad on childrens floats for the pool, mentioning the high risks of adolescent drowning would be more beneficial than targeting solely the floats. If a parent reads an ad that says, “Drowning is the 3rd leading cause of unintentional injury death worldwide”, they would probably be keener to act.

Using metrics and numbers is very important. Spelling out each number is not only time consuming, but less appealing to the eye. Be sure to use exact numbers instead of rounding. Numbers and statistics tend to grab people’s attention, so utilize this as much as possible.

It’s also crucial to use all the space that is provided. Google AdWords allows up to three 30-character headlines and up to two 90-character descriptions. Make sure to fit all the necessary information into this space, while also using a display URL and ad extensions if desired.

To outshine your opponents, you want to highlight what makes you different. Because of the limited amount of space, you need to make your ad and selling points unique. In order to do this, you should ask yourself the following:

1. What does my company/business do better than anyone else?
2. Are you making any special offers or doing anything that sets you apart?
3. What is unique about your brand image?
4. What customer problem are you solving?

When thinking about ads, you should also strive to go local. People tend to trust businesses that are small and local, rather than huge corporations. If you have a specific geo location but want to expand into other areas, make sure to create different campaigns for each location. Use keywords that match those geographic locations. For example, if your campaign is taking place alongside a coastal area, it is smart to include terms such as “beach”, “rock”, “sea”, “water”, “offshore”, etc.

Start your campaigns with strong, action verbs that grab the reader’s attention. If you start off your ad with the words “Call for more information”, readers are going to skip right over that. However, if you start your ad off with something like “Get a huge discount” or “Save up to 10%…”, readers will be more inclined to click on your ad.

You should regularly review and maintain your PPC ads. One way to do this is to split test between your ads to see what is working and what needs to be improved upon. There are numerous methods to split ads, but some of the more common include: placing your ad in different locations, using different words in your ads, trying different figures and statistics, experimenting with different display URLs, and emphasizing various advantages of your service.

There are several 3rd party tools to help you create, maintain and improve your PPC campaign performance. They are also a great way to review your campaigns and metrics against your competitors. Reviewing competitor search ads over different days and hours of the day will give you a barometer on the market and competition.

Lastly, creating a successful PPC ad takes time. However, it will get easier with time and practice. Determining your goals and objectives, defining your budget, targeting your niche audience, making a list of relevant keywords, bidding on the right keywords, creating an attention-grabbing headline and description, and utilizing human emotion are just some ways to produce the compelling ad you need.

SEO Strategies: Mobile versus Desktop

Over the past decade, smartphones, tablets, and PCs have facilitated a vast and virtually ubiquitous online presence. Smartphones and tablets, in particular, have revolutionized the way consumers seek, search, and shop for their goods and services. These days, consumers anywhere can, with a few quick keystrokes, connect with local businesses at any point, and from any channel, in a matter of seconds. While mobile SEO, searches and  design have gained significant traction over the last couple of years, accounting for over half of all online traffic, the prevalence of desktop searches should not be overlooked or underestimated.

Mobile versus Desktop: How Do They Differ?

You might be surprised to learn that, despite the ongoing debate about which device is preferable, SEO for mobile and desktop adhere to the same basic principles and best practices. That said, there are some key differences that must be acknowledged and implemented into your overall strategy for each platform. Let’s begin by exploring why mobile and desktop have different rankings, how to compare them, and what these differences mean for your long-term SEO goals.

According to recent statistics gathered by web experts at BrightEdge, 79 percent of listings have a different rank on mobile devices compared with PCs or desktops. Furthermore, they found that the top-ranking result for a given query is different on desktop and mobile 35 percent of the time.* So, what do these statistics really suggest? First, that mobile and desktop searches use vastly different algorithms to determine SERP listing data, and second, that any successful Search Engine Optimization strategy requires a highly developed understanding of user intent.

Most popular browsing platforms—Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Google Chrome—are working to provide the best user experience for searchers, regardless of what device they are using to conduct the search. In order to do this, however, they need to establish some degree of user intent; in short, they need to anticipate the needs of the users and meet them accordingly. Although user intent differs per person (and device) the general consensus is that the intent of mobile users is more immediate and transactional, whereas the intent of desktop users is more generic and informational.

Based on the preceding generalizations, we can further surmise that users conducting searches on their mobile devices are more likely to seek and yield localized results, whereas users searching for products or services on a desktop are more likely to browse generally on various ecommerce sites.

Search Engine Optimization, SEO, is also inextricably linked to the conversions likely to occur on each device. Those of us with smartphones, for example, know firsthand how convenient the click-to-call feature is, which is what most users use. Conversely, desktop users are more inclined to send emails or submit contact forms regarding their specific inquiry.

Deciphering User Intent Through Micro-Moments

Google anticipates and interprets user intent by examining their micro-moments; that is, by analyzing the ways consumers behave online. Using these micro-moments, the search engine can process the incoming queries accordingly. If a user is searching for a product or service in Plymouth Meeting, a map proximate to their location will appear. Alternatively, if a user is searching for specific information, the Google “Quick” answer box will readily appear.**

Micro-moments are particularly telling for mobile users, who are generally in need of immediate results. As an example, a mobile user searching for “fresh produce” is likely looking to buy fresh produce right away, so SERP may return a local map showing grocery stores or farm stands nearby.

Alternatively, on a desktop, a user searching for “fresh produce” is more likely conducting a general search. The user could be looking to order fresh produce online, but they could also digress to researching the health benefits of fresh produce, searching for recipes, or looking at other pertinent content.

In sum, these micro-moments impact how SERP is constructed, and determine the relevancy of the content that appears. Site developers, marketers, and webmasters need to recognize how mobile users interact in these micro-moments—as well as how intent differs between mobile devices and desktop—if they want to ensure that the generated content corresponds to both device and user intent.

What Does the Future Hold for Online Searches?

In 2015, Google confirmed that mobile searches officially surpassed desktop searches worldwide. Two years later, in 2017, research conducted by BrightEdge showed that 57 percent of all online traffic comes from mobile devices like smartphones and tablets.*

Mobile SEO, Mobile Web Design
Mobile and Desktop Traffic

In 2018, mobile searches are continuing to outpace desktop searches, and this upward trend is projected to continue well into the future. As a response to this surge of mobile users, Google is developing a “mobile-first” algorithm as a way to compel webmasters to design their mobile sites first, prior to designing their desktop sites.

The popularity of mobile searches, however, does not diminish or negate the importance or prevalence of desktops, which account for 43 percent of all online traffic. Similar to mobile devices, desktops generate their own SERPs. Furthermore, descriptive keywords and longer articles are better suited, at least presently, for desktops and PCs.

Whatever the future holds for online searches, it is essential to have separate SEO strategies for both platforms and to track and monitor their performances regularly. Free resources like Google Analytics, for example, provide a fuller picture of such metrics — including advertising impressions, affiliate clicks, engagement rates, conversions and revenue rates, and even what percent of search traffic comes from mobile devices and desktop, respectively. These metrics will allow you to see how well you are reaching your target demographic, and also how users interact with your site on both platforms.

For best results, you would do well to hire a professional marketing company with the expertise to develop content that is compatible on both mobile devices and desktops. If you need assistance making your website responsive and mobile-ready, Perfexion, Inc. is here to help. Our qualified professionals specialize in managing and maximizing clients’ web content, ranking, and search results traffic.

Contact us to learn how we can make your website more secure and keep your SEO efforts and strategy strong.

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* https://searchengineland.com/mobile-desktop-seo-different-results-different-content-strategies-281643
** https://searchenginewatch.com/2018/05/08/seo-strategies-and-keyword-rankings-mobile-versus-desktop/

Which is Better – Organic Search or Paid Search?

Can Organic Search and Paid Search Co-exist?

Every business owner has different goals for their website. These goals could include increasing the number of web pages viewed by visitors, decreasing bounce rates, or increasing traffic from new visitors in general. Whatever your goals for your company website, the overarching goal is for your business to first be found online. How does that happen? Someone – a prospective or existing customer – has a need for a product or service and performs an online search. Where that search ends up could make or break your ability to meet your goals, depending on how well your online marketing strategy performs.

Online marketing involves the use of search engine optimization (SEO) and search engine marketing (SEM) to draw traffic. While Yahoo and Bing still get some amount of search traffic, Google is the search engine used in the vast majority of online searches. Google’s two main vehicles for returning search results are paid search and organic search. But, is one better than the other? Does organic search provide better results than paid search (or vice versa)? Online marketers everywhere have been trying to find the answer to that question for some time. Let’s next review what each type of search is as well as the main differences between the two.

SEO Philadelphia

A user who performs a query based on entering specific keywords and key phrases is performing a natural, or organic, search. Proper implementation of search engine optimization is the strategy used in this type of search, as SEO must align with the words and phrases a user enters to perform their search. A business appears in organic search results based solely on the content on their website/webpage and its usefulness and value to the user. Google looks for content that users will find relevant and valuable.

According to Search Engine Watch*, more than 90% of web traffic occurs as a result of a business’s website appearing on the first page of Google search results. Using relevant key words and having quality SEO content is the best way for that content to eventually get indexed in search engines and thus ranked higher in Google’s search results. (Yes, it takes time and effort for your web pages to be indexed so that they generate traffic.) Other benefits of proper SEO include increased leads and improved close rates.

Online searching and shopping has been on a swift and steady rise in recent years – and the trend shows no signs of slowing down or decreasing. Additionally, Google is, by far, most people’s preferred internet search engine. Savvy web developers and internet marketers understand this and continue to rely on proper implementation and ongoing management of SEO to keep websites as highly ranked on search engine results pages (SERPs) as possible.

SEM Philadelphia

Search engine marketing, on the other hand, involves the use of certain keywords in paid/sponsored online ads that appear when a user performs a search using those keywords. In contrast to SEO’s organic search quality, SEM is a paid search function in which a business actually pays for visits to their website rather than earn them through an organic search. With SEM, a business bids an amount of money on specific keywords to ensure their ad appears if it matches a user’s search query. Sponsored search results are identified as ads and appear at either the top of the search engine results page (above the list of organic search results) or along the right side of the page.

Business owners and digital marketers have found that paid search strategies such as pay-per-click pay off for them – big time. Because of the prevalence of paid ads, users have come to view these listings as normal search results, in spite of them being labeled as ads. And, a business no longer needs to wait months to be indexed and appear on a SERP, as they can pay for the opportunity for their ad to appear in search results immediately and be seen by targeted users. A well run paid search strategy can yield a hefty return on the paid ad investment.

SEO, SEM, or Both?

Together, SEO and SEM as digital marketing strategies produce results; they can increase and improve your online presence and ensure targeted users receive information that is the most relevant and valuable to them. Improved conversions, increased web traffic, more qualified leads, and ultimately, business growth and profits are all realistic with SEO and SEM campaigns that are designed to work for you. When you understand the timelines for both strategies – SEO can take months to yield results and SEM can provide virtually immediate results – you are well prepared to implement the strategy (or strategies) that best meets your digital marketing needs and overall business objectives.

If you want to learn more about how to combine SEO and SEM to boost your website’s ranking on Google, contact Perfexion, Inc., Philadelphia’s web design and development company. The professionals at PERFEXION are digital marketing experts. They collaborate with business owners to design and deliver SEO and SEM strategies that are sure to improve your bottom line.

Contact Us for more information!

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* https://searchenginewatch.com/sew/study/2276184/no-1-position-in-google-gets-33-of-search-traffic-study

Understanding Website Authority

Understanding Domain Authority – The Basics

If you are the owner of a website, you would do well to understand the meaning of the term domain authority and how domain authority applies to your website. Even nontechnical types should understand this important concept, given the impact it can have on the bottom line of a business.

What Is Domain Authority?

Domain authority, also known as website authority, is a ranking, or score, given to a website that indicates how well the site ranks on search engine results pages (SERPs). This score quantifies just how relevant and authoritative a website is. Domain authority is ranked on a scale of 1 to 100, with 100 the highest score possible and 1 the lowest. Experts commonly agree that a domain authority score of 80 or better is a very good score indeed one only the top, most trusted websites receive.

Domain authority takes into consideration the strength and quality of your website’s SEO as well as how likely your site will rank in search results as a function of your SEO. The stronger your SEO, the higher your domain authority, the higher your ranking on SERPs. The SEO experts at Moz* developed the concept of domain authority and its corresponding scores.

Caveats Regarding Domain Authority

  1. Do not view domain authority as the means to determining how well your website is performing based on your own SEO; instead, use domain authority as an indicator of how well your website stacks up against the competition.
  2. Your domain authority score is not a static number; as you update and change the content on your website, blog, social media, etc., your domain authority score will also change. Remember, SEO factors into the score, and new content implies a variation in SEO.

How Is My Website’s Domain Authority Determined?

Domain authority is determined based on multiple factors and components. The most basic include the following:

  • The number and quality of the links on your website – fewer high-quality links always ranks better than a large number of links of poor quality
  • Other website links – includes both those that link to yours and how many you link to – links should be to/from trusted sources and never to spam or illegal sites
  • The quality/relevance/value of the content on your website as it pertains to your industry – high domain authority sites like long-form content, video, and infographics and also content that can be shared and linked
  • The quality of your technical SEO, which looks at factors such as overuse of keywords, site speed, if images are optimized, use of heading tags, etc., to ensure the compatibility of a website with how well search engines can crawl the site and index and rank the information on it
  • The overall structure and how user-friendly a website is
  • People liking/sharing/commenting on site content on social media – website owners should share content on their own social media sites and provide links for others to do the same; include social media icons with all web content to make it easy for readers to like and share it

 

Various online tools are available that let you determine the domain authority score for your own website. Additionally, you can check the average score for your industry overall – information that is helpful if you want to know if your site is on par with the competition or if it is lagging far behind.

Do not underestimate the value of your domain authority. Some consider it to be the most accurate measurement available for determining how a website ranks in search engine results which is the ultimate determinant of how much organic web traffic you receive.

If you want to learn more about domain authority or what you need to do to improve your domain authority ranking, Perfexion, Inc. can help. The professionals at PERFEXION understand domain authority and SEO and provide a full range of website audit and consultation services for their clients. As a Philadelphia-based web design and development company, PERFEXION stays abreast of all the latest changes in the industry and wants to keep their clients up to speed as well.

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* https://moz.com/

Marry SEO Content and Marketing Strategies

Content Marketing and SEO Go Hand in Hand

Web developers have traditionally viewed search engine optimization (SEO) and content marketing as two separate and distinct tools for driving qualified traffic to a website. More recently, however, that thinking has changed. According to entrepreneur and online marketing guru and influencer Neil Patel, “SEO is all about content marketing. And content marketing is all about SEO.” In other words, these two areas are not mutually exclusive; using one does not negate the need to use the other, and vice versa. In fact, SEO and content marketing need each other, and each should integrate the other.

To understand this, you must first be clear on what each area does individually. The job of search engine optimization is to make sure your website and web content are visible on search engine results pages (SERPs) when someone performs an internet search (through Google, Yahoo, Bing, or other search engine) for your service or product offering. On-page SEO activity is all the technical stuff you can do relative to keywords and key phrases behind the scenes of your website, while off-page steps you can take, such as social media, improve your site’s organic search results.

On the other hand, according to Content Marketing Institute, content marketing is “… a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience — and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action.” With content marketing, customers and prospective customers find the information on your website to be interesting and engaging, and useful in that it helps them solve a problem or fulfill a need. Your content marketing establishes you as an authority in the market and helps you build relationships and trust with customers. The objective of content marketing is to increase sales and drive customers to your online business who are qualified and likely to become repeat clients.

When SEO and content marketing combine/intersect/overlap/converge, etc., the results are powerful indeed. To achieve the desired results, the technical aspects of your SEO efforts must cross into your content marketing efforts, and SEO techniques should be applied as you implement content marketing – neither should be developed or applied in a silo.

How SEO and Content Marketing Combine Forces

  • Keywords: The primary component of SEO involves using the right keywords (including keyword phrases and long-tail keywords), plus tracking how well they rank in SERPs. Since long gone are the days of loading up a page of content with keywords and phrases that appear to have been combined by a robot instead of a human, web content must use keywords strategically in content that is well-written and relevant to the user.
  • Links and linkbacks: When the content you produce is good – really good – others will want to link back to it. Consider this: If other users or websites find the content on your blog to be relevant, interesting, and valuable, they will link back to it from their own site – a situation SEO thrives on. Let your content marketing specialists develop the content you need to attract attention and drive others to click on links to your site.
  • Fresh content delivers: Content marketing, with full attention to SEO, is not a once-and-done deal. Don’t think you can post amazing content and then sit back and wait for the results to pour in. For this dynamic to deliver the best results in terms of search engine indexing and ranking, you need to produce fresh content on a consistent basis – and ensure the new content is just as valuable and makes just as good use of SEO as the content that came before it.

The importance of content marketing combined with proper SEO cannot be overstated. Done right, your SEO strategy should mean your business is found organically online and your content marketing strategy engages users and converts them into paying customers.

If you would like to learn more about how SEO and content marketing can work for your business, contact the experts at Perfexion, Inc. Perfexion’s qualified professionals specialize in managing and maximizing clients’ web content, ranking, and search results traffic.

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Together, Local Business Listings and SEO Get Results

The longevity and prosperity of local businesses is largely determined by the ranking, reputation, and revenue they generate over time. There are many ways to maximize ranking, reputation, and revenue, but inclusion in local business listings, both in print and online, remains one of the most effective and essential strategies to increase visibility and enhance bottom line results.

The Evolution of Local Business Listings

Local business listings provide the foundation for successful business marketing. In fact, listed businesses have significantly higher ranking, reputation, and revenue than their unlisted counterparts; especially if they are listed on multiple online platforms. Today, internet marketing is all but a necessity for local businesses. If your brick and mortar business does not also have a robust online presence, it might as well be invisible to consumers. But, how exactly did we get here and what are the advantages of web-based listings? Let’s explore the evolution of business listings, including their ubiquitous online presence, in more detail.

In many ways, phone books were the progenitors of contemporary search engines like Google and Yahoo. Prior to the advent of the internet and the smartphone, the Yellow Pages were our main source of information for local businesses, products, and services. For local business owners, paid advertising in the Yellow Pages was the single most effective way to increase visibility among consumers. Over time, savvy business owners expanded their marketing efforts to include additional forms of offline advertisement such as newspapers, brochures, coupons, radio ads, and television commercials

While many of these marketing strategies remain prevalent, the growing consensus among business owners and marketing experts is that traditional, offline advertising is costly, competitive, and untenable in the long-term. Our fingers may still be doing the walking, so to speak, but customers no longer need to leaf through print brochures, directories, magazines, or newspapers to find the local businesses they need. In the Information Age, consumers anywhere can, with a few quick keystrokes, instantly connect with local businesses via digital listings on major platforms like Bing Places for Business and Google My Business Listing. Welcome to the future!

The Internet is Open for Business… Local Listings

Smartphones, tablets, and PCs have facilitated a vast and virtually constant online presence. Consider the following statistics: 96% of local searches are conducted by PC owners; 64% of local customers use search engines and directories to find local businesses; 50% of local mobile searchers search for business information (company name, address, or number); and 46% of all Google searches are local.* These statistics suggest that customers use the internet exponentially more than any other medium to search for local businesses.

Online listings are popular, in part, because they combine aspects of both digital and print marketing into one comprehensive index. Moreover, inclusion in many online directories like Bing Places for Business, Foursquare, Google My Business Listing, and Yelp is free. Whichever platform(s) you use to market your business, the
following components should be included**:

  • Business name/title
  • Address
  • Phone/fax number
  • Website URL
  • Categories
  • Description
  • Tagline
  • Social profiles
  • Images
  • Additional media
  • Certifications
  • Brands carried
  • Payment types accepted
  • Attributes

Done correctly, local business listings are extremely informative. From a single listing, customers can discover your business, find out where it is located, learn what products and services are offered, what offers and promotions are available, who the core clientele is, and how satisfied former and current customers are. Many local listings also support images, videos, virtual tours, and live links to social media profiles, thus enabling customers to interact with the business and/or business representatives directly.

Local Listing, Local Business Listing, Local SEO
Local Business Listing for SEO

The quality of your business listing is directly related to your search engine optimization and how well you use keywords and key phrases. SEO is an essential component of improving your local search engine rankings and driving search traffic to your website. The more consistent and comprehensive your business listing, the higher your ranking, reputation, and revenue.

Choose Platforms with Caution

Digital listings have certainly revolutionized how local businesses promote their products and services. That said, however, the advertising potential of local business listings is contingent upon the platform(s) you use. A strong online presence is important, so you must choose local business directories that will enhance your Local SEO efforts. Ideally, you want your business information listed on platforms that generate high volumes of search traffic. Presence on major directories such as Bing Places for Business, Google My Business Listing, Google+, Facebook, Foursquare, Superpages, and Yelp means your business will be visible to a vast audience of local searchers.

Anyone who has performed a search for a local business recently knows the extent to which local directories dominate the initial pages of their search results. It stands to reason, then, that local directory marketing has a higher conversion rate than most other advertising options. Listing your business in the most relevant, quality directories increases the probability that your business will be searched for, and found by, the quality – and qualified – customers you want. As your business gains traction and spreads across the web, you can join more niche platforms specific to the industry and geography of your company.

Any data published about your business, whether in print or online, impacts the ranking, reputation, and revenue generated by your company. For this very reason, no local business owner can afford to publish information that is inconsistent or incorrect. In order for local business listings to be truly valuable, all data must be accurate, complete, and easily searchable. For best results, you would do well to hire a professional digital marketing company with the expertise to support all aspects of your online advertising, to include:

  • Ad design and development
  • Content development enhanced for SEO
  • Placement of the ad on the local listing directories of your choice
  • Monitoring and tracking how well your ad performs, and adjusting as necessary to improve results

If you need assistance creating an online listing for your local business, Perfexion, Inc. is here to help. Our qualified professionals specialize in managing and maximizing clients’ web content, ranking, and search results traffic.

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* https://www.brightlocal.com/about-local-seo/
** https://moz.com/learn/seo/local-business-listing-components

How Long-Tail Keywords Enhance Your SEO

For webmasters, content developers, and business owners alike, search engine optimization, or SEO, is an essential part of driving search traffic to your website. There are several ways to enhance SEO and improve rank and visibility on search engine results pages, but using long-tail keywords remains one of the most important and effective strategies for increased optimization. Long-tail keywords are specific keyword phrases, containing approximately three to six words, which generate the most relevant results concordant with your search.

Keywords: What Are They Used For?

Keywords provide the foundation for search engine optimization. They are the words or phrases that, when entered into search engines such as Google and Yahoo, yield hundreds of results pages in seconds. Search engines expedite and simplify the research process, but it is important to remember that the quality and relevancy of the results you see depends largely on the keywords and phrases you specified at the start of your search. Let’s explore some of the pros and cons associated with short- and long-tail keywords in more detail.

Short-tail keywords are succinct and consist only of one or two words. Many users, especially those conducting general research on a given topic, find the copious results pages generated by short-tail keywords both expedient and informative. From a business and marketing perspective, however, short-tail keywords are costly, competitive, and largely unsustainable. While popular head terms like digital marketing and online blogging generate high volumes of organic search traffic (that is, the shorter the keyword, the higher the volume), they tend to have abysmally low conversion rates. This may seem paradoxical, but it actually makes perfect sense. Remember that, of the millions of searches in which your chosen keywords appear, only a handful of the users who encounter them are your target audience. Although your search traffic volume is high, the trade-off is that very few users will actually browse your site and/or become a customer.

Conversely, long-tail keywords are lengthier and tend to yield more specific and relevant results. Many users, especially those looking for a certain business, product, or service, prefer long-tail keywords as a way to streamline and refine their search. Which of the following search terms do you think will return the best, most specific results – socks or red and black argyle socks for men?

While long-tail keywords typically generate less organic search traffic (that is, the longer the keyword, the less the volume), what they lack in volume, they make up for with consistent, stable conversion rates. The targeted nature of long-tail search traffic—coupled with lower costs, minimal competition, and relevant clicks and queries—increases the probability that you will find your ideal customers, and that your ideal customers will, in turn, find you.

Why Long-Tail Keywords Are Essential for SEO

• According to web experts*, long-tail keywords account for 70% of all search volume traffic, which suggests that most of your website traffic is contingent upon, and generated by, long-tail searches. If you want further proof, data from Google Analytics will likely support the assertion that a majority of the queries made with respect to your website or the products and services you offer contain long-tail keywords.

• A robust correlation exists between long-tail keywords and increased conversion rates. Statistics indicate that the average conversion rate for long-tail keywords is 36%. Although conversation rates are constantly in flux (and vary depending on the products being sold and the demand for them at a given time) the specificity of long-tail keywords increases the likelihood that customers will visit your site and purchase from your company.

• As an addendum to the preceding point, even if a customer does not make a purchase during their initial visit, if they find your website useful—that is, if your website features products and information specific to their needs—they are likely to return and share your site with others.

• Long-tail keywords have a higher optimization ranking than short-tail keywords. While the type of search potential customers perform depends entirely on the type of business you own (and on the type of traffic you hope to generate), long-tail keywords outperform short-tail terms in four out of five categories including competition, focus, cost, and conversion rate.

Long Tail Keywords, Shorty Tail Keywords, Keywords
Long Tail and Short Tail Keywords for SEO

Data Source: SEOPressor
https://seopressor.com/blog/short-tail-or-long-tail-keywords/

• Done correctly, long-tail keywords provide useful and necessary context to your digital content. Without proper context, the intent and use of your selected keywords may confuse or mislead users, or even direct them to a different web page or website altogether, and thereby return the exact opposite results you want. Popular search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo give higher ranking and visibility to keywords that are contextualized in sentences, paragraphs, webpages, etc.

• How people search for information on the internet is, without a doubt, changing rapidly. Voice assistants like Amazon Echo and Google Home are revolutionizing information input, output, and the role of SEO generally. Long-tail keywords will drive voice searches in the future, but first, voice assistants must be trained to receive, process, and compute long-tail keywords into relevant information as effectively as search engines do.

Although this blog focuses on using long-tail keywords to improve SEO, it is important to remember that keyword marketing is unique for every business; there is no one-size-fits-all strategy for keyword searches. That said, current SEO campaigns emphasize the importance of the user experience and intent, so, whichever keywords you choose—long-tail or short-tail—make them as user-friendly as possible. If you want to learn more about how long-tail keywords enhance your online SEO and/or how to successfully integrate them in your digital marketing efforts, Perfexion, Inc. is here to help. We specialize in managing and maximizing our clients’ web content, ranking, and search results traffic.

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Google Changes Ranking Algorithm Based on Mobile Website Readiness

Using Mobile-Readiness to Get Found on Google

Every so often, Google tweaks and refines how they return web pages in response to a search query. Google continuously assesses their search algorithms to make sure the results they provide are the most useful they can be based on the information input into the search query.

Understanding How Google Performs a Search

Without getting into the technical weeds about Google’s search algorithms and how they work, it helps to understand, in nontechnical terms, how Google performs a search and some of the information Google relies on when providing search results. One key factor that comes into play is the level of relevance of the content on a web page to the search being performed.

Google tries to determine how specific or broad a search is. For example, did the user type in cat or exotic Persian shorthair cat? Google analyzes the words a user types into the search bar, and even makes allowances for typos (cat bred vs. cat breed). And, depending on the words or terms a user included in their search (keywords), Google’s lightning-fast search for results includes looking at web pages and matching the keywords to web page content where they appear in titles, headings, and text.

A user’s personal Google search settings and patterns also inform Google and can come into play in helping Google return relevant search results. For example, a user’s previous or recent searches as well as their location can factor in the results Google returns to a search query.

Companies and website owners naturally want to be found when a customer or potential customer searches for a product they sell or service they offer. But, before Google will rank a website high in search engine results, they want to be certain that visitors to the website to have a good user experience. Businesses can help themselves in that regard by ensuring the content on their website is always fresh and the information they provide is of high quality and valuable to the people who visit their website. The business should come across as trustworthy, and the content on the site representative of a company that is an authority in its industry or on a particular topic.

Mobile vs. Desktop Search

Without a doubt, we have gone mobile. People everywhere rely on their mobile devices – smartphones and tablets – to shop, for entertainment, for conducting business, for learning and information, for communicating, and much more. As far back as 2010, industry experts predicted our use of mobile devices would surpass our use of desktop PCs. Those experts were right. According to a March 2017 report by comScore, 69% of the time we spend consuming digital media is done on a mobile device as compared to a desktop computer – and that includes performing searches on Google.

As a result, Google will be changing their optimization rules over time so that websites will only be ranked based on the mobile version of the website. Up until quite recently, it did not matter if a website was not optimized for viewing and use on mobile devices. In fact, countless sites continue to work today on only desktop computers and not on mobile devices. But, with every update to their ranking algorithms that Google performs, Google is moving away from ranking websites based on their desktop version to what they call mobile-first indexing, which ranks the mobile version of the site in terms of its content, links, certain data, and how viewable the site is on a mobile device.

Understanding Mobile-first Indexing

In anticipation of user behavior trends, Google has been slowly moving toward mobile-first indexing – a search ranking system that gives websites a mobile-friendly ranking boost. With mobile-first indexing, Google looks first at the mobile version of a website for indexing and for how they determine a site’s ranking. But, if a company has only a desktop version of their website, Google will still include that site in its index, but the sites rankings could be negatively affected.

In time, Google will no longer consider the desktop version of a website to be the primary version, but will instead give that preference to the mobile version of the website. To minimize the impact to your desktop site, you will want to ensure that your desktop and mobile sites are, in essence, created equal – that the desktop site uses responsive design and the content is optimized for mobile use.

Do I Need to Change My Mobile Site to Improve Indexing and Ranking?

There are ways to enhance your mobile website and prepare for when Google eventually makes the change to mobile-first indexing. First and foremost, the content on your mobile site should be just as high quality and valuable as the content on the desktop version of your website, whether you are using text, images, or video. Google should be able to both crawl and index all your mobile content. The key takeaway is to understand that Google will crawl mobile content, so content on your mobile website should be as relevant and valuable as possible, which ultimately serves to improve your rankings.

Other checks and updates you should make include, for example, the mobile site’s metadata and social metadata, structured data, XML, sitemaps, and more – to ensure you are using, tagging, optimizing, etc. versions of each that work within the mobile environment.

Companies can no longer ignore (or afford to ignore) the requirement to have a mobile-responsive website. In the past, a company created two versions of their website: one for desktop and another for mobile. Over the upcoming months, Google will rely more and more on a company’s mobile site or mobile responsiveness of a desktop website when it applies mobile-first indexing. Keywords, search terms, and quality content will continue to matter, perhaps even more than a URL that today is used to organize site content.

To better understand the ins and outs of webpage ranking and mobile responsiveness, or determine what your current website needs in order to address Google’s move toward mobile-first indexing, consult with a professional web developer.

We are a Philadelphia-based web design and development company located in Plymouth Meeting just outside King of Prussia. The experts at Perfexion, Inc. specialize in helping clients market their business online – and on mobile – effectively and profitably.

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Understanding Mobile Marketing

Understanding Mobile Marketing

Without a doubt, the world has gone mobile. People everywhere rely on their mobile devices—smartphones and tablets—to shop, for entertainment, for conducting business, for learning and information, for communicating, and much more. As early as 2010, industry experts predicted our use of mobile devices would surpass our use of desktop PCs. They were right. According to a March 2017 report by comScore, 69% of the time spent on digital media is attributed to mobile usage over desktop.
Most businesses today understand the need to do digital marketing. If they have a website—as they should—they are already doing a form of digital marketing via the internet. Many of these companies also develop separate marketing campaigns to work on mobile devices. Those who are not have some serious catching-up to do. Now, more than ever, ensuring your business is optimized and ready for use on mobile devices should be a priority.

What is Mobile Marketing

If you are new to mobile marketing or have limited knowledge of what mobile marketing entails, the first question you should ask is: What is mobile marketing? Mobile marketing is a digital—online—marketing strategy that encompasses multiple channels for reaching a specific target audience via their mobile device. Digital marketing channels range from display ads to apps to email coupons to text messaging (SMS) to video and more.

Compare these to traditional marketing channels such as print (newspapers, brochures, magazines) and broadcast (radio and TV ads). Two key differences stand out between digital and traditional marketing: the cost to run a marketing campaign and the ability to measure a campaign’s success. In a word, digital marketing is more cost effective than traditional marketing, and measuring the results and success of a digital campaign is quick and easy, and can even be done in real time if necessary.

Why Focus on Mobile Marketing

Now that you understand the value in digital marketing, the next question to ask is: Why do mobile marketing? Google provides plenty of reasons in their report entitled “Micro-Moments: Your Guide to Winning the Shift to Mobile.” They define micro-moments as “critical touch points within today’s consumer journey, and when added together, they ultimately determine how that journey ends.” In other words, consumers expect companies to be available to address their needs at any time. For many people, their smartphone is their lifeline; as such, they use their device to conduct searches, find places, do things, and shop and compare prices virtually around the clock.

Mobile marketing campaigns vary depending on business type and service offering. Finding what works for your business is key. For example, a restaurant might find that sending an email containing a discount coupon is more effective at garnering new and repeat business than placing a coupon in a monthly mailer. Most users would rather bring up the coupon or code on their phone than cut one out of a magazine.
Keep these tips in mind when planning your own mobile marketing campaign.

Mobile Marketing Tips

• Take a test drive. Test the mobile marketing strategies your favorite businesses (or competitors) promote. Buy something or place an order from a mobile app to get a feel for a shopping experience. See how the ordering and payment processes work. When you test different mobile marketing strategies, you figure out what you like or don’t like, and what works or does not work. The experiences will give you a better feel for what might work for your business.
• Check your website. Is it user friendly? Is it mobile ready, meaning, does it display and function properly on tablets and phones? Having a mobile ready mobile responsive website is a must if you want users to have the best possible experience with your online business.
• List your business on location-based platforms that let you run promotions on different mobile apps and social media. When you do, users can check in and take advantage of your current promotion.
• Talk with an expert. A digital marketing company will provide recommendations for increasing your online presence. Additionally, they can integrate platforms and tools you use, as well as track results and adjust programs easily.

Businesses today should rely on mobile marketing as a key—if not the key—marketing strategy for getting in front of their target audience. For more information on how mobile marketing can work for your business, contact the professionals at Perfexion, Inc. today. They specialize in helping clients market their business effectively and profitably.

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