Why Google My Business reviews are so important

Want business? Be easy to find online.

Visibility remains important as ever. But these days, just being found isn’t enough. It’s what people find once you’ve been discovered that counts. That’s why customer feedback, reviews and star-ratings are so valuable today.

Glowing reviews get people’s attention. And when a consumer sees a review that glow, they’re more likely to convert into customer.

There are all kinds of places customers can leave reviews online for your product or service. But Google My Business reviews are perhaps the most influential of them all.

And the reviews most important to the growth of your business.

Just think! How many millions of people discover brands, businesses, products and services through the simple act of “Googling”?

There is strength is those numbers. And because Google makes anonymity so difficult to hide behind, there’s a credibility to Google My Business reviews that other platforms struggle to compete with.

 

What are Google My Business reviews?

Local SEO delivers the best results for local businesses.

And Google My Business is one of the most effective ways a global platform can attract business locally.

Google My Business is an online tool that a company can use to monitor and manage their digital presence across Google Search, Google Maps and Google+. And improve SEO while they’re at it.

A resource like Google My Business can be particularly valuable to smaller businesses without huge resources to invest in SEO. Because it’s free. Google My Business is the zero-cost, easy-to-use tool that can help you:

 

• rank better in search engine results
• attract new customers
• communicate your brand story

 

It starts with creating a listing. Good Google My Business listings should include basic information like:

 

• business name
• address
• phone number
• website link
• email(s)
• business description

 

But Google My Business is more than just an online directory. It’s a platform your customers can use to leave reviews.

Reviews are a way for customers to make unbiased and transparent commentary on their experience with your brand. Positive or negative, this feedback becomes part of your brand story.

Because Google My Business reviews are a part of every Google search. They’re one component of the data Google’s algorithm uses to determine search engine results.

Positive Google My Business reviews appear in organic search results and Google Maps search results in the form of star ratings. The more stars your business has, the better results you’re liable to achieve.

Think about it from the customer’s perspective. Why wouldn’t they go with the best reviewed product or service on the market? That makes simple Google My Business reviews an incredibly powerful marketing tool.

Because when customers praise your work, you can count on the attention new customers.

That’s why Google My Business reviews are as important for attracting new visitors who hopefully convert into customers, as they are important for improving a business’ presence. And earning them better search rankings.

It’s 2018 and ‘word of mouth’ is strong as ever. Only the platforms and means of delivery have changed. And that’s exactly what Google My Business reviews are – online, ‘word of mouth’ recommendations from satisfied, active customers to undecided potential ones.

 

Why Google My Business reviews are important

The function of customer reviews operates quite simply.

Provide quality products and impeccable service to your current customer base, and expect positive feedback that brings in new buyers.

When others see positive feedback in a Google My Business reviews, they’re more likely to choose your brand over the competition.

Positive Google My Business reviews help brands sell. Because they reach a lot of visitors. Visitors one quality-offering away from converting to customers.

Google My Business reviews are also your chance to interact with customers by responding directly to their reviews.

Responding to reviews is a great way to build stronger customer relationships. It’s the kind of personal touch that reminds existing customers you care. And makes potential customers want to be cared for by you.

If a review is positive, your response might be as simple as thanking them for their time. And saying a few words about your appreciation for their feedback.

In the rare case that a review is less than dazzling, don’t panic. It happens to the best, brightest and biggest businesses. How you handle your response is what counts.

Never ignore negative feedback. Just look at it as another opportunity to demonstrate prompt, exceptional customer service with a reply that improves the situation.

Remember, you’re not the only one who’ll be reading customer reviews. Or your responses.

 

How you can enhance your Google My Business reviews

Any customer request that’s within reason is a customer request you should strive to meet. Because if you don’t, someone else will. But it’s not always easy.

Dealing with customers can be a challenge. That’s not an indictment. Just facts. But getting through difficult and demanding situations is part of providing the kind of service that’s going to score the positive reviews you’re after.

If you’ve set up Google My Business but still aren’t receiving reviews, don’t be afraid to ask for them.

These days, most customers understand the significance of reviews. They know words are powerful. And their opinions make a difference. If you feel like you’ve provided a customer with exceptional service, let them know you’re listed on Google My Business and would love to get their feedback. You might see a glowing new review posted in the next few days.

Once listed, make a habit of checking your Google My Business reviews regularly. And thoroughly.

It’s another way to really get to know your customers. And learn what about your business they appreciate most. Is it quality, price, the additional services you provide, your professionalism, speed or something else all together?

Find out with Google My Business reviews. It’s information that can help you improve current offers, attract new clients and keep regular customers coming back for more. All things that help a business to grow.

When you make time to work on your Google My Business reviews regularly, you’re making time to work on the future of your brand. And what could be more important than that?

Article first published here: Why Google My Business reviews are so important

Top 5 free keyword research tools

When it comes to search engine rankings, it’s hard to argue that keywords aren’t one of, if not the, most important aspects of any SEO strategy.

After all, SEO keywords are the words and phrases that make it possible for potential customers to find your site when using search engines online.

The idea is simple: find the keywords that will give you the best chance for higher rankings

But how do you know which keywords or phrases are going to be the most effective for your site?

It’s called conducting keyword research. And there are number of online tools available to help you determine exactly which keywords your content should be focusing on.

Yes. There are a number of premium, paid keyword research tools that provide users with advanced options. But there are also plenty of 100% free keyword research tools out there that can be just as helpful.

Today, we’re taking a look at five of our favourites. And the different ways they can help you find the perfect combination of SEO keywords.

Keyword research methods

Good keyword research will help you choose adequate keywords in line with your content. It tells you which keywords have the highest search volumes. Which keywords your competitors are currently using. And helps you create a map of long tail keywords. All stuff that will help you to rank better with search engines.

One keyword research method suggests you might get better ranking results by loading up on keywords that are the same or similar to your main keyword.

Another popular strategy is based on researching competitors’ keywords and achieving effects to your benefit by using better keywords than them.

Different keyword research methods yield different advantages. So the best results are often gained from using several of them.

 

Google Keyword Planner

Google Keyword Planner is the web’s most popular free keyword research tool.

It’s part of the Adwords family and can help improve your ranking on Google by finding the best keywords for your content.

First, enter your seed keyword in Google Keyword Planner. Then set filters based on location, language and other relevant factors. Not only will Google Keyword Planner suggest appropriate keyword suggestions, it will also offer estimated traffic volumes, competition levels and average monthly searches.  

You can ask Google Keyword Planner to show you negative keywords that you’ll want to avoid. Or you can enter the URL of a competitor to see what keywords they’re using.

However, results are not customised. All users stand to get the same results; thus all users can use the same keywords. So use Google Keyword Planner in tandem with other tools. And try using different variations of the suggested keywords.  

 

WordStream

WordStream is a tool similar to Google Keyword Planner.

Once again, you start by entering your seed keyword. From there, Wordstream will give you a long list of recommended keyword variations and their relative frequency.

Wordstream awards each keyword a competition score and estimated cost-per-click (CPC).

Wordstream also supplies you with valuable, industry-specific information plus information regarding niches where your keywords are currently being used. This can help determine which keywords are most suitable. And help you put together a practical marketing budget.  

 

UberSuggest

UberSuggest is among the best free keyword research tools out there today.

Because it provides keywords that you will not get using the Google Keyword Planner. So when used alongside Google Keyword Planner, you’re bound to get the best results possible.

UberSuggest also provides with you with some great ideas for long tail keywords starting with the seed keyword you entered. UberSuggest even provides users with great ideas about content for the website based on suggested keywords and long tail keywords.

 

Serpstat

Serpstat started off as humble keyword research tool. But now that competitor analysis, backlink analysis, rank tracking and site audit functions have been added to its suite of features, it’s now much more of a complete SEO tool.

Its keyword research reports give you lots of useful information divided into several sections.

In the SEO Research section, you’ll see matched keywords and related keywords, top pages where that keyword is used, the names of competitors using the keyword and other suggested keywords for you.

The PPC Research section provides real world examples, the Content Marketing section shows you relevant search questions such as, “Ask the Public” and the SERP Analysis section gives you up-to-date data on the top 100 Google results for that keyword.

In addition to a keyword volume search, Serpstat gives you the estimation of your chance of being in the top 10 search results based on the grades below:

•       0-20 – easy
•       21-40 – medium
•       41-60 – difficult
•       61-100 – very difficult

 

Wordtracker Scout

Researching the competition to find ways of overtaking them in search engine rankings is a viable strategy. And the Wordtracker Scout Chrome extension is just the tool to help with this.

Simply enter the competitor’s URL and press “W”. Wordtracker Scout will prepare a full report of their used keywords; invaluable data when estimating your own keyword strategy.

Use variations of these keywords, long-tail keywords, and LSI keywords. Better yet, use the same keywords, but more efficiently, inside your content.

Paid services like SEMRush can provide you with more detailed data. But even a tool like that is available with a 30-day free trial so you can see for yourself if all those little extras justify the cost.

There are a number of free keyword research tools out there. These are the ones we like. Combine them to achieve the best results

Instead of guessing which keywords might be best for ranking, use free keyword research tools to find the keywords that really are.  You may not get get perfect instructions from a single resource.

But once you begin using multiple keyword resources to narrow down the words and phrases best suited to help you with organic search results, the more you’ll begin to see that incorporating search words throughout the content of your web site is a surefire way to gain to new viewers – and hang on to the loyal viewers that check your site out on a regular basis.

Article first published here: Top 5 free keyword research tools

Top 5 digital marketing strategies in 2018

We’re already well into 2018. But if you haven’t summed up your marketing efforts for the year that was 2017, and put together a revised strategy for this coming calendar year – don’t worry. There’s still time to right the ship.

The ins, outs, trends and algorithms that shape digital marketing are always changing. What’s working now may not be effective 12 months from now. Or it could be twice as useful.

That’s why you must be timely with the marketing methods you use.

You can’t go back in time and fix what didn’t work. And there’s no crystal ball that gives a guarantee on what’ll be hot this time next year.

But you can be hyper-vigilant, super-aware of what’s presently rewarding in the digital space. Start by adapting these top 5 digital marketing strategies in 2018.

 

New types of content and advertising formats

High-quality content, authoritative backlinks and other proven SEO techniques are evergreen. They’re always going to be effective. And as popular in 2018 as they were last year.

But relying on old, stalwart tactics alone won’t earn you the marketing improvements you’re after. Not with so many new types of content and advertising formats out there to play with.

This year, put an extra emphasis on local SEO. Micro-targeting is going to be huge in 2018; one of the year’s most important digital marketing strategies, in fact.

Focus on your target audience. And personalise your web content.

Create in-depth content pillars like eBooks, reports or guides that break down your core, informative piece of content into different sections, pieces and materials.

Try topic clusters; groups of interlinked, narrowly-focused webpages built around a single piece of more broad-topic content.

Never discount the importance of storytelling in advertising.

A well told story doesn’t have to have an epic word count. A capable storyteller can get the job done with a few short, sharp words or lines.

Well told stories, even in a medium like digital, have a capacity to attract new users. And an even greater capacity to deepen the relationship with an existing audience.

Video content was massive in 2017. And its popularity will only continue to swell as we move into the future. By 2021, it’s said that 80% of all internet traffic will be video content.  

Video content allows you to be far more visual and personal with your marketing. And that can make it much more convincing.

Dynamic advertising, or dynamic ads, consider factors like browsing history, location, interests and time of day to display a range of content to groups of relevant, highly targeted users.

Bottomline, you can expect better results when you start communicating more personalised messages that use new types of content and advertising format.

 

Influencer marketing

Influencer marketing isn’t anything new.

Advertisers have been using endorsements from influential individuals as a marketing strategy for ages. And in recent years, social platforms like YouTube and Instagram have created millions more of these potential influencers.

So, if influencer marketing wasn’t part of your marketing mix in 2017, you may want to give some real thought towards trying it on for size in 2018.

But if imploring or employing internet celebrities to endorse your brand or product is not in your price range or outside your moral threshold, that’s ok. There are cheaper and less egregious ways to make influencer marketing work for you.

Like blogger outreach. Which remains an effective method for boosting SEO. If you’re persistent and patient with your blogger outreach efforts, you’re likely to see steady and significant improvement sooner than you might think.

 

Social media marketing

Social media’s ubiquitous popularity makes for endless marketing opportunities across different platforms.

Well into 2018, Facebook is still at the top of the social media heap; an undisputed champion. For now.

YouTube and Instagram are top contenders, depending on your target demographic. Twitter’s gone up a weight-class from  140 to a beefier 280 characters. And Linkedin has been steadily working its way up the card with more than 800 million users and growing.

Your next digital campaign could benefit from conducting the right kind of digital marketing via any of these social media platforms.

Part of the reason platforms like Facebook remain so popular with advertisers is because it lets you target ads using its own sophisticated database of integrated data. And because other popular platforms like Hubspot and Messenger have integrated into Facebook.

Facebook also offers a live video function that digital marketers love to use because live video content tends to appear at the top of Newsfeeds. And with video overall looking to be among 2018’s most important ranking factors, social platforms that provide an easy outlet for it are bound to make an impact.   

 

Personal communication

Messenger bots are apps that recognise users’ preferred methods of communication. They yield excellent results for advertisers by using this information to approach the right target audience(s).

There are currently around 1.3 billion active users on Messenger. And one-on-one communication always has a tremendous effect. So effective, in fact, that the click-through rate (CTR) for messenger marketing is around 80%, while the CTR for emails is around 1%.

 

Artificial intelligence marketing automation

In line with advancing technological developments, some of the newest trends in digital marketing revolve around machine learning and marketing automation.

The machine learning RankBrain from Google is one of the latest must-have tools for savvy digital marketers.

This also applies to big data analytics tools, chatbots, apps for marketing and sales processes.

These are mostly prediction tools that help collect and analyse customer data. The more you know about customers, the better the chance at converting them from leads to customers.

Live chatbots serve the same purpose. You can better understand your customers if you’re able to track their actions. And with tools like Intercom, you can personalise offers for customers even more. Which increases loyalty and ultimately profits.

Follow the latest technological trends and you’ll keep pace with the market. So consider a budget increase for digital marketing strategies for 2018.

And don’t forget the common idiom; “There’s more than one way way to shear a sheep.” So much is true with digital marketing as well.

 

There’s no proven, singular method for increasing reach and improving engagement. Rather, a myriad of evolving strategies. And whilst there is data that supports the effectiveness of each, it’s up to you to discover the mix of digital marketing strategies that’s going to work best for your brand or business in 2018.

 

Article first published here: Top 5 digital marketing strategies in 2018

The benefits of display advertising

If you want to attract customers, you need to advertise. But with so many advertising channels to choose from, how do you know which channel is going to be the most effective?

With the human attention span now lingering nearby eight seconds, you need ads that:

• Make a dynamic visual impact
• Expose you to the widest/most appropriate users
• Give customers an easy way to respond/engage immediately

Digital display advertising satisfies all three of these bullet points. But the benefits of display advertising hardly end there.

 

What is display advertising?  

Display advertising utilises what is popularly called a “banner” or “banner ad”. These images or graphics are paid website ads that appear on websites and mobile apps, across social media platforms or wherever a user might be surfing the net.

Because search engines like Google remember the sites that users visit regularly or have visited recently, your banner ads are targeted and shown to consumers with search histories relevant to your brand, business or product; often appearing in the form of squares or rectangles at the top or towards the side of a page.  

Visibility to a targeted audience is one of the banner ad’s greatest advantages.

 

Why display advertising?

There isn’t one big reason that display advertising has grown so popular with digital marketers. There are plenty of them.

For starters, they’re visually appealing.

When a user is scrolling through their newsfeed or thumbing through a litany of digital content, you’ve got within the blink of an eye to catch their attention before they’re onto something else.

Display advertising provides clear and instant visibility.

 

Visual appeal

Banner ads often appear in very visibles place on a page. On the top or at the side. So designs that use strong colours against light backgrounds or bright colours on a dark background can help attract customer attention. So can short, sharp and attractive promotional messages.

Remember, you are competing for the user’s attention against infinite competition. So do what it takes, and use effective advertising elements, to attract all the customer attention you can.

Attractive fonts. Video. Audio. Images that pop off the screen. Try to incorporate whatever you think will engage new web visitors.

If you can wrangle their attention with something eye-catching, it’s likely they’ll bite and click on over to learn more about your product or service and see what it is you’re offering.

Make attention-grabbing visuals a priority when designing your banner ads, and you’ll improve the odds of driving traffic to your site with display advertising.

 

Effective targeting

Display advertising takes the guesswork out of reaching your key demographics.

Just like Facebook ads, banner ads can be highly focused on a distinct target audience. You decide on which websites your ads will appear. You choose which geographic areas to focus on. You pick the audience of consumers that fit your business offering.

If your product or service is targeted towards young people, you can advertise on entertainment channels like YouTube or sites that deal in celebrity and movie news.

If you’re going after their parents, you can target sites and online destinations more appropriate to that age and those interests.

This flexibility with targeting not only makes display advertising remarkably effective. It makes it a more economically efficient advertising channel too. Think of all the money you’ll save by laser-focusing on a specific, relevant markets with your banner ad.  

Banner ads also help with growth because they conquer certain geographic obstacles. Quality display advertising now makes it possible to reach a global audience. And that means opportunities to grow your customer base that other forms of local advertising simply can’t compete with.  

 

Increase brand awareness

People spend a lot of time online. Between smartphones and home computers, consumers are wired in nearly 24/7.  So with so much content to consume on a daily basis, it’s important to create a connection between your brand and potential customers.

Digital advertising makes your brand a part of the potential customer’s online journey. Once they begin to recognise your logo, name or product after seeing it on a few of their favourite websites, they will begin to associate with it in a positive and curious manner.

Being recognisable to customers is the first step to becoming “famous” within your market. Support good ads with quality offerings and you’ll earn the kind of trust and repeat business from loyal customers that leads to long-term success.

Display ads are also great for retargeting.

This is when your ad gets displayed again to people who have already visited your website and demonstrated an interest in your business. They may not be customers yet, but with their interest already piqued, a good banner ad supported by a quality offer may be all it takes to persuade them.

 

Maximise exposure and access

The internet’s biggest advantage to advertisers is the limitless amount traffic it provides. Display advertising’s potential to achieve vast exposure, and give you access to a massive base of potential customers, is seemingly boundless.  

Strong banner ads can turn leads into regular customers.  

Strong, persuasive promotional messages delivered to the right place at the right time can have a significant impact on your ROI if they’re backed by a quality offer.

 

An instant customer response

If your banner ad has done its job, users will be wanting to click it to learn more about the full offer. That click means they’re just a single step more from buying your product or paying for your service. So make sure your call to action is easy to follow and obvious to activate.

Using a form presents you with an opportunity to collect additional information from your potential customer that might be useful in future marketing activities.

Either way, the banner ad’s main objective is to drive users to the website. After that, you’ll have plenty of other opportunities to convert them into leads and eventually regular customers.

Display ads work for a lot of reasons.

They’re a visually appealing promotional tool that helps build a link between your company and potential customers. They stimulate brand awareness.

Display advertising is a cost efficient marketing channel that allows you to set parameters in line with your advertising goals, and focus your efforts on a targeted market.

Banner ads achieve visibility and exposure without compromising professional decorum. They encourage an immediate customer response. And have become an essential apparatus in the toolbox of the modern digital marketer.

 

Article first published here: The benefits of display advertising

White Hat & Black Hat SEO: What’s The Difference? (And WHY You Should Care)

White Hat and Black Hat SEO take their name from an old Western movie trope. One is good. One is bad.

 

Both are capable of getting you results. But the differences between the two can mean the difference between success and failure for your business.

 

Search engines like Google and Bing are constantly changing their ranking algorithms in secret. And nobody knows for certain how they function.

 

Search engines change their algorithms for two main reasons:

 

• It provides fair competition
• It delivers users the most relevant and trustworthy content

 

Search engines have general guidelines, that when followed, help them find, index and rank your site using bots that perpetually crawl the internet in search of new and updated pages.

 

What is White Hat SEO

Remember the story of the tortoise and the hare?

 

“Slow and steady wins the race,” was it’s moral.

 

For this analogy, White Hat SEO is our tortoise. Slower on the go, thus requiring more time and effort to reach the winning post. But a victory by way of White Hat SEO tactics is always more virtuous and rewarding.

 

White Hat SEO puts search engines second to the human experience. But still follows the general guidelines of said search engines to the letter. No shortcuts or shenanigans.  

 

White Hat SEO respects the algorithm. And utilises legitimate SEO techniques to increase search traffic organically. Like offering site visitors original, high-quality content that they can’t find anywhere else.

 

It starts with creating a content strategy. Before you write or film anything. Building pieces of content one on top of the other will present opportunities for mutual linking. It paves a clearer path for users to navigate your site. Eventually converting them into loyal visitors and regular customers.

 

You’ll need to identify the best keywords to use. Appropriate use of the right keywords across your content, especially in titles and headings, is a sure fire way to catch the attention of search engines. Conducting a little research using tools like Google Keyword Planner is a great way to uncover the best keywords for your article or page.     

 

Try using intriguing title tags that include your main keyword(s). Title tags are displayed in your content’s URL, search results and when a page is shared on social networks. So it’s important that yours are attention-grabbing.

 

Don’t forget to link. Linking internally is an effective way to guide visitors through your site. And links to high-authority external sites will boost your own credibility with search engines and trustworthiness with users.

 

How easy is it for visitors to find what they’re looking for on your website? Improving navigation, simplifying site architecture and increasing page-load speed creates a better user experience that keeps people on your page for longer.

White Hat SEO strategies promote fair and honest competition for better ranking on search engines. With its emphasis on customer satisfaction, optimised user experience, quality content and always abiding by search engine guidelines, White Hat SEO is a proven route to better rankings. And staying in the good graces of Google.

 

What is Black Hat SEO

The vengeful gunslinger. The boastful hare. Black Hat SEO cheats to achieve better rankings on search engines by using aggressive techniques that target and influence search engines directly. At the expense of the human experience.  

 

They’re tricks like using spam blogs or publishing low-quality, duplicated content not intended to attract real people. Or scraping and plagiarizing content.

 

It’s using software for link farming that connects you to other sites with low-quality content for the sole purpose of increasing visibility.

 

Keywords are good.

 

But keyword stuffing, the practice of overloading your content with keywords in an unnatural way, or using tiny or hidden text, is bad.

 

Using unrelated or irrelevant keywords is also frowned upon. “Kim Kardashian” is probably a popular search term. But plastering her name across your content in hopes of winning a couple of extra clicks is cheating.

 

Gateway pages bursting with keyword phrases, but no real meaningful content, that use JavaScript or meta refresh tags to redirect users to a different page without their knowledge, are definitely not best practice.

 

It’s important to compete fairly. Don’t publish negative campaigns against your competitors. Or report them as Black Hat practitioners when they aren’t.

Some Black Hat SEO agents will even go as far as hacking other sites. And after gaining access, place their own content there. Often without the site owner being aware of it.  

 

Search engines do not appreciate any of these dodgy practices. They’re unethical and punishable offences that could ultimately end up crippling your site.  

 

We are not smarter than the algorithm. While it might be possible to get away with using certain Black Hat SEO techniques to steal some quick gains in the short term, search engines will eventually recognise these tactics for what they are. And be quick to meet swift digital justice.   

 

If you’re caught attempting to deceive search engines with Black Hat techniques, you can count on a poor ranking at the very least. In many cases, non-compliant or offending sites are temporarily, or even permanently, de-indexed altogether.

 

This means that no matter what search phrases are used, the de-indexed site will not appear in any search engine results. And the lack of a searchable online presence is a death knell to just about any business.

The temptation of securing some fast and easy results with Black Hat SEO may seem inviting. But you’re never going to beat the house. The search engine is the dealer. And the dealer holds all the cards. So why gamble with your business’ future?

 

Be the tortoise instead. Plan. Scheme. Plod. Put on a White Hat and take your time when practising SEO. Because “slow and steady” wins the rankings race every time.

 

Article first published here: White Hat & Black Hat SEO: What’s The Difference? (And WHY You Should Care)

What’s best for SEO: Squarespace or WordPress?

Let’s say you’re business isn’t getting the results you’d like. So you decide that it’s time for a website refresh.

 

But you’re also not a website developer. So ‘ease of use’ is going to be huge when it comes to deciding on a content management system (CMS).

 

You’ve done your homework. Narrowed it down to Squarespace and WordPress. But which CMS is going to deliver the best SEO results?

 

Who has the better, easier to use, features? Which system will get you ranking higher in search engines like Google?

 

We broke down the perks and pitfalls of both. And put together an objective comparison that will help you decide which one is best for you and your new business.

 

WordPress and SEO

WordPress is an open source platform. Which means its source code is available to anyone wishing to develop their own templates, themes and plugins. And because these elements can be shared or sold to users by their creators, it means an almost infinite number of functions and design options are at your disposal.  

 

That makes WordPress a very flexible platform where much of the code can be modified to suit your needs.

 

Combine that with its simplicity of use, and it’s easy to see why the platform has become so popular in recent years; powering close to 30% of the internet.

 

WordPress users make 41.7 million new posts and 60.5 million new comments each month. Every six months, WordPress registers 1.1 million new domains. And there are currently more than 44,600 WordPress plugins available.

 

But the enormity, accessibility and simplicity of WordPress doesn’t come without a few conditions and concessions.  

 

Take those 44,600+ plugins for example. They’re available with little to no quality control. So in the unregulated landscape of WordPress, the mileage really can vary when it comes to user-created content.

 

The best way to know whether or not something like a plugin is worth your time, or worthy of your site, is to check its customer reviews. When 92% of consumers are trusting peer recommendations over advertising, it’s hard to argue against the fact that social media marketing is more important than ever.

 

In terms of SEO, selecting the right plugins can be crucial to your site’s success. SEO specific plugins like Yoast, All In One and The SEO Framework feature automated tools that can be very useful to users not well-versed in SEO techniques.

 

Even if you already have some SEO experience, there are less-general plugins that focus on particular SEO elements which can still be of use to your site.  

 

But there’s more to WordPress than just plugins that give it a leg up on a lot of its competition.

Rich snippets are structured data markups that can be added to a site’s HTML. Adding rich snippets to your WordPress site will give search engines a better understanding of precisely what information each page on your site contains; which results in improved rankings.

Search engines take into account the loading speed of a website. And because WordPress gives you the opportunity to choose your hosting, it gives you greater control when it comes to optimising your site’s load speed. Another factor that has a significant impact on search engine rankings.

 

WordPress also offers a caching plugin that creates static versions of your content and applies other techniques that achieve a higher load speed. Which will allow you to set your speed code according to Google’s PageSpeed recommendations.

 

Squarespace and SEO

Unlike WordPress, Squarespace is not an open source platform. Only their developers are able to build tools for your use.

 

While this limits the sheer number of available tools, it maintains a consistent level of quality across all their offerings.

 

Elements like plugins are well tested before they’re made available. And if you do encounter a problem with a particular tool, their support team should fully understand your question due to their familiarity with the product.

 

The compromise with Squarespace is flexibility.

 

While its drag-and-drop interface is easy to use, even if you have zero tech or design experience, Squarespace is less responsive than WordPress.

 

On the other hand, Squarespace’s drag-and-drop model lets you see what your finished site will look like in real time as you’re building it. Unlike WordPress where pages need to be previewed or published before you can see how they’ll ultimately look. With Squarespace, your every move is automatically saved and shown to you in its ‘live’ version.

Squarespace does lack many of the SEO tools present inside WordPress. There are no SEO plugins. So you’re limited to captions, descriptions and extracts visible on the page for search engine rankings.

 

Rich snippets cannot be used directly. They can only be used through Google’s Data Highlighter tool. Which undoes some of the platforms surface convenience.

 

Sites created with Squarespace can only be hosted through Squarespace’s shared hosting service. So your hands are a bit tied when it comes to increasing the speed of your website loading; code cannot be adjusted to search engine requirements.

 

But there are benefits to Squarespace that search engines do value.

 

With Squarespace, you can generate the sitemap XML file. Or use the clear HTML markup.

 

Squarespace is an incredibly mobile-friendly platform. The importance of which in today’s climate cannot be denied.

 

With Squarespace, you can create the SSL version of your website; creating the kind of secure HTTPS website that search engines adore. You can also register your web page with Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools to show search engines that you exist and offer the valuable content.

 

It’s hard to pick a “winner”. And there’s no one platform we can recommend over another. Because user needs and experience levels can vary wildly.

 

If you’re a beginner that can’t be bothered with plugins and prefer simplicity, Squarespace can still earn you positive SEO gains through high-quality content, smart use of keywords and attractive SEO titles.

 

But if you’ve got a little experience, or are patient and willing to learn, the advanced tools available through WordPress truly set the sky as the limit when it comes to SEO for your new website.

 

Article first published here: What’s best for SEO: Squarespace or WordPress?

Why social media marketing is more important than ever

In what feels like the blink of an eye, social media marketing has gone from being “just another marketing tool” to being one of our most crucial marketing tools when it comes to ranking results on search engines like Google.

These days, it’s hard to achieve much without social. And its relevance, significance, and influence is only going to get larger as time goes by.

Need a reason why social media marketing is here for the long haul? Here’s five.

 

The potential of social media marketing is still being discovered

 

The longer social is around, and the more we use it, the more we’re discovering its cache of benefits. And that’s part of the medium’s relentless popularity; that one-two punch that provides access to a wider base of users and a broader base of marketing tools to help you achieve outstanding results.

In the past, social was viewed as something you might use to accessorize your approach to market positioning and search engine rankings. Today it’s the main event attraction. And its full potential is still being unlocked.

Social gives you an already developed audience It gives you the ability to target specific customer categories. Learn to use it the right way, and it becomes one of the most effective weapons in your marketing arsenal.

 

Social media marketing gives you better positioning in the market

 

Without a presence on social media, it’s almost like your business doesn’t exist. It’s more than an advertising tool. It’s the apparatus by which you’re able to improve and influence your overall positioning with the target market.  

Social provides a massive audience to draw potential customers from. But allows you to focus your marketing efforts on the users most likely to be interested in buying what you’re selling.

Go global. Advertise locally. It’s a platform with near endless possibilities.

Social networks let you use a variety of post-types too. From video clips to blog posts or short, sharp advertising lines – there’s something available to attract the attention of different users.

And on top of using to social to create and build a reputation for you or your brand, it’s a useful tool for education and driving traffic directly to your website. Which will help improve your positioning on search engines and increase conversions.

 

Community influence is an important branding factor

 

Word-of-mouth has always had a persuasive impact. And now that social provides everyone with a pulpit to preach from, word-of-mouth is more powerful now than ever before. According to Linkedin, 92% of consumers trust peer recommendations over advertising.

Good and bad experiences alike are shared via social networks. And because the world is now connected through social, news spreads like wildfire.

When reports are positive, it often results in new leads. And an attractive offer on your part can convert those new leads into new customers.  

There’s also the effect sharing can have on your business. When your content is engaging, whether that be words or images, it increases the likelihood that it will be shared by social media users who encounter it.

When your content gets shared on social networks, it improves your digital reputation, multiplies the effects of your marketing efforts and earns you new customers. That all leads to bigger profits and better returns on your investment.

 

Expanding your customer base through social media marketing

 

It’s not just the cool kids anymore. Everyone uses social media today. And most people are active with profiles on several different social networks simultaneously. So the ability to reach even the smallest group of total social media users is still astonishing compared to what was possible in the days before social.

This is not a fact wasted on different social media platforms either. They’re well aware of their own promise. That’s why many have developed their own marketing tools that can help grow your customer base.

You have to reach people before you can influence them. And tools that allow you to target relevant users with pinpoint accuracy, combined with new features like “live video,” allow you to publish quality content that accomplishes both quickly and at a fraction of traditional marketing costs.

 

Social media marketing achieves better ranking on search engines

 

If the proliferation of viral content has taught us anything, it’s that offering users quality content can result in a much broader customer base. Create a piece of content that goes viral, and you’ll see traffic to your website go up. And your search engine ranking results increase.   

Publishing quality, credible content is the best way to attract attention to your brand or business. Followers are apt to share content they find entertaining, informative or appealing with their friends and social network connections. Which will only increase your popularity and bolster your online presence. Quality content helps define your authority and appeals to the ranking factors that drive search engine results.

When users like your content and share it across the different social networks, it will gain you new followers, drive more organic traffic to your website, and increase the popularity of your channels.

As traffic grows and you continue to gain followers, visitors and customers, your ranking goes up. And as your ranking goes up, traffic increases and you gain more followers, visitors and customers. It’s a cycle.

And that cycle is in large part driven by content.

Social media marketing is more important than ever.

It’s an inexpensive means of achieving incredible reach. Which leads to engagement and causes conversions. It’s an effective way to generate brand awareness and drive more traffic to your site; ultimately converting consumers into passionate brand advocates.

These days, the customer journey more often than not begins online. And social media networks are among the most popular destinations for internet users today who now spend, on average, 135 minutes a day interacting on social platforms.

That’s up from 90 minutes a day just five years ago. And as this trend continues to move in this upward direction, making social media marketing part of your overall marketing mix will become more than just increasingly valuable. It will become downright essential.   

Article first published here: Why social media marketing is more important than ever