5 Free Ways to Optimize Your Website Locally

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SEO services can be costly, but there are always free methods you can use to boost your local ranking. For those who don’t have the budget for paid SEO services yet, you’re on the right post.

You don’t have to be a tech geek just to perform SEO efforts on your website. In fact, you have a head start with these basic optimization methods:

*Producing regular content

All SEO experts will agree that content is king. SEO is almost impossible without high-quality content published regularly on your website.

Take note that both quality and quantity matters when it comes to content. Aside from pleasing the web crawlers, you’re also giving your audience a big favor.

Moreover, regular content will keep your warm leads hooked. It’s also a great way to establish your brand across the web.

Aside from that, you can use the blog section for backlinking, keyword optimization, and more.

*Improving customer satisfaction

Boosting your customer’s satisfaction starts by addressing their concerns. If you received negative reviews, the process should be Reach – Remedy – Restore.

First, acknowledge that you received the negative review. After that, offer a possible solution to the problem. Most often, customers will edit the negative review if they receive a re-do of the product or service for no additional cost.

Through that, you can restore the customer and they will edit the review into a more positive note.

Remember, thanking your customers after each review will go a long way.

*Listing your business in online directories

If you have a business, you must get listed on Google My Business (GMB). By doing so, you’re making your business available on Google Maps, Knowledge Graph, Local Packs, and more. You’ll also have access to Google Posts once you sign up for a GMB account.

Aside from Google, you should also list your business on Yellow Pages, TripAdvisor (claim your business!), and Yelp. If there are local directories within your location, you should also list your business there.

*Guest post with another local business blog

Another hack that you can use is guest posting on another business’ blog. For this, you can contact business website owners so you can offer them an exchange of material. This is usually free and it will also give you a sweet backlink to your site.

Aside from businesses, you can also tap the help of local bloggers/influencers. Some of them will ask for a fee, but some will agree for an exchange of blog post.

*Use local keywords

When optimizing and writing your content, always use local keywords that indicate the location where you want to rank. It could be “XYZ in Orlando” or “XYZ service Fort Lauderdale”. These location-specific keywords will let Google know that you intend to rank locally.

Aside from using these keywords, you should also create individual pages for each location of your business with content customized or that specific location.

*Aim to gain backlinks from authority sites

Guest posting is one good way to gain backlinks. Also, you can talk about other businesses in your locality and ask them to mention you on their posts together with a link of your website.

Also, you can offer online interviews where you can request a backlink. Most local directories conduct this, especially if they are featuring a local business.

5 Guaranteed Ways to Establish Backlinks for Your Business

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When it comes to local SEO, backlinking is an essential element. It’s a ranking signal that Google uses to gauge the trustworthiness and authority of a business website. If you achieve this on your pages, you can expect better rankings, increased visibility, and enhanced sales.

Backlinking also maps out your small business website on the web. It’s a great traffic generator without paying for anything unless you run sponsorships to acquire it (see below).

The importance of backlinking

Any website, be it for business or a blog, needs backlinks to improve their SEO. Among other ranking signals, backlinking is one of the strongest suits of any website. Moreover, Google always rewards websites with seamless backlinking from authority sites.

Aside from this benefit, backlinking also establishes your authority in a specific niche. If many websites link and trust your pages, it’s a sign that your website as a whole is trustworthy based on Google standards.

Still, backlinking should be done organically. The sad truth is that many website owners resort to black hat tactics only to be penalized by Google. Remember, Google is smart and it will only take a short while for them to flag down such practices.

Methods to gain backlinks

Guest posting

Guest posting in an influencer’s blog or an authority site relevant to your niche is probably the easiest and most effective method. You’ll get to secure a backlink while boosting your business’ online reputation.

Nevertheless, you should only guest post on websites that are relevant to your niche. These are bloggers or other businesses that aren’t your direct competitors. It could also be the governing bodies in your industry.

Mention other entities on your niche

On your social media accounts or blogs, you can talk about other organizations or businesses. Make sure that you tag or contact them about your mention. It’s likely that their ‘Thank Yous’ will include a mention on their social media platforms. If you’re lucky, you’ll be mentioned on their blog.

Again, these organizations and businesses shouldn’t be your direct competitors. Otherwise, you’ll be shooting yourself in the foot.

Grant sponsorships

You can also grant sponsorships to events and organizations. As an exchange, you’ll ask for a backlink to your website. This costs more than other methods, but it’s a guaranteed way to secure links from authority brands and websites.

Aside from that, your brand will also gain additional exposure. It’s hitting two birds with one stone, making the expense worth it.

Tapping the help of local influencers

A simple mention in a local influencer’s social media account will do wonders for your small business. You can do this through sponsorships or partnerships with the influencer’s projects.

Make sure that you choose the influencer that reflects your business’ values. This way, you won’t inadvertently drag your small business into online complications.

Get interviewed

Online interviews are one of the popular trends nowadays. For sure, a local review website will be more than happy to conduct an interview with you about your business.

Also, various cities have their own local directory where they feature different local businesses.

 

 

Benefits and Uses of Google Posts

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Back in 2017, the search engine Google launched one of its newest offerings, Google Posts. This tool is available on Google My Business accounts where business owners can publish 300-word posts to be displayed on the Knowledge Graph area of search results.

Businesses can use this to announce invitations, limited offers, events, or just random updates to keep the audience hooked.

About Google Posts

In January 2016, Google Posts was launched for the use of presidential candidates. This experimental phase resulted in its total roll out months later to all GMB account owners.

Using this feature, you can use your GMB account to publish posts, like how you’re going to draft one for your social media accounts.

Upon publishing, the posts will appear automatically on the Knowledge Graph area. Take note that the appearance of the posts and the Knowledge Graph will only be triggered upon the search of the brand, company, or person.

Benefits of using Google Posts

Added visibility is one thing that businesses will enjoy when using Google Posts. Also, it’s an excellent way to keep their target leads informed and hooked. This is possible without the added need to convince them to click through your website or visit another page.

Google Posts is also an effective avenue for call to actions. In fact, you can integrate a CTA button within the post as another entry point to your sales funnel.

Since this tool is present in the GMB account, there’s no need for business owners to manage multiple platforms at a time.

How to use Google Posts

Once you have a Google My Business account, you can access this feature under the “Posts” tab on the left side of your dashboard.

From there, click “Create Post”. You can add an image, text, and title for each post. Also, you can select a CTA button if you want to use one.

Take note, though, that your image should have at least 344 x 344 pixels but not larger than 750 x 750 pixels.

Moreover, Google will crop the image in a square size to fit the Knowledge Graph area. You can select the visible area of the photo, nonetheless.

Each Google Post will last for a week, except for events-based posts, which will be taken down once the event date lapsed.

Also, you can post up to 10 Google Posts and it will be displayed in a carousel format. However, the images will appear smaller if you do this.

Monitoring your Google Posts

Checking the performance of your Google Posts is easy. On your GMB account, you can see how many visitors clicked on your posts and how many of them clicked the CTA button (if there’s any).

It’s a no-fuss feature, but make sure that you update it weekly or once the previous posts expire.

Final words

Google is continuously enhancing its platform. Its newest offer, Google Post, is yet another useful tool that business owners can utilize for added visibility and market reach. If utilized well, it can also be used to drive traffic to a website and increase sales.

 

How Does Google Determine Ranking Places for Locations

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As your business is expanding and opening branches in different locations, you also need to keep up with the demands of updating your Google details. More often than not, websites or business owners are confused as to how Google determines the ranking for individual locations. This is very much evident for location modifier keywords.

To give you an idea, let’s discuss the three fundamental factors that govern local SEO. These are Relevance, Prominence, and Proximity.

Relevance

Relevance is a matter of showing up in the search results based on how relevant your pages are to the search query. Whenever someone searches for something, Google compares it to the millions of pages within their platform and pulls out which one they deem to have the most similarity to the search.

The results could be typical website pages or Google My Business listing. Still, you should remember that just because your query is relevant doesn’t mean you’re going to be at the top of SERPs right away.

For this, we have to consider prominence.

Prominence

Sure, you have relevant keywords, but how prominent is your brand across the web? Your business or page’s prominence reflects on the authoritative image your pages project. If authority sites trust you, Google sees this as a good sign about your brand.

Backlinking from relevant websites is crucial here. It will build your authority and open more traffic portals for you in different webpages.

Online reviews also give you a big favor here as well as directories and citations.

Proximity

The most critical aspect when it comes to ranking places for locations is proximity. The more your location is optimized to show within a searcher’s proximity, the more that it will rank on that area.

Many internet users use the local intent search (within the area) to find businesses within their area. They’ll likely search something like “burrito place near me” for someone living, say, in Los Angeles. However, you should also consider the local intent search outside of the area. In this case, the search query would be “burrito place in Los Angeles”.

 

A few reminders

You can optimize for multiple keywords for your business, but you should be aware of one thing: keyword cannibalization. It’s a common faux pas in Google My Business listings.

This happens when two locations are competing for the same keyword within the area. If this takes place, one location will be filtered out.

This will hurt your business. Also, it will result in inaccurate search results, especially if you’re ranking for a specific town, not just a city or state.

Also, make sure that you create an exclusive landing page for your location intent keywords. Aside from your GMB listing, these unique landing pages will give you additional organic traffic from the search results.

Final words

Ranking places for locations is a great way to target your potential leads to a specific locality. However, you have to ensure that it’s done right, so your business will not suffer from the faulty rankings. It’s slightly technical, but the learning curve isn’t too steep.

 

Adding Local Schema Markup on Your Website

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Schema markups are codes used to structure data, so pages will be indexed quickly and properly. Web crawlers will read the code, which will give them a better understanding of what the page is about. Moreover, schema markups include a person or business’ NAP (Name, Address, Phone number).

When a schema markup is indexed, it will generate rich snippets that will be displayed on the search results. It’s added visibility for the website owner or professional who is promoting their product or service.

Benefits of using schema markup

All business websites will benefit from integrating schema markups on their websites. It gives them added visibility on the web, not to mention the advantage it provides on the SEO aspect.

By displaying the NAP within search result pages, website owners no longer have to nudge internet users to click-through their site.

Aside from that, it increases the ranking of your website. Schema markups, if integrated properly, will make your website easier to crawl.

This is beneficial for professionals, business owners, and website owners.

Adding schema markup

If you’re new to schema codes, here’s how you can integrate the markup properly on your website.

Encoding your NAP in plain text

You should remember that Google and Bing web crawlers can’t index text within an image. If you are to post your NAP details, make sure that you type it in plain HTML text. This is the most crawlable format and it will be easy to project once it gets indexed.

You can place your NAP on the header or footer of the website. As long as it’s in plain text and on your home page, it should be ideal when the markup is integrated.

Generating schema markup code

To generate the schema code for your website, you should install a schema plugin on your site. For WordPress websites, this will come for free.

After that, you should visit the Google Structured Data Markup Helper. This platform will help you generate the code properly without the need to code it on your own.

You just have to paste the website URL and click the “Start Tagging” button. Add more tags until you’ve included everything that you need.

Once you’re done adding the missing tags, just click “Create HTML”. This will automatically generate the markup that you can integrate on your website.

If you add this properly, your NAP will appear in rich snippets whenever an internet user searches a related query on the web.

Tips and reminders

When adding schema markups on your website, make sure that you follow Google guidelines. This will prevent your website from being penalized.

Aside from that, avoid spammy markups. Google will soon notice this and sanction your website for violating its rules.

Moreover, you should never utilize invisible content on your markup. It’s a tactic that will not go unnoticed on search engines.

Also, you should never mislead search engines on the type of markup you’re using. Never use schema markups for doctors, lawyers, businesses, or products, unless you really are one or offering one.  

 

Why You Need a Responsive Website Today

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Just recently, Google rolled out its mobile-first algorithm. It’s a new ranking factor prioritizing mobile versions of websites. Since more than 50% of web searches are done on mobile devices, this newest change makes perfect sense.

So the question is this: why do you need a responsive website? The following are some of the critical reasons why:

 *Complying with Google recommendations

Back in 2015, Google released its recommendations with regard to responsive websites. This is an answer to the growing mobile device activities in relation to the boom of smartphones.

Since then, Google has been rewarding responsive website by prioritizing them in the indexing and ranking process.

Years after, Google released the mobile-first recommendation. Unlike before, the web crawlers will index the mobile version before the desktop version. This turns the table for almost all websites.

With that, you need a website that doubles with a desktop view and a mobile design.

*Mobile searches are taking over the web

According to a report from Hitwise, a marketing leader, about 58% of web searchers during April and May 2016 were from mobile devices. This continues to grow rapidly as more and more people afford smartphones and tablet devices.

With these statistics, businesses and companies alike need to utilize a mobile-responsive device. This way, they won’t lose potential customers. Also, it will increase their visibility once they are ranking past their competitors.

*It’s all about conversion

The reason why you need a responsive website is due to one thing: conversion. Within seconds, you’ll lose potential customers once they see that your website is not navigable on a mobile format.

What happens is that the customers will look for an alternative – most likely, your competitor who has a responsive website.

Large buttons, readable text, and a fast-loading page are just some of the features of a responsive website. If you can achieve this on your business website, you can expect better conversion.

*Boosting user experience

Above all, user experience matters the most when it comes to businesses. You can start this by revamping your website and converting it into a responsive version.

Potential customers appreciate a highly navigable site. Also, they will likely enter your sales funnel if you lead them to a mobile-compatible website.

*One website for both desktop and mobile versions

When we talk about building a responsive site, it doesn’t mean that you’re going to make a separate desktop and mobile address. There are many website themes out there made to respond well across platforms.

Also, you no longer have to code or manually change your design just to be in line with Google recommendations. Plugins, themes, and integrations are available to make this job easier for you.

Aside from that, having a responsive website cuts the need to manage two platforms. That’s both time and money-saving, especially for small businesses that barely have the additional budget.

Final words

SMEs are starting to transition to responsive websites due to the benefits it brings. If you also own a business, regardless of size, you’ll definitely benefit from doing the same.

How Local Businesses Can Utilize Meta Descriptions for their Benefit

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Meta descriptions are essential components of search engine optimization. For small businesses, they are one of the crucial ways to increase their SERP ranking and to increase the relevance of their pages. If utilized well, they can actually attract more leads and increase conversion rates.

Still, not all businesses realize the value of them. Most local businesses don’t have the extra resources to invest in SEO services. With this, they miss a big opportunity to rank better and to widen the reach of their website.

Why it matters for your local business

First of all, meta descriptions give immediate information about what the page is about. Even before the user clicks through, they will know what to expect from your content. It’s the first nudge toward your structured sales funnel.

Aside from that, meta descriptions are crucial for search engine crawlers. It makes it easier for them to identify what the page is about and on what queries it is the most relevant. So when a user types a query, the search engine will put the pages that answer to the string of words.

In short, meta descriptions ensure that your information is displayed properly. So whenever someone searches for a service or product, your business stands the chance of popping up on the top positions. 

Meta tags like meta descriptions are used on Bing and Google indexing. In fact, it’s one of the main ranking factors of Google. 

Meta data types you should focus on

There are many types of meta data, but the basics are meta description, title tags, and robot tags. Here is a quick look at each one and why it matters:

Meta description

This is a short description that utilizes keywords. When writing meta descriptions, you shouldn’t exceed 160 characters. Also, you should make it as informative as possible, ensuring that the user will be persuaded to click through.

It should be a quick summary that informs the readers of the page’s content in a snap. It can be challenging to write due to the character restriction. 

Robot meta tags

These are more technical tags located at the back end or code of your website. Basically, it filters which pages you want to index or not. Local businesses opt not to index thin pages, which they still need to improve or revise. Also, filtering out thin pages will reduce the negative impact on the SEO of your website as a whole.

If you can’t handle the execution of the robot tags, you can tap the help of an SEO expert. This is to prevent any glitches that may fail to index important pages.

Final words

When it comes to SEO, meta tags are staples. These are basic components that will increase a business’ visibility online and the ranking of their pages. Be it a service or product, meta descriptions are great tools in making your business stand out. You just have to do it right. 

For businesses with no background with SEO, the help of experts is indispensable. Besides, SEO is a great investment that will yield long-term results.

Scottsdale Web Design – What Are the Difficulties in Changing Domain Names?

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Previously, I talked about the 4 different reasons why websites undergo a name change. This time, I will discuss the challenges you will face when you decide to change domain names.

How does a mere name change affect business?

  • For beginners, changing the domain name could be difficult because it would mean that you will give up on the links that you have built over time. Without links, it hard to prove your authority as a website. So, expect that traffic will greatly drop!
  • Aside from that, you will lose more traffic if you did NOT properly implement page redirects. Web visitors won’t be able to seamlessly jump from your old domain to your new domain. Once they will access your old domain, visitors will only see a 404 page.
  • Another major obstacle is content duplication. The old and new sites will have identical content, and plagiarism issues would ensue.
  • Hence, it is utterly important to adhere with Google’s guidelines on URL changes. Remember to monitor the even the slightest change because it can trigger unwanted effects in the future.

Lego showing a 404 error

How to properly transfer from one domain to another?

Remember, the main goal here is to be able to successfully redirect all of the old web pages to the new domain name. Here are some tips for you to follow in order to preserve your hard-earned rankings at best:

  • First, you will need a sitemap of your old domain name.
  • If you don’t have one, then you can create using the free (or paid) tools online. Whenever you feel confused, refer to Google’s guide on building a sitemap.
  • Next, you will need to fill the space of your new domain. This includes adding a company profile, creating an about us or contact us page, and more.
  • If you need more ideas, you can add a contact form, add testimonials, and feature reputable clients.
  • Once you have the new domain ready with all its contents, you can now publish your new site.
  • Don’t forget to claim your new domain and old domain on the Google Webmasters page.
  • Also, you need put up a sign and redirect your web visitors to your new home. To achieve this, have a 404 page on your old domain so all the web visitors will know that you have moved to another name.
  • After this, you need to test the redirects if one can successfully jump from the old one to the new name.
  • Next, you should make it easier for search engine crawlers to scan your site.
  • Then, submit the old sitemap to Google, Bing, or whatever search engine you want.
  • For Google, go to the Google Webmasters page, and open the “Change Address.”
  • To make sure that your new site is included in Google’s list, submit a new sitemap. For Bing, go to the Bing Webmaster Center.
  • Meanwhile, Google users will go to the Google Webmasters page.
  • diagnostics for the sitemap and fix any errors found

Now, you are all good. To make sure everything is up and running, perform a diagnostics test for your new sitemap and see if there are errors on your new domain name. Remember to continuously monitor the search results for any changes!

Scottsdale Web Design – Will Changing Domains Affect Search Engine Rankings?

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Most probably, you may not believe that domain names and SEO are connected.  I know what you are thinking. You will ask yourself how these 2 terms are actually connected. To be honest, they are closely related more than you expected. Whether you own a book blog or online retail shop, everyone strives to be popular online and get enough following for your brand.

Facebook.com on a browser

To do this, web admins try their best to formulate ways in getting traffic to the site, increase online visibility, and enhance brand awareness. During this stage of your journey, you might find the need to strengthen your presence online. One way to do is to revamp your own virtual space and rename your domain.

What will happen when you change domain names?

Sadly, when you decide to change domain names, it could also change current rankings. You see, search engines like Google decide on the website rankings using different metrics. These metrics can be…

  • domain level metrics,
  • page level metrics

If you decide to have name change for whatever reason, you are actually setting the domain level metric back to its default state. Basically, you are resetting the values back to zero. However, it’s not too late if you decide to do so. You can still reduce the negative effects of changing the domain name.

In this blog post, I will discuss the 4 various reasons why websites undergo a name change and the effects of switching domain names to your business. Also, I will list some tips for you to properly move from your old domain to your new name.

The reason in changing domain names

Honestly, website owners avoid changing names as much as possible. However, in some situations, a name change is needed, and web admins need to transfer to a new domain name. Below, I will some of the common reasons why websites need to change domain names.

  1. The owner dislikes the current domain name.

The most common reason would be the owner just doesn’t like the name. It is not something that suits the owner’s taste or preference. Really, the reason could be as simple as that.

  1. The current domain name is not performing as expected.

Next, the domain name failed to generate the needed traffic and clicks from its target audience. Of course, the web admins need to cope and find ways to perform well online.

  1. The owner switched to another business.

Like any physical stores, online stores get rebranded. It could be that the owners switched to another business, or switched to another industry.  For example, you can’t use the name pillows if you are NOT selling pillows anymore.

  1. The owner wants a better domain name.

For instance, Facebook started out as the TheFacebook.com. Then, it switched to Facebook.com. However, Mark Zuckerberg was not contented with having an 8-letter domain name. He purchased an even higher domain name.

On November 15, 2010, Facebook successfully acquired the top-level domain: FB.com. What’s the price for this most coveted name? According to a report, Facebook paid an astonishing $ 8.5 million for this 2-letter domain name.

 

Next: What Are the Difficulties in Changing Domain Names?

Scottsdale Web Design – SEO Beginners Should Aim Their Attention on These 3 Things

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In order to provide the best search results to its users, Google constantly updates its search algorithms. From time to time, Google releases algorithmic updates such as Penguin, Panda, RankBrain, and many more.

Honestly, it will take time to familiarize all the rules set by Google. Your SEO skills won’t develop in just a snap, and you will need time and practice to apply all what you have learned over time. After you know how to play the SEO game, you still need to continue to learn because the game changes any time Google wants it to.

No one gets to know everything about SEO. That’s why beginners are having second thoughts about venturing into SEO. Over time, the rules change. SEO gets more and more complicated. For beginners, this ever-changing landscape frightens them.

man doing mountain climbing

How to climb the SEO ladder?

In this blog post, I will guide all you SEO beginners and help you to focus on the important things. Of course, everyone will need to start from the bottom. Below are the 3 areas you need to specifically dwell on:

  1. The RankBrain Algorithm
  • Just this year, Gary Illyes of Google answered some questions on Reddit. In his post, he explained further what constitutes the RankBrain algorithm. More than anything else, RankBrain uses AI to solve the users’ queries.
  • To be more specific, RankBrain uses the search data of its searches to assume what they would want to achieve. RankBrain would look into the search history for unsolved queries. It tries to know the user intent basing from this search history.
  • Then, RankBrain strives to find the best results for the searcher. In other words, Google is smart enough to know the undisclosed intents of the users. More precisely, it thinks like any other human being.
  • For example, you searched for “Japan.” This could mean many things: travel to Japan, information about Japan, and so on. You did NOT indicate to “travel to Japan,” but it gave you ideas on the places to visit in Japan. Google assumed that these travel guide will be helpful to you.
  • Because you previously searched for “Japan,” it would show suggestions on Japanese anime, movies, goodies, and everything you will most likely love basing from your previous searches. So, know what people are searching, and develop sensible content around these search queries. If you think like a human being, then, you will surely earn Google’s favor.
  1. Find the Right People.
  1. Develop an Authoritative Website
  • Like in the real world, you need to work on your credibility for people to believe you. You also need to strengthen your website’s credibility. No one would dare to purchase on your website if it seems shady.
  • You can ONLY influence others if you have authority. So, how do we make people to trust your website?
  • One way is to gain inbound links from other authoritative sites. For people to link your website, you first need to develop high-quality content. Once your content is useful to others, they will link your website on their respective sites. Another way is to do a guest post on other websites.