Four Things You Can Do for Your Internet Marketing Now

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Online marketing—every business needs it! Why? Because the Internet is THE number one source for business referrals. A strong web presence is critical to the success of your business. It is the go-to place to find just about any product or service you can imagine.

New to the world of cyber marketing? Here are four things you can do for your Internet marketing now.

1. Understand the different types of online marketing.

Content Marketing: This inclusive term describes the most published Internet marketing content—also known as blogs—that is used to attract customers. Typically, this type of online marketing is linked to other types of web marketing. If your website features blog posts, it will be more relevant to most search engines, which, in turn, will make it easier for potential customers to find. Content marketing also can serve as a “soft sell” for your product or service, bring attention to the need for that product or service and then drive business to your company.

Search Engine Marketing: Pay Per Click (PPC) and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) are the most widely used forms of search engine marketing. With PPC, a sponsored ad is put into the results of a web search. Whenever someone clicks on the ad, the business placing the ad pays the search engine provider an agreed upon amount. On the positive side, PPL guarantees your business a constant presence in search results but it comes at a cost. SEO, on the other hand, concentrates on moving your business up in the rankings and it’s free.

Social Media Marketing: Geared more to a younger audience, this type of online marketing has grown in popularity. While it’s inexpensive, it requires a bit of acumen to implement. You might want to reach out to an experienced Phoenix Internet Marketing Company for this one.

2. Identify your target market.

If you are going to put the time and money into online marketing be sure you are going after the right target market. When you have a good idea of who your customer is you can generate better attention-getting advertising and promotional material to lure them in.

So how do you find that audience?

Start by identifying the problem your product or service solves. Next list the characteristics of an average customer in an effort to pinpoint your target market. It’s also important to know who makes up your primary audience. They are the ones who need your product or service the most. For example, if your business specializes in home security systems, your primary customer may live in a residential area with a high crime rate.

3. Take steps to increase web traffic to your site.

The Internet has become a dog eat dog world when it comes to driving customers to your website. The competition is fierce and it’s every business for itself.

What’s a business to do? In cyber space content is king. Use it to entice potential customers to visit your site. Make it easy for visitors to share their experience on Facebook, Twitter, Reddit and other social media sites.

Including an irresistible offer and a call to action on each page also can drive web traffic. Make sure your visitors know exactly what it is you want them to do. It could be signing up for an e-newsletter or a free 15-minute consultation. Offering something that relates to your business and appeals to your target market is another way to increase web traffic. It can be a free ebook, white paper or anything that’s been specifically written for your target customer.

4. Boost your website ranking.

Search engines continue to drive the majority of visitors to websites. That’s why it’s important to have a website that is search engine friendly. Also, every page should be optimized and designed for mobile search. Keywords and keyword phrases also play a critical role in boosting your website ranking. Keywords are what someone types into a search engine, such as Google, Yahoo Search, Ask or Bing, when they’re “searching” for something. Generate a list of keywords or phrases people might use to find your website. Take advantage of tools, like Google Keyword Tool, to get an idea of the most searched phrases. Integrate several of them throughout your website in titles, content, even rename your images to contain the keywords or phrase.

Another way to boost your website ranking is by adding captions to your pictures and images that incorporate your keywords. Add an ALT tag to describe the image. Don’t forget to include the same keyword phrase in the text near the image.

Search engines want to be sure users have access to the most up-to-date information. So be sure your website content is updated regularly. Doing so tells search engines that your site is ever-changing and current.

Like it or not, Internet marketing is here to stay. In the future, it will become an even greater force when it comes to how businesses do business.

Whether you’re new to online marketing or a seasoned professional, implementing these strategies can help you break down barriers and use this modern communication tool to your advantage.

Need help creating a web presence? We’ve got you covered! From August 1st – September 30th get 15% off our web design services.  If you’re a member of NAWBO get an additional 5% off! Don’t miss out contact us today.

Is Your Website Mobile Ready?

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It’s coming. Mobilegeddon, that is. Will you be ready?

What is Mobilegeddon?

For some time now, mobile usefulness has been a consideration in Google’s search algorithm. Websites that are appropriately optimized to be used on mobile devices tend to have a higher ranking than those that are not. Until recently, however, the ranking factor has been restricted and vague.

Apart from carrying a “mobile-friendly” tag linked to websites in mobile search results, it has been difficult to ascertain which factors Google takes into consideration when computing mobile rankings. As a result, many business owners have held off or evaded optimizing their websites for these devices.

This February, Google announced that, “On April 21 we will be expanding our use of mobile-friendliness as a ranking signal. This change will affect mobile searches in all languages worldwide and will have a significant impact in our search results. Consequently, users will find it easier to get relevant, high quality search results that are optimized for their devices.”

Needless to say, that announcement caught the attention of website developers around the globe.

How to get your website mobile ready

In the U.S., 94 % of individuals with smartphones search for local information on their phones. Add to that the fact that over two-thirds of mobile searches are done at home or work. That is one of the reasons Google is stepping up its efforts to deliver the best possible mobile experience to the maximum number of users. Mobile devices, such as smartphones, tablets and smart watches, are overtaking the online experience. If a web design company, a Phoenix web design firm or a website designer want to survive in the business world they will need to stay ahead of the pack.

There are certain steps a website designer needs to take in order to make sure a website will support mobile. Prior to attempting to optimize specifically to a mobile experience, you need to be sure Google approves your mobile site. That means your site must load seamlessly when a mobile user accesses it.

Standard mobile layouts

Responsive Design

Responsive designed websites are the most popular. A website designer most likely knows that this type of design automatically detects which kind of device is being used to access it and then adjusts the site’s layout accordingly. A responsive website is designed so all the components of each webpage will organize themselves based on the dimensions of the screen that is accessing it.

Advantages: Because this design is adaptable enough to adjust to any screen, each mobile device will have a tailor-made experience. In addition, the “responsive” component only has to be constructed once; has one URL and one design, making it convenient and efficient for a web design agency.

Disadvantage: Because mobile users will be loading the entire site, downloading may take longer.

Dynamic Content

This layout is similar to that of responsive design in that you only need one URL. The difference is you’ll actually be “serving up” various versions of your site. Desktop and mobile versions will be loaded and you’ll serve the one that matches the device attempting to access it.

Advantage: Each device is served more specifically.

Disadvantages: It is more time consuming to develop, implement and manage since a separate version must be created for nearly every type of device that could access your page.

Mobile URLs

Mobile URLs are just that—a separate, customized URL for your webpage’s mobile version. When someone accesses your website from a mobile device they’ll automatically be redirected to the proper URL.

Advantage: Still a good choice for some businesses.

Disadvantages: They are becoming obsolete; take longer to create; require more upkeep; and misfire with the redirect.

Preparing for Mobilegeddon

If you already have a mobile-friendly site you can breathe a sigh of relief. If it isn’t, now’s the time to make the change by:

  • Confirming your website’s mobile version is active and functional. Responsive designs are the first choice but you can also have a separate hosted mobile version of your site. Google doesn’t have a preference, as long as mobile users’ experience isn’t interrupted
  • Confirming Google’s mobile bots can crawl your site
  • Performing a test run for each page on a mobile device to be sure it’s easy to navigate. Just because the home page is mobile friendly doesn’t mean the rest of your site is

If you’re not sure whether your page meets the mobile-friendly criteria you can:

Remember, Google doesn’t care how you optimize your website for mobile as long as it’s optimized. No matter which mobile layout you choose, Google will consider your site optimized and rank it accordingly. If you need help moving to a mobile-friendly layout contact us today for a complimentary 30 minute consultation.  We’re happy to help you make the transition!

local search results matter mobile

Why Local Search Results Matter

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In today’s ever-changing world of technology telephone books and newspapers are becoming things of the past. Instead, it’s all about Search Engine Optimization. Simply put, SEO is the practice of improving and promoting your website to increase the number of visitors it receives from search engines. People are constantly looking for places, items of interest or things to buy close to where they are. The question is: As a business owner, what are you doing to benefit from that? If you put your business in front of them via search engine marketing, they can easily become your customers.

In your quest to expand your customer base, you may have heard of local search. For the inexperienced, local search refers to such things as SEO services and pay per click advertising that are tailored to a specific local business listings.

Reasons Why Local Search Matters

Local search results are key. Are you one of those business owners who is confused about the new-found importance placed on geography and don’t really understand the difference between improving local search results and more traditional SEO? It’s not so difficult to understand that yesterday’s way of improving your Internet search rankings just don’t work the way they used to. It’s not enough to be found online. Today’s SEO services are smarter and rank web pages by their closeness to the search, quality of the website and their relevance to the search terms that were used. That’s why it is critical for your business to show up in local search results.

Take advantage of search engine advertisements. This is one of the primary ways local search results can benefit your business. For example, say that a web user is searching for a digital marketing agency in Phoenix. They type those keywords into one of the many search engines and await the results. Wouldn’t it be nice if it was your local business listings that showed up? You would have to own a digital marketing business in Phoenix for this example to work but you get the idea.

They allow you to cast a wider net. The secret to having your company’s listing appear in local search results is understanding that search engine services don’t’ simply consider your website when calculating their results. Also taken into consideration are your social media presence, online customer ratings and whether your website boasts a responsive and mobile-friendly design. Basically, the search engines scan your content to see what kind of impression you leave on your local Internet world.

It’s easy to target only local customers. Once you get the hang of search engine marketing, you can fine tune it to your business needs. For example, if you were a digital marketing agency you can target those who need your particular services. By doing so, you will save time and money by not marketing yourself to people who don’t need your type of business. When you are targeting local business listings over time, you will see a marked improvement in your customer base.

It’s the wave of the future. Like it or not, search engines are here to stay. Employing this marketing method makes you a savvy business owner because you are bringing your business to your customers instead of the other way around.

Add your address to every page. Localizing your SEO services is key to getting people to convert into buyers or visitors to your local store. Make it easy for them to find you by including your address in a prominent place on each page of your website. Doing so also reinforces your location to the search engines so when someone is searching for localized information your pages will be indexed.

Go into detail. For instance, sticking with “Digital Marketing Phoenix,” in order to provide the user with more detail about the search. Instead, you may consider providing a page on “digital marketing agencies in Phoenix.” The link is relevant to the person searching and this is a great way of attracting targeted links back to your most important webpages.

Make an impression. The implications of this are that to appear in local search results could mean adjusting your website to be more customer friendly. Encouraging your regular customers to leave reviews of their experience and to mention you in social media also plays a large role. Together with the appearance and navigation of your website reviews, SEO services help establish the trust needed to transform web traffic into customers. Improving your profile in local search results now requires a coordinated effort to make sure that all your internet marketing efforts are working together to establish that trust and that you have an active and engaged customer base.

Overall, local search results DO matter. It’s not likely that SEO services will take the place of other types of marketing, such as blogs, websites and large-scale media campaigns. But do not underestimate its power. It can be extremely beneficial, reach local businesses and achieve noteworthy results.

If you still need help navigating local search let us know!  You can contact us at 602-535-2188 to schedule a no obligation consultation.

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