Seo (Page 2)

Top SEO Trends In 2018

 

Online visibility is an essential component to any company’s strategy, however the digital landscape is in an ongoing state of change so it’s mandatory to stay on top of these changes to make sure that your online presence is optimised. Google releases between 500 and 600 updates yearly, with most of them merely fine-tuning their secretive search ranking algorithm. With Google being such a formidable force in today’s online environment, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) has become increasingly important for businesses to increase their website traffic, customer engagement, and ultimately their sales.

User behaviour is shifting rapidly with new technology, so Google must monitor these changes and revise their search algorithm respectively to ensure the user experience is as seamless as possible. If a website is going to grow online, they too must stay on top of the changing trends in SEO. In fact, using out-of-date SEO strategies can trigger penalties that decrease a website’s search engine results page (SERP) listings, so here we’ll look into the top SEO trends to bear in mind for your website in 2018.

Voice Search

A large number of users are now opting to utilise voice searches instead of traditional keyboard searches, so this will obviously be a top SEO trend in 2018. Voice searches are quicker and more convenient, which is why it isn’t surprising that 1 in 5 online searches stem from voice queries. If the current surge in voice searches continues at the same velocity, almost 50% of all online searches will be performed via speech by the year 2020!

What this means for websites is that they should start adding more long-tailed keywords into their SEO strategy, especially those with a natural conversational tone. For example, if a website has a keyword phrase like “best Sydney restaurants”, it could also be associated with a phrase like “Where are the best Sydney restaurants near me?”

Link Building

Link building has always been an important tool for SEO, and this will still be a vital aspect in calculating SERP listings in 2018. Generating valuable links to trustworthy websites is still the most convenient way for Google to determine if a website is trusted, so adding value through quality links that helps you construct an authority in your target niche is an effective strategy.

Despite this, the trend towards link building is now more long-term, so having links from sites applicable to your industry and referral traffic will be very valuable in the near future.

Mobile Optimisation

Since 2015, online searches via mobile devices has surpassed that from desktops, so Google has made it very clear that websites that are optimised for mobile devices will be ranked higher in SERP listings.

The reason that mobile optimisation is a top SEO trend for 2018 is because Google has reported that they are experimenting with mobile-first indexing, which clearly illustrates that mobile optimisation will be prioritised in the upcoming year. If your website hasn’t already been optimised for mobile devices, now is unquestionably the time to start!

Accelerated Mobile Pages

Website loading speeds play an essential role in SERP listings, and Google’s search results algorithm will not surprisingly favour those with quicker speeds. In reality, Google has constructed an open source project that assists websites to load pages faster on mobile devices. The project named ‘Accelerated Mobile Pages’ (AMP) allows individual web pages to load 4 times quicker than regular pages, and uses only 10% of the data in doing so!

While AMP is not directly influencing SERP listings yet, it will influence other areas closely related to Google’s search results algorithm, like bounce rate and session duration of users. AMP can be simply installed into HTML or JavaScript code, though plugins will be needed for content management systems such as Drupal and WordPress.

How To Work On SEO For Your Website in 2018

Even though traditional SEO techniques such as link building will still be effective in 2018, there are other surfacing trends that Google is targeting in the future which may significantly transform the practice of SEO. It’s clear that SEO is already evolving to stay on top of changes in user behaviour and to maximise the overall user experience. By recognising the latest SEO trends and implementing strategies now, your website will be optimised and ready to receive targeted clients from higher SERP listings.

If you have any issues or concerns about how you can optimise your website to conform with the latest SEO trends, get in touch with Internet Marketing Experts Albany on 1300 595 013, or visit their website for further details: http://www.internetmarketingexpertsalbany.com.au

 

Why You Should Have A WordPress Site

So, you’ve got a terrific business idea and you’ve made up your mind that you’re going to build and publish your own website. Well, as you most likely know, there are many things to consider. The design of the website, the images you’re going to use, the content, the website architecture, the logo designs, the online store – the list goes on. But ultimately, what’s most important when creating a new website is the platform you choose. There’s a variety of website platforms available with an array of various features, targeting the entire spectrum of developers from amateurs to professionals. You’ll ask for suggestions on which platform to use and developers will argue for weeks on end about why one platform is better than the other.

 

It can really be confusing to weigh the pro’s and con’s of each website platform and determine which is best for you. So, to save the time and arguments, the basic answer to this question is ‘WordPress’. The following article will provide five convincing arguments as to why WordPress is the best platform to use, whatever your website development skills and abilities.

 

WordPress is user-friendly and manage

 

WordPress is considerably user-friendly so you don’t have to be a specialist HTML coder to build a practical and powerful website. The setup process is quick and simple, the tools are intuitive and there’s a built-in updater so you don’t need to stress over not utilising all the latest features. There are inbuilt features for blog publishing, RSS feeds, user management, automated backups, revisions and much more. Once installed, you can start making custom configurations without even writing any code!

 

WordPress is incredibly SEO-friendly

 

In the words of Google Engineer Matt Cutts, “WordPress automatically solves a tonne of SEO issues”. SEO is an exceptionally important component to any website so having in-built features that seamlessly make your website SEO-friendly is invaluable. WordPress coding is standard compliance, top quality, and produces semantic mark-up which makes your site incredibly attractive to search engines. There are also a range of free plugins that you can install which will make your website even more SEO-friendly, but we’ll discuss WordPress’ plugins next.

 

WordPress is FREE and Open Source

 

Yes, you read it correctly; WordPress is free to download, install, and use to construct any sort of website you want. WordPress is also open source which indicates that the source code is readily available for anybody to modify, edit and create different themes and plugins with a range of features and release these to the online community. At present, there are in excess of 2,600 WordPress themes and over 3,100 different free plugins available for use. Considering that WordPress is a community software, it is maintained by a large group of volunteers who all contribute to the software by writing patches, answering support questions and updating documentation. If you have any questions or issues about anything WordPress related, there are literally thousands of people ready to help.

 

WordPress is mobile friendly

 

As a result of the increasing use of mobile phones for internet usage, it’s really important that your website is optimised for mobile devices. In fact, one of Google’s latest updates requires websites to be optimised for mobile devices or they’ll be penalised in SEO. The good news is that most WordPress themes are built to be mobile responsive, meaning that regardless of what device your customers are using, WordPress websites will automatically adapt the appearance of your website to suit. WordPress also lets you to work on both of your mobile website and PC website separately, so you can easily customise both to optimise the user experience.

 

WordPress is secure

 

In today’s world, website security is pivotal so of course WordPress has high security standards. Roughly one-quarter of websites are produced on WordPress so hackers are continually trying to find ways to compromise them. WordPress is well aware of this so has created a range of security features which prevents any malicious attacks by publishing frequent updates that neutralises these threats. Always remember, it’s also important for you to be using a secure device when accessing your WordPress account, so make sure you utilise standard security tools on your device and only download credible plugins from trusted sources.

 

As you can see, WordPress has a series of terrific features that simply make it the best website platform on the market. Though there are many other reasons why WordPress is an excellent choice for your website, this article just focuses on five of these: WordPress is very user-friendly, free and open source, significantly SEO compatible, mobile friendly, and secure. What more could you want from a platform to construct an effective and powerful website? If you have any inquiries about how you can further optimise your website, talk with the team at Internet Marketing Experts on 1300 595 013 or visit their website: https://internetmarketingexperts.net.au

 

Top Tips For The best Email Sequences

Having worked as a sales representative for multiple tech start-ups, I can’t even begin to illustrate the value of sending email sequences that sell. Automated emails are fantastic because they drastically reduce the workload for a sales representative, nonetheless these days, everybody can empathise with discovering a range of email sequences lurking in their inbox on a daily basis that just irritate us because we have to click two buttons to get rid of them!

 

Not nearly enough business owners invest the time and effort in developing effective email sequences that essentially sell their product. Designing effective email sequences is both a science and an art, and if done competently, can produce fantastic results. Having hundreds of prospective customers on an email list isn’t going to yield any income if you can’t sell your product. So, here’s four tips on how to produce a great email sequence that will convert your leads into sales.

 

Tip 1 – First Impressions Count

 

The age old saying ‘make a good first impression’ is very relevant when it involves email sequences. By first impressions, I mean the subject lines of your emails. It’s the first thing that recipients will find so if it’s not compelling enough, they just won’t open it. Obviously, the subject lines of an email are critical when it comes to conversion rates. Here are a couple of stats which showcases their importance:

 

One-third of email recipients will open an email based entirely on the subject line

Nearly 70% of email recipients will determine if an email is spam based upon the subject line

40% of emails are opened on mobile devices first, and the standard mobile screen can only fit between four to seven words in the subject line.

 

The secret to prosperous subject lines is solving your prospects problems in as little words as possible. For instance, effective subject lines include, “Common questions about university”, “Common questions about the housing market”, etc. Think about your prospects problems and target your subject lines to solve that problem concisely. You can track your subject line performance using HubSpot Sales notification stream (https://www.hubspot.com/products/sales/email-tracking).

 

Tip 2 – Write Well-Crafted Content

 

When a recipient has opened an email, it’s integral that you deliver a value proposition in the context of their problem straight away. Forget beginning the email with your name and job title; you want to give your recipients a good reason to keep reading the email. So, start your email with some information they can relate to, like company news or their reaction to an event via Facebook or an online blog, then get into the value proposition in the 2nd and 3rd sentences.

 

Your value proposition should be constructed like this:

 

I have an idea about [problem/pain-point] and I’d love to have a minute to talk with you about [resolution].

Here’s some preliminary information [link to helpful content] and if you ‘d like to talk more about it, let me know.

I recently worked with another company with [positive benefit]. Is this something that would be valuable for [company name]?

 

It’s imperative that you get to the point immediately and keep the content focused on the needs of your prospect.

 

Tip 3 – Dump the mundane ‘Welcome Email’

 

If a prospect has shown interest in your service or products, why waste both of your time with a welcome email that has no value or offerings? It’s basically dead-wood and if you’re going to send a welcome email, make sure you include a catchy subject line and value proposition in the content of the email (refer to tip 1 & 2).

 

Tip 4 – Always Be Helpful

 

The truth of the matter is that even a terrific first email may not get a response from the recipient. It’s understandable; people are busy and have prerogatives, so I highly recommend sending 2 or 3 follow-up emails as part of your email sequence. It’s easy to forget an email that you’re interested in, but an effective follow-up email will remind them that you’re here to help them in whatever problem they have. You have to make sure that your follow-up emails also feature your value propositions, and additional information that is informative to the recipient in solving their problems. Again, HubSpot Sales will track which emails are opened and which links are clicked so I strongly encourage using this application to support you with your email sequences.

 

The value of generating effective and actionable email sequences can have a dramatic affect on your conversion rates and sales. There are many factors that you ought to consider when crafting your email sequences, but this article showcases the most important factors that lead to success. If you’re having problems converting your leads into sales with your email sequences, it’s definitely worthwhile in consulting with digital marketing specialists that can help you. Contact the team at Internet Marketing Experts today on 1300 595 013 or visit their website: http://internetmarketingexpertsalbury.com.au.

 

How To Recover From A Social Media Fail

There’s no doubt that social media is a big aspect of internet marketing strategies for many companies. Having over one billion active users on Facebook alone offers enormous opportunities for business in a range of different ways. Certainly, advertising is the largest opportunity for companies, but there’s also a terrific opportunity for businesses to interact with their customers on a personal level via various social media platforms. Customers can express all their feedback via a company’s social media account; the good, the bad, and the ugly. So obviously, there’s going to be heaps of social media fails when businesses reply to customer’s feedback online.

 

The dilemma here is that anything that you post on the internet, stays on the internet, so it’s important that a sufficient amount of time is spent in presenting accurate and suitable responses to customers through social media. At the same time though, there’s often going to be some newsworthy controversy. If social media fails aren’t controlled accordingly, they can significantly damage a brand’s image and can even put a company into crisis mode within a few minutes. So here’s a brief outline of how your business can bounce back from social media fails with little damage to your brand and credibility.

 

Have a sense of humor

 

When harmless social media fails transpire, making a joke of the blunder by using some quick wit is one of the best antidotes. Most of the time, shedding some humour so everybody has a laugh is the internet version of nearly tripping on the footpath and turning it into a dance recital. In fact, Facebook’s algorithm rewards posts that experience high volumes of interactions, including likes, comments and replies, so it’s possible to turn a basic blunder into increased exposure and a bigger target market, all from a simple mistake!

 

Respond immediately

 

Irrespective of the type of social media fail, the faster you respond, the better your result will be. In today’s internet world, controversial news spreads like wildfire, so it’s important that you acknowledge your mistake, genuinely apologise then clearly describe the next steps you will be taking to remedy the situation. Just ignoring the problem can have disastrous consequences and the longer it takes you to act, the more momentum your social media fail will be gaining and the harder it will be to resolve.

 

Be honest

 

It’s essential that you are honest about your mistake and the steps you’re taking to deal with the problem. There’s no point arguing with your customers if you’re the one who has made the error! If you blatantly lie about how long it will take for your servers to be back online or how long before new stock arrives, it’s only going to hurt your brand and reputation by further frustrating your customers. On the contrary, if you are honest, your customers may not be happy but they’ll appreciate the fact that you’re not making yet another mistake! These days, honesty is refreshing and lies only compound which can potentially turn your blunder into a disaster.

 

Keep moving forward

 

Social media mistakes, even crises, doesn’t define a brand so once you’ve remedied the situation as best you can, keep moving forward with business as normal. As long as you’ve taken a professional approach and you learn from your mistake, acting like it’s water off a duck’s back is far better than dwelling on the situation. You’ll have to put measures in place to reduce the possibility of such mistakes arising again, and this will only strengthen your social media team with more experience. Social media fails are like a wake-up call, and in some instances, you may uncover ways to improve your product’s or brand’s image as a result of your mistake. But whatever you do, don’t reduce your social media’s efforts. There’ll always be another businesses social media blunder to speak about tomorrow!

 

Social media is a powerful force in today’s society and businesses are capitalising on the many opportunities it presents. Having the ability to connect with your customers on a personal level is marvelous, and you must be prepared for social media blunders because they will materialise at some point or another. This article discusses some key ways to recover from social media blunders, including using humour, responding fast, being honest and moving forward with business. If you find yourself in a deep social media crisis and you need help before things get out of hand, reach out to digital marketing experts who will be able to assist you quickly and effectively. Contact the team at Internet Marketing Experts on 1300 595 013 or visit their website: https://internetmarketingexperts.net.au

 

An SEO Quick Fix Guide You Can Do TODAY

SEO is regarded by many to be a magical creature with fantastic powers. Understanding clearly how SEO works and all the different ways to improve your website’s SEO score can be very complicated and time-consuming. Nevertheless, it is a significant ingredient of any internet marketing plan and will essentially make or break a firm in some markets. Many industry experts consider SEO to be among the most beneficial forms of advertising, so continuously improving your SEO should be a priority if you intend to increase your website visitors and earnings.

 

It’s difficult to keep up to date with SEO best practices and standards because they change regularly, so it’s often advised that you seek expert advice regarding your SEO and online marketing strategy. At the same time, there are some quick and simple ways that you can improve your SEO, even with even a basic level of IT understanding, so here is a quick overview on some useful ways to improve your SEO today.

 

Content is King

 

When it comes to SEO, content is king. So, make sure that you have high-quality, well-written and original content that is relevant for your target audience. Updating your content often is also critical so don’t leave your content stagnant for years because there’s no need to update it. Introducing a blog into your website is always very good for SEO because new content is continually being added and search engines love spotting new content and will increase your rankings if this happens frequently.

 

Ensure You Have a Flat Website Architecture

 

Your website architecture is fundamentally the organisation of all the different webpages on your website. A sizeable component of SEO involves how user-friendly your website is, i.e. how easy users can navigate your website to discover the info they’re searching for. It’s important that your website architecture is as ‘flat’ as possible because this will make it more user-friendly for visitors and search engines will recognise this and consequently improve your SEO score. Having a ‘flat’ website implies that you aren’t burying web pages within web pages. A good general rule is to ensure that your most important web pages are no more than three links from the homepage. If your website isn’t flat, then you can easily fix this by creating extra navigation menus or additional internal links.

 

Make sure You Have Accurate Meta Titles and Meta Descriptions

 

Meta titles and descriptions are valuable components of your website’s content. Each of your web pages will have a meta title and meta description that is utilised by search engines to understand the content of each web page in working out the relevancy to a user’s search. Take note, Google wants each user to have the best experience as possible, so it will rank the most relevant websites the highest.

 

Meta titles gives the user a short insight into the content of each web page to make sure that it is relevant. Each meta title should consist of a primary and secondary keyword that is relevant for that webpage, coupled with your brand name. The format looks like this: Primary Keyword – Secondary Keyword | Brand Name. It should also be no more than 60 characters, or Google will trim your meta title which looks untidy and unprofessional. Having high-quality and meaningful meta titles are essential in optimising your web pages for SEO.

 

Meta descriptions are basically concise outlines of the content of the web page. Even though meta descriptions don’t exclusively influence ranking algorithms, they are still meaningful as search engines will often times use the summary in search results snippets when they believe a web page’s meta description effectively portrays the content of the web page. Unique and accurate meta descriptions consisting of keywords will help improve your click-through rates (CTR’s) and website visitors, which will ultimately lead to increased revenue. Meta descriptions should normally be between 150 and 160 characters in length.

 

Make sure You Have a Clean URL Structure

 

A URL is a ‘Uniform Resource Locator’, or your website address, so it makes sense that your URL structure should be as simple and clean as possible. There should no needless strings or parameters including key phrases in any of your URL’s. You can quite possibly identify with this if you’ve ever clicked on a really long hyperlink. If so, then you’ll most probably agree that they look messy and unprofessional. If you’ve designed your website using WordPress, then it will systematically produce a simple and clean URL structure for you, so you don’t need to fret about it!

 

Moreover, if you’re utilising another website platform and you already have a well established website, it’s best to seek professional advice in relation to changing your URL structure because doing so means that you’ll lose all your links, and therefore your SEO value. Digital marketing professionals will be able to change your URL structure and reduce the effect on your SEO score. If you find yourself in this position, then speak to the team at Internet Marketing Experts on 1300 595 013 or visit their website: https://internetmarketingexperts.net.au