Seo (Page 2)

Top SEO Trends In 2018

Internet Marketing Experts Mackay

 

Online exposure is an important ingredient to any businesses strategy, however the digital environment is in a constant state of change so it’s obligatory to keep up with these changes to ensure your online exposure is optimised. Google releases between 500 and 600 updates every year, with the majority of them simply adjusting their secretive search ranking algorithm. With Google being such a commanding force in today’s online world, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) has become increasingly important for businesses to enhance their website traffic, customer engagement, and ultimately their returns.

User behaviour is changing rapidly with new technology, so Google must keep an eye on these changes and revise their search algorithm respectively to ensure the user experience is as seamless as possible. If a website is going to blossom online, they too must stay on top of the changing trends in SEO. In truth, using out-of-date SEO methods can result in penalties that lower a website’s search engine results page (SERP) listings, so here we’ll unveil the top SEO trends to keep in mind for your website in 2018.

Voice Search

Lots of users are now choosing to utilise voice searches instead of standard keyboard searches, so this will surely be a top SEO trend in 2018. Voice searches are much faster and more convenient, which is why it isn’t surprising that 1 in 5 online searches stem from voice queries. If the current increase in voice searches continues at the same velocity, nearly half of all online searches will be carried out via speech by the year 2020!

What this indicates for websites is that they should start integrating more long-tailed keywords into their SEO strategy, specifically those with a natural conversational tone. As an example, if a website has a keyword phrase such as “best Sydney restaurants”, it could also be accompanied by a phrase such as “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 central aspect in calculating SERP listings in 2018. Creating valuable links to credible websites is still the simplest way for Google to identify if a website is trusted, so adding value through quality links that helps you build an authority in your target niche is a reliable strategy.

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

Mobile Optimisation

Since 2015, online searches with mobile devices has surpassed that from computers and laptops, 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 stated that they are experimenting with mobile-first indexing, which clearly signifies that mobile optimisation will be prioritised in the forthcoming year. If your website hasn’t already been optimised for mobile devices, now is undoubtedly the time to start!

Accelerated Mobile Pages

Website loading speeds play a fundamental role in SERP listings, and Google’s search results algorithm will undeniably favour those with quicker speeds. In truth, Google has developed 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 faster than normal pages, and uses only 10% of the data in doing so!

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

How To Work On SEO For Your Website in 2018

Even though customary SEO techniques like link building will still be effective in 2018, there are other emerging trends that Google is targeting in the future which may significantly change the practice of SEO. It’s clear that SEO is already changing to keep up with changes in user behaviour and to maximise the overall user experience. By recognising the latest SEO trends and employing strategies now, your website will be optimised and ready to enjoy targeted clients from higher SERP listings.

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

 

Why You Should Have A WordPress Site

Internet Marketing Experts Mackay

So, you’ve got an awesome business idea and you’ve made the decision you’re going to produce and publish your own website. Well, as you possibly know, there are many aspects to take into consideration. The design of the website, the images you’re going to use, the content, the website architecture, the company logo, the online store – the list goes on. But essentially, what’s most important when constructing a new website is the platform you choose. There’s a variety of website platforms available with an array of different features, targeting the entire spectrum of developers from starters to professionals. You’ll ask for recommendations on which platform to use and developers will argue for weeks on end about why one platform is better than the other.

 

It can naturally be confusing to weigh the pro’s and con’s of each website platform and figure out 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, irrespective of your website development skills and abilities.

 

WordPress is simple to use and manage

 

WordPress is considerably user-friendly so you don’t have to be a specialist HTML coder to build an effective and powerful website. The configuration process is quick and simple, the tools are intuitive and there’s a built-in updater so you don’t have to stress over not making use of 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 exceptionally SEO-friendly

 

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

 

WordPress is FREE and Open Source

 

Yes, you read it correctly; WordPress is free to download, install, and use to create any type of website you want. WordPress is also open source which means that the source code is accessible for anyone to modify, edit and create different themes and plugins with an array of features and publish these to the online community. Currently, there are more than 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 problems or issues about anything WordPress related, there are practically thousands of people happy to help.

 

WordPress is mobile friendly

 

As a result of the increasing use of mobile devices for internet usage, it’s extremely 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. Luckily most WordPress themes are designed to be mobile responsive, meaning that regardless of what device your clients are using, WordPress websites will systematically adjust the appearance of your website to match. WordPress actually enables you to work on both of your mobile website and PC website individually, so you can easily customise both to optimise the user experience.

 

WordPress is secure

 

In today’s world, website security is crucial so of course WordPress has high security standards. Approximately 25% of websites are produced on WordPress so hackers are continuously attempting to find ways to compromise them. WordPress is well aware of this so has designed a variety of security features which prevents any malicious attacks by publishing frequent updates that neutralises these threats. Don’t forget, it’s also imperative for you to be using a secure device when accessing your WordPress account, so make sure that you use standard security tools on your device and only acquire reliable plugins from trusted providers.

 

As you can see, WordPress has a series of superior features that simply make it the best website platform on the market. While there are numerous other reasons why WordPress is an excellent choice for your website, this article just concentrates on five of these: WordPress is particularly user-friendly, free and open source, significantly SEO compatible, mobile friendly, and secure. What more could you want from a platform to design an effective and powerful website? If you have any queries about how you can further optimise your website, talk with the team at Internet Marketing Experts Mackay on 1300 595 013 or visit their website: http://www.internetmarketingexpertsmackay.com.au

 

Top Tips For The Greatest Email Sequences

Internet Marketing Experts Mackay

Having worked as a sales rep for various tech start-ups, I can’t even begin to describe the value of sending email sequences that sell. Automated emails are marvelous because they greatly reduce the workload for a sales rep, however nowadays, everybody can relate to finding an assortment of email sequences lurking in their inbox everyday that just irritate us because we need to click two buttons to get rid of them!

 

Not enough business owners invest the time and effort in setting up effective email sequences that essentially sell their product. Generating effective email sequences is both a science and an art, and if done skillfully, can lead to magnificent results. Having hundreds of potential 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 set up 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 applicable when it relates to email sequences. By first impressions, I mean the subject lines of your emails. It’s the very first thing that recipients will notice so if it’s not compelling enough, they merely won’t open it. It goes without saying, the subject lines of an email are crucial 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 completely on the subject line

Approximately 70% of email recipients will decide if an email is spam based on the subject line

40% of emails are opened on mobile devices first, and the common mobile screen can only fit between 4-7 words in the subject line.

 

The key to prosperous subject lines is solving your prospects problems in as few words as possible. For example, effective subject lines include, “Common questions about job interviews”, “Common questions about home loans”, etc. Think about your prospects problems and target your subject lines to solve that problem succinctly. 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 crucial that you deliver a value proposition in the context of their problem quickly. Forget beginning the email with your name and job role; you have to give your recipients a good reason to keep reading the email. Therefore, start your email with some info they can identify with, like company news or their reaction to an event via Twitter or an online article, then get into the value proposition in the second and third sentences.

 

Your value proposition should be constructed like this:.

 

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

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

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

 

It’s vital that you get to the point quickly and keep the content targeted to the objectives of your prospect.

 

Tip 3 – Discard the tedious ‘Welcome Email’

 

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

 

Tip 4 – Always Be Helpful

 

The reality of the matter is that even a fantastic first email may not get a reaction from the recipient. It’s understandable; people are busy and have priorities, so I suggest sending two or three follow-up emails as part of your email sequence. It’s easy to forget about an email that you’re interested in, but a wonderful follow-up email will remind them that you’re here to help them in whatever problem they have. You have to ensure that your follow-up emails also incorporates your value propositions, and additional information that is helpful to the recipient in solving their problems. Again, HubSpot Sales will keep track of which emails are opened and which links are clicked so I strongly suggest using this application to assist you with your email sequences.

 

The value of producing effective and actionable email sequences can have a huge affect on your conversion rates and sales. There are many factors that you must consider when designing 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 certainly worthwhile in consulting with digital marketing professionals that can help you. Get in touch with the team at Internet Marketing Experts Mackay today on 1300 595 013 or visit their website: http://www.internetmarketingexpertsmackay.com.au.

 

How To Recover From A Social Media Fail

Internet Marketing Experts Mackay

There’s no question that social media is a significant ingredient of online marketing strategies for many businesses. Having over one billion users on Facebook alone provides remarkable opportunities for business in a variety of different ways. Certainly, advertising is the largest opportunity for businesses, but there’s also a great opportunity for businesses to connect with their customers on a personal level through various social media platforms. Customers can convey all their feedback via a company’s social media account; the good, the bad, and the ugly. So naturally, there’s going to be loads of social media fails when businesses reply to customer’s feedback online.

 

The issue here is that whatever you publish on the internet, stays on the internet, so it’s vital that a sufficient amount of time is invested in presenting accurate and fitting responses to customers via social media. At the same time though, there’s often going to be some newsworthy controversy. If social media fails aren’t governed suitably, they can significantly damage a brand’s image and can even put a business into crisis mode in a few minutes. So here’s a quick guide of how your company can bounce back from social media blunders with minimal damage to your brand and credibility.

 

Have a sense of humour

 

When harmless social media blunders happen, making a joke of the scenario by using some quick wit is one of the best remedies. Most of the time, shedding some humour so everyone has a laugh is the internet version of almost tripping on the sidewalk and turning it into a dance recital. In fact, Facebook’s algorithm rewards posts that encounter high volumes of interactions, including likes, comments and replies, so it’s possible to convert a simple blunder into greater exposure and a wider target audience, all from a simple mistake!

 

Take action immediately

 

No matter what the type of social media blunder, the faster you act, the better your result will be. In today’s digital world, controversial news spreads like wildfire, so it’s crucial that you confess your mistake, genuinely apologise then clearly explain the next steps you will be taking to fix the situation. Just ignoring the mistake can have destructive implications and the longer it takes you to react, the more momentum your social media blunder will be gaining and the harder it will be to solve.

 

Be honest

 

It’s vital that you are honest about your social media fail and the steps you’re taking to remedy the problem. There’s no point arguing with your customers if you’re the one who has made the error! If you deliberately lie about the length of time it will take for your servers to be back online or how long before new stock arrives, it’s only going to damage your brand and reputation by further irritating your customers. However, 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 magnify which can possibly turn your blunder into a disaster.

 

Keep moving forward

 

Social media blunders, even crises, doesn’t define a brand so once you’ve resolved the situation as best you can, keep moving forward with business as usual. 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 significantly better than dwelling on the situation. You’ll ought to put procedures in place to reduce the likelihood of such blunders arising again, and this will only improve your social media team with more experience. Social media fails are like a wake-up call, and in some situations, you may discover ways to improve your product’s or brand’s image because of your blunder. But whatever you do, don’t shy away from your social media’s initiatives. There’ll always be another company’s social media fail to speak about tomorrow!

 

Social media is a powerful force in today’s society and businesses are capitalising on the numerous opportunities it presents. Having the ability to communicate with your customers on a personal level is spectacular, and you must be prepared for social media blunders because they will materialise at some time or another. This article highlights some key ways to recover from social media blunders, including using humour, reacting fast, being honest and moving forward with business. If you find yourself in a deep social media crisis and you need assistance before things get out of hand, talk with digital marketing professionals who will be able to assist you quickly and effectively. Contact the team at Internet Marketing Experts Mackay on 1300 595 013 or visit their website: http://www.internetmarketingexpertsmackay.com.au

 

An SEO Quick Fix Guide You Can Do TODAY

Internet Marketing Experts Mackay

SEO is considered by many to be a magical creature with extraordinary powers. Understanding clearly how SEO works and all the different ways to improve your website’s SEO score can be quite difficult and time-consuming. Despite this, it is a significant component of any online marketing plan and will ultimately make or break a firm in some sectors. Many industry experts consider SEO to be one of the most beneficial forms of advertising, so regularly improving your SEO should be a priority if you wish to increase your website visits and income.

 

It’s very tough to keep up to date with SEO best practices and standards as they change on a regular basis, so it’s often encouraged that you seek professional advice regarding your SEO and internet marketing strategy. Despite this, there are some quick and easy ways that you can improve your SEO, even with even a basic level of IT understanding, so here is a quick guide on some basic ways to improve your SEO today.

 

Content is King

 

When it involves SEO, content is king. So, ensure you have high-quality, well-written and unique content that is relevant for your target market. Updating your content on a regular basis is also critical so don’t leave your content stagnant for years because there’s no need to update it. Incorporating a blog into your website is always effective for SEO because new content is often being added and search engines love spotting new content and will increase your rankings if this happens commonly.

 

Make sure You Have a Flat Website Architecture

 

Your website architecture is fundamentally the organisation of all the specific webpages on your website. A considerable component of SEO involves how user-friendly your website is, i.e. how easy users can navigate your website to find the info they’re looking 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 means that you aren’t burying web pages within web pages. A good guideline 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 simply fix this by adding extra navigation menus or additional internal links.

 

Make sure You Have Accurate Meta Titles and Meta Descriptions

 

Meta titles and descriptions are significant 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 determining the relevancy to a user’s search. Always remember, Google wants each user to have the best experience as possible, so it wants to rank the most relevant websites the highest.

 

Meta titles gives the user a short insight into the content of each web page to ensure it is relevant. Each meta title should incorporate a primary and secondary keyword that is suitable for that webpage, alongside 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 truncate your meta title which looks untidy and unprofessional. Having high-quality and relevant meta titles are fundamental in optimising your web pages for SEO.

 

Meta descriptions are basically brief outlines of the content of the web page. Whilst meta descriptions don’t exclusively influence ranking algorithms, they are still important 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 involving keywords will help improve your click-through rates (CTR’s) and website visitors, which will effectively lead to increased revenue. Meta descriptions should typically be between 150 and 160 characters in length.

 

Ensure 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 straightforward and clean as possible. There should no nonessential strings or parameters including key phrases in any of your URL’s. You can likely identify with this if you’ve ever clicked an extraordinarily long hyperlink. If so, then you’ll most probably agree that they look disorganised and unprofessional. If you’ve built your website using WordPress, then it will automatically generate a simple and clean URL structure for you, so you don’t need to stress over it!

 

On the contrary, if you’re utilising another website platform and you already have an established website, it’s best to seek professional advice in relation to changing your URL structure because doing this means that you’ll lose all your links, and subsequently your SEO value. Digital marketing specialists will be able to change your URL structure and minimise the effect on your SEO score. If you find yourself in this position, then speak with the team at Internet Marketing Experts Mackay on 1300 595 013 or visit their website: http://www.internetmarketingexpertsmackay.com.au