Tammy Delvecchio, Marketing Associate
Many businesses lack a profound comprehension of the need for SEO experts. For this reason, they do not appreciate the fact that SEO can have a positive impact on the growth and development of their enterprises. It is very evident that search engine optimization (SEO) plays a vital role in creating an environment of online growth for businesses that understand the need for SEO consultants.
What SEO Means To Businesses
SEO is not only beneficial; it is a necessary marketing apparatus for the development of compelling brand consciousness. It is also means enhanced search engine page rankings and the amplification of a heightened abundance of traffic. So why should an SEO consultant be sought for and how can their assistance bring about progressive business growth?
Why It Is Important To Confer With Experts
Conferring with an SEO expert is essential because the experts are an authority in applying SEO marketing instruments. They have an understanding of the operations of SEO and know how to utilize SEO tactics to help businesses accomplish enhanced website traffic and business growth. While the fundamentals of SEO are not rocket science, the practical aspect of SEO for business people will present a complexity that they cannot deal with because of the technical elements concerned with its application. This is why SEO companies are sought after.
Advantages of the Services offered by Consultants
Before any business hires an SEO company, it is essential to determine how the company will apply their services. Some SEO experts might promise you the moon and deliver nothing of substance. Regardless of whether you are pledged to the moon or the stars, what matters is how the SEO plan is actualized.
The results of an SEO consultant’s campaign will eventually divulge the essence of their service.
Here are some advantages that businesses will receive from the services offered by SEO consultants or SEO experts:
1. SEO consultants can provide a business with an all-embracing method of harmonizing the most productive and up-to-date SEO approaches to the advantage of a business. They will also offer recommendations on the exact techniques that are required for a website to work optimally. They will also let you know the period of time it will take to get your website optimized, what the costs will be and which SEO services or SEO experts are best suited to administer the SEO requirements of your business.
2. SEO consultants will also lay down clearly defined plans and purposes for the optimization of a website. They will give you SEO solutions that are long established and have proved to produce effective results as compared to the numerous approaches or theoretical ideologies that are proposed on the internet.
3. SEO experts will boost traffic for your business through increased visibility on the popular search engines. They will also use a keyword approach to attract traffic to your business website. This is because, despite sufficient rankings, it is essential to apply keywords to impel the target audience to visit the website.
4. SEO experts have the competency to furnish businesses with effectual propositions on how an online budget works so that businesses do not overspend while seeking for SEO services.
What Businesses Can Expect From Expert SEO Services
When a business engages expert SEO services, the business will find quality because such services will provide the business with skilled website designers. The business will also receive the provision of expert content writers and market specialists and this will result in the following services:
– The business will experience improved sales.
– The business will start getting enhanced traffic.
– The business will experience remarkable usability on their website.
– The business will realize effective browser compatibility thus enhancing user experience.
– The business will start experiencing a return on investments and will also experience the effectiveness of the costs that are involved in the promotional campaign.
– The business will achieve higher rankings through local SEO services that will apply specific tactics to enhance the profile of the business locally.
Business Growth and Success through Professional and Effective SEO Services
When a business approaches professional SEO services, they will be provided with customized SEO services. This means that they will be provided with the magnitude of solutions that have been personalized to meet their online requirements for success. They might need email marketing services, website development and design services, search engine optimization services, campaign management services or any other services that will boost their online presence.
Tailor Made SEO Solutions
Regardless of the online business needs that an SEO company provides the business with, one important aspect must stand out. Such services should be designed in a manner that helps the business in achieving online credibility, brand awareness, exposure, visibility and the increase of sales. The purpose is to improve the online image of the company so that the company can continue to attain business growth.
This is why any business must seek SEO solutions from SEO consultants. They must find SEO experts that have search engine optimization techniques that will promote the growth and success of the business. They must seek for SEO consultants that will provide them with solutions that will effectively work for them.
Tammy Delvecchio, Marketing Associate
The year 2017 has been a witness to many innovations in online marketing. The rules keep on changing depending on the needs of the market, and to find solutions to loopholes in the system. That is why search engines are always looking to get ahead of their game. Proper regulation is crucial, so everyone gets a fair game online.
Lots of online marketing strategies come and go. While some strategies get to stay for the long haul, many others disappear even before people know of them. What makes some tactics tick? The answer, of course, is relative, depending on the times and needs of the market.
Strategies that work for the long haul have a far-reaching vision. These don’t intend to work just for the short-term where you get instant gratification. But the more stable an online marketing strategy is, the harder it is to implement and maintain. So, don’t get fooled if you seem to get a tactic efficiently working.
We’ve learned a lot of marketing lessons this year that we can take with us for the coming year. One essential idea that we’ve learned this year is the value of integrity. Search engines now pick up sites that uphold integrity in all of their posts, may it be a text article or photo. Fake reviews, likes, and backlinks used to get looked over by search engines. These days, there’s been a big crackdown on these phony strategies to encourage people further to uphold authenticity online.
What have we learned from 2017? Here is an overview:
1. Mobile sites are now mandatory
In the past, having a desktop site was acceptable, and most businesses just had one. However, with more people using smartphones to browse the internet, having a mobile website is key to any business’ success with online marketing. If you want to improve your SEO ranking, curate and publish a mobile version of your site right now. If you’re unsure of how to do it, contact your local SEO agency for professional advice.
With the rise of responsive design, having a mobile version of your website is easier than ever. Many website platforms including WordPress have “ready-to-go” themes that are mobile responsive by default.
It has been confirmed by Google that having a mobile responsive website is acceptable in the Mobile-first Index.
Even though Google keeps going back & forth on this topic, there may be the case in the future where the search results will display a permanent notification that a website is not mobile friendly.
2. People start to question promoted stories
It used to be that sponsored or promoted stories & affiliate links ruled online articles, especially those published by bloggers. These days, however, more readers frown upon this practice as they find it a cheap form of advertising. Sure, as a blogger you feel proud that a company would want to sponsor you. But with the overuse of this type of marketing, people have become overwhelmed with being fed advertisements. You may be reading a blog, and you find the article interesting. And then, at the end of the post, you see a label that says, “sponsored post.” It can be disappointing for many since even though you find the service or product a good one, the fact that it is sponsored makes people think twice about what you are saying.
Furthermore, in 2017, the FTC reminded the brands & influencers of the world that they are required to disclose a paid relationship.
With social media influencers, as seen with the Kardashians, you may now notice that social posts contain “#ad” or “#partner” type, legally disclosing that they are being paid for the upload.
3. Small sites built for easy revenue won’t last
While it will be never officially confirmed, it was suspected that Google rolled out a new algorithm filter on March 8, 2017. As usual, these algorithm filters are put out to minimize the amount of spam in the search results & provide a better user experience for search visitors.
With this update specifically, the data collected shows that the target of this filter was a small site with minimal content for the sole purpose of generating revenue with providing a great user experience.
While Google confirms that user-experience is the most important factors in their eyes, the algorithm continues to show low-quality websites in the search results. This just proves that it’s obvious that Google is looking to crack down on thin-content affiliate sites and/or sites that serve no real purpose.
While 2018 is definitely bound to bring in some really significant changes in the way we utilize digital marketing, these are a few of the many lessons we’ve learned in 2017. To stay up to date, kbeep tabs on your online marketing strategies, analyze your data and assess your strengths & weaknesses so your brand can emerge stronger in 2018.
Tammy Delvecchio, Marketing Associate
Just like any other industry, the SEO game is always evolving. Google and other search engines continue to develop their algorithms to make the rules of the game as fair to every participant as possible. Thus, some tactics that were a gold mine yesterday are considered rule-breaking today.
Most, if not all of them, are now called black-hat SEO techniques. The term black-hat pertains to activities that would penalize your site because it focuses more on bringing in people and improving site traffic than maximizing their online experience. In short, it focuses more on reeling in than giving back.
Here are some tactics that are no longer relevant to today’s SEO climate:
Keyword Stuffing/Over-optimization
Description:
An act of injecting too many relevant keywords in one page so that it appears on higher rankings in the search results.
Why it is no longer used today:
Websites that use overoptimization would tend to focus mostly on stuffing as many keywords as possible, often inconsiderate of the grammar or how bad it looks on the page. This action renders the content useless or invaluable to the online user searching for answers.
Rise above it!
While keyword stuffing is now an illegal act, it does not mean that you cannot use keywords to up your chances on search engine rankings. The key is to use it responsibly and focus on the overall user experience than your website rank.
Putting Keywords In Bold
Description:
This one is somehow related to the first item, except that instead of stuffing keywords, you put selected number of keywords in bold.
Why it is no longer used today:
Much like the keyword stuffing technique, most website makers abuse these feature as well. Matt Cutts cleared the air by stating that while it is not harmful to employ it, putting bold keywords does not affect your overall search rankings.
Rise above it!
Instead of wasting your time in peppering bold tags all over your page, focus on building relevant content. This would put you on Google’s right side.
Spammy Page Titles
Description:
It is like keyword stuffing but on page titles rather than on the page content itself.
Why it is no longer used today:
Page titles should be used to point users to what your content is all about. It is NOT another opportunity to use black-hat techniques in the search rankings.
Rise above it!
Instead of stuffing keywords, try to make your page titles as witty or relevant as possible to entice users to click the bait.
Meta Information (Descriptions & Keywords)
Description:
Meta information or meta tags are hidden keywords on your page that website developers use to point online users to their site. By upping the page visits, you can raise your search rankings as well. Meta info also includes the description seen the title page results.
Why it is no longer used today:
Like other techniques, meta tags are highly prone to be abused. In fact, it is more dangerous than other on-page tactics because users cannot see it unless they view the page source. Meta descriptions can also be manipulated to bait users to click the site without having any idea what the page is about.
Rise above it!
Even though Google does not use meta information as a parameter for their rankings, you can still benefit from it by making the keywords and descriptions as relevant as possible to your niche website so that you can gain the search engine’s trust.
Spammed H1 Tags
Description:
H1 tags are used to point users to what your page is all about. Website developers usually put H1 tags on the titles of each article. Thus, putting lots of keywords in it makes perfect sense…for search engine penalties.
Why it is no longer used today:
These tags are another way for website makers to stuff in as many keywords as possible. Now, Google treats H1 and title tags in the same manner as ordinary text, which means that keyword stuffing penalties can also come from them.
Rise above it!
Experts have mixed reviews on H1 tags. To err on the safe side, use this element to enhance user experience instead of focusing on SEO tactics.
Hidden Links
Description:
Hidden links are links that are invisible to the human visitors but are detectable by search engine algorithms.
Why it is no longer used today:
This SEO trick is probably the most devious of all black-hat techniques. For one, online users could never see it until they accidentally click it. Because it is invisible, visitors are fooled that the website (and consequently, the brand) is trusted, only to find out that the site is using keyword stuffing or link building for them to rise on the rankings unfairly.
Rise above it!
The only way to turn from this wayward path is to backlink legitimately. It is expensive and time-consuming, yes, but it builds integrity on your brand and character as a whole. It makes you sleep better at night knowing you are not fooling anyone.
Yes, investing in SEO to improve your rankings is not a bad thing. But do understand that ranking is not everything. Valuable content and a right images should be part of your marketing tools, too. In the long run, users prefer to be with a brand they can trust. And it starts with winning them through legitimate means
Tammy Delvecchio, Marketing Associate
Backlinks are one of the most high-risk, high rewards online marketing strategies to bring on customers to use your site. Online marketing & SEO experts agree that backlinks help in upping your chances of a high ranking in search results, making your website a reliable one for online users and companies alike.
Simply put, backlinks are links that lead an external site to your site. Having backlinks with trusted sites gives a reflected glory that you are a reliable site, as well. In turn, known search engines, specifically Google, would be able to recognize your brand and put your site on their search results. This recognition could further increase your website traffic.
With all these rewards in mind, you must highly consider using backlinks as part of your digital marketing campaign.
But some of you may want to try another method of generating organic traffic without using backlinks. Maybe you are just starting out with the whole online marketing business, and you do not want to splurge unless you see that it is a successful venture. After all, backlinks are pricey—it takes a lot of effort, hard work, and patience to establish your brand AND get your name out there.
Some of you may be asking: Is it possible to improve my ranking without using backlinks?
The answer: Very rarely
This reply may seem vague. But you must also consider that ranking algorithms change regularly. What may work today may not work tomorrow. In this case, not using backlinks may be able to provide you traffic, but is it sustainable? The answer may rely on these questions:
Is my website’s niche something that is not widely seen yet?
Every day, hundreds, if not thousands, of websites spring up on the World Wide Web about a variety of topics. Finding a field that your site would specialize at can be difficult if you have no idea how to do it systematically.
Thankfully, there are tools available for you to use. Experts say that you opt for niches that are searched for at least 1,000 times per month. This value means that there is less competition and there are online users that could probably use the help. The next step would be a series of finding the perfect keywords, a topic that warrants another discussion for a later time.
Is my website user-friendly and virtually pleasing to the visitor?
As an online user, nobody wants to visit a site that has too many pop-ups, loads very slowly and has way more visual elements than a Las Vegas show. While putting up some creative pieces on your site is not a bad idea, you must still err on the side of functionality. What the visitor wants is to see your content and know who you are as a brand. If it would take him or her more than three clicks to know what you can offer and more than three minutes for your site to load, he or she would most likely close that tab.
Is my content valuable and viral enough?
Having an excellent website design can bring visitors in, but a valuable content is what makes them stay. Or better yet, it is what makes them check and try out your products and services.
Whether you plan just to put up a blog to educate and provide information for online users or you want to promote your products by putting up reviews, your goal is to make them know you and persuade them to share your brand with their friends and family.
If you answer Yes to all of these three questions, then the next step is to actualize all three. Because, if you are not going to use backlinks, generating organic traffic would require double the hard work and efforts to make these three elements excellent plus a bit of ingenuity and creativity as well.
Before jumping on this money-saving strategy, it is essential that you weigh your options carefully. Remember that money is not your only tool—effort and hard work are valuable resources, too.
Tammy Delvecchio, Marketing Associate
The importance of using SEO as an online marketing strategy cannot be emphasized enough. SEO is one of the usual ways for online users and potential customers to find you and check out your products and services. Thus, it is vital that you use only the best SEO tool available.
In this article, we outline the five SEO tools our New York SEO Agency uses to satisfy our client’s SEO needs. Each tool has its strengths and weaknesses, all of which are discussed here.
Ahrefs
First established in 2011, this Ukraine-born company was able to create their name in the industry through their crafty innovation and work ethic.
Pros
- Pricing starts at about $82 depending on what plan you choose.
- One of the best backlink checking tool in the world due to its extensive backlinks database.
- It provides more extensive features and metrics than any other SEO tool in the market.
- Because of vast backlink database, Ahrefs can efficiently provide website traffic and brand awareness even for new domains.
- User-friendly interface—anyone can navigate through it.
Cons
- Some customers say that it is too pricey relative to its features.
- To experience the fullest extent of their service, you have to buy the more expensive plans.
- The “keyword suggestions” tool cannot give relevance scores accurately.
- The “Web Traffic” metrics are not as efficient as other SEO tools.
Simply put, if you are willing to splurge on SEO tools, Ahrefs is a good way to go. And because of their large database recognized by Google, it is the best tool for those who want to focus on their backlinks more.
Visit Ahrefs
SEMrush
This company has been in the SEO game since 2008. Their nine years of experience and experimentation made them one of the most respected names in the field.
Pros
- Pricing starts at $69.95.
- Presents analytics and tools in a concise yet creative way—less words, more graphs.
- Because it has fewer features, SEMrush can focus on improving all SEO-related tools and info they offer.
- Provides a comprehensive breakdown of the data that you may want to consider for your campaign.
- Boasts of their broad, comprehensive, and updated keyword database.
Cons
- Because of its limited features, you might be restricted or even clueless when you need a particular data or information that is not included in the package.
- There are instances wherein the data are only rough estimates instead of precise numbers, which could be a drawback for certain website niches where even a 0.0001 rating difference means a lot.
- Some users opt to pair SEMrush with other SEO tools because of the former’s limitations—a pricey move.
SEMrush lives up to its word in giving reports and data that you would need. You are availing exactly what you paid for—no more, no less.
Visit SEMrush
Link Prospector
This SEO tool has been created by the company Citation Labs and is up and about by February 2012. Its creators, Garrett French and Darren Shaw, continue to upgrade the tool’s features and customer support to attract and help their clients further.
Pros
- At $47 per month, the Link Prospector can provide 20 credits. They also have a “Pay As You Go” for those who want to try them out first before splurging (priced at $5 per report).
- Suggests link sites that are legitimate and of good quality.
- It’s no-frills but wordy interface is still considered user-friendly and self-explanatory so new users can navigate through it quickly.
- Provides 16 different report types based on what information and data you want to focus on (content development, PR, Outreach, or Conversation).
- It tremendously cuts down the time it would take in finding potential link partners.
Cons
- Despite the fact that it lessens search time by providing a comprehensive list, you still have to check each item out one by one to see which of them fits for you.
- It is made and specialized for one particular task only: link building.
- You may need to break down your keywords considerably so that you can lessen the list of links you have to check.
The Link Prospector is specially made for those who want to concentrate on link building and those who want to skip this time-consuming task.
Visit Link Prospector
Register Compass
A company based in Germany, Register Compass is a single task-oriented SEO tool used in monitoring the expiration dates of your domains.
Pros
- At $37 a month (with money back guarantee), you can research any domain name you like.
- Includes expired domain names on their database and holds auctions for companies who would like to have these for themselves.
- They also have a separate search engine for expired backlinks you want to use.
- Uses classic tried-and-tested tools when it comes to gathering data and information.
Cons
- Their text-heavy and minimalistic website might exude a “not trustworthy” impression for first-time visitors.
- Due to lack of reviews and information available over the Internet, some people are not that familiar with their brand.
This SEO tool is beneficial for companies who use (or want to use) and manage multiple domain names as a form of brand protection. After all, the more entries, the more chances of visitors or customers stumbling onto your site.
Visit Register Compass
Microsite Masters
A Baltimore-based SEO company established in 2011, Microsite Masters specializes in rank tracking. This particular feature made them one of the most recognized SEO tools in the industry.
Pros
- Free plan allowing you to track up to 25 keywords
- Starting at $19.95 a month, you can avail of their accurate rank tracker plus a host of other services.
- Setting up your SEO plan starts as soon as you sign up—no consultation meetings, no waiting for appointments.
- You can manage multiple domains and compare their analytics in only one Microsite Masters account.
Cons
- Some users report that the site dashboard is not that user-friendly.
- Their website is not as attractive or promising for first-time visitors.
- Some features found in a typical SEO tool are not available, so most of their clients use this simultaneously with other SEO tools.
Microsite Masters is recommended for consultants and companies that are just starting out on SEO. With their price tag, you can experience or catch a glimpse of what paying attention to this online marketing strategy can do to improve site traffic.
Before choosing and investing in a particular SEO tool, you must first know and understand what you need to know regarding your website analytics. From there, you can have an idea as to what features you need to look for in an SEO tool—ones that would help you in improving your online marketing strategies and avoid wasting money and time in the process.
Visit Microsite Masters
Finally, if all else fails, you can opt to hire an SEO consultant to do the work for you. Because they specialize in SEO, they can recommend the SEO tools that would give a big bang for your buck. To know what to look for in an SEO consultant, check out this video.
What are your favorite SEO tools?
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