Facebook Ads – A Social Media Marketing Strategy That Sells

Social media isn’t just a great way to keep in touch with friends and loved ones or check out what your favorite celebrities are doing these days; social media also presents businesses with a golden opportunity to connect with prospects and loyal customers. Research indicates that in 2018, 95% of online users aged 18-34 are more likely to follow a brand via social media. With such significant numbers behind social media, it makes sense to incorporate social media marketing in a company’s marketing strategy.

Done right, using social media for marketing can redefine your business and make sales skyrocket. Get it wrong, and the consequences will be dire. So how do you go about successfully marketing your business using social media?

The key to helping your company scale with the help of social media is the know-how of each platform. As a whole, social media is diverse and with a lot of technicalities involved. Moreover, each platform is unique and requires its own distinct techniques. Therefore, to successfully use social media to build awareness, gain new customers and ultimately increase sales, conquer and divide. Tackle each platform independently. So, for now, we’ll turn our attention to Facebook.

How To Successfully Market Your Business On Facebook.

Before you get to the details, here’s a look at Facebook statistics every business should know in 2019:

• In the U.S. Facebook shares have the #1 influence on Google search rankings followed by backlinks.
• 56% of Facebook users go online and check their Facebook pages on a daily basis.
• 79% of Americans use Facebook.
• Approximately 50 million businesses use Facebook pages.
• 93% of social media advertisers and marketers regularly make use of Facebook ads.
• 26% of Facebook users who clicked on ads make a purchase.

Not tapping into Facebook for marketing? According to the numbers above, not only are you missing out, but Facebook can be a worthwhile business marketing tool. Here are expert tips on how to do it right:

Use Picture & Videos

Today, the world is chaotic and ever-busy, people are ever engaged in one thing or another, and as a result, attention spans are short. Want to boost engagement? Consider posting more pictures and videos on Facebook. Facebook is about fun and visuals are some of its appeals. However, you shouldn’t post just any picture and visuals, everything you post must be professional. Visuals not only help boost engagement but also increase conversions.   

Be Human

Chatbots are becoming quite popular since they provide a sense of emergency. However, while chatbots might soon be a part of social media marketing strategies in 2019, people still want a real connection with your business. They don’t wish to get auto-generated answers to their questions or posts on your company’s Facebook page. All users on social media including Facebook like to indulge with a business that feels human – personal.

Start discussions, conversations, show appreciation, reply to comments as fast as possible and nurture relationships. The algorithm used by Facebook rewards posts that have likes, comments or any other interactions. If you don’t act or interact humanly, then chances are people won’t talk about your business and Facebook won’t show your posts. Not to mention they’ll know they’re not getting a real answer, which is kind of a turn off.  

Promote With Facebook Ads

Want to stay ahead of the curve and take your business to the next level? Set aside a budget for paid Facebook ads. Often companies will ask: Why use Facebook ads to market your business? Isn’t using Facebook ads a hard sell? Here’s why it is imperative to use Facebook ads to market your business:

1. Facebook ads are the most accurate targeted form of advertising – Facebook ads don’t sell aggressively to customers; instead, they are relevant to conversations and are naturally shown to a specific audience. Facebook ads are often eerily accurate and have the power to help market your business without annoying customers. With Facebook advertising, you are able to pick an audience based on contact info, behaviors, interests, demographics and location.
2. A majority of existing and potential customers spend their time on social media.
3. Facebook ads are appealing to the eye and work on all devices and connection speeds.
4. Your business can utilize Facebook ads even on a budget – Sometimes, you can spend up to $5 and still reach 1,000 people.
5. Facebook ads provide analytics – The results of using Facebook ads are measurable which make it possible to assess the performance of your ads accurately and make changes to get better results.

Still not convinced? Check out our post on why you need to commit to your business and invest in online marketing.

Hire Professionals

Facebook ads are a cost-effective and excellent way to market your business in 2019. However, as an entrepreneur or a CEO in a company, traversing the social media marketing territory can be challenging and overwhelming. Opt to delegate Facebook advertising to a Facebook marketing expert. An expert can help you launch, run and leverage all the benefits of your a Facebook advertising campaign. If you’d like to speak to our Facebook Advertising experts, apply for a FREE strategy session.

The Difference Between Basic SEO and Real SEO

After yet another conversation with a web design agency about what they do for SEO, I was inspired to write about what SEO really consists of what to look for when searching for a reputable SEO expert or agency.

What is SEO?

So what is this SEO thing that everyone keeps on talking about? SEO stands for “Search Engine Optimization” – and what it boils down to is making a website or particular web page so damn yummy that Google just eats it up and rewards it with high Google rankings. The higher a webpage is on Google search results, the more clicks it will get – leading to more consistent traffic. Being (or not being) at the top of Google search can literally make or break a business, so obviously there is a lot of value in knowing how to do it right.

So how do the rankings work? Well you’ve most likely seen that when you search for a particular term, usually on Google, a list of websites shows up. Google recognizes those websites as being somehow relevant to the term you’ve searched. Maybe it’s because that term is in the web address, or perhaps it shows up in text on the page. Whatever the case, the search engines have associated a particular page on your site with a certain term or terms.

Now not all rankings are created equal. Each term has an approximate amount of searches per month, making ranking for certain search terms more valuable than others. So you could be ranking #1 for underwater basket weaving in the sahara, but if no one is looking for it, it’s like a tree falling in the forest with no one around. Who cares.

However let’s say you’re ranking first in New York, for a product that has the highest margin out of everything you sell, and there are 1000 people per month looking for that product. Studies show that 35% of all clicks go to first place. That means that 350 people each month are coming to your site with buyer intent. If we use the trusty old 10% rule, that’s 35 new customers per month coming from ranking for one word.

Google has an algorithm that determines who shows up on its coveted list. This algorithm is like a giant soup recipe that consists of a slew of different ingredients, and it is important to make sure that each one is added properly, so that the Google ranking soup turns out just right.

These components can be broken down into three general concepts that Google wants to see:

1. Relevance – Is the webpage you want to rank relevant to the search term? To determine this, the algorithm looks in the content and code to see if the search term and variants of it are mentioned.
2. Trust – Can Google trust your website? Google looks to see if, and if so how many, other websites are linking to yours.
3. Authority – Is your website an authority in your niche or industry? Google combines the trust and relevancy aspects here, and adds other metrics like how long are people staying on your site, how quickly do they leave, how much traffic you get each month, or if your site is structured properly This is the really soupy part of the algorithm.

So how do you optimize your site for relevance, authority and trust?

There are 2 main pillars, on-page and off page. On-page refers to things like the aforementioned web page and content, having the backend code of the site streamlined and configured in a certain way, or adding SEO friendly code to the images. This is how you cultivate relevance to Google’s bot.

Off-page has to do with concepts like how (or if, for that matter) you have set up your social profiles, do you have good reviews, or if there are a lot of people that are linking back to your site. This is where the trust and authority is derived.

What many agencies and web design companies actually offer

A lot of web design agencies out there will offer “basic SEO”. What this often means is that they will do some of the many SEO components needed to make it on Google’s nice list – these tasks are often only on the onpage side as well.

This is a great start, and sometimes can even be enough to get a site or page to the top of Google search for very non-competitive terms. But if you are interested in ranking for a highly sought service or product in a larger area, then it just won’t cut it.

As important as on-site SEO optimization is, it is not enough. Here is why….

Google has a “score” for every search term people use on its platform. Often there are thousands and sometimes millions of other pages competing for this particular keyword match. The webpage with the highest score according to Google wins the game.

When Google crawls your page, it determines where your page deserves to be in its long line of competing players. If proper on-page SEO is performed, this may get you to position 10 or 20 out of 1000, but not much further.

In order to really rank high on Google’s search results, one cannot ignore the importance of trust and authority factors.

Want To See Some Results We’ve Gotten For Our Clients? Check Out These Case Studies

1. Overseas-contractors
2. Prairie Trail Physio
3. BC Hardwood

So what actually goes into ranking websites?

At More Hot Leads, we have an SEO process that consists of over 150 steps to make sure that our clients websites are the most relevant, trustworthy and authoritative.

For relevance, a lot of this comes down to the aforementioned onsite SEO optimization as we make sure that the right keywords are in the right place. This involves optimizing back end code, adding relevant internal links to related pages and using more advanced techniques like schema markup (which we’ll discuss in a later post because it’s its own animal).

Trust is derived from the websites and platforms your brand is associated with online. We do this by creating branded social profiles and business listings on all of the top 200 social sharing and business directory sites. We also make sure that each major social media platform is active and properly optimized. If our clients can get links on sites like the BBB, their local chamber of commerce or any industry related directories, this also goes a long way at showing Google that your business is what you it is are and does what you say it does.

Authority is built over time as you start to attract more consistent backlinks and mentions from other websites and visitors. These backlinks act as a vote of confidence. However, unlike a democratic vote, not all votes are equal. A backlink from a higher authority site with existing trust, traffic and relevance in Google’s eyes will pass much more weight to your site than a vote from a brand new website that is unrelated, or heaven forbid a spammy site.

What you should really expect from an SEO expert?

So if you have been talking to someone about helping you with your SEO efforts, make sure that any proposed solution includes much more than just “basic SEO”. Because after all, basic just can only get you so far, and we are all in business to get results (aka MONEY).

If you are ready to stop being basic and take the necessary steps to get your business to the top of Google, apply for a free strategy session now, and if we see a fit, together we will go over the best course of action for your business. Once you apply, we will get back to you within 24-48 business hours. 

Congrats on taking a big step.

Want more? Check out these awesome Local SEO Tips.

Commit To Your Business & Invest In Online Marketing In 2019

As we enter the final year of the 20-teens and move towards becoming a young adult in this 21st Century, it is time for those businesses who have not begun to take their marketing online yet to wake up, get serious about their future and commit to online marketing for years to come.

Why Commit?

If you’re like most business owners, you started a business because you had a skill or passion that you wanted to turn into a revenue stream. Or if you’re like me, you had nothing to lose and didn’t know anything else but the entrepreneur hustle. Maybe your business is still in its infancy, or maybe you have been around for years. Either way, you got into business with a dream, a vision and a commitment to make your life, and the life of those around you, better.

So if you already made this commitment to yourself, why not commit to a predictable & scalable lead generation strategy that will allow you to achieve the lifestyle you want for you and your loved ones?

Why Digital Marketing?

Here are 4 reasons why digital marketing may just be the best thing for your business in 2019….

1. It is predictable
   As great of word of mouth referrals are, they can dry up or can come in waves. In comparison, a properly executed digital marketing strategy will result in your business getting repeatable leads every month, so you don’t have to worry about whether or not new business will be coming in or not. That means that you can not only focus on serving your clients with excellence, but also plan ahead more accurately for future growth.
2.  Your dream clients are online
   Right now, as you read this, chances are your dream clients are online. They could be searching for a product or service you provide or scrolling through Facebook or Instagram. But one thing is for sure: If you are not investing in online marketing at the moment, they are not finding you….but finding your competitors instead.  
3.  It is focused & targeted
    Unlike traditional forms of marketing where you are often shouting your message out loud to everyone and hoping that someone in your target audience will hear it, with online marketing we can be laser focused in our targeting. This means that instead of trying to shout louder than the next guy/gal to get your message in front of people, we can show it only to those who you deem worthy enough to be your clients. With Facebook & LinkedIn ads, we can target people of certain ages, professions, and those who have shown prior interests to the products and services that you provide.
4. It is measurable & scalable
   It is very hard to measure the effectiveness of traditional marketing campaigns (radio, tv, newspaper, magazines, etc.), but with digital marketing this is not the case. We are able to measure everything from website visits, to tracking leads and conversions. Not only are we able to quantify it, but we are able to tell where they came from so that we know which marketing activities are working best at reaching your desired goals & KPIs.

Don’t Let Your Competition Win. Book A Free Strategy Session Now.

For example, if we see that a paid Google Ads or SEO campaign is yielding more leads than a Facebook ad campaign, then we may decide to shift focus completely to Google (or vice versa).

Since we are able to measure results so accurately, we can then predictably scale up our efforts when ready. If we know that Google marketing has resulted in a 500% ROI in one market, we can then expect that if we increase budget or expand into another market then we will be able to get even better results.

Why Now?

It is almost 2020, and more and more businesses are slowly realizing the importance of online advertising. However, it is still very much an open game. Yes, there may be some markets that are already more competitive than others, but if you wait another 5 years before taking action to make your business visible online, then consider how many more businesses you will need to compete with then. As long people continue to use platforms like Google, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube and as long as we are able to market on them effectively, then there will always be value in being there. So why not start today?

Why it is better to invest (go big or go home)

One thing I hear a lot from local business owners is the following:

“Oh I tried spending $100 on Facebook ads once, but nothing came out of it” or “Oh yeah, we tried Yellow Pages SEO for a few months, but it didn’t work”.

The problem with these statements is that they tried once and gave up all together, even though they just dipped their toes in the water. In order to actually get results that stick and bring a positive ROI, you must be committed and willing to invest much more than a few hundred dollars and stick with it until the money and leads come rolling in.

With a strategy like SEO, patience is key, and you need a budget to invest in a monthly campaign for months before the results kick in. That might sound hard for a business that is trying to get off the ground, so that’s why we employ certain services and tactics (like paid ads) that provide results and ROI for our clients as soon as possible.

If you are really serious about online marketing and want to get real results that will take your business to the next level, you must be prepared to spend more than just a few hundred dollars a month. If you don’t think that your business can afford this right now, ask yourself the following question.

Can your business afford NOT to do this right now?

You know that you need to be online in order to get in front of your ideal customer, so why not invest in your marketing in order to do this with ease?

Ready To Commit & Invest In Your Business’ Future? Book A Free Strategy Session. Just fill out the form here, and we’ll get back to you within 24-48 business hours. 

Many of the local businesses we speak to and have worked with cite their love of their actual product or service as the main reason they went into business for themselves in the first place.

Regardless of the field, you either went to school, got certified, trained, did apprenticeships, did continuing education, all to build on your skills to be able to offer the best to your clients. 

So you opened a business, and like most you understand the importance of a solid website, and you likely spent a lot to get one made. After all, a good website is the cornerstone of any sort of successful internet marketing effort.

Then, you start working with a marketer because your specialty is what you sell, and theirs is driving traffic and leads from the internet. maybe you see results, maybe you don’t. And that’s the rub isn’t it. Since it’s not your specialty, it’s hard to know what they’re doing, why they’re doing it, and why it works.

Lot’s of times internet marketers and SEO’s take your money for a while, and when stuff doesn’t work out, they bolt. And since they know why the tactics work and you don’t, you’re just kind of left out to dry.

We did a lot of this and more for one of our clients, Prairie Trail Physiotherapy, a local provider like you. If you’re interested in getting an in-depth look, have a look at their case study here. 

This post was written to show you how to help yourself. These are 3 things you can do by yourself to help your own SEO and digital marketing efforts and take charge of your own destiny.

1.  Create a Google my business profile.

a. A Google My Business profile is your way of telling Google about your business so that it can in turn tell anyone looking for your product or service about you, and where you are on the map. It contains your address, hours, contact info, a link to make appointments or set meetings, company description, what category your business is in, areas you serve, what services you provide, images, and even shows how many times your profile and location were viewed in searches and in the maps.

b. It also is where receive and respond to reviews, so when you show up in a Google search, your reviews could appear as well.

Screenshot of our GMB profile on the side of a Google search

Note: Make sure your address and contact info (known in the marketing industry as NAP Name Address Phone) are exactly as how you have it on your site, down to the way you abbreviate (or don’t) the word street or boulevard, including the period at the end. It should be the same everywhere you have an online profile, which we’ll get to in a second.

   2.  Create online citations.

a. Citations – These are online mentions of your business’ NAP. Google uses them when searching for information of your business. Could be social profiles, business directories, location-specific sites, and any other platforms like blogs, news sites, and others. Again, need to make sure your NAP is consistent across the board, as inaccurate citations can lead to misdirection and misunderstanding, giving you a negative reputation.

   3.  Optimize your most important web pages properly.

a. These are most likely the pages related to your services or products. Now Google doesn’t say what their algorithm is looking for when it comes to ranking, but the top 5 in a search tell you exactly what you need to know about how to shape your content.

b. So what are the most important elements to optimize? They are the address of the page in question, the headline text on the page, and the ratio of keywords to total text on the page.

c. When you create a page, make sure that your main keyword is in the web address. Whether it’s a product or a service or the problem that they solve, the web address is the first thing that Google looks at when deciding what pages to show in a search. Let’s stick to Physiotherapy for our examples.

Example: physiotherapy.ca/sports-injury-treatment

d. For the Headline text, put the same keyword that you have in the web address

Example: Manitoba’s Best Sports Injury Treatment Center

e. For keyword to text ratio, just search for the relevant keyword, check the top 5 businesses that come up (don’t look at directories like Yelp or Facebook pages that are ranking), do a word count of those pages, take note of how many times your main keyword showed up on each of those pages, then take the average of the amount of text, and an average amount of time the keyword is mentioned, and take the ratio of how many times the keyword is mentioned. This will give you an approximate amount of words you need on your page, as well as the number of times the keyword should be dropped into the text.

So we told you there’d be three, but here’s a bonus. Since the above three tactics will help get traffic to your site, we’d be remiss if we didn’t give a tip on how to convert them into clients.

• You need a call to action placed prominently on the page, not just the header and footer contact us links.
• Make the button pop out at the visitor, so when they have become impressed by your knowledge and industry expertise, it is super easy for them to take the next step and contact you.

To sum up, there are a bunch of things you can do to keep the destiny of your company in your own hands. These are only four. But they are four solid ones that will get and convert web traffic.

If you like what we wrote, and want some guidance on how to execute, just give us a call at 2048180877 or contact us for a strategy session here and we’ll be happy to help.

Learn more about the difference between REAL SEO RANKING and basic SEO.

Local SEO Tips for Success in 2019

Local SEO is a must-do marketing strategy these days. As mobile phones have become an integral part of everyday life, it is more important than ever to ensure that people can find you when they use location-aware search features. Users who are searching for “flowers near me” or “pizza near me” usually have clear purchase intent and you can take advantage of that to attract customers to your business.

The Basics of Local SEO 

Local SEO is a form of Search Engine Optimization that deals with both on-site and off-site elements to demonstrate that your site relates to a specific geographic area. If you have a physical location as well as a website, then you can achieve a lot by using Google My Business and Bing Places to promote your company. These mapping tools will ensure that when people use Google Maps or Bing Maps to search for a type of company, your business will have its flag on the map.

If you don’t have a physical location (or at least one that doesn’t accept customers) it’s still possible to rank, but a little more challenging. You want to build up credibility for your website by encouraging people to review your services on sites such as Trustpilot (owners of hotels, restaurants, bars, etc should look at getting reviewed on Yelp and Tripadvisor).  You also need to work hard on improving the main ranking factors.

Ranking Factors for Local SEO 

There are numerous ranking factors for local SEO, and nobody really knows what all of them are, because search engine algorithms are rather complicated.

Some are more important than others, though:

• Getting your business categorized properly in Google My Business
• Consistent naming for citations:  These are online mentions of your business’  name, address, and phone number. If your business name keeps changing slightly, e.g. “Bob Smith’s Electrician Service” and “Bob Smith’s Electric Repair”, then this will negate the benefit of any citations you have, because the search engines might think of them as separate brands.
• Links from quality websites: Having a huge number of links from low quality directories or sites won’t do you much good. Having links from quality sources is much more useful.
• Domain Authority: Having an old, longstanding domain with quality incoming links will boost your domain authority and improve your ranking in the search engines.
• Your address: If you actually have a physical location, then you can’t really lie about where that is, either your business is near the city center or it is not. If you don’t have a premises, consider renting a virtual office space in the city center so that you can rank better for that city. This gives the maps context of where you are, and how to present you in the maps.
• Website content: Putting the name of the town you are targeting in the title of your website, and in any other URLs, headings, and title tags (the thing that pops up when you over a tab in your browser), will help you to rank better for searches relating to that city because when the search engines crawl your site, they are indicators of what your site and pages are about.
• Mobile friendliness: Google is taking a mobile-first approach to SEO these days, and that means you are going to need to have a mobile friendly website if you want to rank well. If your site is based on a content management system such as WordPress, Magento or Joomla then look for a Mobile Friendly/Responsive or Reactive theme. If you have a custom website then discuss it with your web designer.

Does this speak to you? Is it Greek to you? Either way, if you want to know more because you’re interested or you want to know more because you think you’re interested but need more explanation, we’re happy to sit on a quick call or video chat with you. Just apply for a strategy session, and we’ll get back to you in 24-48 business hours, if not sooner. 

The Crossover Between SEO and Local SEO

There is a lot of crossover between SEO and Local SEO. In some respects, local SEO is easier because all you have to worry about is promoting your site in the local area. There should be less competition for “electrician in Birmingham” than there is for “electrician” as a word by itself.

With that said, it is still important to ensure that you follow SEO best practices. If your site ends up getting an algorithmic penalty from Google then it will not rank well for general searches or for local searches.

To avoid being regarded as a spammy or low quality site, focus on posting good content regularly. Aim to update your site on a regular basis (perhaps run a blog and post to it once every two weeks, and make sure that the content you post is factually accurate, keyword rich (but not spammy and dropping keywords every other sentence), well written, and of value to your readers. Aim to get links from local bloggers, and build a good social media profile. Post links to your website on your social media profiles regularly and ask people to engage with and share your content.

If you are known and respected as a local business owner then you should find that your customers will talk about you, provide reviews, and link to you regularly. Consider offering “check in bonuses” for people who check in to your business on Foursquare, Google or Facebook.

Want to learn more or see how we can help your business implement these local SEO tactics for you? Apply for a strategy session to see if we can help you, and if so, we will create a rockin marketing plan and get you ranking.

Want more? Check out our post on Local SEO tips that you can do right now.

What Are We Talking About?

Mobilegeddon, Mobilepocalypse, or whatever other names people have come up for it, I’m sure you have heard about it. If not, you should know what it is all about.

Basically, sometime at the beginning of 2015, Google announced that it was going to update its algorithm to favor mobile-friendly websites in its mobile search results over those sites that do not meet their standards of mobile friendliness (no matter how nice you think you are!). Just in March of 2016, they announced again that starting in May (now) they would be rolling out a new version of their algorithm that would favor mobile friendly websites even more than before.

Despite the initial hype created by fellow marketers and search engine optimization experts, it is real, it is here, and it is something that your business should take seriously. In the past year, we have noticed significant ranking changes favoring those sites who are mobile friendly according to Google’s standards.

Why should you care?

I know. I bet you are saying to yourself, well why the h-e-double-hockey-sticks should I care?! My website is already ranking on Google on desktop searches. Well that’s great and all BUT 2015 was the first year where mobile searches actually surpassed desktop searches. This is monumental! That means that in the years to come, there will be more and more users searching for your services on their mobile device than ever before. So, if your website is NOT mobile friendly, then your business will be losing a lot of potential traffic, which we all know is the lifeblood of any successful business.

If you don’t care yet, then maybe this will convince you. Mobile friendly websites are also a lot more user friendly and Google has said numerous times that it values user experience signals when deciding whether or not your website deserves to be on its coveted first page. Why is this? Well take a look at the comparison of this website, before and after it was made mobile friendly and tell me what you think.

As you can see, the desktop version of the site was out of line, the text was too small, the buttons were hardly clickable. Now the mobile version on the other hand, is clean, easy to read and clickable – with call to actions that are so easy to use. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that the version of the site on the right is going to get more clicks, more time on page and ultimately more phone calls!

How to Check if Your Site is Mobile Friendly?

The easiest way is to use Google’s Mobile Friendly Test tool. 

Just plug in your website and let Google do its work. If it gives you the green light, then you’ve got nothing to worry about! But if you see the dreaded red “Not MobileFriendly” then you really should be taking action to get that fixed if you indeed do want to continue having organic traffic to your website.

How to Fix it?

Not to fret. There are ways to fix it. If your website is on WordPress, then just search for mobile friendly plugins and you should find a few easy to use solutions like Jetpack. However, if you want your site to look like the one above, it is best to enlist the help of a professional so that your site not only looks mobile friendly, but also has its own unique mobile domain (another important factor).

Of course, since you are already here, we offer mobile website design services as well as SEO to ensure that your business is visible online and in front of as many potential customers as possible. If you would like us to fix your website, please feel free to get in touch.

Next post, I will cover site speed, and why it is important for your SEO.

A few years ago, Daniel shot a video on 12 SEO Tips for Local Businesses. We received great feedback and some business owners even took our advice and saw some improvements in their Google organic traffic. We know that some SEO practitioners out there run rather shady businesses, and others are highly secretive of what it is that they actually do in order to improve your rankings in online searches. Yes, SEO is a skill that takes years to hone, just like any other expertise, but when it comes to improving your local business’ online presence, there are a few simple things that you can do on your own that most certainly will help.

Here are 10.

Make sure your website is mobile friendly.

We recently wrote this post on the importance of mobile friendly websites which basically states the utter necessity to be mobile friendly these days. Why? Because the number of mobile searches have surpassed the number of desktop searches, and these numbers continue to grow. Because Google is all about user experience, it prefers mobile friendly sites and has publicly stated on a few occasions that its algorithm will rank those sites that are mobile friendly ahead of those that are not. Don’t worry, check out my post above for ways to fix this.

Fix Your Site Speed.

It is no surprise that the slower your site is, the more frustrated your users will be. If Google sees that your website has negative user signals (high bounce back rate or low time on page), it will most likely start moving you down in the rankings – and that is NOT the direction we want. Even if your site isn’t turtle-crossing-the-street slow, it can always be better (unless it has a score of 100 of course, in which case YOU WIN!). This especially rings true for e-commerce sites. In fact, just 1 second slower page load time could cost Amazon $1.6 billion dollars of sales!

Use this tool to check your page load speed and read this post to learn about ways to speed it up if need be. If you have any questions, we are happy to help.

Get Your Brand Out on Local Business Citations and Business Directories.

As a local business, it is absolutely vital both for your brand and your SEO strength to make sure that your business is listed on as many relevant and high quality sites as possible. That means making sure that your business’ Local Facebook Business page, Twitter, Google My Business, Yelp, Yellow Pages, Yahoo, etc. listings are set up completely – with a relevant business description (which include your keywords) and a consistent NAP (Name, Address, Phone Number) across all of your listings. This consistent branding shows Google that you are a trusted business that is serious about getting in front of your customers. Here is a list of the top business listing sites to start with.

Utilize Your Main Social Profiles & Link Them Together

Google loves brands. But how do they know which websites have an online brand? By building out branded social profiles and being active on them. That means spend some time creating your business’ Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Youtube, About.me, etc. – by making sure that content is quality, relevant to your business and most importantly links to your website. For added strength, create a branded ecosystem by linking them all together.

Make Sure Your Main Keywords Are In Your Title and Your Content

It is amazing how many websites we see that don’t have their main keywords in their title tags or in their content. Your keywords are the main phrases that you want your website to show up for when searching in Google. One of the most important places to put them are in your title tags. Also, you will need to include them in your content at least once. Just don’t go overboard. Keep it natural. The days of stuffing a post with your keyword 25 times are long gone (Thankfully!).

Embed Your Google My Business Map

Remember we told you to create and optimize your Google My Business local listing? Well if you did it right, you should have a business map listing that points to the location of your business. Find this map listing, click “share”, then click “embed map”, then copy the code that it gives you and paste it into the footer of your site (the contact us page works too).

Make Sure Your Contact Information is Prominent and Consistent

No one likes to search around for information that should be easily accessible. So make sure that your phone number is prominently displayed and your contact info is easily found (usually put it in the footer). Remember when we told you to build local business citations with your NAP? Make sure that the contact info on your site is the EXACT same as it appears on these citations.

Develop a YouTube Channel and Embed Your Videos on Your Site

YouTube is a great platform to use to attract more clients. Especially those looking for more information or reviews about your business. If you have a well developed YouTube channel showcasing all of your services, products and testimonials, it adds to your online brand. Make sure that you include a link back to the relevant webpage in your video description and include keywords there as well. Once the video is uploaded, embed it back on your website. Not only does Google like when you use one of their flagship platforms, but it also will increase user’s time on your site – which is a ranking factor.

Are Other Relevant & Authoritative Sites Linking to Yours?

Sometimes having a nice looking site is not enough. You need to pass relevance and trust to your site by having other powerful, relevant and trustworthy sites link back to you. How do you find these sites to link to you? Reach out to local bloggers, relevant industry blogs or even friends with websites and ask them to link to you. You can also hire a local SEO agency to help you with your link building efforts.

Get Traffic to Your Google My Business Page

Ever wonder how to get your business to show up in Google’s local map listings? Well it has to do with your GMB listing being properly optimized and getting traffic and user signals to it. So how do you do this? Share your local Google Plus page with your friends, family and followers on your other social media profiles.

Investing in proper SEO efforts will propel your business website to the first page of the search engines and increase organic traffic to your site – ultimately bringing your business more customers. Don’t rush it. This stuff takes time. Don’t expect immediate results. Any SEO company that promises you fast results usually just wants your hard earned cash. Good SEO is a long term game, so make sure that you are ready to partner with whatever company you choose to work with.

Of course, we would love to be that company and are here to answer any questions that you may have. If you want to schedule a free consultation, please fill out this form or contact us with your questions.