Our Blog Posts

Website traffic is the lifeblood of every online business. More visitors to your website mean more potential customers seeing your products. The more people you get in front of, the more sales you can generate. So driving more traffic to a site is really a no-brainer for all businesses.
Here are the best ways you can easily do that in 2018 and beyond.

1) On-Page SEO

Start with on-page search engine optimization (SEO), considered a fundamental building block of successful websites. It’s important to ensure that your site and content are as relevant as possible to those seeking your products or services. This means going the extra mile to research appropriate keywords, create valuable content and craft captivating meta descriptions. In 2018 it’s no longer enough to post consistently and tick the boxes. You need to really nail your SEO to get (and stay) ahead of the competition.
No need to hire an SEO expert. Just install the free Yoast SEO plugin.

“On-page SEO consists of all the elements of SEO you can control best. If you own a website, you can control the technical issues and the quality of your content. We believe on-page issues should all be tackled as they’re in your own hands. If you create an awesome website, it will definitely start ranking.” — Yoast SEO

• SEMrush On Page SEO Checker
  Get the list of improvements for your website for free in 5 minutes!
• The Beginners Guide to Search Engine Optimization

2) Social Media Posts With Hashtags
What may surprise you is the importance of hashtags with your social media.  People have become increasingly picky about the content that they consume, which means they’re turning to hashtags as a way to streamline the influx. Smart use of hashtags enables you to precisely target your ideal customer and expand your reach beyond your existing audience.

• Hashtag Generator
• Top 100 Hashtags on Instagram
• The Do’s and Don’ts of How to Use Hashtags
• The 2018 Instagram Hashtag Guide—How to Use Them and Get Results

3) Email Marketing
Still the most targeted online marketing there is … email builds loyalty and trust in your brand. Email marketing is important for building relationships with prospects, leads, current customers, and even past customers because you can speak directly to them, in their inbox, at their convenience.
Creating an autoresponder sequence that nurtures new sign-ups and develops a relationship is now an essential part of email marketing. According to a recent study, 320% more revenue is attributed to welcome emails, so it definitely pays to have some kind of autoresponder series in place.

• 10 Best Email Marketing Software Options for Small Business
• MailChimp Review – Mail For the Masses?

4) Video Marketing 
In a recent survey from HubSpot, 51.9% of marketing professionals confirm that video content has the highest ROI.
While large businesses have dedicated video teams for content generation, small businesses lack the money and bandwidth to build awesome videos. Creating videos are expensive and time-consuming until now!
Meet Lumen5.
Lumen5 is a free video creation platform generated from blogs and press releases. It can take me less than an hour to create a video. This includes searching for content, getting good photos, getting the right music and polishing the overall look and feel.
I have created 10 Lumen5 videos myself and here are some of them on my YouTube account. I love this free AI platform. The videos are beautiful and professional.

• Caperra Review
• How Dianz Leverages The Powerful Lumen5 For Video Marketing

5) Google My Business
If you’re a local business and just getting started with your SEO, you want to always begin with the unique tool that is Google My Business (GMB.
The interface gives you the opportunity to appear in Google search and map results to increase local SEO rankings. Business owners can take charge of how their business is displayed throughout all of Google’s products and platforms, including its search engine results pages (SERPs), reviews, and instant content.

• How To Rank in Google Maps
• Is Google My Business Worth the Effort For Local SEO?

6) Put a Blog on Your Site & Post Consistently
“I have a business website, and new leads can find me through my Facebook ad campaigns. Why do I even need a blog?”
There are many reasons.
You might write articles related to your small business, which can help establish your authority in your industry. And if customers have questions, they can refer to your blog posts for answers. Further, a blog can spark a conversation between you and customers or potential customers.
One of the most common reasons that a business might create a blog is to drive traffic to their website, and for good reason—businesses with blogs receive 55% more traffic than businesses without blogs. This gives you the opportunity to advertise your company’s products or services, attract new customers, and boost your company’s bottom line.
Business blogs also help improve your website’s ranking in search results. You want your business to rank toward the top of the search results on page one, not on pages two or three. Appearing higher in searches can translate to more clicks. If you were searching something, would you want to comb through pages of search engine results?

• 5 Steps to Take to Start Your Small Business Blog Today
• How To Build A Successful Business Blog (a Getting Started Guide)

Mobile phones have changed everything. Searching Google, how people get things done and now local SEO.
And local businesses have a big advantage, too! Nearly 60% of all Google searches have local business focus.
It’s now a lot easier for you to simply pull out your smartphone, open the Google app, and speak your search query. And for searches with a local “intent”, Google will include the local search results even if you don’t specifically mention a local city.
For your local business, mobile is critically important for generating local business traffic. But only the top 3 local search results in Google will be given on both mobile phones and desktop searches. So what can you do to give your business a better chance at this coveted placement in Google?
Getting a better Google Maps ranking is becoming the #1 objective for local and small businesses.

How To Get Better Rankings in Google Maps

1)  Build your local business citations (NAP) in specific business directories. A business directory is an online list of businesses within a particular niche, location, or category. One way local businesses can get found by online searchers is through inclusion in business directories. See the list here: The Ultimate List: 57 Online Local Business Directories.

A citation is a record of your NAP – your business name, address, phone number, and website URL. Google uses citations as a way to validate your business location. Use your targeted keyword phrase in the description of your Google Maps business listing. Make sure your primary category is the most relevant category for your business. Include your business category in your title.
For example, if you are a landscape lighting company, then include the phrase “landscape lighting” in the title of your Google business page. Google refers to these elements as modifiers in the title. You must be careful not to overuse/abuse the use of modifiers, which means do not stuff your title with keyword phrases.

 
2) Verify Your Google Business Page. Visit this link to get started with adding your business to Google Maps.

3) Here are some quick video tutorials on adding or claiming your business in Google Maps.

How to Add or Claim Your Business on Google
How To Verify Your Business on Google
4)  When optimizing the titles of your Google business pages always include the business name, business category, and the name of the targeted metro area. For example, if you are a landscape lighting company, then include the phrase “landscape lighting” in the title of your Google business page. Google refers to these elements as modifiers in the title.
5)  Use your targeted keyword phrase in the description of your Google Maps business listing.
6)  Make sure your primary category is the most relevant category for your business. Another way to know the best category to select is to look at the current top-ranked businesses in Google Maps. For example, search your targeted keyword phrase in Google (i.e. ‘landscape lighting west palm beach’ as an example), look at the landscape lighting companies that are ranked letters A, B, and C, and then identify the category they are using.
7)  Use schema language and your business NAP on your website. Your business NAP is basically an acronym for your business name, address, and phone number.
8)  The NAP of your business also references citations. Citations are references to your business name, address, and phone number (NAP) that are published on external websites and directories. Google uses citations to determine the accuracy and relevance of your business information.
See the list of top local business directories =>The Ultimate List: 57 Online Local Business Directories
9)  What is Schema language? It’s a structural protocol adopted by Google, Yahoo, & Bing to make it easier to determine certain datasets within web pages. Direct data such as your NAP is particularly relevant when it comes to local SEO. 
There are many other Schema or direct data sets that can also be leveraged in your web pages depending on your type of business. Schema language or direct datasets dramatically enhance the authority of your web pages within your local market – a key strategy to understand.

• Here is a schema plugin that will get the job done for you: Markup (JSON-LD) structured in schema.org
• Keywords in your Google Business Page Title

Google Maps 3-Pack Service

Getting your business to rank in the top three local search results requires a concerted local SEO effort on your part.
It is also important to remember that no one can guarantee a top ranking on Google or Google Maps. It depends on various factors, including your website, keywords, and your biggest friend, persistence.
If you don’t have the time or expertise, you can take advantage of my Google Maps 3-Pack service:
INCLUDES Google My Business setup & verification, optimizing Google My Business pages per above, listings/citations in all of the relevant business directories, Schema plugin setup; one post and CPA on GMB (posts expire every 7 days). Reports and updates.
Google Maps Package*
Based on a 4-month commitment
$300 Setup Fee
$250/mo. – mos. 2-4
Have any questions or ready to get started? Contact Marcia HERE.