Local SEO Tactics for 2024: Dominating Your Local Search Rankings
Boost your online presence with expert tips from leading SEO specialists in our blog ‘Maximizing Your Online Presence: Tips from Leading SEO Specialists’.
Webmaster SEO Checklist: Steps for Maintaining a Healthy, Search-Friendly Website
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Leveraging PPC for SEO – Using Google Ads to Help Inform Organic Keyword Decisions
In a recent post on digital marketing acronyms my partner, Chuck, broke down PPC and SEO – pay-per-click marketing and search engine optimization – and how they are both part of SEM, or search engine marketing. And while SEO and PPC – in this post I’m referring mainly to Google Ads – are separate search tactics, they work best when coordinated together. So, it’s time to break down those silos – if they exist – and gather your paid and organic search teams at the conference table!
First, let’s back up a bit… back in late 2016, Google changed up the look and functionality of the search engine results page (SERP). They removed the right-side ads and placed them at the top and bottom of the organic listings only. They did go from three to four ads on top, however, providing one more opportunity to get your paid ad above the fold. Now, with ads on top, they blend into the organic listings more than ever. If you can rank organically for non-brand terms and leverage Google Ads for the same terms, you can effectively dominate the first SERP. This is a huge opportunity, though not an easy thing to accomplish. That said you certainly can take advantage of Google Ads to further your SEO results.
Here’s how…
Faster keyword research with Google Ads insights
When it comes to SEO, we spend a good deal of time researching which keywords and phrases we should optimize a website around. While it used to be that we could dive into Google Analytics and see organic traffic broken down by keywords, we now see (not provided). This data has been shielded by Google since late in 2011 as part of their privacy initiatives, but really, it’s likely just a way for Google to boost their paid search business. Call me a conspiracy theorist. It’s okay that Google’s got financial motives. I get it. I’d probably do the same thing in their shoes and it just means we need to be creative.
Here’s what we look at when it comes to keyword research:
- Competitors – what are your top three or four competitors optimizing their website for? We certainly don’t want to copy exactly what they are doing but we want to be aware of what might be working for them.
- The current website content – what is the existing (or planned) messaging of the site? How is the brand speaking to products, solutions, and services that are being offered? While we can certainly make adjustments and recommendations to product or service positioning, we often need to work within an existing brand messaging framework, and often this leads us to certain keywords and phrases – at least as a starting point.
- Keyword competition – how competitive are the keywords we want to rank for organically? We certainly want keywords with decent search volumes, but if we populate our list with only those keywords with large numbers of searches, we will likely be spinning our wheels trying to rank. A combination of competitive and not-as-competitive keywords is a good way to go but determining which variations can be challenging.
- User intent – what we think we want to rank on for keywords versus what users are actually searching for can often be at odds with each other. A very basic example would be a client that provides real estate consulting and training. If we conduct a search for “real estate consultants” here’s what we get:
You can see right away that the first thing that Google does is show you some ads for real estate consultants designed to build your real estate agency and then an ad for real estate project management. It then dives into local real estate offices based on what Google has learned [through it’s own Ai] is the typical intent of the user (when conducting this search for “real estate consultants”). Google is showing results for users seeking realtors. In this case Google is telling us this keyword needs further refinement for our client’s usage. In other words, we may want to use this keyword, or we may not, but we should try different variants to get closer to the user our client is seeking.
In our standard SEO service, after the site has been optimized for our selected keywords, we begin to collect and monitor data in Google Analytics. Depending on the traffic volumes to the site on a monthly basis, collecting an amount of data needed to make informed decisions can take some time. For most of our clients, this can be 3-4 months. Armed with this data, we analyze keywords for:
- Number of impressions – we certainly want our keywords to be shown in Google for organic searches and when this happens, we get an impression. The more impressions we get, the more Google is showing our site for that keyword search.
- Click through rate (CTR) – when someone clicks on a search result for our website, we get a click. The click through rate (CTR) is determined by dividing the number of clicks by the number of impressions. Needless to say, we want decent CTRs, which comes with ranking well. Usually, ranking in the top 5 will get you CTRs above 5% and below that the rate tails off significantly.
- Bounce rate – when someone clicks on a link at Google and hits our site, we want them to hang around and dive deeper into the site. This tells us that they are finding value from clicking and that our site is delivering what they expected to find. If they hit our site and go right back to their Google search, we get a bounce. The bounce rate is calculated by the total number of one-page visits divided by the total number of entries into a website. Needless to say, we do not want high bounce rates, but often time if we find our keywords are showing high bounce rates that we need to make adjustments.
- Average session duration – How engaged are organic visitors is also something we like to track. If this metric is low then we ask are we attracting the right users.
All of these metrics around keywords – as we build our list, and after the fact – can be identified with metrics we can get from Google Ads data. The beauty of Google Ads in these instances is that we do not need to 1) optimize a website and/or 2) wait several months for data to inform our decision making. The speed at which we can gather data in Google Ads can make a big difference.
Put some budget aside and create a Google Ads campaign, breaking down Ad Groups to reflect the key sections of your website. This might be product or service groupings. You can then add in keywords and create ads to cover them.
Be sure to A/B test your ad messaging, using keywords, and unique ad appeal, as this is another thing that you can test quickly with Google Ads. It will help you make informed messaging adjustments on your main site.
It’s likely that within just a month or so of Google Ads data collection, you’ll be able to make some inferences on what keywords are resonating with your target audience. Then you can make the adjustments in your SEO efforts.
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If you’d like to discuss PPC or SEO with us, please feel free to reach out any time. Free, no obligation consultations are welcome!
Save Time – 7 Steps to Fast, Quality Content
Do you ever stare at your computer waiting for a moment of pure genius to strike? Does it take hours or days to come up with one piece of good content?You’re not alone. If we could snap our fingers and make quality content appear, we’d be millionaires. Unfortunately, we don’t have any magical tricks to share with you. But we do have a few techniques that will help you become faster and better at producing quality content.Here are some things to consider:
1. Keep a Topic List
The task of deciding what to write about can take up a significant amount of your time. Who has time for that?
Keep a running list at work or on your phone with topic ideas. Sometimes these ideas strike when you’re on the treadmill, filling up your coffee, or answering client questions.Speaking of client questions, these make for great content topics. Your content should add value, not create noise, so answering questions that are important to your clients is always a great idea.
2. Make a Plan
Now that you have your list of topics, create an editorial calendar for your content. Sure, it may seem like a lot of work upfront, but just think how much time you’ll save later!Make it a goal to line up 3-6 months of topics. Schedule these topics on a content calendar to plan your content around seasons or industry events.That said, plans can be broken. If something significant happens in your business or industry, your content calendar can be adjusted.
3. Begin with the End in Mind
Before you start your content, begin with the end in mind.What do you want your reader to walk away with? What action do you want them to take?When you start with the end result, it’s easier to work backwards so you know exactly what to write about.
4. Spin Current Content or Topics
Not every piece of content needs to be a new idea, process, or stroke of genius. Chances are you have great content right now that you could spin with a new title. Then refresh the body of the article by stating the same thing in a different way.You may be surprised how a client or customer relates better to the same information stated with a different approach.
5. Make It Short and Sweet
High-quality content isn’t always long content. Enough said.
6. Don’t Write and Edit at the Same Time
The biggest mistake content creators make? Trying to make it perfect the first time.Get it all out and come back to it later. Don’t be alarmed if it seems like a jumbled mess when you’re finished. This is normal.When you come back to it later with fresh eyes, you can focus on sentence structure and grammar. The hardest part is getting the content out, so don’t let editing become a distraction.
7. Give Yourself a Time Limit
Whether you give yourself an hour or the entire day, you’ll use the time allotted to complete your task.Enter the Pomodoro Technique.If you’re looking for faster ways to knock out great content, try giving yourself a time limit – say 25-30 minutes. When your time is up, take a quick five-minute break and begin another 25-30 minutes of content creation or editing.
By giving yourself a time limit, you’ll stay focused and produce more jaw-dropping content faster.
Need help creating convincing content for your audience? At Digital Marketing Burst, we specialize in helping businesses deliver consistent, high-quality content on schedule. Get in touch today to learn more about our creative content services.
How to Determine the Best Content Length for SEO
What’s the best content length for SEO? That’s probably one of the most asked questions of online marketers and content creators.
As you might expect, the magic number varies quite a bit depending on whom you ask. Don’t worry, though. I’m here to help by sharing some ballpark numbers to aim for.
Let’s start with some research from Hook Agency, which claims the best content length for SEO in 2023 is between 1,760 and 2,400 words:
Let’s face it. That’s a lot of copy. So, here’s another question: Is all that effort you put into writing your awesome posts worthwhile?
For many of us, it takes a solid two or three hours to create a piece of good content that approaches the 2,000-word mark.
Is more content better for SEO? Or are you wasting your time?
Few people can plop in their chairs, bust out a 2,000-word article in an hour, and get on with their day.
Could it be that your 2,000-word articles aren’t even worth the time and effort you put into them? I’ll answer that question for you.
Then, I’ll give you a surefire formula for not wasting your time when you write articles—a powerful method to help your articles rank on top.
If you’re ready to stop wasting time, start ranking high, and optimize your content length for SEO, read on.
Long vs. Short-Form Content: What Works Best?
Here’s a short answer: It depends on your goal.
Every piece of content you publish has a different purpose.
Long-form content (usually over 1,000 words) can be great for in-depth articles, guides, and white papers. This type of content allows you to dive deep into a topic, provide valuable insights, and showcase your knowledge and expertise.
Additionally, long-form content tends to perform better in search engines, but that doesn’t mean Google favors higher word counts.
On the other hand, short-form content (300 to 600 words) can be great for social media posts, certain blog posts, and email newsletters. Short-form content lets you convey a message quickly and succinctly. It’s also more shareable.
Now, if you’re talking about content length and SEO, the answer’s a little more complex.
Ahrefs suggests you should be asking what length best satisfies searchers’ needs.
According to Ahrefs, the best content length for SEO depends on what’s ranking. You also need to look at what format is ranking (for example, guides, listicles, or tutorials). From there, you can create a search-focused outline by identifying content gaps.
Ahrefs has a keyword explorer tool to help with this, but you may prefer to use Ubersuggest.
Aside from SEO, creating content that resonates with your target audience, provides value, and aligns with your goals is essential.
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The Definitive B2B Marketing Guide
Did you know that 77 percent of B2B buyers say their latest purchase was complex or difficult?
That’s a big opportunity for marketers like you. Make that journey a little easier and reap the rewards of connecting with your target audience and driving conversions.
A winning business-to-business (B2B) marketing strategy makes all the difference in landing loyal customers. I’m here to help you take your B2B game to the next level with this definitive B2B marketing guide.
By the time you’ve finished reading, you’ll understand how B2B marketing works and how to use different B2B marketing strategies. I’ll review some B2B marketing best practices so you can hit the ground running.
Get ready to win at B2B.
What Is B2B Marketing?
B2B marketing is where a business sells products or services to other companies. It could be marketing something like software, web hosting services, or cloud computing packages.
In practice, this means reaching out to other businesses, developing relationships, and selling your products or services to them.
To position themselves as the best solution, B2B businesses might write post blogs, white papers, case studies, or display ads to appeal to their ideal clients.
Additionally, research from LinkedIn shows B2B marketing leaders are increasingly turning to in-person events (60 percent), video (59 percent), and thought leadership content (57 percent) to generate leads and grow their businesses.
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- Content Marketing – our team creates epic content that will get shared, get links, and attract traffic.
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Embracing B2B marketing can help you:
- Boost exposure: B2B tactics help businesses build brand awareness and build a strong brand reputation by sharing valuable expertise and insights on products and services.
- Build loyalty and trust: Developing targeted content is a great way to build enduring relationships with current and potential customers alike. Win them over by addressing their pain points and providing them solutions to those problems. This allows you to position your brand as their go-to for anything in your niche—and there’s a lot of long-lasting value to that.
- Target your marketing efforts: B2B marketing allows businesses to focus their efforts on a specific target audience, ideally decision-makers within companies. This helps businesses key in on the right people with their messaging and strategies.
Examples of B2B companies that nail B2B marketing include HubSpot, Dropbox, and Stripe. I’ll tell you more about what each does well—and how you can learn from their success—later in this piece.
B2C vs. B2B Marketing
As you might expect, B2B and B2C marketing have different approaches to reaching customers.
B2C businesses usually aim to connect with their customers emotionally by addressing their needs, desires, and pain points. B2B marketing focuses more on practical needs like cost-cutting, improving efficiency, and security, though focusing on a prospective client’s pain points does pay off.
The way you build relationships with customers is also different in learning how to market B2B. B2C businesses are more transactional, while B2B businesses focus on building relationships, networking, and direct outreach.
The B2B and B2B sales cycles also vary. B2C sales cycles are usually shorter, as they rely on customers making quick decisions rooted in emotion. B2B sales, on the other hand, take longer since the decision-making process is more complex—filled with pitches, product demos, and relationship-building.
Developing Your B2B Marketing Strategy
Creating the right B2B marketing strategies can be a major challenge. Whether you’re learning how to market B2B products or how to market B2B services, it’s especially important to identify the best tactics and techniques to reach your target audience.
In this section, I’ll explain how to approach your B2B content marketing strategy so it resonates with your customers and helps you achieve your business goals.
Define Clear Objectives
If you want a solid guide for your digital marketing strategy, it all begins with setting clear objectives. If you don’t know what you’re hoping to achieve, you’ll have no idea if you’re on the way to achieving it.
Is your company just starting out and looking to build brand awareness around your products and services? Are you somewhat established and looking to pick up the pace of growth? Each scenario will call for different objectives.
Be specific and realistic with your goals, and make sure they make sense for your business. For instance, don’t shoot for crazy growth numbers like increasing leads by 60% in a quarter or tripling your social media following in a month.
Those goals might make perfect sense for your business, but they’ll be all but impossible to achieve. In marketing, we talk a lot about SMART goals (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound).
For instance, following the SMART method, your B2B marketing goals might look like this:
- Specific: Increase the number of memberships you sell by 20 percent.
- Measurable: To ensure you’re on track, you can monitor your progress using monthly sales figures.
- Attainable: Based on historical data, a 20 percent increase is realistic and would help you meet your overall goal of increasing revenue.
- Relevant: Selling more memberships fits with the larger objective of increasing revenue.
- Time-bound: To stay on target, you plan to achieve this 20 percent increase within the next six months.
This SMART goal is a great tool for keeping your efforts focused and effective while providing clear criteria for measuring your progress along the way.
Create Multiple Buyer Personas for Effective Targeting
To make sure you’re pursuing the right potential customers, it pays to create customer personas. After all, the most important part of any B2B marketing approach is understanding whom you’re targeting.
In a B2B sense, a buyer persona is a fictional prospect within a company whose traits match those of your ideal buyer. Think everything from their title to the level of autonomy they have to make decisions on behalf of their company. I like to think of personas kind of like characters in a book.
How do you work them into your B2B marketing strategy? By developing multiple buyer personas according to where your customers are in your B2B marketing funnel—in other words, whether they’re just becoming aware of your product or service, considering it, or ready to make a decision.
Doing so allows you to identify the unique needs and pain points of your different customer segments. With that comes a better customer journey. In fact, a successful personalization program boosts customer satisfaction by 20 percent and sales conversion rates by as much as 15 percent.
With these detailed profiles, you can personalize your B2B marketing strategies to resonate with each customer group, craft more compelling messages, and better position your products and services.
Key traits to work into your buyer personas include:
- Age
- Gender
- Income
- Occupation
- Marital status
- Education
- Geographical location
- Challenges
- Hobbies and interests
- Goals
- Fears
- Pain points
- Values
Ready to start crafting your personas? HubSpot has some free templates to help get your project off the ground.
Identify Your Buyer’s Journey
What steps does a potential customer go through during the decision-making process? Once you answer that question, you can use that as a definitive B2B marketing guide and create content around it.
Your sales reps get only 5 percent of a customer’s time during the B2B buyer’s journey. That’s why developing content that speaks to them at every stage of the journey is essential.
Much like the B2B marketing funnel, the buyer’s journey starts with awareness, moves on to consideration, and finishes with a buyer pulling the trigger on a purchase.
To personalize your B2B marketing strategies to each stage of the buyer’s journey, create a customer journey map. This is a visual representation of the steps and touchpoints customers go through when interacting with a company.
The Power of SEO: How It Can Transform Your Online Presence
In today’s digital landscape, SEO (Search Engine Optimization) plays a pivotal role in determining the success of your online presence. Here’s why SEO is so crucial for businesses and individuals alike:
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Enhanced Visibility: SEO ensures your website ranks higher on search engine results pages, driving more organic traffic and potential customers to your site.
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Targeted Audience: By optimizing your content with relevant keywords, you attract users genuinely interested in your products or services, increasing conversion rates.
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Credibility and Trust: Appearing on the first page of search results establishes credibility in the eyes of users, making them more likely to trust your brand.
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User Experience: SEO focuses on improving website performance, speed, and mobile-friendliness, creating a seamless and enjoyable user experience.
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Long-Term Strategy: While paid advertising may deliver instant results, SEO’s long-term approach ensures sustained growth and cost-effectiveness.
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Beat the Competition: Outranking competitors in search results positions you as an industry leader and gives you a competitive advantage.
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Global Reach: SEO allows you to reach a broader audience and expand your business beyond geographical boundaries.
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Adapt to Changing Algorithms: SEO specialists keep up with search engine algorithm updates, ensuring your website remains relevant and optimized.
In conclusion, SEO is not just a marketing strategy; it’s an essential investment that can revolutionize your online success. Embrace the power of SEO and watch your digital presence thrive.
