Improve Your Local SEO via Content Marketing

Published on: 11 April 2017 Last Updated on: 04 September 2024

In 2016, a local business in Lethbridge, Alberta, won the viral lottery when a raving Facebook post drew in customers in flocks. Whitby’s Fish and Chips shop was struggling for months due to poor location and expensive marketing.

Owner John McMillan, who had been unable to pay himself a salary, shared his plight with a first-time customer Colin Ross. The meeting changed Whitbie’s destiny. Ross posted a Facebook review promoting the shop and urging the close-knit Canadian community to help out McMillan by trying the sumptuous items on Whitbie’s menu.

The post went viral and sent people lining up from opening to well past closing time. According to a local news report, about 400 people visited the shop the day after Ross’s post, and 500 more lined up the next day.

The power of digital marketing

The viral post about Whitbie’s is a dream come true for any business. Not only did it provide the local shop exposure in local and international news outlets, but most importantly, it brought in real customers. Whitbie’s social media success is one of the products of digital marketing.

Digital marketing is simply the promotion of products and services via digital technologies such as the Internet, mobile phones, and display advertising. One of the most popular digital marketing tools is social media where roughly a third of the global population actively interact.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a set of techniques that helps businesses and publishers maximize digital marketing in reaching out to their target audience. Essentially, its main goal is to rank high in search results pages.

Google uses 200 signals in ranking webpages including keywords, the freshness of content, and region. It’s the job of a digital marketing agency to apply effective and ethical SEO strategies to sustain a business’ top ranking in major search engines.

Local SEO and citation consistency

If SEO is macro, local SEO is micro. Local SEO “allows local businesses to promote their services to local customers at exactly the time they’re looking for your type of business.” This set of processes aims to target real customers in a geographical location. Aside from search engines, local SEO uses online directories such as Yelp, Qype, and TouchLocal.

The core of local SEO is information. Your citation or NAP (name, address and phone number) must be updated and consistent in all webpages and online directories. Inconsistency can adversely affect your ranking in organic search results.

Try searching for your business in search engines. You’ll see which webpages still reflect your previous address or old phones. “The citation consistency of your business across the web helps search engines decide where you are geographically relevant for various local search queries,” wrote Sinclaire Dickinson, content strategist at Wired SEO.

The 3-pack challenge

Recently, SEO experts received news that would make their jobs a little more challenging. Google updated its search results to show three local businesses instead of seven. The business listings were also redesigned to suit the mobile user interface.

According to Google, the update “provides people with more than relevant information, including photos, review, and prices, for searches that have multiple results for a given location.” The challenge lies in how to make into the first three results in the world’s most powerful search engine.

Content strategies for your business

Google’s ranking factors serve as a compass leading the best digital marketing tactics. Ross’ viral Facebook on Whitbie’s Fish and Chips shop has the formula every digital marketer aims to master: a unique content too appealing to influence action.

Ross’ own reputation as an influencer within his own circle was also key. Content is one of the most important signals Google use in ranking webpages. In creating an article or video for your business, use Google’s content-related ranking signals as your guide.

Your content must not only be original, but it should also provide value and unique insights. This increases demand for journalistic materials supported by data and written by experts. Create useful content for your target audience.

Food brands are making 30-second cooking videos sharing how their products can be incorporated in easy-to-make meals. Regularly update your webpages and social media pages as Google takes note of the recency of content updates especially for time-sensitive searches.

Don’ts in content marketing

Do you need to hire an SEO expert or a digital marketing agency? Google warns that choosing an SEO expert partner is critical for your business as it can either improve your site or risk damage to your site and reputation. “Make sure to research the potential advantages as well as the damage that an irresponsible SEO can do to your site.”

Some of the techniques that you or your SEO expert should avoid is producing duplicate materials on the same site, spinning words to create “new” content, and posting misleading information. Google advises to watch out for rogue SEOs that own shadow domains, place links to their other clients on doorway pages, and offer to sell keywords in the address bar.

Shadow domains direct users to the website through deceptive redirects. Attaining a number 1 ranking on Google is not guaranteed. If your SEO promises a top spot, it’s likely that it’s a scam.

Some content marketing tips from experts

Today, consumers would check online reviews, blogs, and other online information before making a purchase. One tip to boost your local SEO is to submit guest posts on local websites. This will expose your business and offerings, and earn you valuable backlinks. Backlinks are ranking factors.

You should also make use of relevant local keywords. An SEO expert can help you determine the right keywords that will attract local searchers.

Produce content relevant to your local audience. One of the most popular blog posts is how-to’s or “Top 10” lists related to a certain industry. Adding high-quality photos can also help.

A viral post can only come once in a lifetime. Instead of aspiring for something that will be shared everywhere, work for content that will place you on top of search engines and attract real customers within your region of operation. Maximize local SEO. Create useful and appealing content. Reach out to people who will bring value to your business.

Content Rally

Content Rally wrapped around an online publication where you can publish your own intellectuals. It is a publishing platform designed to make great stories by content creators. This is your era, your place to be online. So come forward share your views, thoughts and ideas via Content Rally.

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Importance of Web Push Notifications in Search Engine Optimization

If you are concerned about getting your website ranked high up in search engine results, you will need to pay special attention towards the web push notifications. It has been identified as one of the proven methods available for you to secure higher positions in the search engine rankings. Why search engines pay attention to web push notifications as a ranking parameter? First of all, you must understand why all the leading search engines such as Google and Yahoo have started paying attention to web push notifications as a ranking parameter. Every single business that exists out there in the world is equipped with their loyal customer bases. Your business will have such a customer base as well. Those customers will visit your website on a regular basis to see what you have got for sale. Those customers are concerned about what your brand has got to offer. This ensures repeated traffic to your website. When you are having a bigger customer base, you will be able to end up with better conversions as well. You can allow web push notifications to provide the latest updates to your customer base. Then you can increase their chances of coming to your website. This can be considered as the main reason why search engines tend to pay special attention to web push notifications. Below mentioned are a few examples, which indicate how web push notifications are capable of providing tremendous assistance to you with increasing your rankings on search engines. 1. They can assist you to create a marketing list: If you are looking for a convenient method to create a marketing list, web push notifications will be one of the greatest options available to consider. It is an extremely easy task for the people to sign up to receive web push notifications. They just need to allow or block, once they are prompted with the notification. As a result, any business owner can instantly transform a visitor into a subscriber of the website. The web push notifications are effective and impressive when compared to landing pages and marketing emails. People in today’s world rarely tend to go ahead and complete the lead generation forms on the landing pages and emails that they receive. By taking a look at the conversion rates, you will be able to get a better understanding of the above-mentioned fact. However, it is possible to engage in an effective and efficient marketing campaign. This has impressed the search engines as well. 2. They can help you to drive repetitive traffic: Another obvious benefit associated with web push notifications is that they are in a position to drive repetitive traffic towards your website. You just need to send out a push notification when there is an update. Then your loyal customer base would come to your website in order to see what the update is all about. With this, you can easily increase the traffic that you are getting on the website. The best thing about web push notifications is that it can help you to drive relevant traffic towards the website. Therefore, every single visitor that comes into your website will be in a position to contribute towards your business at the end of the day. This can be considered as another great reason available for the search engines to provide more attention towards your website when determining the search engine rankings. 3. They can increase your chances of growth in the future: If your business becomes successful in creating a loyal customer base, you will be able to increase your chances of growth in the future as well. That’s because the loyal customers come back to your website on a regular basis and purchase the products or services that you offer. This can add tremendous value to your SEO strategy as well. When your web traffic is increasing, many other important parameters that define your SEO strategy will be impacted. Pageviews, average session duration and bounce rates are perfect examples of such parameters. From one of the recently conducted experiments, it has been identified that the push notifications are linked to the highest click-through rates. In other words, the click-through rates associated with web push notifications is in between 12% and 21% on average. This is obviously better than email marketing campaigns, where the click-through rates are below 5%. Due to this reason, search engines tend to pay special attention to the availability of web push notifications on your website. 4. They appear directly on any device: When you go ahead with a traditional email marketing campaign, your customers will need to open their mailboxes to see what you have sent. Due to this reason, you will be able to get the results of your email marketing campaigns after a couple of days of sending out the emails. This hassle can be eliminated effectively with the assistance of web push notifications. That’s because the web push notifications that you send out will be displayed instantly on any device. For example, the Chrome push notification is displayed in the bottom right-hand corner of the computer display. They are instantly displayed on mobile devices as well. Hence, your chances of getting quick results from the web push notifications are extremely high. Due to this reason, search engines tend to give more priority towards the push notifications. 5. They can reach a wider audience: You must also keep in mind that the web push notifications are in a position to reach a wider audience. All the major browsers that you can find out there on the internet, such as Safari, Firefox and Google Chrome support push notifications. Therefore, you will find it as an easy task to spread your message to a bigger audience with minimum effort. Search engines have identified this as a powerful factor and give more priority towards your web rankings. Read Also: Things to consider while doing SEO. Why SEO is still the digital channel with the highest ROI.

8 Tips For Hiring The Right PPC Agency

If you’re looking for a way to drive more leads and sales for your business, you may be considering hiring a PPC agency in Toronto. Pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns can be an effective tool for driving targeted traffic to your website and generating conversions. However, it’s important to choose the right PPC agency to ensure you get the best results from your campaigns. In this blog post, we’ll discuss tips for hiring the right PPC agency. Here Are Eight Prime Ideas For Hiring The Right PPC Agency Let us dive in: 1. Define Your Objectives Before you start looking for a PPC agency to hire, it’s important to take the time to define your objectives. What are your goals? Do you want to increase website traffic, drive conversions or boost brand awareness? Or do you have multiple goals that need to be achieved? Knowing exactly what you want from the agency will help you find the best fit for your needs. Additionally, having an understanding of your own internal resources and capabilities can help you determine what kind of agency you need to achieve your goals. Once you know what your objectives are and what type of help you need, you can begin the process of researching potential agencies. 2. Do Your Research The other step should always be to do your research. Start by searching online and looking at reviews of different agencies. You should also check out the websites and social media profiles of the agencies you’re considering. This will give you an idea of their expertise, and the types of services they offer. It’s also important to read up on industry news and trends to make sure that the agency you’re considering is up-to-date with the latest changes in PPC. Doing your research can also help you find a few agencies you’d like to contact. Make sure to take your time and evaluate the options you have. 3. Consider the Size When it comes to hiring a PPC agency, one of the most important factors to consider is the size of the agency. A larger agency may have more resources, experience, and expertise to draw from when managing your campaigns. However, a smaller agency may provide a more personalized approach that you may prefer. It’s important to assess the size of the agency and consider if they have enough resources and capabilities to provide you with the results you’re looking for. Think about the size of your budget and the scope of your campaigns to determine what size of an agency will best fit your needs. 4. Check Their Case Studies It's important to take the time to review their case studies. Case studies are an important way to gain insight into the strategies that a PPC agency uses to achieve results for its clients. Ask the agency for links to their case studies and review them. Ensure they have experience with clients similar to your business in terms of size and industry. This will help you get an idea of the results the agency can deliver for you. Additionally, don’t be afraid to ask for further details about the case studies. This will help you better understand the campaigns and how successful they were. It can also help you decide if the PPC agency protects your data and is right for you. 5. Make Sure They're Certified Another important criterion is to make sure that they're certified. This is especially true if you're looking for a PPC agency in Toronto. Many agencies claim to be experts in the field but may not have the necessary qualifications or certifications to back up their claims. Look for certifications from major search engines such as Google and Bing, as well as professional organizations. Ask the agency directly what certifications they hold and check to see if they are legitimate. A certified PPC agency will be able to provide you with the best service and ensure that your campaigns are run in a compliant manner. 6. Find out About Their Clients When researching potential PPC agencies, one of the most important questions you can ask is who their clients are. Knowing who the agency currently works with will give you a good indication of their experience and success in the field. You should also look for clients that are in the same industry as you. It will give you a better understanding of how well they’ll be able to service your own needs. When looking at the client list of a potential PPC agency, you should also consider their level of involvement with each client. Ask them how long they’ve been working with the client and what types of services they provide. Also, make sure to look out for any awards or industry recognition they may have won while working with that client. This will give you a better idea of their capabilities and how well they’ve been able to service their other customers. 7. Check Their References When you’re looking for a PPC agency in Toronto, it’s important to make sure you check out their references. A reputable PPC agency will be able to provide a list of clients who have had positive experiences with their services. Ask the agency for a few contacts you can talk to and get feedback from. Make sure to ask if the agency was able to meet its client's expectations and goals. You should also inquire about the customer service they received and the quality of results they achieved. Gathering feedback from former and current clients is a great way to get an inside look into the work of the agency and its capabilities. 8. Get a Proposal Getting a proposal from potential PPC agencies is an important step in the hiring process. A well-crafted proposal can give you a better understanding of the agency’s capabilities and how they plan to help you achieve your goals. When requesting a proposal, provide the agency with a clear list of your objectives and expectations, as well as any relevant data or information about your business and current campaigns. This will help them create a more detailed and accurate proposal for you. Conclusion When it comes to hiring a PPC agency in Toronto, there are many factors to consider. By following these tips, you can ensure that you are making the right decision for your business when hiring a PPC agency. Remember to carefully review the proposal before making a decision. Good luck! Read Also: Why Would The Data For A Search Network Campaign Show Conversions But No View-through Conversions? To Increase The Speed At Which Google Analytics Compiles Reports – What Action Could Be Taken? Quality Of E-Commerce Data Entry Services- Whether You Should Invest In Them?

5 Things You Are Not Checking In SEO But You Should!

SEO is arguably the most powerful marketing tool for today’s professionals and it is also something that is constantly evolving and changing at a rapid pace. You cannot afford to miss out on anything if you want to stay on top or increase your viewership. Here we have put some of the most important things that you should be checking in your SEO but you are not. Check your Backlink Profile: Backlinks are the backbone of SEO. the backlinks are known to be one of the strongest offsite ranking factors which are considered in the search engine algorithms. Backlinks are going to impact your rankings more than any other factor. Make sure your backlinks are not from spammy websites because even if your website is clean, Google will punish your site with bad rankings if you are hanging around with bad boys so to speak. Check your Sites Loading Speed: Keep in mind that Google’s top priority is to show the most relevant results with the highest quality. So, a site that takes more time than others does not exactly fall into that category, does it? In a blog published by Google on its website read, “Speeding up websites is important—not just to site owners, but to all Internet users. Faster sites create happy users and we’ve seen in our internal studies that when a site responds slowly, visitors spend less time there. But faster sites don’t just improve user experience; recent data shows that improving site speed also reduces operating costs. Like us, our users place a lot of value in speed—that’s why we’ve decided to take site speed into account in our search rankings. We use a variety of sources to determine the speed of a site relative to other sites.”- Google Webmasters Blog Check Meta Tags Aren’t Duplicated: The meta tags or the meta titles and description are the two things that the search engines are going to use in order to determine what page this is and where it should be ranking. This is because the meta tags are the first things that the engine spiders are going to read when they are going to index a brand new URL. This will most probably contain your keyword and your brand name as well. This is why you need to optimize this field if you want to stand any chance of getting your site ranked higher in Google searches. Check for Content Duplication: Google does not tolerate duplicate content at all. Not only your ranking will drop significantly, but you will also be given a penalty from Google. There is a very easy way to check for content duplication and all you have to do is paste your URL in Copyscape and it will scan the whole internet for duplicate content. If you find any, make sure that you re-word the page or re-organize your content structure. If you are sure that someone has copied your content for word to word then you can report that website to Google. This will help Google to recognize that your content is not plagiarized from others and this will significantly improve your rankings. Check for Broken links: Whenever a page gets deleted, never existed or redirected then broken links will happen on your website. These links are going to be very damaging to your website and your SEO strategy. Google does not like when users are frustrated and when the users will hit an error page by clicking somewhere on your website they are bound to be frustrated. In order to find any such links on your website, all you need to do is use the HTTP Header Status Checker. Here all you need to do is paste your websites URL in the search bar and get immediate results by finding any broken pages that are linked in your website. Lastly, being in SEO, you must know that organic results are not all that matter. Whether it is Google listing or map or even stock price, you need to be updated with the latest going-ons on SERP. With tools like Stillio, you leave nothing to the chance and have full control over your SEO. Make sure you regularly check on all the things mentioned above on regular intervals and your website will be very healthy. After making sure everything is ok with this, you will be able to go ahead and apply your SEO strategy for your website to gain better rankings. Read Also: 8 Reasons Your SEO Campaigns Aren’t Showing The Desired Results 6 Things To Consider Before Choosing Web Hosting For Your Ecommerce Website

Improve Your Local SEO via Content Marketing

The power of digital marketing

Local SEO and citation consistency

The 3-pack challenge

Content strategies for your business

Don’ts in content marketing

Some content marketing tips from experts

Avoid these 5 Mistakes before Starting an SEO

Should You Hire a Digital Marketing Agency?

Tags

Content Rally

Content Rally wrapped around an online publication where you can publish your own intellectuals. It is a publishing platform designed to make great stories by content creators. This is your era, your place to be online. So come forward share your views, thoughts and ideas via Content Rally.

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Importance of Web Push Notifications in Search Engine Optimization

8 Tips For Hiring The Right PPC Agency

5 Things You Are Not Checking In SEO But You Should!

Improve Your Local SEO via Content Marketing

The power of digital marketing

Local SEO and citation consistency

The 3-pack challenge

Content strategies for your business

Don’ts in content marketing

Some content marketing tips from experts

Share this Article

Avoid these 5 Mistakes before Starting an SEO

Should You Hire a Digital Marketing Agency?

Tags

Content Rally wrapped around an online publication where you can publish your own intellectuals. It is a publishing platform designed to make great stories by content creators. This is your era, your place to be online. So come forward share your views, thoughts and ideas via Content Rally.

Leave a Reply

Popular

Follow Us

Recent

Related