Marketing
SEO Explained
SEO stands for search engine optimisation and, as the name suggests, is the process of improving/ optimising a website in a way that search engines can interpret it. Its key purpose is to improve rankings in organic search engine results to increase the quantity and quality of website traffic which can ultimately lead to increased conversions and sales. In this article we explore the 3 key areas of SEO; technical, on-page and off-page.
Technical SEO
A technically sound website must load quickly and be easy to crawl and index by search engines. The correct implementation of technical SEO is crucial in helping search engines to understand a website and what the website is about. There are a number of factors involved in proper technical SEO setup and maintenance of a website, such as;
Site speed
Today, people expect web pages to load quickly. If a website doesn’t load in under 3 seconds, more than half of site visitors will leave which contributes to a higher bounce rate. This provides your company with two key issues, firstly the loss of customers as they will leave and move on to another website out of frustration. The other is that search engines like Google are committed to providing users with the best possible experience. Google knows that slow loading websites offer a less optimal user experience and therefore prefer sites that load quicker.
In fact, page load speed is a direct ranking factor used by Google’s algorithm. Therefore, if your page or website takes longer to load, it will not rank as highly making it less visible to users. There are a number of ways you can reduce your page load time including:
- Using a performance optimised hosting platform such as WordPress or Shopify.
- Compress image sizes.
- Enable browser caching & cache your pages.
- Reduce redirects.
Crawlability
Crawlability refers to search engines’ ability to access and crawl a website. If a site has no crawl issues, the web crawlers can access content easily by following links between pages. Some best practices SEO methods to improve crawlability include:
- Submitting a sitemap to Google.
- Knitting internal links into the fabric of your website.
- Consistently adding new content to the website.
- Regularly updating old content on the website.
- Quick page load speed.
- Monitoring and fixing any crawler issues.
Fixing crawler issues
If you have worked hard on a website but see that your content is struggling to reach the first page of search engine results, there may be an issue you have overlooked. This important element of technical SEO is the monitoring and fixing of any crawler issues. These issues include the following:
NoFollow links– these are links that have been marked as NoFollow in the pages code meaning the crawler can’t follow links on a page.
Broken links– these are always a bad experience for a user and is when a link points to a page on a site that doesn’t exist. This could occur because a page has been deleted or removed and the link has not been updated.
Site map error– this could be caused due to a formatting error which might include invalid URLs, missing tags etc or because the wrong pages are included in the sitemap.
Redirects– redirects are sometimes necessary to forward users to a more relevant page, however, if two pages get redirected to each other, this can create a redirect loop, wasting crawl bots time.
Page duplicates– one of the most commonly occurring crawler errors is duplicate content usually caused by poor website architecture.
Indexability
After a site is crawled by search engines, it is then analysed and added to an index. This is where search engines like Google categories information and content found on a website so it is ready to be displayed in search results.
Site maps
A sitemap is a file that you can submit to Google which provides information about the pages, videos and other information on your website and importantly, the relationship between them.
All too often, markers fail to submit sitemaps to search engines because it is not essential since bots will crawl your site eventually. We highly recommend submitting a sitemap to search engines because it allows them to crawl your site more efficiently and can speed up the indexing and ranking process.
Structured data
Structured data is an excellent way to help search engines understand your website. Using the fixed HTML format known as schema markup, you can tell search engines exactly what your content is about. This improves the way search engines read and represent your page in search results, allowing search engines to provide more informative and relevant content to users.
Examples of schema markup include:
- Products
- Recipe
- Events
- Revies
- Local business
On-page SEO
On-page SEO refers to the elements of search engine optimisation that you control within your website. It covers content, title tags, headers, images, meta descriptions, structured data and more. It is a crucial part of SEO because it tells search engines what your website is about.
Keywords
Keywords are the primary focus of on-page SEO. The first step in creating an effectively optimised web page is to identify relevant keywords that have a high search volume and low competition. You then need to create individual pieces of content that are dedicated to each specific keyword. To do this you must include the key term in the following places:
- Title tag
- Headings
- Meta description
- First paragraph (first 100 words of text)
- Alt text of images on page
- URL
Off-page SEO
Off-page SEO refers to the actions taken to improve your search engine rankings that fall outside of your website. It can involve a variety of actions including guest blogging, building backlinks and being active on social media. Developing back links is a critical element of SEO because it has a huge impact on a website’s domain authority. A domain authority is a ranking factor of search engines that determines how authoritative a website is, so, the higher it is, the better your rankings will be.
Websites that have a high domain authority include; The BBC, The Guardian, Sky News, NHS, Amazon etc. These sites have been around for a long period of time and are trusted sources. Whilst gaining a backlink from these sites is incredibly difficult, it is possible to backlinks from other authoritative websites.
Summary
In summary, whilst it is clear there is a lot of work that goes into effective SEO, the benefits are long-term rankings which can drive traffic and revenue for years to come. If you are in need of an SEO specialist, we recommend getting in touch with an agency such as Our Digital Team who provide this type of services. It is possible to complete the work yourself, but if you don’t have the time, knowledge, or experience, it may be much more cost and time effective to have help from the experts.
Marketing
Fascinating Local SEO Tactics That Can Help Your Business Grow
In today’s digital era, online visibility is vital for community-based enterprises. Employing Local Search Engine Optimization (SEO) acts as a valuable tool, elevating your business in local search results and simplifying discovery by nearby residents.
Explore 10 straightforward and engaging strategies for optimizing local SEO to propel your business growth.
Significance of Local Business Development
Developing your business within the community is crucial for encouraging community participation, building trust, and establishing a robust customer foundation. Local growth enables you to comprehend and address the distinctive requirements of your community, fostering a sense of connection and loyalty. Positive local interactions, word-of-mouth recommendations, and community engagement contribute to a favorable brand image.
By concentrating on local expansion, businesses can enjoy heightened visibility in local searches, leveraging the impactful influence of local SEO. Ultimately, a thriving local presence acts as the cornerstone for sustained business success, paving the way for broader regional and national growth.
10 Straightforward Strategies for Local SEO and Business Growth
Optimize Your Google My Business (GMB) Profile:
Commence with the essentials! Your Google My Business functions as your digital business card. Ensure accuracy in business name, address, phone number, and operating hours. Encourage satisfied customers to leave affirmative reviews, fostering positive recognition from Google. If needed, take help from the Best Local SEO Company.
Embrace Local Keywords:
Consider the terms your neighbors might use when searching for a business like yours. These are your local keywords. Integrate them seamlessly into your website content, titles, and headings. This signals to Google that your business is a relevant choice for local customers.
Dedicate Unique Pages for Each Location:
For businesses with multiple locations, allocate a dedicated webpage to each. Highlight the distinctive aspects and offerings of each location, aiding Google in associating them with local searches.
List Your Business in Online Directories:
Visualize online directories as the digital Yellow Pages. Ensure accurate listings on popular platforms like Yelp and local business directories. Consistent Name, Address, and Phone Number (NAP) details across these platforms enhance trust with Google.
Optimize for Mobile Users:
Given the growing users of mobile devices, make sure the website is mobile-friendly. A website that is easily navigable on mobile and tab screens increases the likelihood of high Google rankings.
Cultivate Local Links:
Forge connections! When local websites link to yours, it signifies an endorsement from the online community. Attend local events, sponsor community activities, and seek links from other businesses. This establishes a network of local support.
Tailor Your Content to the Local Audience:
Adapt your content to resonate with the language of your community. Craft blog posts, produce videos, or share on social media about local events, news, or interests. This fosters online connections with your neighbors and enhances visibility in local searches.
Implement Schema Markup for Local SEO:
Fear not, it’s simpler than it sounds! Integrate schema markup on your website to provide Google with additional information about your business. This can enhance your business’s appearance in search results, adding a touch of allure to your online presence.
Engage with and Respond to Reviews:
Reviews hold significant weight! Monitor feedback on platforms like Google, Yelp, and social media. Respond to both positive and negative reviews to demonstrate your commitment. Google rewards businesses that show care with improved local rankings.
Advertise Locally Online:
Target your audience! Platforms like Google Ads and Facebook enable precise location-based targeting. This is akin to placing a billboard where your neighbors are most likely to see it. Capture the attention of potential customers within your locality.
Conclusion:
These local SEO strategies can have a good impact on your business’s visibility in Google’s local searches. As the digital landscape grows, staying updated of these strategies can be helpful for your business to stand out locally. Take a step forward and implement these tips – your journey toward local success commences now!
Marketing
Five Great Reasons to Choose a Career in Digital Marketing
If a career path that combines creativity, data analysis, and the power to inspire and engage audiences in innovative ways sounds exciting, a digital marketing career could be right for you. Additionally, digital marketing is one of those career trends that is constantly changing.
But Digital marketing is not just a trend; it’s a dynamic and ever-evolving field that shows no signs of slowing down. With the increasing reliance on digital platforms for everything from shopping to socializing, businesses across the globe are allocating substantial budgets to capture the attention of their online audiences.
This demand translates into a multitude of job opportunities for digital marketers, spanning from entry-level positions to specialized roles in a variety of areas because digital marketing careers embrace versatility.
So, whether you’re passionate about writing, graphic design, coding, or analyzing marketing data, you have a niche within digital marketing. This versatility also extends to industries—digital marketers are needed in virtually every sector, from e-commerce and technology to healthcare and entertainment.
Moreover, the nature of digital work often allows for remote and flexible work arrangements, granting you the freedom to work from different locations and adapt your schedule to your lifestyle. You may even become an independent digital marketing consultant, helping companies improve marketing goals or launch their digital marketing strategies.
Here are some more reasons to seek a digital marketing career.
Digital Marketing Skills Remain in High-Demand
The American Marketing Association said that when you look at the $460 million in the digital advertising and marketing market, you’ll see the urgent need for skilled professionals in the digital marketing space.
They point to Aquent’s 2022 Salary Guide, which showed salary increases trending upward for:
Social Media Managers (17%)
Digital Marketing Specialists (12%)
Presentation Designers (11%)
Copywriters (8%)
Digital Marketing Managers (7%)
There are entrepreneurship opportunities
If you have the means, SEMRush says it’s a good idea to consider starting your own digital marketing agency. With high budgets and demands, there are plenty of opportunities to use your knowledge to help other businesses. However, they share three essential questions to ask before you move forward:
- Is there a demand for YOUR service?
There might be ways that your services overlap with others in your space, so you need to demonstrate what makes you different. - Can you produce results?
One way to answer the differentiation question is through results, especially social proof and client testimonials. - Can you build a team?
If you decide to launch an agency (instead of a sole proprietorship), you’ll need a team to scale your business. SEMRush says, “Adding part-time and full-time employees means navigating different legal, recruiting, training, and management landscapes.”
You Can Be Creative, Strategic, or Both
Depending on the work situation or size of the company, a digital marketing career can be rooted in creativity, strategy or a combination of both. On the creative side, crafting compelling ad campaigns, designing engaging content, and conceptualizing innovative marketing ideas come into play.
However, data analysis and market research strategically drive these creative endeavors. This combination ensures that your creativity isn’t just aesthetically pleasing and effectively targeted toward the right audience at the right time.
You’ll know the impact of your work by measuring results. Those results can be a gratifying part of a digital marketing career. Who knows? Your creative or strategic work could have a powerful local, regional or global impact.
With the power of online platforms, campaigns have the potential to reach a global audience, transcending geographical barriers. This global reach empowers digital marketers to influence diverse audiences, promote cultural understanding, and contribute to cross-cultural conversations—all from the comfort of their laptops.
It’s Possible to Make Digital Marketing a Career Change
If you find yourself with an increased interest in digital marketing, it’s possible to make it the focus of a career change. Since we know it’s an evolving, high-demand and versatile industry, your first step in a career change should be recognizing what elements of digital marketing interest you.
- Content Creation?
- Content Strategy?
- SEO?
- Social Media?
- Data Analytics?
Along with identifying your area of focus, ask yourself:
“What do I know, and what do I need to learn?”
As a consumer, you might already have a good sense of what engages or frustrates you in the advertising world, which could provide you with a sound basis for a strategy. However, it would be best if you worked to develop skills to make you attractive to employers with digital marketing needs.
If you don’t have two to four years to complete a degree in marketing, you could enroll in a digital marketing bootcamp that helps you hone your skills in less time.
LinkedIn isn’t going to be just a good source for showcasing your new digital marketing skills and experience. You’ll also find several digital marketing experts on the platform. Many of them share insights and resources on modern digital marketing trends and ideas.
Continued Learning Never Ends
Did we mention that the digital marketing space is constantly evolving? That means you will always have new paths to learn new digital marketing skills, strategies and ideas. It’s the only way to thrive because, in the realm of digital marketing, stagnation is not an option.
With the rapid pace of technological advancements, digital marketers are in a constant state of learning. New platforms, tools, and strategies emerge regularly, challenging professionals to stay updated and innovative. This continuous learning curve ensures that a digital marketing career remains intellectually stimulating and future-proof as adaptability becomes a coveted skill in an ever-changing landscape.
So, a career in digital marketing is a dynamic and multifaceted journey that blends versatility, creativity, analytics, and audience. Its constant evolution makes it a long-lasting and essential aspect of modern business.
As digital platforms continue to shape our world, the demand for skilled digital marketers remains high across industries, offering many opportunities at all levels of expertise. The adaptability of digital marketing careers allows you to find your niche, whether it’s in content creation, SEO, social media, or data analytics.
Plus, the potential to explore entrepreneurship, global reach, job variety, good salaries and continuous learning makes this field an exciting and rewarding choice for those ready to embark on a digital marketing career.
Author Bio:
Anjani Vigha is a technical as well as creative content writer at Thinkful, a Chegg service. She is an outgoing person, and you will find her near books, arts and explore the miraculous world of technology. Connect with her on LinkedIn or Twitter.
Marketing
Digital Marketing and Its Effects on Start-up Business
Digital marketing has a significant impact on start-up businesses, particularly in today’s digital age where most consumers are online. Some of the effects of digital marketing on start-ups are:
- Increased reach: Digital marketing enables start-ups to reach a larger audience, both locally and globally, through platforms like social media, email marketing, and search engines.
- Cost-effective: Compared to traditional marketing methods, digital marketing is often more cost-effective, especially for start-ups with limited budgets. Digital marketing strategies like social media marketing and email marketing can be executed for little to no cost.
- Improved customer insights: Digital marketing tools like analytics and tracking enable start-ups to better understand their target audience and make informed decisions about their marketing efforts.
- Better engagement: Digital marketing allows start-ups to interact with their target audience in real-time, building stronger relationships and increasing brand loyalty.
- Higher conversion rates: Effective digital marketing strategies can result in higher conversion rates, turning leads into paying customers.
- Targeted Advertising: Digital marketing tools, such as social media and search engine advertising, allow businesses to target specific demographics, such as age, location, and interests, increasing the chances of reaching the right audience.
- Measurable Results: Digital marketing provides data-driven insights and metrics that can be used to measure the success of campaigns, making it easier to refine and optimize marketing strategies.
- Increased Exposure: Digital marketing provides start-up businesses with a platform to increase their online visibility and reach a wider audience, helping to build brand awareness and increase sales.
However, there are also potential drawbacks to digital marketing, such as the crowded and competitive digital space, where start-ups may struggle to stand out among established brands. Additionally, digital marketing requires a certain level of expertise, which some start-ups may not have in-house.
Overall, digital marketing is an essential tool for start-up businesses looking to reach a wider audience and grow their brand. When used effectively, it can lead to increased exposure, customer engagement, and ultimately, business success.
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