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How to use Google Ads Callout Extensions

by Nishad Jiwa
written by Nishad Jiwa

Google Ads remains a useful platform for advertisers wishing to promote their products and services. This network is ideal for showcasing product listings, videos, service offerings, and other marketing content that is always mobile-friendly.

As a form of paid advertising (PPC), Google Ads help client businesses appear on Google’s searches and Maps. Customers only pay for actual results, like clicks to their websites, blogs, online stores, or calls to their businesses. The platform is accessible via laptops and wireless devices – with ads that appear in minutes after creation for targeting traffic to desired websites.

Here are some more essentials to keep in mind:

  • Google Ads operates on an auction system with businesses that have high-quality ad campaigns receiving rewards. These include better ad placement for higher visibility and lower costs per ad.
  • The average cost per click on Google Ads is $1 – $2 on the search network. The most expensive keywords in Google and Bing Ads cost around $50 per click.
  • As part of your customized Google Ads campaign, you can manage costs with geotargeting, device-targeting, and ad scheduling. Their Smart Ads Creator also helps you create business ads and banners that display in minutes.

How can Google Ads Callout extensions help my marketing strategy?

Now that we have covered some basics of Google Ads, let’s explore some of the tools available for brand marketing enhancement. One of the most popular additions to Ads is Callout Extensions. These are mainly small snippets of text that appear with your search ads. These content bits showcase the additional benefits of your products or services.

You can add up to 4 callouts per ad with 25 characters long. Here is a sample of Google Ads Callout Extensions:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1YMKaanl7HgPe8GEHfS-KCRFWpppAErGj

The snippets are streamlined to highlight deals, discounts, or special promotions. They can be a few keywords with commas or sentences around 25 characters long. In this ad, Insignia SEO in Austin is offering 10% off its services on orders over $2,000.

Why should you use Callout Extensions?

As you can see in the sample ad above, Insignia SEO has used the callout extension to add two additional messages to their main ad.

  • Deal: 10% off Services
  • Mention Ad on orders over $2,000.

While the main ad focuses on promoting the company as the best agency for SEO services in Houston, the additional snippets relay essential information about a discount available to all existing and potential clients/customers. This is done in a crafty manner – one that does not overburden the ad but seamlessly blends in the additional content.

Callout Extensions allow you to double the amount of text in your ad for effective messaging. While Google Ads limits content to 25 characters for headlines and 70 characters for the body of the advertisement, Callout ads give you more space for reaching wider audiences. These additions even help your brands stand out on crowded search engine results.

How to set up Callout Extensions

You will need a Google Adwords account for building and displaying business ads online. If you already have one, log in and click on the Ad Extensions tab. Since Adwords has several ad extensions, make sure to use the drop-down box and select Callout Extensions. You can also click the red “+Extension” button to add your extensions.

There will be a section to add Callout text to your new or existing ad. Enter up to 25 characters of writing within this section. Once this is done, go to Device Preference and choose whether you want your ads to display only for mobile search users or everyone.

You can then set up your ads’ Start and end dates. This is good for exclusive promotions, which may only run for a limited time. By setting up start and end dates, your Callout Extensions will run collectively with your Ads – and you don’t have to go back in and turn off the promotions when they expire.

The last step is Scheduling, which enables you to run the ads only on specific days. If you want them to run daily or only during certain hours of the day, there are options available for those as well.

Build better ads with Callout Extensions

The presentation of your online business ad is just as important as the content within. You need an ad structure that is easy to scan and digest for brand awareness and higher conversion rates. While Google Ads remains at the top of the heap of pay-per-click marketing campaigns, adding Callout Extensions is a savvy way to place more information in front of potential clients.

Not only can you get more visitors to your websites or online stores – the chances for product engagements are also higher with captivating ads that are aesthetic and entice consumers to take desired actions.

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SEOSite OptimizationWeb DesignWix

Wix and SEO: Myths Busted

by Nishad Jiwa
written by Nishad Jiwa

Wix.com is considered one of the top website builders on the internet today. This Israeli-based company provides cloud-based web development services for new and existing users. Customers may create HTML5 websites and mobile-friendly sites with a range of online drag and drop tools. There is even a user-friendly interface for laptop/desktop clients as well as a convenient app.

The platform offers both free and paid memberships with the World Wide Web (www) URLs for paying customers. With over 644 million live websites on the internet, chances are there is a site out there similar to yours. With this in mind, you need to go above and beyond to pull audiences and visitors to your pages.

The last thing you need is to get lost in the neverending stream of web pages. With 26 percent of the market share, Wix is only second to Squarespace (at 42 percent) in terms of content management system (CMS) user engagements. However, how well does this platform stack up to other site builders like GoDaddy, Jimdo, WordPress, and Weebly?

We have busted five of the myths floating out there with facts and realities about Wix:

1. How do Wix websites rank on Google?

Myth: Wix is not SEO or Google-friendly.

A common misconception is that Google favors websites that are built on specific CMS networks. These include WordPress, Magento, OpenCart, and other reputable site builders and platforms. The fact is that Google’s algorithms do not distinguish or differentiate websites’ visibility based on their CMS builds.

So, where does Wix rank among Google’s algorithms and search engine optimization (SEO) best practices? They dominate over 50 percent of the market with Squarespace. Even with this partial clamp-on website building, is the service Google-friendly for webmasters and site builders? Here are some facts to ponder:

  • The fact is that this service features an SEO optimization plugin called Wix SEO Wiz. The plugin automates several protocols for Wix users, so their sites stand in good with Google’s guidelines.
  • Wix users have access to measurable results and metrics that are easy to scan and digest for SEO purposes. They can see their pages in Google’s search results within minutes of updating them or creating new sites from scratch.
  • The Google I/O 2018 Developer Conference also praised Wix for taking care of SEO/technical requirements for users, so their sites have excellent visibility on SERP results.

Fact: Wix is both SEO and Google-friendly with site-building templates that produce high-quality content for audiences and search engine bots.

2. How well do Wix URLs perform?

Myth: Wix URLs do not rank good on Google

Another common myth is that Wix’s URLs don’t rank well on Google and other search engines. While the platform was once riddled with long and messy URLs, that is a thing of the past.  You can customize and shorten your website addresses, which are ideal for SEO purposes.

Having a clean web address is essential for brand visibility and messaging. However, Google usually does not drop websites because they have messy URLs. Even with that, Wix removed long versions and hashbangs in 2016 for optimal convenience and aesthetic appeal. If you are working hard on your website with quality content, links, and social media integration, your sites should perform nicely on Google and other search engines.

Fact: Wix URLs do rank on Google, but it’s more about site content than the length of your website address.

3. Are Wix titles and meta descriptions relevant?

Myth: Wix does not give its users control over meta titles and descriptions.

Titles and meta descriptions are just as important as the content you are presenting on your pages. After all, page titles and meta descriptions are the first impressions your visitors see in search results. Therefore, they have to be crafted engagingly to rank well across Google.

For a while, Wix did not give its members control of meta descriptions and titles. However, this was only during the platform’s initial launch phase. While this may have turned some users away, Wix now gives you complete control of metas and descriptions. This allows you to edit the metadata per page manually and as desired.

Fact: Wix gives users control of meta descriptions and titles for their websites.

4. Are my blog posts optimized on Wix?

Myth: Wix’s Blog cannot be optimized

Google tends to reward websites that produce high-quality, industry-specific content. This also goes for blogs that should feature helpful information for your website visitors. Blogging is a vital part of any online SEO marketing campaign. It even promotes your brands in their best light while making you a reputable resource in the industries or niches you serve.

Wix’s Blog is already optimized for SEO with plenty of tools for keyword placement and content structuring. As long as you are creating original, valuable content with relevant keywords and links for your audiences, your blog should rank in SERPs – especially for targeted keywords that attract visitors and meet Google’s guidelines.

Fact: Wix’s Blog is optimized for SEO.

5. How are Wix’s page loading times?

Myth: Wix still has slow loading pages

Websites must be able to load fast or experience high bounce rates. For  Wix, there was a time when their sites loaded slower than other website builders. However, they have increased site speed by improving the coding of templates and other features. There are now little to no issues with site speed over at the platform.

Customers can also upgrade from free websites to the paid Wix version. This automatically removes any advertisements and increases page speed for business and social web developers alike.

Fact: Wix no longer has slow loading pages and is up to par with any other website builder on the internet.

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SEOSEO NewsSERPVoice Search

Mastering Voice Search for Today’s SEO

by Rolando Herrera
written by Rolando Herrera

A significant factor in developing the most effective SEO content is a full understanding of the changing trends and technological advances that dictate the way users search for information. Keyword research, content strategies, domain authority, and backlink profile form the foundational building blocks to get the best results to produce the broadest visibility for your brand.

With the next decade of the 21st century rapidly approaching, it is crucial for digital marketers and SEO specialists to be current on all of the latest trends in SEO. The most recent development in search engine optimization is adapting to the explosion of voice search on mobile phones and virtual assistants like Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Cortana, or Siri.

With simple voice commands, users can now perform searches, make purchases online, set calendar reminders, and so much more. Comscore has forecasted that by 2020, up to half of all online searches will come from voice search functionality. Digital marketers responsible for SEO content should be familiar with voice search technology and how to best take advantage of this new way to search online.

As people get used to the convenience of speaking rather than typing search commands, it is estimated that up to 55 percent of Americans will be using some sort of smart assistant by 2020. Content not optimized for voice search has the potential to miss out on a billion voice searches each month.

Actionable tips to help fully optimize your SEO content for voice search technology include:

Featured Snippets

Voice commands and queries can be answered directly with a featured snippet on a virtual assistant device. Getting the coveted featured snippet for a voice search is a valuable commodity that could increase web traffic significantly. Factors that contribute to being used in featured snippets include:

  • Featured snippets for voice search requests are not always taken from the very top spot; most will come from positions three to five. That means that relevance is more important than position.
  • Content optimized to answer specific questions has a higher chance of being used in a featured voice search snippet, which is most often related to topics like recipes, health, and DIY questions. Topic research tools like SEMrush or Answer the Public can help to generate ideas to create content that answers specific user questions.
  • Short paragraphs, lists, and tables have a higher chance of being featured in a snippet. Paragraphs should consist of short sentences and be kept under 50 words. Tables and lists get featured, as well. The most important aspect is to make sure the content is easy to read without complicated sentences or advanced terminology.
  • Virtual assistants presenting your site’s content can result in substantial increases in web traffic and business.

Optimizing Web Content for Voice Search

Virtual assistants are improving performance capabilities and adapting to user commands every day. Queries become more conversational, requiring SEO content to adapt to using long-tail keywords to match the way questions are asked. For example, a traditional concise search such as “Car washers Columbus” when asked by voice to a virtual assistant is more likely to be asked as, “Car washers in Columbus.” Content optimized for common voice phrasing sentence structure will see a higher success in rankings resulting from voice searches.

Longer content with word counts exceeding 1,800 words will be as effective for voice search as it would be for traditional type searches. Sentences should be kept relatively short, and vocabulary should keep in mind the way people talk versus the way they write or type.

Queries beginning with “what” means someone is looking for information, while those that start with “where” is someone looking to act. Take advantage of the differences between spoken and written communication traits to generate content that is fully optimized for all kinds of search types.

Mobile Responsiveness is Vital to Voice Search Results

A large percentage of voice searches are done on mobile devices. Those on the go or in unfamiliar places use voice searches to get them where they need to be. Voice search options have increased the need for websites to be mobile-friendly in all aspects of the operation.

Responsive web pages adapt pages to the size of the device. With the varying sizes of phones and tablets on the market today, responsive web designs are a must to capitalize on the multiple ways people seek out information.

Local SEO Focus

Local entities that rely on a local customer base for products or services must optimize site pages for local SEO. Almost a quarter of all voice searches are queries asking about local businesses, such as restaurants or service companies.

Standard SEO geo-targeting optimization protocols for local SEO apply to voice search results, including adding “near me” search terms to meta tags and landing page content. Brick-and-mortar locations should be separated by individual location pages and make sure your Google My Business profile has all your up-to-date contact and location information.

SEO Specialists Austin, Texas

The professional marketing and SEO specialists at Insignia SEO are highly experienced in both local and global search engine optimization. If you have any questions on how to best optimize your web content for Google search, contact a member of our team today!

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Local SEOMap Pack SEOMarketingSEOSEO News

Learning SEO Development and Programming

by Rolando Herrera
written by Rolando Herrera

While extensive knowledge of programming is not required to be a successful SEO practitioner, today’s expanding digital marketplace is demanding a more comprehensive understanding of website development from producers of SEO material. Someone with an in-depth knowledge of technical SEO can develop a website with nothing more than a text editor.

SEO specialists and website developers both count on the use of search engines extensively as a daily part of their jobs, though the actual items searched are vastly different in content and usage. Technical SEO and SEO developers often use searches of programming error messages to provide answers and solutions to complicated, technical issues associated with SEO and site development.

What to Know About SEO and Programming

Digital marketers who specialize in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) have traditionally focused the bulk of their time and energy on ever-changing parameters for effective content writing and other optimization efforts. Practitioners of SEO marketing campaigns are finding that understanding the basics of how website programming and design work can provide keys to getting an edge in the extremely crowded and competitive online marketplace.

Successful SEO specialists are not required to have extensive knowledge of programming methods and practices. However, a working understanding of the basics of website development can provide added skills and knowledge that can help SEO practitioners to see results faster and with more sustainability.

Essential Things to Know About SEO and Programming

Programmers create, update search engines: Learning how search engines like Google and Bing are built and maintained can give you valuable insight into how to make websites more effective search engine targets.

Think like a programmer: The problem-solving skills required for programming and developing websites will help you break down similar problems in the execution of SEO practices. Learning the basics of programming allows for a clearer understanding of the technical background of the process. You will be able to properly communicate with developers in their terms and develop a problem-solving mentality that will serve you in implementing SEO plans.

Better API integration: Learning the basics of coding and scripting languages can open up a whole new world of Application Programming Interfaces, or APIs. SEO tools from Majestic and SEMRush offer API options that combine massive amounts of data from multiple tools to create customized reports.

The efficiency of a programmer: Programming processes and techniques are always changing. A big part of the job is testing what works against variables and adaptations to find the best parts that fit in the best places for the betterment of overall form and functionality. Learning the automation techniques, programmers create for repetitive tasks develops a valuable efficiency component for your SEO practices.

Analyze this: The structured, analytical thinking necessary for the tedious act of website programming will help improve the planning and workflow efficiency of your SEO implantation tasks.

Essential Programming Knowledge to Improve SEO Efficiency

A well-rounded working knowledge and a basic understanding of the technology behind the programming and developing of the websites SEO practitioners work with will improve the efficiency of the marketing plan and increase the chances of success.

Learning how the technology of web design and programming can be an intimidating, daunting task, especially for digital marketers who have focused on writing and marketing skills to get their job done. Breaking down the complexities of web tech terminology and applications can give you confidence in the methodologies and processes used to boost rankings and conversions.

Actionable Technical Tips for Optimizing Your Website

 Mobile Responsiveness

Google algorithm updates in 2015 gave significant increases in preferences to mobile responsive websites, resulting in some top-ranked websites being penalized for not having a mobile-friendly website design. There are services available online to check if your website mobile-friendly optimization efforts meet Google’s new criteria, including:

  • Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test
  • HubSpot’s Website Grader
  • Bing’s Mobile Friendliness Test Tool
  • GTMetrix

XML Sitemap

Google uses your XML sitemaps to locate and index your site’s webpages. Sitemaps are simple to create and often be generated within your Content Management Systems. Completed XML sitemaps submitted to Google will allow the search engine to find and prioritize your content.

Website Speed

Slow-loading websites are penalized by Google and other major search engines. If it takes a long time for pages to load, you will face a penalty that will affect your rankings and visibility, which can ultimately impact your bottom line.

Steps to take to improve the speed of your site include:

  • Optimize images
  • Enable caching
  • Enable compression
  • Reduce server response time
  • Use Content Delivery System (CDN)

Regular Site Audits

Weekly technical audits will help to identify problem areas that can leave you vulnerable to ranking slides. Online tools like SEMrush, Moz, and Ahrefs all over audits of all technical aspects throughout your site. These programs will point out warnings, errors, and other technical issues, and offer solutions to improve the overall performance of your website.

Include Keywords in Image Alt Text

Inputting and updating the text to image metadata and image alt text fields will allow Google to see and index image content. Image alt text content describes the image’s relevance and function within the context of the page and the site.

SSL Certification

SSL certification enabling encrypted connections not only provides crucial added security for your website but also enhances SERP rankings and overall SEO performance.

Programming Knowledge Increases SEO Chances of Success

The world of digital marketing is a continually changing landscape with shifting priorities and parameters. A basic understanding of the processes and technology behind the programming and development aspect of website operation will help you get the most out of your SEO efforts

Get Started with Insignia

Looking for assistance boosting your search engine rankings? It is said that SEO is hard to do – yet easy to mess up. Leave it to the professionals: the skilled SEO and marketing professionals at Insignia SEO are here to help! Contact a member of our team today and let us know how we can help you achieve your business goals.

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Content MarketingContent WritingSEO

Does Word Count Impact your SEO Success?

by Christopher Petersen
written by Christopher Petersen

SEO can easily feel like a moving target. Every month – or even every week – a new strategy for optimizing your search results is touted as the one true way. Searching for a solid answer as to what is an ideal word count for web copy produces several contradictory answers. Is it true that short attention spans are rising, meaning everything should be shorter? Or will people only share and connect with substantive articles? Does it matter how many words your blog post has? And if so, which way to skew the results: more or less? The answer, like anything complicated, is: it depends.

Is Bigger Better?

One easily overturned myth is that the longer the article, the higher the ranking it will receive. This is not necessarily the case. In short, bigger is not necessarily better. But the longer the article (and the more substantive), the more likely it will be backlinked, and backlinks are always good for raising your ranking. One 2018 study found that the content length for Google search results showing up on the first page never dipped below 2000 words.  And another study showed that longer content gets shared more than shorter, which makes sense. Are you going to repost a 250-word blog post that has one item of data you want to share? Or at that point, would you rewrite it in your own words? A larger body of content – good content – requires sharing. You wouldn’t retell the story of ‘Moby Dick’ to a friend; you’d lend them the book. 

How Much is Enough?

Still, some sites explicitly state that longer is better.  Shorter (roughly 300 words) posts get labeled as “thin” content, meaning they have little or no added value. This is misleading, though, as a 300-word post that gives the user precisely the information they need has a very high user intent success. And even Google says that word count alone does not indicate quality content. 

Padding the Numbers

But not unlike the last-minute effort by a mediocre high school student, merely stuffing your article with extraneous words to get your word count up doesn’t work. In addition to making your article potentially unreadable, Google is good at sorting out the wheat from the chaff. They easily counteract obvious tricks like copying text verbatim. Readers also remember when a website doesn’t offer useful information. One padded page in a search result can ensure that the reader won’t come back, which reduces shares, which lowers backlinking, and so on.

So how long should your text be? Simply, as long as it needs to be. Content that needs 2000 words to be said is going to do better in users’ searches than 50 words of substance in a 2000 word bag. And this makes sense: a user searching for a single piece of information doesn’t want to comb through an essay to get there. Understanding user intent is crucial.  If your goal is to connect with as many users as possible, offer the most information they need, and the world will find you.

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Blog PostsBrandingContent MarketingConversionsEngagementGoogleLocal SEOPay Per ClickSEOSEO NewsSERPSite OptimizationSocial MediaVoice SearchWebsite TrafficWriting

Winning SEO Content Strategies for the Remainder of 2019

by Nishad Jiwa
written by Nishad Jiwa

2019 has been a banner year for search engine optimization (SEO) campaigns. In fact, many webmasters and brands adopted best-practices to produce measurable results this year. While SEO trends continue to evolve, the emphasis on streamlined content remains pivotal in achieving higher visibility across Google. Similarly, many companies are investing in digital campaigns geared towards positive user experiences. With six months left to go, there are still ways to attract and engage new clients to your products and services.

Here are the most important facets of SEO so far this year:

  • Great user experiences across multiple platforms and networks.
  • High-quality content that is centralized, thought-provoking, and gives folks something to take away with.
  • Mobile optimized websites, blogs, and online stores with faster page/download speeds.
  • Acquiring natural – organic links that accentuate any pay-per-click (PPC) advertising campaigns.
  • Not rely on social media to build brand visibility and awareness. Instead, many brands are churning out content that is industry-specific, relevant, and insightful for their readers and users.

Google Marketing in 2019

While Google remains the most popular search engine in the world, it continues to update its algorithms to correlate with the current trends. With this in mind, Google has called on all brands to produce in-depth content that answers questions and serves the needs of your users. No longer is creating content for the sake of content acceptable across Google’s SEO services. Instead, your content must now meet the following in order to remain or become competitively viable:

  • Create pages for users and not search engines. Remember, reader engagements drive web traffic, lead generation, and potential revenue for your brands.
  • Don’t deceive your clients, customers, and new users. Always provide precise, concise, and truthful content that meets the needs of your bases across the web.
  • Always abide by Google’s White Hat criteria to secure higher page rankings and visibility on Google. Avoid tricks of Black Hat techniques (misleading titles and click-bait) to improve search engine rankings – this can get your site and pages permanently banned from Google and other search engines.
  • Use your own photos of products and brands within the content. Try to avoid common stock imagery which may be in use by competitors and other brands.
  • Develop content that is unique, enticing, and engaging across the board. Make your website stand out from others within your field, sector, or niche.

Set aside some funds to invest in a sound and effective SEO campaign. This can help your brand grow and flourish – especially if you are pressed for time. Your local advertising agency has the tools and expertise to help your company catch up in 2019. It’s as simple as reaching out to them to discuss your online marketing and brand expansion goals.

Best Practices for Content in 2019

If your brands are struggling this year, you may want to rethink your existing strategies. Again, the valuable context within the content is everything in 2019. No truer is this than when it comes to meeting Google’s quality standards. In order to build better user engagements and experiences, here are some content essentials that continue to soar in popularity:

Long-Form Content

Long-form content is once again the norm in the world of SEO marketing. You should aim to produce 1,500-2000 word posts that are engaging and full of substance. Add relevant social media links as well as strategic keywords to boost site traffic and increase conversion rates. Your content needs to establish your brands as helpful resources in the industries they serve. Similarly, it must evoke emotions while inspiring thoughts and questions. This can only lead to longer stays on your pages which help reduce bounce rates and increase visibility. Here are a few more things to keep in mind when developing brand content:

  • Provide solid recommendations for your readers. Give them helpful links, resources, and links back to your products and services.
  • Make sure your content is unique and different with each post. This will set you apart from competitors and help users cut through the clutter.
  • Stay abreast of all the current SEO trends and developments. This will give you and your brands the edge on promoting content to core, niche, geo-specific or mass audiences.
  • Scale your content plan if targeting smaller audiences. However, you can increase promotions via paid ads, e-mail automation, and especially social – mobile media platforms.
  • Make sure to match your content to user intent. This gives validity to keywords while ensuring your information is valuable to those that demand and need it to the most.

Snippet Content Optimization

Featured snippets are now what most SEO plans strive to achieve. This, of course, is rank #0 or enhanced results on top of organic results. In the past, most brands fought to reach the number one spot in the SERPs. This is no longer the case due to snippets providing detailed information like titles, descriptions, bullet lists, and content that differs or aligns with brand intent.

Snippets are essentially teasers that entice users to click through the content. This lets them access information without ever leaving Google. The best part is that snippets appear in voice search results as well. This gives users substantial information and timely answers to their queries and concerns. Therefore, it is important to optimize your content with snippets in mind to increase user engagements. Here are some ways to try and secure the coveted zero ranking spot on Google:

Be Direct in your Content

High bounce rates occur when your content is too lengthy or does not entail valuable information. While long-form content is important these days, you still have to get to the point. In fact, avoid writing long, wordy introductions before you address the topics in the titles of your posts. Give your readers precise information right away – this will keep them on your pages longer and may increase conversion rates and clicks.

Always perform keyword research to see which words your competitors are not using. With keyword optimization, you can stay ahead of the pack and get featured snippets. It’s also important to break down your content with bullet lists for better accuracy and flow. Google loves including lists within featured snippets; makes it easier for users to scan and digest content. You can even use FAQs to provide answers to stock or common questions. Featured snippets tend to pick up FAQs if they are in an easy form and able to capture within the boxes.

These are some of the ways to enhance your SEO content for the remainder of 2019. Again, let a professional agency take care of these content enhancements if you simply do not have the time.

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SEOUpcity

Don’t Ignore User Intent in SEO

by Rolando Herrera
written by Rolando Herrera

Article Originally Published in Upcity.

If you’re producing content for a website, then presumably your primary goal is to get as many views for that content as possible. Once you’ve secured the attention of your visitors, then your content should convince them to do whatever it is that your business model dictates.

If you’re running an e-commerce site, you’ll be trying to get them to buy your products. You might want them to subscribe to your social media platforms, or perhaps sign up for your email marketing list. Whatever the case might be, though, it would be a critical mistake to ignore user intent.

What is User Intent?

Simply put, user intent refers to the reason a visitor came to your site. They might be there to get some information, in which case they’ll be headed to your FAQ section, or possibly they’ll want to read one of your blogs. If they’ve come to buy something from you then they’ll go straight to your product pages. If they have a question that your FAQ section doesn’t cover, then they’re likely looking for your contact information.

Analytics Can Reveal User Intent

If you feel like user intent shouldn’t have anything to do with your SEO strategy, then you need to reassess the situation. Not everyone is going to come to your website for the same reason, but you can assume that the majority will have the same idea in mind.

It’s helpful to use analytics to determine user intent. Whichever platform you’re running for your site is going to have many analytics features, and you should quickly learn how to use them if you haven’t done so yet. Analytics will show you how people are behaving on your site, and that will go a long way toward telling you their intentions.

Create a Customer Profile

Compiling a customer profile can also help you where user intent is concerned. You can think of your customer profile as a compilation of everything you’ve learned about the people who are purchasing your products.

No two of your customers are going to be identical, but the majority of them are going to fit into certain categories as it relates to age, gender, ethnicity, income bracket, geographic region, etc. Your customer profile is going to be directly related to whatever it is you’re selling. If you’re selling bras, for instance, then the overwhelming majority of your customers are probably going to be female.

Use Your Social Media

There are different ways for you to create a customer profile. The most obvious way is to ask your customers directly. One way you can do it is through your social media accounts. Ask your followers on Twitter, Facebook, etc. questions about themselves. You can incentivize it by offering them a prize or an exclusive discount on one of your products. To create a sense of urgency, mention that they can only claim the prize if they answer the question during the next 24-hour period. If you’re offering a discount, you should only make it usable for the next couple of days.

Website Surveys

You can also set up surveys for your customers to take on your website. Again, the idea is to learn as much about them as you can, and you can offer something of value, sometimes referred to as a “value proposition,” that will encourage them to give you details about themselves, their lives, and their habits. There are different services that you can use that will create a survey for you, or you can create one yourself if you or someone on your staff has the requisite skill set.

Modify Your Website Once You Have Your Customer Profile

Once you have your customer profile, you can modify your SEO strategy. Let’s say that you’ve determined that the majority of your customers are dog owners. You can post some blogs about dog ownership on your site, or you can mention that you’re partnering with a local animal shelter for an adoption event. You can spread the word using your social media too.

Concentrate on Local SEO

If your business is smaller and you feel like you’ve determined user intent for most of your site visitors, it’s likely that local SEO is going to become a huge part of your strategy. If your website is for a large national chain, then you won’t use these techniques. If you want to become known within a specific locale, though, then your SEO strategy is going to require a two-pronged approach.

First, you’re going to want to optimize your content with plenty of keywords having to do with the town, city, or state in which you are located. Second, you’ll want to refine your content so that your typical customer can find what they were looking for quickly and easily once they arrive at your site. This leads us to the subject of UX, or user experience.

UX is the Final Piece of the Puzzle

You now know about your typical customer, and you know the likeliest reason they’ve come to your website. Your next job is to make it as easy as possible for them to get to what they need.

You should structure your website in such a way that there is no confusion when your customers arrive at your landing page. There should be no distracting graphics, and it should take no more than two clicks for your customer to find the blog, product page, or whatever else is most important to them.

This is even more vital in the case that they are using your mobile site. Your loading speed should be lightning-quick, and there should be no distracting pop-up ads. Knowing user intent is one thing, but poor UX means that your visitors will leave your sales funnel without converting.

User Intent and SEO Strategy are Directly Linked

To put it as bluntly as possible, you’re going to lose business if you don’t take user intent into account when you’re planning out your SEO strategy. If you set up your site without creating customer profiles, using your analytics tools, strategic keyword usage, link building, etc., then your competitors are likely to poach some of your customers. User intent should dictate even the smallest details of your website structure and content.

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Content MarketingGoogleMarketingQuoraSEO

What is Quora & Why Is It Important?

by Emily Triplett
written by Emily Triplett

Google and other search engines are wonderful tools users can turn to when they need answers fast. Questions such as “What are the top tips for homeowners in flood zones?”, “Where can I buy a new car near me?”, and “How many seasons are in The Office?” will provide users with the information they need without having to go beyond the first page of results. However, users are not always searching for simple questions. Some of the thoughts crossing their mind may include “What services do digital marketing professionals consider to be the most effective for promoting my business in my local area?”, “Who are the best home contractors for decks and porches?”, and “What is the best social networking site to use for advertising my business?” among many others that relate to personal questions and opinions. Search engines can assist users in finding the answers they desire, but users may be required to do a bit more digging. 

Luckily, users are not required to only use search engines to search for information. Quora is a social networking platform that is built to work like a search engine. Users can follow topics they are interested in, ask questions, and provide answers in their areas of expertise. Launched in 2009, Quora has slowly grown to a network with millions of active users who are looking for expert answers from real people. Businesses who use the platform can attain name and brand recognition. Better still, traffic, leads, and ad revenue can all be garnered from Quora. If you aren’t utilizing their platform, you could be missing out on your next big sale. 

To learn more about what Quora is and why this platform should be on your radar, read on. 

It’s About Questions & Answers

Quora provides its users a platform that facilitates conversations. Unlike other social networking sites, Quora doesn’t focus on pictures and videos. It focuses on user-generated content. There are a wide variety of topics that can be followed, from business ideas to personal thoughts. Users are encouraged to ask questions under topic feeds where anyone can provide their thoughts and solutions. In order to gain popularity, the answers should be accurate and fully cover what was asked. 

When answering questions, there is no hard and fast rule about the length of the response. However, it is imperative to provide enough detail to answer the question fully without using fluff words. Treating the response like a blog post tends to provide the most success. Answers can receive upvotes or downvotes. Upvotes indicate users like the response while downvotes mean users do not agree with the response. The more upvotes users accumulate on all of their responses across the platform, the higher their profile will rank. The higher a profile ranks, the more followers and views a user can expect to receive. Having great responses and a high ranking profile can drive traffic to your website and help you garner leads. 

While answering questions is important, asking questions is necessary to maintain a high ranking profile. Quora is designed to have two-way engagement between its users. While you may be an expert in a subject, you should still ask questions to facilitate conversations with other experts. If Quora notices you answer a lot of questions without asking any questions, your profile may suffer consequences. Along with two-way communication, if you post a viral question, you can drive a large amount of traffic to your site. The questions must be clear and interesting in order to encourage users to provide their thoughts and opinions. 

While establishing yourself as an authority, you can use Quora to effectively learn what your target audience is researching. The questions you see will contain the keywords users correlate with your business, product, and/or service. You can take these keywords and incorporate them into your content marketing strategy in order to reach a larger audience outside the Quora platform. 

Google & Quora

Google and other search engines are used daily to find answers to hundreds of personal and professional questions. Employing SEO strategies on your own website is incredibly important because it allows your website to rank highly in search engine results. When you appear often in results, users will consider you an authority on the subject matter they are researching.

It is not uncommon to see Quora results on search engine results pages. When used correctly, you can have high ranking answers appear on Google. This means you have an opportunity to take advantage of double exposure in search engine results pages. Quora is important because rising in popularity, so you must provide the same time and attention to your answers as you would to the content and blog posts on your own website. 

Simple, Optimized Profiles 

Quora allows users to create a profile that highlights their expertise with a simple design. Other than a profile picture, no other media is available in the profile. A headline field is the perfect space to establish yourself as an authority and capture your readers’ attention. Avoid overuse of the vertical bar, but be sure to use impactful, powerful words. You also have a summary field where you can sell your business. You can add your website, social media handles, and credentials. If you have a powerful testimonial, be sure to include that. Your summary should include keywords that your target audience uses to search for your business.

Your readers will be driven to your profile if you develop strong questions and answers, so be sure to spend the necessary amount of time to create a profile that sells who you are, why you are an expert, and what you can do for them. If you lack strong content in your profile, you may miss out on the increased traffic and leads.

Garner More Traffic and Leads with Quora 

Quora is an important social platform that should be part of your marketing strategy if it isn’t already. The value of the platform lies in the keyword research and blog content ideas available. You can also establish yourself as an authority, which will help you gain name and brand recognition. When people trust you, they are more likely to turn your business. If you provide expert answers, users will be driven to your profile where they can easily access your website. If you are interested in increasing your number of leads, turn to Quora!

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Blog TrafficGoogleLocal SEOReputation ManagementSearchSEOSEO NewsSERPSite OptimizationWebsite Traffic

Google Search Now Displays More Diverse Search Results After Update

by Austin Robinson
written by Austin Robinson

On June 6th, Google announced an update to its search results with the goal of increasing “site diversity.” The Google Search update will attempt to provide greater domain variety by limiting the number of results from any particular domain to two or less for a specific search query.

That means you will need to adapt your SEO strategy to this new change to enhance your results. Otherwise, you risk being negatively affected by it. So here’s what you need to know:

Greater Diversity of Google Search Results

Throughout the years,  SEO experts have been tasked with finding unique and creative ways to overcome the fact that Google’s top search results often show too many listings from the same site. This can allow one company or domain to dominate a particular search query.

So in the past, if you searched for a specific keyword, you might see 4, 5, or even more of the top 10 results from the same site. With this new site diversity update, Google is now aiming to not show any more than two results from the same domain for any query.

There Will Be Exceptions to the Rule

Google will maintain the right to veer away from its “two results” limit if they deem it appropriate. One theory on why Google might do this is to allow more accurate results for branded queries. For example, if you searched for a brand like Nike, you would see more than two results from Nike.com on the first page.

Subdomains are Treated as a Part of the Root Domain

Google will consider subdomains and root domains as being the same site. So if your subdomain is blog.example.com, it will be treated the same as your root domain of www.domain.com and will be counted as one of the two results allowed.

Of course, there’s another exception. Google will reserve the right to treat a subdomain and root domain as different sites if “deemed relevant” for diversity.

The Update Will Only Affect Core Results

For now, Google is containing the update to core results only. Other On-SERP SEO factors like carousels, snippets, and top stories won’t be affected.

Domain Diversity is a Long-Running Theme for Google

Google is no stranger to updating their SERP algorithm to provide greater domain diversity. Since 2012, they have gradually made changes to limit the number of results from one domain for a given search query.

While not all of the changes have been publicly confirmed, SEO marketers have noticed the silent updates throughout the years and adjusted accordingly.

The Takeaway Going Forward

If you are trying to get your domain to dominate the Google search results for specific queries, this will undoubtedly affect you. One of the primary industries likely to be affected is reputation management, although other search professionals will see an impact as well.

For anyone looking to rank more than two pages from the same domain for the same search query, you’ll want to ensure that your analytics are robust. That way,  you can measure how this recent Google update will affect your sites moving forward.

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Content MarketingSEOSocial MediaWriting

Adding More Context to Your Social Media Content

by Nishad Jiwa
written by Nishad Jiwa

For the first time in a long time, social media engagement is hovering below 0.1%. In fact, organic social visibility continues to decline at rapid rates across multiple platforms. Despite these networks showcasing more business ads than ever before – it appears that social media marketing is no longer as lucrative as it once was. This is primarily due to saturated and dull content that is turning clicks and views into digital passing lanes.

Still, many customers are using social media to interact with new and established brands. Similarly, these social pages are influencing their purchasing interests and decisions.

What Does this Mean?

While social media’s impact may be declining, global user bases are still growing. This is a strong signal that many customers still rely on social platforms to connect with businesses and find information. With this in mind, it is time to reach customers across social landscapes in different ways. One of the top methods continues to be the context within the content.

How can we add more relevance to content that grabs audience interest levels? Similarly, is there a way to engage users with high-quality information that gives them something to take away? Here are some of the answers to these growing questions in the world of social media uncertainty.

Go Beyond the Headlines

Sharing post headlines is no longer sufficient enough to drive interest and clicks. While copying post titles and throwing them into social updates is easy, are they effectively selling your posts? According to industry experts, you need to beef up your posts with relevant and industry-specific content. Consider the following for adding true context to your content:

Cite Statistics within Posts

Nothing speaks volumes more than actual statistics that reinforce ideas. Statistics attract and entice users with intriguing information and numbers. Consider adding some statistics to your social updates for content relevance and possible lead generation.

Add Quotes for Relevance

Adding quotes that reassert your ideas is a great way to capture user attention. Try adding shared quotes within sentences or posts to grab viewers or credit sources for stronger context.

Give Solutions to Problems

Google Updates consistently call for high-quality; relevant content that answers questions and solves problems. Use this formula to promote your content as resources for audiences facing similar challenges. Give them solutions to their problems – even if it’s based on your ideas or the current trends. This is a great way to generate leads, responses, and especially clicks and interaction.

Give Takeaways for Readers

Give your followers and readers something they can walk away with. In fact, calling out important points is a great way to generate thought and responses. This content tactic is ideal for long-form content since you have more room to discuss the essentials of your piece. When it comes to social updates, always keep your readers in mind and what they will get out of your posts.

Use Better Images for Attention

Image optimization continues to be all the rage with new SEO efforts. However, using crisp and attractive images in social is equally as important. Most users tend to remember images over words – especially those with vibrant and visually-aesthetic colors. As a result, you need to put some time in your image selection for social updates. Here are some ways to enhance this technique:

  • Try avoiding stock images and use your own photos if possible. Amazon states that over 48% of customers rely on images from other customers for product, brand and service reviews.
  • Use color images instead of black and white photos. Again, colored imagery tends to stand out and grab more attention.
  • Use your words or shared quotes in images. It’s not hard to add some text to photos for catching people’s attention.
  • Motion creates emotion. Think about this when choosing the right images that trigger actionable responses. Photos with motion are more eye-catching than just standard, flat images.

These are some crucial steps in adding more contexts to your social media content. Remember, quality over quantity still plays a pivotal role in brand visibility, awareness, and especially user engagements.

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