Digital Marketing Insider Secrets November 2021 Guidelines to Create an SEO-friendly websiteMicrosoft Clarity Insights - A Brand New Tool by Microsoft AdvertisingFacebook is Now Meta!

 

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Guidelines to Create an SEO-friendly website

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) can help you increase the visibility of your website when your target audience is searching for services or products related to your business. The process involves optimizing your website and content as well as staying well-informed about your competitors.

Reasons to design an SEO-friendly website…

a) Greatly improve customer experience

Good customer experience ensures that they will return to your site the next time. Also, the more time the customers spend on your site, the higher your rankings are.

b) Gain the favor of web crawlers

SEO helps you to update your site according to the latest search engine requirements, enhancing your rankings significantly.

c) Increase customer engagement

An effective SEO strategy can help you attract more customers and ensure that they spend more time on your site. This step is very important to improve your rankings.

d) Achieve a higher ranking

You must work on your website content, site design, and SEO strategy to rank higher. Higher rankings ensure that you have better sales and that you stay on par with your competitors.

e) Excellent returns

SEO activities are known to deliver the best return on investment. When you achieve a higher ranking and relevant site traffic, you can easily get the desired returns.

Points to consider while designing an SEO-friendly website.

a) Easier website navigation

Buyers prefer a website that has relevant, organized information. Don’t forget to incorporate a sitemap page so that users can easily find and visit the required link.

b) Select an SEO-friendly domain

Your domain name should have keywords related to your services or products. This helps your target customers to find your business easily. Also, the domain name should be unique yet relevant to your industry.

c) Optimal & easy-to-understand content

Your website content can affect its loading speed. It is important to keep your website light to ensure an excellent user experience.

d) Mobile-friendly site

Many people access various websites through their mobile. A mobile-responsive website ensures that your target customers can reach out to you via various gadgets.

e) Reach out through social media

Social media can help you drive traffic to your site, improve your online presence, and increase sales.

f) Add captions to your images & videos

Adding captions ensures that website crawlers can find your content. Insert appropriate keywords in your captions so that people can find the content easily.

g) Update your content

Creating new content is a must to increase the rankings of your pages. The best way is to remove old, low-ranking articles and add new, fresh information to attract new audiences.

h) Include internal and external links in your strategy

    • Internal links can help a visitor to navigate your website easily. It aims to introduce other web pages of your site to visitors.
    • When external links direct users to your website, search engines consider your site reliable and trusted.
    • Link building does take time, but it can significantly boost your traffic.

Web design mistakes to avoid…

a) Repetitive heading tags

Adding appropriate & unique headers (H1 and H2 tags) at the right locations can help improve your rankings. Also, adding necessary keywords is a must.

b) Non-responsive website design

If your website is not mobile-friendly, you may lose a lot of customers. If your site is not compatible with mobile phones, you should get this issue fixed as soon as possible.

c) High-resolution images

Large size images can affect the loading speed of your website. The best way to upload images is to compress and resize them. Use Google PageSpeed Insights tools to check the loading speed of your pages.

d) Too short content

To optimize the page loading speed, many designers do not add much content to the site, forgetting that it is equally important to add good, informative content to your site.

e) Adding the infinite scrolling feature

It is one of the effective ways to hold your users on your site for a longer time. Splitting the content of a website can make it easier for web crawlers to crawl them.

Lastly…

Whether you are creating a new website or improving a current one, keep the target audience and search engine algorithm in mind. Talk to your SEO experts and follow the above guidelines to improve your rankings. If you need help, we are just a call away.

Analyze your site?

Microsoft Clarity Insights - A Brand New Tool by Microsoft Advertising

To come up with a successful marketing campaign, advertisers need to understand post-click user behavior and engagement on landing pages. This is precisely why Microsoft Advertising took it upon itself to introduce a new tool last month – Microsoft Clarity Insights!

An overview of the key benefits of this tool

  • More Powerful Data – It helps you to understand the customer journey and enhance the signals to make optimization decisions on your website and advertising campaigns.
  • Free Website Analytics – It enables you to gain a deeper understanding of user behavior, path to conversion, and engagement on the landing pages.
    • Use Sessions Recordings to replay user sessions and better understand the customer journey
    • Through Instant Heatmaps decode engagement on ad landing pages, including clicks, scrolls, and movement
    • Make the most of the powerful Analysis Dashboard to analyze engagement by campaigns, channels, and browsers
  • Seamless UET (Universal Event Tracking) Upgrade – Sign up using your existing MS Advertising credentials and your existing JavaScript UET tags will be updated on the back end.

Several companies have harnessed the power of Clarity Insights to:

  • Increase the average time their customers spend on their blog
  • Significantly improve their click-through rates
  • Reveal any usability issues that they may be facing
  • Provide insights into the average scroll depth of their blog readers
  • Detect interesting user behavior patterns
  • Boost their conversion rates
  • Figure out the drop-offs and abandonments

Final takeaway

To get started with Microsoft Clarity Insights, you will have to reach out to your Microsoft account manager. However, it is important that you first ensure that your JavaScript UET tags are up to date. Ideally, you should place the tag across your website to attain all kinds of information on user behavior.

From November 2021, UET tag creation will be compatible with Clarity Insights by default. By mid-November, Microsoft will migrate all existing UET tags to include Clarity Insights, except websites that contain sensitive data. Once the UET tag has been updated, accessing Clarity through the MS Advertising account should be possible.

To learn more about the data collected through this tool, visit the following links:

We also recommend you go see a FREE live demo before signing up for this tool! If you have any questions, we are here to assist you.

See How You Can Improve Your Website! Facebook is Now Meta!

On 28th Oct 2021, Mark Zuckerberg announced that Facebook is renaming itself to “Meta” to encompass its expanding technology and role in what it calls “the metaverse.” Facebook owns apps such as WhatsApp, Instagram, Oculus VR, and more. In July this year, Zuckerberg told The Verge that over the coming years Meta would “effectively transition from people seeing us as primarily being a social media company to being a metaverse company.”

So what’s the Metaverse?

Mark Zuckerberg explains in his founder’s letter: “You will be able to teleport instantly as a hologram to be at the office without a commute, at a concert with friends, or in your parent’s living room to catch up.”

“Our hope is that within the next decade, the metaverse will reach a billion people, host hundreds of billions of dollars of digital commerce, and support jobs for millions of creators and developers,”

He gave marketers a clue about the opportunities that lie ahead and how the company is invested in them. It is said that the company will spend $10 billion over the next year on technologies needed for building its metaverse.

The announcement said, “Starting with our results for the fourth quarter of 2021, we plan to report on two operating segments: Family of Apps and Reality Labs.”

“We also intend to start trading under the new stock ticker we have reserved, MVRS, on December 1. Today’s announcement does not affect how we use or share data.”

Controversy Post Rebranding

Post the rebrand, whistleblower Frances Haugen’s revelations have Facebook under fire for its practices, morals, and social impact.

Zuckerberg pointed out in his founder’s letter that Meta’s metaverse may offer exciting avenues, especially for the digital industry.

Facebook is already a destination to discover local businesses. But, from a branding standpoint, we simply can’t look away from a branding fail, and “Meta” just feels like one.

Are you getting the best return out of your digital marketing?

Need an extra pair of eyes to review your online game plan? Let our experts take a look at your current state and do a comprehensive digital marketing analysis at no cost to you. Please call us at (800) 379-2829 or contact us today and we will get to work right away.

DIGITAL MARKETING INSIDER SECRETS October 2021

All you Need to Know About the Google Titlepocalypse UpdateSimple SEO Guide for New eCommerce Websites Impact of WordPress Themes on RankingseBizUniverseAll you Need to Know About the Google Titlepocalypse Update

Google’s new system for generating titles – “Titlepocalypse”, which was supposed to generate titles for about 20% of the web pages in the search results, was not very well received. Many were of the opinion that the search engine giant rushed to roll out a system that they had not yet thoroughly tested.

Taking into consideration all the user feedback they received, Google revised the update to rewrite and generate HTML titles for just around 13% of the time. Furthermore, they provided an explanation on what triggers the system to rewrite a title tag.

So what leads to a title tag rewrite?

In a document titled, ‘More information on how Google generates titles for web page results, Google helps creators understand what exactly they look for in a title hence Titlepocalypse.

They explained that title elements are used most of the time. Google’s new system is said to use the HTML title element as the title shown in the search results for around 87% of the time. Since 2012, Google has had to use text other than title elements when their system determined that the present title failed to describe a page very well. Mostly, the web pages that fell into this category were those with empty title tags, duplicate titles regardless of the content on page and pages with no title elements whatsoever.

The document also listed examples of when the system went beyond the title elements. The new system is designed to address certain situations where going beyond the title element may be more helpful for the web pages. Some of the situations listed are as follows:

    • Pages with Half-Empty Titles

Half-empty titles are titles wherein the site name may be present, but it may be missing the summary of the page. This situation generally occurs when templates are used to create titles. These tiles usually look somewhat like this:

| Site Name

The system detects such titles and tries to make adjustments based on the header elements or any other prominent text it can find on the page, such as:

Product Name | Site Name

    • Pages with Obsolete Titles

Obsolete titles occur when the same page is used every year but the title element fails to reflect the latest date. For instance:

2020 admissions criteria – University of Awesome

If the headline on this page reads “2021 admissions criteria”, the system will go ahead and change its title to:

2021 admissions criteria – University of Awesome

    • Pages with Inaccurate Titles

If Google detects that a web page’s title is not properly describing the content on the page, it will consider the title to be inaccurate. An example would be a page with dynamic content and a title that reads:

Giant stuffed animals, teddy bears, polar bears – Site Name

Google may then take it upon itself to change the title to something along the lines of:

Stuffed animals – Site Name

    • Pages with Micro-boilerplate Titles

A micro-boilerplate title is that one title which is used for a number of pages within a site, such as those used for television shows that may have several seasons but the season numbers are omitted from the titles. An example of such titles would be:

1: My so-called amazing TV show

2: My so-called amazing TV show

3: My so-called amazing TV show

The system may modify these titles to display the season numbers mentioned in the headline text so that it becomes a little easy to identify which page is for which season.

Season 1 – My so-called amazing TV show

Season 2 – My so-called amazing TV show

Season 3 – My so-called amazing TV show

Final Takeaway

We have to give it to Google for acknowledging that the system they have in place for creating titles is not perfect. Moreover, they welcome the creators to provide their feedback.

Also, it may help to review and follow the SEO guide provided by Google on their help page on creating good titles and snippets in search results. After all, Google uses the HTML title elements to determine the ranking 100% of the time!

Remember

  1. Title tags are considered for rankings even now.
  2. Continue to focus on creating great title tags with focus on target keywords.
  3. Include H1 and H2 in your page content including your target keywords.

Analyze your site?

Simple SEO Guide for New eCommerce Websites

Wish to improve the search visibility of your eCommerce site? Google Search Central has released new SEO guidelines for developers. In this article, we will brief you with the steps you must follow and also attach the reference links so that you can make a better plan.

Google states that –

Your content shows up in Google Search & other Google surfaces only when Google can find and parse your eCommerce data and site structure. Your site and products will then be visible to the shoppers.

All the eCommerce’s SEO Guide–

    1. Understand Google Surfaces

Google has many surfaces where your content can be displayed. Understanding every surface can help you reach new potential customers. Check out the article from Google to learn more.

    1. Provide product data to Google

Sharing your eCommerce product data with Google can help you get more traffic to your site. Wish to know more? Visit this link – Share your product data with Google.

    1. Google appreciates structured data!

When you add structured data to your websites, Google’s accuracy to understand your content is highly enhanced. For more details, visit Google Search Central now.

    1. Steps to launch a new eCommerce site

If you are planning to launch a new eCommerce site, Google suggests you follow certain steps so that your site is recognized & crawled by Google.

    1. Well-designed URLs can help…

A well-developed URL structure can help Google to locate your web pages. Are you building your site? Check out the SEO guide from Google to avoid indexing issues.

    1. Navigation structures can impact Google’s understanding!

The navigation structure on your site helps Google to determine the importance of a webpage. To learn how you can assist Google, check out Google Search Central’s Blog now.

    1. Display a subset of a larger list

To improve page performance, Google suggests displaying a subset of results. Also, ensure that Google crawlers can find your site’s content. Read more about the UX patterns to get started.

We encourage you to check out the links in this article and discuss with your SEO experts to implement the SEO guide and guidelines. If you need help with your ecommerce website, please get in touch with us.

See How We Can Improve Your Site With The SEO Guide! 

Impact of WordPress Themes on Rankings

Google’s John Mueller has discussed the impact of WordPress Themes Logo on SEO. According to him, rankings are affected when one changes the theme of a WordPress website. The various details that the website themes can determine are as follows:

    • Content display
    • Internal links
    • Page load time
    • Content options
    • Structured data use

John further added that you should try various themes on a test website before finalizing one of them. You can also add some content from your site and note the details while keeping the above points in mind.

John also recommends that you follow some additional steps, such as:

Factors that can affect page speed load times:

    • Faulty coding & un-optimized CSS, javascript.
    • Need for multiple plugins.
    • Excessive loading of internal or external resources.

Final takeaway

You can always take certain steps to ensure that your WordPress themes do not affect your ranking, such as:

    • Select your website theme wisely.
    • Faster load times should be your main goal.
    • Some themes claim they are SEO-friendly, but still, test them.
    • Prefer using Gutenberg-based editors (aka, Gutenberg blocks builders).
    • Remember to block the indexing of your test website.
Are you getting the best return out of your digital marketing?
Need an extra pair of eyes to review your online game plan? Let our experts take a look at your current state and do a comprehensive digital marketing analysis at no cost to you. Please call us at (800) 379-2829 or contact us today and we will get to work right away.

DIGITAL MARKETING INSIDER SECRETS September 2021Google Rewrites Titles Rankings are Not Affected

Googles Link Spam Update is Complete After a Month You Will Soon See Ads in Instagram ShopseBizUniverseGoogle Rewrites Titles Rankings are Not Affected

On August 17, 2021, many people noticed Google using header tags (H1s & H2s) rather than meta title tags as titles. A number of people posted their questions and complaints related to this change on various forums and social media platforms.

Below are some of the public mentions & the answers from Google and other SEO professionals.

Google and Other SEO Professionals1

Google and Other SEO Professionals2

Google and Other SEO Professionals3

Google and Other SEO Professionals4

From the above posts, we can confirm that your rankings are definitely not affected by this update (at least for now)!! Its only purpose is to make your titles more readable and precisely describe your document’s content. This new system is preferred by the users, as they can connect with the page content easily.

Many people wanted Google to explain more about this update, so there were many comments related to this topic. Google’s staff answered their queries in this official post.

Points To Remember:

  1. Title tags are considered for rankings even now.
  2. Continue to focus on creating great title tags with focus on target keywords.
  3. Include H1 and H2 in your page content including your target keywords.

Analyze your site?

Googles Link Spam Update is Complete After a Month

Google recently announced that the link spam update is complete. The update that initially began rolling out on July 26th, 2021, is now done rolling out as of August 24th, 2021. It took over a full month for this update to roll out and two weeks longer than Google had said.Google Search Central

Here’s Google’s announcement about the link spam update that is done rolling out.

Earlier, Google said, “This algorithm update, which will roll out across the next two weeks, is even more effective at identifying and nullifying link spam more broadly, across multiple languages.”

The update is finally fully live.

So how do you know if your site has been impacted by the update? Tough to say as of now! We had a bunch of unconfirmed updates after this announcement was made. Maybe they were related to the link spam update, maybe not.

All we know is that the Google link spam update didn’t have any negative effect on our client rankings.

If you’ve been affected by this update, you can get in touch with our team for professional help.

See How Here! 

You Will Soon See Ads in Instagram Shops

All You Need To Know About This New Feature!

  • The Shop Tab of Instagram will now include ads.
  • This feature is still under test in the U.S.
  • Ads can either be a single photo or multiple photos.
  • Only a few retailers such as Away, Boo Oh, Clare Paint, DEUX, Donni Davy, Fenty Beauty, and JNJ Gifts could participate in this test.
  • An auction-based model will be used to launch Ads in Instagram Shop.
  • The Instagram Shop tab is a mobile-only feature, so the ads will only appear on mobile.
  • How many ads a single consumer sees will be determined by several factors, such as:
    • Instagram, how do they use it?
    • And, how many people are shopping in the tab?
    • Instagram also plans to monitor consumer sentiment to balance ads and content.

Why This Feature Is Important

If this feature is approved, many retailers will be able to reach their target customers easily. Also, cross-app tracking and third-party cookies will not be an issue anymore.

Final Takeaway

There are no details available yet as to when other retailers would be able to join in. However, it is clear that this feature will surely be made available globally in the coming future.

For more information, check out this article.

Are you getting the best return out of your digital marketing?

Need an extra pair of eyes to review your online game plan?

Let our experts take a look at your current state and do a comprehensive digital marketing analysis at no cost to you.

Please call us at (800) 379-2829 or contact us today and we will get to work right away.

eBizUniverse July 2021 Newsletter Cover

June Turned Out to e an Action Packed Month for Google

Google Launches Search Counsole Insights

A Simple Guide to Local SEO Strategy

eBizUniverse Monthly Newsletter Blog

June Turned Out to e an Action Packed Month for Google

Update eBizUniverse July 2021 Newsletter

 

The month of June saw SEOs scrambling to keep up with a number of updates rolled out by Google, namely core, page experience, and spam updates. These updates also had the SEOs scratching their heads, trying to figure out the exact cause of the change in rankings.

While the rolling out of the core update finished on the 12th of June, Google started rolling out the page experience update right on its heels, on the 15th of June. This roll-out is expected to go on right until the end of August. Also, Google went on to roll out a two-part spam update – part one of the update began on the 23rd of June, and part two began on the 28th of June.

What These Updates Signify

The page experience update has a lot to do with HTTPS and metrics such as the speed, responsiveness, and core web vitals. If you wish to see how this update may affect your site, the updated layout is live in all the testing tools and Google Search Console. However, you need to bear in mind that the Search Console data is delayed, as it is based on the CrUX (Chrome UX Report) data aggregated over the past 28 days.

As this roll-out is going to last months, chances are you may not see any drastic shift in a site’s visibility. This should give you the time to work on your site’s metrics so that its performance meets your expectations.

Unlike core and page experience updates, spam updates begin and end on the same day, which means your website rankings may be impacted almost immediately. Hence, if a website saw any changes in rankings on the days when this two-part update rolled out, you know what may have caused it.

That said, none of our websites experienced any major shift in rankings.

Final Takeaway

Although there is a great deal of talk around these updates, it is still too early to know exactly how they will affect site rankings. As for the spam updates, the SEOs do not seem to be too impressed and feel that too many spam sites are still being ranked.

When it comes to core updates, here’s a look at all a site owner should know about Google’s core updates. Also, if you would like some more information on the page experience update that is still rolling out, keep an eye out for the updates posted on the Page Experience Blog and the Core Web Vitals & Page Experience FAQs.

Analyze your site?

Google Launches Search Counsole Insights

eBizUniverse July 2021 Newsletter

 

Last month Google Search Central announced via Twitter “a new experience” called Search Console Insights “to help you better understand which content of yours resonates with your audiences.”

According to Google

“This experience joins data from both Search Console and Google Analytics with a goal of making it easy to understand your content’s performance. Whether you are a web content creator, blogger, or a website owner, and independent of your technical expertise, it can provide you with an overview and helpful insights on how your content is performing.”

July 2021 eBizUniverse Newsletter Insider Secrets

 

This experience will help you answer certain sample questions listed by Google.

  • What are your best-performing pieces of content, and which ones are trending?
  • How do people discover your content across the web?
  • What do people search for on Google before they visit your content?
  • Which article refers users to your website and content?

At present, you can access Search Console Insights in a couple of ways:

  1. Select Search Console Insights from the top of Search Console’s Overview page.
  2. Access it directly and save a bookmark.
  3. You will “soon” be able to access it in the iOS Google App by selecting Search Console Insights in the account menu. Google went on to say that they are “working to also add Android Google App support.”

July 2021 eBizUniverse Insider Secrets Newsletter

What Actions To Take

Search Console and Google Analytics give a great amount of information, but if you do not have the time to regularly go through everything, it can be a bit too much. Search Console Insights filter this information, giving you a brief overview of the updates related to your site.

When it comes to SEO agencies, Search Console Insights will come in handy to help less savvy site owners see how your work is benefiting their site. This also means that you can use Search Console Insights even if you do not use Google Analytics.

To get complete insights about your content, Google suggests linking your Google Analytics property with your relevant Search Console property.

Queries, if any, can be directed to one of Google’s support channels and also at @WebCreators on Twitter or @GoogleWebCreators on Instagram.

Ask us now!

A Simple Guide to Local SEO Strategy

Local SEO eBizUniverse Insider Secrets Newsletter July 2021

 

Have a business that serves a specific location? It is important to develop an SEO strategy that can help you target local customers and rank higher in Google search. While all businesses can benefit from search engine optimization, certain industries, like Professional Service Industry (banks, accountants, attorneys, financial planners, and many others), Home Repair & Renovation Service Industry, Medical Industry, Restaurant and Food Service Industry, etc., can benefit more.

Let’s take a look at some important benefits that Local SEO offers for small as well as large businesses.

  • SEO puts you up higher on Google’s search result pages and helps you get more traffic to your site.
  • Other local businesses can find you easily to create a coordinated marketing campaign that can benefit both.
  • SEO helps you get positive reviews, rank higher, and earn more trust.
  • You can save on advertising costs if your business is sufficiently high in the rankings.
  • Your business can appear in local business directories.
  • Voice searchers can find your business easily.

The above-mentioned benefits give a clear answer to your question ‘why my business needs SEO?’. Let’s now understand how to create a local SEO strategy for any business.

Follow the steps given below:

  • Prepare a list of keywords related to your business. For example, if you run a restaurant, your keywords can be Mexican Food, Chinese Food, etc.
  • Perform an SEO audit on your site to identify any existing technical issues. If you are already aware of any issues, address them first.
  • Conduct a competitive analysis using SEO tools to find out what keywords your competitors are ranking for. This analysis will help you determine which keywords are a perfect fit for your site.
  • Add your location to the keywords and perform an SEO analysis to find out the search volume and keyword variations of Geo-specific Keywords (example: Mexican Food Seattle, best Mexican Food Seattle, etc.).
  • Follow on-page SEO best practices to optimize your site for local search. On-page optimization would include –
    • Keyword mapping of individual site pages
    • Unique & relevant title and description for each page
    • Informative content about your products & services
    • Relevant internal links on your site pages
    • Images that are appropriate & compressed
    • Short & targeted URL structure
  • Localized landing pages can help you get more organic searches. To create perfect landing pages, you must optimize your page headings, include keywords in page content, etc.
  • Create your GMB account, and be sure to add the correct business address, contact number, images, and other details.
  • List your business with other online directories to gain more customers.
  • Create a Link Building Strategy to increase the ranking of your site.
  • Try to generate positive reviews across the directories your business is listed in. Also, respond to negative reviews in a professional & kind manner.

Are you getting the best return out of your digital marketing?

Need an extra pair of eyes to review your online game plan? Let our experts take a look at your current state and do a comprehensive digital marketing analysis at no cost to you. Please call us at (800) 379-2829 or contact us today and we will get to work right away.

June 2021 Newsletter Core Web Vitals

 

Why You Need to Start Paying Attention to Core Web Vitals

How to Take Advantage of the Google Page Experience Update

Core Web Vitals Tips for SEO Developers

eBizUniverse Monthly Newsletter Blog

Why You Need to Start Paying Attention to Core Web Vitals

Google has always placed a great deal of importance on User Experience (UX). In fact, every Google algorithm update has been about ensuring the users can gain access to user-friendly, relevant results quickly.

Now, with the introduction of Core Web Vitals, UX will play a vital role in increasing organic traffic. Hence, it is important that we understand all that we can about these Core Web Vitals.

What Exactly are Core Web Vitals

For the past few years, Google has been pushing website owners to go mobile-first. Building a mobile-friendly website is now crucial to SEO success.

Taking it a step further, Google is now ready to focus on mobile performance, also known as Core Web Vitals.

This summer, we will see algorithm updates that will focus on a new ranking factor, which happens to be page experience. Google will be measuring page experience using Web Vitals metrics. Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), First Input Delay (FID) and Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) are the core metrics within Web Vitals.

How Will the Core Web Vitals Impact SEOs

Search engine algorithms work on helping users find the information they need while collecting data that throws light on user behaviour, which then helps them provide more relevant results.

Websites that meet searchers’ needs naturally rank higher in the search engine results and enjoy increased organic traffic. With Google focusing on improving UX, paying mind to Core Web Vitals will mean the difference between SEO success or failure.

By optimizing for the new ranking factor, one can see a drastic rise in their organic traffic. The Core Vitals report in Google Search Console will tell you exactly which pages on your website need improvements in terms of UX.

What’s Important

While it may all seem very technical, it is important to understand what exactly is being measured by the Core Web Vitals. To put it simply, Core Web Vitals focus on three aspects of a good UX:

  • Loading Performance
  • Responsiveness
  • Visual Stability

These aspects are measured based on the user data from Chrome’s user experience report. You can check out the data for your website using the Google Data Studio report. This report offers detailed data on the important aspects of Core Web Vitals, along with information about usage on different devices.

The Three Main Elements of Core Web Vitals

  1. Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)

LCP is a metric used to measure how long it takes for the largest element of a webpage to load. This metric applies to the loading of the above-the-fold content; anything beyond a user’s screen is not taken into consideration.

Overall, LCP measures images, video poster images, block-level text elements, as well as elements that come with a background image. You can measure your website’s LCP with the help of lab scoring tools  like PageSpeed Insights and Lighthouse.

Ways to Optimize for LCP

Google suggests that the LCP should happen within 2.5 seconds of page loading. Anything that takes beyond 2.5 seconds to load needs improvement.

Ideally, you should be able to reduce the LCP time by doing the following:

  • Optimize the images – Ensure you choose the right format, incorporate width and height attributes and use compressed images whenever necessary.
  • Optimize your server – You may want to look into upgrading the hosting plan and using a CDN to improve the server performance.
  • Add caching – Make sure you use URLs consistently and that caches store images.
  • Fix render-blocking CSS and JavaScript – See if you can implement Critical CSS, deliver smaller payloads and compress the code file.
  1. First Input Delay (FID)

FID is a metric used to measure a user’s first interaction, meaning the delay between the time when a person clicks on something and the time it takes for the site to respond to the action and process it. However, it only measures finite user interactions, like clicks, taps and key presses, and not continuous interactions like scrolling and zooming.

Ways to Optimize for FID

Monitoring and optimizing your site’s UX is the only way you can do well with this metric. Ideally, your site’s FID score should be no more than 100 ms. If it goes beyond that, your site’s UX needs improvement.

Try the following to improve your site’s FID score:

  • Optimize the JavaScript code – Try breaking up long tasks, minimizing unnecessary polyfills and deferring or a-syncing unused JavaScript.
  • Optimize the CSS code – See if you can remove the unused CSS code and try compressing your files.
  1. Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)

CLS is a metric used to measure the visual stability of your site. It checks whether there is any unexpected shifting of any of your page elements and how often it occurs.

Ways to Optimize for CLS

Generally, you should be able to avoid the unexpected items shifting by doing the following:

  • Opt for transform animations with context and continuity.
  • Avoid inserting any content above your existing content.
  • Incorporate size attributes, such as width and height, on your image and video elements.

To understand which elements on your site are keeping you from getting a good CLS score, check out the Layout Shift GIF Generator tool.

Final Takeaway

It is a known fact that users now expect and tolerate nothing less than a seamless web experience. In order to ensure that your site delivers just that, it is essential to invest in LCP, FID and CLS improvements. After all, an improved user experience is key to higher rankings and increased organic traffic.

For help with Core Web Vitals, do get in touch with our expert team for assistance.

Analyze your site?

How to Take Advantage of the Google Page Experience Update

To understand how a user will perceive the experience of a specific web page, Google will evaluate a set of signals. This includes existing Google Search signals such as mobile-friendliness, safe-browsing, HTTPS, and intrusive interstitial guidelines. It also includes metrics in Google’s Web Vitals to do with a site’s loading speed, interactivity, and visual stability.

How to prepare for the Page Experience update?

For site owners and others, understanding these signals and making the necessary changes should be a priority. Among the steps to take are optimizing for mobile, improving page speeds, CTAs, and alt text for images.

You can start preparing now for user experience to become a ranking factor now. The Core Web Vitals report in Google Search Console is an excellent place to start getting a sense of how your site is performing in these areas. Alternatively, you can also make use of the PageSpeed Insights tool by Google (which is a part of our SEO Audit) to understand how your site stacks up.

How are we helping our clients with the Page Experience update?

To cope up with the update, we are already doing the below things for our clients:

  • Implement search-friendly alt texts for images while doing on-page optimization of your website.
  • Implement relevant schema tags on the website.

We have also updated our SEO Audit Reports to bring back the Mobile and Desktop Page Speed Insights sections which are a critical part in improving the Page Speed experience for users. In addition, our Audit also shows the Website HTTPS (secure website) status which is a critical ranking factor in relation to this update.

By showing this to your clients, it presents a lucrative opportunity for you to upsell add-on services like “mobile friendly optimization”, “improving page load speed”, “making website secure”, “CTA optimization”, “landing page optimization”, etc. If you’re interested, our team can discuss this further how to best provide these services to your clients at a minimal cost.

For more information, do get in touch with our reps.

Ask us now!

Core Web Vitals Tips for SEO Developers

Google’s “Page Experience” algorithm update is expected this month, June 2021. But what you need to know is that you shouldn’t expect a major fluctuation in the rankings, as of now!

We believe that Google will be rolling out the update carefully, as suddenly shaking up the ranking scene will draw unwanted attention to their powerful monopoly on search. Keeping this in mind, you can expect them to implement gradual changes over time. For now, relevancy will rule the ranking game!

Here are a few important tips on how to respond to the Core Web Vitals ranking signal going LIVE.

Reduce JavaScript (JS) Execution – If your report shows a poor FID score, consider reducing and optimizing your JS execution. As per Google, one of the ways to reduce the execution is by deferring unused JS. Start by cutting down unused JS, which can be done using code splitting.

Implement Lazy Loading – Implementing lazy loading is essential if you display images on your site. With lazy loading, your site’s UX and core web vitals score will remain unharmed. For sites with heavy elements, such as images, animations or videos, lazy loading is considered a must. It allows the loading of images at the exact same time when users scroll down through the page, without compromising on the overall website loading speed. Lazy loading offers a bunch of other benefits.

  • Improves site performance
  • Limits bandwidth usage
  • Improves your site’s SEO
  • Reduces bounce rate by keeping visitors on the page

Optimize & Compress Images – For some websites, the largest element is images. Optimizing images will make your page significantly lighter, thus improving several factors.

  • Loading speed
  • LCP score
  • UX
  • Search engine rankings

There are a lot of free tools available, using which you can compress your images. If you think that compression will affect the quality of the images, well, it isn’t true. Always ensure to save landscape images in .jpg format and the graphics in .png format.

Provide Proper Dimensions For Images & Embeds – CLS score below 0.1 is considered to be poor. To improve your CLS score, you need to have your dimensions in place. Setting proper width and height helps the browser allocate the correct amount of space on the page while the element is loading.

Also, make sure to set proper dimensions for embeds, like when inserting videos from YouTube into your site. At times, the video might look proper on the backend, but it may end up looking way too big or messy on the front end. See to it that the video you insert goes well with the interface of your site.

Improve Your Server Response Time – Google says, “The longer it takes a browser to receive content from the server, the longer it takes to render anything on the screen. A faster server response time directly improves every single page-load metric, including LCP.”

Most importantly, a long server response time can negatively affect your SEO and UX. Google suggests your server response time to be lower than 600 milliseconds. To measure server response time, use Time to First Byte (TTFB). But before you begin, note down the details on your server’s current performance so you can compare the results later on.

  • First, check how fast is your web hosting.
  • Use CDN (Content Delivery Network) for your site.
  • Then, review your plugins.

To Summarize It All

What you really need to do is pay very close attention to your competitors. You do not necessarily have to meet or exceed Google’s Core Web Vitals guideline scores, but rather meet or exceed your competitors’ scores. Next, you should focus on the content quality of your site and its relevance in terms of the search terms that you’re looking to rank for.

Are you getting the best return out of your digital marketing?

Need an extra pair of eyes to review your online game plan?

Let our experts take a look at your current state and do a comprehensive digital marketing analysis at no cost to you.

Please call us at (800) 379-2829 or contact us today and we will get to work right away.

 

March 2021 Digital Marketing Insider Secrets eBizUniverseGoogle Page Experience Update is All Set to Launch in May 2021SEO Features That Your e-Commerce Site Must Have to Rank HigherGMB Messaging for Desktop Now Rolling OutGoogle My Business Years in Business Feature
eBizUniverse Monthly Newsletter BlogGoogle Page Experience Update is All Set to Launch in May 2021

 

That’s roughly a year after the company first announced the update and gives us another six months to prepare for it. In short, Google will highlight search results that have a great page experience and could probably become a ranking factor. Google said you may see these icons and labels in the search results soon. The update will take expected user experience into consideration for ranking in search results.

What is Page Experience?

To understand how a user will perceive the experience of a specific web page, Google will evaluate a set of signals. This includes existing Google Search signals such as mobile-friendliness, safe-browsing, HTTPS, and intrusive interstitial guidelines. It also includes metrics in Google’s Web Vitals to do with a site’s loading speed, interactivity, and visual stability.

How to prepare for the Page Experience update?

For site owners and others, understanding these signals and making the necessary changes should be a priority. Among the steps to take are optimizing for mobile, improving page speeds, CTAs, and alt text for images.

You can start preparing now for user experience to become a ranking factor now. The Core Web Vitals report in Google Search Console is an excellent place to start getting a sense of how your site is performing in these areas. Alternatively, you can also make use of the PageSpeed Insights tool by Google (which is a part of our SEO Audit) to understand how your site stacks up.

How are we helping our clients with the Page Experience update?

To cope up with the update, we are already doing the below things for our clients:

  • Implement search-friendly alt texts for images while doing on-page optimization of your website.
  • Implement relevant schema tags on the website.

We have also updated our SEO Audit Reports to bring back the Mobile and Desktop Page Speed Insights sections which are a critical part in improving the Page Speed experience for users. In addition, our Audit also shows the Website HTTPS (secure website) status which is a critical ranking factor in relation to this update.

By showing this to your clients, it presents a lucrative opportunity for you to upsell add-on services like “mobile friendly optimization”, “improving page load speed”, “making website secure”, “CTA optimization”, “landing page optimization”, etc. If you’re interested, our team can discuss this further how to best provide these services to your clients at a minimal cost.

Get Your FREE Website Audit Today!

SEO Features That Your e-Commerce Site Must Have to Rank Higher

A large number of people shop online for almost everything. To get these customers, you need to be ahead of the competition. We have listed some important SEO features to help rank your product page higher.

The important SEO features are:

1) Short URL Structure

The URL structure for your product pages should be short and must have some primary keywords (related to your product) to generate high click-through. Let’s compare the two links that are given below:

http://www.freeridepowersports.com/catalog_product_detail.asp?cat_9781-107864-111049_product_2176989.Garmin_Montana_680T_GPS.htm

https://www.rei.com/garmin-montana-680t-gps

The first URL structure is long and cannot be shared easily. The second URL structure is simple and keyword rich – considered a better URL by Google.

2) Optimized Title Tags

Your title tag affects the search rankings. You must include important product keywords like Brand Name, Part Name, Color, etc. It should be easy to understand and can be a little long. For example, the title tag given below has all the important details related to a specific product, making it easier for the user.

Optimized Title Tags

You must also pre-plan your product category (by color, size, or other features) and then add your pages to an e-commerce site.

3) Mobile Friendly Product Pages

With so many reliable smartphone options, most people shop using their mobile devices. Your site must have a mobile-specific design or should be AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) compatible. Don’t ignore your potential customers who use mobile devices. Take Google’s Mobile Friendly Test to ensure you are not losing business. You can also go a step ahead and use SEO audit tools to detect issues in your site.

4) Sitelinks Search Box

High-ranking e-commerce sites use the site search feature to help customers find what they are looking for. When does a search box appear? When you enter a brand name along with the word ‘website’ (Amazon Website), when you add a domain along with a brand name (Pinterest.com) or enter a brand name.

Wondering why you need a search box? You need a search box to improve your user experience and display results that are relevant to your customers from your site. To add the search box to your site, read the details provided by Google. Also, to monitor what people are searching for, set up Google Analytics Tracking for your search box.

Google Analytics Tracking for your Search Box

5) Unique Product Descriptions & Images

Online retailers must avoid using product descriptions and images supplied by the manufacturer. Duplicate content is very easily detected by Google and Bing and will not show up in top search results. Nowadays, many companies offer multiple photos of a single product from different angles and these images can also be zoomed-in for better clarity. Some even add short videos. Image optimization can also get you more traffic and hence, more sales.

6) Simplified Version Of Product Data

Product specifications are very important to customers. If you provide clear, easy-to-read information, your customers will trust you and possibly return to your site again. The added advantage is that Google loves specification tables and includes them in search results as a snippet.

Organize your data properly and keep your tables simple.

Product Specifications

7) Question & Answer Section

Having an FAQ or Q&A section on the product pages helps your customers to clear their doubts or confirm the details with previous purchasers. The users can make their purchase decisions faster.

 

Question and Answer Section

8) Longer Snippets by Google!

A recent update from Google states that there are no strict rules on how long meta descriptions need to be. This helps the users to find the product information they are looking for without clicking on 10 different links. The below-given snippet has 310 characters in its meta description. But it answers the users’ query properly, so Google displays the entire description in the search results.

Longer Snippets by Google

9) Rich Results

Customers prefer enhanced results or rich results. Rich results include additional details like pictures, reviews, prices, showtimes, etc. To generate rich results like the example given below, use Schema formatted Structured Data Markup of your website content. Microdata & JSON/LD are the two main options. Google prefers JSON-LD! Try out http://schema.org/Product to get started.

Rich Results

 

10) Reviews That Influence Your Customers

Every customer now checks the reviews before purchasing a product online.

Reviews that Influence Your Customers

Guidelines given by Google are as follows:

  • The reviews on your site must not be taken from other websites.
  • Both positive and negative reviews must be posted.
  • Only genuine, independent, and unpaid reviews are allowed.
  • Every review must be specific to a particular product or location.

To learn more, read Google’s Review Guidelines.

11) Video Content

Some videos are designed to answer most of the frequently asked questions in a single go. Hence, videos save users’ reading time and help in making online purchase decisions. The only disadvantage is the page load time. Using an image link that opens on a new page with the video can be an easy way to reduce the load time.

Video Content

12) Single Product Page with Many Options

Products are combined into a single page mostly when they differ in few specifications like size, color, etc. For example, a trouser that is available in various sizes and colors. The selection of a specific size or color generates a unique number or SKU. Such pages are preferred by customers and give better results.

Single Product Page with Many Options

 

Before creating combined pages, the points that must be considered include the following:

  • Make the site easy to use, so that all the combined products can be accessed by the customers without any hassles.
  • The SKU of every product on a combined page will not be shown on the page until that product is selected. Therefore, Google ranking is not possible.

A product page can rank on Google when the details of all the products are simplified in a chart or listed on the page. Check out the table given below to understand clearly. Creating such tables definitely takes a lot of time, but the rewards are also higher.

Product Rank Page

13) Easy-To-Follow Product Details & Ordering Process

Adding unwanted information or complex functions can drive your customers away. The customers must easily understand the options and receive what they have ordered. Redesign your page and make some internal changes if needed to improve your online sales conversion rates. Also, your ‘Buy now’ or ‘Add to Cart’ buttons must be optimized (location, color, button text, size, and shape) to improve the click rate.

14) Quality Signals

Quality Signals are very important for every e-commerce site.

The basic requirements are:

  • A DV (Domain Verification) certificate
  • A 100% HTTPS secure site (all pages)

These certifications will help you rank higher and assure your customers that your company is reliable & valid.

A shopping site must include Payment Policies, Exchange Policy / Information, Return Policy, easy to find Full Contact/Customer Service Information, Secure Server, etc. Check out the Google Quality Raters Handbook (PDF) for more details.

15) Fast Loading Website

A study shows that for every 1-second delay in page responsiveness, conversions can suffer by 7%. Also, Core Web Vitals will be included in page experience signals. So, Fast Loading Pages will be ranked higher.

16) The Marketing Team & Keywords

The marketing team that spends time learning about their products, their target customers, participates in Online Forums, joins various groups, attends shows, etc., can form highly optimized keywords & excellent sales copy. This will help make the business highly profitable.

After going through all these features, make a list of issues that your site might have and start improving it. To stay ahead of your competition, you must focus on enhancing your site.

What’s Your SEO Score? Find Out Now!

GMB Messaging for Desktop Now Rolling Out

Aren’t yet seeing messages in your GMB desktop dashboard? Soon you will! Google My Business is rolling out messaging for desktop this month. Within a couple of weeks in March 2021, all businesses will have access to messaging on the web.

Opt-in to enable users to send messages via your GMB account to use the service. You can automate the welcome responses as per your brand and interact with the users messaging you.

This new feature will allow you to track messages and save and download all your conversations. However, you should take note that Google expects you to respond to the messages within 24 hours. By failing to do so, you can lose access to messaging tools. Also, know that your customized automated welcome messages do not count as a response here.

As per Google, this is how it works:

Once you turn on messaging, customers will find a “Message” button on your Business Profile and will be able to message you at any time.

  • The messages will appear in your Business Profile on Google. You’ll receive notifications for incoming messages.
  • You can customize the automated welcome message that your customers will get when they message you.
  • You can even share photos with your customers through messages.
  • If multiple people own or manage your Business Profile, each one can message the customers.
  • Customers may find your name and profile photo from your About Me

Steps to Take

Have Questions? We Can Help!

Google My Business Years in Business Feature

Aren’t yet seeing messages in your GMB desktop dashboard? Soon you will! Google My Business is rolling out messaging for desktop this month. Within a couple of weeks in March 2021, all businesses will have access to messaging on the web.

Here’s another update by Google! Last month, Google My Business added a new Years in Business feature. So business owners can now tag onto their Business Profile to tell their customers in which year a business opened or will open, at its address.

Have a look at the image below:

 

eBizUniverse Years in Business Google My Business

Follow the below steps to set your opening date

  1. Sign in to Google My Business.
  2. If you have multiple locations, open the location you’d like to manage.
  3. From the menu, click Info.
  4. Click Add opening date.
  5. Enter your opening date.
  6. Click Apply.

All you require is the year and month of your opening date. It allows you to enter a date in advance up to one year, but it won’t show on Google until 90 days before the date.

Google says that “On certain places in Google Search, the opening date may be used to let customers know how many years a business has been in operation.”

Actionable Strategy — The new feature is being viewed as a trust factor by several consumers. So if you’ve been around, you should take advantage of your years in business.

 

ARE YOU GETTING THE BEST RETURN OUT OF YOUR DIGITAL MARKETING?

Need another pair of hands to make sure you’re up to date with all of Google’s new updates?

Team eBizUniverse is ready to dive into your current state and do a comprehensive

Digital Marketing Analysis at no cost to you!

Give us a call at (800) 379-2829 or contact us so we can get to work right away!

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an_overview_of_what's_trending_on_Google_maps_in_2021

google_my_business_profile_suspension_and_recovery

10_things_to_do_when_your_ranking_drops

eBizUniverse

an_overview_of_what's_trending_on_Google_maps_in_2021

Here’s some good news for local marketers! Google is now sharing insights about trending searches in Google Maps, a rare set of search data, which can be of great help.

Previously, local search data for January used to provide a sneak-peek into people’s New Year’s resolution plans, showing searches for gyms, healthy restaurants, winter vacations, and various forms of self-improvement spiking during the entire month.

But the difference about January 2021 is that this set of Google Maps search data offers a look into what people are doing when they leave home during a time when travel is discouraged. Although, data shows us that people are doing a lot of the same things they do every January but with a different approach to it this year.

For example, unlike every year, people are searching for local travel instead of international travel destinations. Same way, they are searching for at-home workouts instead of the nearest gyms.

Let’s have a deeper look into January 2021 Google Maps search trends.

Local Travel

For this year, people’s focus has shifted from international travel to local travel. Compared to every year, searches for countries outside one’s hometown were low this January.

In January 2020, Maps searches for international destinations increased by 65% over December 2019. Whereas searches for local bed and breakfasts have increased by 20% in January 2021 as compared to late 2020.

Google also noted that ski resorts are trending “in a big way” on Maps. As skiing is a socially distant activity, more people are focusing on it; as a result, searches for ski resorts were more than twice as high as they were last year.

New Year’s Resolution

Search trends in January have always represented people’s New Year’s resolution plans like drinking less, eating better, and exercising more.

Usually, every year, the query “Dry January” tends to spike at the beginning of the year, as people vow to abstain from alcohol in the month following the holiday season.

But this year, it seems very few people are taking this challenge because searches for wine shops and liquor stores dropped by 11% and 6% respectively as compared to December.  Whereas, last year at this same time, searches for both the queries were down nearly 40% as compared to the holiday season.

Eating healthy remains a priority this year too. As data shows, searches for “healthy” options increased by 46% in January as compared to December. But it also shows that people’s appetite for sweets is up this year. Searches for ice cream shops are up by 10% as compared to December.

Unlike every year, searches for fast-food restaurants in January 2021 haven’t decreased. Contrary to January 2020, this year’s searches for fast food dropped only by 1.5% from December to January.

Searches related to workouts and exercise remained high even this year, witnessing an increase of 25% from December to January.

According to Google, searches for hiking areas have gone down this year. Data shows only a 16% increase as compared to last year’s 55% increase.

Analyze your site?

google_my_business_profile_suspension_and_recovery

Google My Business (GMB) Suspension

When a GMB account is no longer visible on Google search results & Google Maps, it is possibly suspended! The suspension process is carried out because the business details are not according to the terms and conditions of Google. The trickiest part here is – Google doesn’t specify the reasons as to why a GMB profile was suspended. If you have a GMB account or if your account was suspended, this article is for you!

Signs That Indicate Your GMB Profile Was Suspended

  1. Comparatively fewer phone calls or less foot traffic than normal
  2. An email notification from Google stating that your GMB profile has been suspended
  3. Your Google My Business dashboard displays a “Suspended” notification

Types Of Suspension

  1. Hard Suspension: When you search for your business on the web, your company’s name is not shown in the search results or Google Maps.
  2. Soft Suspension: In this case, your business is visible, but you cannot make any changes or manage your listings.

Common Reasons For GMB Suspensions

  1. Two or more businesses share the same address.
  2. The address on your website does not match with the business listings.
  3. The address, name, or phone number on your GMB profile does not match with your directory listings.
  4. Making frequent small or big changes to your address, business name, website, phone number, etc. is considered spam.
  5. You have mentioned a P.O. box or UPS box in the address.
  6. The address on your GMB profile is a virtual office address.
  7. You have used too many keywords in your business name.
  8. Business name is not the same across the web.
  9. Service Area Business displaying your home address.
  10. Running an online business and don’t have a physical store.
  11. You belong to industries like Locksmiths, HVAC, Plumbing, and other home service businesses. These industries are known to have more fake listings, making them prone to suspensions.
  12. The link on your GMB profile redirects to another website or a social media page.
  13. You have multiple locations or listings for a single business.
  14. Someone reported your listing through a Redressal form.
  15. You or your GMB manager violated GMB TOS (Terms of Service).
  16. Other reasons for suspension include Bugs, Algorithmic Sweep, etc.

How To Avoid A Suspension?

  1. Read the GMB Guidelines thoroughly before you create an account.
  2. If you have any questions while you are registering, ask the experts or contact Google.
  3. Provide the necessary documents like photos, valid proofs, etc. as and when required.
  4. Check the GMB Guidelines (TOS) once a month to stay updated with all the rules.

What To Do After Your Account Has Been Suspended?

  1. Don’t panic! If you are a legitimate business, there is nothing to worry about.
  2. Identify the reason/s due to which your account was suspended. Here, you must check whether you or your manager has violated any of the GMB TOS.
  3. Follow the guidelines and make the required changes to your suspended account. Yes, these steps can be tedious but still hold on. Do not create a new GMB profile; it won’t be helpful.
  4. To ensure you have actually fixed the issues, post your details on the GMB help forum or confirm it with an expert.
  5. Fill in the Reinstatement Form. Answer the questions asked on the form honestly and also provide the required proofs. Please file only a single request to avoid further delays.
  6. You will receive an update regarding your form from Google within 2-3 weeks.
  7. If you do not get a reply after 3 weeks, contact GMB support through Facebook or Twitter.

In The End…

If your business totally relies on GMB, then follow the rules and stay updated. We also suggest you utilize other online marketing tools.

See How You Can Improve Your GMB! 

10_things_to_do_when_your_ranking_drops

Be it a few high ranking pages or a massive plunge across the board, dropped rankings can be an SEO horror story for many!

So what do you do when your ranking goes down?

Google never fails to remind us that they update almost everyday which can sometimes result in your rankings going the wrong way. So when you check the SERPs or console or some other rank monitoring software and see your rankings take a dive, DO NOT PANIC!!!

Strategic troubleshooting can help take things in the right direction. These 10 tried and tested tricks shall help you get back on track with your organic SEO rankings!

1) Take Care of the Basics

When deploying and monitoring keyword performance and focusing on the advanced strategies, it is likely to overlook the on-page SEO ABCs.

Just a quick fix on your website can resolve a lot of issues, which you could be trying to improve with things like anchor text ratio, link velocity, or citation optimization.

Also, do your pages return a 200 status code? They indicate that your site is communicating successfully. The standard 200 OK status code indicates a successful HTTP request.

Free tools such as httpstatus can be used to confirm that your site is returning a successful request. You can troubleshoot based on the failed status codes like 404 (page not found) or 410 (page permanently removed).

Next, you need to know that robots.txt is a text file in the top-level directory of your web server that instructs bots on how to interact with your website. You can include and exclude things in the file as per your liking, like disallowing bots from crawling a dev site or indexing duplicate pages.

Make sure you haven’t set the restrictions too tightly, preventing search bots from crawling any of your main pages. Double-check the robots.txt file with Google’s free Robots Testing Tool, and if you find anything missing, upload a more permissive file to the server.

2) Don’t Forget the SEO Basics

Setting your SEO basics right ensures that you are prepared to compete in the game. Although title tags aren’t a search engine ranking factor, they do have an influence.

Make sure that SEO basics, such as title tags, meta descriptions, and headings, aren’t holding back your rankings.

Have you optimized your homepage title and meta tags, and are they displayed correctly in the search results? Do not miss the simple yet massive opportunity to tell the bots using the homepage title tag what your page is about. Title tags that aren’t very unique can adversely affect the ranking of your page. While meta descriptions do not directly affect SEO, relevant, persuasive metas can improve the click-through rates.

Get your title and meta tags customized within the head section of your site’s HTML. If your site runs on WordPress, install a free plugin like Yoast SEO or All in One SEO Pack to easily manage titles and meta tags across your site.

Besides the information provided in the title tag, the main heading also lets your visitors know what is the primary purpose of the page. But when it is contained in an H1 tag, it becomes difficult for search bots to differentiate them from the rest of the content on the page.

See to it that a single, relevant H1 is used on each page.

3) Keep an Eye on Google Algorithm Updates

Since link algorithm Penguin and quality algorithm Panda have become a part of Google’s core algorithm, you always need to be on your toes regarding how the minor tweaks can impact your rankings.

Every day we see dozens of updates! To stay on top of the breaking developments in SEO, you can follow influencers like Danny Goodwin, Barry Schwartz, and Google’s Gary IIIyes.

When you see webmasters panicking, it is a sure sign that something has been adjusted. Don’t stress about ranking fluctuations if you are doing things the right way; in-depth content, clean and intuitive site layout, and fast load times.

Are you getting the best return out of your digital marketing?

Need an extra pair of eyes to review your online game plan?

Let our experts take a look at your current state and do a comprehensive digital marketing analysis at no cost to you.

Please call us at (800) 379-2829 or contact us today and we will get to work right away.

Digital_Marketing_Insider_Secrets_January_2021 googles_dec_2020_core_algorithim_update_is_here Insights_into_some_SEO_trends_for_2021

12_tips_to_get_on_top_of_your_local_SEO_game_in_2021

eBizUniverse

googles_dec_2020_core_algorithim_update_is_here

On Dec 3rd, 2020, Google began rolling out a new core algorithm update, and as always it made some people happy, while others weren’t as pleased about it.

Google keeps making smaller modifications to its ranking formulas almost every day, but the big changes are made only about three times annually. This is also the reason why the recent change was anxiously anticipated since May 2020, when the last one took place.

Like always, Google responded to queries and comments by referring to their boilerplate recommendations of the past like what webmasters should know about Google’s core updates and the 175-page general guidelines for search quality evaluators.

Simply put, Google reflected their casual, don’t worry if you lost rankings attitude by saying…

“pages that drop after a core update don’t have anything wrong to fix.”

But, if you still feel you need to do something, try “focusing on ensuring you’re offering the best content you can”. The same old line that they use whenever they are asked about getting your page ranked.

What Can Be Done

Even if your rankings have tanked as a result of the last core update, there are no specific actions that you can take to recover, says Google. They also went on to say that negative rankings do not mean there is anything wrong with your pages. That said, we haven’t noticed any rank drop for our clients due to this update.

Google does suggest a list of questions to consider, based on different categories.

Content and Quality Questions

  • Ask yourself, does the content provide original information, reporting, research or analysis?
  • How about, does the content provide a substantial, complete or comprehensive description of the topic?
  • Does the content provide insightful analysis or interesting information that is beyond obvious?
  • If the content draws on other sources, does it avoid simply copying or rewriting from those sources and instead provide substantial additional value and originality?

Expertise Questions

  • Does the content present information in a way that makes you want to trust it, such as clear sourcing, evidence of the expertise involved, background about the author, or the site that publishes it through links to an author page or a site’s About page?

Presentation and Production Questions

  • Does content display well for mobile devices when viewed on them?

You might also want to have a go through this article comparing rank volatility and average position change. It also lists winners and losers!

Analyze your site?

 

Insights_into_some_SEO_trends_for_2021

Staying updated with the latest Search Engine Optimization (SEO) related developments is important to increase your website’s traffic. It can be a bit demanding, but it is worth your efforts.

To help you stay informed and prepared for the upcoming digital challenges, we have prepared a list of some SEO trends to look out for this year. These trends can be your flashlights on your way to SEO success.

Here’s a quick rundown of the most relevant SEO Trends:

Artificial Intelligence Will Decide The Rankings

  • RankBrain, Google’s AI algorithm, is an important factor to rank in SERPs. There is no specific information on how RankBrain functions. It is said to help Google interpret queries by finding pages that are relevant but may not have the exact keywords used in the queries. One of the best ways to optimize your SEO for RankBrain is by organizing the content on your page.
  • BERT was rolled out in Google’s search system in October 2019 for English-language queries. BERT algorithm will help Google better understand the intent behind users’ search queries. It aims to provide relevant results by understanding natural language. BERT will impact 10% of searches, so there are chances it will also affect your brand’s visibility. Again, great content will be rewarded!
  • Discover, Google’s AI-driven tool identifies user behavioral patterns & gradually learns these habits. The information collected is used to find the most accurate content that the users will be interested in. Wondering what you can do? Nothing! If Google indexes your page, your content is included.

The Shift To Mobile-First Indexing

  • Almost 70% of the sites shown in Google’s search results have shifted to mobile-first indexing. From September 2020, Google has officially switched to mobile-first indexing. To ensure your web page is mobile-friendly, use the Mobile-Friendly Test Tool offered by Google.

Content Strategy Tips

  • Wish to create quality content for your business? Follow the EAT principle (expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness) while you craft your content strategy. It helps to build a positive online presence and ensures that the user is protected from fraud & low-quality content.
  • To rank higher in Google & to keep your users engaged, we recommend focusing on quality long-form content (3000+ words). Steps to create engaging long-form content includes breaking the content into sections, adding headings and sub-headings, researching the topic in-depth, creating a content outline, etc.

Local SEO Gains Importance

  • Local SEO is evolving rapidly due to the rise of zero-click searches. Zero-click searches are results that are shown at the top of Google’s first page so that the user doesn’t have to open a link. Wish to get started with local SEO? Create a GMB (Google My Business) page!
  • A Featured Snippet aims to answer a search query & is located at or near the top of a Google SERP. It is a great way to reach the first page of search results. Having a presence inside the PAA (People Also Ask) box is also an effective way to rank on the first page of the search results.

Focus On User Search Intent

  • Semantic Search is gradually gaining importance because Google now analyzes the query context and tries to understand a user’s search intent to provide more relevant information. Wish to deal with Semantic Search? Create content that answers a question that your potential customers would pose.
  • Google urges proper labeling & optimization of images. It is the right time to optimize or recheck the images on your website. We recommend using good quality & relevant images. Also, customize the file name & label the photos properly so that the displayed images are in-line with the content on the page.

Other Ways To Optimize Keywords

  • Voice Search Technology is popular enough to consider it an important ranking factor. Using the keywords that consumers use regularly for voice search can be useful to drive traffic to your site.
  • YouTube has millions of users. You must create video content to reach out to your potential customers. To get started, type your video’s topic and study the results that appear. This will give you a list of keywords and tell you precisely what people on YouTube are looking for.

Be Data-Driven

  • Data science helps you to understand buyers and create targeted messages. Analytics can help you verify which URLs are getting crawled, check page loading time, indexing, response errors, and more. Staying updated with the data and analytics related to your business gives you an edge over your competitors.

The right SEO tools can guide you to prepare a smart SEO strategy & help you stay on top of the rankings. If you are on the lookout for SEO on your own website or your clients, we can be the right fit. Just connect with us and our experts will assist you further.

See How You Can Improve Your SEO! 

 

12_tips_to_get_on_top_of_your_local_SEO_game_in_2021

Did you know, around 28% of all local searches typically result in a purchase? Recent times have shown us just how important it is for a business to have a solid online presence. In order to establish that presence, a business needs to succeed at both, overall SEO and local SEO. The combination of a strong traditional and local SEO strategy can help propel your business way ahead of your competition.

To effectively harness the power of local search, you need to first understand how to build and implement a good local SEO strategy. Read on to find the top 12 local SEO tips that can help improve your business’s online presence in 2021.

#1. Do not delay in creating a GMB listing

Creating a GMB listing is not very difficult. Just ensure that you complete your profile and list all your products and services. Once you are done setting up your GMB listing, start creating mini-posts for your clients using the Google Posts feature. This will not only help you keep your clients updated, but it will also show Google that you are taking the time to manage your listing.

#2. Get your business listed in other important directories as well

Listing your business on all the important online directories is essential for local SEO. Check whether there are any online business directories specific to your area and target them along with the main national and global directories, such as:

  • Yelp
  • FourSquare
  • Angie’s List
  • Bing Places
  • HotFrog
  • Best of the Web
  • About Us

#3. Ensure your Name and Place (NAP) information is updated and correct

Incorrect and inconsistent NAP information generally results in Google not displaying your GMB listing. So make sure your NAP information is correct and completely the same across all the platforms and in all your listings.

In case your business moves to a new location, update this information on all platforms as soon as possible. Also, since a business’s profile information can now be updated based on changes suggested by consumers, you should keep a close eye on it to ensure there are no discrepancies.

#4. Find out the local keywords you can target

Targeting local keywords is an absolute must when it comes to local SEO. Make sure your research for local keywords includes longer tail keywords related to your business as well as variations of search terms. You might also want to look into targeting hyper-local keywords.

#5. See to it that your site is optimized with the local keywords

Once you are done shortlisting the local keywords you would like to rank for, optimize your site using these keywords. The keywords must feature on your homepage as well as your service pages in the following areas:

  • Headings
  • Title Tags
  • Meta Descriptions
  • Body
  • Footer

If possible, try and incorporate your main local keyword in the URL as well. Just make sure that when you add these keywords, you incorporate them into the rest of the content as naturally as possible.

#6. Create locally relevant content

Creating non-local content for a locally focused business will do you no good. For better lead generation, you need to create content that is locally relevant. The best way to go about it would be by incorporating local keywords into content related to the products and/or services you offer. You can also come up with content that revolves around local news and events related to your business or industry.

#7. Make your site mobile-friendly

Statistics show that of all the mobile searches conducted, 30% are location-related. This makes it extremely important to ensure that your site is mobile-friendly. If your site fails to work properly on mobile, there are high chances that you might lose quite a few of your potential consumers to a competitor whose website is easy to access even on mobile. Make sure you do not lose them by optimizing your site for mobile.

#8. Optimize your site for voice as well

Mobile voice searches are now starting to become a common practice among consumers. It has come to light that mobile voice searches are 3X more likely to be related to something local as compared to text searches. However, voice search is still relatively new, and many businesses are yet to capitalize on it. Hence, optimizing your site and content for voice now will help you stay ahead of your competitors.

#9. Always look for opportunities to build inbound links

Building inbound links can strengthen not only your overall SEO efforts but also your local SEO game. While there are many ways to build quality inbound links, one of the most effective ways is to connect with those people and businesses that are related to your industry and figure out a way to place a contextual link on their websites.

#10. If you serve multiple locations, create location pages

If your business serves multiple locations, you will want your website to rank in the local searches for each of those locations. The best way to do so is by creating a separate page for every location, instead of just listing them down on one page. Besides creating unique content for every page, you will have to ensure that they are optimized for local keywords.

#11. Take the time to manage your reviews

Managing your reviews is an absolute must for succeeding in local SEO in 2021. Getting good reviews is great, but the negative ones can severely impact your authority and your rankings. The best way to manage your negative reviews is to respond to them with an aim to resolve the issues raised. This will not only help you retain customers, but it will also show Google that you are actively working to enhance customer experience. Hence, it is crucial that you manage your reviews across all platforms and listings.

#12. Don’t forget to pay attention to your overall SEO

While local SEO is important, especially for the locally-focused businesses, that’s no reason to ignore overall SEO. Google has made it very clear that organic SERP plays a major role in improving your local rankings. Chances are high that if you ignore implementing certain very important traditional SEO components, your local SEO efforts may fail as well. So make sure you keep a close eye on that front.

Final Takeaway

The year 2020 played a huge role in the colossal move of the majority of the consumers and the smallest of businesses online. Even if you may have already implemented some of the above listed local SEO tips, a lot more goes into building a comprehensive SEO strategy. If you find that your business is still floundering in the digital world, then it’s high time you get in touch with a reliable SEO expert to help you catch up to your competition.

Are you getting the best return out of your digital marketing?

Need an extra pair of eyes to review your online game plan? Let our experts take a look at your current state and do a comprehensive digital marketing analysis at no cost to you. Please call us at (800) 379-2829 or contact us today and we will get to work right away.

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11_Simple_Yet_Effective_Tips_to_Improve_your_Local_SEO

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11_Simple_Yet_Effective_Tips_to_Improve_your_Local_SEO

To help your start-up or medium-sized business gain momentum, we have listed some important local marketing strategies. These strategies can help you to increase your brand’s awareness & gain new customers. Hiring a marketing agency can help you to generate leads right away, but if you wish to do it on your own, this article is for you!

Here are some SEO tips for the DIYers:

  • Plan the structure of your website carefully. Add navigation tabs on every page of your site to lead the users to other relevant pages.
  • Re-direct or eliminate broken links.
  • Use the local keywords & geographical area names in the meta descriptions & website content smartly.
  • We recommend using page-specific, optimal length title & meta descriptions.
  • Keep your webpage content precise and relevant to get a good ranking.
  • Register your business on Google My Business (GMB) & other business citation sources.
  • Local Citation is a must! List your business with local directories & popular directories.
  • Get recognized for your services! Let other businesses you have worked for, mention you on their sites.
  • If you want to do better than your competitors, analyze the key factors that are helping them stay on the top.
  • Positive reviews can build trust and help increase your customer base significantly.
  • Use quality graphics and videos to avoid repetitive content and boost your Click-Through Rate.

Even when you are done following these tips, it takes patience & expertise to achieve the ranking you desire! If you need quick results, consulting an SEO expert is your best choice. We’re here for help!

See How You Can Improve Your Website! 

Disavow_tool_is_migrated_to_new_search_console

Recently, Google made an announcement saying, “Today we’re completing the migration of the Disavow links tool to the new Search Console interface.” The migration of the Disavow tool was pending for a long time. Almost a year after officially closing down the old version of Google Search Console, they migrated the disavow link tool from the old Search Console to the new Search Console.

Importantly, Google goes on to caution that “This is an advanced feature and should only be used with caution. If used incorrectly, this feature can potentially harm your site’s performance in Google Search results.”

Google explains, “If you have a manual action against your site for unnatural links to your site, or if you think you’re about to get such a manual action (because of paid links or other link schemes that violate our quality guidelines), you should try to remove the links from the other site to your site. If you can’t remove those links yourself, or get them removed, then you should disavow the URLs of the questionable pages or domains that link to your website.”

The new location for the disavow link tool is – https://search.google.com/search-console/disavow-links

Apart from this, Google will now let you download a disavow file as a text file and will no longer limit the error reports for uploaded files to just 10 errors.

How you can use it?

As we all know, Google has always ignored bad links rather than penalizing businesses for it. However, if manual action is taken against your site for unnatural links or if you think that you are about to get one because of paid links or link schemes that violate the quality guidelines. Importantly, Google prefers that you ask the other site to remove those links first and if you can’t get them removed, you can use this tool to disavow those sites.

Do You Have Questions? Ask Us!

Twitter_Rolls_Out_Carousel_Ads

In October, Twitter launched Carousel Ads for advertisers globally. These ads enable marketers to display 2-6 horizontally swipeable images or videos.

As per Twitter

“The Carousel ad format also includes an edge-to-edge design, 3rd party measurement reporting, accessibility support, and new reporting features, such as swipes within the Carousel and breakdowns to measure individual Carousel card performance.”

You can check out Twitter’s new Carousel Ad Format here.

It takes just a few easy steps to create Carousel Ads. Advertisers can create them via Tweet Composer in Ads Manager or via the Ads API using creative specifications similar to other image and video formats.

Ads can then be promoted or used organically.

If you wish to learn more about Carousel Ads, visit this page!

Are you getting the best return out of your digital marketing?

Need an extra pair of eyes to review your online game plan? Let our experts take a look at your current state and do a comprehensive digital marketing analysis at no cost to you. Please call us at (800) 379-2829 or contact us today and we will get to work right away.

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Google recently made an announcement that it’s Structured Data Testing Tool will be replaced with the Rich Results Tool that is newly out of beta.

 

This is what Google said in favor of the Rich Results Tool…

 

Here are some reasons the new tool will serve you better:

  • It shows which Search feature enhancements are valid for the markup you are providing.
  • It handles dynamically loaded structured data markup more effectively.
  • It renders both mobile and desktop versions of a result.
  • It is fully aligned with Search Console reports.

 

But this revelation does not seem to have gone down well with technical SEOs even when Google has assured that…

 

“…the Rich Results Test fully supports all Google Search rich result features.”

 

This could be because most SEOs like to see reporting on ALL Schemas and not just what qualifies as a Google ‘Rich Result’. And Google confirmed that this isn’t what the tool is designed for in the above statement.

 

For instance, Webpage and Article markup do not qualify as rich results, which is why it isn’t picking them up. So SEOs think that they are in a way losing a tool that served a different purpose than the one it’s being replaced with.

 

A page was tested on both the Rich Results Tool and the Structured Data Testing Tool. Below is the result of the Structured Data Testing Tool.

 

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The result from the Rich Results Testing Tool is as follows…

 

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What Can Be Done

In case you use the Structured Data Testing Tool, there is no need to panic. The Rich Results Tool has its own set of benefits to offer. When it comes to troubleshooting schema that qualifies for rich results and also allowing an easy preview of schema, the Rich Results Tool is quite effective.

 

Also, there are several other tools that can be used as an alternative to validate schema that is currently not been offered at Google rich results.

 

Listen to what John Mueller said on this, in this Google hangout, on the 21st of July. https://youtu.be/QPh3T7oemxM

 

The Structured Data Testing Tool will be still available as Google does not plan to take it out right away. However, in the long run, they plan to keep just one single tool instead of two tools. We will keep you updated on Google’s upcoming announcements until then you can think of something that can efficiently be used instead of the Structured Data Testing Tool when it will be eventually replaced.

 

Do You Have Questions About Google’s Structured Data Testing Tool? Ask Us!

 

 

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Google recently launched the new Black-owned attribute to Google My Business on July 30, where relevant businesses can tag themselves. Just like the way we see Veteran-led or Women-led in the Highlights section of any business listing, this new attribute will also be seen the same way.

 

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Here’s Google’s word on the newest attribute:

With this attribute, our goal is to make Search and Maps more inclusive and help support Black-owned businesses when they need it most.

 

“Everyone who comes into this store is welcome,” says Janet Jones, founder, and co-owner of the Detroit-based Source Booksellers. “For us, being Black-owned means serving the community we’re in.”

 

By adding the attribute, people using Google Search and Maps can see Source Booksellers is Black-owned, and easily extend their support by purchasing one of their products, leaving a great review and sharing their Business Profile with others looking for their next book.

 

What you can do: If this newest attribute applies to you or your clients’ business, start by reading Google’s full announcement as they’ve also introduced a collection of other business resources and training opportunities for Black-owned establishments and entrepreneurs.

 

Do you need help customizing your GMB listing? Connect with us!

 

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Google has always tried on creating a social media platform that will generate the same or even more buzz than FaceBook, Instagram, etc. In what proves to be yet another shot at creating a social media platform that will gain adoption, Google has started introducing the all-new social profiles within Google Maps.

 

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Here’s what Google said about the feature:

“Today we’re expanding this feature and beginning to roll it out globally. If a Google Maps user has shared photos, reviews or lists publicly, you can now follow them and get their recommendations, advice and updates delivered to your Updates tab in Google Maps.

 

So the next time you find someone sharing helpful photos of takeout menus, handy lists of your city’s most spacious parks or inspiring photos of local shops and services, you can keep up-to-date on all of their recommendations.

 

There will also be new topic filters on Google Maps profiles, so you can see topics and places people share about the most, like pizza, brunch, camping and parks. Whether they’re a coffee enthusiast documenting every last latte, or a hometown expert reviewing all things Perth or Phoenix, you can follow other Google Maps users with public profiles to get helpful recommendations about the places around you.”

 

Actionable Strategy: Google made it very clear that they will not make Google Maps profiles public by default. This means you decide if you want to or don’t want to share every review, photos, videos, etc.

 

If you are interested in checking out what the public profile has to offer, get started on building your following on Google Maps. All you have to do is, go the Maps app and tap Contribute > View your profile to make yourself followable. There’s also a restrict your profile feature that allows you to approve each follower. To know more about it, visit here.

 

We will only know if this new social aspect catches up with people or not as time passes. We believe that Google will have to aggressively incentivize people to get mass adoption, get ready for even more cool features soon. Until then, worry-less about early adoption!

 

Are you ready to up your GMB game? Let us help you!

 

 

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Google’s Local Service Ads, is nothing but locally focused simplified pay per lead program, available for specific industries. Businesses need to go through a screening process where they will be submitting their insurance, license, certification, and degree details. Then they conduct a background check to verify the documents submitted by the business are accurate, and the company is in good standing of all the above.

 

Also, the business must have a verified Google My Business listing with a review score of 3.0 or higher.

 

As soon as all the necessary processes are over, the business is approved and brought into Google’s Local Service Ads (LSA) dashboard allowing your brand name to show up in the coveted LSA Carousel:

 

Google has been offering two different types of Local Service Ads –

 

  1. Google Screened – It helps professional services like architects, lawyers, real estate agents, and tax specialists to build a trusted reputation online. It has been in beta until now.

 

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  1. Google Guaranteed – It includes almost all the home services industries like plumber, carpet cleaner, electricians, HVAC, etc. And the good part is services that cannot exceed $2000 per Google profile is backed by a money-back guarantee.

 

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Google received immense success with the Google Screened program. And, now it’s taking it out of beta, expanding the business categories that can participate and rolling it out globally.

 

Actionable Strategy – Before you start, you need to know if your clients are local firstly, you will have to check if they are eligible to participate in these ads because the cost per lead is dramatically lower than other platforms and early adoption goes a long way. If you can be the first in your industry and region, that means low costs lead until everyone else catches on.

 

Once the competition grows, then your listing is currently ranked within the carousel based on your Google Reviews and your responsiveness to the leads. It’s necessary to manage your ad timings meticulously because you don’t want to miss answering your phone anytime you have your ads running. But you don’t need to worry much as the management of these campaigns is not complicated. The important thing is to manage them.

 

 

Are you getting the best return out of your digital marketing?

Need an extra pair of eyes to review your online game plan? Let our experts take a look at your current state and do a comprehensive digital marketing analysis at no cost to you. Please call us at (800) 379-2829 or contact us today and we will get to work right away.