#localsem

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How to: Create a Better Website

How to Create a Better Website !

- What clients want: Your website needs to be built around the needs of clients. - Common mistakes: Many of the issues for legal websites apply to all websites. Design over content is the most pressing concern – websites that look beautiful but do not allow users to find what they are looking for simply and easily are a common complaint. - SEO – the basics: Search engine optimisation is the process of making sure a website comes up as high as possible in a search engine’s organic (unpaid) results. - Security issues: The most important thing a firm can do to ensure its website is secure is to use the HTTPS protocol, rather than HTTP, at the start of its URL. How to: create a better website Follow the larger discussion about this topic at...: Read More Read the full article

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November 2021 Shouts

Random November 2021 Shouts to Keep You Sharp !

11/11/2021

- Google has now new tools for publishers to activate first-party data - Another search engine has launched: You.com. It appeared in public beta - Yelp has introduced a new scrollable homepage feed featuring local restaurants - Professional Profiles are a new tool on Twitter that will enable your business to have a unique and clearly defined presence on the platform - 2021 has been a year of high expectations and unprecedented developments in digital marketing - The EU’s General Court in Luxembourg has upheld antitrust regulators' nearly $3 billion fine from 2017, involving Google Shopping search - SMBs losing supply chain war to Amazon, Walmart (WaPo) - Apple launches "Business Essentials" device management for SMBs - NRF predicts ~10.5% holiday sales growth this year, online up to 15% - Facebook kills some interest, identity ad-targeting (NYT) - SMS marketing boosts revenue for local restaurants

11/10/2021

- Holiday shopping is starting earlier

- Expected scarcity due to supply-chain challenges

- More support for local, small businesses

- How to avoid duplicate content issues with unique local landing pages for multi-location businesses - Why citations still play an important role - The importance of competitor research - The challenges of managing Google Business Profile at scale - Email marketing is essential to any industry and doing a routine clean up can be beneficial to your company’s data reports and conversion rates - The holiday season is prime time to hit quota and set your team up for months to come

11/09/2021

- Today, the platform has over 1 billion monthly users and brands are using TikTok ads to reach them - Global marketing can be complicated — and we're not just talking about scheduling a Zoom meeting across 4 different timezones - Celebrating National Entrepreneurship Month… - How will personalization and customer experience drive how organizations build and maintain their brand equity? - Who will consumers trust with the protection of their first-party data? - Google My Business Is Changing Its Name, Again - Facebook for Business Is Now Meta for Business - Desktop Version of Page Experience Update Slated for February 2022 - Google Maps Reaches 10 Billion Play Store Downloads - Data is useless unless it helps companies make smarter decisions, improve customer experience, and enhance business outcomes - Google Maps has more than 10B Android installs (but only a 3.9 rating) - Nearly 84% of email is opened on mobile devices, with the iPhone leading the way - In October, the FTC notified major US brands that "misleading use of endorsements could lead to major financial penalties." - Companies in nearly every industry seek to use data to make better decisions. But the need for better data in decision-making is just half of the challenge

11/08/2021

- GMB Rebrands to Google Business Profile: What Does it Mean for Local Businesses? - Agility in business is nothing new - Businesses have always needed to be agile—experimenting, adapting, and changing—to succeed - The difference today is the speed and scale of change required - Different ways to increase marketing velocity by focusing on optimizing and becoming more agile in your approach - The importance of centralizing work in one place for better visibility and alignment - The need to automate workflows and standardize campaign processes to save time Read the full article

[yourlocalseo-blog]

Local Mapping the Local Essentials

I came across an interesting article on supporting your local ecosystems. I live in Princeton, New Jersey. I have been a believer of be local - buy local ! For me, supporting your local mom & pop stores is all about preserving your local economy. Sure, large box stores add some value, but in today's world, Amazon has become the large box store next door and can practically deliver you the same day. So, it makes sense to be local and support your local business. Yes, let's do Local Mapping the Local Essentials ! Here is the article posted by Miriam Ellis: How should a business operate now? Where is there work to be done? Economists are making stark predictions about the future of small businesses in the US, but at the same time, I live in a town without a courier service established enough to meet the mushrooming demand for home delivery. Frankly, it’s devastating reading headlines forecasting the permanent closure of 7.5 million American SMBs, but while absorbing these, I also spent six weeks shaking the Internet for bathroom tissue before locating some 1,400 miles away. Point being: Where there’s need, fulfilment can be a public good, and where there’s upheaval, any possibility is worth considering. Necessities are emerging in bold relief on the map of each town and city. Demand must be met by determined small entrepreneurs to keep society functional. Read the full article

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How to use Headlines to Help Create and Optimize Content ?

Catchy headline is very important to draw attention of the reader about an article or an advertisement. It should include words and ideas to draw someone's eye and reader's interest to read the entire content. 4 Ways to Help You Think Up Engaging Headlines Use a numeric value in your headlineKeep it short (8-12 words)Add emotion such as curiosity or anticipationAsk a burning question Types Of Headlines Flush Left HeadlineBanner HeadlineInverted Pyramid Headline Cross-Line Headline Fractl's Growth Specialist shares a guide on how to optimize content through effective headlines. It covers how you can frame, promote, pitch, and sell your content. The post How to use headlines to help create and optimize content appeared first on Search Engine Watch.Source: Read More Content, SEO, content, Content marketing, content optimization, content tips, evergreen content, Google, keyword optimization, long-tail keywords, SERPs Read the full article

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Google Ads: Apply 6+ sitelinks per campaign.

What are Google Ads SiteLink Extensions?   Sitelink extensions are basically keyword available as a link on the Google Ads. And because they are actual clickable links, they are called sitelink extensions.  In short, they extend the ads ability to add more keywords or expand related services provided through the ad.   Google provides complete guidelines on how to add and manage these sitelinks.  Further there is additional reporting provided by Google so that the advertiser can measure how these links are performing.   Extensions are auto-optimized, but you can still review their performance. By seeing what drives CTR or conversion lifts, you can get insight into your customers. Curated from Fully Extended - AdWords Help How SiteLinks Help? 1. Increase click-through rates 2. Increase conversion rates 3. No change in cost per click best practices Sitelinks - best practices: Link text should be conciseLink text should relate directly to the landing pageDo not repeat same textDo not use symbols or excessive punctuation Read the full article

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How-To Content Isn't Going Anywhere (and What That Means for Your Strategy)

Let's discuss How-to Content and is working? Recently, Amanda Milligan posted an interesting article about the how to content, what it means and how it helps.  What caught my eye was the tie from witch burning 500 years ago to CDC how to wash your hands ( now come on, do we really need instructions on how to wash hands? ) Extracting content ideas from circumstances is what exactly illustrates the problem and the opportunity; when you have lemons, make lemonade ! Content is still king.  Good content still goes miles. So, I am reproducing the article below by Amanda Posted by Amanda Milligan I’m a big fan of the Lore podcast, and in a recent episode, the host discussed a book called the Malleus Maleficarum. Two words starting with the “mal” prefix doesn’t sound super friendly, right? Well, the book is essentially a guide on how to identify witches and conduct witch trials. It turned out to have quite the horrible impact on society — as we’ve learned in history classes — but the host notes that it’s also one of the first how-tos ever written. And it was published in 1486, more than 500 years ago.How-to content isn’t new, and from what I can tell, it isn’t going anywhere. Look at how many search results come back when you narrow content down to titles including “how to.” It’s not just that there’s a ton of this type of content, either. People want to read it. The prominence of “how-to” content My team at Fractl did a study about how different generations search online. Read the full article

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How Do You Measure the Success of a Local SEO Campaign?

How do you know whether what you’ve done has actually worked? We track rankings internally, but we never share these with clients. Rankings don’t mean squat to a business’s bottom line. Everything we do is focused on ROI, which means the only way to truly judge success is that the client’s site gets more organic visitors and more organic leads. Typically, we see an increase in leads from other sources, since the content and optimization work tends to make it more likely that visitors will convert, regardless of how they got to the site. But ultimately, we look at an increase in organic traffic and organic leads.Greg Gifford (VP of Search, SearchLab) Start with simple end ideas Yes, you can have multiple goals (both macro and micro), but establishing one simple primary end goal is essential. To understand what a website’s primary end goal should be is to have a clear understanding of the website’s objectives and/or client goals. Goal setting tips Measurable: If you can’t identify it, you can not improve itBe specific: Keep it simpleShare your goals: Studies have shown that writing down and sharing your goals with others boosts your chances of achieving them. Some simple yardsticks Organic TrafficReferralsReviewsBacklinksDomain AuthorityLeadsPhone ClicksTop Keywords Read the full article

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What Is Google My Business & Why Do I Need It?

In an effort to gain more visibility on Google, many businesses create a Google business listing (known officially as a Business Profile). If you're one such business owner, something you might not realize is that creating a Business Profile does not give you management over it, and you need those management and editing capabilities if you want your Business Profile to work for you as an effective SEO and lead generation tool. So how do you gain management over your Google Business Profile? The answer is that, in addition to creating a free Business Profile, you must also separately create a free Google My Business account for that profile. You need a separate Google My Business account to manage your Business Profile. A Google My Business account is the only means by which you can claim ownership of your Business Profile, attain management rights to it, and unlock additional free features to increase your visibility on Google. In this post, I’m going to cover everything you need to know about Google My Business, including: What Google My Business isHow to use Google My Business effectivelyHow to use Google My Business for SEOHow to create a Google My Business accountRead on so you can incorporate this free and powerful tool to your marketing toolkit! What is Google My Business? As mentioned, Google My Business is a tool that enables you to manage and optimize your Business Profile on Google. Read the full article