Human customers mean you should be writing content aimed at humans, not algorithms

Your customers are humans. You’re not trying to sell your products and services to Google’s web-crawler bots. This means you should be writing content aimed at humans, not algorithms. At the same time, the algorithms control search results and SEO can have huge effects on your bottom line. So as much as you might want to create beautiful content written for a human audience, it can seem that economics favours the robots. [si_guide_block id="34016" title="Download our Individual Member Resource – Evaluating content marketing ROI guide" description="This guide is aimed at helping you improve your confidence in the value of content marketing by stepping you through a range of techniques to help marketers evaluate and prove their content effectiveness."/] The truth is that you can - and must - write for both. But it’s easier than you might…

Local SEO will increase in importance over the next few years, making it tougher for local businesses to make it to the top of search results

The importance of local search will continue to grow with 46% of searches on Google already having local intent. Moreover, almost every local search converts into a sales either online and offline. This means, more and more businesses will try to make it to the top of the local search results, making local SEO tougher than before. Here are some things to consider: By 2020, around 50% of searches will be voice-based so there will be less typing involved. This will give rise to a higher number of long tail keywords and hyperlocal searches. Reviews will play an important role in businesses having more positive reviews ranking higher on the local search results. User engagement will be the…

Topping the SERPS and dominating your niche is most certainly within your grasp since Google’s ever-improving ranking algorithm now makes things simpler

It would be nice to sit at the top of page one for commercially valuable keywords, wouldn’t it? Imagine being able to hoover up traffic and generate leads and sales on autopilot. As nice as that sounds, I’m sure you’re dreading the thought of creating lots of content and tackling the technical side of SEO for multiple web pages for years to come. You’re not alone. It’s one heck of a commitment… … or is it? Because, actually, things have changed and you might be in luck. Topping the SERPS and dominating your niche is most certainly within your grasp since Google’s ever-improving ranking algorithm now makes things simpler for business owners and digital marketing managers everywhere. In this post, I’m going to reveal why. I’ll discuss why…

Reaching the first page isn’t enough anymore, you need to place your business in the #1 position

Ranking higher among a congested competition in Google is a mandatory goal for many businesses today. If you are an e-commerce business, are you aware of the SEO tactics and requirements to take you to the top? After all, if you aren’t generating enough clicks, you’re not generating sales. The following data should show you why a powerful SEO strategy for your e-commerce website is necessary. Around 44% of online shoppers initiate their search through a search engine. According to the data provided by the US Department of Commerce, in 2015, the e-commerce sales per year reached $341.7 billion, which is a 14.6% increase from that of 2014s $298.3 billion. Furthermore, the data also stated that online shopping accounted for 7.3% of the total retail sales in 2015, as compared to 6.4% in 2014. Updated data for …

How to boost traffic to your website in the short term, and keep your SEO high going forward.

Search engine optimization (SEO) is a vital and ongoing consideration for any website owner. It doesn’t matter if your website is a personal passion project, is supporting a physical business, or is serving as an e-commerce business, you need to maintain a decent SEO score if you’re to have any hope of making it in the big leagues. The good news is that there are a number of things you can do on your own initiative that will generate organic traffic to your website, while simultaneously bringing your SEO score up. If you are still relatively new to the world of SEO, the following tips are also useful for developing a keener understanding of how SEO works. A lot of newcomers make the mistake of thinking…

Search engines are now using data-driven factors to determine how relevant your website is to a particular search query

The practice of search engine optimization (SEO) has experienced monumental changes over the course of the last 15 years. When SEO first broke onto the scene, it was quickly discovered that webmasters could manipulate search results and make their websites rank well merely by packing their target keywords into the website as many times as possible – a practice known as “keyword stuffing”. This majorly skewed and distorted Google’s and Bing’s search rankings, since low-quality, “spammy” websites were quickly able to outrank reputable and relevant websites. In response to this unfavourable outcome, these search engines rolled out several rounds of algorithm updates, permanently changing the way in which websites are ranked. Presently, Google and Bing each use hundreds of different factors – with varying levels of importance – to rank websites, helping to ensure…

SEO made simple: A quick look

What once was an esoteric and often misunderstood matter, quickly is becoming a mainstream practice that is deeply embedded in proper web design and good content strategy.

No longer is search engine optimization a list of counterintuitive practices that seek to exploit the shortcomings of search algorithms. Instead, it is a set of good business practices, guidelines that steer web designers and content creators in the right direction.

Direction which leads to memorable user experience through smooth site navigation and content that provides real value, be it for entertainment or educative purposes. Of course, there is lots of value stored for the site owner as well.

When the right SEO strategy – on and off page – is applied, the ranking inevitably rises, increasing site exposure and organic traffic. The latter translates directly into more business, as SEOtribunal stats…

Make sure you choose an SEO package that will get you results but won't tell you these common lies

SEO is an important part of any digital company - it can be the most successful way of driving traffic to your site if optimized correctly. Whilst many companies have the set of skills to audit, perform and optimize their own SEO, others prefer an agency to do it for them so they can dedicate the time to other areas of focus. However, before you sign a contract for an SEO package, we would recommend taking certain steps to ensure you get the results you need and want in order to grow your business. [si_guide_block id="80207" title="Download FREE Resource – 10 business-limiting SEO mistakes " description="The search engine optimisation (SEO) mistakes to avoid and what to do instead. Google's engineers have said there are at least 200 'ranking signals' which affect whether you can rank…