Seo Specialist | 4 Vocal SEO Changes in San Diego for 2016
Seo Specialist | 4 Vocal SEO Changes in San Diego for 2016
As the rain ends and the skies clear in San Diego after four days of brutal (in our terms) weather conditions, some search engine optimization specialists are assessing how a local business’s website performed during the week of rain. For business owners, those four days and the upcoming El Nino storm days could add up to missed business opportunities. And that’s just the start of this winter’s storms. Businesses with brick and mortar locations will see a drastic drop in sales if they do not have an online presence when they can either sell their products or schedule out their services. If you already have an online presence for your business, this article is specifically for you.
There has been a new emphasis on searchability by mobile and voice that will change your business’s current positions on major search engines. If you are not prepared for these search engine changes, an SEO specialist can help your company make the necessary updates for your San Diego business on Google, Bing, and Yahoo.
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80% of San Diego business’s website searched by mobile device, 20% from desktop
According to A1genius.com, 80% of internet users use smartphones to search the web, boasting a 12.1% increase from last year. Everyone is on mobile, and every marketing strategist knows that if a competing business is not including mobile in their SEO campaign, that they will not be around much longer. But a mobile responsive website is not the only change needed here. A business owner must have ‘mobile on the mind’ while designing your website pages first, then make minor changes needed for the desktop medium second.
Simply put, business owners must include the following in their SEO strategies:
- mobile search-ability
- responsive website
- mobile layout
- marketing and advertising on mobile
- mobile e-commerce
- mobile payment
- mobile CRM
- integration between mobile, social media and local
Think about the last time you searched for a local business or service on your smartphone. Once you ended up on the SERPs (Search Engine Results Page), you chose the first or second choice and made a phone call to them. On mobile devices, 85% of people choose the top two results, making the top spot on mobile much more valuable than the 67% of desktop users choosing the first two results. Of that 85 %, 80% of those local searches on mobile convert! This conversion rate is the best consumer to product conversion ratio found online.
This exponential increase in mobile search will have a major impact on local businesses, especially for retail stores and restaurants. This only proves the importance of getting your local business listed on Google+ local and working with an SEO specialist to get that listing in the top two of San Diego for your specific industry.
2. Your voice is the future of search in 2016
When you ask Siri, Cortana, or Google Now, you might include or exclude words in your search that you wouldn’t have if you were searching on your mobile or desktop. Words such as ‘the best’ or ‘the top’ when describing what you are looking for might come out unintentionally more often than they would if you were typing them. Another example is if you asked Siri or Google, “Who is the best SEO specialist in San Diego”. Odds are that your search on a smartphone will not be the same. Instead, you would search “San Diego SEO” or something similar to that. Also, how you accessed your app (going to the search bar and pressing the microphone button or simply pressing the home button and saying “Hey Siri” can determine who comes up as the top choices in the SERPs. Voice search terms will usually include terms of Who, What, Where, Why and When. The What, Who, and How searches are categorized as people that are interested or searching for something as opposed to the When and Where searches being categorized more as “ready to act” searches.
The voice search was created to save the user time and effort, which it has. As some searches are done using voice recognition are trivial questions that are then supported by statistical-based answers, questions such as “Who is the best SEO specialist in San Diego” will allow the user choices, similar to the mobile and desktop searches.
3. How do businesses integrate these changes to their SEO strategy?
Businesses must run an active website marketing campaign with a search engine optimization specialist who can deliver game-changing local results. To do so you must have a well-detailed and actively run Google+ page complete with reviews, views, products/services description, pricing, location, and business directory citations. You also need to create new, unique content on a blog. This post will help you optimize your blog posts for Google.
If you are one of those businesses that have a highly ranked local listing and a deadbeat website, a change could be in the cards for you. In the next few months, Google will be changing the Google+ listing in the “three-pack” to also take into account the strength of your organic listed website. So your 32, 5-star reviews that have been keeping you at the top spot could be taken over by a company with 7 reviews and a strong organic searchable website. To survive this, we recommend getting a basic 7-10 page WordPress website built, paired with an active Local SEO campaign to increase traffic and business. Let this year be the year that you make the change towards catching up with technology!
4. The Google direct answer movement
You may have noticed the new section that has popped up on Google when asking a direct question. Instead of bringing up the most relevant website to your search, Google may provide you the answer to your question in a paragraph or two, along with the URL of the website the answer came from. If you are the top choice for a particular question the user is searching for, then you’re in luck! If you’re not, this may affect your chances of selling your goods or services based on your current long-tail keywords.
Although only around 19% of searches will have a direct answer in the SERPs, your search engine optimization specialist needs to make sure your website can compete with these changes. How do you compete to retain the top spot? Create more unique content and boost your long-tail keyword campaign! 2016 search engines will be more focused on content marketing than ever before, which means your blog needs to be at least a weekly priority. Within those blog posts, long-tail keywords need to be focused more on voice searches for the coming changes. This focus will work for both mobile and desktop users too because the searches will contain the same keywords. An example of a long-tail keyword specifically designed for voice users “what is the best SEO company in San Diego” or “how do you train your dog to walk beside you,” will help your specialist create a bulletproof plan.
In closing, when designing or revamping your website for the new year, you need to have the mobile version of your site as your number one viewed platform. If you own a retail show or are in the foodservice industry, this is especially important for you. The changes in search and positioning for mobile and voice require a long-tail keyword approach directed at search appropriate phrases. Those phrases should be questions written conversationally as if you were asking your neighbor the same question. Google makes an average of 500 algorithm changes per year, so it is very important you work with an SEO specialist that can maintain and make changes to your website. After all, your website should be the best salesman and marketer in your entire company!
Why new Fitness Blogger’s need a Search Engine Optimization Specialist
In today’s world, it seems like it’s harder to place credibility and notoriety on what is quality. If we use Instagram for example, it seems like every good looking, fit college/post college girl (and boy) has used this platform as a self indulging, narcissistic magnet to feed their egos. They categorize themselves as either fashion blogger, model, fitness blogger, entrepreneurs, or all of the above. If it were to tell the truth, it would read: “lazy, goes to the gym STRICTLY for photo shoots, rips off workout routines and brands them as their own and takes way too many selfies. Don’t get me wrong, I know you have to start somewhere and respect their hustle, as long as it is a hustle somewhere in there and not just a flaunting platform. But it’s those that do not put in the necessary hours, take the necessary steps and put in the “hustle” part of the grind that have turned the fitness blog industry into a dime-a-dozen, sand to the beach, egomaniac crap shoot.
I recently started SEO work with a client about boosting traffic to her newly created fitness blog. She has been a fitness icon in the local San Diego area for the past 10 years, offering personal training sessions and teaching at various workout studios. Prior to pursuing her career as a female fitness icon, she attended USC and graduated with a masters degree in sports medicine. Regardless of her stellar qualifications and great experience in the fitness industry, she was still losing clients to a few young ambitious female fitness bloggers/entrepreneurs who were dominating the local and national markets search engines. Diving deeper into the website, they were running robust SEO campaigns with an established firm. These younger, less experienced entrepreneurs were scooping up all the business from other more experienced and credible female fitness bloggers like my client, all because they were running an active SEO.
This post will discuss the top 3 reasons why your fitness blog, or any blog needs a search engine optimization specialist to differentiate yourself and gain an edge over your competition.
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Use your credibility as a specialist to blog and grow search engine optimization
My client had one thing that these young entrepreneurs did not, credibility! Her experience in the industry caused her to touch lots of people’s lives, meet industry executives and represent products that she sold out of her house strictly through word of mouth. She actually was approached to start her blog by the brand representative she was working for. As we continue the process of building links and finding guest posting gigs on strong industry specific websites, her placement in Google will continue to climb. So far, the strongest links we have built to her site have come from her certifications and previous received awards that were up until recently doing little work for her besides taking up space on her office wall.
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“Fitness and Business during the day… Blog at night”
Let’s face it, as a fitness blogger, you spend most of your time away from your desk. Most of my other lifestyle blogger clients need to learn to “put the keys down” during regular business hours because your writing can be done at night. This is where the true entrepreneurs separate themselves from the “wantrepreneurs.” To be a successful blogger, it is a 24-7, 365 job. There are no days off. Your days should be filled with contacting brands to work with, scheduling meetings, reading/researching topics to explore and write about, and specific niche research. I bring this up because there is little time to stay current with the ever changing trends of Google algorithms to improve your SEO while managing your blog. It can be done, however working with a search engine optimization specialist takes the optimization weight off your shoulders. We will do what we do best, while you do what you do best.
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Blog Traffic and content are top SEO priorities
The most important reason why a fitness blogger or fashion blogger needs a search engine optimization specialist is to drive the most traffic to their posts to expose their message to as many readers as possible. Your SEO specialist takes care of linking your blog posts, represented products, and optimizing your website. All of this work, however, may not get you to the top of Google. You need to remember that creating well written, unique content is just as important as the links tying the traffic together. If nobody is able to find or see your posts, your blog is essentially a diary, rather than a billboard on a freeway.
7 Tips to Mastering The Unwritten Blog Etiquette
Blogger Services, Uncategorized
7 Tips to Mastering The Unwritten Blog Etiquette
Whether you are one of the top bloggers in the fashion industry or recently launched your Best Bistro and Wine Pairing Guide to San Diego website, there are a long list of rules that each blogger abides by that is known as blog etiquette. Most of these rules are unwritten, but hold a permanent place as a code of conduct.
Congratulations! You have just launched your blog! You most likely have kept a journal your entire life and a passion for writing that you wish to share with the world. As a noob blogger fresh on the scene, there is a large learning curve process that you must master quickly: WordPress, plugins, sharing, social media, blog SEO, All of these factors drive traffic to your blog and make sure your are growing your audience to be successful.
After those skills are mastered, there is long list of guidelines or “code of conduct” that governs the blogging community and their online reputation called Blog Etiquette. Just like meeting your significant other’s parents, you want to conduct yourself as a respectable human being, and not an unfavorable, belligerent boob. Making a good first impression with your first post will set the tone for the rest of your. So without further ado, here are the 7 tips to blog etiquette.
1. Back scratch blog etiquette:
You have all heard of the “I’ll scratch your back if you scratch mine” line. Blog etiquette was built around this cornerstone principle that has grown this hobby, grassroots style marketing approach to the influential and highly followed industry that it is today. If someone mentions your blog in a comment, shared your post or followed your blog, it is blogging best practices to return the favor. Since what they are doing will drive more traffic to your blog, it is good karma to do the same for them.
- Sharing is caring:
The true love of a post is shown when it is shared by someone. When post is shared, you place it in front of the faces of all of your followers and friends saying that you think this is a great piece of writing that needed to be seen. It is highly likely that the blogger of the original post will not only have visitors to her blog to read the original piece, but they may grow followers that wouldn’t have knew that blog existed. This is considered the highest form of respect and should be reciprocated by the original blogger with a thank you comment or a share of one of your posts. At the bare minimum, the blogger should like your shared post, but a “thank you” is part of blog etiquette best practices.
- Guest blog posting:
Guest posting is a great way from two bloggers to boost traffic and blog seo authority. When both blogs are linked to each other, their link juice will flow between them (learn more about blog seo and link juice). If you approach a highly followed blog, make sure you have established yourself as a respected and legitimate blogger in the community. Asking a top blog specialist like Chiara Ferragni of The Blonde Salad to post on her fashion blog after your 4th entry is not realistic, just as asking Rihanna for a singing lesson when I cannot carry a tune. Our best advice? Be active posting on your blog, writing thought-provoking comments in fashion forums (if your focus is fashion),sharing, liking, and following before asking a lower tiered blogger to guest post for them. Also, do not sound desperate when reaching out to them. They’ll see right through it…
- No fishing Zone:
Do not get this confused with the internet term Phishing: or scamming someone into providing sensitive information. The term “fishing” here refers to someone inquiring, asking or begging for another blogger to like, follow or share his/her blog posts in exchange for them doing the same. Doing this will stamps a sign across your blog saying “DESPERATE” in the eyes of the person you ask. No matter how politely you structure you beg, it will always be seen as that, a beg. It needs to be their decision to take action on any part of your blog. Be professional and let your writing/pictures/branding do the talking. That being said, there are many ways that you can increase the exposure of your posts without begging through post blasting and optimizing your blog SEO to specific keywords to show up higher in search engines. This is where Wip Marketing can lend a hand.
- Zero room for negativity:
Trolling, negative comments, unfavorable comments, cyberbullying or threats have no place on anyone’s blog. In today’s society, states recognize both misdemeanor and felony forms of harassment, so yes this is considered a “no-no” for blogger etiquette. If you have a comment or want to offer a piece of advice, make it constructive. That being said, if you a fresh on the blog scene, do not offer advice or constructive criticism to a veteran blog specialist like Chiara Ferragni.” Again, I would not tell Rihanna I thought her e-sharp was a little flat on her new track, even if it needed another take. Just use your head.
- Spamming someone’s blog:
I know you have all seen those posts by fake accounts saying that they have cheap flights to mexico or buy followers for your instagram or blog by “CLICKING HERE”. Just remember that spammers and people that argue with others on celebrity instagrams and twitters are human beings that have nothing better to do than spread hate. Enough said.
- Inspired by another post? They deserve credit:
Ecclesiastes 1:9 “That which has been is that which will be, And that which has been done is that which will be done. So there is nothing new under the sun”(Ecclesiastes 1:9). At one time or another, almost every bloggable topic has been blogged, however that doesn’t mean that if you were inspired to write a specific post after reading someone’s post, you don’t have to give that blogger a shout out. When I came up with the idea to write a blogger etiquette post, one of the first thing I did was Google “Blog Etiquette”. An post that I found interesting was written by Jennifer Hall on her blog “Dancing in the Rain.” I thought she shared a similar perspective on blogger etiquette that I did and is very entertaining to read.
I chose to highlight my top 7 tips to mastering the unwritten blog etiquette, but there are several others to pay attention to. My advice if you want to delve deep would be to use the world’s top tool, Google. Many of these unwritten rules will come to you through your experience blogging, so keep your eyes open, and thank your inspiration.