How to Build a Sustainable Long-Term SEO Strategy: 5 Keys to Remember

Whether it’s Panda, Hummingbird, or even Mobilegeddon, keeping track of Google’s algorithm changes can easily be considered a full-time job. In fact, it’s common for Google to change their algorithm at least once a day. This is ultimately why having a long-term search engine optimization (SEO) strategy is vitally important to improving your website’s PageRank. So, what does it take to put together a sustainable long-term SEO strategy?

1. Consistent Content Production

A number of companies assume that online marketing merely involves having a website, being present on social media and then leaving everything on autopilot. If only it were that easy. Online/inbound marketing takes a lot of time and must be geared towards continually raising the bar on content creation. This requires a commitment to constantly produce engaging content and a willingness to spend the time researching the type of content your customers want.

2. Keyword-Focused Research

It’s not just a question of disseminating your website’s analytics. It’s ultimately about having the ability to research those keywords and keyword-phrases your customers use to find your company and its products in online searches. Those keywords must then be used properly within your content. You need just enough keywords for the content to be seen as value-added, but not so much that it is seen as keyword-stuffing. It’s a balancing act, one where you must remain up-to-date with the most recent Google algorithm change.

3. A Focus on Local SEO

Ultimately, you want to dominate your local market. You want to be seen as a valued source of relevant and timely information. This means having a local SEO strategy that continually positions your company at the top of local online searches. Success means you’re following the changes pushed forward by Google’s Hummingbird algorithm change in August of 2013.

This aforementioned change was meant to simplify how users find relevant local sources. As such, a solid local SEO strategy involves producing content geared towards information-based queries, navigational-based queries and transactional-based queries. This is by no means a simple task. Again, it’s about finding that happy medium between value-added content and keyword stuffing.

4. Using Video to Engage an Audience

The reality is that people would much rather watch a two minute video that is full of pertinent information than they would reading a non-descript webpage. It’s human nature to be drawn to vivid images and video. An engaging video that speaks directly to your customer base is a surefire way to position your company as the proverbial market leader. In fact, in today’s marketplace, it’s far more likely that someone will view and share a video on social media than they would a webpage with no videos, no images and nothing other than the written word.

5. Focusing on the Right Social Media Strategy

A long-term SEO strategy must encompass the right social media strategy. After all, if viewers aren’t willing to share your content, then how are you going to build your online brand? Ultimately, it’s not just a question of putting up a bunch of social media share buttons on your landing pages. Instead, it’s about tapping into the right social media strategy for the right customer segment, the right market and the right industry.

A Miami website design firm must take the time to sit down and iron out a proactive SEO strategy, one that leverages a strong social media presence with engaging video and bright imagery. Make sure you work with a firm that matches your business to a content strategy that reaches your target audience.

Victor GonzalezHow to Build a Sustainable Long-Term SEO Strategy: 5 Keys to Remember
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Unlock the Power of Instagram for Small Business: Four Tips to Take Your Instagram Marketing to the Next Level

Nowadays, the question isn’t whether or not small businesses should be using social media as a marketing tool, but rather how they pursue their marketing strategies across different social media platforms. While Twitter and Facebook still reign supreme, more and more companies are beginning to see the value in devising a strategy specifically for Instagram.

Instagram is designed to be a platform where users can post photos as they take them, sometimes adding a filter or effects to their various photo files. Along with the photos, users can add small amounts of texts and links. Celebrities use Instagram to promote their own personal brand and small businesses are wise to do the same. Here are four tips to help you find marketing success on Instagram.

Create Content With Value

The fastest way to alienate your followers and cause people to unfollow you on Instagram is by putting out worthless content. As any Miami website design professional would tell you, putting out junk content for the sake of putting out content is almost worse than putting out no content at all. Make sure that the images that you are uploading to your Instagram feed have actual value.

Don’t Ignore Trending Topics

Oftentimes, trending “hashtags” will pop up on Instagram and Twitter. It’s a good idea for companies to familiarize themselves with these hashtags and use them to their advantage. If “#FavoriteFallThings” is trending, then put up a photo of one of your best products for the autumn season. While you never want to force a hashtag, you definitely want to take advantages of the ones that are relevant to your company.

Hold Contests and Giveaways

Smart small business owners use their Facebook and Twitter pages to hold contests and giveaways. This is a great strategy on Instagram as well. Encourage your customers to publish photos of themselves using your product or service and offer a prize for the best photo. This is a great way to really connect on a personal level with your customers.

Treat Your Followers Like Individuals

The best marketing strategy for just about any social media platform is to talk with your customers, rather than to them. The same goes for Instagram. Spend some time scrolling through your customers’ Instagram pages, taking the time to make nice comments and “like” their photos. In the old days, entrepreneurs had to go to trade shows or industry events if they wanted to connect with their customers on a personal level. Nowadays, it’s as simple as logging into your social media accounts. Take advantage of this.

Instagram is a fun way for companies to market their product or service. Unlike other social media platforms, you don’t have to hire a writer or worry too much about SEO. Instead, you can say what you want with a photo. If you follow these tips, you can expand your audience with only a few photos a day. Remember to link your Instagram account to your Twitter and Facebook pages to ensure that all of your accounts are working in conjunction with one another.

Victor GonzalezUnlock the Power of Instagram for Small Business: Four Tips to Take Your Instagram Marketing to the Next Level
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How to Achieve Massive Growth on Facebook: 4 Tips to Build and Expand Your Audience

The golden age of Facebook was a great time for internet marketers. When Facebook first expanded from a university student-only service to a platform that anyone could use, marketers and small business owners struck while the iron was hot and used this relatively new service to really promote their brands.

Today, it’s sad but true: Facebook is quite flooded. Facebook has given businesses a myriad of options when it comes to marketing themselves, from official “fan pages” for their product to paid advertisements. It’s no longer simple and easy to promote your brand on Facebook.

That’s the bad news. However, there’s good news as well. Although promoting your company via Facebook is more difficult these days, it’s not impossible. Furthermore, companies that have the right strategy can really stand out in the crowd. Here are four tips to build and expand your audience on Facebook.

Don’t Spam Your Customers

Facebook users are typically happy to “like” their favorite companies, especially if they know that these companies frequently hand out coupon codes and deals. However, nothing will ensure that you lose your followers faster than by spamming them with a thousand useless statuses a day. If you think that quantity beats quality when it comes to social media, you’re dead wrong. It is always better to have one or two statuses of value than eleven worthless, “junk” posts.

Going Off Topic Isn’t Just Okay, It’s Encouraged

You do not have to stay on topic on Facebook. In fact, “sharing” humorous images and videos is a good idea. When your Facebook followers re-share these updates on their own walls, your business’s name will be attached to the post. Sharing things that are amusing and thought-provoking is a good way to gain new followers, even if these posts aren’t directly related to your brand.

Treat Your Customers Like People

When you put up a new status promoting that new product or coupon code, your job is not done. Only foolish marketers “post and run.” Instead, you should be monitoring the post and replying to any comments or questions that your followers post in response. Treat your customers like actual people and never give a rude or dismissive reply. The quickest way for a company to go viral in a bad way is by saying something snippy, short or uncaring to a customer on social media.

Have Fun With It

If you treat updating your company’s Facebook page like a chore or an aspect of managing your business that you “have to do,” your followers will be able to plainly see it. You should instead have fun with your company’s Facebook wall. Treat it as a fun outlet where you can share things that make you laugh, in addition to sharing your excitement about your brand or product. If you’re genuinely excited about your company, the enthusiasm will show and your followers will get excited as well.

If you follow these tips, you can enjoy online marketing success on Facebook, no matter how saturated the platform is. Succeeding on Facebook is possible, if you put some real effort into it, create posts with substance and treat your followers like real people.

Victor GonzalezHow to Achieve Massive Growth on Facebook: 4 Tips to Build and Expand Your Audience
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5 Habits of Successful Online Marketers

Why is it that some online marketers continually raise the bar while others continually fall short? What is it that the best online marketers do in terms of driving more traffic to their website and converting more website visitors into customers? Answering both of these aforementioned questions comes down to understanding the five habits of successful online marketers, ones who know how to reach their target audience, know how to produce engaging content and know how to move prospects forward.

1. Engaging Content

Success isn’t just about the written word. It’s not just about writing endless paragraphs and inundating users with redundant information. Instead, it’s about combining well-written content with engaging videos and imagery. The best online marketers combine well-placed images alongside infographics, graphs and or excel tables. They combine multiple mediums in order to deliver a clear and concise message.

2. Consistent Content Production

The best online marketers are consistent in how they engage their audience. They make it a point to produce content on a daily basis and they continually raise the bar on how that content is produced. Ultimately, it’s a question of knowing what their customers want and giving them exactly that and more. All of that information comes from taking the time to analyze the website’s analytics. The best online marketers identify what their website visitors and customers want and then they give it to them time and again.

3. A/B Split Testing (Website Visitors, Online Advertising and Email Campaigns)

Those who excel at online marketing don’t merely rely upon assumptions. Instead, they use a systematic approach to maximizing their website’s layout, in addition to making sure they continually increase their click-through rates (CTR) on pay-per-click (PPC) advertising campaigns and email marketing newsletters. Success typically involves split testing viewership. This means that the most tech-savvy online marketers will test one website or blog layout with one set of customers, and they’ll test a completely different layout with another set of customers. The goal is to find the optimized layout with the highest conversion rate.

4. Networking

Are you looking to be seen as a market guru? Do you want to be known as a relevant source of timely information? If so, then networking with your market’s biggest players is vital to keeping your company at the forefront of your market. Today’s online marketing professionals must build a substantial network of high-value contacts in order to make sure their company is readily available. Whether it’s from doing guest blog posts, videos, and or participating in podcasts, the best online marketers ensure that their company is always engaging its target audience.

5. Clear Call to Action

Finally, the best marketers know that their call to action must be clear and concise. There is no room for ambiguity. The company must clearly define its intentions, outline its value proposition and give potential customers a reason to act. A clear call to action does exactly that. Make sure your call to action gives your viewers a reason to move forward.

Miami website design firms must incorporate all of these aforementioned habits. Ultimately, you need to work alongside a design firm that can redesign your website while also putting together a content development strategy that reaches your target audience and incentivizes them to move forward.

Victor Gonzalez5 Habits of Successful Online Marketers
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3 Questions to Consider Before Giving Your Logo a “Google” Redesign

Google isn’t the first major multinational corporation to alter its well-established brand. Do you remember the “New Coke” catastrophe? What about the Gap logo debacle or Hersey’s “kiss” logo oversight? The consumer backlash from such bold attempts can be brutal. In general, people do not like change and consumers can become really worked up when a company changes its brand, especially when the consumers feel blindsided by the change. If you are planning to make changes to your brand, here are three questions you should answer before you begin reworking your company’s logo design.

Can you afford to throw away your brand equity?

If your customers associate positive characteristics with your logo and branding initiatives, the last thing you want to do is make your logo so different that consumers no longer relate to it. Big companies like Google and Coca-Cola can afford such risks and consequences. However, the average small business cannot. When it comes to logos, changes that seem insignificant, such as color, font or positioning, matter to your customers. Your brand represents your customers’ expectation of the product and/or service you provide. To keep your customers happy, make sure that your redesign retains the elements your customers appreciate most about your brand. If you don’t know what those elements are, you should consult marketing professionals to help you find out.

Have you done your research?

As times change, it seems natural that a company’s logo should change too. However, before you make assumptions, you should consider consulting a logo designer in Miami to help you survey your customer base. Despite what some organization leaders think, a company cannot create a great brand without the consideration of its target audience. Branding success is the result of strong data derived from your target demographic in the form of focus groups, surveys, polls, etc. It is wise to find out first how your customers interpret your current brand, then make your changes accordingly. To avoid alienating your customer base, make sure that any and every change to your logo resonates with your target audience.

Is this brand change consumer-driven or company-driven?

Traditional marketing strategies are not as effective in reaching target audiences as are the consumer-centered approaches used by modern marketers. Before you change any element of your brand, the change has to have a significant benefit to your current and perspective customer base. The impulse to change to your logo as directed by internal influences or company-centered rationales may seem like a good idea on paper, but could have a devastating impact on profitability if your customers are not pleased with the results. Circumvent this by including your customers in the branding evaluation process. Give your loyal customers a chance to provide feedback and ask questions. In the end, your customers will appreciate your attentiveness and provide your company with invaluable input to help point you in the right direction.

When it comes to branding, not every small business can afford to consult with the top New York logo design firm. However, no business can afford to gamble when changing something as important as its logo. The jury is still out as to whether Google’s recent logo redesign will be a success or serve as another cautionary tale. However, if the assessment of their new logo included any of the elements provided in this article, users will quickly come to appreciate Google’s latest branding even more than the last.

Victor Gonzalez3 Questions to Consider Before Giving Your Logo a “Google” Redesign
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