The Ultimate Search Engine Optimization Checklist for Avoiding Google Penalties

The Ultimate Search Engine Optimization Checklist for Avoiding Google Penalties

Posted by in Content Marketing, SEO: Search Engine Optimization, Website Development

Did you know that Google changes its search system several times per day?

That’s 3,200 changes in the past year! How can you keep up with this pace, and do you really need to be aware of all these changes to stay on top of your search engine optimization (SEO) efforts?

According to Google, some are brand new changes while others were updates to keep in step with the fluctuating landscape of the worldwide web. To improve the ability to search and find exactly what we are looking for, Google releases regular algorithmic updates. As new websites, blog articles, comments, reviews, and data are uploaded to the internet, search engine rankings need to adjust to present the freshest, most relevant content to internet users. Therefore, your company’s Google rankings today are not what they will be tomorrow. Nor will your keyword phrases forever remain the top words your potential customers use to find your products and services.

To be an SEO ninja, you need to keep up on the recent algorithmic updates. Here’s a quick rundown of the last major Google algorithm changes, the penalties when they are not followed, and the fixes to avoid penalties. Use these items as your ultimate checklist to maintain your website’s rank position in search engine results:

• The 2011 Panda Update and subsequent Panda Core Updates since 2016

Duplicate, thin, or plagiarized content is penalized. Avoid keyword stuffing and spammy posts. Panda wants you to earn your Google rank and assigns your website’s ranking according to a “quality score” for your web pages. The fix: Regularly check your site and blog for keyword stuffing and thin content (doorway pages, irrelevant affiliate pages, and low quality content pages) . Check for duplicate content within your website and against other web pages on the internet. If you must use exact language for product descriptions and reviews, place product descriptions within graphics that are not crawled by Google.

• The 2012 Top Heavy Update

Websites that are “top-heavy” with ads are penalized. The fix: Remove the proliferation of advertisements and replace them with interesting, relevant content.

• The 2012 Penguin Update and subsequent Penguin Core Algorithm that works in real time since 2016

Irrelevant or spammy links are penalized, along with links with anchor text that is over-optimized. Penguin drops the rank of sites that employ manipulative links. The fix: Regularly audit your website with a backlink checker.

• The 2012 Pirate Update

Sharing pirated content—content from sites containing copyrighted material—is penalized. Pirate specifically demotes websites that violate the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. The fix: Run a duplicate content report and eliminate any material copied from other websites. Avoid posting content under copyright protection (including graphics and video media).

• The 2012 Exact Match Domain (EMD) Update

Low-quality websites are penalized when keywords within their domain names that are an exact matches in searches. The fix: Create meaningful, enhanced on-page content to retain and gain rankings without altering your domain name.

• The 2013 Payday Loan Update

Keywords often used by spammers (such as casinos, loans, money, and sexual terms) are penalized. The fix: Avoid keywords that can confuse readers to believe you run a spammy website. Instead, concentrate on longtail phrases that specify legitimate business.

• The 2013 Hummingbird Update

Poor quality content and keyword stuffing are penalized. Hummingbird likes to look for intuitive content over blatant keywords and makes use of processing synonyms, co-occurring terms, and semantic indexing instead. In other words, the intent of the searcher takes precedence over keywords. The fix: In addition to focusing on keyword research, focus on phrases and concepts. Diversify your content to increase engagement.

• The 2014 Pigeon Update

Poor local SEO practices are penalized. Traditional SEO factors now play a part in the calculation for local result rankings. The fix: Ensure your company is easy to find on a map by avoiding address info inconsistencies online. Invest in search engine optimization efforts for both on and off-page SEO. Start with a content analysis to discover what aspects to focus on for on-page optimization. Get listed in directories of relevance to your business to bolster off-page SEO, deliver backlinks to your site, and increase your Google rankings.

• The 2015 Mobile Update (also known as “Mobilegeddon”)

Lack of mobile websites or poorly loading and error-prone mobile websites are penalized. Mobilegeddon ensures that mobile-friendly pages rise to the top of the rankings in a mobile search, and pages that are not mobile-optimized are dropped in rank or removed entirely from the SERPs (Search Engine Result Pages). The fix: Check how your website pages load in a mobile device. Focus on usability and speed.

• The 2015 RankBrain Update (added to the Hummingbird Algorithm)

Shallow, generalized content is penalized. Based on artificial intelligence, it focuses on specific ranking factors within a query (not much is known about how RankBrain actually functions). The fix: Run a competitive analysis to discover terms used by your top-ranking competitors, then optimize your content accordingly.

• The 2016 Possum Update

Head-to-head competition in your specific location is penalized. Possum ensures that the closer a searcher is located to a business address, the more likely they are to see it in their results. Possum also boosts businesses located outside of a particular city area to offer a greater variety of SERPs. The fix: Expand your keyword phrases to include location-specific information, and ensure that your address and contact info is consistent across the Internet.

• The 2017 Fred Update

Thin ad-centered or affiliate-heavy content that breaks Google Webmaster Guidelines is penalized. Fred focuses on blogs and web pages that are created with the main purpose of generating advertising revenue. The fix: Adjust your on-site ads to offer high quality, relevant, educational information instead of tricking a reader into clicking on an affiliate link.

• The 2018 and 2019 Core Updates

These updates do not specifically focus on particular website characteristic or search queries. Instead, they are “behind-the-scenes” changes that have a broader impact across a large range of areas.

• The 2018 Broad Core Algorithm Update

This update includes the E-A-T update, which penalizes overall quality. It mainly affects medical websites and big news portals. E-A-T stands for Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness—Google’s three major considerations for page quality. Your web pages are penalized when they don’t indicate why your content is of value. The fix: Post content that leaves no doubt that you are an expert, an authority, and trustworthy in your field.

• The March 2019 Core Update

All forms of irrelevant content can be penalized, including blog articles, social media posts, posts to forums, press releases, reviews, and email. The fix: Distribute engaging, relevant information that generates social interactions such as comments, responses, and shares. Post high-quality content on a consistent schedule, and refresh older content. 

• The June 2019 Core Update

Sites containing low-value news content are penalized, while larger, well-known sites with reputable news content surge in the SERP rankings. Sites containing video carousels also rose in search engine rank visibility. The fix: Refresh your website with reliable content and include videos in the mix.

• The Unofficial July 2019 Maverick Core Update

This update came on the heels of the new Top Gun movie trailer (Google may have ceased using animal names for their updates, but they haven’t lost their sense of humor.) It is too early to discern why your site lost traffic and ranking within the last month or so, as the Maverick update currently doesn’t seem to target any single spammy SEO tactic, but early indications lean towards targeting traffic on retail websites. The fix: Continue to be vigilant and monitor your content for poor links, duplication, and relevance.

Trying to digest all the Google algorithm updates over the past eight years can give anyone a search engine optimization stomachache. Avoid the pain and hassle of dodging Google penalties: Learn about organic SEO and the essentials of content development. Then let the SEO experts steer you clear of penalties and make stellar improvements in your search engine rankings. Contact Moore Than SEO at 559-978-4096 to get started.

Moore Than SEO’s “Game of Thrones” Map to Social Media Marketing Gold

Moore Than SEO’s “Game of Thrones” Map to Social Media Marketing Gold

Posted by in Content Marketing, Digital Marketing, Social Media

When Game of Thrones began airing on HBO back in 2011, it wasn’t the fantasy drama series it is today. It started out with a respectable number of viewers but didn’t have the glowing reviews or amazing ratings…yet. But now in 2019, as we head into the 8th and final season, social media marketing gives this most awarded series in Emmy history the ability to win even more fans.

A loyal fan base didn’t miss any of the 67 previous episodes and binge watched wherever they could stream to keep up with the intertwined plots. For any viewer not familiar with the George R.R. Martin’s books, the A Song of Ice and Fire novels that form the basis of GoT, the intrigue comes from the fact that any character could die at any moment.

The Red Wedding episode in the Season 3 Finale marked the turning point for the series, transforming it from a beloved cult show designed for diehard fantasy fans into a detailed production that mesmerized a broader audience. Fans took to social media to discuss their predictions of upcoming plot twists.

The show’s popularity grew exponentially to an average of over 32 million viewers per episode. Even as we head into the final season, consistent marketing efforts continue to hold new and loyal viewers spellbound. Product tie-ins reign victorious in the never-ending quest to reach new fans while retaining early viewers.

“HBO is really careful with the licensing, and not sticker-slapping or putting a ‘Game of Thrones’ logo on every style of T-shirt,” explains Melissa DiBartolo, editor-in-chief of The Pop Insider.

The Medieval adult-only themes of the GoT plots are reflected in the licensing of products aimed to satisfy discerning adult tastes. Products go beyond the tame sensibilities of “The Lord of the Rings”, with HBO determined to cater to the edgy tastes of their fan base.

Well-crafted alliances forged by HBO, and its parent company, WarnerMedia, are designed to profit off the hit series now and well into the future.

Shows the Iron Throne in the background with title, "Get In On The Social Hype of Game of Thrones."

Read examples of how today’s fans can live the lifestyle of Game of Thrones culture:

1. The characters transform easily into product licensing while fans identify themselves with particular Houses. From nobles to warriors, characters dress to impress. The 18-piece line of chic Game of Throne handbags and accessories, designed by Danielle Nicole. Pouches, backpacks, wristlets, coin purses, and crossbody bags are emblazoned with details heralding The Kingsroad: silvery faux fur for the Stark backpack and metallic gold appliqué for the Lannister Wristlet Pouch.

2. Chic looks are fit for a queen when the GoT Urban Decay limited edition cosmetic collections hit the market on April 14th, the premier date for the final season. Shades are inspired by women of Westeros and across the Seven Kingdoms. With the Mother of Dragons Highlight Palette (modeled by stars Maisie Williams and Nathalie Emmanuel at a Radio City Hall premiere), any woman can look like a power player.

3. It’s the fast and furious that inspired the Adidas limited-edition Ultraboost sneakers, sold only through the Adidas Store and HBO Shop. They feature sigils on the tongue, mottos on the heel, and GoT color themes echoing the color themes of each creature or family depicted in the series.

4. Even luxury menswear entered into the act, with the John Varvatos brand’s launch of an 11-piece collection that includes a Winterfell leather jacket valued at over $2000, bearing an image of the Iron Throne on the inside of the jacket. Exclusive t-shirts, priced at nearly $100 a piece, come in choices that display the family houses and the Iron Throne.

5. Adult beverages abound in GoT licensing. As people gather for watch parties and to toast the end of the run of GoT, several spirits are designed to complement the show. Ommegang Brewery beer released 14 official Game of Thrones beers since 2015, and they’ve created a new one just in time for the finale, brewed with champagne yeast. Beer is perfect for both common folk and knights, but for those that love the characters of Tyrion and Cersei that always appear holding a glass of wine, only special wine releases will do. A choice assortment of fruits of the vineyard are available only in the Game of Thrones wine shop.

6. If spirits inspire you, Diageo’s limited collection of eight single malt Scotch whiskies are each paired with the GoT’s Great Houses. And for a most amazing collector’s item, White Walker by Johnnie Walker has a special “Winter is Here” message etched in thermochromic ink that magically appears when the bottle is frozen. The Johnny Walker site also lists Game of Throne themed recipes created by Miami spiritmaster Gabe Orta.

7. Hungry? Actor Ben Hawkey, who played the character Hot Pie, offers up baked bread shaped like direwolves…for real, and for sale. These whole-wheat cornbreads, seasoned with orange zest and served with dollops of butter, are only available for shipping in the UK. These limited delights will be in stock again, just in time for the final episodes.

Licensing doesn’t stop with products. Fans stepped into the world of GoT with the Bleed for the Throne war camp experience at this year’s South by Southwest. They actually bled by donating blood to the American Red Cross.

Let’s use this brief case history of the Game of Thrones series and their licensing efforts to step up your company’s marketing prowess.

How can you get in on the social media marketing hype of Game of Thrones?

1. Get your company in on the conversation with hashtags. Download the Moore Than SEO #Hashtag Guide for free. Fans looking for Game of Throne conversations will find yours with strategically placed #GameofThrones hashtags. Hashtag your favorite characters and plotlines, too, for more specific conversations.

2. Enter the arena with a product or service that that could go viral with Game of Throne fans. Your products don’t need to be licensed by HBO to attract fans—Spread the word where fans roam about your themed offerings: an upcoming GoT dinner menu item named for a character, butcher service items named after wars between Houses, A Red Wedding Cake for themed parties, or paint and sip parties where participants paint GoT Medieval artwork. Spread the word to your local loyal customers, and entice them to introduce fans of the series to your special, limited GoT offerings.

3. Learn lessons from the master HBO marketers. Spread the word on a combination  of media platforms to inform and entertain your audience about your products and services. Video marketing is hot: learn how to add video to your marketing mix. Don’t just upload your latest videos to YouTube—Post them to your blog and natively on all social media avenues where your customers roam.

4. Follow HBO’s lead and zero in your marketing efforts to the correct demographics. You won’t see toy action figures licensed by HBO, unless they are upscale collectibles not meant for children’s playtime. HBO knows the GoT audience is composed of discerning adults that don’t wilt in the face of violence and intrigue. Are you marketing to your target customers, or are you wasting time trying to reach a vast general audience that may not be interested in your offerings?

To connect with your niche customers, start with a SWOT Assessment, read our Beginner’s Guide to Competitive Intelligence, and target to your prospects. Integrate your marketing message both online and offline for colossal results: take your products on the road with tradeshow marketing. Think outside the box to draw interest to your brand. For more ideas to get you to the Iron Throne by annihilating your competition, contact the strategic marketing and SEO experts here at Moore Than SEO. Call 559-978-4096.

How To Research SEO Keywords Like A Pro

How To Research SEO Keywords Like A Pro

Posted by in Content Marketing, Digital Marketing, SEO: Search Engine Optimization

Are you interested in making improvements to your website that will result in positive Google ranking potential? The foundation of any good SEO (search engine optimization) program is built upon the best keyword phrases for your business. If you’re not sure where to start, then our free guide will get you on the right path.

Inside you’ll learn how our experts rely on a variety of free, online resources to brainstorm the best list of SEO keywords with true traffic potential. You’ll learn how to frame keyword phrases to be more compelling by examining your target markets and buyer personas and how to critically evaluate your initial brainstorms to boil it all down to a power list you can use in everyday marketing.

Whether you’re working to develop increased exposure locally or globally this basic skill will greatly improve your command of search engine marketing. It only takes some time, careful research, and the determination to implement what you learn in the process. Read, “How To Research SEO Keyword Phrases Like A Pro,” for six comprehensive pages of educational information that’s chocked full of our team’s best keyword brainstorming tips. We’ve also included a helpful SEO Keyword Research Brainstormer worksheet.

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Did you find our guide helpful? Tell us about it on Facebook. We love getting social & answering your marketing questions! Searching for more great educational content? Check out our additional resources for search engine marketing below:

Industrial Manufacturers: Don’t Be In the Dark About Organic SEO

Read about how search engine optimization tactics can help industrial companies gain an edge on lagging competitors while building a sustainable audience that generates increased website traffic.

Enhance Your SEO and Digital Identity with a Mobile-Friendly Website

Learn how it’s important to have a business website that’s truly mobile-friendly according to today’s modern Google best practices. You’ll find out how to test your site’s mobile quality and more.

Anatomy of An Optimized Web Page – Infographic

Are you a visual learner? If you are, then you will LOVE our Anatomy of An Optimized Web Page Infographic on this post. Scroll down to start viewing it.

Top SEO Tips for Website Promotion

Learn Moore Than SEO’s top tips that you can implement right away to improve your website’s promotion & quality.

Remove the Cobwebs from Your Website

Use the best SEO and social media marketing practices and tidy up your website’s performance.

Why Are Google Analytics So Important for Web Development?

Learn more about the benefits of Google Analytics and how installing this free tool can greatly improve your digital marketing insights.

 

Do you find yourself wanting to improve your website & digital marketing strategy but struggle to find the time?

Give our experts a call to discuss how we can help increase visibility for your business at (559) 978-4096.

shows a checkered flag background with headline: How to launch a successful blog that your readers will love

How to Launch a Successful Blog That Your Readers Will Love

Posted by in Blog Planning, Content Marketing, Digital Marketing

The number of subscribers and amount of inbound traffic makeup the metrics to watch for a healthy blog.

How can you create so much interest that new readers are clamoring to subscribe? And how do you intend to get a return in your investment (ROI)?

Your blog is not where you tell your life’s story unless you are a celebrity. Nor is a blog the place to clobber your readers with a hard sell product pitch. Successful blogs grow fast because the authors listen to what their subscribers want to read. If you are only publishing what you want to say, you’ll have a very lonely, unsuccessful blog.

When you build a website, you start out by surfing the internet to check out what your competition is doing. Do the same in preparation for launching your blog. Who else is writing on your topic? Why are their blogs successful? Read the comments below the articles. If those authors have YouTube videos, read those comments, too. What are their readers asking about?

If the same questions are coming up over an over again, that could be your niche. You can be an expert in that arena, covering material that your blogging competition is ignoring. Include a mention of products and services that solve the problems related to your particular niche.

The next step to blog planning is to start writing before your blog goes live.

Here is where content marketing sets the groundwork. Consider:

  • Who do you want to reach?

Create personas of your ideal subscribers. Demographics are important, but also consider what kinds of problems your subscribers will be looking for you to solve in your blog.

  • What will be your voice?

Use language that is familiar with your target audience. Speak as you would to your customers, using the terminology that they use. Long posts are fine, but keep the sentences short and succinct, as if you were having a verbal conversation with your reader.

  • How will you make a return on your investment (ROI) from your blog?

Blogging is a time hog. It takes time to create content that is meaningful and relevant to your subscribers. And new content needs to be posted consistently to keep your readers enticed. What’s the point if you can’t see a return on your time investment?

When executed correctly, your blog will show up in the Google search rankings, driving new readers to your posts. As with your website, SEO needs to be part of the equation. Use the same family of keyword phrases as for your website, and as your blog matures, add new phrases or keywords that bring readers to specific posts.

Never ever duplicate information found elsewhere on the Internet. Duplication can spell the death of your blog in the Google rankings. When quoting, always cite sources, and if you are quoting large sections of content, be sure to get permission. Additional information about the pitfalls of duplicate content can be found here.

Before your blog goes live, flex your writing muscles.

Jump in and brainstorm headlines. Select your favorites, and compose your first five blog articles. Make sure to include a few valuable links to particular web pages or products and services.

Find a “blog buddy” who can proof, edit, and offer useful feedback. Get more feedback from your business colleagues your current customers to confirm that you are on the right track.

If writing content isn’t your thing, feel free to invite guest bloggers to submit posts. However, it’s your blog, and you must make it clear that you have the right to edit or not use any material they submit. Guest bloggers often have their own agendas, submitting material that doesn’t solve your customer’s problems. Their grammar and punctuation can also be substandard. It’s counter-productive to spend hours editing and rewriting guest posts.

When content marketing and technical copywriting aren’t in your wheelhouse, turn to trusted, experienced professionals to craft your online content. Here at Moore Than SEO, we’ll assist you with your blog planning and execution. Beginning with creating personas and investigating your keywords, we’ll create unique articles that bring measured results—More subscribers, more website visitors, and more sales.

Get your blog off the ground—Contact us today at 559-978-4096.

Shows business woman working on blogging on her laptop

Shows a cartoon owl thinking about Google search with headline Industrial Manufacturers: Don't be in the dark about organic seo

Industrial Manufacturers: Don’t be in the Dark about Organic SEO

Posted by in Content Marketing, Digital Marketing, Industrial Marketing, SEO: Search Engine Optimization

By Anne Roos, Content Development

Organic SEO, also known as natural SEO, is Google’s approved way to go about promoting your website.

It’s the tried and true way to allow customers to find you on the Internet. The emphasis is on spreading the word about your website by telling it like it is—posting content that interests your clients on your website and blog, and in social networks. Natural SEO creates a meaningful user experience, offering your website visitors exactly what they are looking for.

The trick is to talk about your industry, company, and products by sharing info that is interesting and relevant. The treat is that it costs less than traditional marketing: Less than trade show exhibits and less than direct marketing. Additionally, you can quickly track behaviors and responses, allowing you to tweak your marketing strategy for better success.

Make your story fascinating, and don’t be scared off by the conversational aspects of posting information.

Consistent content that strikes at the heart of your customer’s needs helps you connect in ways that you never could with traditional forms of marketing. Feed the monstrous hunger that your industry connections want to know: Share videos of your newest technology in action, post user-friendly instructions on your blog about how to use your new products, and share behind-the-scenes information about star employees on Facebook and LinkedIn. The result: More website traffic that leads to new clients and increased sales.

But beware of the dark side of SEO, also known as “black hat SEO.”

Some SEO companies will have you believe that they own exclusive, top-secret formulas for getting your website listed as #1 in the Google Search Engine rankings for your industry. Let them wrap their tendrils around you, and you may see a temporary bump in your rank, but you can’t hide from Google. Google’s search engine spiders peruse the web, and when they come across your site, they will punish you by dropping your website ranking or make it appear invisible to anyone searching for you on the Internet.

Evil, black hat SEO techniques include:

  • Keyword stuffing

Inserting your top keywords throughout your website, blog articles, and social media renders your information difficult to read and irrelevant to your target customers.

  • Unrelated keywords

Throwing in keywords (such as names of celebrities who have never used your products) that have nothing to do with your business, just to attract readers. This strategy certainly will not attract clients interested in your products and services.

  • Content automation

Text in a product review or in your blog comment section that is randomly generated by a bot. It tends to make no sense whatsoever—Real human beings can spot fake text a mile away.

  • Doorway pages

Fake landing pages on websites that are stuffed with keywords to make them easy for search engines to find.

  • Invisible links and texts

These ghostly apparitions are seen as a sign of desperation to attract the attention of search engines, but your website visitors don’t see them. To hide them from warm-blooded humans, the text is posted in a white font set on a white background, the font is set to zero, or a hyperlink is found when clicking something nonsensical, such as a hyphen.

  • Outsourced content creation

SEO writing that is farmed out to people who have no command of English and have no understanding of your industry will save you money in the short-run. But it sends customer loyalty to the grave in the long run.

White hat, natural, organic SEO comes to the rescue.

Here at Moore Than SEO, we take pride on the fact that our team specializes in following the Google rules for search engine optimization. We make it a point to get to know your industry, your products, and what makes your company stand out among your competitors. Our experts have the technical backgrounds to explain how your company ticks to potential clients.

Trust Moore Than SEO to never farm out your content outside of our company, relying on good ol’ American SEO. We understand that you have specific technical information that must be explained with an exacting touch. With our ability to interpret the complex, we create valuable industry-specific website content, blog articles, and social media posts that are share-worthy and click-worthy.

We perform the research to hone in on your niche keywords and keyword phrases. We write copy that includes links within your website to bring customers to the specific information they are seeking. On your website, we add internal links that keep visitors digging for more information on your site. And we never ignore META descriptions and write them to attract the attention of people, not just Google spiders.

Avoid the dark side, the methods that wicked black hat SEO companies are serving up. Don’t bite into that poison apple. Instead, arm yourself with the garlic of white hat SEO, the specialty of Moore Than SEO. All Halloween references aside, we’re here to help you attract new customers and increase client loyalty by sharing the unique information about your products, services, and technologies. Contact us at 559-978-4096 to get started.

How to Make Video the Hottest Tool in your Marketing Mix

How to Make Video the Hottest Tool in your Marketing Mix

Posted by in Content Marketing, Digital Marketing, Social Media

By Anne Roos, Content Development

There’s no question about it—The business world has gone gaga over reaching consumers through video marketing. It’s easy to see why:

 

U.S. Internet video will account for over 80% of all U.S. Internet traffic within the next two years.

Native videos—videos created or uploaded on social networks to appear in feeds—are seeing even faster growth. (Source: Recode.net)

Native videos, available on Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, and now Pinterest, make it easier for business to target specific customers on different platforms.

For instance, the majority of videos used on Facebook are native videos, and 90% of profiles and business pages utilize Facebook native videos (Source: Quintly.com)

What was only found on YouTube is now available across most social media platforms.

Video generates more shares than any other type of post on Facebook, tweets containing videos generate 9 times more engagement than text-only tweets, and video ads on Snapchat outperform video ads on all other social media platforms. Video content is also on the rise on Instagram, and Pinterest is jumping on the bandwagon to offer in-stream auto-play video ads. (Source: SocialMediaToday.com)

Consumers click the video “Play” button far more than they click on image ads.

Furthermore, they tend to watch more than 2/3rds of the video, on average. (Source: Dynamic Logic Data)

Over 70% of businesses confirm that videos produce more conversions than any other content marketing format.

Most experienced improved ROI on their video marketing expenditures. (Source: Demand Metric)

The average Internet user spends 88% more time on websites with video than without.

Some 64% of customers are more likely to buy a product after watching a video about it. (Source: codefuel.com).

Besides boosting sales and conversions, videos are great for improved SEO.

Here’s another fabulous statistic: Your company is 53 times more likely to show up at the top of Google search engine results when you have a video embedded on your website (Source: Forrester).

Despite all of these statistics, only 24% of brands currently use online videos to market to customers—A surprising fact given that 65% of Internet users are visual learners. (Source: Forbes)

Videos grab the attention of even the laziest buyers, and they encourage social media sharing. So besides making profits, your videos enhance your brand’s online recognition and reputation. You can easily measure the success of each video, or test run multiple videos on different platforms, to determine which message is most attractive to customers.

This is the obvious opportunity to target your ads to specific demographics, personalizing them for maximum engagement. Entice viewers with interactive content—videos are not just for watching, they are for participating.

Shows photo of lady creating video marketing content by talking in front of professional video camera

How can you ensure that your videos will strike a bond with potential and loyal customers?

Ensure that they touch viewers on an emotional level to set your company apart from your competitors. Here’s how:

  • Show a preview of products and services yet to be released—Reveal them slowly, letting viewers in on the big secret over a series of videos. Invite viewers to subscribe to learn more about what’s next on the horizon for your company.
  • Let viewers in on the behind-the-scenes action at your company—Show how products are made, introduce viewers to your staff, and take customers on a tour of your facility. Open the doors to your company on a virtual level.
  • Demonstrate how products work, right from the box—How-to tutorials display the easy of using your products, helping those who’ve recently purchased and those who are thinking of making a purchase. You’ll be viewed as an expert, in comparison to your competitors.
  • Capture clients singing your praises—Filming reviews and testimonials from satisfied customers is a powerful way to attract buyers away from your competition. According to Inc.com, testimonials are more meaningful when viewers can see people delivering them, rather than just reading text reviews.
  • Respond to customer questions—Record your detailed answers to questions received via social media. What better way to demonstrate your commitment to prompt customer service?
  • Reveal industry news and upcoming trends—Educate your viewers on what’s hot and what’s not. Show them how your company is riding the wave of the newest developments. Customers will choose to buy from you because your company considers the newest innovations in your products and services.
  • Amaze your viewers—Have fun, and your viewers will enjoy your videos. Keep this in mind, and you’ll increase the likelihood that your videos will be shared across the social networks. Show something surprising that only your company does. Take your viewers on a trip to your next expo, giving them a peek at what happens in your exhibit booth. Film an employee on a delivery run adventure. Give your video a cliffhanger ending, leaving viewers to wonder, “What’s next?” Demo novel uses for your products that most buyers might not consider.

For your videos to be effective, your video content strategy cannot be separate from you marketing goals. And the video must be professional, or else your company may be viewed as “amateurish.”

This is where Moore Than SEO comes in. Our video marketing service includes a full analysis of your online presence, including a snapshot of how your company fares against your competitors. We’ll assist in developing your video content with a preferred partner for video production with a consistent marketing focus. Finally, we’ll utilize the videos to your advantage, posting them on the social media platforms where your target customers hang out. We aren’t done once the videos are posted—We analyze the performance of your videos, tweaking your customized video marketing strategy to improve results.

Take advantage of this hot social video trend. It only takes one call to our experts at 559-978-4096 to get started. We look forward to helping your company stand out online with video branding.

Shows website navigation with title, Top SEO Tips for website promotion

Our Holiday Gift to You—Top SEO Tips for Successful Website Promotion in 2017

Posted by in Content Marketing, Digital Marketing, Industrial Marketing, SEO: Search Engine Optimization

Happy Holidays! Merry Christmas! Happy Chanukah! Happy Kwanza! Happy Festivus! And Happy New Year from the entire staff here at Moore Than SEO!

No matter how you celebrate the holiday season, this is the perfect time to regroup and dive into successful website promotion strategies to get ahead of your competition in the New Year.

Our gift to you is…drumroll please…Our New Years top SEO Tips! This list is designed to increase brand awareness of your company across the internet.

1. Stay current on Google analytics trends.

What keeps your website in good favor with Google, and what can cause your website to drop off the first page of search engine results? Find out about Google’s cast of characters and the latest Penguin update. Review your present site and make corrections to avoid Google penalties, and take note of how to skirt penalties before launching a new site.

2. Take the temperature of your present online competitive climate.

Know how your business can create a niche in your industry. This measurement of Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT assessment) is the starting line for low and high tech SEO alike. Even if you completed a SWOT assessment this year, check your business climate again to lay claim of your product niche for the New Year.

3. Create or update your buyer personas to remain relevant to your customers.

Your customers’ wants, needs, and regular hang-outs change according to your industry’s competitive climate. Having an understanding of your target customers, beyond simple demographics, helps you target content to attract them to buy. Use our Developing Buyer Personas DIY Worksheet to improve online engagement, and thus, improve your website rankings.

4. Get to work using our 5 Fast and Easy SEO Growth Hacks.

Have you installed Google Analytics on your website? Are you regularly refreshing META information for each of your pages? Are links to your social media profiles integrated throughout your site? Is your site free of duplicate content? Is your location and contact info plainly visible throughout your website? If this is all new to you, or you’re just getting started with your new website, download our free white paper to get SEO right the first time.

5. Refresh your content.

Double-check to ensure your website content is not duplicated elsewhere on the internet, or duplicated within you’re the pages on your website (use copyscape.com to check your web page content for free). Duplicate content has a negative impact on your website’s performance in search engine rankings. Update your content to make it fresh and unique. Not a writer? Use our tips for online writing and formatting. Create content that leads your target customers to your website, delivering a visible digital identity for your company, your products, and your services.

These five steps form the launching pad for improved SEO results in the New Year.

It’s a lot of material to digest. No wonder savvy business owners elect to turn to SEO experts to avoid taking missteps and incurring Google penalties. We’re here to help. Our SEO team steers you in the right direction, creating a sound online reputation for your brand. Our goal is to drive your target customers to your website where you can close the sale.

Get started with successful web promotion in 2017 and beyond. Contact our SEO experts today for a free website health assessment, and give us a call at 559-978-4096 to discuss your SEO goals for the New Year. We look forward to hearing from you!

Is Your Company’s Digital Identity Invisible?

Is Your Company’s Digital Identity Invisible?

Posted by in Content Marketing, Digital Marketing, Industrial Marketing, SEO: Search Engine Optimization, Social Media

By Anne Roos, Director of Content Development

What is your company’s online footprint? What makes your business stand out on the Internet? This is known as your digital identity, or how your company is perceived in the digital world. In other words, it is your online branding.

Factors that contribute to your online identity can range from your logo, your URL (website address), and even the style of fonts and graphics on your website. Social networking takes the temperature of how your company is perceived online.

With over 3 billion worldwide Internet users, your goods and services can’t afford to be invisible on the worldwide web. Build a digital presence for your business and you’ll increase sales and have power over your online reputation.

Here are 4 steps to creating your company’s searchable identity:

1. Take over the reigns—When someone performs a Google search for the kinds of products and services you sell, your website and social media profiles must be on display. Get listed as a viable choice against your competition and don’t be invisible in the search results. Establish a powerful website for your business, and utilize best SEO practices to define your company in social media.

2. Use consistent branding across the internet—Develop the logo, graphics, and tag lines to brand your company’s representation on your website and on each social media profile you create. Discover the best keyword phrases that will lead people searching on Google to your company. Single out your company’s niche–Always include tags in your blog posts and META information on your website and blog pages.

3. Mingle, mingle, mingle—Don’t be a wallflower. Discover where your target customers converse online and make those social networking platforms your go-to places to schmooze. Post regularly, and include meaningful, interesting info that attracts readers to your website and blog. Reply to posts immediately to demonstrate that your company cares about the opinions of your customers. Join LinkedIn and Facebook groups that are relevant to your company’s best interests, and chime in on topics that are in your business wheelhouse. Online mingling, or social networking, drives customers to your website and strengthens your branding. It gives you control of what people are saying about your company.

4. Keep the discussion about business—Use social media as an educational forum, sharing information about the newest trends and how-to’s of your industry. Don’t use it as a carnival barker for hard selling your products, and don’t use it for posting what you had for lunch (unless, of course, you are in the food industry). Be professional and always take the high road to help potential customers find what they are looking for.

It takes time to build a successful online digital identity. It takes a delicate balance of website, blog, and social media finesse. The process is never finished—maintaining your digital identity is dynamic and requires constant updating, because the online conversation about products and services is never static.

Rely on the content experts at Moore Than SEO to curate and create the social media posts and profiles, blog articles, and web pages that attract attention and make your company a rock star in your own niche. We’ll help you create and maintain the digital identity that makes you shine against your online competition.

shows paper and pen for writing

The Non-Writer’s Guide to Creating a Digital Identity

Posted by in Content Marketing, Copywriting Tips, Digital Marketing, Industrial Marketing, Social Media

By Anne Roos, Director of Content Development

The Internet world expects business owners to be great writers, even if it isn’t their cup of tea. Rules of grammar, spelling, and punctuation reflect on your business just as much as the information you share. And it gets even more confusing, because some of the standard rules of writing were made to be broken for social media posts, blog entries, and web pages. For creating a digital identity, a unique voice online that attracts clients and customers to your brand, you also need to mind the rules of Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

SEO websites will have you believe that there are hard-and-fast formulas to follow to get on the first page of search engine results for your specific keywords. It’s a soft science, and because Google frequently changes its algorithms for ranking, no set formula is going to work.

Follow our 3 standards that apply across-the-board for anything you are writing online:

1. Write for human consumption.

Forget about stuffing keywords into paragraphs and pages—one or two mentions will do. Focus on the information that interests your customers and clients.

2. Never copy content from another source, even if that source is a page on your own website.

Search engines like original content, and they’ll drop your page in rank, or remove you from search engine results altogether, when you duplicate content.

3. Text is more important than graphics.

The major search engines place high importance on content that is relevant to your website visitors. They also pay attention to your website’s layout. Find out Why Content Trumps Design.

How your content looks on the page is important, because most people scan an article with their eyes before delving into its contents.

Follow these 8 standards of formatting to entice your readers:

1. Put the good stuff at the beginning. As of May, 2015, Google announced that more searches are performed on mobile devices (smartphone, tablets, etc.) than on desktops and laptops. Therefore, you need to concentrate the important texts in the first few sentences to avoid scrolling on small-screened devices.

2. Focus on one idea per paragraph, use shorter sentences, and include 6 lines maximum per paragraph. Content is digested in small bites, not big meals. Make it easy for your readers to pick out important points. Embolden key sentences and key phrases within the paragraph.

3. Add lists and bullet points for variety. They are easy to read, easy to write, and everyone loves lists. Try to limit your lists to a manageable number of items—If you have too many items, add subheadings. Speaking of which…

4. Employ subheadings to shift topics. Lengthy blog posts and web pages are ever so much easier to read when each new topic is introduced by a cleaver subheading—Think of them as mini-chapter headings for your article.

5. Always insert links within your content. They stand out from the rest of the text, because they are underlined and highlighted. Use more inbound links (links to your web pages) than outbound links (links to other relevant websites). Use inbound links within your social media posts to send your friends and followers to your blog posts and web pages.

6. Rely on the 7-minute rule for blog posts and web pages. Each blog article or web post should take no longer than about 7-minutes to read out loud. If you’re counting words, they should be no shorter than about 300 words. Each social network has rules for maximum numbers of words or characters—Stay within those rules to avoid truncation of text. Including media with your social network posts reduces the amount of text you can use.

7. Be conversational. Unless your copy is of a highly technical nature, keep to simple sentences. Proof your copy by reading it aloud. If you find yourself stumbling as you read aloud, or each sentence is taking up more than two lines, split up sentences and paragraphs so that your information reads like a friendly chat.

8. Get to the point. Always include a call-to-action: a website to visit, a phone number to call, a product to check out. What’s the point of writing if you don’t create sales?

The entire reason for building a web presence is to increase your bottom line. You can have a gorgeous website that attracts customers, but they need to know what to do once they’ve arrived. Your content wins over customers when it engages them and moves them to buy.

How do you engage customers? Follow our 6 insights of what to say in social media and on your web and blog page and you’ll see a return of investment (ROI) in your website costs:

1. Keep both eyes on your competitors—Building a digital identity is about developing an online and offline brand strategy. See our Beginner’s Guide to Competitive Intelligence for a primer.

2. Publish consistently—Fresh content sends website visitors and social media fans back for more. Plus, Google wants to direct searchers to new, interesting content. Post regularly; at least once a month on blogs, and at least once a week on social media platforms.

3. Establish a goal for each post—Do you want to get website visitors to sign up for your newsletter? Do you want to tell your readers about your company’s next public event? Do you want to introduce customers to your newest product line? Hone in on your goal, and then answer the question, “Why is this important to write?” when you begin writing.

4. Write an irresistible headline—Touch an emotion. Draw the reader into your article, your story, and your post.

5. Activate action verbs—Can you envision what that verb says to do? This is what defines an action verb. You can visualize the words drive, hit, aim, get. You can’t visualize verbs like be, was, and were. Action verbs get readers to move, respond, and buy.

6. Use a different mode of storytelling for each post—Ask a question, tell a tale, reveal secrets, challenge assumptions, offer a different point of view, alleviate fears, disclose a mystery, educate your readers, and more. The path of storytelling is only limited by your imagination.

Is this content writing task overwhelming? Staring at a blank computer screen with no idea where to start on your content writing journey? Too busy getting your business off the ground to focus on writing for the web?

Here’s the answer: Partner with a team of professional, seasoned online marketers, and avoid cheap alternatives. Going outside the U.S. for content and SEO assistance may look like a money-saving idea, but you’ll want to stick with American SEO.

Be careful when hiring content writers. Everything you publish online reflects your business reputation. Why trust the empty promises of SEO websites that don’t take the time to get to know your company, products, and services before creating content? Here at Moore Than SEO, our writers build custom content that attracts your target audience and gives your competition a run for their money.

Contact us for a free assessment of your online content.

Valentines Day cupcake with text How to spread love for your brand through social media

How to Spread Love for Your Brand Through Social Media

Posted by in Content Marketing, Digital Marketing, Social Media, Social Media Analytics

By Anne Roos, Director of Content Development

February is the month of love. It’s the perfect time to reach out to your target audience, to get them to fall head over heals for your brand. It’s also the perfect time to solidify customer loyalty to your current clients. Regardless of your specific business industry, use social media as your matchmaker.

Consider these statistics:

• 200 Million Internet Users Employ Ad Blockers—Website visitors aren’t seeing your pop-up ads. But your message will get through to your intended customers through social networking.

• 37% of Online Businesses Increased Customer Retention through Word-of-Mouth Compared to Paid Advertisements—Imagine your cost savings by going social versus paying for print, radio, and TV ads.

• 71% of Consumers are Likely to Buy a Product or Service Based on Referrals in Social Media—Create a buzz in your customers’ favorite social hangouts, and watch the sales pour in.

• 81% of Consumers Receive Advice from Colleagues, Friends and Loved Ones Through Social Networking Sites—When customers fall in love with you, they tell the world about it online.

But how do you get customers to fall in love with you in the first place?

1. Know Your Customer—Ask yourself whether you are fulfilling a need or solving a problem for your target customer. What can you offer that your competition cannot?

2. Keep In Touch—Share new product information, interesting trivia about your company, invitations to events, and exclusive online coupons to your Internet fans. Treat them to more in-depth information in your blog. Give every opportunity for your prospective clients and customers to get to know you.

3. Get Personal—Let your fans and subscribers in on deals they’d never see elsewhere. Give them a behind-the-scenes glimpse of how your company operates, profile key staff members, and let them in on upcoming product launches.

4. Return the Love—Put the “social” into social networking. Build relationships online and bring them beyond the Internet. Send birthday offers and handwritten thank-you cards. Host a “locals” day discount or a customer appreciation day. Provide free tickets to events that you are hosting. Use these tools to get to know your loyal customer base.

5. Bend over backwards—Always offer more than is expected. Quote extra services or products at a discount. Do something entirely unexpected to create faithfulness to your brand while blowing your competition out of the water.

The goal: To get customers to break up with your competition and fall in love with you.

Regardless of your industry, you can get in on the Valentine’s Day love, before, during, and after the holiday. Connect with customers through social media management. Create a strategic plan that rewards your clients on a consistent basis, and they’ll tell their friends. Then, they’ll return that love with purchases.

Here at Moore Than SEO, we know the laws of attraction using Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram, and other social network platforms. Contact us at 559-978-4096 for a free consultation. We’ll measure your current reach and design a social media blueprint that will produce long-term customer loyalty and measurable results.

* Statistics from Business2Community.com