Tag Archives: Chicago SEO company

voice-search-seo

Now Is The Best Time To Embrace Search

Voice Search is undeniably growing at a rapid pace, and for good reason — it’s fast, convenient, allows you to search on the go, and it’s becoming part of the devices that consumers are using. It has taken a good percentage of total searches across the world. This is thanks in part due to AI assistants like Apple’s Siri, Amazon’s Alexa, Google Assistant, etc.

With mobile impacting desktop in terms of search queries, and home automation devices becoming mainstream, voice search will power many future local search queries. Optimizing for voice search conversational terms will be a key differentiator.

The good news is that we already have services in place according to Google’s priorities such as surveys and widgets to boost customer reviews in Google / Yelp / Facebook. We were one of the first agencies to adopt Voice Search optimization, wherein the content we create is more conversational and matches user’s natural language pattern.

Here’s a list of things were currently doing for Voice Search optimization:

  • Verified and Accurate Google My Business Listing – Most voice search queries will ask for directions to your business address. For this, we will make sure that your business is listed accurately on Google Maps. Without verification, it would be really difficult to rank for voice search queries.
  • NAP (Name, Address, Phone) Consistency across Local Sites – Accurate map listing, in terms of name, address and contact number, across multiple map databases will also help search engines to be more confident about your location, and it will form part of ranking algorithm. We will ensure that your business information (NAP details) is consistent across other top tier and second tier local search engines, directories and review websites.
  • Generating Positive Reviews – Customer Reviews are a critical part of ranking algorithm for voice search. We can help you get positive reviews on Google and Yelp for your business via our proprietary Plug and Play Review Widget and Survey Review Booster.
  • Mobile Friendly Website – Since most voice searches are done on mobile devices, you MUST have a mobile-friendly site. If your website isn’t mobile friendly, we can help you setup a mobile friendly version with the help of our experienced team.
  • Conversational Content – Mobile voice searches will use natural language, which means long-tail keyword phrases are more important than ever. A way to add natural language to your website is by using words and phrases that people actually speak (versus words they type into a search box). The content used will be more conversational in tone, and the keyword phrases will probably resonate more with a person performing a voice search. We have already started implementing this for website content which will help the site rank for voice based queries.
  • Microdata & Advanced Schema Markup – Google will start using schema markup both as a site quality and richness indicator (i.e. affecting rankings), and for creating carousel-like results for certain searches, with Knowledge Graph-like summary data on each result in the list. We will help you setup structured data on your site.
  • Rank Tracking – We have already started tracking rankings in mobile search results for voice based terms like “near me”, “close to me”, “around me”, etc. around physical location across all verticals and reporting these rankings on our dashboard.

For more SEO tips and the latest updates in digital marketing, contact us to learn more!

seo-ranking-factors-header

2018 SEO Survey & Changes You Should Make in 2019

Moz has released the 2018 local search ranking factors last month & it reveals a lot about the upcoming big changes in the SEO world. If you are looking for accurate predictions, or just want to stay updated about the current trends, we recommend reading the full report.

2018 was a good year for Local SEO since we witnessed a major boost in the rankings of the local players instead of the corporates. This just solidifies the facts that no matter your size, if your site has what it takes, then there’s no denying that you can even beat the mega corporations.

Keep in mind that this survey was conducted among the SEO professionals. They were asked to rank the main ranking factors. Here are some of the key findings.

seo-ranking-factors

Local SEO has changed drastically over the past 3 years and if you are sticking to old SEO practices, it will do more harm than good. Also, if you want your site to rank high, you will have to prefer quality-overquantity. Be it content, backlinks, reviews or citations.

It has been observed by many SEO professionals that you can manipulate the content on the knowledge graph. It mostly works for hijacking brand queries or getting clicks that you will not get normally.

Also if your site is not receiving the kind of traffic that you were expecting that maybe you have to send signals to Google. What it means is that if Google gets the “hey this business is alive signal”, it might boost your rank a little. You can then use this to show a detailed report of your SEO efforts. But you will have to figure out which thing to prioritize. Because there’s a lot of things going on and there’s a good chance that your client will not understand the technical things. So you may have to break it down in simpler terms.

Factors to pay attention to in 2019

An easy way to check for what Google thinks is important with internal links is to do a site search on Google, type in one of your keywords & see what comes up first. This will help you determine what Google thinks is most relevant for your keyword. And if the result is not what you expected, fix it and do a search with the same keyword again.

If your business is new, you have to ensure that you have covered all these basics.

1. Order Citations

2. Website is up and running.

3. Page loads quickly.

4. High quality and relevant content

5. Add schema to the site

6. You are using Google My Business posts

7. You’re responding to Questions asked via knowledge graph listing

If your business is around for a while, it is going to take a lot more efforts. You can start by checking the source of the traffic, if you are paying for it, then is it converting? Are your blogs up to date. Are you regularly uploading high quality content? These are only a few of the questions that you should ask yourself about your website.

Be informed that GMB categories are a major ranking factor. Therefore it is often manipulated BUT GMB related spam can be reported on Google Maps or escalated to Google via their various support channels. So if you see anyone misusing it, you should report it.

The conclusion of the survey is hard to sum up but if you will pay attention to the details, you will be able to crack the secret ingredient to a successful local SEO strategy. Although, you will have to do a lot of research to revise your current plans without hurting the existing campaigns.

For more SEO tips and the latest updates in digital marketing, contact us to learn more!

Google-Web-Dev-SEO

Google Has Release Its Own SEO Tool : WEB.DEV

Yes, you read that right. Google has indeed released a new SEO & site metrics tool that helps site owners to get an overall picture of their SEO efforts & overall site performance. However, it’s in beta mode and as a result is kind of buggy, but overall, it’s a useful tool.

Since Google already has all the data in the world, it was not a surprising move that they launched this tool. However, some SEO “experts” are arguing that whether Google should be deciding the definition of SEO or not. Smh.

We would say that it is a very useful tool that is developed by “GOOGLE” itself. So it’s a no-brainer that you should try your hands on it. Here’s how it works.

Once you enter the URL of your page, it will rate the website for the following metrics.

• Performance
• Progressive Web App
• Accessibility
• Best Practices
• SEO

Here’s how the reports look like:

Web-dev-seo
The new SEO score gives you information about the page crawlability, but the overall SEO score is based on just 10 VERY BASIC On-Page elements, which makes it easy to score 100%. But, in reality, SEO is much more complicated than that.

Many would argue that when GOOGLE itself says that my site is doing good on the SEO part, why would I need your expertise? The simple difference is the level of detail that an agency works on. Google is just telling you about basic things and not about the competitive stuff, where the real game begins.

So any site can score 100% on SEO web.dev and still rank on the 10th page of the Google. Because ranking for specific keywords and “money” phrases is the main purpose of SEO.

 

For more information on how to utilize Google’s Web.Dev SEO Tool
Connect with us to learn more!

How Small Businesses Find Their Way on the Internet

Small businesses don’t typically have a whole lot of money to spend on advertising. They search for ways to get their name out to the public as efficiently as possible, word of mouth is great. However, a very large amount of small businesses are starting to use the internet to promote themselves. This is because they can experience the best and most efficient results from internet marketing. Their message and advertising campaign can be customized and tailored to their specific needs in thousands of ways.

Almost all small businesses nowadays have websites. This is the window for the world to see them through; their personal viewing portal that can be accessed by anyone at any time. With a million small businesses comes a million websites, so now the key is to get your site found. Every small businesses website can bring them to greater successes in their business.

  • Creating a sound SEO (Search Engine Optimization) program is one option to choose from when advertising on the internet. It is one of the best marketing methods and produces one of the highest ROI’s.
  • Choosing to use a CPC (Cost Per Click) campaign can be effective for specific products during the holiday season!
  • Another good way to add to your websites traffic is to keep a steady stream of information flowing through the site.  Blogging with good relative content can be an extremely effective way of keeping your consumer interested. If they have visited your site they are clearly interested in your service or product and may want to stay informed.
  • Social media is another good way for consumers to follow your company which allows you to provide good material on your product or service for the consumer to digest in their own life on their own time.

With an ever-growing Internet population keeping a strong presence on the internet for your small business is critical in the growth process. A good website with streaming content that can be found by those who need it will thrive on the internet. This type of website will allow for a company to grow beyond its current potential and reach new heights in sales.

If you’re small business is looking for an SEO consultant, www.seosolutions.us. We are a Chicago SEO company that specializes in Search Engine Marketing and other Internet marketing techniques.

5 Steps to Creating “Ambient Awareness” With SEO!

The world of business is always changing and looking for the next big thing. This is one of the thing s that makes this business so exciting. There is never a time when it is ok to sit back and watch or wait. In the world of business if you are not moving forward then you are being bypassed by the competition. If you are looking for the next big thing in business then there are a few things that you need to understand.

One of the best new trends in the world of business is the study of how people think and process information. An industry term for finding this information is called ambient awareness. This is a very exciting new field that seeks to take information from the people and use this information in such a way as to draw these people into your particular business arena. This is not some kind of secret operation handled by the government but rather this is the new world of business. Lets look at ambient awareness and how this can work for you in the world of SEO and web design.

The first step in ambient awareness is understanding what ambient awareness is. Ambient awareness is the act of understanding what a person or a business is looking for based solely on the comments they make in social media mediums such as Facebook or twitter. In normal situations little thought is given to what a person has to say in one status update or even a small tweet. However, when these items are looked at as a whole, the picture of the individual becomes much clearer. Ambient awareness simply means that you are willing to look at the whole picture.

Second, it is important to understand SEO. This is a fancy way of saying search engine optimization. This is the practice of making your web site more efficient. This becomes possible when you understand the topics of interest that people are looking for. When you understand what people are looking for then you have a better chance of offering them what they want.

Third, when coupled together, SEO and ambient awareness are a team that never quits. If you have the ability to understand a persons social media habits and are able to couple that with an ability to properly use SEO, your business will skyrocket. So how can you create this ambient awareness?

Fourth, spending time in social media venues is the most important thing that you can do. Interact with your friends and relatives. Pay attention to what they are sharing. Do their posts reflect the current media trends? Are they referencing anything in the news? If so then you are on the right track.

Finally, be willing to adapt and meet new people. This is perhaps the best key or “secret” in making ambient awareness work. If you are unable to meet new people then you will be severely hampered in your efforts to market a product based on the desires of people.

Resource Box: SEO Solutions can help you create ambient awareness with the latest SEO techniques. Take your website to the next level at seosolutions.us.

 

What Precautions You Need to Take While Hiring an SEO Company

Search Engine Optimization is an extremely effective method of advertising your business on the internet. With the ever-growing popularity of search engines and technology this trend will continue to increase. However, some SEO companies are not as ‘real’ as they seem.

1. Shy away from SEO consultants who guarantees you to be on the first page of a search engine.

2. Be sure to ask for references to call on before hiring the SEO company you are considering. A world of information can be learned by calling on a few past clients.

3. Make sure they provide you with a clear report on what they are doing to improve your rankings as well as a report on the status of your keywords in regards to where they are ranking on a weekly to monthly basis.

 

Resource Box: SEOsolutions.us a Chicago SEO company is ready for all of the above and more. We do not make any guarantees we cannot keep and we always practice Google friendly SEO tactics to prevent your site from being blacklisted from Search Engines.