Tag: seo

  • 10 small steps to better search engine rankings for LOCAL businesses – Part 1

    Steps 1 to 5 of how to rank better in terms of being a local business (steps 6 to 10 to follow on….)

    Let’s starts this two-part article with a rhetorical question –

    would you like MORE customers?

    (sits back, makes more tea and dunks another biscuit)

    Of course you do. Anyone running their own business would like more customers because, after all, that is what makes a business. And makes it successful.

    Lessons in hard work:

    • Running your own business is hard work
    • Running your website is hard work
    • Attracting new customers is hard work
    • Maintaining this attraction so customers come back, is hard work

    Add in to this mix the need for your website and online presence to be constant, consistent and up to date and you can be forgiven for thinking it is simply all too much.

    But you are not the only local business to be in this position. Every day seems a struggle to get everything done but, we carry on regardless because at the end of the day, we are our own boss, we make the decision and the risks are acceptable.

    Keeping on top of search engine optimisation (SEO)

    A bit like keep the plug hole in the sink unblocked, staying on top of SEO updates and the like, will prevent a backlog that, all of a sudden, needs a professional or a lot of YouTube-video-watching in order to rectify it. Keeping that plug hole running clear and free from blockages stops that expensive call out to a plumber.

    Keeping on top of your SEO as a local business also sees you outshine your competitors online thus, we have created 10 small-ish steps to improving your search engine rankings so that local customers find your local business…

    Step 1: research you keywords

    HOW will people find your local business? If you are a florist in Watford then you need to say so; if you are a speciality butcher and delicatessen in Newport, South Wales, then you need to say so.

    However, we need to be careful that the obvious isn’t hidden in plain sight so take a moment or two to think about how, and what language your customers will use to find you. Google search terms are becoming a little more detailed in how they interact too, hence if a place is often known by its initials such as ‘New York City’ as NYC, it is beginning to tie these two search terms together.

    You would be amazed at the number of local businesses that do not list their locality or location.

    Step 2: optimise your website and content

    What can happen with this step is people go from the sublime to the ridiculous; in other words, from not much content, to overstuffing every page with every keyword that they think hits their business. This looks awkward to both your customer and search engines, so stop it (if you are doing it) and don’t do it (if you are thinking of doing it).

    High quality content all over you website is a the way forward, along with other soft technical such as keywords in meta titles etc. along with the other background stuff.

    Some experts suggest that a ‘frequently asked question’ page is also a good for both customers and search engines too thus, if it is time to upgrade or revamp your content, then why not consider and FAQ page?

    Step 3: Google Local

    You will no doubt have come across these rather handy location maps when you have been searching for a business, supplier, etc. and getting your business on Google Local is an external activity to your website, but will obviously link to it, but is a great way of people being able to find your local business.

    Think how you use Google… only the other week we were in a place we didn’t know, fancied a nice pub lunch, typed it in to Google and hey presto!, we found a delightful pub by the canal. Ignoring the sub-zero temperatures and the gathering rain clouds, we had at least 10 minutes of sunshine by the water’s edge and quite a nice lunch… all helped by the fact the local pub was on Google Local, and so in the corner of the tablet screen, the map bobbed up and away we went. It wasn’t far off the beaten track but you would not have known it was there otherwise.

    Step 4: Local business listing websites

    There are many different types, and trying to make sure you are on them all can be a bit like herding cats BUT, that said, if you do manage to list your business or update some of the information that already exists, it sends ‘good signals’ to both your prospective customers and the various search engines.

    We typed in some key search terms and came up with these…

    Really Moving – type in your local area, and local removal firms pop up… if you are a removal firm, are you on here?

    Trip Advisor – in many ways, Trip Advisor is infamous for negative reviews that some businesses say are uncalled for, unnecessary and downright lies but, many customers are still using this website. Take a moment to surf around and you will see that the vast majority of customers are leaving helpful reviews (not always positive!).

    There are many more review, business listing and location type websites, some better than others but take some time to have a look what is local to you and, more importantly, what people are using… but don’t forget to keep an eye on them, and respond appropriately to both negative and positive reviews.

    Step 5: Consistency

    One issue (among others…) that seems to crop up for local businesses online seems to be a lack of consistency when it comes to business listings etc. When people talk about brand, this is the kind of thing they mean.

    You have a business name, a logo and a tag line – e.g. Locally – strategic thinking, creative web design – boom! Job done… keep using it.

    Don’t decide to change it when you list it on Yell.com (Locally – really good web design and stuff), or on a local business directory (Locally – really good at all things website and stuff).

    All these ‘descriptions’ need to be the same, over and over again… this might be ‘boring’. On that Friday afternoon when you were “doing the admin”, it might have seemed fun to add or embellish your business description… but it does impact on how all the search engines look at you.

    These changes and differences in descriptions and tag lines could be damaging on your online search results.

    Before you head on over to part 2, why not take some time to go through these 5 steps with you local, online business?

  • Your website IS your best marketing tool

    … and so getting it right is not an optional endeavour that you can afford to leave to chance.

    In ‘Keeping your website active’ we looked at why leaving your website hanging in mid-air is not the way to gain customers or grow your website. Increasingly, businesses are realising that their online presence needs constant attention but, not just so it climbs the search engine rankings, but because it is the most effective marketing tool they have. It is certainly one of the biggest investments you will make.

    Here, we give you our top 10 tips to ensure your website is your best marketing tool…

    Tip 1: your website address


    If you are at the start of your online journey or are looking to upgrade your website with an exciting revamp, you need to take a few moments to consider your web address. In most cases, companies buy the name of business as a domain name, which is all well and good should that be available. However, there are cases when this is not possible and so, you begin the hunt for a domain address that suits your business.

    Short, memorable web addresses are known to work best and then, once in place, make sure you plaster this web address over everything – from your business card to your email signature, to the leaflets being pushed through doors to the advert in the local press!

    We love this gaudy example of everything that a website should NOT be…

    Tip 2: Review your website


    Again, this is for established websites. We have talked previously on reviewing the content on your website, including performing a content audit so that you can identify content that can be easily adapted to provide something new.

    There is all kinds of advice out there on the web, but they all point to the same things: relevant, appropriate content, backed up with professional graphics all make a difference in your website fighting its way UP the rankings.

    Tip 3: People, not search engines


    Although having relevant content that search engines can zoom in on, it can mean that content becomes slightly skewed as we start to write for the web and no for people; in other words, we forget that we are writing for our potential customers.

    What can happen is that we become overzealous with the amount of keywords we place in some of these articles and blogs; in other words, we stuff ‘em in hoping that the search engine picks them up and thousands of people will buy from you… but the opposite tends to be true! Never lose sight of the fact that you are writing to inform customers.

    Tip 4: Clear navigation


    To find out exactly what we mean, type in any old random website enquiry and take a look around a website that you have not visited previously; how easy is it to find what you need? How do you buy? Where do you get the information that you need.

    People will visit your website with a specific intention and you need to make all the things they need are visible and clear.

    Tip 5: Update content


    We have touched on this not only in this post but in many others; if you are serious about your website being a top quality marketing platform for your business you need to update content regularly; you should be making serious efforts to be loading at least one blog per week, more if you want to really make something of your website.

    Don’t have time? Why not engage the services of a web content writer?

    Tip 6: online discounts


    Just like you offer ‘10% off with the voucher’ printed in the local press or leaflets pushed through doors, having online incentives for the customer is also an effective marketing tool.

    Having a program of discounts and ‘buy one get one free’ if that is suitable for your business, is also essential if you are serious about using your website as the main marketing vehicle for your business.

    Tip 7: consider email marketing


    There are many companies who send out regular newsletters or email offers to customers and, with some investment in plug ins or using free online software, you too can create something along these lines.

    Again, as with any other marketing method, having a plan as to what and how you intend doing it will mean that you get more from this activity, rather than firing an email off into the dark.

    Tip 8: Consistent branding


    A common mistake that many newbie businesses make is that they mix and match their branding; in other words, they use a logo on one colour on one thing, and then change it on a whim when they use it on something else.

    Colour is not the only aspect that needs to remain consistent with branding; your tagline needs to remain as well as the choice of font. It may seem a small, inconsequential ‘thing’ but, as consumers, we need to ‘see’ a logo several times before our brain starts to recognise it. To truly cement your brand in the customer psyche can take a long, long time so keep at it!

    Tip 9: Harness social media


    Again, a common thread in many posts and articles by experts but it seems that this message is not always being heeded. Ignoring social media altogether it a dangerous thing but, spreading yourself too thin and having a presence on everything can be just as bad, with no one social media presence doing your business justice.

    Our advice is this – choose the social media platform that suits your business, stick with this and use it well, rather than signing up for everything…

    Tip 10: Mobile version


    Consider too, how your customers will be surfing the web; laptops and desktops are being superseded in some cases by tablets and smart phones. Make sure your website is mobile friendly; in other words, small tweaks are made in layout so that it ‘fits’ with table and mobile phone screens. The vast majority of web hosting platforms will offer this facility…

    Understanding your website as a marketing tool is essential in it being able to do its job; it is an online window that sets the tone for the interaction between you and your customers. You have seconds to create the right impression…

  • Which social media platforms fit your business?

    Part 1 of 2

    In this Locally mini-series, we will be looking at which social media platforms could be the best fit for small businesses, based on their industry and ‘type’. In Part 2, we then suggest looking at how you can not only create goals for social media marketing but how to make them stick, so that your business gets the best exposure from social media that it can.

    We have talked about social media and its impact on your online business many times before. But, if you are still resisting Facebook and/or Twitter, then experts suggest you are resisting an evolution of social media.

    Many customers use either of these social media platforms as a reference point for many companies and, with a new regime for businesses advertising on Facebook, these points could become more driven and focused than ever before.

    And companies, realising this, are tidying up their act but, there has been an additional step in this process; many businesses here in the UK, as well as across the globe are using these platforms as a way of not just advertising their business to consumers, but hiring new employees too.

    But Facebook and Twitter are not the only two social media platforms.

    But, we think there is a problem looming on the horizon and it follows a pattern we have seen before, in other aspects of business – the state of trying to do too much, and not doing anything properly.

    Social media could be the Achilles heel in your business; joining all these social media sites is one thing, keeping up with comments, likes, tweets, posts, pins etc. could not only send you into a deep space state of frazzleness, but also earn you black marks from the very people you are trying to impress – your customers.

    Not responding to a social media comments, is the equivalent of ignoring the phone when it rings, or not bothering to post out the goods your customers have ordered.

    Making the most of the right social media platforms your business

    Rather than taking a scatter gun approach and signing up to everything, take some time to consider what it is you want your social media presence to do for your business, and then take some time to review which of the many sites suits your business.

    To help you out, we have looked at social media sites and how they fit with sectors of business, making suggestions as to which social media vehicle could be best fit, but the final decision is YOURS!

    Retail


     

    Regardless of what you are selling, from scarves to jewellery, designer footwear, furniture, cushions or door stops, the photo is your friend.

    Product photos are essential; the wordy description and catchy captions are great but if your consumer cannot see the type of shape or colour it actually is, then you have lost a sale.

    Likewise, one of the many photographs you use per product can also be about suggesting to the consumer how your product can be used or what it’ll look when teamed with something else…

    Instagram could be the way forward for you. Incredibly popular with retailers large and small, you will find that in terms of fighting for recognition, the smaller retailer will not face such an uphill battle against the ‘giants’.

    Commentators have pointed out that Instagram users are a far more relaxed and tolerant lot; your photos do not have been a professional shoot each and every time, and so a shot taken on a mobile phone camera is just as acceptable. In fact, a little wonkiness and fuzziness can work in your favour…

    Instagram have plans for 2015 too, that could benefit the smaller business; the site could become a lot more interactive, with all kinds of tools opening up allowing customers to tap on photos and lead themselves straight to you, as well as using video.

    Manufacturing


     

    Not so much a public face business, many companies and business to manufacture or create things tend to stay away from social media platforms as such, but there is still a need for you to making contacts and networking out there.

    And we feel that networking is the key, which is why business-to-business social media platforms are the ones you should be looking at. We suggest LinkedIn may be the one where you can create the most contacts, depending on what you want to do.

    However, don’t ignore your consumers entirely, even if there is another layer of business between you are them. Consumers are becoming increasingly savvy and informed when it comes to where their products come from and so, as you make your next product why not consider filming the process and starting your own YouTube channel?

    Think no one will be interested? The popular TV show, How It’s Made is very popular, exploding common myths about how some things are created.

    Entertainment


     

    We like to think of our clients as a diverse bunch and so we struggled slightly with this heading, but we needed to include the awesome power of video, and real time video ‘snippets’.

    Regardless of where you stand on pirate music sites, there is a silent but steady revolution within the media and entertainment sector; rather than fighting the fact that people have not only increasing access to media, but also to sharing it, we suggest you start to embrace it.

    We are no experts of Snapchat but, it seems that every teenager and young person across the UK is ‘snapchatting’, as opposed to texting. And, some companies (although not too many yet) have taken up this mantel and have started to update fans and customers using this platform.

    But, before you think this is just for those in the entertainment business, there has been successful examples of sports clubs and the like creating a following using Snapchat as well as other companies using small trailers as a means of advertising.

    Regulated industries


     

    However, there are some clients who are far more restricted in how they interact with customers and clients; companies and businesses within healthcare, financial sectors and the like are all industries that are regulated or governed by various rules or codes of conduct.

    For those companies seeing to use social media, you will need to be aware of any restrictions that prevent you from using them to their full capacity but there are ways and means. Clearly, anonymising any information and not sharing photos without specific prior permission is a must but there are forums out there; we came across Connected Living, a website and social media platform that connects the ‘aging population’ with one another and other forums too, with the overall objective being to prevent isolation.

    Technology


     

    For those customers within the technology field, there is no fixed or one-platform-is-better-than-the-other argument, simply because technological businesses tend to lead the field by starting the whole social media platform off to a flying start…

    And so, the bitesize lessons from part 1 of social media and business are thus:

    • Many people consider Facebook and Twitter as a ‘point of reference’ for many people and that joining these networks is essential; you can differ from this opinion

    • There are many other social platforms out there, some well-known some not-so-well-known

    • Some platforms are geared specifically towards certain kinds of businesses or industries, with specific objectives as to why they exist

    • Joining everything can lead to disaster, so do your research and choose the right platform for your business (and where your customers are at)

  • Content audit – reviewing and creating MORE success via your website content, blogs & posts

    New Year Resolutions – are they a failure or success?

    Why stopping, reviewing and remodelling can be the most productive of exercises

    According to Forbes, only 8% of people who seriously make a New Year’s resolution will stick to it. There are various reasons why we fail and succeed with the goals we set; after all, we know we should be eating a healthy salad after the deluge of cheese, bread and wine over the festive period but, somehow even the crispest of salads does not have the same satisfaction rating as a chunk of bread and mature cheese.

    Perhaps cutting it out completely is not the answer; rationing and setting this as a goal, may return better results.

    And of course, the biggest factor in reaching any goal successful – and surpassing it – is the ability to stop and review, making any changes necessary.

    Content is one of those areas within a business that can be left to flounder; even though you are posting content daily, and bashing it ‘out there’ on the several social media platforms, when was the last time you STOPPED and reviewed what you were doing…? And what the results actually are?

    A Content Audit: your objective

    The content in your website is of such importance that it deserves some additional attention. As we enter the first few weeks of 2015, the goal posts for content and search engine optimisation of your website have barely changed…

    Your content should be written and crafted in such a way that people want to promote it by sharing it or linking with it. The increases the trust and authority associated with your site and hence, search engines are more likely to scan your pages for keywords the next time someone searches for them via their search engine.

    Does your content do that?

    But, before you start ripping your site to shreds and writing a whole heap of new content, take a look what is on there. Audit it. Review it. Modify it. Recycle it.

    WHERE to start with a content audit

    You should have some fairly minimal stats on where visitors to your site start e.g. you assume it is your home page but actually, they may land on another first. And, when you audit your content it may be because the information on that page is better, more keyword responsive than the home page.

    There isn’t necessarily anything wrong with this and there is no hard and fast rule as to where or why customers should land on the home page first; many businesses find the ‘about us’ page is the most frequently landed/visited page.

    The Whole Thing

    Ok. You have some bare statistics and now you need to look as The Whole Thing.

    What does you website feel and look like (remember this is content audit, not a design review)? What is the tone ‘saying’? Does it fit? Do you still want this tone or has the time come to tweak this a little?

    Is it too wordy? Is it formatted correctly?

    Keywords do matter and so you also need to audit these too; are they still relevant to your website and business? Do you need to more/take away/ research them again?

    The Nitty-Gritty Mechanics

    You’ve done the easy bit, now you need to create a ‘to do list’ and this need to contain the detail of the who, what, how, when and where. In other words, you are creating work but it can pay dividends in the end.

    Trust us. It does.

    Step 1: Set the objectives of your Content Audit

    Apart from us telling you this is quite a good idea, what is it you want to achieve from this content audit exercise?

    Remember, objectives need to be SMART

    • Specific
    • Measureable
    • Achievable
    • Relevant/Realistic
    • Time bound

    So, how about this as an objective…?

    • To update all blog posts posted on site in January to June 2014 (24 posts) by the end of April 2015 so that website traffic is increased by 20%, by December 2015

    A delightfully SMART objective:

    • Specific – we know it is all blog posts and that there are 24 of them
    • Measureable – you have 24 blog posts on your website and you have a target of increasing traffic by 20%
    • Achievable – yes. With 24 blog posts that is not too many to review and the timescale seem within reason too ( you could set a target of updating so many posts per week, once you have reviewed what needs doing to what post)
    • Relevant/ realistic – yes (but only you know your workload)
    • Time bound – yes. You are set to achieve the update of keyword by the end of April, and can review your success in December or January of the following year. You could also have mini-reviews once the project to update/recycle posts etc. is complete

    Step 2: Create a spreadsheet

    Hop on over to Excel or Google spreadsheets (great if you are working in a team, because you can update this spreadsheet and share it via the cloud so everyone can see who has done what and when)

    We suggest the following columns, but you can obviously add or delete as necessary:

    Date, the page URL (address), Action required, Who? By when?

    Step 3: Seeking answers to questions and deciding what must be done to achieve your SMART objectives…

    So, as you go through your website, page by page (a great excuse for tea on tap and a biscuit or two), ask the following questions, noting answers and action in your spreadsheet:

    • Does the page content fit with your strategy? Is it floating in mid-air or is it linked with the important topics and categories if your site?
    • Are some the pages and content stuffed with keywords? (We all did this ‘back in the day’ so don’t feel guilt admitting this; it just needs simplifying!)
    • Are the images on the page correct/useful/appropriate?
    • What about the headline?
    • Does the first paragraph grab the reader’s attention?
    • Are there errors on the page?
    • Are the links working?
    • Can links be added that are more relevant and current?
    • Do you have links to other pages on your website?
    • Formatting – are words and phrases highlighted? Is it in neat, small paragraphs?
    • Do you still want/need the post? Can it be recycled/re-written/re-used?

    Your To-Do list may end up looking HUGE but, after you have all this information, prioritise the list – which pages are a must do NOW, which need doing in the next batch and which can be left until last?

    A content audit is not about just creating a whole heap of work; it is about looking at what you have got and what can be updated/changed/modified (and even deleted if it’s no longer relevant) and setting some goals for action.

    2015 could be the year you are part of that 8% of people who do meet their New Year resolutions… just make your goals obtainable.

  • Facebook is changing: an UPDATE

    Only the other day, we were checking over our Facebook news feed and we came across something we thought would be useful to us. We clicked on the link but we were not taken to the website or the story we thought it was. In all honesty, the page we landed on was a little ‘risqué’, not to our taste at all. Neither was it about content marketing, as we thought it was.

    After we had navigated away from it, we were left feeling rather annoyed and foolish; we had been lured by a false promise. We had been hoodwinked, fooled into clicking on a link that took us to a false website full of spammy rubbish and adverts.

    Within a few days, a pop up window from Facebook asked us if we would be willing to take a short survey about what was useful and relevant to us – and we filled it, getting our back on all the rubbish links and statuses that seem to be littering our news feed.

    But it seems that Facebook has been really listening, announcing in late August 2014, some sweeping changes to how its ranking system will work from now on. This effectively means that spammy links and rubbish statuses that clutter up the news feed should start to disappear. But, as an online local business, if you use Facebook as one of your social media platforms, you need to take note too as these changes will start to take effect very soon (if not already!).

    From the horse’s mouth

    So what is Facebook saying? In a nutshell, the team at FB want to ensure that the ‘right content is delivered to the right people’. Feedback from users has been that spam statuses etc. tend to swamp their news feed, meaning that the stuff they want to see from friends and family, as well as a few brands, are lost within their timeline. The improvements coming in these next few weeks are three-fold…

    • like-baiting

    This is where a post explicitly asks you to either like it, share it or comment on it. By doing this, Facebook users effectively give the post credence and this mean that is ‘looks’ and ‘feel’ popular hence it gets bumped up the news feed.

    But, when Facebook asked users what they thought they found that these like-baiting stories were ‘15% less relevant’ that other stories which were far more useful to the user, but further down the news feed. Users, it seems, told Facebook that they found these like-baiting stories made using the platform less pleasurable.

    Social media is supposed to be fun, enjoyable and informative hence when a platform is told that stuff on it prevents this enjoyment, then they must do something about it! And so the improvements are that these stories will be detected and should no longer take precedence over statuses from family and friends.

    However, do not lament the passing of such like-baiting for long as the changes will not affect companies who genuinely use Facebook as a platform to connect and converse with fans and customers, just don’t partake in those nuisance posts that ask you to like and share the photos of the puppy with sad eyes…

    • like- baiting screen shots or graphics

    This brings us nicely on to other nuisance like-baiting statuses, which use graphics to try and get us to converse. You know the ones – like if you ‘vote’ for the pony, share if you ‘vote’ for the parrot and ignore to vote for the crisp packet. They are rarely relevant to the company or the business to which it is linked and is another way of tricking likes, shares and comments (even if they are not favourable!) from users.

    Users can ‘hide’ this content, something that Facebook has noticed people are doing more and more. They want to filter out these like-baiting screenshots so that relevant stories are on your news feed, not this annoying rubbish that seems to have gathered pace in recent months.

    • Spammy links

    And this is how we started this blog post, with our story of the recent click we made on a link we thought would be of use and relevance to us. It seems that many users are feeding back their annoyance to Facebook, with the platform pledging that by monitoring genuine shares and links between ‘friends’, that they can detect these rubbish links and effectively filter them from your news feed; great news for those of us who find such things incredibly annoying, especially if they masquerade as something else.

    Will it affect you?

    According to Facebook, if you are a genuine user, inviting discussion and opinion on matters and issues that are relevant to your page and business, then no, there will be no negative impact. In fact, they suggest that your news feed and reach should increase as these statuses that are created with intentional spam to ‘catch’ users will effectively start to disappear creating more ‘room’ on the news feed.

    Will it impact content marketing?

    Yes, and in a good way – or so it is predicted.

    Many search engine optimising experts suggest that this means companies and brands will have to take another look at their content marketing plan, especially in relation to Facebook; the days of brands being able to gather ‘vanity metrics’ – likes and shares that mean nothing to their business, except tap push them up the rankings – are gone . It is also a positive change in that it will reward those brands that do post original content that is useful, informative and well-written.

    For example, on a global scale, American Express produce a whole series of articles for small business, posting these on a regular, daily basis.

    And there are brands, like Locally, who keep in touch with their customers and potential new clients with informative posts, as well as statuses, stories, tweets etc. that are useful, rather than just any old rubbish to draw people in.

    In other words, your statuses – the likes, shares and comments you invite – must lead potential customers to an owned website (yours!), not some random, ad-filled site that just wants to sell, sell, sell nonsensical items to people.

    Take another look at your content; is it genuine, fresh and informative?

  • Getting ranked higher by Google (the second half) – A Locally Mini-Series

    Part 2 of 2

    Welcome back! In this second part of getting ranked higher by Google we are going to examine the other 3 factors that can influence where your website stands in the ranking.

    They all inform the authoritative nature of your website, along with how trustworthy it is as well making sure that it is relevant.

    Let’s re-cap…

    So far we have look at page title descriptions, the actual text on a page, as well as the relevant SEO keywords being in the page URL. The remaining three factors look at links.

    Links according to Google

    Rather than being a little slapdash and shoving in links where you feel like it, think about how Google views a link.

    Links, in the all-seeing eyes of Google, are votes for your website – in other words, it is popular and relevant.

    F-a-b-u-l-o-u-s you may say, and go back to shoving links in but STOP… just for a moment and consider how you are using these links, as well as other considerations, such as…

    • Certain links are considered more authoritative than others and will look better in the eyes of Google if the originating link is from a website that Google already ranks quite highly.

    *Here at Locally, in our blog posts we use links; however, we rarely use more than 3 in a longer blog post and always check that a. the website we are linking to is relevant and b. it is an authoritative one. We like websites that complement our business, as well as the topic we are blogging about. We always use the links within the main body of the blog article too*

    • Google PageRank is the name of the algorithm that sorts the wheat from the chafe in terms of whether links are any good or not. Don’t confuse this with a websites’ Page Rank, Google used to publish Page Ranks but these haven’t been updated for a long while, so now you’ll have to find other ways of working out how authoritative Google thinks a site is. Most SEO’s go on either MOZ’s SEO Explorer Domain Authority or Majestic’s Trust Flow versus Citation, but as neither are Google, these are informed guesses rather than definitive.

    In terms of links, don’t overstuff and don’t use ones from less-than-salubrious sources. You have been warned.

    And so 2 of the remaining factors that can influence where your page comes in the rankings of Google are all to do with links, with the final one looking at filters.

    Number 4: Domain Links

    This is about links on other websites that link to your websites; so in other words, someone writing about SEO and Google rankings in the future might find this post and think ‘wow!’, and copy and paste the web page URL in to their website. We would be chuffed as it means that Locally’s website is gaining in authority in the eyes of Google.

    Links help your online reputation and so if you can get a link from another relevant, authoritative website then all the better. BUT, do not fall in the trap of buying links as Google takes a very, very dim view of this and rubbish links could actually be harming your page ranking.

    In the past the SEO industry was nearly 100% focussed on generating links and much of those were dubious if not downright spammy. Google has pretty much killed of that ‘quick win’ approach. Today any SEO offering you 50,000 backlinks and instant success, a technique that worked a few years ago, is likely to seriously damage your rankling today.

    Google had realised that websites that were stuffing themselves full of shoddy links were outstripping websites that were more genuine in their approach to commerce. And so a filter was ‘switched on’, if you like, that started to look for websites that were simply using any old link… so beware the backlinks, the link farms and all those other ‘get rich quick’ types of schemes. It can be very difficult to bounce back from being penalised by Google.

    In fact the best way to handle links is actually not to try and earn them, but instead write authoritative content and get is out there by social or any other means. If your content is good, people will link to it.

    Number 5: Page specific links

    You can form links within your own website too and this can also help in terms of website being seen as relevant, authoritative and trustworthy in the eyes of Google. Your home page may be the landing page that people find, but if you want them to bob along to your blog, put a link on your home page. Keep these links running down the side of your page too and, if you have an active page specifically for a certain time of year, then link this page to other pages in your website.

    This is seen as helping the customer to navigate your site; customers like this as it is an easy way to get around and make a purchase. They will buy more… and you can see where this is going!

    Number 6: Quality filters

    The Google Panda update at the start of 2014 was all about improving the user experience on the search engine, in other words, improving the quality of the search results that user would see. One area that it choose to look at was the user experience of a website; how easy is your website to use?

    Two factors of usability were previously not heavily on the SEO radar, but now are becoming increasing important

    • Performance. Sites that respond quickly are easier to use, so that is a significant usability signal. Bad code, unoptimised images and slow servers are things that need to be addressed.
    • Multi-device friendly. Today websites are visited from phones & tablets as well as desktops. Infact many sites have 50% of their traffic from mobile devices. Google is now looking and analysing how multi device friendly your site is. If your site is not currently responsive, now is a good time to make a small investment to make it so.

    What about social media signals?

    Social signals as they are known, is when a customer or user likes, shares, tweets, G+’s, pins etc. content or pages from your website.

    If you surf the web, you will find a range of conflicting advice and opinion about how much social signals do or do not play in ranking your website, in both Google and other search engines. However, if you look at your competitors, as well as other popular websites, you will see that they have high counts in terms of shares, tweets and G+’s and the like.

    You can see them as links in some ways, but those that say social signals should be used with caution point to the fact that some of these likes and shares etc. can be fabricated or bought. And just like spammy links, buying hundreds if not thousands of likes or shares can be to your detriment.

    See social signals in the same way as links; invite people to genuinely like and share things on your website.

    Put it in to practice!

    Armed with the knowledge of the 6 factors that could make a very big difference to your website ranking you know need to do two things:

    1. Take a look at your competitor sites that are ranking higher than yours – what are they doing, that you are not? What can you emulate and improve on?
    2. Look at the 6 factors again and then look at your website – is your website up to scratch?

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