To ask the right questions of a prospective SEO company, you first need a baseline understanding of online advertising. Unfortunately, if you’re a small, local business owner with little knowledge of online marketing strategies, then you probably don’t quite know what to ask. That’s why Kim Lachance Shandrow’s article, “10 Questions to Ask When You’re […]
At an industry event this week in New York City, Google’s Gary Illyes spoke about one of the search giant’s latest endeavors: mobile-first indexing. Illyes said this project has begun to roll out, with an undisclosed number of websites already affected. The timeline for a complete roll-out also remains undisclosed. All of this “undisclosed” information […]
When it comes to SEO, how important is your social media strategy? It’s an ongoing debate. In 2014, Google’s Matt Cutts proclaimed that “social signals,” like posts on Facebook and Twitter, have nothing to do with Google’s search algorithm. This directly opposed what many industry specialists believed at the time. In fact, numerous SEO experts […]
At first thought, you might not believe emotions have anything to do with local searches for things like appliance repairs, junk removal services, or window installation. Indeed, these topics appear rather dry. However, as Ryan Shelley uncovers in his recent article on Search Engine Land, emotion is what powers every local search, and what ultimately […]
We’ve lightly joked before that Facebook is the new Google. This is mainly because Facebook users are asking their social network for recommendations of local businesses rather than conducting their own searches on Google. However, as Wesley Young wrote in a recent article on Search Engine Land, Facebook has made several updates over the past […]
If you follow our blog at all, then you know at least a little bit about the ever-changing nature of Google. The search giant is constantly updating its algorithm and the way it presents information to users. For major updates, Google typically makes a public announcement. However, for smaller changes, there’s often no warning. Webmasters and marketers are […]
We repeat: Your website’s ranking is not important. That probably goes against everything you previously thought about SEO. However, as Ryan Shelley points out in a recent article on Search Engine Land, there are much more accurate measures of success: The problem with putting too much emphasis on [ranking] is that the search results aren’t always […]
Be on the lookout for any changes to your Google star rating! Seeking to provide a valuable user experience, Google has long highlighted customer reviews and star ratings on its business listings. However, Google has altogether changed the way it determines and displays a business’s star rating. Of course, it’s still based on customer reviews, but it […]
You already understand the fundamental purpose of blogs: to share information and ideas with your audience. But there’s a more practical reason to blog, too. Evidence shows well maintained and updated blogs can actually strengthen your SEO and improve your rankings over time. Blogs, Keywords, and SEO Stephanie LeVonne explains the SEO benefits of a […]
The Pew Research Center recently published the results of a survey conducted in 2016 regarding Internet trends in the U.S. The results aren’t altogether surprising by themselves, but they do make the current state of the Internet undeniably clear: The vast majority of Americans are now interacting with the online world on a regular basis in various forms. […]
Google has been offering paid advertising—known as AdWords—for over 15 years. In that time, the format for these ads has stayed relatively the same: a 25-character headline followed by two, 35-character description lines. So when Google started rolling out “Expanded Text Ads” in mid-July, the online advertising world was quite surprised. What Do Google’s Expanded […]
Local SEO isn’t the only way to spread the good word about your business. Offering friendly, helpful customer service is a super-easy way to keep customers happy and strengthen word-of-mouth. After all, customers are much more likely to do repeat business with a company that provides superior customer service. So why not take this one […]
We’re always harping on you about what you should be doing online to help your business’s search engine optimization efforts. But we sometimes forget to mention what you and your fellow business owners should be doing offline. You know—in the real world. Thankfully, seasoned SEO consultant Marcus Miller is on it. He wrote a wonderful article recently discussing how you can supplement […]
In her recent article on Search Engine Land, Jenny Foster reveals some of the most significant “hard truths” that SEO marketers need their clients to know. Prospect Genius frequently echoes these same ideas to our own clients, so it’s validating to see them emphasized by such a prominent leader in the field. Today, we offer […]
By now, you fully understand that having a mobile website is essential to your local search success. However, do you know what your mobile site should look like or what kinds of features it should have? In more general terms, do you know what mobile users want from your site? As reported by Adam Stetzer of […]
As you’re well aware, your website can get traffic from countless channels. Social media, paid advertising, and e-mail campaigns all contribute to your site traffic. But did you know that organic results (mainly from Google) remain the most significant source of traffic? This is according to a recent Search Engine Land article by Kristine Schachinger. […]
Are your PPC ads making users think too much? In a recent article for Search Engine Land titled, “PPC Ads Not Performing? Reduce Cognitive Load,” Andrew Goodman describes what user-experience experts say is an often overlooked performance factor for PPC. In a nutshell, cognitive load refers to the “amount of mental processing power” required to use […]