Automate SEO The Right Way (3 Things You Can Do Right Now)
SEO, or search engine optimization for the uninitiated, is the process of building up site engagement through increasing site visibility to search engines. This involves a lot of carefully constructed and strategically placed link-building, as well as developing a great “Brand” in the eyes of Google.
There is no other time in history that AI marketing platforms and other ad promotions are at its peak. The increase of Internet usage across the globe has changed the way people research, get relevant information, interact with one another, and develop a language that’s entirely born out of the vast worldwide web. To say that digital marketing is the future is an understatement.
The Digital Marketing Revolution
Being popular on the web, or at least to Google for a specific search item, or keyword is an industry in itself. SEO has opened up new employment opportunities worldwide and spawned a new way of living. Silicon Valley is the shining example that tech companies are as relevant as they are a few years ago.
And there’s no stopping the golden age of the Internet. It’s just in its early days. In the past decade, social media platforms have become a mainstay in SEO, as usage and engagement have skewed towards social communication. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are here to stay, evidenced by more and more people flocking to them every year.
For a digital marketer, navigating the web can be very tricky. Setting up a really good promotional strategy that echoes across the board is near to impossible. Being viral has been the key phrase that most companies use to convey what they want in their marketing campaigns. But there is more to it than that, and SEO is at the forefront of an effective advertising strategy.
SEO Automation and Integration Strategy
Having a good SEO integration and strategy is like having a good and robust foundation for a house you’re building. A good foundation means that it can withstand almost any disasters that may befall it, and thus, you can embellish it any way you want, without worrying about the integrity of the building. The same goes for SEO.
But the glaring truth is that SEO is hard. The principles and theories around it are ever-changing, and so adjustments need to be made to acclimate to those year-on-year changes. This is where automation enters the picture. SEO people automate some of the processes in link building to streamline the overall strategy.
There is a lot of automation that’s happening in every SEO strategy. From content writing to social media posting even the very heart and soul of SEO – link building, has seen a steady yet slow shift in making robots do the work. Here’s the neophyte’s guide to the best methods in automating SEO:
Researching influencers
With the rise of social media, influencers became a thing. Influencers are middlemen for your product to reach a wider target audience. These people have a sizable following on social media platforms and have built up their image and integrity as a point person in their specific niches.
Let’s say you already have a robust, even stellar SEO for your site. The next thing to do is make it known that your site exists and that people should be checking you out. The endgame for any SEO promotion relies on the outreach strategy. How will you find your people? How will they know about you? Herein lies the importance of hiring the right influencers.
Researching the right influencers with the right audience can be very time-consuming. That’s why getting an SEO tool like SentiOne, which listens in on who’s talking about your brand is not only helpful in making the right decisions, it also cuts down hours of cold emailing your prospects and “courting” them.
Sharing to Social Media
Okay, this right here is kind of a controversial topic. As conventional knowledge in SEO goes, social media engagement ultimately does not influence ranking. This may be correct, and a sound nugget of wisdom in the industry, but what you’re doing when you integrate website postings to your social media platforms is effectively marketing yourself in the process.
It should be given that social shares are included in your SEO strategy. Most amateur SEO strategies will go in hard on social sharing, when in fact strategically scheduling it is a much better option. Backlinks from social sharing can be gained through targeting the right people – the niche experts and making them take notice.
Keyword And Backlink Monitoring
Automating backlink monitoring is one of the best methods to automate your SEO strategy. Arguably the most boring and menial task of the SEO strategy bunch, monitoring changes in a keyword, keyword strength, backlinks, etc. not only takes time and effort, but it can also keep you away from developing better strategies and looking at possible modifications to strengthen your website’s ranking.
And every SEO person worth his weight should have at least made the move to possibly optimize this. Websites like robots.net use tools like SEO Ranking which greatly helps in aggregating and collecting the changes and notifications in one dashboard, so the hours you spend on harvesting are trimmed down.
Final Thoughts
Automating parts of any SEO strategy means optimizing systems and software platforms to streamline your process. Like a well-oiled machine, a streamlined SEO strategy makes it easier for the company to get where they want to be at, in the shortest time possible. SEO people shouldn’t be afraid of automation, in fact embracing it will make their lives easier.
The Best Local SEO Tips for Roofers
Best local SEO tips for Roofers and Contractors
“I just searched Google for a roofer near me, and your name was at the top of the list!” from your next customer.
That sounds pretty great, right?
It would be nice to know that when someone searches for a local roofer, your business comes up on the first page, or even the very top listing, right?
Well, the way to make that happen is to utilize local SEO.
And lucky for you, this article has essential local SEO tips that you can put to work right away.
So the next time someone in your area needs a roofer, they’ll immediately find you.
Interested? Read on to find out more!
What Is Local SEO?
Local Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a strategic method used by businesses to help them rank higher in searches on sites like Google and Bing.
If you run a business that provides seo services to a specific localized area, it doesn’t really help that much if someone from five states away finds you when they search for a roofer.
What you want are ways to maximize your website so that when someone in your actual area searches for a local roofer, your site will be at the top of the list.
Local SEO Tips Always Starts with Keywords!
First and foremost, you want your website and social media posts to be utilizing what are known as local keywords.
It’s basically the idea of taking keywords that are relevant to your business and pairing them with location-based keywords in the area you are targeting.
So, for example, you’d start with words and phrases that are specific to roofing. Examples would include things like “roof repair”, “roof specialist” and “roofing contractor.”
Next, add locations to those keywords. If you are in the Los Angeles area, for example, you might end up with a location keyword like “roofing repair Los Angeles.”
Or, since Los Angeles is such a big place, you might narrow your focus to specific neighborhoods in Los Angeles. So maybe a keyword to use would be “roof specialist Echo Park, CA”
Optimize Your Website with SEO
Once you’ve come up with keywords that work for your area, you’ll need to find ways to work them into your website, blog posts, and social media pages.
Make it as organic as possible. Don’t just have a list of your local keywords in a row without rhyme or reason.
You also need to add these local keywords to the metadata and page titles of your website. This includes your main page, services pages, and even blog pages.
But inserting the keywords is only the first step towards making your website more appealing to the Google and Bing algorithms. You need to make sure the site is updated and looking like it was designed professionally and recently.
Google keeps track of things like click backs, which means they take into account if users click back from a website, as well as how long they stay on that site.
So if your site looks less appealing, disorganized, or out of date, users are less likely to click on it and stay there. Having easily accessible reviews can also help keep users on your site.
Your Roofing Company Contact Info
Another local SEO tool is to keep your roofing company’s contact info visible and consistent across your site.
When a user arrives, the address, name and phone number of your roofing company should be prominent.
And when they click through to other pages on your site, the contact info should still be there for them to see.
Google considers hiding contact info as a sign of a less reputable company. So it makes sense that it ranks sites higher who display their contact info prominently. Plus, when you make your contact info harder to find, you make it less likely that a user will go to your site and contact you!
In addition to your contact info, you should also utilize a CTA (Call To Action) at the top of your site.
Having something like “Get a Free Roofing Estimate Today!” at the top of your website is a clear call to action that will motivate people to contact you.
Who You Are and What You’ve Done
Don’t be shy! Show the world your face, and the faces of your employees.
Having photos of the team members is a great way to add value to your site. It gives users a sense of reassurance that you are legit, and you stand by your work.
And if you have roofing certifications, get those up there too!
Since there are many less-reputable roofing companies out there competing for the same clients locally, you need to stand out. Showing that you have certifications, awards, and any other kind of recognition will impress users and keep them on your site longer.
And again, that not only increases business, but it helps with your local SEO in terms of Google and Bing’s algorithms.
And why not throw some photos of completed projects up on your site too? People want to see for themselves what kind of work they can expect from you.
Mobile Optimization
Finally, make sure that your website is optimized for mobile. Many web hosting services will do this automatically, but you should always check to make sure.
Every day, more and more people are doing business (including finding roofers near them!) on their phones.
So your website needs to not only come up quickly on their phone but also needs to be just as organized and optimized as your non-mobile site.
Google takes into account how well your site translates to phones when they do their rankings.
Raise the Roof on LEADS!
Ok, so now you know the best ways to up your Local SEO game. If you incorporate these local SEO tips into your web presence, you’ll quickly notice your rankings going up.
And that’s the best way to get local customers and grow your business effectively.
If you’d like to know more about roofing SEO, or have questions, contact us today!
7 SEO Trends In 2019 That No One Seems to Be Talking About
7 New SEO Trends to Rule Your Rankings in 2019:
A new year is a perfect time to implement new SEO strategies. What are the 7 SEO trends in 2019 that no one is talking about? This new article is here with the inside scoop to put you ahead of the SEO curve in 2019.
1. Mobile-first Indexing
Google debuted its mobile-first index in 2018, which classifies and indexes websites based on their mobile version. The desktop site is no longer what Google considers to be the primary version of your website, which comes with significant consequences.
Since not having a mobile-friendly site can now negatively impact your rankings, you’ll need to optimize it to stay relevant in the rankings in 2019.
Check out Google’s mobile-friendly test to see how your website ranks.
2. User Intent Optimization
SEO isn’t just about stuffing an article with keywords. It’s about using specific keywords that help the searcher find what they need, which brings us to user intent optimization. You want to put the searcher in Cambridge ON seo specialist & contact with the product or service that most closely matches their search—your product ideally.
When mapping out your 2019 content calendar , keep your user journey at the forefront. Put yourself in their shoes. What are they looking for? How are you going to help them get the most out of their time on your page? What will make them spend more time there?
Once you have the answer to those questions, tailor your content to meet these needs.
3. User Experience
Seamless user experience is vital if you want to stay in Google’s good graces in 2019. Seamless user experience means lightning-fast load times, easy-to-navigate design, and zero technical issues.
And we’re not just talking about desktops. Desktop loading time has been a ranking factor for a while now, but as we mentioned, Google is now prioritizing mobile experience. Part of that prioritization is mobile user experience and speed. You can use a tool like pingdom.com to test your site speed and get recommendations on how to optimize your website for speed!
4. Image Search
Humans are visual creatures that love easy-to-digest infographics and images. Optimizing your visual content to meet ever-increasing user demand for images can drive website traffic.
Mobile-friendly images will help you achieve that goal since most image searches are completed on mobile devices. You’ll want to provide the proper context for these images and place them near relevant text to help be picked up by Google.
Search Engine Journal has excellent tips to help you with image search optimization. Also here is another from Google Developers on Alt text for images.
5. Voice Search
It’s said that by 2020, around half of all searches will be voice searches, which means that in 2019, you should aim to improve your voice search SEO.
On a practical level, this means understanding how people use voice searches. Since people simply talk into their devices, voice keywords are somewhat different than traditional ones.
They are often “who,” “what,” “where,” “when,” and “why” questions that tend to be longer than their keyboard counterparts.
Voice search is critical for business owners. Vocal queries are often local, with users seeking out specific Seo services near them, meaning business owners should prioritize voice & local SEO.
6. User Data Protection
Remember earlier this year when your inbox was flooded with GDPR compliance emails? (We’re still trying to forget that, too.)
The General Data Protection Regulation allows users control over how websites use and store their data. While this is great for data protection, it has SEO ramifications—most of which we’re still figuring out.
If you have European customers (or plan to), you’ll have to update your privacy policy and cookie consent form, and ensure private data is not being sent to Google Analytics.
Other things like your tracked goals may have to be modified, and for opt-ins like newsletters, you’ll need to ask customers for consent explicitly.
7. Quality Content
Everyone knows that quality content is an SEO must, and this will remain the same in 2019. You want to show Google that you are an expert in your field by continually producing fresh, relevant, authoritative content.
Even though many websites are still reeling from the Google Medic Update, quality content remains the name of the game. There is still a preference for long form, thought-provoking content.
We also recommend revisiting existing content to make sure it’s up-to-date and relevant. Google rewards sites that revamp their content, so it’s worth going back and taking a look at what you already have.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, there are many ways to drive sales in 2019 and create a better ROI. We also advise taking a look at our marketing director guide for Content marketing , which has some fantastic ideas that will help you see how SEO is part of a larger marketing picture.
And lastly, if you left some SEO goals on the table in 2018, we hope these tips will help you get off to a great start in 2019.
[stm_partner style=”style_2″ title=”Tim Brown” logo=”2830″ position=”Owner at Hook Agency” img_size=”medium” description=”A strategic marketing agency focused primarily on driving traffic and leads for small businesses and construction companies” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fhookagency.com|title:Hook%20Agency|target:%20_blank”]
