For a business owner looking to hit sales targets on a budget, what matters is results. When it comes to digital marketing, one of the most effective ways to increase growth is through search engine marketing (SEM).
What is SEM? SEO vs. SEM
Plenty has been written about the differences between search engine optimization (SEO) and SEM, and the merits of each for small to mid-sized businesses. The truth is
The world of digital marketing is incredibly data-driven. Performance indicators are used to measure every square foot of the digital landscape: from user experience mapping to sourcing the origins of website traffic, estimating the average reach of a social media post, and so much more. These are the metrics that a digital marketing company looks at every day to help define search technique and branding strategy.
However, there is one fundamental approach that underlies all of these individual metrics, and it defines the success or failure of a websites digital performance. The strategy is inbound marketing.
What is Inbound Marketing?
Many traditional search engine optimization (SEO) techniques are no longer as useful. Search engines have clamped down on what constitutes a legitimate ranking factor, and many conventional strategies are now penalized by Google. In other words, ranking for a keyword in your niche now involves an integrated approach fusing local SEO with a content marketing strategy.
Google is always introducing new ranking updates to their search algorithm. Some are significant changes to the whole system and usually occur every couple years. The rest are minor changes to specific components of site design or ranking. One of the most influential major updates is Penguin, which
After making a recent visit to the website of the Museum of Natural History, I was struck by how the human body has changed over the past few hundred years. We know that average body height has steadily risen since the 17th century, mainly because of improvements in nutrition and quality of life – but just imagine what humans will look like in 100 years after industrial work is given over to robots and machines!
As is usually the case, my thoughts circled back round to SEO. How will SEO marketing change in the next century, I wondered? How will content for your website look after all the major trends we are predicting now have come and gone?
A lot has changed for SEO consultants over the years. It used to be that backlinking in whatever form or fashion you could produce them was the norm. Also, before Google announced Rankbrain in 2015, it was a much different process to rank for keywords. While publishing a site full of meaningful and in-depth content is always the goal, it was easier back then for some SEO services to advertise and utilize bad practices (like keyword stuffing) to get a higher rank.
Now that Google has adjusted their algorithm to deal with “blackhat” link building and keyword stuffing, attention has turned to content as the means for keyword ranking and link building. Writing for search comes with its own set of challenges – namely, picking keywords that are achievable to rank for you in your niche, writing better content than competitors in your niche, and getting authentic backlinks to blog articles. However, if done correctly, writing effectively for search can improve site rank like nothing else.
Problem – Ineffective Keyword Research
We all want to rank for the high-volume keywords in a niche, but the reality for small and medium-sized business owners is that
There is no “one-size-fits all” prescription for a brands online marketing strategy. So many important variables play a role in determining the overall approach, including budget, relevant industry, marketing goals, and so on. However, while the online advertising goals might be client-specific, there are some fundamental tools
A lot has been said about the importance of incorporating search engine optimization (SEO) techniques into an overall search strategy. But what does a search engine optimization strategy actually entail? Some business owners lump it into social media marketing and neglect the technical aspects of the job. Others make the assumption that since SEO is analytical it must be infallible, and is therefore be the only digital marketing service worth investing in. Both points of view are right in some respects, and wrong in others.
As one of the most influential digital marketing services in driving traffic to your site, it is important to separate fact from fiction in the organic search arena. Here are some common misconceptions about search engine optimizations that need to be cleared up before any effective work can get done:
Misconception #1 – SEO is like a makeover (just a “one-time-thing”)
Digital marketing for service companies in the GTA can be a very power way of generating new business. Improved website presence with new content driving your search engine optimization (SEO) can make a big difference in your new client development efforts. I have worked with service companies from many sectors and these companies have had an excellent return on investment (ROI) for their digital marketing spend.
Does search engine optimization (SEO) work for all businesses? To some degree yes, but many businesses would be better off to spend their limited marketing resources another way.
A good SEO marketer should be able to complete some preliminary research to determine how competitive the industry/keywords are and how costly is will be to effectively market your business with SEO. By looking at the amount of search being done and the number of competitors in your marketplace, a good supplier of SEO services should be able to …
Bing vs AdWords – Should You Bother?
If you found out Your Online Marketing was Consistently missing over 10% of all online search, would you start paying attention?
Are you using Google AdWords to drive relevant web traffic to your website? How is that working? Either way, read on.
According to statistics shared in a presentation at a Microsoft event (see below for presentation), compared to Google AdWords, Bing/Yahoo caters to a more affluent group and with every click costing 15-20% of the cost of a click on AdWords, Bing/Yahoo is a great
