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Does Your Business Need a Boost?

February 27, 2019 by Thomas

No matter how many years you have devoted to your business, are you sensing that your company needs a boost?

If this is the case, what steps do you plan on taking to give your business the boost it needs to keep pushing forward?

From a financial boost to more brand recognition, there are times where you have to act.

That said is now the time to give your business a boost?

Don’t Delay and Live to Regret It

If your business in fact needs a shot in the arm these days, here are some ways to go about it:

Financial boost – It may be where your business needs financial punch to make things go where they need to. If this is the case for you; how best to go about this? You could seek a small business loan in hopes of infusing some punch into your company. If you opt to go this route, be sure to do your research on the different loan providers out there. Make sure you know who you are dealing with. Research each loan provider you consider working with. Doing this allows you to separate the good ones from the not so good ones. Along with experience, you want a provider with a track record of success in helping folks. It is also important that you get the best customer service possible from any provider you go with. At the end of the day, a financial shot in the arm could make quite a difference.
Website boost – How much time do you spend concentrating on your company’s website? If the answer is not much at all, this can prove rather detrimental to your brand. That said it may well be time to go out and get help for your website. One of the ways to go about this is by finding a good SEO company. With the right search engine optimization provider, you can get your website going. As you deploy better SEO options to your marketing, you should see an uptick in traffic over time. One of the ways this is done is by an SEO provider giving you good marketing content with which to work with. As more consumers see blog posts with keyword links back to your website, you stand to gain traffic. The key here is make sure you give consumers a website worth looking at.
Morale boost – Last, if you have employees with you, you may find that a morale boost is in order for your business. Over time, the morale of a workplace can dwindle. When it does, it is important for leadership to change course so that things in all hopes pick up. If you do not get your workplace morale going in the right direction, it can have a myriad of consequences. Do your best to get your employees fired up once again about what they do and the customers they serve. From a more fun environment to incentives to grow in their jobs, make sure your workers know you care.

In getting more consumers focused on your brand, it may well be time you gave your business a boost.

Photo credit: Pixiebay

About the Author: Dave Thomas covers business topics on the web.

10 Simple (But Important) Things To Remember About Business Directories And SEO

May 22, 2018 by Jessy Troy

Business directories represent a proven way to be found on Google search. While directory sites don’t enjoy the same SEO clout they once did, they can still improve organic search rankings, especially when local searches are conducted.

The main difference related to how directories affect SEO today as compared to ten years ago is that they no longer improve a site’s backlink profile. As Google has evolved, so has the algorithm for search engine optimization (SEO), ensuring higher quality sites with relevant content always rank highest.

There are different types of business directories and it is important to recognize the differences. Featured web listing sites are high-quality directories you want to focus on as you get business listings setup. These types of directories have a better reputation. Sometimes you have to pay a fee to be featured on certain directories. Many are free though.

Below are 10 things you should remember about business directories and SEO.

1. Be careful about which directories you join. Review the site first before adding your business to the directory. The legitimate web directories that you want to be included on will edit your listing. You don’t want your business name in a directory if the directory does not have strict editorial requirements, it can actually have a negative impact on your website ranking if the directory is one of the low-quality sites.

2. Getting your listing setup “right” is important. In cases where the service your business offers is specific to a particular country or region, then you list your site there. When submitting your website information to a directory, always use the official website name. In the description section of your listing, do not use words like best or cheapest. These superlatives may be edited out by some directory sites and also make a negative impression on consumers.

3. Business owners are losing business if they don’t add their listing to well-known directories. This is true even in small towns where you might think everyone knows everybody else, and that ever resident knows about your business. There are always visitors and new people moving in who might be looking for the service or product that you are selling.

4. Be sure to add your name to the Google My Business Directory. Since Google drives this directory as the largest search engine, you want to be sure to get your free listing here. By not taking advantage of your free listing, you might be opening the door for a competitor to hijack your listing by adding their own phone number to your phony listing. Not only can business be lost in situations like this, but your business reputation can also be affected if the company under-performs using your name and Google listing.

5. When you create your Google my Business listing, be sure to remove the check from the box that says, “make this my website address on Google search and Maps.” This is important because if you leave that box checked then the free URL from your Google website will be used and substituted for your corporate website address, possibly losing traffic you want that is directed instead to your corporate site.

6. It is always a good idea to track your directory signups. That will allow you to review the progress made. This will also prevent you from signing up for a directory more than once which can be confusing for customers if somehow they both go through the system.

7. One of the reasons online databases are so valuable to business owners is because they direct mobile search. Considering the growing number of local searches and how people traveling through your town are prone to conduct a search for restaurants and other businesses via their mobile devices, competitive businesses who want to compete should always be sure to add their business to high-quality local directories.

8. Different search engine directories are aligned with that particular search engine’s map. There can be a lot of overlap between the directories. For this reason, it is not always clear how to categorize a listing. Proceed with caution or ask questions. Some directories will change your category if they think you chose the wrong one.

9. Using a good online ranker tool is recommended as a way to monitor your competition and how well their pages are doing in search results. Some tools to check out are Ahrefs, Alexa, and Rank Tracker (plus, there are many more SEO tools and plugins out there to check out). When revising your corporate strategies, it is always helpful to understand how well your business is doing in comparison with your competitors so that you can make adjustments as necessary.

10. Directories worth mentioning and adding your company information to are: Jasmine Directory.com, DirJournal.com, Aviva Directory.com, and Alive Directory.com. These are reputable business web directories because they’re all apply a high editorial discretion. Local directories such as Yelp.com, Yahoo Local Directory, and Bing My Places represent high-quality options to get your name out to local consumers who are looking for local businesses.

Here’s a list five directories worth website your business into:

Best of the Web (BOTW) offers a web directory, BOTW Local, Blog Directory and UK & Ireland Directory. With 25 million people searching this directory per year, Best of the Web represents an excellent opportunity to get your company name out there to be noticed. There are a range of categories worth checking out
Jasmine Business Directory in cited in several books and journals as being a directory that has a very high editorial discretion. Compared to BOTW, each listing added Jasmine Directory has its own details page where businesses address is listed (according to the directory’s guidelines only if the business owner or representative submits those details) and Google Map is used. Thumbnails are also another available feature.
Aviva Directory is a general web directory. While many of the websites and blogs listed in this directory are added by Aviva’s staff, a business or blog owner can pay a fee and have their site reviewed to be added to the directory. Editors are strict and have rules prohibiting adult material.
Alive Directory is another Google compliant directory worth listing on. First, you should search for your name to see if you are already on the site. Then, if you don’t find your name, you can submit your listing for approval. Hot categories listed are Business, Shopping and Regional. There are discounts given for bulk listing that start at 20 percent and can go up to 50 percent.
Directory Journal offers a few listing types with some attractive features. Photos and keywords can be added to enhance your listing. During the last couple years DirJournal mixed their general directory with their local directory.

Getting listed on local directories makes good business sense. According to Nielsen in 2016, 74 percent of consumers check review sites when online looking for information. Yelp is a popular local directory.

With millions of eyes on the site daily to get information before spending decisions are made, this site represents and important option for business owners. Based on this data, there is no reason not to claim your free Yelp page. Facebook is another popular review site where you can claim your free business page.

It is important not to automate your directory submission effort. You want each listing to b unique in some way. By considering this important fact, search engines will work in your favor and you are less likely to be penalized.

Conclusion

It is clear that more business is done each year on the internet. Even in cases where consumers want to see and touch the merchandise before buying, many people are doing their research first online, before driving to the store. Business owners who want to compete in this digital world where companies are evaluated online before buyers show up at the store, must recognize the power of local searches or risk being left behind by savvy competitors.

Taking advantage of the free listings on directories that are compliant with Google means you will benefit from the power of this monster search engine. Reviews sites are also being used to decide where to go to get what they need. Trust can not be underestimated when courting new buyers.

As mentioned above, not all business directories are created equal. It is important to be discriminating when adding your business to a business directory. Be sure there is a strong editing staff and they don’t accept “spammy” listings for non-businesses. The directories mentioned in this article represent excellent options for business owners. If you sign-up with these directories, your business will benefit from the exposure.

Image source: Pixabay

Give Your Brand More Punch by Adding Blogging

June 2, 2017 by Thomas

Is your brand kind of stuck in a rut at the moment? If so, what plans do you have to change that moving forward?

For many business owners, their brands are not where they’d like them to be right now. In fact, some are in trouble of dipping into the red when it comes to their finances. If that happens, getting out of that mess can prove quite cumbersome.

That said what are you doing to give your brand more punch?

For some, this means more marketing and advertising initiatives. Others, meantime, will turn to their products and services to see if they need improvement.

No matter how you deliver more bang for your dollar, it is important that you. With all the competition you are facing, standing pat oftentimes is a recipe for disaster.

Look at Your Website

One of the first areas of attention when looking to give your brand more punch is turning to your website.

In reviewing it, go over the following areas:

Credible and relevant information – How informative is your website? Does it provide consumers with all the details they would want to know about your business? If the answer is no, this is one area that demands your attention. One way to give out more information is having a credible blog (see more below). If blogging has been non-existent with your brand up to now, change that detail moving ahead.

Ease of use – How easy would you say your website is to use for visitors? If they feel like they’re traipsing through a maze more times than not, they’re likely not coming back. Doing regular reviews of your website is not only a good idea, it is a necessity. By doing your best to find cracks in its armor, you will lessen the odds of visitors being one-and-done guests.

Proper contact information – Do you make it simple for your online visitors to contact you? Make sure your company contact info is in an easy area to find. By doing so, you won’t have consumers jumping through hoops trying to reach out to you.
Google ranking – Finally, do you know where your company’s website ranks in online searches? If not, you should get up to speed on this all-important ranking. A strong ranking helps bring more consumers when they search for the products you offer. It can be easy to work your way up the rankings with sound search engine optimization (SEO) practices.

Blogging Your Way to Success

In mentioning blogging a little earlier, it is important to keep in mind how big of a deal your blog is.

For instance, are you doing any guest blogging on other sites? What about having guest bloggers write for your site? By reviewing guest blogging prospects, you can open up a new world of brand opportunities.

While many stick to writing all their own material, it never hurts to allow guest bloggers. In fact having some different bloggers on your site helps in several ways.

First, you bring a different tone and style to the writing on your blog. Second, those guest writers could be some of the top experts in your particular industry. Third, they are more apt to share their posts they write for you with others. By using social media, they can open your business up to countless other B2C and B2B customers.

So, don’t be afraid to blog your way to success before you know it.

As a business owner, are you doing all you can to bring more punch to your brand?

Photo credit: Pixabay

About the Author: Dave Thomas covers business topics on the web

How Bloggers can Succeed with the Power of Technical SEO

June 1, 2017 by Rosemary

By Ted Chong

The vast majority of online experiences start with a search engine.

You probably don’t need another person to tell you about the tremendous benefits of ranking on Google search results. Many bloggers however, place too much emphasis on content and neglect the technical aspect of SEO.

Anything with the word “technical” sounds scary – we can attest to that. However, nobody said it had to be! Embracing the technical aspect of your SEO might be one of the best business decision you’ll ever make. It lays the foundation of any content or links you built for your blog by making it easier for Google spiders to crawl your site.

Here’s the good news: WordPress is wonderful for helping to boost your technical SEO. It’s one of the best content management systems in terms of SEO. It offers many useful plugins that can help support and improve your SEO while serving as an effective guide.

One great example is Yoast, which is known as the most comprehensive and stable SEO plugin that exists today for users. In fact, leading sites like SearchEngineLand and WooCommerce use it. The best part is that it literally makes technical SEO idiot-proof for the layman.

It doesn’t mean that you can ignore the technical aspect of a website simply because you use WordPress. There are other tools outlined in the infographic below that can help you give that extra boost to your technical SEO. However, in the world of SEO, change is the only constant. Therefore one has to ensure that his website’s technical SEO is always updated. For example, most recently, the use of interstitials is said to raise a red flag with Google. Webmasters who are not in the know could risking getting penalized.

Bloggers using WordPress often find problems in these areas:

erroneous sitemaps
duplicate content
malware
lack of mobile responsiveness
sluggish site speed

These problems make it difficult for search engines to crawl and rank your website, and create frustration for users as well. On top of ranking poorly, you might even be penalized by Google for failing to adhere to their guidelines.

For example, if your website takes more than 3 seconds to load, 40% of visitors will abandon it. Simply put, the greater the loading speed, the greater the abandonment rate. Your page loading time is also part of Google’s search ranking algorithm! That’s even more reason for you to buff it up.

If you’re unsure about how to start, worry not. Google provides help and guidelines for WordPress users, including tips on how to be more mobile friendly, here!

If we’ve piqued your curiosity, check out the infographic below for a detailed explanation to help boost your site’s technical SEO.

For more elaboration and recommendation of technical SEO best practices, visit https://icecube.asia/technical-seo-101-getting-website-ranked-google-infographic/to find out more.

About the Author:

Ted Chong runs Ice Cube Marketing, a digital marketing agency in Singapore that helps local small businesses acquire leads from channels such as Facebook and Google.

See full infographic below:

4 Tips for Better Brand Marketing

April 21, 2017 by Thomas

Are you more than a tad concerned about where your brand marketing efforts are headed (or not headed for that matter)?

In the event the answer is yes, what do you plan on doing?

For many business owners, it isn’t necessarily an issue of not attempting the right brand marketing initiatives, but more of a matter of being reluctant to do them in the first place.

That being the case, step back for a few minutes and look at how you’ve approached brand marketing up to this point. Are you simply not connecting with your target market, a market that undoubtedly is your key to making more revenue?

If you’ve been reluctant to move full-steam ahead, is that because of a lack of money, thinking that possibly brand marketing isn’t your strongest forte, or maybe even just not finding the right people to do the job?

It All Begins with SEO Plan

Before you can even begin to mount numerous effective brand marketing initiatives, you must make sure you have the right people in place to launch them.

With that being said, stop and look to see if the time has indeed come to reach out for assistance.

If so, that assistance might very well start and end by working with a San Diego SEO agency or one closer to home.

Keep in mind that search engine optimization (SEO) can do so many positive things for your business, things that you likely have been missing out on up to this point. In the event you do reach out to an SEO agency for help, how do you know which one is best suited to your needs?

Before just working with anyone, be sure you look for these qualities in an SEO partner:

Years of experience
Proven record of results
Open lines of communication
Pricing that is fair for the work in return
Honesty about how SEO really works

Once you’ve decided on an SEO partner, the next step is of course to improve your brand marketing initiatives.

Content is a Great Starting Point

So that your business can nail a number of key areas in the SEO brand marketing process, focus on these four for starters:

Blog content

When was the last time you assessed your website’s blog? If it was recently, were you happy with what you came across?

For many business owners, their blogs unfortunately rank at or near the bottom of importance on their list of things to do. As a result, they miss out on a number of opportunities to connect with consumers.

In working on your blog, not only write content that is authoritative and informative, but that also connects with consumers. By doing so, the doors to increased revenue opportunities are certainly opened up.

Drive off with better keywords

As part of that winning blog content strategy, it is imperative that you select winning keywords for your blogging content efforts.

One example would be for those in the auto selling business, specifically offering used cars for sale.

Sure, many used car dealers rely on TV commercials, newspaper ads; even word-of-mouth etc. in order to bring in business, but their websites shouldn’t be taken for granted.

With that in mind, your focus when writing content for this industry should include long-tail keywords, keywords that emphasize the auto industry and selling used vehicles.

Lastly, make sure you avoid any keyword stuffing, something that can send your Google search engine rankings into reverse sooner rather than later.

Social media outreach

Just as lackluster efforts towards blog content can hurt your brand, the same holds true with mediocre social media outreach.

Given the fact millions of consumers are on various social networking sites at any point and time of the day, shouldn’t your brand be there too?

With the answer being of course so, make sure you are active on a number of social media sites, but with that activity, also be sure to make your time there count.

Along with posting links to your blog content and other relevant industry content (whatever line of business you are in), also take the time to engage consumers. Remember, the more engagement possible the better.

Review your website regularly

Finally, do you take the time on a regular basis to review your website? If not, you could be hurting your brand more than you’ll ever know.

In reviewing your website; look for any and all glitches that could be hampering your efforts to make better inroads with consumers.

Such glitches can include:

Long downloading times
Pages that are broken
Hard to locate contact information
If you have an online store, difficulty for consumers in completing sales

Those are but some of the SEO website issues that could easily be curtailing you from better brand marketing, not to mention making more sales.

When it comes to better brand marketing, has the time come for you to invest some more time and energy in what you do?

Photo credit: Pixabay

About the Author: Dave Thomas writes for Organic Media Group on SEO and marketing topics.

Keep Your Eyes Focused on Global Expansion

December 2, 2016 by Thomas

With the recent American presidential election in the books (or seemingly so despite some recount efforts), many U.S. business owners will have a keen eye on where President-Elect Donald Trump takes things in 2017 and beyond.

Will there be opportunities for some U.S. companies to eye new business around the world under Trump’s leadership? Will some foreign companies be looking to partner with American companies on global projects? Lastly, will the dollar find strength worldwide with a new leader in the White House?

What seems like so many questions and so few answers right now is exactly the case.

If your American business is thinking about global expansion, would the next year or two be the time to go for it?

Knowing When to Pull the Trigger

So that you are better suited to know when to consider expanding worldwide, keep your eyes on the following items:

Conditions on the ground – First and foremost, know the conditions in any country you consider doing business in. What are the economics in that area? Are there any political issues now or down the road that could impact businesses there? Have companies been leaving in droves or coming in droves? Knowing the metrics involved in any area you may want to expand to is crucial, especially for your financial well-being;
Are you ready to expand? Along with the conditions on the ground globally, you need to know if you and your brand are ready at this time to expand. Although that may seem like a difficult proposition to gauge at times, it is nonetheless an important one. If you are leaning towards global expansion to Dubai, Shanghai, Brazil, Russia, China etc. it is important to be ready when you actually pull the trigger on such moves. This means not only having the financial ability for such a move, but also being able to market and sell your brand overseas. If you are a little behind the eight ball when it comes to marketing, advertising, search engine optimization (SEO) etc. be sure to get those matters worked out before any possible expansion. The SEO matter is especially important due to the fact millions and millions of consumers turn to company websites and social media pages for information. If you are not meeting consumer needs in such areas, your brand and ultimately your wallet or purse will suffer for it. Reaching out to a SEO company in Dubai or similar business can put you on the right track for both website and overall business growth;
Necessary manpower – Finally, if expansion possibilities are on the horizon for you, do you have the manpower to push forward with them? Even though many companies in recent years have gone to more automation in handling daily business tasks, you can never truly replace the needed human element. As a result, making sure you have enough hands available to meet the needs of consumers is critical. If you’re an American business opening new offices overseas, you may very well end up hiring all locals to staff the places. Among the advantages in doing so is locals know the culture and speak the language of that given country and/or region.

Only Expand When Absolutely Sure the Time Has Come

As you ponder the possibilities of global expansion in 2017, make sure to give yourself as much information as possible.

In terms of getting that data and properly analyzing it, you should be sure of the following:

Having updated metrics with which to work with – How a country or countries did financially and politically even six months ago could have changed rather quickly up to now. If you have contacts on the ground, even better;
Having a website that continues to draw traffic – If your website is continuing to grow in terms of traffic (especially overseas traffic), study that data. It can tell you a number of things about potential for overseas growth. Use your website analytics to help forecast if moving to one or a number of places makes sense financially;
Having your brand front and center – Lastly, even though you want as much information about possible overseas expansion, you also want to give consumers (current and potential customers) reason to want to do business with you if you expand. By using blog content, press releases, videos, social media and more, you can do just that. Spreading the message when you are ready to expand is critical to successfully achieving such growth.

As an American business owner, when will you decide it is time to expand your boundaries?

Photo credit: Pixabay

About the Author: Dave Thomas covers business and marketing topics on the web.