Outmoded SEO Practices You Shouldn’t Do (Part 1)

SEO has gone through several developmental changes in the past years, and it still does to this day. Despite this, other people opt to hang on to its old ways; thus, still uses the outdated SEO practices to gain visibility and performance. The reality is that these old tricks are futile and the list below will guide you how these strategies will negatively affect your website.

  • WHEN YOU ARE WRITING FOR BOTS.

    • When you write in an unnatural way, search engines know. When marketers believe that repetition of the subject is apt when it totally isn’t. Crawlers see this repeated keyword and its various versions which lead to high ranking. But it isn’t working anymore. Today, the advanced search engines recognize this strategy, and even its poor content. Again, don’t do not write for statistics! Write for your audience!
  • ARTICLE MARKETING AND ARTICLE DIRECTORIES.

    • Do not try to outsmart the system; it won’t work. But then again, people still kept on trying due to obvious improvement of the brand’s website.
    • True, that article directories worked. However, it entails writing a hurriedly written article, and giving it to the numerous article directories, and then, linking it to your site. You expect other people will publish it in their site and hopefully add more content.  But then, the duplicate content filters and the underlying link penalties, made the article directories unfavorable for most webmasters.
    • In 2011, Google released its game-changing Panda update. It looked for websites that offer lousy content. They are either badly written, non-sense, or the content was originally from another site. That being said, it is a wonder why there are still those who do practice it.
Some SEO strategies just don't work out anymore.

Some SEO strategies just don’t work out anymore.

  • ANCHORED TEXT.

    • The clickable text in a hyperlink is called ANCHORED TEXT. The keywords here are the indication that the search engines use to know the subject of a certain web page. The underlined blue anchor text is the web’s standard although even the color can be changed.
    • There are many kinds of anchor text like exact match, naked, page title, headline, and so on. Some are encouraging while others aren’t. It does depend on the situation and its use.
    • Before, it has always been the keyword-rich and exact match that was the normal standard in SEO great practice. Google’s Penguin can discover the over enhanced content. Therefore, nothing matches the awesome, well-thought of, and well-written content. Again, write for people, that’s a surefire winner.
  • OUTDATED KEYWORD STRATEGIES.

    • Keywords have changed quickly over the years. Marketers had abundant keyword-level data. It helps you to know what works. It gives us the knowledge of knowing the target as well as the user’s intent.
    • The following years, tools attempted to do a reproduce keyword data. Marketers relied on Google’s Keyword Planner because it is free. Since Google owns this product, people continuously use it until now.
    • There are other paid tools substitute like Moz Keyword Explorer tool and SEMrush’s Keyword Magic Tool. Lastly, there’s Google Trends too, and it is for free.

 

Next? Outmoded SEO Practices You Shouldn’t Do (Part 2)

How to Increase Your Conversion Rate with Images

A lot of marketers prefer stock photography or the images that readily available for sale online to cut down their cost. But really it is a huge mistake. The thing is, images call attention and add a lot of life in your website. It does help you boost your product or services and thus, conversion could be a lot better.

Below are some suggestions to help you to effectively use images to make your conversion rate better.

  • Use emotions.
    • People usually buy because of many reasons. One of which has something to do with emotions. Therefore, we can tap emotion by choosing an image or images that they can relate to. It could be a happy, proud, or even angry emotion that connects for the customers to respond.
    • Emotions, after all, are potent. It matters how you present it. Use your images wisely not just in the sales side, but service wise as well. Considering both factors is a great combination.
  • Use people.
    • The effective faces that can move sales are babies, women, and of course, let’s not forget the attractive people. There are various research that shows that these images work.
    • Just pause for a sec and think of your reaction will be when you see a cute baby. Whether you like it or not, we, humans, will definitely react to a baby’s face emotionally. Use this knowledge, and also know your audience to have a successful application.
    • Pictures of women can, likewise, sell any products to men especially the attractive ones as shown in a research. It’s basically how our minds think.
Seriously, how can someone say NO to a smiling baby?

Seriously, how can someone say NO to a smiling baby?

  • On the other hand, attractiveness could affect the decision of a person.
    • This is called the “Halo Effect.”
    • Research has also shown that this type is seen as more successful, smart, and fascinating.  It, likewise, asks for a certain reaction from the audience that can lead to a higher conversion.
  • What about mascot?
    • It seem like nowadays this has become popular. Many blogs and sites use them for branding. The question is, how does a mascot help you convert? For one, it strengthens your marketing design. It is also easy to remember the product or the service and lastly, it could easily get the intended emotional outcome. That is the reason why many websites uses mascots. Not only is it effective, it is not that expensive, too.
  • Out of the box.
    • Don’t limit your imagination. Scream that you are different, and use images that say so. Use the technology to your advantage. Think of a twist; something that can make people remember. For sure, the conversion rate will be amazing!
  • Validation.
    • People need a third opinion. They want to make sure that they are sure. Thinking carefully to make sure that they are not making a wrong decision. Seeing a happy woman that has smooth and beautiful skin indirectly tells the audience that they should try it, too. This is one sure way to entice people in buying beauty products.

Using Social Media to Boost Advocacy

According to Pew Research Center, 81% of U.S. adults from ages 18-29 use Facebook. It’s no doubt that Facebook is the most-widely used social media platform. Other websites like Instagram and Twitter only got 64% and 40% respectively.

Word of mouth is an effective marketing strategy. However, you can’t ignore the power of social media. In fact, if you need a competent brand ambassador, social media is the answer. Those with the most number of followers will surely be able to entice other people. With over 70% of Americans using social media to communicate, this proves that social media plays a significant role in our daily lives.

Social media apps on a smartphone.

Social media apps on a smartphone.

Choose the Social Media Website that Works Well with Your Business.

This first step is very important. Not because a competitor is on Instagram, then, you should start a posting on Instagram. Don’t follow other people; you just need to follow your audience. If they usually hang out on Facebook, then, focus on Facebook. Carefully study where you get more interaction and engagements.

Carefully Choose Content to Publish.

After you have found your niche, think of what you should publish on social media. “Will this post offer help?” “Does this post address a concern?” If the answer is yes, go ahead and hit post. Remember that your social media posts should have a certain goal, and it shouldn’t be there for aesthetic purposes. It should offer tips and tricks.

Be Responsive.

If someone gave you a positive review on social media, at least, say thank you. They went out of their way to tell the world how great your product is. Reward their efforts because their social media post could reach people you weren’t able to reach. If a customer wants to interact with you, find time to reply. Show them how much you appreciate their love and support.

Share Your Customers’ Social Media Posts.

This is probably the best way to promote customer advocacy. When customers share a positive review or comment, don’t hesitate to share it. Sharing on Facebook or Twitter is very easy to do. On Facebook, you can simply click the share button and add your own caption. On Twitter, you can easily retweet a tweet.

Today, in the digital age, being mentioned by a brand is really meaningful for many customers. It becomes an important highlight of the day. As a loyal customer, it’s fulfilling to know that your efforts were recognized by the brand you look up to.

So, if your customers share stunning reviews or photos, share their wonderful memories. It’s a way of telling the world that “Hey! They had fun. You should too. So, give our product a try.”

Solve Your Customers’ Problems.

Social media is not just about rainbows and butterflies. It is also a great avenue to address certain issues and concerns that your customers may have. Since they are on social media, they can easily post complaints. This is your chance to save the day and offer an immediate response.

Being able to solve a problem right away, you are proving to your customers that your business is not just about making money. You are genuinely concern about their well being. The more problems you will be able to solve, the more happy customers you will gain. That’s something money can’t buy!

Who Should Be Your Brand Advocates?

We already talked about how advocates can help your brand, and how to gain more advocates. Now, we will dig deeper into who are qualified to be brand advocates. Obviously, your loyal customers are the best suited to be the best endorsers of your brand. Let’s go into specifics and group the kind of customers you will be dealing with:

  1. Referrers. These people introduce your products to new people.
  2. Committed customers. These are the people who are commenting sensible opinions whenever you publish new content. They will engage with you, and try your products. Basically, they are very involved in everything.
  3. Social media sharers. These people are quite different from #2. They prefer to stay on the side, but these people are very active on social media. Whenever you have a new post, they are always ready to “share” or “like” any new posts.
  4. Honest reviewers. These people tell you their honest opinion. Whether it’s a good or bad review, you are sure that they will be forthright about their critique.
Finding the right people to become product advocates.

Finding the right people to become product advocates.

How to Encourage Your Customers to Talk About Your Brand

Other things may change, but one thing stays the same. New web visitors trust the opinion of the existing customers. In order for your customers to entice more people, they need to leave a review. Here are a few tips to encourage more reviews:

  • Don’t just require your customers to leave a review right away.

    • Because if they love your product, they will surely let you know. It’s not something you should ask. It’s freely given to you. Just wait maybe the customer is still collecting his thoughts.
  • It’s not about the number of reviews.

    • Potential customers won’t be convinced of a perfect rating without some comments. They will focus on detailed reviews. If you have glowing reviews that tell a story, highlight them on your website or social media.
  • To encourage existing customers to leave a review, start a loyalty program. It’s a tried and tested method to raise your brand advocates:
    • You can’t avoid negative experiences.

      • When someone encounters a problem, a loyalty program comes in handy. Yes, you have to address the issues, but offering loyalty points may help ease the bad situation. Because of your loyalty program, you may win back their hearts and end up as one of your product advocates.
    • Encourage sharing it on social media.

      • Give your customers a nudge and encourage them to share their experience on social media. For example, you can reward customers with points every time they share on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
  • Aside from having a loyalty program, you can also build a referral program.
    • You can motivate your existing customers to refer people to your website in exchange of rewards. For instance, once someone successfully signs up on your website, the referrer can get rewards points and freebies.
    • A referral program is like hitting 2 birds with one stone. You get new customers, and at the same time, you transform your current clients into advocates.

How to Acquire More Brand Advocates

Previously, I’ve discussed the importance of having brand advocates. This time around, I will elaborate more on the tips in gaining brand advocates for the services you offer. The aim here is not just to gain customers, but we are here for the dedicated advocates. In order to do that, as a business owner, you need to follow certain rules to ensure the happiness of your advocates.

  • Tip #1: Don’t impose.

  • People don’t like being told what to do. Usually, when you want them to do this, they do the exact opposite. Product advocacy should be as natural as breathing. You will eventually attract the right people for your product or service.
  • Once you find your people, they will be willing to promote your brand. So, don’t worry too much. Most importantly, don’t force people to be your brand ambassadors.
  • Tip #2: Think of your customers.

  • When you are designing a product, think of ways to improve user experience. After all, you are not the user of the product, but you are the seller. There should be an affirmative response when they are using your products.
  • Through your product, you should be able to gather positive emotions from your users. If it is rewarding for them, I’m sure that they will always come back. Plus, they will surely recommend it to other people because we like to talk about things that make us happy.
  • Lastly, you should be able to find the balance between creating a product that’s both functional and pleasurable.
Work together with your brand advocates.

Work together with your brand advocates.

  • Tip #3: Establish trust.

  • This tip is the most important in pursuing brand advocates. These are not paid, but they are risking their reputation to vouch for your product. They are aware that they will be blamed if things go awry. What you can do is that reassure them that you are there every step of the way even if things do not go according to plan. Erase their fears and develop trust instead. How to do that?
  • Stick to your promises.

    • Many businesses fail to do this. They are just good in selling, but they do not offer immediate assistance when you need help. We all have been there, right? So, when you are selling something, make sure you are able to fulfill what you promised to your customers. If you can’t ship in 2 days, then, don’t advertise it on your site.
    • If you are selling home products, offer a return policy if customers think it’s not for them. You can also let people sign up for a FREE trial so customers can openly test the without buying it.
    • When you are honest with your policies, your customers will also leave an honest review.
  • Be approachable.

    • Customers do not like brands that do not respond to their inquiries. They are asking because they are interested in your products. Don’t just give them a cold shoulder. Keep your lines open in case they want to ask about something.
    • Be available to your customers and provide an email, a phone number, or a social media profile where they can voice out their concerns. It should be easy to contact you whenever a problem arises.

Converting Customers to Advocates

Companies all over the worldwide struggle every single day to formulate ways to attract their target market, and eventually, gain the trust of new customers. Mostly, these companies only think about getting new customers. Loyal and existing customers are shoved on the side because these companies are prioritizing new recruits.

The downside, though, is that bringing in new customers cost way more than maintaining the existing clientele. With that being said, companies should focus on maintaining good partnerships.

Brand advocates help you promote your products or service.

Brand advocates help you promote your products or service.

So, who are these so-called advocates?

  • These people are heaven sent because they promote your product for free. Product advocates are not compelled because they are paid or receive rewards. Truthfully, these people do it out of love. They just love the product so much that they want to tell the world about its existence.
  • You shouldn’t undermine their ability to spread the word. The advantage of these advocates is that it’s all natural. They are not trying too hard to put in good word for your brand to their family and friends. These advocates are the people who 100% believe and support your brand!

Why is it great to promote this strategy?

When you think about it, selling your products is not just the responsibility of your employees and your marketing staff. Yes, they help promote and share your products on the different social media platforms. However, your customers are also an important part because once they actually love your products, they will become a volunteer brand ambassador. Unlike the sales and marketing department, they aren’t paid. Yet, these people help you expand your horizons.

  • Credible reviews.

    • Nothing beats authenticity. When online shoppers look for proof, this is where the advocates come in handy. Of course, when potential buyers decide on where to buy, they will choose a product with trustworthy review.
    • When they research, these reviews stand out because they are from the advocates. Their reviews are detailed. There’s an emphasis on why they love it. If you ask Google, brand advocates often share their discoveries 19% more compared to ordinary marketers.
  • More real, less fake.

    • When someone loves something, they will surely talk about it nonstop. Nothing still beats word-of-mouth. When a customer raves about a product especially on social media, you have surely gained one powerful endorser. The best part is that it didn’t even cost you a single dollar! Without a doubt, online shoppers trust word-of-mouth advertisement over a paid advertisement on Facebook.
  • Increase brand awareness.

    • With these multifaceted digital influencers, they can easily reach out to thousands – even millions – of people. These advocates help in spreading about your company, your website, and everything that relates to your brand.
    • More people can now recall your products. Consumers will surely choose your brand over an unheard of competitor because of a video review, or a post on Instagram. It’s all thanks to your brand advocate.
    • At the end of the day, customers will always listen to fellow customers. So, when someone says a product is good, then, it probably is.

Say Goodbye to These Mobile Design Elements (Part 2)

Since it’s already 2019, I thought of compiling a series of mobile design elements that you should ditch. It’s just timely and relevant to declutter and improve your website for the better. If your mobile design elements do not work like it used to, it’s time to replace it with newer features. So, follow these tips to enhance user experience and scannability.

  • STICKY NOTES

    • Even in websites, there are sticky notes. There are design elements icons that are placed on one corner. As you move through the page, it sticks to its position. Whenever the user needs it, it is readily available.
    • Examples of these sticky web elements would be a live chat feature, or a feedback button. So, wherever you may be in a website, you can easily find the helpful button ready to help whenever something goes wrong. On desktop, these sticky elements are really effective.
    • However, on mobile-first websites, it wouldn’t work. Yes, they’re just tiny icons, but it blocks the content on your website. Since it acts like a sticky note, it will follow you everywhere, and it is placed over any text or image.
    • These sticky elements are more of a distraction on mobile sites because it they are distinct and easy to identify so that web visitors can easily click it whenever they need assistance. But when you don’t need help, it’s a source of frustration and inconvenience. So, my point is that sticky icons are not advisable on mobile.
    • Don’t let ’em block the view. If you think this feature is important in your website, at least, give your web visitors the liberty to dismiss these sticky elements. Another solution is to change these icons to social media share buttons. Instead of offering help, give your visitors the convenience to easily share the article they’re reading.
    • This way, these sticky elements are not annoying. Instead, they help you boost your interactions and engagements on social media. They will able to share your website to their circle of friends online.
A website that provides a good navigation and search function.

A website that provides a good navigation and search function.

  • UNNECESSARY CONTENT

    • Believe or not, there moments are even content is a website’s major problem. Sometimes, it’s not just about these web elements. You also need to cut down on content that is not needed to be there.
    • Don’t stress your web visitors too much information on the homepage alone. There’s this website that has content above the header. This is a huge NO! Your header is important in terms of navigation so it should be on top at all times. Don’t try to put anything else above it. The elements on top should always be your logo and then navigation. How will people navigate through your website if your header is overruled by needless content?
    • This is why you shouldn’t prioritize promotion over navigation. Don’t be the obstacle on achieving smooth mobile experience. Instead of providing too much content on the main page, why not add a search feature? That way, your header gets undivided attention, and at the same time, your users can search for something they actually want.

That’s it! I hope I have provided you with some important insights this new year. Need to recap part 1? Click here.

SEO Phrases That Are In and That Are Out

Pretty Woman, God Father III, Mac, Honda Civic, Mariah Carey. What do they have in common? Simple, after 20 years, they are still popular. SEO is the same, but there are a few changes that should be done. An example would be letting go of the outdated and using the phrases that are in.

Three Scrabble Tiles: SEO.

Three Scrabble Tiles: SEO.

Here are the phrases that should be out:

  • SEO was called many things like “search engine placement,” but none of these terms stuck. Tobe honest, only SEO successfully ever did! But does it recount what content marketers and search engine marketers do, no. Are we really optimizing or even optimizing for search engines? Certainly not. If that is the case, why are we still using the term SEO?
  • Link Building is a procedure of obtaining hyperlinks that comes from other websites to your own website. Because of this, it is always changing and now building high quality links has become very vital. The problem is, there is no clear guide in knowing what to do and what not to do. And there are more don’ts than do’s. It is to crafty that the term should be changed in a more positive linking practices.
  • Black hat SEO term is so outdated! To begin with, algorithm updates will take out bad strategies and so the sites that uses them go straight down in ratings. It could also be that the experience of the users will be reduced that even the high rankings will not matter anymore.
  • White hat SEO refers to the use of optimization strategies and abilities that improves your ranking in SERP results that is user-friendly. Meanwhile, it continues to be honest by following search engines guidelines. It is the only method that is stable and proves to be beneficial not just to your website but your brand and business as well.
  • SEO Hacks is as negative as it sounds. The truth is, there is no SEO “black hat” or SEO “white hat.”  Generally speaking, it is an unauthorized intrusion that violates another person’s personal data to be used to exploit. It can also mean changing a certain system or to tamper the security features.

Here are the phrases that are in:

  • Content marketing is the “in” when it comes to marketing. Content Marketing and SEO combined together is a sure success to companies that practice this strategy.
  • SEO copywriting is a kind of writing that uses key words. These are the words that people type in the search box to achieve high ranking in the search results.
  • Artificial intelligence is the creation of intelligent machines such as content robots, voice search, and voice assistants that changes our search experience. It also includes learning, speech recognition, planning, and problem solving.
  • Virtual reality could be the next technology that could blend together perfectly. Virtual reality with content can reach the virtual goals that could be impossible but probable.
  • Trust building is the phrase that we should never forget. This means you focus on user and audience. Assist your users and start building their trust.

Relevance and Email Marketing

Email marketing is the pillar of today’s establishments. You got to have an effective email marketing strategy in order to improve your conversion rates.

So, why is email marketing more effective than say, personal branding, social media marketing, and many others? Well, because it has such amazing probable ROI, and it does not cost a lot to do. Just collect email addresses from the customers you have, use your followers in social media, and there you go! You can use newsletter and such to create traffic to your website, and to make your audience remember your brand or your services.

Checking emails

Checking emails

While it is true that email marketing is effective in every digital channel, does not guarantee your success. True you can think of various ways to do a marketing strategy but it does not mean it will work.

Having great ideas is great but the secret is in the action after the idea is set. Today, you will learn to do just that. Ideas, action, staggering results! So, get ready and learn what you should fix on your end.

What is relevance?

  • Big word, yes! So, make sure your messages have relevance to your audience. If not, well suffer the consequences of reduced list. A research discovered that irrelevance is the number one reason people cited for unsubscribing from email lists. And that could be forever!
  • So now you know how much relevance is important to your business. Think again before trying to make a marketing email campaign. Ask yourself, what you did that made people sign up to you. Then ask again some more questions like:
    • How could your new ideas be relatable to your subscribers?
    • What sort of values will it give your subscribers?
    • Will your message help solve a problem or it tells your subscriber that you are just selling something to them?

If the above questions cannot give an honest to goodness value to your subscribers, then your messages are simply irrelevant. Keep that in mind and make sure that if your goal is to add up to the subscriber list, make sure you remember the word, relevant. You will never go wrong.

Now, why is relevance so important in your email marketing success?  It was already mentioned that sending messages that are irrelevant is the main reason why people leave your mailing lists despite the fact that they subscribe to you in the beginning. If it does not capture their interest, it could be that your subscribers can no longer relate to you and they could not even share with their friends or relatives, then you will lose them. They want something like updates in sales or your new products, a good discount. Make them feel you value them and knows exactly what they want.

Alright, we did say that you have to be relevant, point well taken, right? Now think of how to increase your response rates, boost sales, and keep your subscribers eager for more. Just make sure you tickle their need by answering the question, “what‘s in it for me?” You shouldn’t disregard this. If you need some pointers to add relevance to your email marketing campaign, follow this link.

Say Goodbye to These Mobile Design Elements (Part 1)

It’s 2019! Out with the old mobile design elements, and in with the new features. It’s time to do an annual clean up on your website to enhance browsing experience. If you want to create a more responsive and more polished website, these tips will immensely help your evolving website this 2019.

Two Women Holding Their Phones

Two Women Holding Their Phones

So, don’t hesitate to ditch the following design elements.

  • SIDEBARS
    • A sidebar divides your website into distinct sections, like news, blog, store, and so on. This design element has been handy for lots of websites for a long time. It is easier web visitors to find sections that they like. However, with mobile device usage increasing over time, the sidebar isn’t the right solution.  Yes, for desktop, it is. For mobile, nope!
    • Usually, mobile websites tend to focus on highlighting their social media accounts, promoting merch on the shop, signing up for email list, adding more ads for more items or web content, and recommending related posts.
    • If Twitter is where your followers are, link it on your website. Web visitors will be able to view your live Twitter feed. They will know the latest updates about your products, and they will also read about what other people are saying. Don’t forget to add your social media buttons. So, new visitors can easily follow or subscribe to your feed.
    • To ensure an agile and free-flowing experience, I would suggest not adding forms on mobile sites.  Multiple forms are totally unnecessary and it would not guarantee a smooth user experience. If you have a lengthy form for your users to fill out, the desktop version would be the better choice. If you really need to add a form, find a platform that works well with your mobile-centric website.
    • For blog posts, don’t focus on images. Instead, make sure titles are text links. So, when readers click on a tile, it will redirect to the specific post.  After each post, you should provide links to other articles or provide easy navigation to the previous (or next) blog post. It’s an efficient to help the readers move from one point to another without too much hassle.
  • POP-UPS
    • Pop-ups are annoying even on desktop! Seriously, stop with those interring pop-ups that no one really cares about. If you are really serious with improving user experience, then, say goodbye to these pesky pop-ups that suddenly emerges out of nowhere.
    • I’m sure you’ve experienced pop-ups numerous times, and you can attest that they are not a good idea. They are an obstruction to what your web visitors are reading because it is blocking some important content of your website.
    • Sometimes, websites are quite redundant. On their main banner, an existing promo is advertised. On the pop-up, the same thing is shown. At least, show a different promotion on the pop-up like Free Shipping on ALL orders. That way, you will get the viewers’ attention. Still, I don’t recommend adding pop-ups on your home page or any part of your website. It’s one sure way to scare away customers!

There are still more design elements to be discussed on future posts. Keep an eye on it or visit this page from time to time because I will surely provide a link for part 2!

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