Difference Between a Website that Doesn’t Render on Mobile and a Non-Responsive Website:

Doesn’t Render: Often, due to technical errors, incompatible elements, or server issues, the website fails to load or display correctly on mobile devices, making it unusable.
Non-Responsive: The website loads but is difficult to navigate and read on different mobile devices due to the lack of responsive design. The site is usable but offers a poor user experience on mobile.

What It Means for a Company’s Website

This change in ranking criteria means having a mobile-friendly design is no longer optional—it’s imperative. Websites that do not render on mobile will experience a notable drop in search engine rankings. This change will directly affect a company’s online presence, traffic, and potentially its revenue. As users increasingly use smartphones and tablets for browsing and shopping, a mobile-friendly website creates a better user experience and higher engagement rates.

Should a Company Care?

Absolutely. Here are a few reasons why companies should prioritize a mobile-responsive design:

1. Search Engine Visibility: As of February 2024, almost 60% of all worldwide website traffic is from a mobile device. Without a mobile-friendly design, your site won’t be indexed, leading to a loss of organic traffic from search engines.
2. User Experience: Mobile users expect a first-class experience. A mobile responsive design ensures your site is accessible and user-friendly across all devices.
3. Competitive Advantage: Companies adapting to mobile-first indexing can gain a competitive edge over those that don’t. Being mobile-friendly can improve your ranking on search engine results pages (SERPs).
4. Customer Expectations: With more than half of global web traffic coming from mobile devices, users expect websites to be optimized for mobile use. Not meeting these expectations can result in higher bounce rates and lower engagement.

How to Prepare

Preparing for mobile-first indexing involves several key steps:

1. Responsive Design: Make sure your website uses a responsive design that adjusts seamlessly to different screen sizes and devices. You can test your website’s mobility design with tools like Google Page Speed Insights and MobiReady.
2. Content Parity: Ensure that your mobile site’s content matches your desktop site’s content. This includes text, images, and videos. Google crawls the mobile version of your content for indexing, so it’s crucial that the mobile content is complete and of high quality.
3. Structured Data: Verify that structured data is present on your site’s desktop and mobile versions. Structured data helps Google understand your pages’ content and can improve your search visibility.
4. Performance Optimization: Optimize your site for speed and performance on mobile devices. Use techniques like image compression, lazy loading, and leveraging browser caching to enhance load times.

The Future of Mobile-First Indexing

The move to mobile-first indexing is just the beginning of a broader shift towards prioritizing mobile experiences. The online search experience is being influenced by societal, technological, and competitive forces like never before, so here are some future trends to consider and plan for:

1. Voice Search Optimization: As mobile devices are commonly used for voice searches, optimizing for voice search will become increasingly important. This change involves focusing on natural language, long-tail keywords, and answering specific questions users might ask.
2. Progressive Web Apps (PWAs): PWAs combine the best of web and mobile apps, offering fast, reliable, and engaging experiences. Adopting PWAs can further enhance the mobile experience and keep users engaged.
3. AI and Machine Learning: Google’s algorithms will continue progressing in AI and machine learning. It is imperative for companies to stay current with best practices and emerging SEO and web development trends.
4. Enhanced User Experience: As Google emphasizes user experience (UX) metrics like Core Web Vitals, companies must prioritize UX in their mobile design strategies. This focus includes aspects like loading performance, interactivity, and visual stability.

Google’s decision to enforce mobile-first indexing marks a significant juncture in the future of the web. Companies must adapt to this change by ensuring their websites are mobile-responsive, user-friendly, and optimized for performance. By embracing these practices, businesses can maintain their search engine visibility, meet customer expectations, and stay competitive in an increasingly mobile-centric world.

If you are concerned about your website’s mobile design, contact Power Marketing for a free analysis and consultation.

The post As of July 5th, 2024, Google Will No Longer Index Non-Mobile Websites appeared first on Power-Marketing.

Dealing With Reviews: The Good

Positive customer feedback is more than just a pat on the back; it is an authentic testament to your commitment to excellence. Plus, it helps your local SEO too. Once you receive a positive review, take these steps to magnify it:

Give It a Personal Touch: Nothing beats a personal touch. Include the person’s name (if you know it) in your response. Also, reference any personal interaction a salesperson, designer, etc., may have had with the reviewer. Make them feel like they’re getting a high-five from a friend. Of course, being this specific may be more difficult if you are a larger homebuilder. But at least aim to get away from templated or one-sentence responses.

Keep It Professional, Keep It Fun: It’s all about blending that professional tone with a bit of sparkle. The customer must see you’re serious about the feedback but also that you’re excited about their positive input. Also, give that reply a quick once-over for any mistakes. A neat, error-free message adds to your shine. Keep the response professional, but have fun with it!

Address Any Concerns: Positive reviews may include minor concerns or suggestions. Take this chance to address it and assure the customer that their feedback is valued and will be considered. This interaction can turn a potentially negative issue into a positive one. You are showing your commitment to constantly improving for your customers. When you respond, you also address potential customers who might read it later.

Share the Love: If you receive positive reviews on any of your platforms, amplify them through other channels. If you see a positive review on your Google My Business profile, share it on Twitter and Facebook. If someone leaves glowing glowing praise on LinkedIn, add it to your Google My Business feed. This sharing will increase potential customers’ opportunities to check out your work.

Dealing With Reviews: The Bad

We all receive negative reviews. It happens. Negative reviews can damage your reputation and spread faster than positive reviews; according to Hubspot, a person with a negative experience with your brand or service will tell twice as many people about their bad experience as someone with a positive experience. Even more troubling, customers with a negative experience are 26 times more likely to leave an unsolicited review. So, complainers love to complain. But, sometimes, those complaints are legitimate. So take these steps:

1. Respond Promptly: When a negative review pops up, it’s usually right after the issue occurs. Responding quickly not only shows you care but also helps mitigate any fallout.
2. Respond with Care: Besides speed, it’s crucial to value every piece of feedback, particularly the negative ones. Such insights can pinpoint where your service might be lacking and offer a chance to improve.
3. Be Honest in Your Reply: Nobody’s perfect, including businesses. Admitting mistakes can turn a negative experience into a positive one, building trust and loyalty.
4. Maintain Professionalism: No matter how harsh a review may be, always respond with kindness and professionalism. An apology can go a long way in maintaining your brand’s integrity.
5. Personalize Your Responses: Show customers they’ve been heard by crafting personalized responses. It demonstrates empathy and genuine care for their experience.
6. Avoid Personal Attacks: Keep responses professional and focused on the issue, not the individual. Personal attacks can only harm your business’s reputation.
7. Move the Discussion Offline: Try to continue the conversation privately. This approach can help resolve issues more effectively without escalating publicly.
8. Express Gratitude: Appreciate all feedback, even the negative. It provides an opportunity to address issues and improve your service.
9. Follow-up: If you’ve addressed their concerns, see if they agree with the response. Happy customers might even remove their negative reviews.
10. Offer Compensation When Needed: In cases of significant inconvenience or loss, offering compensation can help soothe frustrated customers. Make the deal privately; otherwise, you risk former customers asking for similar deals even if it’s not warranted.

Dealing the Reviews: The Ugly

Not all reviews are legitimate. Some fake reviews can be from Bots, random people causing problems, or competitors spamming your reviews. Unfortunately, review platforms have different rules for removing fake reviews. So, even if they are fake, most platforms don’t allow you to delete them.

Identify the Fake Review: Reviews will have a person’s profile associated with them. Check out the profile and review the activity. If there is no activity, someone likely created the profile to leave a negative review. Below is an example of a legitimate Google My Business profile that left a Power Marketing review. You can see other reviews they’ve made for other local businesses.

You can also cross-reference reviews with your customer database. Compare the reviewer’s name and details with your customer records.

Look for patterns with the posting of the review. Are the reviews at the same time each day? Do they use the same language in each review? These patterns can indicate a bot is creating the reviews.

Respond to the Review Quickly: Publicly respond to the review on Google and call it out as fraudulent. This shows other customers that you take feedback seriously and the review doesn’t represent your business.

Flag the Review as Inappropriate: Websites with reviews will give you a section to report fake reviews. In Google My Business, go to your Google My Business listing, find the review, and click the option to report or flag it as inappropriate. Google will then review the report to determine if the review violates its policies. On Facebook, go to the three dots in the right corner of the selected review and click Report Post.

Document Everything: Keep records of your interactions and reports with Google, as well as any evidence that supports your claim that the reviews are fraudulent.

Consider Legal Action: If the fake reviews are damaging and persistent, consult a legal professional to discuss your options.

BONUS: Companies that Claim They Can Remove Bad Reviews
In the 10+ years I’ve been in digital marketing, I am still looking for a company that can remove a bad review. The bottom line is unless the comment violates the platform’s rules, the comment will not be removed. If there is a company that can provide this, I have yet to find it.

The post Homebuilders and Dealing With Online Reviews: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly appeared first on Power-Marketing.

The Core Elements

Technical SEO

Technical SEO focuses on optimizing the code underpinning the site to help ensure that Google and other search engines can efficiently crawl and index the website’s pages. Technical SEO includes (but is not limited to):

● Optimizing website speed

● Mobile performance

● Submitting information to Google correctly

● Implementing structured data markup

A technically sound website is crucial for effective SEO since it helps search engine crawlers understand and index its content accurately. Developers and SEO specialists handle a large portion of these tasks.

Onsite SEO

Onsite SEO, also known as on-page SEO, is an ongoing process involving optimizing the content and structure of a website’s pages to rank higher in search engine results. Onsite SEO, sometimes referred to as backend SEO, encompasses various factors, such as creating the website tagging structure of the unseen back end of the website based on Google’s best practices and internal linking of pages. In addition, adequately optimized content relevant to the user’s search query helps ensure higher rankings in search engine results.

Off-site SEO

Off-site SEO, or off-page SEO, focuses on building the website’s authority and credibility through external factors such as backlinks, social media marketing, and content such as blogs or press releases. Off-site SEO aims to improve the website’s visibility and reputation in search engine results by demonstrating the website’s relevance and authority in the industry. For example, backlinks to blog articles, pages of your website, or images from reputable and authoritative websites signal to search engines that the website has valuable content, resulting in a higher search engine ranking.

Eight (8) Key Questions To Ask An SEO Company

Question #1 

Do you have similar SEO clients in your local area? 

The Logic 

An agency working with competing SEO clients in the same market can be problematic. Your strategy to increase traffic/leads should be unique compared to your competitors. The same SEO professional will most likely work on both accounts if it’s a smaller company. 

Question #2 

Is your SEO specialist on-staff or outsourced? Is your SEO person also a web developer, social media strategist, content writer, etc.? 

The Logic

Typically, a company without a dedicated SEO team or specialist is not focused on SEO. Occasionally, you will see an SEO person who builds websites, handles social media, or manages email marketing. However, SEO is a hyper-competitive element of digital marketing and requires a dedicated person to stay updated with trends, the best software, and Google algorithm changes. Finally, external vendors may not have access to your website to perform necessary technical SEO adjustments.    

Question #3 

What are two examples of websites you manage with a similar SEO retainer? 

The Logic

Website examples can determine if the SEO elements are in place. For example, are the onsite SEO tags completed or written using Google’s best practices? Of course, if you are a novice at SEO, you won’t know how to gauge these elements. However, Ubersuggest offers a great free tool that can give you easy-to-understand information about the quality of SEO on a website. Also, the examples give you an idea of the content the SEO company created for its websites. 

Question #4 

What type of software do you use for SEO strategy? Is it the paid version? 

The Logic

The key here is the paid version. The software can make a five-hour job take one hour. Furthermore, anyone can get a limited amount of information from free versions of software. But to create a real strategy, a company needs paid software packages from products like SEMrush, Ubersuggest, SpyFu, or Moz. A single software is good, but multiple versions are better. 

Question #5 

Is Directory Management part of your SEO package? If so, what software do you use? Are you using the paid version?

The Logic

Consider using directory management software for Local SEO to improve your listing on online directories. This software syncs all your company info, such as an address, business hours, and phone number, with the top informational and review sites on the Internet (e.g., Facebook, YP.com, Yelp.com, Bing, etc.). Managing review listing can lead to a nice boost in your local search value. An SEO company claiming to handle directory management manually or using a free version of directory management software will have little to no effect on your SEO value. Here is a link to a free analysis of any company’s directory management: 

https://www.yext.com/s/3439733/partnerDashboard?b=3439733 

Question #6 

Do you use any software for reporting? When do you send out reporting? How often do I get a review and strategy meeting? Monthly, Quarterly? 

The Logic

It’s vital to have easy-to-read reporting. But, at the same time, be sure that the reporting is not simply duplicating Google Analytics and that your agency defines it as “reporting.” Google Analytics is the primary website reporting metric on almost every website. The insights are helpful and can help you make educated decisions on creating website traffic. But, Google Analytics should be the baseline reporting. More advanced reporting tools from companies like Agency Analytics (link) and AHRefs (link)can create reports that are more insightful and easier to read. 

Also, you will want reports monthly with a quarterly review meeting to measure progress and adjust strategy. 

Question #7 

Where is my website hosted? Is it on a private server or a shared server? What company do you use to host? How often are security updates, core updates, and plugin updates? 

The Logic

Your choice of hosting provider can increase your SEO value considerably. A private server compared to a shared server is like the difference between living in a gated community and an apartment building. For example, private servers only have the agency’s clients on them. Therefore, the agency can control security and be alerted if a website has been breached. 

On the other hand, shared servers are shared and have around 100+ clients from different companies with different security protocols. So, the company next to you on the server may have little to no security protocols. If another website on the server gets breached, it can also attack your website. Also, shared servers share traffic resources. So, if there is a large website on a shared server with a lot of traffic, the server will direct resources to that website by slowing down your website during peak demand times. No matter the case, Google will diminish your SEO value on a shared server due to security and speed issues. Accordingly, the company you use for your website hosting is vital to your SEO strategy. 

Finally, be sure the SEO company or website development team updates your website’s plugins, security, and core theme. These updates should occur every month or at least every quarter. Regularly updating these items will make your website more secure, run faster, and increase your SEO value. 

Question #8 

What software do you use for performance website audits? How often do you audit the websites? If elements appear malfunctioning, broken, etc., is there a charge to fix them? 

The Logic

If a website page malfunctions, a notification isn’t sent to the person managing the website. The only way to know and track issues is to audit the website using third-party software. These audits should take place a minimum of once a month. The paid versions of Screaming Frog, SEMRush, and UberSuggest do an excellent job of finding performance issues and recommending fixes. As discussed in #4, paid versions of software do a more thorough and cost-effective job of reviewing websites

If you want to discuss SEO or digital marketing elements, contact Power Marketing today.

The post Questions To Ask An SEO Company appeared first on Power-Marketing.

Regarding search engine optimization (SEO) and local SEO, managing expectations and processes should occur early and often. More than 200 elements determine SEO value, and the metrics provided are precise. Unfortunately, this exactness can give clients misguided ammunition to pick apart each component of an SEO program without seeing the complete picture. 

Ideally, there should be only one metric: I spent “X” money and sold “Y” widgets. Therefore, my return on investment is “Z.” But figuring out “Z” usually takes a long-term analysis. So here are some strategies for managing expectations and the best processes for SEO.

Websites DO NOT Equal SEO

As digital marketers, we understand this. But, it needs clarifying in the early phases of website development. A well-designed website with optimized images, updated content, and optimized for mobile will help your SEO value. But, a new website only accounts for a small amount of the overall value. The companies ranking PAGES on the first ten results of Google for high-volume keywords are likely spending $1,000s each month to reach and stay ranked on page one. A good website with a great user experience is imperative to good SEO and converting leads into customers.

Google Ranks Pages/Not Websites

You will commonly hear, “I want my website to rank on the first page of Google.” You want pages ranked. The Google robots crawl individual pages and rank them based on their SEO value. So, a more accurate statement would be, “I want my page focused on the keywords Custom Home Builder Denver to rank in the first ten search results on Google.” Your home page will typically have the most traffic and focus on your main keyword(s). But, each page needs to have relevant content, optimized images, onsite SEO, and outbound strategy.

SEO Takes 5-8 Months for Results

SEO is a “slow burn,” and no one knows Google’s “secret sauce.” Remember, even if you start to figure out the formula, Google adjusts the SEO ranking system daily and typically makes significant updates every few years. In the past 18 months, Google has made two major updates to its algorithm. The first gave more value to the mobile experience. The second evaluated content to ensure it’s helpful and not a keyword-rich article to improve search value. Researching the most achievable keywords takes 2-4 weeks, and implementing a strategy involving the main phases, technical SEO, OnSite SEO, and Off-Site SEO, is just the beginning. Ranking for targeted keywords will take a consistent monthly program of content development, backend keyword adjustments, link development, website maintenance, and data analytics. Monitoring the metrics is a must. As my boss mentioned above also used to say, “You can’t manage what you don’t measure.”

Is Your Organization Ready to Receive Leads

As a marketer focused on lead generation, one of the most significant issues I confront is implementing an SEO plan and creating qualified leads, and the company isn’t prepared. The rule of thumb we follow after receiving leads:

• 82% of leads expect an immediate response
• The fastest responder closes approximately 50% of the leads
• Responding after 30 minutes is 21x less effective than responding within five minutes

Another common roadblock to becoming institutionally ready is assuming your product is different. Periodically, I will hear clients say, “My product doesn’t fall under this research. Our company has large ticket items, and people will wait for us to reach out.” But remember, in the information age, potential buyers are almost ⅔ of the way to the sales process before reaching out. People have done their research and are further down the sales process than at any other time in history. That’s why you want to be the resource to help potential customers navigate the overwhelming amount of information in a 1-on-1 setting.

Developing a successful SEO strategy is a complicated process if you want to discuss SEO or digital marketing elements, contact Power Marketing or call us at 615-257-0057.

The post How to Avoid Disappointment in Your SEO appeared first on Power-Marketing.

Let’s start by defining what Google Ads is and what it does for your company. Google Ads is an online advertising tool that you can leverage to reach people exactly when they are interested in services or products that you offer. You start by setting up an account and then design ads that you can direct to your potential customers. Google Ads can help sell your services, raise awareness of an event, generate leads, promote your business, or increase website traffic. The best part is that you have complete control over your budget, and there is no minimum spending amount. You can also change your ads anytime you want to and choose where your ads appear.

When you Google a search term like ‘Best Dentist in Nashville, the first three or four results that appear before the map pack and the organic results are pay-per-click ads. The cost of these ads depends on how competitive your phrase is and what your competitors pay for the same keywords.

Now that you have a better idea of what Google Ads is, the question at hand is why you should be using Google Ads for your home building company. Below are the top 5 Reasons.

Reason #1 – Google Ads is Measurable & Trackable. When combined with Google Analytics, you can track details, including impressions, clicks, and conversions. You can also see where clicks come from down to the city, area code, age group, keyword selected, or even determine the day(s) of the week your ad is most effective. So, there should be no mystery to your Google Ads performance.

Reason #2 – You Are in Control. You get to set your ad budget and how little or much you want to spend each day/month. You can also start/stop ads anytime, significantly benefiting home builders. At Power Marketing, we have been working with new home builders for almost 30 years, and we know there are slow/busy times every year. Having the ability to increase or decrease your ad spending with no strings attached is a huge benefit.

Reason #3 – Google Ads Can Provide Quick Exposure. Even if you just started your building company six months ago and finished your new website (if you haven’t, we can help), PPC can get you near-instant exposure. Compared to starting up SEO, which can take months or years to obtain results, with Google Ads, you can start targeting your audience and getting them to your site immediately. Sure, you should optimize your website for SEO (yes, we can help with that, too), but PPC provides a way to quickly find new prospects and customers.

Reason #4 – It Increases Your Leads. Google Ads is one of the best ways to generate more leads for your home building company. You can grow your potential leads by building custom landing pages that relate to your ads on your website and providing an easy opt-in form. In addition, because Google Ads allows you to focus on people searching for new homes, you can continually refine your search criteria as well.

Reason #5 – You Can Harness Intent. What exactly does that mean, you ask? Here’s a good example: We have probably seen an ad for shoes, TVs, restaurants, etc., pop up on a website we’re on or a social media platform like Facebook while we are browsing. Maybe you were looking at a friend’s wedding photos or discovering what was happening in the news when these ads appeared. This is known as interruptive marketing: you didn’t ask for it, but it was given to you (like TV commercials).

Conversely, with Google Ads, you are advertising directly to someone looking for something specific like “new homes Cincinnati” or “custom home builder Denver Colorado.” Then, when your ad appears, it helps them find the answer by bridging the gap with helpful information. This is permission-based marketing and is typically more effective than interruptive marketing.

Google Ads/PPC is a very effective marketing tool for today’s homebuilders. So maybe it’s time you get Homebuilder Google Ads/PPC working for you.

A well-managed PPC campaign can produce immediate exposure for your home building company. Our PPC specialist will discuss the best strategies to ensure you receive the desired results from your Pay Per Click budget. Getting clicks isn’t enough; getting clicks that bring results to your company is our goal.

Power Marketing is your pay-per-click expert; contact us today!

The post Top 5 Reasons Why Google Ads is Important for Your Home Building Company appeared first on Power-Marketing.

• Create More Content
• Use Targeted Keywords
• Add Backlinks
• Optimize Your Onsite SEO

These elements are the cornerstone of a successful SEO strategy. But SEO is more than keywords and content. Your website must operate safely and efficiently before the search engines give you a noticeable boost. In other words, Google doesn’t want to send their coveted customers to websites with a poor user experience or, worse, a website that may expose the user’s information.

So when evaluating SEO providers, any effective strategy should address these elements:

Optimizing Your Website for Mobile – Google’s Core Web Vitals update in June emphasized mobile design and page download speeds in relation to SEO value. A website well-designed for mobile increases SEO value. More than 50% of traffic comes from mobile devices for most homebuilders. So, your website should be on a mobile-responsive platform. Do not start an SEO strategy until you have a mobile-responsive website.

Monitoring Page Performance – Even if you have a mobile-responsive website, you must monitor the individual pages. If the design of your website is challenging to navigate, users will abandon your website. The analytics and reporting for SEO are vast and intricate.

An SEO firm should examine, review, explain, and make adjustments to these elements regularly:

• Average Page Views Per Session
• Exit Rates
• Average Time on Page
• Sessions Duration
• Bounce Rates

Reviewing and Upgrading Website Speeds – As mentioned earlier, Google’s Core Web Vitals update emphasized a website’s page download times in relation to SEO value. When considering an SEO strategy, make sure it includes steps to speed up your website:

• Optimizing Images for Fast Download Times
• Removing Captcha from Contact Forms (if warranted) 
• Upgrading or Replacing Plugins
• Potentially Adding a Content Delivery Network
• Removing the Live Chat (if you aren’t using it)

Monitoring Website Security—This seems obvious. Security should be a priority for any website in this age of cyberattacks, phishing emails, and malware. But sometimes, websites don’t tend to minor issues that could damage security.

An SSL certificate is the first step in preparing your website for SEO. The SSL certificate encrypts information on your website so potential threats cannot read information transmitted between you and your potential customers.

Substandard website hosting can cause security issues and hurt your SEO value. Your website should be hosted on a private or dedicated server. Websites hosted on a shared server are more vulnerable to attack and affect your website’s SEO value.

Removing Toxic Links – According to SEO Watch, Google processes around 400,000 “unnatural link” monthly penalties. Toxic links are backlinks to your website from questionable sources. These links can be from spam websites, low-domain authority websites, or paid link-building networks. Identifying and removing toxic links is a simple process involving a monthly audit. This graph from SEMrush gives an example of a toxic link report:

If you are penalized by Google, they may dramatically drop the ranking of targeted keywords or unlist your website entirely from search. Fixing these issues after you’ve been penalized can take weeks to months to clear up.

Maintaining the Website—If you are familiar with Power Marketing’s blogs, you know we love to compare websites to cars. Websites, like cars, need ongoing maintenance. Otherwise, performance suffers or can even lead to a complete shutdown. So, your SEO team should review your website monthly or quarterly to check for broken links and outdated code.

When you go to a web page and get an error message, that is most likely a broken link. Broken links occur for multiple reasons. Some of the most common reasons are updates to the website having disconnected pages, an external link to a source no longer available, or a website page with a typo in the URL. Whatever the case, finding and fixing these issues is a simple process. More importantly, when Google crawls a website with broken links, it decreases the SEO value since Google doesn’t want to send users to pages that don’t work.

Website code refers to the commands developers write that create the website functions. So, code is the nerve center. Every year, techniques and criteria for building websites change dramatically. These changes help advance the website’s speed, design, and function. By updating old code, you make the website function more efficiently, and in return, you increase your SEO value. Updating code is probably best reviewed quarterly or annually. But a code review should be standard if you start an SEO program and have a website that is over two years old.

If you are searching online for help with SEO, remember that many companies do not handle essential SEO functions like improving web speeds, reviewing security, repairing broken links, and cleaning up outdated code. So, make sure an SEO strategy incorporates these elements.

If you would like a free toxic backlink scan and a free SEO & local SEO audit, contact Power Marketing.

The post Is Your SEO Working? appeared first on Power-Marketing.

Audience Overview Recap

This data shows you an in-depth view of users. For example, the data indicates if the visitors are new or returning, page engagement, session duration, demographics, primary interests, type of device used to view your website, visitor’s location, and browser type.

Ten (10) sections within the Audience Overview give analysts a general idea about the users themselves. These data sets help website and SEO developers understand the user’s origins, primary device and operating system (OS), and search preferences or insights.

Demographics

This section covers two (2) segments: Age and Gender. This type of data helps strategists recommend and develop page content targeting the demographic consuming it most frequently. For instance, a website featuring a clothing line targeting females ages 18-24 would want to tailor their content to appeal to users within that specific demographic to increase visitors within that age range.

Interests

The best way to understand this segmentation is to give a real-world scenario. For example, if most of your audience likes more movies and entertainment and less weather and business, consider creating content that references the interests and trends that appeal to your audience. Doing this will increase engagement and encourage return visits.

Geo

This data handles language and location. Using the country codes, analysts can know whether the content reaches the correct audience. Geolocation data is crucial for websites with a global audience to deliver content in the proper language format. Websites focusing primarily on a specific country or language can segment reports to show only these statistics.

Behavior

• New vs. Returning – Records new and returning visits to a site, including sessions, bounce rates, pages per session, session duration (time on site), and any eCommerce stats (if any paid campaigns are connected).
• Frequency & Recency – Records count of sessions, days since the last session, sessions (numeric), and page views.
• Engagement – Records session duration in varying sequential steps (1-10, 11-30, 31-60, etc.), page depth, sessions, and pageviews.
• Session Quality – This eCommerce segment uses ranged scoring to determine the user’s proximity to conversion. For an in-depth explanation of Session Quality, click here.
• Conversion Probability (Beta) – This is also an eCommerce segment that scores a user’s behavior to calculate the probability of conversion and attaches a value based on sessions, page views, etc. For an in-depth explanation of  Conversion Probability, click here.

Technology

This segment collects data on a website visitor’s browser, operating system, screen resolution, screen colors, and records sessions, pageviews, bounce rates, and more. As a result, web developers and SEO experts gain valuable information that can be used in desktop, tablet, and responsive mobile design to enhance user experience.

Mobile

This segment deals specifically with devices: Desktop, tablet, and mobile. As in the case of technology, developers and content strategists use this data to determine and measure whether sites provide a good user experience. Mobile info records sessions, pageviews, bounce rates, and other dimensions.

Cross-Device

The best way to define Cross-Device is to think of a user having more than one type of device – desktop, tablet, and mobile – and starting their buyer’s journey on one device and returning to a website to complete a purchase on another. For example, it is not uncommon for a website visitor to start browsing on a desktop, find a product or service of interest, close the session, and return later to revisit the product or service and purchase it on a mobile device. This segment helps analysts understand how devices are used and which are preferred or more commonly used in conversion.

Custom

As of October 14, 2020, this segmentation has been deprecated and is no longer part of their reporting. Learn more about deprecated property types by clicking here.

Benchmarking

• Channels – A company can choose from over 1600 industry categories and then compare data from other companies who share their data.
• Location – Takes that same industry vertical and compares by location.
• Devices – Using the same industry vertical, makes comparisons based on desktop, tablet, and mobile.

User Flow

Allows analysts to set any desired dimension, such as an advertising keyword, and follow the user flow through their site visit. A lot of valuable information is gained by analyzing which pages users prefer and engage with and other pages that can be improved or eliminated. It isn’t just the good numbers to pay attention to; it’s also underperforming pages that should be looked at to enhance the overall user experience.

Summary

The foundational principle in collecting these types of metrics is to deliver the best user experience possible. It is also important to remember that Google rewards websites that continuously improve the user experience and produce quality content. Self-reflection is both a pain point and a learning experience. Meeting your users’ needs will result in quality users, qualified leads, and concrete conversions.

If you want a free evaluation to determine whether your website needs improvement or to ensure you can get vital website data, call us at 615.257.0057 or use our contact form.

The post Understanding Google Analytics: Audience Overview & User Metrics appeared first on Power-Marketing.

If you are a business owner with a website, your primary goal should be to outrank your competition. That goes without saying. However, knowing the “how” and the “why” can bring your business plan into focus when you understand how Google Analytics works towards your success. In this article, we’ll cover the analytics dashboard and show you how it can help you track your products and services while understanding how internet users are finding (or not finding) your business online.

Before we dive in, we recommend you read our post on the changes to Google’s Web Core Vitals rolling out in mid-June. The Core Vitals update will affect websites that are not mobile-friendly, lack a good user experience, and many more factors that can potentially determine page rank.

What is Google Analytics? & Why Use it?

Google Analytics is a free analytics tool offered by Google. It reports website traffic along with helping you track the effectiveness of your digital marketing efforts.

GA aggregates the data collected for your website in a variety of ways: user actions, session visits, pages visited, and events such as video views, button clicks, etc.

The data allows you to see who’s coming to your website, how many people are visiting your website, where they are coming from, what pages they are looking at, and how much time they are spending on your website.

It’s also full of great geographic information that breaks down age, gender, city, and lots of other important data.

The most important reason to use Google analytics is to assess user experience, pages that seem to hold the user’s attention, and most importantly, pages that can use improvement. That last one is often overlooked. However, the more data you collect, the better you’ll understand what to deliver to your audience, which results in a better ROI.

Setting Up Google Analytics: Account Access & Best Practices

If you don’t already have a Google Analytics account, it is best to set up an independent Gmail email account with an email address closest to the name of your business. As long as you are logged into this new account, you can access an entire family of Google products in one account. Some of the most commonly used are Google Analytics, Google My Business, Google AdWords, Search Console, YouTube, Gmail, Google Drive, and many other apps.

If you do have a Google Analytics account, you may have set it up under one of the following methods:

• Set up through a website developer as part of your internal marketing team. Your marketing director would have direct access to the data as the primary administrator.
• Set up by a marketing agency hired to develop and manage your website. The agency’s marketing director, most likely, will be the primary administrator.
• Set up by a specialized SEO company hired to collect data from users to your website. A project manager would probably be the primary administrator.

Clicking on the links in the left sidebar navigation will display more options, which contain helpful information. Such as:

Realtime

Realtime allows you to see visitors to your site as they are visiting. You can see whether they are on desktop or mobile, pages viewed, and total page views. You can also see how they found your website and the visitor’s location.

Audience

This data shows you an in-depth view of users. The data shows if the visitors are new or returning, page engagement, session duration, demographics, primary interests, type of device used to view your website, visitor’s location, and browser type.

Acquisition

Information in the Acquisition section analyzes the origins of users. Direct traffic (they typed in the URL), social media, paid advertising, organic search, and referring websites are the main types of traffic. This section also incorporates information from Google Search Console.  You must connect Google Search Console to your website to collect data from this source.

Behavior

This section contains information on how a user navigates through your website. Data includes all pages, landing pages, exit pages, and user flow. If you have configured your site to track button clicks, views on videos, and more, you can review this data in the events link.

Conversions

If you have a Google AdWords account, you can track your conversions within this section (please note: you must have the Google Adwords integrated with Google Analytics).  If you have set up goals in Google Analytics, which we highly recommend, you can monitor the results and set up custom reports. Once a campaign has ended, you can remove the previous goals and set up new ones.

The Ecommerce section allows you to see whether users are adding products to the shopping cart, abandoning the shopping cart, or following through with the purchase. Tracking a buyer’s behavior can improve the shopping experience, potentially leading to more conversions.

Admin

In this setting, administrators can adjust property settings, create views, filters, and funnels. Other uses include: connect your Google AdWords account, set up eCommerce tracking, add or delete users, import data from other sources, schedule email reporting, and share assets.

Once you have correctly configured your analytics account, you can set up custom reports, do comparative data analysis, and discover ways to improve your website.

If you need help setting up your initial Google analytics dashboard, call Power Marketing at 615.257.0057, or use our contact form.

My next article will break down the Audience Overview. Stay Tuned!

The post Understanding Google Analytics: The Beginners Guide appeared first on Power-Marketing.

In the previous three parts of this series, we discussed the core elements needed to create a marketing-ready website. Unfortunately, your website will require constant attention, upgrades, and monitoring to run efficiently and safely. At Power Marketing, we compare a website to a car (we do this too much). If you buy a new vehicle, it will run perfectly for a while. But, over time, the car will slowly break down if the oil is not changed, the tires aren’t maintained, the air filter is cleaned, etc. A website is similar. It needs scheduled maintenance and monitoring to avoid expensive repairs or massive failure in the worst-case scenario.

Security Updates and Backups (a.k.a People are Devious)

Hacking. You’ve heard the term thousands of times in the past few years. But what exactly is it? Hacking takes many different forms, from phishing to malware attacks. For our purposes, we will focus on individuals hacking websites through software that isn’t updated. Although there is no standard term for these types of hackers, it’s one of the most prevalent attacks. Websites use additional software, also known as plugins, for features like search bars, news feeds, and blogging. These plugins are highly vulnerable to attacks if not updated regularly. Of course, you may ask yourself, “Who would want to hack my website?” These attacks typically are not directed at individuals or organizations—hackers merely want to hack anything where they can gain access to information, data, etc. In other words, they like to cause problems.

Regular security updates will keep not only your website secure and protected but also your information and your customers’ data protected. So, updating your website will diminish your chances of being hacked. 

Having your website on a private server is a good start. But backing up your website every 24 hours is also beneficial. Hacking your website may be inevitable. But, there will be a recoverable version from the previous day in case of complete failure. Sure, there will be items missing, but the missing items will be minimal. 

Websites Slow Down

Websites that don’t receive monthly maintenance will most likely have slow load times. Returning to our car comparison, if your new car has been on the road for a few months, the vehicle will pick up baggage, extra passengers, dirt, and maybe a few scratches. After some time, the car will start moving slower. A website is the same. Websites can pick up code, you may add pages and images, and the framework (CMS) may need upgrading. All of these will slow down your website, especially photos. With the new Google update coming in May (now pushed back to June), page speeds will have more weight with SEO, especially on mobile. Almost half of your potential customers will leave your website if it doesn’t load within three seconds.

Home Builder websites are notoriously slow since most contain large image galleries of homes, kitchens, bathrooms, etc. Avoid this problem by optimizing images monthly or using a Content Delivery Network (CDN). These practices will optimize the download times for your website.

Check Your Search Terms

In part two of this series, we discussed setting up your website with onsite and offsite SEO to attract potential customers by identifying the terms they use when looking for your product. Monthly reviews of these search terms can help you see what words potential customers use to find you and the most popular pages. These reviews will also identify new keywords for the future. SpyFu and UberSuggest are websites where you can get high-level overviews at no charge.

Another benefit of reviewing search terms is seeing if someone has added unwanted content to your website. For example, I worked with a builders’ association in the Northeast. Their traffic tripled in six months. A quick review of their top pages revealed someone added a page about hacking an online game to the website. That was their number one page. We found it and removed it.  

Monthly Audits / Checking Backlinks

Each month, we perform a diagnostic for our clients with SEO or advanced managed services agreements. The software scans websites for toxic backlinks, disconnected pages, or missing SEO elements, among other things.  

Backlinks are when another website links to your website as a source of information. These links increase both your SEO & local SEO since another source cites your website as reputable. The problem is that non-reputable websites will also link to your website. These are known as toxic links. Toxic links can come from websites that are not relevant to your business, have security issues, or do not meet Google’s standards for websites. These harmful links can damage your SEO or even penalize you by Google.  

Also, pages on websites can disconnect and not work. Disconnections are common and easily fixed. Contacts pages and Call-to-Action (CTA) buttons will most likely be affected. Typically, these pages are your top lead sources. So they need to be checked monthly, if not weekly.

Keeping your website safe is an ongoing process. Any reputable company will provide these services for a fee or as part of an SEO, hosting, or website build package. The important part is ensuring you don’t let your maintenance and security lapse. If it does, have a backup plan. 

Conclusion

Power Marketing has been a valued technical partner & SEO company for homebuilders, contractors, and the home services industries for almost three decades. 

Contact us today for a free consultation regarding your website’s speed, security, and maintenance!

The post My Website is Launched and Optimized. Now What? (Part 4 of 4) appeared first on Power-Marketing.

According to many local SEO experts, your Google Business Profile or formerly Google My Business (GMB) profile is now considered your new homepage. It is a crucial tool for businesses to optimize their online presence and gain maximum visibility on Google. However, even without visiting your website, potential customers can find vital information about your business, such as opening hours, reviews, and contact details.

It is crucial to view your Google business profile from your users’ perspective and ensure that it stands out from your competitors. However, before aiming for a spot in the coveted map pack, you first optimize your Google Business profile.

If you want to rank in local search results on Google, you must ensure your business appears in the Google Map Pack. This pack offers premium visibility in search results, allowing companies to manage and control all their information.

Local SEO and Google business profile optimization are essential components of any successful digital marketing strategy, and businesses should focus on continually improving their online presence to stay ahead of the competition.

A quick search for ‘Nashville Home Builder’ returns these results below:

All things being equal, I might call or check out Frank Batson first because of their reviews.

Local results are based primarily on three factors: distance, prominence, and relevancy. Let’s break those down a little further:

• Relevance refers to how well a local Google Business profile matches a user’s search query. You want to make sure that you thoroughly add all your detailed business information to help Google better understand your business and match your profile to relevant searches better.
• Distance considers how far each potential search result is from the location term used in a search. If a user doesn’t specify a location in their search, it’ll calculate distance based on what’s known about the user’s location.
• Prominence refers to how ‘well-known’ a business is. That’s determined based on the information Google knows about the company from across the internet, including links, articles, and directories. For example, famous hotels, landmarks, or well-known name brands are more likely to be prominent in local search results.

Google uses a combination of various factors to identify the most relevant search results for a user’s query. These factors include the content on a website, the user’s location, and the website’s overall authority. For instance, Google’s algorithms may prioritize a business farther away from a user’s location if it is more likely to provide accurate information.

While you cannot control all these factors, you can take specific steps to improve your business’s chances of appearing in the Google Map Pack. Here are some easy and effective ways to optimize your online presence and provide Google with accurate information:

To-Do Checklist

Claim Your Profile

First, you need to claim your business profile. It’s free to do. Go to Google Business and enter your business name. Then click on ‘Create A Business With This Name’ and complete the registration process, or click on the drop-down if your business name appears to claim your business or request access.

If you are a home builder with multiple locations or communities, you want all those locations to appear on the map. Make sure each community has a business profile.

Complete Your Profile

Now that you have claimed your business profile, you must update all the business information. Fill out all the business information you can. Your profile contains lots of information about your business, so complete all the detailed information. There are even special features like setting holiday hours.

Get Reviews

Did you know that reviews on Google factor into local search rankings? The more positive ratings and reviews your business has, the more it can boost your local rankings. Business reviews or 1st party reviews live in your profile. These are considered the most trustworthy. You can also receive alerts when you receive new reviews.

Respond to reviews

Ensure you are monitoring reviews and have a process to respond. You should respond to all reviews, even the bad ones. Responding shows your prospects you are responsive, attentive, and care about your customer experience.

SEO

Your keyword ranking positions in search results are also a contributing factor, so search engine optimization (SEO) matters here too. With a localized SEO strategy, you can get ranked organically in the search results and the Google Map Pack.

Posts

You can post straight to your Google Business profile, just like on your social media channels. Posts can include helpful information such as events, special offers, or announcements. Calls to action are also built so you can have someone call or email straight from your post. Regular posting is helpful, increases engagement, and shows you’re active. When posting to your business profile, you can even share it on your other platforms. Posts typically live up to 7 days.

Add photos

A picture is worth a thousand words. Make sure you are adding photos to the profile as well. Ensure your profile has various high-quality images. Include your building’s interior, exterior, and employees’ most popular products/services. Photos help customers find and locate your business. Adding photos helps make your business personal and stand out, but you’ll want to avoid including stock images.

Build Links

Adding your information to online directories provides multiple benefits to your business. It helps you get found easier, ensures all your data is correct across the internet, and helps build valuable links. Some standard websites for business listings include Facebook, Twitter, City Search, and Bing. Don’t forget about review sites like Yelp, Trip Advisor, or even local blogs.

Conclusion

For small businesses, Google Business Profile and Google’s Map Pack are two valuable and free resources that can help level the playing field regarding SEO. Although it takes effort to get listed in the map pack, getting there and maintaining the position is achievable and worth the hard work, whether a more extensive digital marketing campaign or just SEO, including business listings and profiles as part of your overall digital strategy, is essential.

These resources allow small businesses to increase their online visibility, reach a wider audience, and drive more website traffic. It is important to note that optimizing your Google Business Profile and staying up-to-date on your business listings across various platforms are critical components of your digital marketing strategy. As a result, it is essential to prioritize these tasks and focus on maintaining consistency and accuracy across all online platforms.

Email or call us if you need a technology partner or want digital help.

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