Monthly Archives: May 2019

Voice Search & Search Engine Optimization

Posted on May 24, 2019 by - Search Engine Optimization

Voice Search and Search Engine Optimization

Why You Need to Update Your Website Content for Voice Search.

These days, voice commanded searches are ever increasing with the rapid growth of ‘smart’ devices in consumer’s homes. So long are the days when voice required individuals to dial a number and state their queries. Now you are more likely to see devices like Google Home and Amazon Alexa popping up in homes across the world. In one study, 20% of adults in the US have smart devices in their home featuring a smart speaker.¹ More and more people across the world are noticing the ease of convenience that comes with voice search, especially in time-sensitive situations. And research only indicates that voice search will only further evolve and develop into a more sophisticated and useful tool.

In 2016 MindMeld’s report on Intelligent Voice Assistants Research Report identifies the top reasons for using voice command searches among consumer:

  • 61% – Found it useful for when hands / vision occupied
  • 30% – Provided faster results
  • 24% – Some have difficulty typing on certain devices
  • 22% – Because it’s fun
  • 12% – Avoid confusing menus
  • 1% – Other

This means that web professional need to start updating their website content for voice search. In order to stay ahead of the curve this means that websites also need to be geared towards how users would navigate a website verbally. Search Engine Optimization for Voice Search is just like regular SEO. However, there are few things that sets Voice Search apart from mobile and desktop types searches.

How Do I Get Ranked for Voice Search? Here are some tips and tricks on how to keep your content at the top of Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs).

Voice searches are conversational, and people don’t generally speak the way that they type. This means that instead of focusing on current buzzwords, you should be focusing on long tail keywords. These conversational words generally are framed around words such as, who, what when, why, how etc. Further advice to consider relates to content with multiple keywords has consistently proven to hold out better against competition. This also includes asking how you can keep the conversation going with a user and therefore leading them to relevant information elsewhere.

Showcase featured snippets, that provide users with fast and simple results. Additionally, this will also keep your content at the top of SERPs and giving your website higher visibility.

Keep speed in mind because search engine algorithms like Google’s prioritize websites that load faster. Although fast delivery also relates to the featured snippet that is shown in response to a user’s query. A featured snippet presents the most the relevant content at the top of search results creating a smoother experience. Keeping your information easy for search engines to locate is essential, especially in time-sensitive situations where information requires a higher urgency

Consider locality in how you craft your websites content for optimization. Mainly because people are frequently using voice-search on the go, and thereby searching for more localized content.² Context is everything, and therefore take into consideration the context that your website and services exist within and that will help you focus your Search Engine Optimization.

 Ask yourself this, what is the value you are providing to your customers? Sometimes what it takes is a trip back to the basics. Users speak to their devices for a reason, and they are in search of an answer. Therefore, your priorities should be geared towards delivering utility, simplifying commerce and providing entertainment that only voice command can offer. Too much entertainment, can also divert attention away from a user’s intended goal and that’s not useful. Remember what value you provide to your users and what their needs are.

Take Advantage of FAQs are an easy way to include your long-tail search keywords into your sites content naturally. By Incorporating frequently asked question, you insert long-tail keywords into your content and avoid any awkward phrasing, benefiting both users and your SEO.

Why Chose Google?

Significantly, what has become predominant in the evolution of voice search engines is Google’s ability to stay on top. Google’s own Google Home and Google Home Mini have proven time and time again to provide the most relevant content fluidly to users. Whereas Microsoft and Apple’s tech tend to fetch results that are essentially social marketing quips, that don’t necessarily answer the command. What you should take away here is that it makes more sense to focus your Search Engine Optimization for Voice Search efforts towards Google as the primary search engine.

The bottom line? Keep It Simple. Information needs to be easy for an individual to comprehend, Grade 9 Reading Levels are the general recommendation that almost all public information is written in. By maintaining the content to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines regardless of type or voice search increases you SEO rankings. You can start to uncover how best to go about changing your voice search keywords by analyzing customer phone calls and testing various content in order to discover what works best! And remember, to incorporate long-tail and natural keywords in your meta data and web content, rather than just a single head term.

Taking these tips into consideration will help you stay up-to-date on the ever-changing trends in voice-search technologies. In case all this information seems a little daunting talk to us about how we can help improve your site’s voice search optimization. Here at Insiteful Solutions, our digital marketing agency helps Toronto businesses like yours. With extensive knowledge in SEO and PPC marketing founded in strong ROI, our experienced team can help your company reach the high standards that you have set for yourself.

Content Marketing

Posted on May 15, 2019 by - Online / Content Marketing

Content Marketing

What Is Content Marketing? 

Definition of content marketing:  A type of marketing that involves the creation and sharing of online material (such as videos, blogs, and social media posts) that does not explicitly promote a brand but is intended to stimulate interest in its products or services. (i.e. “social media is an integral part of content marketing”)

One the biggest challenges facing many businesses is the ability to regularly produce online content which is engaging. Great content makes your business stand apart from the others. Your Online Content Marketing Strategy ties together your website design, Social Media, SEO, e-mail marketing and all other elements of your online brand.

Lack of time is the biggest challenge for businesses wanting to write consistently strong content. That’s where we can help. Our seasoned team has lots of experience writing online content that will increase your online engagement, create more social media buzz, and at the same time write in the voice that’s consistent with your brand. You know your company better than anyone, let us help you bring it to the web. We excel at helping you achieve your business objectives with high engagement content and finely-tuned SEO.

Every business is unique and we know there’s no one-size-fits-all approach for content marketing. Your content is much more than a bunch of text and filler on a webpage, at Insiteful Solutions we think it’s the glue that brings all elements of your digital brand together. It’s your face and voice to your brand.

We specialize in writing informative and engaging content. This creates excitement for your website visitors and establishes a relationship with them. Your website content is your online sales pitch. Quality content empowers your customers and creates long-term brand relationships which ultimately lead to more sales. We develop content marketing plans that provide your site with relevant content which is frequently updated with insight gained from your online traffic data.

https://insitefulweb.com/services/online-marketing/content-marketing/

The Power of Instagram

Posted on May 6, 2019 by - Social Media

Instagram 101

The world was introduced to Instagram in the fall of 2010. The term Instagram derived from a combination of ‘instant camera’ and ‘telegram’ and quickly grew from 1 million users in 2010 to an incredible billion daily users by 2018. At Insiteful Solutions we are Social Media and Online Specialists and are based in Markham and the GTA who can help bring your social media marketing to the next level.

While similar to other social media vehicles Instagram is more focused on visual sharing. With nearly 5 billion mobile phones in use globally people are taking more photos than ever before; it has been estimated that 95 million images are posted to Instagram every day. Instagram users can comment, like, tag and communicate both publicly or in private messaging. While text is often incorporated into an Instagram post it’s not required.

How do I get started?

Glad you asked – the very first thing you’ll need to do is to create an Instagram account – the good news is that its free! If you have a business Facebook account you can use that or you can sign up using an email account. Once you input your username and password you will be asked if you want to connect with people you may already know on Instagram.

When opening up a business Instagram account it’s a good idea to brand your account to match all your business marketing materials. As soon as you start connecting with people they will be able to learn about your company – and as the saying goes ‘first impressions matter’!

How do I post photos and videos to Instagram?

In a single post you can upload up to 10 photos and videos. Her are helpful instructions from Instagram!

  1. Tap then tap Library (iPhone) or Gallery (Android) at the bottom of the screen.
  2. Tap .
  3. Select up to 10 photos and videos from your phone’s library. To adjust how each photo or video is cropped, tap it then touch the screen to adjust how it fits in the frame. Keep in mind that the orientation you choose (square, portrait or landscape) affects all of the photos or videos in your post. You can’t select a different orientation for each photo or video. When you’re done, tap Nextin the top right.
  4. Tap a filter at the bottom of the screen to apply it to every photo and video you’ve selected, or tap a photo or video to edit it and add filters individually.
  5. To change the order of your photos and videos, tap and hold one then drag it to another spot. To remove a photo or video from your post, tap and hold one, then drag it to at the top of the screen. When you’re done, tap Next in the top right.
  6. You can add one location and caption for your entire post, and tag someone in each individual photo. Tap Tag People, then swipe to find the photo you’d like to tag someone in.
  7. Tap Share.

In Feed, you’ll see the first photo or video from your post with a row of dots below it. People can swipe to see the rest of the photos or videos you’ve shared. On your profile, you’ll see the first photo or video from your post with  in the top right. From your profile, you can tap the post, then swipe to view the rest of the photos and videos you’ve shared.

What the heck is a hashtag?

On Instagram hashtags and how you use them matter; using the hashtag symbol # next to a keyword does two things. First, it helps people to search for topics using the # symbol and it also indexes terms and topics that can be used across the social media network.

Hashtags got their start on Twitter in 2007 by  product developer Chris Messina, he sent out a tweet asking if people would use the # symbol when identifying group activity on Twitter. Chris mined other social media platforms Jaiku and Flickr for inspiration on how best to contextualize and group like minded terms and issues. Originally Chris wanted hashtags to act as a device to provider users a way in which to add supplemental info to a (think linking a magazine article related to the topic of your photo on Instagram).

After some trials and tribulations (and internal debate at Twitter headquarters) the hashtag soon evolved into an integral part of every social media platform.

Hashtags are a great way for you to draw attention to your business; its been reported that an Instagram post with a hashtag gains 13% more engagement that one without. Your company can reach customers in two ways: you can create a hashtag related to your product or offering or you can start using hashtags created by your customers. An irreverent use of hashtags has also become popular marketing method. In 2015 Red Bull started their #putacanonit campaign which asked people to include a can of Red Bull in their Instagram photos. The campaign took off like wildfire and created massive user generated content at absolutely no cost to Red Bull.

Instagram Hashtag

When using a hashtag for your business it’s important to remember that it should reflect your brand’s personality. There are also general hashtags ( example: #instadaily) that are used broadly that you could also take advantage of (keeping in mind that broadly used hashtags can dilute your message). You should figure out what number of hashtags works for your brand and keep them organized in either Excel or an Instagram analytics tool. Most brands post anywhere from seven to 20 hashtags per post. You can also easily research how other brands are hashtagging and test out what works best for your business.

Instagram

What’s tagging?

Tagging is another great, virtually no cost, way to attract attention to your brand on Instagram. You can tag someone on Instagram by placing an @ symbol before their name. You can identify someone in a photo by tagging them or can mention them in the text in your comment section. Its best when tagging someone to have the correct link to their social media account. Before tagging someone on your Instagram account it’s a good idea to have a plan formulated on who you are trying to reach and what you’re trying to communicate.

At Insiteful Solutions we are Social Media/Online Specialists who operate in Markham and the GTA. We’ve worked with hundreds of clients to improve their social media marketing – give us a call so we can help your company!