Topic: Search Engine Optimization

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

 
At Insiteful Solutions, based in Markham, Ontario, we have been working with clients for 17 years to create websites to successfully establish their brands online. We have had the honour of working with over 510 companies from around the world representing 93 industries. Our goal has always been to help our clients use the internet effectively to promote themselves, increase profits and be successful.

When businesses launch and present their brand one of the most important aspects that they need to consider is their SEO. Many brands might think that simply presenting a great product to the marketplace with a strong website and social media campaign can give their business a chance to succeed are mistaken. The importance of a strong SEO cannot be underestimated.

Just to get back to the basics: an SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. SEO is the process in which visitation to your website is maximized by ensuring that your site appears as high as possible on the results of a search engine.

The key to being successful online is creating a strong brand; to do this you need to drive as much traffic to your website as possible. You will need to provide superior quality content that uses keywords to reflect what your user is looking for – this is where knowledge of your customer base comes in handy. By completing a thorough keyword search and applying this knowledge to each and every page on your website you are increasing your SEO rating.

When looking for a service on the internet many people start with an ‘organic search’ – this is when a person enters text (in the form of terms or a string of text) related to the service they desire. What pops up are lists of businesses related to their search. The goal of any business is to be as ‘high-up’ on the result page as possible. Many people are familiar with Google as the main search engine, but there are others like: Bing, Yahoo and Baidu. But Google is the leading search engine who owns approximately 75% of the overall market. Here are some important (and mind boggling) stats on Google:

• 90% of searches made on desktops are done via Google. (Statista)
• 35% of product searches start on Google. (eMarketer)
• 34% of “near me” searches done via desktop and tablets result in in-store visits. (HubSpot)
• The average Google search session lasts just under a minute.

It was also reported in 2018 that Google receives over 63,000 searches per second per day – which translates into 5.6 billion searches per day. The other search engines share roughly 25% of the remaining market. Google is also the most popular email provider in the world with more than 1 billion users.

If your website ranks high in an organic Google search it lends credibility to your business and brand that you have essentially been endorsed by Google. And in a competitive marketplace, where customers have dozens (if not more) brands to choose from, having a high-ranking SEO greatly increases your chances of success.

At Insiteful Solutions we work with clients to create websites with a strong SEO foundation. We impress upon our clients the need to identify their niche market and as much as possible – then we can design a site to cater to your potential customers needs and optimize your site. As any new brand can attest you will need something to stand out, by thoroughly researching your audience and their needs and wants you can build your site to attract them.

An often-overlooked part of building your website is content planning. At Insiteful Solutions, our expert team will work with you on developing a content schedule that will allow you to populate your website with fresh and relevant content – employing keywords – to continually attract customers to your site.

As SEO experts Insiteful Solutions is at the forefront of trends in SEO’s. We encourage all of our clients to not only focus on their desktop website but to start prioritizing their mobile strategy. There is a tremendous shift in internet traffic from desktop to mobile devices. It is estimated that 52% of global internet traffic comes from mobile devices. At Institeful Solutions we are always adapting and leading when it comes to SEO’s, and we work with our clients to change their marketing campaigns to take full advantage of all current trends. We work with clients to create responsive website designs that not only look good and perform on a desktop but also a mobile device. This attention to trends will allow your customers to move between their devices with ease while visiting your website.

Everything we do at Insiteful Solutions is designed to help your business succeed. As SEO specialists we can work with you from the very beginning, or take a current site and improve it, to ensure you are optimizing your website and attracting the accurate audience for your brand. Being based in Markham allows us the flexibility to work with clients in Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, Vaughan, Richmond Hill, Oakville, Burlington, Oshawa, Pickering, Ajax and throughout the entire GTA. We have worked with clients in nearly every industry and consistently deliver websites that address all their online marketing needs.

Contact us today to discuss your SEO and how Insiteful Solutions can help your business grow.

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.

Should a company invest their marketing dollars into Search Engine Optimization (SEO), or spend it on PPC marketing with Google AdWords? This is actually one of the most common questions we receive from Toronto businesses interested in doing online marketing. The two Internet marketing strategies are very different, but also have a lot in common. Understanding how both work and their differences is a great way to take your digital marketing to the next level.

First, let’s begin by understanding how SEO works. Search Engine Optimization has been around since there were search engines. Basically, SEO is the practice of making a website more attractive to both Google and its visitors. There are a lot of ingredients that go into a well-planned SEO strategy including content development, link building, optimization of navigation, keyword-optimized META tags and dozens of other elements. A good SEO campaign is powered by data and engagement. Eventually, a well-designed SEO strategy will produce strong ROI by causing a website to rank high in organic web search results for keywords relevant to the brand.

SEO helps a website become more user-friendly to its visitors, therefore creating higher conversion rates. It’s important that a website loads quickly and have a mobile-friendly design; both elements weigh heavy in how Google ranks websites.

How long will it take SEO to have an impact on a website? This is one of the most common questions we are asked. SEO isn’t magic, it takes some time and hard work. Results and timeframes will vary greatly from business to business. Some websites may see results after a couple of weeks, others may need to wait for months or even longer. Organic traffic from Google is some of the most valuable and high-converting traffic a business can have. Ongoing SEO will generate strong traffic for the long-term.

Instant Google success can happen by running Google AdWords pay per click (PPC) ads. Results can often be seen within 24 hours and it’s easy to modify and tweak your campaigns. There are 3.5 billion searches done on Google every day and Google AdWords allows you the ability to pay for advertising on specific keyword searches. Google AdWords is a powerful tool with excellent ROI, the right PPC strategy can transform a business overnight.

Like any other form of advertising, it’s important to do your research when working with AdWords to come up with really strong ad copy and landing pages. Within a few days, you should be able to gain an understanding of how people find your site on Google and what keyword combinations produces the best traffic for an affordable price. High-performing PPC marketing doesn’t happen by accident, or by simply spending more money then the competition, they take work and constant fine-tuning.

It’s best to invest in both SEO and PPC in the early days of a marketing strategy, but the cost can be a factor. Budgets will vary from business to business and your company may not be ready to invest a lot of money into Google AdWords today. Like you, many Toronto companies are wondering what’s the best way to start with a shoestring budget. Starting with SEO will provide your business with an understanding of how people interact with your website and content. This knowledge can eventually become the foundation of your PPC advertising once your budget allows for it.

SEO and Google AdWords are two of the most effective and high-converting strategies in the digital marketing world today. Our Markham digital marketing agency has helped Toronto businesses like you take their marketing to the next level, by creating both SEO and PPC marketing rooted in strong ROI. Our experienced team will be happy to discuss the goals of your company and partner with you to create a digital marketing strategy that generates both leads and sales for the longterm.