Thursday, May 17, 2018

4 Quick Tips to Boost SEO in 3 Hours

According to statistics, when a website is at the top of a search engine’s result, the chances of it getting clicked is at 33%. So even if your website is on the first page, you still miss a lot of potential traffic. If you are wondering why you only place second, third, or fourth on search engines, then this article is for you.

Even if you’ve been concentrating on improving your site’s SEO for several weeks, there are still some things you forget to do, which can be done in less than 4 hours, to rank first in search engine result pages.

Use Your Competitors’ Keywords

Using your competitor’s branded keywords will give you traffic that involves visitors looking for a merchandise or service that you and your competitors offer. Studies reveal that branded keyword phrases are 5 times more likely to turn visitors into leads, and as long as you do not mention their trademark, you are all set.

The ones that you should be using are the specific keywords people look for in your competitor’s brand. And while you use their keywords in your ad copy, make sure you also focus on your ad copy’s design. So which keywords should you use?

  • Your competitor’s easiest keywords
  • Your competitor’s keywords that are similar to you
  • The highest click-through rate words you and your competitors use

Mobile-Optimize Your Website

Google has chosen to make their index mobile-first, which means that it will use the mobile version of a site’s content to rank pages on their result pages.

A website that loads at a slow pace not only has an adverse effect on user experience but also on a site’s search ranking. Mobile page speed matters to search engines as more than half of Google’s search activity happens on mobile devices, and to ensure that those searches take place easily and fast is everybody’s interest.

Large photos are one of the main reasons for slow page speed for mobile websites. Fortunately, there are plugins you can install to compress the images on your site, one of which is the Smush Image Compression and Optimization. It can instantly smush and cut all the unnecessary data in every single photo on your website.

Local SEO

People are turning to the internet to find local businesses – on desktop and mobile. And while global SEO is important, local SEO should not be forgotten.

Finding a specific business, a product or a service are the top reasons for a local search. Most local searchers are looking for a particular business name, but many of them don’t have a specific business in mind when they begin to search. By using local search techniques, you can better promote your company to prospects looking for your type of business.

Inserting your brand through various local listings is important to local SEO. Put your keywords on various listings, ensure that your photos are updated, and categorize your business accordingly.

One of the easiest things you can do now to increase your brand’s local SEO is by claiming your Google My Business profile. Updating your businesses’ profile with a contact number, category, photos, and business hours can give a boost to your local SEO.

Check for Duplicate Tags and Broken Links

Duplicate content can bring down your website’s SEO ranking, so every business should focus on proper content creation to get traffic to their website. In some instances, content is intentionally duplicated across domains to manipulate a search engine’s algorithm to get more traffic. Deceitful practices like this can result in a poor user experience.

Proactively addressing duplicate content issues will make sure visitors see the content you want them to. Luckily, there are many tools that can be used to address duplicate content issues. Siteliner is a tool that can search for duplicate content and broken links on your website, giving you a free detailed content analysis report.

Conclusion

Improving your SEO ranking will help get traffic to your website. It can be frustrating to consume a great deal of time and energy on SEO and not see the fruits of your labour. Be sure to keep in mind the suggestions shared in this article to give your website’s SEO a quick boost. And last but not the least, let Google re-crawl your website after making changes.

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Friday, May 11, 2018

Umbraco: The Unheard CMS You Need to Know

Different Content Management Systems provide different functionalities, one better than the other. However, there is not one single CMS that has it all, some are better off used by mid-sized firms while some are great for high-volume eCommerce businesses. There are several Microsoft systems that can be used to create eCommerce platforms —  Kentico, Sitefinity, Sitecore, and Umbraco are just some of them.

In this article, we will talk about the platforms created by Microsoft Technologies then dive into Umbraco’s features, what it can offer. who it is for, and how it can help you succeed.

Kentico

Great for both large and mid-sized businesses, Kentico caters to multi-national companies like Hyundai, Twinnings, Mazda, and Allergan. Kentico doesn’t have several ERP and CRM integrations that are crucial for retaining valuable customer information. However, there are many useful options that can help solve this problem, our top choice is Kentico REST Service.

Sitefinity

If you need a CMS that can be readily combined into an existing eCommerce platform, Sitefinity has got your back. The principal selling point of this system is its interface that is not just user-friendly but also for beginners who doesn’t know much about CMS and how it functions. The only area it needs improvement is its technological advancement in terms of self-regulated marketing,  eCommerce, and personalization.

Sitecore

Where Sitefinity lacks, Sitecore makes up for. Sitecore boasts of its technology in terms of personalization. It is the most used CMS by both minor and major SME’s and the largest companies all over the world. Specializing in automated marketing, eCommerce is just a part of their huge system. This system is best used by eCommerce businesses with high volumes, especially when marketing automation and personalization comes as an important factor.

Umbraco

Focusing on its checkout functionality, Umbraco is great for eCommerce websites who value their client’s user experience. Specializing in a fast, secured, summarized, and distraction-free checkout, it is admired by thousands of companies for its flexibility. This platform comes with 3 licenses to best suit your needs:

uCommerce

uCommerce is a .NET eCommerce system that provides a wide array of eCommerce options. The options to choose from are Free, Pro, and the Enterprise edition. If you need a comprehensive solution, uCommerce is your best bet. Its flexibility of multiple categories, inventory management, brand management makes it one of the best.

uWebshop

uWebshop got popular as an option to uCommerce. Starting at €299, it has a lot of functionalities that uCommerce lacks. From personalized layouts to unlimited shops, it offers more flexible opportunities for an eCommerce shop.

Tea Commerce

An uncomplicated platform that makes eCommerce hassle-free. It became popular with its several API developments, its license is priced at €349. Currently, more than 400 eCommerce websites use it to run their businesses.

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Thursday, May 10, 2018

Website Traffic 101: The Complete Guide to Your WordPress Blog

WordPress is an amazing and wonderful Content Management System and blogging is a fun profession all people can appreciate. In this modern online world, blogging has become a passion for some. And for the many, being tech-savvy is a skill they use to start a career at home, a place they consider to be most comfortable to work at.

For the record, there are more than 400 million WordPress blogs accessible by using search engines such as Google and Bing. This means that the traffic is split among so many online websites, so earning your blog’s fair share of traffic can be a troublesome task.

Driving traffic to your blog is not cheap and easy, but there are many ways you can do (for free) to get the most traffic possible. In this article, we’ll give you all the things we know you should do to succeed in your endeavour.

1. Install Plugins

In this fast-paced world, internet users want to see everything they click in split-seconds. If your site loading time is more than 3 seconds, then chances are search engines are not likely to show your website on top of their listings.

Luckily, there are plugins you can install for free on your WordPress blog to increase the loading speed of your site. Smush Image Compression and Optimization will compress the images on your website to reduce its file sizes, thus reducing loading time. W3 Total Cache also boasts of its powerful abilities in promoting your website’s speed by “caching” all information that has been previously loaded.

Related: 5 WordPress Plugins to Turn Your Website Into an SEO Powerhouse

2. Update Regularly

Successful people regularly update their blogs. The only thing constant in the world of technology is change, and that is what people are looking for. If your website is not updated on a regular basis, people will think that your site has become inactive.

Your content strategy matters. So if you update your website regularly with irrelevant content, not many people will appreciate your blog. Focus on one to three specific topics and expand your archive from there. It is also important to remember that photos, videos, and infographics appeal more to audiences than blog posts alone. Make a point to plan well in advance, present rich content, use high-quality photo and videos to earn their attention and make them coming back for more.

3. Internal Linking

When people read your posts and they find something they don’t know, they will search for it elsewhere. But if your site has internal links, people who view your page are more likely to click that link instead of going elsewhere, thus generating website traffic. This also increases page views of your website, helps your site get indexed by search engines and improves your page ranking.

Installing plugins like Contextual Related Posts is another way of promoting internal linking on your site where the reader gets to view content related to a particular topic.

4. Establish Trust

Establishing a blog that is trustworthy is not easy, and only time will tell when people will learn to trust you. Luckily, there are many ways you can do to help speed-up this process. One of which is by installing plugins like Akismet Anti-Spam plugin that fights spams. Placing an SSL certificate on your blog will give that extra advantage and secure your site further.

When your blog has great content, people will trust you in no time. Establishing trust with your readers will play a big role in your blog’s success. Always remember that a virus-free blog is trusted by users, and these sites are open to monetizing opportunities.

5. Share

Once you have all the right blocks put together, your site looks neat, and you have great content, it’s time to let the whole world know what you have been doing. The wider your audiences are, the better your chances of getting traffic.

A good promotion technique includes coverage in various online websites where your audience may be present. Here are some tips to get you going:

  • Share your new and trending posts through all your social media accounts
  • Build your network with other blogs and cooperate with their respective writers
  • Enable “sharing” your posts on all social media sites
  • Allow people to sign-up for newsletters to your blog

Conclusion

Making a website up and ready is easy, but getting people to view your website is not. You need a well-planned strategy to drive traffic to your website. Making your website fast, updating your content regularly, establishing trust and sharing your posts are just some of the ways you can do to help your website get traffic. Do not limit yourself to what you think you can do and to the things listed here. The possibilities of your success are unlimited and your imagination is the limit.

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Tuesday, May 8, 2018

5 WordPress Plugins to Turn Your Website Into an SEO Powerhouse


If you own a website, you have probably heard the word Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). But what is it and what role does it play on your website? SEO is a set of rules to be followed so that a specific website ranks higher in search engines (e.g. Google, Yahoo, and Bing).
Search engines serve millions of users every day looking for answers to their dilemmas or for answers to their questions. If you have a website, a blog, or an e-Commerce website, SEO can help your business expand and meet its objectives.
The good news is that there are thousands of plugins you can install on your WordPress website to help you boost your SEO. However, selecting the most important and relevant plugins for your SEO needs can seem a bit overwhelming as many of those plugins offer the same service as the other. In this article, we chose only 5 of the best plugins for your website which we consider are crucial for SEO.

1. Yoast SEO

Yoast SEO is one of the most popular plugins for fulfilling SEO needs. It’s a very user-friendly plugin both for newbies and the experienced. Yoast is a simple and intuitive plugin that makes everyone able to work with it. Its traffic light system gives detailed guidelines that will walk you through every step which is perfect for those who are new to SEO.
With its strong content analysis features, it can tell you what your focus keywords are, your content insights, and your content’s readability among others. It allows you to add SEO title, meta description, and meta keywords to each page of your website, which is perfect for your SEO needs.

2. Redirection

If your website contains broken links and 404 pages, then the chances are your SEO score is too low for search engines. One of the most important things website owners forget about SEO is user experience. Setting up redirects for dead links or deleted pages is key to securing a solid user experience.
Redirection is a helpful plugin that lets you manage all sorts of redirects from one open place. You can instantly make new redirects, control your present redirects, and fix any broken links. When all your links work, your visitors will be happy and they will learn to trust you which will lead to higher conversion rates and reduced bounce rate.

3. Smush Image Compression and Optimization

Slow loading time is a common reason people leave your website without even seeing your content. And when people leave your website, you get a high bounce rate that translates to poor SEO. Image size is the most common cause for sluggish loading times. Manually compressing each photo on your website is probably going to months.
Luckily, Smush Image Compression and Optimization is there to compress all of the images on your website at the touch of a button. Compressed images have reduced file size that loads faster both on mobile and on a desktop.

4. w3 Total Cache

W3 Total Cache boasts of its powerful technology in improving your website’s performance by “caching” the data that have been previously loaded. It reduces loading time, boosts download speed and increases conversion rates. Thus, improving the overall speed and performance of your website.
So how do you benefit from this? Search engines like Yahoo, Google, and Bing consider and measure the speed of websites in their ranking algorithm. When your site’s load time is fast, visitors view more pages. With W3 Total Cache, you can enhance the user experience for your browsers without having to modify WordPress, your plugins, your theme or how you create your content.

5. All In One WP Security & Firewall

The security of your website is heavily taken into consideration by search engines. The most unfortunate kind of user experience would be one which ends in a malware or other form of a virus. In which case, search engines will rank you lower, or not show your website at all in their listings.
The purpose of the All In One WP Security & Firewall is to prevent this from occurring and put your website safe from hackers and spammers. To help you boost your security measures, invest in an SSL certificate.

Conclusion

Search engine optimization or SEO is a way to optimize your website so that search engines will understand it better and give you higher rankings. Nevertheless, a website with good content can do well with or without SEO. So if you try to SEO a website with poor content, your chances of succeeding are low.
Site speed and security is one of the many important factors in search rankings. Fast loading and virus-free sites can easily outrank slower and virus-filled websites. While you are spending a lot of time improving your content strategy, give some of that time to improve your security and site speed.

The post 5 WordPress Plugins to Turn Your Website Into an SEO Powerhouse appeared first on Creativ Digital.

Monday, May 7, 2018

The Ultimate Guide to Reducing Your Website’s Bounce Rate

Bounce rate is the percentage of people who visit your website and leave without clicking any links or viewing any other pages on your website. A high bounce rate indicates that your pages are not engaging your visitors. As a result, they will not generate traffic for you and you will not be able to direct them to a sales page.

So what will a low bounce rate give you? A sign that your website needs a serious makeover is when you see a high bounce rate. Low bounce rate means higher search engine ranking, more leads, more clients, and high conversion rate. In this article, we will show you what you can do to boost your conversion rate so you can build a successful website that generates search traffic on a consistent basis.

Listed below are 3 effective and proven ways that will reduce bounce rate and increase conversions for your website:

1. Improve Your Content’s Readability

While relevant and authentic content adds value to your website, user experience occurs when your content is readable and legible. A website with great content is nothing if it comes with lousy formatting and boring design.

Here are helpful tips to help you present your content and make it more appealing:

  • Use subheadings only when needed
  • Use bullet points to highlight important details
  • Bold important keywords only
  • Use images when necessary

2. Update Your Website Regularly

Regularly updating your content will not only generate leads but will also rank you higher in search engines. But it’s important to note that regular updates should come with the right and enticing content. If you have the right content, you will attract the right visitors who will engage in your website.

With fresh content, you can build and establish trust with your readers. And when they trust you, they will visit your website regularly. If people visit, view, and look at other parts of your website, there is a great possibility that you have developed trust with them and they will return.

3. Develop a Need to Explore Your Site Further

One of the most popular ways of engaging your readers is by adding links to pages within your website in your content. In our own experience, a reader is more likely to buy a product if he is educated. So instead of focusing on directing your visitors to a sales page, direct them to a page that will educate them.

Use your sidebar wisely, add content to your sidebar that all your visitors will love. An example would be your most read content, your newest post, and your latest products.

The Bottomline

There are countless ways to reduce the bounce rate of your website. The truth of the matter is addressing user experience will positively impact your bounce rate. Making your website user-friendly, enticing, and neat should be your first step. Focusing on giving the best for your reader will produce the results you are looking for.

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