Important SEO Factors To Note

SEO is always changing but still remains as one of the top ways to rank high on search engines especially Google. While always changing, SEO is important if you want to get traffic.

Over-time a well optimized website gets more traffic which translates to more leads and sales. If your website does not have SEO, potential clients and guests cannot find your website and all your hard work will go to waste.

However, there are so many SEO factors that you need to consider. All of this work can be intimidating especially to newbies.  In this blog, we will focus on the most important SEO factors that you need to focus on.

Secure & Accessible Website

First of all, you need the right kind of URL. You need a URL that Google bots can easily reach. This means that Google has to be able to find your URL, crawl the page and understand what it’s about. To help the bots out you need:

• You need a website that is well coded.
• A robots.txt file to help Google find site information.
• A site map that lists all of your pages.

HTTPS is not a primary factor for Google to index your site, but it is a “lightweight ranking factor”. However, having HTTPS is still great for your site.

Page Speed Loading

Page loading speed includes the loading speed of your mobile pages. Page speed has been a ranking factor for years. This is because Google wants to let searchers have a positive experience on the web.

Google has announced that they will be including mobile page load speed as early as 2018. If your site does not load fast, it could get penalized.

Mobile Friendliness

Your website should also be responsive. This means that it is screen friendly not only for desktop and laptop users but for mobile and gadget users too.

Google’s mobile-first policy is real. Google has been prioritizing mobile friendliness mainly due to the increase of people who are using their smartphones and gadgets to access the internet. If you’re site is not mobile friendly, it could be missing out on visitors.

A mobile friendly website is:

• A website that automatically resizes to the size of the screen of the user.
• Using large fonts for easy readability on a small screen.
• Easy navigation including easy to tap menu.
• Ensuring that essential content isn’t hidden by interstitial ads.

Domain Age & Authority

Did you know that the top sites listed on Google have a domain age of 3 years or more? Data shows that very few sites that are a few months old achieve top ranking. This means that if you’ve had your website for a while and optimize it, you’re already at an advantage.

In some cases, domain names also matter. Although Google has penalized sites with exact-match domains (those that target keywords), that penalty is generally for spammy sites with thin content.

Authority is important too. This means content has to be great and original.

Optimized Content

Google likes good content especially when it comes to ranking. Google’s algorithm relies on keywords. These are words and phrases searchers use when they are looking for information. They are also the words used to describe what your site is about. Ideally, both of these should match.

Get more SEO tips and how to increase traffic.

User Experience

Google will also take a look at how users experience your website. It uses an AI called RankBrain to take a look at:

• Click through rate – the number of people who click to visit your site.
• Bounce rate – the number of people who leave your site right away because they didn’t find what they needed.
• Dwell time – time they spent on your website after they’ve landed.

These are just a few examples of what Google looks at in order to know how to rank your website. While SEO is always changing, being in the know can help your website rank higher in SERPs.

If you need a SEO expert in Sydney, we can help your website perform better. SEO is an ongoing process and contacting us can help you focus more on your business.

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SEO Trends For 2020

It’s now 2020 and as the New Year starts so do thousands of business around the world. This means that competition in the internet is tougher than ever. How do you get traffic to your website and get people to buy from you?

These are just some of the questions plaguing ecommerce store owners this year. One of the best solutions for traffic is to master SEO so that you know what search engines require in ranking websites.

Google makes hundreds of changes to their search engine algorithm every year. While these changes are usually minor, it could still affect ranking. Here are some SEO trends you need to know for 2020.

Voice Search

According to research there were over 33 million voice searches in 2017. In 2019, 20% of mobile queries were voice searches.   

This means that voice queries will continue to rise this year. More and more people will be talking on their phones to find items on search engines and they will search the same way they speak.

Research noticed that people use long-tail keywords during their searches to get more specific responses. This means that including long-tail keyword in your targeted keywords can convert searchers who are in the awareness stage.

Bullet lists also increase your chances of ranking as well. Optimize for local SEO as well since many searches are for local queries.

Featured Snippets

A featured snippet is a summary of an answer in a Google search query. Google displays it on top of SERP results on top of paid and organic ads.

They have been around for a few years and are changing how Google displays page results. According to their findings, search results with no snippets result in almost zero clicks. On the other hand, a study conducted by Ahref revealed that featuresd snippets get more traffic than the first organic search result.

Leverage Influencers For SEO

17% of businesses spent half of their marketing budget on influencers. This statistic highlights the impact of influencers for marketing especially if you’re marketing for beauty, fashion, travel and lifestyle.

This is because online users are overwhelmed with ads. They are looking for authoritative figures that they can trust. Most of the time, the source of credible information are influencers and users are more likely to trust their authority compared to ads.

What’s the connection to SEO? Influencers help generate traffic, increase online visibility and search content reach.

BERT Is Staying Strong

BERT (Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers) allows users to train their own question answering system. BERT will impact 10% of queries and ecommerce owners who use BERT increase their chances of landing on the first page of SERPs.

Just to clarify, you can’t optimize BERT. Google uses BERT to refine its understanding of natural language. But you can optimize for the intent behind search queries because intent matching is crucial to creating successful content.

Digital Experience

People want digital experience. A digital-first approach improves user experience. Page load is an important factor. Your amazing content does not matter if your page does not load quickly or if you have a complex website interface.

Successful businesses understand that good website experience is the key to long lasting relationship with their customers. Good customer experience impacts Google search rankings because only satisfied customers will spend time on a website.

Focus your user experience on helping customers find what they need. Make it easy for them to go to the next step.

Video Will Be The New King

Video will be the new king of content. According to a Forrester Research, video is 50 times more likely to show up on the first page of SERP compared to a web page with plain text.

A good tip is to create useful YouTube videos that support your existing content on your website. It won’t guarantee that you will land on the first page of SERPs but it will increase traffic as Google crawls your video.

Content Length Is Important To Rankings

Only high quality content will beat the competition and land you on the first page of SERPs. However, content length is also important.

Research shows that the average content on the top 10 results is around 2,000 words. This is because pages with long-form, high-quality content enjoy more visibility.

Mobile Searches Will Continue To Take Over

87% of internet users use their mobile device for browsing and 40% of transactions happen on their mobiles. Google has moved to mobile-first indexing on the 1st of July 2019 to improve mobile search experience.

This means you can’t get far if your website isn’t optimized for mobile use. If you’re optimized for voice search you should also optimize for mobile.  Aside from incorporating long-tail keywords for on-page SEO, modify the content structure and representation for technical SEO.

A SEO company in Sydney can help your business perform better. Today’s best SEO practices are holistic and happen online and offline in order for marketing strategies to succeed. Take the guessing game out of SEO and hire experts today.

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2020 Content Marketing Trends

Now that 2020 is here, it’s time to think about how we can improve or maintain a successful content marketing strategy.

New strategy, trends and tactics emerge every day and it can be hard to keep track of new changes. In this post we will explore the biggest trends that can help you improve your content success.

Improve content marketing strategy with these trends for 2020.

Focus On User Experience

Increasing the frequency of your blogs won’t cut it for 2020. The challenge for this New Year is to stand out from your competitors.

A good way to do this is to focus on user experience. Content should be relevant and informative but it should also facilitate user experience.

Here are good ways to improve content user experience:

• Test the mobile version of your site.
• Use short paragraphs so that they are easier to read on smartphones.
• Enhance “breathability” by using images and headers.
• Review loading speed.
• Aim for personalization.

You don’t have to do everything at once. You can aim for improving one aspect of your website at a time.

Include Visual Data

Visual content can help improve reading experience of users. It can also help you to get the main data to standout. For instance, you can use visual data to summarize key points. it also helps to make your post more “shareable”.

If you know how to make GIFs, include them when explaining a product. Studies show that GIFs help people understand what you’re referring too.

Write Long-Form Content

Competition in the internet is becoming more stiff with blogs and ecommerce websites vying for reader’s attention. Not everyone likes to spend a lot of time reading content which is why many websites are pushing for bite-sized pieces. However, long-form content is not dead.

Here are reasons to write long form content:

• Build trust with your readers.    
• Go in-depth in the topics that you’re writing about.    
• Showcase your writing style and your personality.    
• Improve your SEO.

Content Should Sound Natural

Try reading what you’re writing out loud. It’s easy to get lost on your thoughts while writing a blog or article so sometimes it does not make sense for anybody else.

A good way to remedy this is to read content to yourself out loud. This will make it easier for you to figure out which parts are hard to understand. The idea here is to help readers enjoy your content in a simple way.

Reading content out loud will not only help readers. It will also help you become a better writer.

Make SEO Smarter

Don’t forget about SEO in 2020. This year, focus on strategies that make an impact.

• Stop focusing on popular keywords and start working on long-tail keywords which will help you standout especially on mobile searches.
• Spend more time improving content rather than stuffing them with keywords.
• Invest on tools that can make SEO easier for you.
• Stop aiming for position one ranking in SERPs and explore the different ways to stand out (for example, visual ranking or featured snippets).
• Create more conversational content to increase chances of being featured in snippets and the question boxes.

The words you use on your website have a big impact on traffic and rankings. Good imagery, compelling content and a good website design can help you get ahead of the competition. A good Content Marketer in Sydney can provide the tools and expertise you need.

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Web Design Trends To Expect For 2020

Web design trends come and go. Now that there are only a couple of weeks left in the year, it’s time once again to look to the future and examine what next year will look like in terms of web design trends.

Dark Mode

2020 will be the year of dark mode. Web designers in Sydney will be focusing more on UI and give users option to use dark mode.

Many users like dark mode because it makes design elements stand out and has a higher contrast ratio compared to other colors. Best of all, dark mode looks modern, is easy on the eyes and makes design elements pop.

Dark modes are also better for OLED users. They don’t only extend power of your mobile device, it also extends screen lifespan. Dark mode also goes well with other 2020 prevalent design trends like moody colors combined with neon typography. Steampunky trends along with futuristic dystopian styles are also en vogue.

Imperfections

Another cute design trend that’s taking over web design is imperfect hand drawn elements. This type of style injects humanity and emotions to websites. These imperfect but personal graphics have been around for years and are becoming more popular as 2020 approaches.

Many visitors find these hand drawn elements to be appealing becauase they give websites personality. They give websites a sense of “realness” and positiveness which users like because they can brighten a gloomy day.

Whether its hand drawn elements or handmade illustrations, expect to see messier looking websites in 2020.

3D Elements

Expect to see more 3D technology in graphic design next year. 3D visuals have always delighted users but never really gained a lot of popularity due to the high cost of production.

The good news is that technology is now at a place where you can design 3D components without high technology requirements.

3D along with VR is probably the best way to create an immersive experience for your website. This is an advantage not only for visuals but for UX as well. As 2020 unfolds expect to see more 3D design elements that will break down space and digital reality.

Solid White Spaces

Many web designers are embracing minimalism, which leads to cleaner looking websites. Expect to see more. Solid frames of white space are a good alternative to overwhelming colors, typography and blending of different design styles.

Nowadays designers are gravitating towards solid structures and are looking for ways to use a lot of white space to give their designs more organization. Many designers are turning to white spaces to frame designs and to make other colors pop. This framing gives their design stability and makes it standout.

Luminous Color Schemes

If you don’t like a lot of white spaces, they will be happy about the luminous color scheme trend. Web design is becoming more bold and daring. The use of bold colors, neon and glow in the dark theme is becoming more popular.

Expect to see more vivid blues, purples and hot pinks for 2020. Using bright colors with darker tones give web pages a more luminous feel.

Minimalist Navigation

This year expect design content to contain more video with less text. This will make websites more simplistic and easier to navigate. This trend is mainly due to the rise in wearable technology which means web design need to think smaller.

The area most affected by this change is devices with very small screens. This has forced web designers to simplify navigation even more. Extremely minimalist navigation takes away the difficulty in usability. Additionally, imagery is becoming more important. Large high quality images are the only way you can impress users when you are only using the bare minimum in text.

Wrap-up

With the decade closing, 2020 attention grabbing visuals and 3D effects belong in the last decade. With the new decade starting, web designers are looking to the future but also finding the past as an inspiration for designs.

With the decade beginning expect to see more user-friendly experiences with minimalistic navigation with less straining dark designs.

A Sydney custom web designer can help make your website look modern and ready for the new decade. Avail of services ranging from web design to app development.

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Cool App Design Trends For 2020

When you take a look at apps today, you will immediately notice that many of them sport vibrant, polished and more immersive designs. But at the same time, many app designers are following a more retro look with pixelated fonts and throw-back color schemes for a more nostalgic look.

As take a more bigger and important role in our lives, their designs have reflected how we interact with them. Get ready to see what’s coming to your gadgets this 2020. Here are some of the coolest design trends for the new decade.

Illustrations

Expect to see more illustrations to take center stage this 2020. We’re not talking about graphics but illustrations that showcase works of art. You can expect to see flat to semi-flat illustrations with eye catching pallets.

Web designers are turning to illustrations more because they are more eye-catching compared to images. Illustrations also feel more organic than a photo or graphic. By giving viewers a more organic feel they are more comfortable and more comfortable with the environment.

Serif Fonts

Apps have always been dominated by the Sans Serif fonts. But in 2020, that’s changing. Sans Serif will still be here but they will be relegated to a minor role to give Serif fonts top billing.

Using 2 kinds of fonts creates visual hierarchy that can separate headlines from text. This is very important because apps are not just for games anymore. We use them to pay bills, monitor investments, use it to navigate traffic and foreign streets. As apps take a bigger role in our lives, serif fonts underscore their importance and visually give them the gravity they deserve.

Futuristic Colors

Another app trend for this new decade is futuristic color schemes. App designers are incorporating bright colors like purple, blue, pink and other neon colors to make their apps standout. This is because these colors are the colors of the future.

Aside from looking funky and cool, blues and purples really look good on today’s phones. Thanks to OLED technology these colors make an app pop. Imagine using it in your personal blog, purple will really standout especially with peach and pink gradients.

Transparent Elements

Gradients are still very trendy and in 2020, they are going to be transparent and semi-transparent on your screen. When you can see through an image, it feels lightweight and that’s exactly the reason why this trend is going strong.

By making some design elements transparent designers are able to fit a lot of information on a page without making it look heavy and cluttered. This is very important because you only have a limited screen size on gadgets like your smartphone.

Rounded Graphic Shapes

Rounded shapes are becoming trendy because they look softer and friendlier. This type of shape makes cold sterile environments easier to interact with. Finance is one of the areas that are embracing a more rounded graphic design and they use this to subvert uncomfortable expectations.

Say good-bye to dark blue and gray squares and rectangle usually found in finance apps. Imbalance shapes with softer color palette in many more apps. Rounded shapes take all the fear and stress out of personal finance and makes it approachable, human and even fun.

Dark Mode

We spend a lot of time looking at our phones which can hurt and strain our eyes. Studies show that the average person spends 5 hours on his phone daily and this isn’t likely to change anytime soon. In 2020 app designers are adapting our habits by focusing on dark mode.

In dark mode, light text is contrasted against a dark background. Not only can this protect your eyes from strain. Dark mode will also prevent your batteries from draining faster.

In the rise of the use of dark mode we will also see more neon color schemes and glowing gradients to make elements standout.

App designers in Sydney can assist you on your app project. They understand and know which trends will work with your app so that you can access solutions for your project.  

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Digital Marketing Strategies for Small Businesses

Digital marketing strategies come and go but the most effective ones become a permanent fixture. The reason why many trends come and go is because of the reaction of the potential customers. The reason why they stay is because these strategies fill a need that has already begun to emerge.

For many small businesses, budget is tight especially when you’re just starting out. Money budgeted towards digital strategy is usually small so every penny has to count.

If you’re looking for effective digital marketing strategies you can employ for your business you’re in the right place because we have some ideas for you.

Social Media

Almost everybody including small businesses have a Facebook, Twitter or Instagram page. Social media is not just a platform to connect with long lost high school friends; it has evolved to become an effective marketing tool for many businesses.

Aside from connecting with customers, social media is used by businesses to advertise their product and engage their customers. These people on the other hand use social media to find products or services and to do research.

Here are other ways your business can use social media.

• Use social media to answer questions or addressing complaints.
• Use it to reach prospective customers and convert them into paying customers.
• Collaborate with influencers to reach their target audience.
• Build brand recognition through loyalty, engagement and sharing.
• Analyze data to better understand customer’s needs, wants and behavior.
• Gather user-generated content to share.
• Engage with customers through conversation.

Use Voice

Using voice is the oldest and most common form of communication. Even in today’s digital world, many people still find it easier to communicate through phone calls or leave voice messages. Aside from this, people also like using voice when interacting with technology and their favorite device.

According to studies, voice is commonly used during searches. This also includes long tail keyword searches in command and question formats.

The important thing to remember is that people use voice and you should take advantage of this type of technology. You can use Alexa skill or Google Action which can help you reach customers Alexa and Google home.

Consider Branded & Live Video

Video is quickly becoming a driving force in digital marketing. Many people find it easier to view video than read content. There are generally 2 types of video content: branded video and live video.

Branded video is basically a video of your product or service. This is like an information video of what you have to offer. Many companies like this form of digital marketing strategy because it gets the message you want to convey easily and quickly.

Live video on the other hand allows you to interact with viewers. It is becoming popular because it is highly engaging. You can ask customers to participate or ask them questions. Audience and customers like live video because they feel that they are being included in the conversation.

Novel Content

Blogging is a great way to interact but it can also become repetitive. It’s nice to vary things up from time to time and this is where novel content comes in.

Instead of just plain old blog format you can:

• Conduct pols
• Post an infographic
• Make a quiz
• Sponsor contests
• Do online voting

Experimenting with these types of content will make your blog more exciting and interactive. It also allows you to vary content and see what type your audience responds to best.

Blending Digital and Physical Content

 

Digital content might be the future, but this does not mean to say that physical stores are disappearing. In fact, many people still love to shop in brick and mortar stores so many online brands still have physical locations as well.

However, many customers are demanding more for their in-store shopping. For instance they want digital elements incorporated to their brick and mortar experience.

One of these technologies is the beacon. This type of digital strategy uses a beacon that is programmed by companies to send notifications to cellular phones within a predetermined geophysical area. For example, you can send digital coupons to prospective customers once they are near your shop to entice them to enter your establishment.

Other good uses of this type of technology include:

• Retailers enabling beacons to let customers check if items they want are in-stock.
• Hotels using them instead of room keys.
• Sports teams using them to interact with stadium fans.
• Airlines using beacon to inform passengers of flight times, delays and other important info.

it is important to remember that digital marketing is always evolving thanks to innovations in technology and changes in human behavior. For small businesses, it is important to stay on track of trends and changes because it can be easy to be irrelevant in today’s fast-paced world.

The good news is that digital marketing development and trends does not always call for a complete overhaul. Sometimes it just needs a few tweaking and you’re ready to go head to head with your competitors.

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Single Opt-in Or Double Opt-in: Which One To Choose?

Now that you’ve started to build your email list, you’ve probably reached a fork in the road: use single opt-in or double opt-in.

You’re not alone because there is an ongoing debate as to which method is superior. For many, single opt-in is the best because it’s a more streamlined option. However, double opt-in proponents prefer this method because it has higher engagement from subscribers.

So what is single opt-in and double opt-in? When do you use one and not the other?

Let’s find out.

What Is Single Opt-in?

Single opt-in (SOI) happens when a user’s email address is added to your list without a second step – a.k.a. email confirmation. This is usually the standard opt-in procedures for many email newsletters and subscriptions.

It’s straightforward and does the job quickly.

What Is Double Opt-in?

Double Opt-in (DOI) is also called Confirmed Opt-in (COI. It requires and extra step – confirmation via email.

For example, after a customer signs up for your new product or service and opts for more communication, they need to login the email they use and click on the confirmation link to verify their opt-in.

The process is completed only after the confirmation link has been clicked.

Why Use Single Opt-in?

For many users, single opt-in is better because it makes the sign-up process faster and easier. In most cases, users are just required to submit their emails which mean there is less friction in this process.

Single opt-in is an easier way to get your message across to a larger audience.

Why Use Double Opt-in?

Since double opt-in requires an additional step, users of this method run the risk of increasing the chance of potential subscribers dropping off. Studies by Litmus show that double opt-in has a 20 to 40% failure rate. For email marketers who are looking to grow their subscriber list, this risk can be concerning.

Single opt-in might produce a bigger email list but double opt-in can produce better engagement. Since subscribers are willing to go an additional step, it means that they will be responsive in the long term. They will be the ones who will open your newsletters and click the links which in turn boosts delivery reputation and deliverability rates.

Most importantly, double opt-in protects your email list from bots and malicious sign ups.

When To Use SOI and DOI?

If you can’t decide which method to use, ask yourself:

• What are your marketing goals?
• What kind of list do you want to build?

If you want to cast your net on a wider audience and feel that you can afford to lose short term leads, single opt-in is a good choice for you.

However, if you’re dealing with a high bounce rate or spam complaints or low engagement rates; you might want to try double opt-in.

Another thing to remember when building an email list is to focus on making email experiences that are helpful and human. Opt-ins are useless if you try to strong arm users into subscribing or if you provide irrelevant content.

A strong email marketing strategy can help you gain an edge against your competitors. A good email marketing strategy  can help drive traffic, boost conversions and get you more results.

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