Tag: seo

Why You Should Focus on SEO While Blogging

Post author By Skynet Solutions
Post date January 13, 2017
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Searching Engine Optimizing SEO Browsing Concept

It’s not uncommon for many bloggers to disregard SEO because they don’t fully understand how to implement it. The truth is, without implementing SEO strategies into your blogs, you are missing out on valuable search ranking and potential readers. For a business, this could easily translate into missed conversions or sales leads. The recommended minimum word count for a blog is generally around 300 words if you are being concise and to-the-point to ensure that search engine crawlers have enough content to determine what the page is about and index it accordingly. However, the highest ranked blogs will generally have much more words than that.

Focus on Keywords

One of the most important aspects of SEO implementation is the use of relevant keywords to gain indexing based on those keywords and provide relevant content for those looking for it. Finding relevant keywords can be as easy as monitoring your relevant audiences social media or utilizing services like Google Trends. Once you have these keywords it is important to integrate them into your blog post. While writing the blog focus on using your keyword naturally so it doesn’t seem forced. This can also include variations of the same keyword to cover more ground. Aside from in the content itself, primary keywords should easily be found in the following portions of your blog:

Title
Heading Tags
URL Slug

Meta Descriptions

These sections are often scanned by crawlers easily and can give a general idea of what your content is about. It should be noted that it is important to avoid keyword stuffing because it can actually damage your content ranking or disable it. Keyword stuffing happens when content writers use the keyword too much unnecessarily. If you are currently hosting your blog on a WordPress platform, Yoast SEO is a phenomenal tool to aid in bolstering your SEO knowledge and implementation. This plugin will assist you in ensuring your content is SEO ready and give recommendations for better implementation. By using these tips your blog will be ranking higher in no time!

You can always call the experts at Skynet Solutions for help with your business listing, website development, marketing or anything else you need to help make your business succeed. With our diverse range of skills and experience, we are sure to have the tools you need to make 2017 your business’ best year yet. You can fill out our online contact form on our website. You can fill out our contact form to get started today. You can also connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn!

Tags blogging, seo

Marketing

Working with SEO Companies: Google My Business

Post author By Skynet Solutions
Post date October 17, 2016
No Comments on Working with SEO Companies: Google My Business

Portrait of two business people pulling SEO banner

Recently, Google released a list of recommendations for picking a reputable local company to help improve SEO and Google search rankings. Google My Business makes local businesses more easily found within search results. This can lead to an increase in organic, local customers to aid in small business growth.

Google admits that even with the tools they provide, not everyone has the time required to set up a listing or properly maintain it. Working with a third party can help achieve these results with little to no effort by the business, letting them focus on maintaining store operations. For this reason, Google released their own list over “how to work with a third-party”, however, we will go over some of the more prominent points.

Be Selective

Google makes it very clear that not all third-party SEO providers are equal. It is important to find a company that has managed business listings previously while similar target audiences or budgets equivalent to your own. Furthermore, don’t be afraid to ask what other services they can provide to further your business goals.

Stick to One Company at a Time

Testing one SEO company at a time will ensure you are receiving unadulterated results from the Google My Business management you are receiving. Business listings are only shown once for each location available, meaning multiple companies would we working over each other. For best results, test companies individually, if you are satisfied with the results then stick to that SEO provider.

Evaluate Business Performance

Google My Business offers a multitude of insights and analytics options. With these tools, businesses can track how customers are finding them and interaction levels they are achieving through the listing. Reviewing Google My Business insights monthly can help evaluate the effectiveness of the third-party in use.

Avoid Deceptive Behaviors

It is important that the third-party used to manage a Google My Business account remains transparent. As the business owner, you are entitled to know how users are interacting with your business and specific data counts, such as views and clicks. It is also important to note that third-parties cannot influence the order in which a business appears on Google Search or Maps.

Also, it is imperative that you obtain an official copy of your agreement before giving your Google My Business account to a third-party for outsourced management. This can help ensure no deceptive pricing is enforced. Regardless of what the third-party provider says, they cannot remove your business from Google or access the listing without your permission. For more information on working with third-parties read the entire Google help page by clicking here.

You can always call the experts at Skynet Solutions for help with your business listing, website development, marketing or anything else you need to help make your business succeed. With our diverse range of skills and experience, we are sure to have the tools you need to make 2016 your business’s best year yet. You can fill out our contact form to get started today. You can also connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn!

Tags google, Google Partners, google plus, seo

Marketing

It’s 2016 Do I Even Need a Website?

Post author By Skynet Solutions
Post date June 16, 2016
No Comments on It’s 2016 Do I Even Need a Website?

It’s 2016 Do I Even Need a Website? Many small businesses believe a Facebook page or other online profile is sufficient and there for no real reason exists to invest in an individual website. With all the misinformation and scam artist in the “Web” industry, it is easy to see how one would arrive at this conclusion. The reality is, that it is more important than ever for organizations, especially small business, to have their own website. Did you know that recent case studies have revealed a 20% reduction in the average adult attention span since the year 2000? Bear with me, in order to explain we need to create a little back story so the explanation makes since. Imagine that Sunshine Furniture is a local furniture store. Sunshine Furniture does not have a website instead they have a Facebook Business Page. The owner has reasoned that since they did not waste the money on a website they can in turn invest in regular updates/posts to their Facebook profile. Now that you understand Sunshine Furniture’s marketing tactics, let’s imagine that you happen to be in the market for a comfortable new rocking chair. While on Facebook looking at new photos recently posted by someone in the family you happen to notice a recent post announcing a, what looks to be, huge sale at Sunshine Furniture on their rocking chairs. We all know how quickly the Facebook feed updates so at that moment you have to make a choice, make a note to visit Sunshine Furniture or click on the post to find more information. Since how Sunshine Furniture does not have a website when you click on the post you are taken to a page within their Facebook profile. Now you are looking at the event page for the sale and receive a new notification “You are now eligible to move to the next level of Candy Crush”, remember the thing I mentioned earlier about reduced attention span… that’s right boom you’re off working hard to stay ahead of your friends on Candy Crush. At some point in the future you are going to remember you had seen an ad somewhere regarding rocking chairs on sale, even if you remember it was on Facebook the post is now long gone. If Sunshine Furniture had invested in a website the sale, would likely have been posted on the website. Then upon clicking on the Facebook post you would have been directed to their website allowing you to focus for just a few short minutes on exactly what was on sale and whether or not you needed to check out the sale in person. Since Sunshine Furniture controls the website they can in turn control the environment and rest assured that there will be no popup notifications within that few minutes and you will be able to receive the full message they are wanting to communicate. Conclusion: there is no “silver bullet” when it comes to maximizing your online presence, instead there are many puzzle pieces that need to play together in order to maximize the desired result. A website is most definitely an important puzzle piece as it is the ONLY online asset where an organization can insure that there are as few distractions as possible while trying to communicate a message to their audience.

Tags seo, social marketing, social media, web design, website design, Websites

Marketing

Skynet Solutions Helps Eufaula Cove Marina Set Sail

Post author By Skynet Solutions
Post date May 31, 2016
No Comments on Skynet Solutions Helps Eufaula Cove Marina Set Sail

Just in time for summer, Skynet Solutions helped Eufaula Cove Marina, one of Oklahoma’s best summer spots, launch a new and improved website. The new website, which is also hosted by Skynet Solutions, features new design and graphics to give it a cleaner look, a redesigned backend to make it easier for employees to use and customers to navigate and fresh content to provide all the relevant information for Marina visitors. Our content team also wrote an introductory, welcome blog post for the blog page on their site, to help Eufaula Cove Marina get their blogging efforts off the ground. Blogging is an overlook and often underutilized marketing resource for many small businesses that has many benefits. It gives you a free opportunity to promote your business, your products or services and any ongoing promotions or specials on your site and social media (we know how paid advertising can add up). It also gives you another chance to show your business’ personality and humanize your brand, which is important because people are more likely to use services or buy goods from a business they feel they have a personal connection with. Most importantly, however, blogging gives you a chance to regularly produce new website content. This is important because the more quality content you have on your site and the more often it is refreshed, the higher your website is going to be ranked in search engine results. It won’t happen overnight, but in time, regular blogging will improve SEO (search engine optimization). Google (the most used search engine) uses a complex algorithm to rank websites. But they have said that length and quality of content are big factors in that algorithm. The best thing for you to do is blog at least once a week, to include relevant links in your content and aim for your blog posts to be between 700 and 1,000 words long. Keeping your entire website, not just your blog, up to date is extremely important for any business, no matter your industry or your size. Did you know that the lifespan of a website is only about three years? Technology changes rapidly in the span of three years, meaning everything could be looking, and running, a little behind the times. Your website also might not be mobile friendly anymore, which is a huge roadblock to success—especially for a local business. According to Google, more searches now happen from mobile devices than laptops or desktops. And the majority of mobile searches are made with the hope of finding local results. What this all boils down to, is that if your website doesn’t work on mobile, it doesn’t work. No matter your business or your target clientele, customers are looking for you online, via mobile devices. And if they can’t find you, or they can’t use your website quickly and easily, they will go to a competitor who has a website that is easy to use from a mobile device. You work hard to make sure your business is as good as it can possibly be. And as the digital face of your company, your website should work just as hard to please your customers as you do. You want a website that looks good, has relevant information about your business that customers seek, loads quickly and is easy to use on every device under the sun! Take some time today to look at your business’ website and see if it is up-to-date. Is it mobile friendly? Is it less than three years old? Do the pages load quickly? If the answer to all three of these questions isn’t yes, it is definitely time for you to overhaul your site. In the meantime, you can always get in touch with the experts at Skynet Solutions for help with any design, development or marketing needs, including your online business listing, website development, marketing or anything else you need to help make your business succeed. With our diverse range of skills and experience, we are sure to have the tools you need to make 2016 your business’s best year yet. You can fill out our online contact form on our website to get started today. You can also connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn!

Marketing

Google Deleting Unverified Business Listings

Post author By Skynet Solutions
Post date March 15, 2016
No Comments on Google Deleting Unverified Business Listings

Right now you’re probably asking yourself, “do I have a Google My Business listing?” Or even more likely, you’re asking yourself, “what is a Google My Business listing?” If you know the answers to both those questions, kudos. But for those who don’t, we’ll explain. The answer to the first question is probably yes, even if you have no idea what a Google My Business page is. Essentially, it is one business page that allows you to manage how all the information about your business appears on Google. That includes Google Maps, Google+ and good, old-fashioned Google search. Customers looking for your business will be able to find everything from pictures and reviews to hours and driving directions to your business on your Google My Business page. If you’ve ever created a Gmail or Google+ account for your business, chances are you have a Google My Business account. And customers are seeing it when they search for your business or search for local businesses like yours. This is a great, free resource for local business owners to make sure their customers have easy access to all their relevant business information. Sounds good, right? Two small problems here. One, if you didn’t even know you have a Google My Business account, you’re not managing it. That means the information on your page is probably out of date and may not be correct anymore. Two, Google is shutting down Google My Business pages that have not been verified. So even if you do have best, most frequently updated page out there, if it’s not verified it could be gone with little to no warning. They are also going to “unverify” pages that are inactive. And then they will delete the unverified pages. Google says this is part of their effort to provide their uses with only the highest quality, most reliable content available. And since a majority of customers rely on Google as their search engine of choice, you want to make sure you perform as well on Google as you possibly can. One of the best ways to keep your Google My Business page active and with a fresh supply of content is to keep on top of managing your Google+ page. Google+ might not seem like the most appealing social media platform to dedicate your time to—we know it’s not as fun as Instagram or Pinterest and that not as many people use it as Twitter or Facebook—it is important. It increases your rankings in Google search, which is still by far the most popular search engine in the world. Your customers are going to be searching for you with Google—and prospective customers are more likely to stumble across you in a Google search than any other way. You need to make sure you can be found quickly and easily and that all the information that comes up is completely accurate. Nothing frustrates a customer more than finding out the hard way that the address or hours listed on a business’ page are incorrect. Or even worse, not being able to find information online about a business they want to use. We discuss all of this and much more at the GYBO events we host with our partners at REI Oklahoma. We’ve been travelling all around Oklahoma hosting these events to help local business owners like you better understand things like map listings, search rankings, analytics and how all of these can affect your business. We’ll also discuss how to ensure your Google My Business listing is verified and doesn’t get deleted. We are hosting more of these GYBO events in the coming months, so keep an eye out for more information! You can check the events section of REI Oklahoma’s websitefor dates, times, locations and registration information, as well as other event information like topics covered and important statistics about why your business should be online. In the meantime, you can always call the experts at Skynet Solutions for help with your business listing, website development, marketing or anything else you need to help make your business succeed. With our diverse range of skills and experience, we are sure to have the tools you need to make 2016 your business’s best year yet. You can fill out our online contact formon our website. You can also connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+and LinkedIn!

Tags google, google plus, googleplus, search engine optimization, search results, searchrank, searchranking, seo

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