SEO Tips Archives - BluErth Design

The Indispensable Power of SEO: Why Investing in Professional Expertise is Essential

In the ever-evolving landscape of digital marketing, one term consistently reigns supreme: Search Engine Optimization (SEO). It’s not just a buzzword; it’s the lifeline that dictates a website’s visibility, traffic, and ultimately, its success in the vast online marketplace. In an era where the internet serves as the primary gateway for businesses to reach their audience, understanding the importance of SEO and investing in professional expertise to navigate its complexities is not just advisable; it’s essential.

Did you know? Google search engine now gives ranking preference to websites that have SEO campaigns managed by Professional SEO Experts.

BluErth holds specialized licenses with Google and ALL of the major search engines that give us engine preference and enhanced visibility, and allow us to speed up the SEO process and essentially get your site to the front of the line for indexing and updates for each crawling cycle.

The Essence of SEO

At its core, SEO is the art and science of enhancing a website’s visibility on search engine results pages (SERPs). It encompasses a myriad of strategies, techniques, and best practices aimed at optimizing various elements of a website to align with search engine algorithms. These algorithms, employed by giants like Google, continuously evolve to prioritize user experience and relevance, making SEO a dynamic and ever-changing field.

The Significance of Visibility

Consider this: every day, millions of users turn to search engines to find answers to their queries, solutions to their problems, or products to purchase. In this vast digital ocean, visibility is paramount. Studies consistently show that the majority of users rarely venture beyond the first page of search results. Therefore, securing a prominent position on SERPs can make all the difference between thriving and languishing in obscurity.

Building Credibility and Trust

Ranking high on search engine results not only enhances visibility but also builds credibility and trust among users. Internet users inherently perceive top-ranking websites as more trustworthy and authoritative sources of information or products. By investing in SEO, businesses can cultivate a positive online reputation, fostering trust among their target audience and ultimately driving conversions.

Maximizing Organic Traffic

Unlike paid advertising, which yields immediate results but requires continuous investment, SEO offers the allure of sustainable, organic traffic. By optimizing website content, structure, and performance, businesses can attract a steady stream of qualified leads without incurring hefty advertising costs. This long-term approach not only delivers a higher return on investment but also enhances brand equity over time.

Navigating Complexity with Professional Expertise

While the concept of SEO may seem straightforward, its execution is anything but simple. The intricacies of search engine algorithms, coupled with the ever-expanding digital landscape, demand a nuanced and multifaceted approach to optimization. This is where professional expertise becomes invaluable.

Staying Ahead of Algorithm Updates

Search engines constantly refine their algorithms to deliver more relevant and user-friendly results. Keeping pace with these updates requires a deep understanding of SEO fundamentals, coupled with ongoing monitoring and adaptation. SEO professionals possess the knowledge and experience to anticipate algorithmic changes and adjust strategies accordingly, ensuring consistent visibility and performance.

Comprehensive Technical Optimization

Beyond content and keywords, SEO encompasses a plethora of technical elements that influence a website’s ranking. From site architecture and mobile responsiveness to page speed and schema markup, optimizing these technical facets requires specialized skills and expertise. SEO professionals possess the technical know-how to fine-tune every aspect of a website, maximizing its potential for search engine visibility.

Content Optimization and Strategy

Content reigns supreme in the realm of SEO. Crafting high-quality, relevant, and engaging content is essential for both user satisfaction and search engine rankings. However, creating content that resonates with both audiences and algorithms is an art form in itself. SEO professionals employ sophisticated keyword research, content optimization techniques, and content strategy development to ensure that every piece of content contributes to the overarching SEO goals.

Holistic Approach to Link Building

In the intricate web of the internet, backlinks serve as the currency of credibility and authority. However, not all links are created equal, and building a robust backlink profile requires a strategic and holistic approach. SEO professionals leverage a combination of outreach, relationship building, and content marketing to earn high-quality backlinks from authoritative sources, bolstering a website’s SEO performance.

In the digital age, where competition is fierce and attention spans are fleeting, investing in SEO is not just a luxury; it’s a necessity for sustainable growth and success. By optimizing their online presence for search engines, businesses can enhance visibility, credibility, and trust among their target audience, driving organic traffic and conversions. However, navigating the complexities of SEO requires more than just a cursory understanding; it demands the expertise of seasoned professionals who possess the knowledge, skills, and strategic acumen to unlock the full potential of SEO. In an era where every click counts, entrusting SEO to the hands of professionals isn’t just a smart investment; it’s a strategic imperative for businesses aiming to thrive in the digital marketplace.

5 Effective Ways to Boost Website Traffic Organically (without paying for ads)

Attracting visitors to your website without relying on paid ads has become both an art and a science. While paid advertising can undoubtedly drive traffic, mastering organic methods not only saves on costs but also fosters sustainable growth and long-term success. Whether you’re a seasoned web admin or a newcomer to the field, this comprehensive guide will equip you with the knowledge and strategies needed to boost your website’s traffic organically.

Understanding Organic Traffic

Organic traffic refers to visitors who land on your website through unpaid channels, primarily search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo. Unlike paid traffic, which relies on advertising campaigns, organic traffic relies on various optimization techniques to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs) and attract users naturally. Mastering organic traffic involves optimizing your website for search engines, creating high-quality content, and leveraging other channels like social media and email marketing.

1. SEO: The Foundation of Organic Traffic

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) lies at the core of any successful organic traffic strategy. By optimizing your website’s structure, content, and backlink profile, you can improve its visibility in search engine results and attract more visitors. Here’s how to get started:

Keyword Research: Identify relevant keywords and phrases that your target audience is searching for. Use tools like Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, or Ahrefs to discover high-volume keywords with low competition.
On-Page Optimization: Optimize your website’s meta titles, meta descriptions, headings, and content to include your target keywords naturally. Ensure that your website’s URL structure is clean and descriptive.
Consistent, Quality Content Creation: Create valuable, informative, and engaging content that addresses the needs and interests of your audience. Publish blog posts, articles, guides, and videos that demonstrate your expertise and provide solutions to common problems in your niche. Publish regular blog posts on your site. Creating new text content on a REGULAR BASIS is the #1 thing that you can do to grow the footprint of your site and get indexed in search results for keywords and search phrases related to you. It may take a while to see a difference in your search results rankings and incoming traffic, but if you can force yourself to publish at least 2 blogs posts a month, then after several months you’re going to start climbing up to the top of search results and get more people looking at your site.
Technical & Professional SEO: Improve your website’s technical aspects, such as site speed, code structure, mobile-friendliness, and ease of use. Use tools like Google’s PageSpeed Insights and Mobile-Friendly Test to identify and fix any issues that may hinder your site’s performance. Search engines now prioritize websites that are engaging in professional SEO work. As licensed pros, we have special access to search engines where we can see the algorithm directly, can request custom display preferences in search results, and we get a “Disney Fast Pass” to the front of the line for indexing, shortening the indexing cycle to 42 days and guaranteeing that your ENTIRE site is indexed, not just a few pages here and there when Google accidentally ‘trips’ over it as it crawls the web. Learn more about our SEO services here.
Backlink Building: Earn high-quality backlinks from authoritative websites in your industry. Guest blogging, outreach campaigns, and content collaborations are effective ways to acquire backlinks naturally.

2. Content Marketing: Creating Value-Driven Content

Content is the cornerstone of any successful organic traffic strategy. By producing high-quality, valuable content that resonates with your target audience, you can attract visitors, establish authority, and drive engagement. Here are some content marketing strategies to implement:

Content Planning: Develop a content calendar outlining topics, formats, and publishing schedules. Conduct research to identify popular trends, questions, and topics within your industry.
Diversified Content Types: Experiment with different content formats, including blog posts, infographics, videos, podcasts, and interactive quizzes. Cater to different learning preferences and consumption habits.
Evergreen Content: Create evergreen content that remains relevant and valuable over time. Evergreen articles, guides, and tutorials can continue to attract traffic and generate leads long after they’re published.
Optimized Multimedia: Optimize multimedia content, such as images and videos, for search engines by including descriptive filenames, alt text, and captions. This improves accessibility and enhances your content’s discoverability.
User-Generated Content: Encourage user-generated content, such as reviews, testimonials, and user-generated videos. User-generated content not only engages your audience but also adds authenticity and social proof to your brand.

3. Social Media Engagement: Building a Community

Social media platforms offer a powerful channel for driving organic traffic, building brand awareness, and engaging with your audience. Here’s how to leverage social media effectively:

Platform Selection: Identify the social media platforms where your target audience is most active. Focus your efforts on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok, depending on your niche and demographic.
Content Sharing: Share your website’s content on social media channels regularly. Tailor your messaging and content formats to suit each platform’s audience and guidelines.
Engagement and Interaction: Actively engage with your audience by responding to comments, messages, and mentions. Foster conversations, ask questions, and encourage user-generated content to boost engagement.
Community Building: Create and nurture communities around your brand or niche. Establish dedicated groups, forums, or online communities where users can connect, share ideas, and seek advice.
Influencer Partnerships: Collaborate with influencers and thought leaders in your industry to reach new audiences and amplify your message. Identify influencers whose values align with your brand and whose followers match your target demographic.

4. Email Marketing: Nurturing Relationships

Email marketing remains one of the most effective channels for nurturing relationships, driving traffic, and converting leads into customers. Here’s how to leverage email marketing for organic traffic growth:

Build an Email List: Encourage website visitors to subscribe to your email list by offering incentives such as exclusive content, discounts, or free resources. Use opt-in forms, pop-ups, and lead magnets to capture email addresses.
Personalized Campaigns: Segment your email list based on user preferences, behaviors, and demographics. Deliver personalized and relevant content to each segment to maximize engagement and conversions.
Automation and Drip Campaigns: Set up automated email sequences, such as welcome emails, abandoned cart reminders, and drip campaigns, to nurture leads and guide them through the customer journey.
Content Promotion: Use email newsletters to promote your website’s content, products, and offers. Include compelling CTAs and links to drive traffic back to your site.
A/B Testing: Continuously test and optimize your email campaigns for maximum effectiveness. Experiment with different subject lines, email designs, send times, and CTAs to improve open rates, click-through rates, and conversions.

5. Community Engagement: Participating in Online Communities

Engaging with online communities, forums, and discussion groups relevant to your niche can help you establish authority, build relationships, and drive traffic to your website. Here’s how to participate effectively:

Identify Relevant Communities: Find online communities, forums, and discussion groups where your target audience congregates. Platforms like Reddit, Quora, Stack Overflow, and niche-specific forums are excellent places to start.
Provide Value: Participate in discussions, answer questions, and provide valuable insights without being overly promotional. Establish yourself as a trusted expert and resource within the community.
Share Your Content Sparingly: Share your website’s content sparingly and only when it’s highly relevant and valuable to the community. Focus on contributing to discussions and adding value rather than self-promotion.
Engage Authentically: Be authentic, transparent, and respectful in your interactions with community members. Avoid spammy or overly promotional behavior, as it can damage your reputation and credibility.
Monitor and Analyze: Monitor discussions, feedback, and trends within online communities to identify opportunities, gather insights, and refine your content and marketing strategies.

That’s a Wrap

Mastering organic traffic requires a multifaceted approach that encompasses SEO, content marketing, social media engagement, email marketing, and community participation. By implementing these strategies and continuously refining your approach based on data and feedback, you can attract more visitors to your website, build meaningful relationships with your audience, and achieve sustainable growth over time.

Can you get better SEO with WordPress or Shopify?

Recent years have seen the rise of many hosted website and ecommerce solutions such as Wix, Square Space and Shopify. These can be good solutions for many small businesses, but its important to know certain things about how SEO works within these platforms before making your decision about which platform is best for your website.

As an SEO Strategist and WordPress developer, one question I get often is, “Is SEO work as effective in a Shopify site as it is in a WordPress site?”

That’s a great question. The answer starts with a “Yes, but…”

We can do very good SEO work on Shopify, Wix and Square Space sites, however we’ve seen that results typically take longer to come to fruition, and indexing is not as fluid or comprehensive with these sites as it is with WordPress. WordPress will nearly always yield better results from SEO work, for a few reasons.

1. All hosted application sites are canned and therefore limit control of the website admin over the website environment.

When you sign up to host your site with Shopify, you are given a bit of website space under the Shopify.com domain, in what is called a subdomain. For example, your site’s URL would technically be “mysite.shopify.com”. Domain masking can be applied so that “mysite.com” gets forwarded to “mysite.shopify.com”, but really your site and its entire body of content is under the control of the parent domain. Sites like Shopify and Wix are actually applications, whereas WordPress is a script. That probably doesn’t sound like a big deal, but it’s actually a very important distinction. Running your site through an application means that your control over many elements are very much limited, including your control over the SEO meta in your site.

2. WordPress performs better because it is more customizeable.

One of the hallmarks of WordPress and certainly one of the reasons it is the most widely-used web platform is that it is so customizable, not only in terms of how you can build a website, but also how much SEO meta can be implemented. Shopify will only allow you to have 20 keyword phrases at any given time. You might be able to enter more than that into the site pages via the admin, however the system will filter those keywords so that only 20 are readable by engines at any given time. This limits you to 20 keyword phrases that can be indexed for you site. Compare that to an unlimited number of keywords that WordPress will allow, and that makes a huge difference, especially for larger sites with lots of pages and posts.

3. Shopify limits your control and access

Shopify, Wix and SQuare Space (and others like it) limit direct access to robots.txt, and deny XML control. Shopify will also limit the number of words allowed in each keyword phrase to 2. This is a big deal – its the difference between ranking for “Car Wash Denver” and just “Car Wash”, which can make all the difference if you are trying to attract customers locally in Denver. This specific example also means that instead of competing with only a small handful of other car wash sites in Denver, you are now competing with ALL care wash sites in the world.

While limiting control and access to parts of the site does prevent site owners from accidentally making a potentially wrong move in their own sites, it also means that an SEO expert cannot come in and customize settings in these areas to tailor how search engines view your site or how Google can index your content. One of the biggest benefits of working in WordPress is that you are afforded access to every file and feed in your site.

So – if your site is already built on Shopify, Wix, Square Space, or another application site with a monthly fee, we definitely can do effective SEO campaigns in conjunction with the limitations of these platforms. We just want you to be aware that results will most likely take longer to appear in your reporting. SEO is a long game anyways, so what’s a few more weeks?

Learn about our SEO Products & Services!

If you’d like to discuss how BluErth can implement an effective SEO strategy in your site, please contact us!

Organic SEO Statistics

Below are some 2018 SEO Statistics that show how important your organic SEO ranking is to the performance of your site in search results pages:

In 2017, Google accounted for over 79% of all global desktop search traffic, followed by Bing at 7.27%, Baidu at 6.55% and Yahoo at 5.06%. (Source: NetMarketShare)
Google receives over 63,000 searches per second on any given day.(Source: Internet Live Stats)
More Google searches take place on mobile devices than on computers in 10 countries including the U.S. and Japan.(Google, 2017) (Source: https://www.hubspot.com/marketing-statistics)
Marketers see SEO as becoming more effective, with 82% reporting effectiveness is on the rise and 42% of this group stating effectiveness is increasing significantly. (Source: MarketDive, 2017)
61% of marketers say improving SEO and growing their organic presence is their top inbound marketing priority. (HubSpot, 2017) (Source: https://www.hubspot.com/marketing-statistics)
In 2018, the average firm is expected to allocate 41% of their marketing budget to online, and this rate is expected to grow to 45% by 2020. Search engine marketing will capture the largest share of online spend with online display (banner ads, online video, etc.) taking the second largest share. (Source: web strategies)
A recent Google survey revealed that 85-percent of people claim to ignore sponsored listings when searching via Google and if you’re in a sector where PR isn’t favorable; your ads might be even less trusted.
Organic Listings receive 90% of clicks.
Younger searches are less likely to click on paid ads – 35 percent of ads are clicked on by searchers age 34 or younger. But as age increases, so does the number of people clicking on those ads, as 65 percent of ad clicks come from searchers age 35 and older.

How Domain Names Impact SEO

SEO is constantly changing, which makes it difficult at times to align your site with search engine best practices. Although SEO encompasses thousands of variables overall, one important variable is your domain name. The definition of a good domain name has changed according to Google. Here’s how.

Exact Match Domains (EMDs) are domain names that include keyword phrases. Just purchasing such a domain would have gotten you the first page ranking a while ago – no good content or backlinks needed. But that all changed after Google released the Exact Match Domain Update, which essentially made EMDs obsolete in search engine rankings.

An EMD or a domain name containing one keyword (a PMD – partial match domain) may not benefit your rankings anymore. A good domain name will get you more brand recognition, user trust and higher click-through-rates.

So how should you decide on a domain name to maximize SEO? You need only do two things:

choose a memorable brand name as your domain name
pick a .com extension.

Your Brand Name Should Be Your Domain Name

Your brand name is how your customers recognize and find you in search engines and social media platforms. So think of your domain name as the foothold of your online brand.

In fact, the more customers are using your brand name to search for you online, the more your SEO and rankings will improve. This is referred to as brand signalling (any reference of your business online).

So Google now cares more about brands than it does about keywords and links. For that reason, using your brand name is more important than keywords. As long as people recognize it and are searching for it, Google will measure that brand signal and rank it accordingly. For this reason, it is important to have a memorable brand name and consequently, a memorable domain name.

Opt For a .com Extension

You probably already know that .com is the most popular domain extension, and the safest bet, because other domain extensions like .biz and .us are typically seen as spam. Although choosing it may not directly impact your rankings, you may be perceived as a spammy site, which could affect your SEO.

Tips for Choosing the Perfect Domain Name

Use your brand name
Don’t use exact match domains. Partial match domains are OK but a brand name is always more effective
Choose a .com extension
Make it memorable so users can easily remember it
Keep it short, 15 characters at most
Avoid numbers, hyphens and special characters
Avoid misspelling words on purpose. It’s a no-no for branding

Remember: As long as you have great content and a good SEO strategy, a strong and unique domain name may rank you higher. Choose one wisely, use it correctly and start reaping the value.

SEO Basic Essentials: 5 Tips to Show Up in Search Results

“How do I get my site to show up in the search results?”
If I had a dollar for every time I answered this question…

A large part of my job is educating my clients about SEO – what it is, why it is important, and how to implement it into a website. If you are depending on your website to attract new clients and customers, it is essential for you to understand the basics of SEO and how to optimize your website to utilize it for your company’s greatest benefit. So, below I will share with you BluErth’s SEO Basic Essentials: 5 Tips to Get Noticed in the Search Engines. This will give you a good understanding of what you need to do, but if you want more information or help implementing these practices, BluErth can help you create a plan for boosting your traffic and visibility in search results.

Continue reading “SEO Basic Essentials: 5 Tips to Show Up in Search Results”

Google Chrome will start warning that non-HTTPS sites are insecure

Google’s Chrome browser will soon begin displaying all sites that do not have an SSL certificate as ‘insecure’, which essentially flips the way the browser used to convey information about privacy and security to users. Instead of discreetly informing users that a site has HTTPS and is secure, they’ll flag all non-HTTPS sites as insecure, with a series of escalating alerts that will eventually display an exclamation point inside a red triangle – an icon that was chosen by the Chrome team specifically to alarm users.

The increased interest in encrypting all websites is part of a movement to increase the overall safety of all web users. In addition to protecting your site and it’s readers from hacking, spam, malware and identity theft, SSL certificates bring significant Search Engine Optimization benefits as well since encrypted sites are given priority in search results.

If your site is not currently encrypted with an SSL certificate, consider adding one. The cost is only $185 per year and the certificate installation is included, along with a dedicated IP address.

Why you can’t afford NOT to invest in SEO

Small businesses have a huge amount to gain from quality SEO – both in creating brand awareness and gaining new business. Search engine optimization (SEO) is vital to a successful online presence, and effective SEO helps to ensure your business is positioned properly in the market and directly targeting your key consumers.

93% of online experiences begin with a search engine

There are 3.42 billion internet users today – equivalent to 46% of the global population. And most of them start their online experience with a search. Studies show that 75% of users never scroll past the first page of search results. If you don’t invest in SEO, potential clients probably will never find your site.

The world of SEO is a constantly shifting landscape. Algorithms are updated and machine learning grows more intuitive and powerful, which means that in order to be noticed online, you need to continually devote resources to your SEO to ensure you don’t fall short of the latest search engine standards and penalties.

But we’ve already ‘done’ SEO, you say?

SEO is not a one-time thing – it’s an ongoing, organic process that requires periodic revisiting to ensure quality and relevant links. To suggest you should only strive to be high quality and relevant once wouldn’t be something you’d even consider in other aspects of your business.

Like many worthwhile activities, SEO takes time to bear fruit, which means you can’t build up a positive search ranking overnight. You may not see immediate results, but you will see results! 100% of our clients have seen a significant improvement in their search result rankings. For some industries, it happens within 3 months, and for others it can take a bit longer. That’s why our Primary SEO is a 12-month program, because building up your ranking slowly and organically is the absolute best and most long-lasting way to improve your SEO.

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR PRIMARY SEO SERVICE

>Some Search Statistics

70% of the links search users click on are organic (meaning not paid links, just naturally occurring in your website).
70-80% of users ignore paid ads, focusing on the organic results instead.
Search and e-mail are the top two internet activities.
A study by Outbrain shows that search is the #1 driver of traffic to content sites, beating social media by more than 300%

SEO 101: What is SEO and Why do I need it?

SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is a tricky beast and needs constant attention. It is best grown organically and slowly over time. There really are no shortcuts when it comes to SEO – you have to do the work to get the results. While there are lots of strategies out there for this, it is generally agreed that creating an effective SEO campaign will include certain steps.

A good SEO campaign should include:

Integration of a well-researched group of keywords that receive a high volume of searches and are SPECIFIC TO YOUR SITE, INDUSTRY and TARGET AUDIENCE.
Properly placed meta information, keywords and descriptions to maximize your visibility and increase your page rank across ALL search engines, not just Google.
Site submissions to multiple directories, social media outlets, profile pages and search engine indexes to insure that your website and company information are consistent across all outlets.
Periodic reports provided to you that show your position in the search results across multiple engines, and which pages are getting the best rankings within your site.
For brick and mortar locations, Local Directory Mapping is a must. This service will submit your website and contact details to hundreds of directory listings and websites, gaining up to 800 legitimate backlinks from reputable sites. It increases visibility for local searches and provides a wealth of the SEO rank value.

SEO is an ordeal, and it is often overwhelming for business owners to dedicate the time needed to carry out a successful campaign. BluErth handles SEO campaigns for many of our clients over the course of 6-12 months, and our dedicated SEO team has proven success putting sites at the top of the search results pages again and again.

LEARN MORE about SEO and how BluErth can launch your successful SEO campaign

Choosing Plugins Wisely: Protect your WordPress site against hacking through plugins

1. Download plugins only from reputable sources. For free plugins, this means WordPress.org only! Since anyone can create a WordPress plugin, hackers can exploit this vulnerability to hide their own nefarious plugin. The WordPress.org plugin library will only offer plugins that are known to be safe. Other software sources that offer paid plugins such as CodeCanyon.com are generally safe. Be sure that the plugin you are purchasing has reviews or ratings.

2. Ensure all your plugins are up to date. Any time you see the option to update your software, do it! New version releases often contain security fixes that will protect you from malware, and old, outdated plugins can become gateways for hackers to gain access to your website.

3. Remove any unused plugins. Unused plugins tend to take up space on your server, slow down your site, and become vulnerable to hacking if they become out of date.

4. Check plugin performance. We recommend the plugin P3 (Plugin Performance Profiler) that scans your current plugins to determine if any of them are causing system-wide issues such as bandwidth hogging, slowing your site or clashing with system files. Keeping your site running smoothly has a great impact on your site’s SEO.

Keep these basic rules of thumb in mind while maintaining your website and you should have a healthy site!