If you’re a business based in Wiltshire, you know how important it is to reach local customers. However, with so many companies vying for attention in the area, it can be difficult to make sure your website is visible to people searching for your products or services. Local SEO is the practice of optimising your website to rank higher in search results for people searching for a business within the same region.
By optimising your website for local SEO, you can increase your visibility to people searching for your products or services in Wiltshire, driving more traffic and ultimately boosting your bottom line. In this article, we’ll be discussing the various optimisation techniques and strategies that can be used to increase your website’s visibility for local SEO in Wiltshire.
Local SEO is optimising a website’s content and structure to appear in the top positions for relevant local searches, such as ‘best coffee shop near me’ or ‘plumber in Wiltshire’. Partnering with a reliable SEO and content agency can help ensure your website is optimised for these local searches, allowing your business to be found by potential customers in your area.
In addition to increasing online visibility and driving traffic to a business’s website or physical location, local SEO can improve brand awareness and credibility among potential customers. Consequently, businesses can establish themselves as trusted authorities within their respective industries.
Optimising your Google Business Profile (GBP) listing can help you rank higher in local search results. One way to optimise your listing is by ensuring that all information is accurate or up-to-date. This includes details like your business name, address, phone number, hours of operation, website URL, and photos.
Another way to optimise GBP is by encouraging customer reviews. Positive reviews not only help boost your rankings but also build trust with potential customers who are researching your business online. This is why it's essential to partner with reputable digital marketing companies that can help you develop effective review generation strategies and manage your online reputation.
Start by adding your business name, address, and phone number (NAP) in a prominent location on the page. Use relevant keywords, such as “SEO services Bristol” in your title tag, meta description, and H1 tag to signal to search engines what your business is about.
Also, add internal links from other pages on your website to your homepage with relevant anchor text. This will help search engines understand the importance of your homepage and rank it higher in local search results. Adding a Google Map to your homepage can also help customers easily find your business’s location.
Schema markup is a form of structured data that you can add to your website’s code to help search engines understand the content on your pages. Adding schema markup makes it easier for search engines to display relevant information about your business in search results.
So if someone searches for a restaurant in their area, they may see star ratings and reviews alongside your restaurant’s name and address. This not only helps them make a more informed decision but also increases the likelihood that they’ll choose your business over competitors.
If you're looking to enhance local SEO, a reliable digital marketing agency can help you conduct a local SEO audit. This audit will help you identify areas where you’re doing well and areas that need improvement. Here are some tips when conducting a local SEO audit:
· Consider your website’s content strategy.
o Your website should have relevant and high-quality content.
o Create a clear call to action on every website page with consistent messaging.
o Make your website’s structure easy to navigate.
o Your website should also be optimised for mobile devices, as many local searches are conducted on smartphones.
· Analyse your backlinks. Your backlinks should be diverse and natural, and they should come from reputable websites.
· Analyse your social media presence. Check how active your business is on social media and how frequently you engage with your audience.
Your title tag should accurately describe the page’s content and include relevant keywords that users might search for. Meanwhile, an engaging meta description entices users to click through to your site.
You should also include location-specific keywords. Doing so will help search engines understand that your website is relevant to those searching for local services or products in those areas. An agency specialising in local SEO services can help you optimise your metadata effectively.
This strategy can help you reach a wider audience, increase your online visibility and ultimately drive more traffic to your site. When listing your business in local directories, make sure all the information you provide is accurate and up-to-date.
In addition to accuracy, it’s also important to be consistent with how you list your business across different directories. This means using the same formatting so that search engines can easily recognise that each listing belongs to the same business. And don’t forget about niche directories specific to your industry or location—these can be excellent sources of targeted traffic and high-quality leads.
Ensure that all pages on your website are linked together in a logical or structured way. This means that each page should have at least one link pointing to another page on your site, and those links should use relevant anchor text. Ensure that your site’s most important pages are linked to other high-value pages like your homepage or product/service landing pages.
Consider using breadcrumbs as a navigation aid for visitors and search engines alike. Breadcrumbs show users where they are within a site’s hierarchy of information and allow them to quickly navigate back up the chain if needed.
Location pages provide valuable information about your business. Creating these pages can improve your search engine rankings and make it easier for potential customers to find you online.
Include relevant keywords in the page title and meta description when creating location pages. This will help search engines understand what your page is about and improve its visibility in search results. It’s also important to include high-quality images of your business or products on each location page.
Customer reviews not only help in improving your website’s SEO ranking but also influence potential customers’ purchasing decisions. Positive reviews can increase trust and credibility, leading to more conversions and sales.
To add reviews to your website, you can create a separate page or section dedicated solely to customer feedback. You can also integrate review widgets or plugins that allow customers to leave their feedback directly on your website. Ensure that you respond promptly and professionally to both positive and negative reviews, as this shows that you value customer satisfaction.
Focus on producing content that’s relevant and useful to the people in your area. It could be anything from blog posts, videos, infographics, or even podcasts. Ensure your content includes information about your services or products and how they can benefit your local audience.
Use locally relevant keywords and phrases throughout the text. Make sure these keywords appear naturally within the context of your content so that they don’t look like spammy attempts at ranking higher on search engines. Keep in mind that Google prioritises fresh and relevant content on its search results page. So it’s essential to update your website with new information regularly.
Is doing local SEO worth it?
Doing local SEO is definitely worth it. For small businesses, investing in an SEO solution can be a great way to attract potential customers actively searching for products or services like yours within your area.
How can I find my local SEO keywords?
Determine what you offer and what products or services you wish to promote. Then come up with a list of relevant keywords. Google search results can also be used to find local-based keywords. Simply enter your main keyword and scroll down.
What are some common local SEO mistakes?
One common mistake in local SEO is not optimising for Google My Business. Neglecting to do so can result in decreased visibility and missed opportunities. Another mistake is failing to incorporate location-specific keywords into website content, impacting search engine rankings for local searches.
Some businesses also make the mistake of not paying attention to online reviews. Not responding appropriately or promptly to negative reviews can harm a business’s reputation and deter potential customers from doing business with them.
Optimising your website for local SEO can help you improve your online visibility, attract more local customers and grow your business. Following the steps outlined in this article can improve your website’s local search rankings and attract more local customers.
However, local SEO can be complex and time-consuming, especially if you’re unfamiliar with the latest best practices and strategies. That’s where Smarter Media can help.
If you’re looking for ‘marketing companies near me’, our team of experienced local SEO specialists can help you develop a local SEO strategy that’s tailored to your business’s unique needs and goals. Contact us today.
When it comes to advertising your business online, Google Ads are one of the most powerful tools at your disposal. However, managing a Google Ads campaign can be time-consuming and complex, which is why many businesses choose to partner with a Google Ads management agency. These agencies specialise in creating and managing Google Ads campaigns and can help you get the most out of your advertising budget. But not all agencies are created equal, so it’s important to choose the right one.
Google Ads management agencies are composed of teams that have spent years mastering the art of Google advertising. They know what works and what doesn’t, which is a valuable trait when it comes to managing your ad campaigns. With their vast knowledge in the industry, these experts can provide valuable insights to help optimise your paid search marketing campaigns for maximum results.
Apart from their experience, Google Ads management agencies also have access to the latest tools and technologies. As a result, they are better equipped to navigate complex algorithms and new updates than someone who does not have access to such resources.
Advertisements that are not current or relevant to the target audience can fail miserably, leading to wasted ad spend and poor ROI. With a PPC agency in Bristol, however, you don’t have to worry about such issues.
The experts at these agencies stay on top of industry trends and changes in consumer behaviour to ensure your ads remain current and effective. They also conduct thorough research into your target audience’s interests, preferences, and online behaviour, allowing them to create highly targeted ads that resonate with potential customers.
Managing a successful Google Ads campaign can be incredibly time-consuming, especially if you’re unfamiliar with the platform or lack experience with online advertising. Hiring a paid search agency means you can delegate this responsibility to experienced professionals who can optimise your campaigns for maximum ROI.
In addition to giving you more free time, working with a paid search management agency allows you to focus on other essential aspects of your business. Instead of worrying about campaign optimisation and keyword research, you can concentrate on building relationships with customers or developing new products and services. This lets you work smarter, not harder, and ultimately achieve better results in less time.
Working with a Google paid search agency gives you access to invaluable data-driven insights that can transform the way you approach online advertising. The agency will analyse your campaign data to identify trends and patterns, which can help you optimise your ads for better performance.
Through these insights, you'll also better understand who your target audience is, what they're looking for, and how best to reach them. This information can be used to create highly targeted campaigns that speak directly to your audience's needs and preferences. With deep data-driven insights at your fingertips, you'll have the power to take calculated risks that can help grow your business.
Ongoing optimisation ensures that your ad campaigns always perform at their best and drive the highest possible ROI. This involves regular updates to your ad copy, targeting settings, bidding strategies and more based on data-driven insights.
Agencies use advanced tools and techniques to gather data about your campaign performance and make informed decisions about how to improve it. By partnering with a PPC marketing agency, you can feel confident that your ad campaign is in good hands. You can focus on running your business while experts handle the technical details of managing your ads. Plus, you’ll have peace of mind knowing that your budget is being allocated effectively and efficiently to drive results.
Choosing the right Google Ads management agency can be daunting. Here are some factors to consider when selecting the best one for your needs:
Your goals and desired outcomes are the foundation of your Google Ads campaign, so it’s essential to know them before choosing a Google Ads management agency. Are you looking to increase website traffic, generate leads or sales, or simply build brand awareness? Knowing your goals will help the agency tailor their strategy to achieve these objectives.
Additionally, ensure the agency understands your target audience and how they behave online. This knowledge will inform ad targeting tactics and messaging that resonates with your ideal customer. When all of these elements are aligned with your goals, you can be confident in choosing a Google Ads management agency that can deliver results for your business.
You want to work with an agency with a good track record of delivering results and providing excellent customer service. Look for reviews and testimonials from past clients, as well as case studies that showcase their successes. You can also gauge the company’s reputation by checking their partnerships and certifications.
Another thing to check is the agency’s online presence. A reputable agency should have a professional website, active social media accounts, and regularly updated blog content. This demonstrates that they’re committed to staying up-to-date with industry trends and sharing valuable insights with their audience.
You want to ensure that the agency is upfront about their strategies, tactics, and pricing structure. The agency should be willing to provide regular reports on your campaigns’ performance and explain any changes they plan to make.
Another critical factor is their level of communication. You want an agency that will keep you informed every step of the way, whether it’s through email updates or scheduled meetings. This way, you’ll have peace of mind knowing that your campaigns are being managed properly and that there aren’t any surprises down the road.
Find an agency with a history of providing successful campaigns over time. An excellent way to determine this is through case studies and testimonials. These give insight into the agency’s past successes and how they achieved them.
You should also look at an agency’s ability to consistently meet or exceed performance metrics. This includes things like click-through rates, conversion rates, and return on ad spend. An agency that consistently delivers strong results across multiple campaigns demonstrates their expertise in the field.
A good agency should have a clear and well-defined process for creating, launching, and managing your ads. This process should include conducting thorough research into your business, audience, and competitors to develop effective keyword strategies that will help you achieve your advertising goals. Additionally, the agency should have an approach for monitoring and optimising your campaigns based on data-driven insights to ensure that they deliver maximum ROI.
Another important consideration when evaluating an agency’s methodology is their approach to reporting and communication. The right agency will provide frequent updates on campaign performance while being transparent about the metrics they track and how they achieve results. They should be able to clearly explain their methodology in lay terms so that you can easily understand what they are doing with your ad budget.
You need to ensure that the agency’s pricing model aligns with your budget and business goals. Some agencies charge a flat fee, while others use a percentage of ad spend as their pricing model. It’s essential to understand what you’ll be paying for and how much it will cost.
The goal is to find an agency that provides high-quality services at an affordable price point without sacrificing performance or results. It’s crucial to do your due diligence by researching different agencies’ pricing models and comparing them against one another before making an informed decision about which will best meet your needs and objectives.
Once you’ve chosen a Google Ads management agency, it’s essential to know how to work with them to ensure your campaigns are successful. Here are some tips to help you get the most out of your partnership:
· Set clear goals and expectations – This includes defining your target audience, budget, keywords, ad copy, and other relevant metrics.
· Collaborate effectively – Regular communication with your account manager can help you stay updated on campaign performance and make any necessary adjustments along the way.
· Trust the experts – While providing feedback and direction is essential, you should also be open to your chosen agency’s suggestions and recommendations.
· Track results – This will help you see how your campaigns are performing and identify areas for improvement.
· Stay up to date – Work with your agency to stay on top of the latest developments in the industry.
Looking for a digital marketing agency for small businesses in the UK? At Smarter Media, we understand the importance of creating tailored and effective Google Ads campaigns. Our team uses data-driven strategies to ensure your paid media campaigns are always optimised for maximum ROI. Contact us today.
In today's digital landscape, businesses are increasingly turning to content marketing as a powerful strategy to attract and engage their target audiences. Content marketing involves the creation and distribution of valuable, relevant and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly-defined audience—ultimately, with the goal of driving profitable customer action.
In this article, we'll dive into the fundamentals of content marketing, why it's important and how businesses can leverage this strategy to achieve their marketing goals.
Content marketing is the process of creating and distributing valuable, relevant and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience with the goal of driving profitable customer action.
This type of marketing focuses on building relationships with potential customers by providing them with helpful information that will help them make informed decisions. If you're a business looking to implement content marketing strategies, it may be worth considering working with a B2B content marketing agency.
Content marketing is essential for any business that aims to attract and retain customers through valuable and relevant content. By working with a content creation agency and investing time and resources into creating valuable content, your business can increase its visibility online while building lasting relationships with customers.
One key aspect of content marketing is creating high-quality and engaging content that resonates with your target audience. By doing so, businesses can increase their brand awareness and gain more visibility in their respective industries. This is especially important for small companies or startups that are looking to establish themselves in the market.
To create compelling content, it's essential to understand your audience's needs and preferences. This involves conducting research on their interests, pain points and behaviours online.
By tailoring your content to meet these needs, you'll be able to capture their attention and build a loyal following over time. However, not all businesses have the resources or expertise to create compelling content marketing strategies on their own. This is where a content marketing agency can be of great help.
Creating valuable content that solves your target audience’s problems can help drive traffic to your website. By optimising your content for search engines, you can ensure that potential customers find your website when searching for solutions to their problems. Content marketing companies can help with this.
Content marketing is an essential tool for businesses to generate leads and attract potential customers. By offering valuable resources such as ebooks, whitepapers and webinars, companies can capture the attention of their target audience and encourage them to provide their contact information in exchange for access to these resources. This approach is more effective than traditional advertising methods because it offers real value to the user.
In addition to delivering valuable content, content marketing can also help businesses position themselves as thought leaders. By creating high-quality blog posts, infographics or videos that offer insights into relevant topics or address common issues facing customers, companies have the opportunity to showcase their expertise and build trust with potential customers. As a result, they will be more likely to turn those leads into paying customers.
Creating high-quality content on a consistent basis can help businesses showcase their expertise while offering value to customers through valuable insights into the industry trends they operate within. With the rise of digital marketing, content has become a crucial component of any business's marketing strategy. By producing content that addresses the pain points and challenges of their audience, companies can not only attract potential customers but also gain authority within their industry.
When businesses work with a content marketing consultant and consistently produce valuable and informative content, they are more likely to gain the trust and respect of their target audience. Thought leadership is not just about sharing opinions; it’s about providing insights that are backed up by research and data. By doing so, businesses can demonstrate their knowledge and expertise in their respective fields. Moreover, this helps them create a loyal following that trusts them for advice or guidance.
Consumers are now more informed and empowered than ever before. They have access to a wealth of information at their fingertips and are no longer willing to settle for mediocre products or services. As such, businesses must be strategic in their approach if they want to succeed in this highly competitive landscape.
One way that businesses can stand out from the crowd is by partnering with a digital content agency and leveraging content marketing. By providing solutions to consumers’ challenges through valuable content, companies can position themselves as problem-solvers and earn the loyalty of potential customers.
Content marketing is an effective way for businesses to foster customer loyalty. By creating valuable content, companies build their authority and establish credibility with their audience. This trust can lead to long-term relationships with customers who are more likely to continue doing business with a company that consistently provides them with helpful information.
Additionally, content marketing allows businesses to stay top of mind with their customers by regularly sharing new and relevant content. This can help ensure that customers remember the brand when it comes time to make a purchase or seek out services. By consistently providing value through their content, companies can keep customers engaged and interested in what they have to offer.
Marketing goals are specific and measurable objectives that businesses want to accomplish through their marketing efforts. Companies must set realistic and achievable targets that align with their budget and resources. Having clear marketing goals allows companies to measure their success in achieving those objectives accurately.
Understanding your target audience. This involves researching and analysing their demographics, interests, behaviours, pain points and aspirations. Understanding the target audience helps create content that resonates with them and encourages engagement.
One way to understand the target audience is by creating buyer personas. Buyer personas are fictional representations of your ideal customers. They include information about their age, gender, income level, education level, job title and more. Creating buyer personas allows you to visualise your customer base and tailor content specifically to them.
Based on the marketing goals and target audience, businesses should develop a content strategy that outlines the types of content they will create, the channels they will use to distribute it and the frequency of publishing.
Valuable content is content that your target audience will find informative, helpful and engaging. To create valuable content, you need to understand your audience's needs and what kind of information they are searching for.
One way to create valuable content is by conducting research on your industry or niche. This can help you identify trends, hot topics and frequently asked questions that you can address in your blog posts or articles. You can also use tools like Google Analytics to see which pages on your website are getting the most traffic and which keywords people are using to find your site.
Optimising your content for search engines means ensuring that your website and content are easily discoverable by search engines such as Google. There are several vital things you can do to optimise your content for search engines.
Creating great content is only half the battle, as it’s equally crucial to ensure that your target audience actually sees it. One way to promote your content is through social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. You can use these channels to share links to your blog posts, infographics or videos with your followers, encouraging them to read and engage with your content.
Another way to promote your content is through email marketing campaigns. This involves sending out newsletters or other email communications that include links back to your website, where users can access and engage with your latest blog posts and other resources. By targeting specific segments of your audience with personalised messaging and content recommendations, you can increase engagement and drive more traffic back to your site over time.
Once you have executed your content marketing strategy, it's important to analyse results in order to understand what worked and what did not. One of the most effective ways to do this is through metrics tracking. Metrics such as website traffic, engagement rates and lead conversions can give you a clear picture of how well your content has been received by your target audience.
In addition to tracking metrics, it can also be helpful to gather feedback from your audience directly. Surveys or social media polls can provide valuable insights into what resonates with your audience and what they would like to see more of in the future.
Looking for a digital content marketing agency in the UK? From content strategy development and creation to distribution and promotion, Smarter Media’s team of experts works closely with clients to ensure their content marketing efforts are effective and drive results. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you leverage content marketing to grow your business.
Search engine optimisation (SEO) can be a daunting task, especially for eCommerce websites with thousands of pages. With so much content to manage and optimise, it can be difficult to know where to start and how to prioritise your efforts.
However, with the right approach, you can effectively handle SEO for your large website and drive significant traffic to your pages. In this article, we'll discuss some of the strategies and best practices that we use here at Smarter Media for optimising a website with thousands of pages for search engines.
eCommerce SEO is the process of optimising an online store’s website and products to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs). The goal is to improve visibility and drive traffic to your eCommerce site through organic search. eCommerce SEO is an essential component of a comprehensive eCommerce digital marketing strategy offered by any reputable eCommerce digital marketing agency.
Conducting insightful competitor research is a crucial step in any SEO strategy, whether you’re working with an in-house team or outsourcing to an SEO marketing agency. It helps you identify your competitors' strengths and weaknesses, enabling you to develop a strategy that sets your website apart from the rest. To begin with, start by identifying your top competitors in the industry. Analyse their websites and note down key features such as their page layout, content structure, visual design elements and user experience. You can use tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs to get an overview of their website traffic and backlink profile.
Next, analyse the keywords they rank for and compare them with yours to identify gaps in your keyword strategy. Also, look at their content strategy; what type of content do they publish? Do they have multimedia elements on their pages? Ensure that you take note of all these details, as this information will help you develop a comprehensive plan for optimising your own site.
One of the most important things you can do to optimise a website with thousands of pages is to make it easy to browse. This means organising your content in a clear and logical manner so that visitors can quickly find what they're looking for. Here are some ways to do this:
One method is creating categories and subcategories that reflect the structure of your site. For example, if you're running an eCommerce site, you might have main categories such as "Apparel," "Accessories," and "Home Goods," with subcategories like "Shoes," "Jewellery" and "Bedding" under each one.
Another key factor in making your site easy to browse is ensuring that it loads quickly on all devices. This means optimising images and other media files so that they don't slow down page load times, as well as using caching techniques to reduce server requests. Additionally, consider implementing lazy loading, which only loads images when they come into view on the screen.
Be sure to include clear navigation menus throughout your site, with links to important pages prominently displayed at the top or bottom of each page. Use descriptive labels for each link so that visitors know exactly where they'll be taken when they click on them.
Adding a search bar to your website helps users quickly find the information they are looking for without having to manually navigate through various pages. By providing a search bar on your site, you also save visitors time and effort, making their overall browsing experience more enjoyable. Not only does this improve user satisfaction, but it can also increase your website's retention rates.
Two of the most popular options for displaying content are infinite scroll and pagination. Infinite scroll allows users to continuously scroll down a page without having to click on any buttons or links to view more content. Pagination, on the other hand, divides content into separate pages that can be accessed by clicking on numbered links.
The title and description of your website pages are critical elements that affect the browsing experience. When you create unique titles for each page, you give visitors an idea of what they can expect on that particular page. This makes it easier for them to navigate your site and find what they are looking for without much effort. Furthermore, a well-optimised title tag can help improve search engine rankings and drive more traffic to your site.
Descriptions, on the other hand, provide a brief summary of the content on a specific page. These descriptions must be concise, relevant and informative to entice users to click through from search results pages or social media platforms. By crafting unique descriptions for all pages on your site, you are making it easier for search engines to understand what each page is about and rank them accordingly.
Internal linking is a powerful tool that can boost the SEO of your website. However, many site owners often overlook this aspect, missing out on its potential benefits. One way to discover hidden opportunities for internal linking is by conducting a content audit to identify any gaps or areas where additional links could be added. This will help you create a more organised and user-friendly site structure, making it easier for visitors to navigate through your pages.
Another way to uncover internal linking opportunities is by leveraging related articles or blog posts on your site. By adding links from one article to another that shares similar keywords or topics, you can help guide readers towards other relevant content they may be interested in exploring. Moreover, such links can enhance the authority of both pages while potentially reducing bounce rates on low-traffic pages.
A final tip for finding hidden opportunities for internal linking involves auditing external sources that link back to your website. By analysing these inbound links and identifying which pieces of content are frequently linked-to but lack any internal links themselves, you'll be able to pinpoint areas where there's room for additional connections between related articles/pages on your site—thus improving overall user experience and SEO performance!
Keeping your site operational means users should be able to easily navigate through your site and find what they're looking for without any hassle. Here’s how you can achieve this:
In today's world, where most people access the internet through their mobile devices, having a mobile-friendly website is no longer an option but a necessity. A website that is not optimised for mobile devices will be hard to navigate and may result in visitors leaving your site. That’s why it's essential to ensure your site is functional on all types of devices.
To make your site mobile-friendly, you need to optimise images and videos for smaller screens, as they can slow down page load times if they're too big. Additionally, use responsive design techniques that allow your site to adjust its layout automatically depending on the screen size of the device being used. And ensure that all buttons and links are easy to click on using fingers or thumbs.
The functionality of your website is paramount to the success of your online business. Technical errors can prevent users from accessing your website or hinder their ability to navigate it, leading to a loss in potential customers and revenue. Therefore, fixing technical errors should be at the top of your priority list.
One common technical error is broken links, which can occur when pages on your site are deleted or moved without proper redirection. Another issue is slow loading times, which can be caused by large image sizes or too many plugins installed on your site. These problems can easily be fixed by removing unnecessary plugins and compressing images.
To ensure that technical errors do not affect the functionality of your website, it's important to regularly monitor and test its performance. This includes checking for broken links, optimising images and videos for faster loading times and conducting regular security checks to eliminate vulnerabilities that could compromise user data or harm the reputation of your business. By taking these steps, you'll maintain a functional website that provides an optimal user experience for visitors while maximising profits for yourself.
A clean URL structure helps search engines understand the content and hierarchy of your site. URLs should be concise, descriptive and easy to read, making it easier for visitors to remember and share them.
One of the biggest challenges that website owners face is managing duplicate content. Duplicate content refers to blocks of text, images or videos that appear more than once on a website. It can harm your SEO efforts by confusing search engines and diluting your ranking power. That’s why it's important to identify and eliminate duplicate content on your site.
Looking for a digital SEO agency? At Smarter Media, we offer comprehensive SEO services that are tailored to the specific needs of our clients. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you improve your eCommerce SEO performance and grow your online business.
The link between a successful website and SEO has been proven to be true time and time again. This is why small businesses that embark on their SEO journeys early on have seen immense success and return on investment.
But it's not too late to join the SEO craze.
Are you a small business owner that wants to move into digital marketing?
You're on the right track!
One of the most effective ways to enter the digital marketing space for a business is to implement SEO strategies for your website. While SEO is an excellent strategy, most business owners know the basics of SEO but are confused about certain details of it.
Don't worry. Although SEO can get confusing, the experts are here to help.
In this article, we'll be getting into how much SEO costs, how much you should spend on SEO, if you should hire an SEO agency, and if it's worth it at the end of the day.
Are you looking for an SEO agency to help you weave through complex SEO practices? Schedule an appointment with Smarter Media for more information about how you can make use of SEO strategies today.
Here's the reality: there are over 3.5 billion search queries per day through Google.
But small businesses aren't usually keen on allocating a budget for SEO. In fact, there are some times where SEO marketing strategies are entirely ignored. According to a study done, 54% of small enterprise owners didn't have a budget for SEO at all.
This doesn't mean small enterprises aren't informed of the use of SEO - they simply don't know what is needed and how much to allocate towards digital marketing.
Quit the worry and learn about how you, as a business owner, can benefit from SEO while knowing how much it costs.
We first need to look at what we mean by the cost of SEO.
When we’re looking at SEO budgeting, this does not refer to pay-per-click advertising methods. Instead, SEO costs are related to improving organic traffic to a specific website through search engine optimisation and rankings.
There are already hundreds of SEO agencies scattered around the UK, and they offer various SEO services to small businesses like mom and pop shops to large conglomerates that are valued at billions.
Usually, there are three pricing structures that you might find when looking through SEO agencies and services:
Depending on the type of SEO you choose, here are estimates of what SEO could cost you per month:
Free.
For business owners that are working on an extra tight budget and/or already have the necessary SEO skills and industry knowledge, doing SEO on your website is cost-efficient. This isn’t recommended though for those that are not well-versed in the digital marketing world or have the consistent time required to dedicate to the constant updates and adjustments needed.
£50 - £2,000.
Best for small businesses, budget-friendly SEO allows you to define your content. Services included are suggestions for content marketing and basic onsite SEO recommendations.
Those in gardening, local construction, hairdressers, and the like are encouraged to invest their budget here.
£2,000 - £6,000
Established businesses benefit from this the most - they are looking to define their content marketing and include content and website audits.
In this budget range, not only are you fixing website issues, but you are also altering and optimising the current website to generate even more traffic and revenue.
£6,000.
For websites with high traffic volumes, high-end SEO is the best option. With this budget, technical SEO issues can be fixed without worry.
SEO's benefits might seem too good to be true. They must cost a crazy amount of money!
But contrary to popular belief, SEO is one of the most flexible types of marketing in the business. In fact, many say that it's one of the more cost-efficient ways to advertise and convert leads online, as it can be bent to how much you want to spend in a month. Although it may be overwhelming at first, SEO pays for itself in the long run. And isn't that the beauty of investments?
We aren't saying SEO is cheap - all forms of advertising can cost you a pound or two. Instead, we're telling you that there are ways to temper price points based on your budget for the year or even the month.
Here are reasons why SEO can be expensive:
For these reasons, SEO can become expensive, especially if you decide to ball out on the services. But the more you spend, the better your website traffic will be, turning lurks into leads and leads into loyal customers that will stay with you forever.
So even though you need to shell out for the first few months of the process, costs will go down after your website gains the following it needs.
An agency should also make use of some of these tools to help optimise your website:
Although the budget is the determining factor of how much you can spend on SEO, also keep in mind that SEO is an excellent investment to make.
To help guide you, here are some crucial things to consider when hiring an SEO agency:
Here are the objectives a website requires to be successful or generate more traffic:
Information architecture
Content
Backlinks
If your SEO agency hasn’t mentioned any of these listed above, inquire about these services and consider including them in your SEO package. But if your SEO agency doesn’t offer these essential services, you should consider moving agencies once you outgrow the basics of SEO.
At the end of the day, all of these don’t matter if you’re working with the wrong SEO agency. Selecting the agency that you know can work best with you and you trust enough to help your business grow.
Once you find the right agency, your investment will be well worth it, especially since the benefits of SEO last for years and years.
The verdict?
Invest in SEO.
Small businesses can work with a smaller budget, but your SEO should follow suit as your business grows. Those starting can get away with just the basics, but as more traffic comes in, more website issues need fixing. More issues mean a larger budget.
One thing's for sure with SEO, as long as you're with the right company that understands your vision, SEO can be an amazing tool for growing any business in any industry.
So it’s safe to invest your money in SEO as it has proven to be successful for many.
Are you looking for an SEO agency to guide you in the right direction? Visit us at Smarter Media for more information about starting your SEO journey today!
Smarter Media is a digital growth agency using our Smarter Approach to help your business grow digitally. Working side by side with our clients, we use our 'Smarter Way' Process to create a plan that delivers results and our 'Smarter Promise' to do what we say we will. For a more comprehensive look at SEO, or to find out how you can achieve a better ROI with SEO & Paid Media working side by side, set an appointment with Smarter Media today!
Location-based PPC (pay-per-click) is becoming increasingly popular as businesses aim to reach their target audience in specific geographic areas. By targeting users based on their location, businesses can ensure that their ads are seen by people who are most likely to be interested in their products or services.
With the help of location-based PPC, businesses can maximise their return on investment and drive more sales. In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the best location-based PPC strategies and how you can implement them to drive more traffic and sales to your business.
Location-based PPC is an online advertising strategy that can be implemented by an SEO agency in the UK to help businesses target customers based on their physical location. This form of targeted advertising enables businesses to reach potential customers who are near their store, restaurant, or other physical areas.
Location-based PPC is pretty straightforward and can be effectively implemented by a paid search agency. Advertisers bid on keywords or phrases relevant to their business and set up campaigns to target specific locations. For example, a restaurant in Swindon might target keywords like ‘best pizza in Swindon’ and set their campaign to only show ads to users searching within a certain radius of their location.
Through effective paid search management:
To set up a successful geotargeting campaign, whether through Google Ads management or other platforms, it’s essential to consider the following steps:
Define your target audience. Ask yourself: Who are your ideal customers? Where do they live, work or spend their time?
Determine geographic boundaries. Establish what locations you want to target and exclude from your ad content. This could be anything from a single city or town, multiple countries, or even worldwide. Once you’ve determined which regions are relevant to your campaign objectives, use this information to create targeted campaigns within AdWords and other platforms.
Optimise ad copy. Consider the language of your ads and how they should be tailored for different audiences in different markets. Culture-specific keywords can help boost conversions by improving relevancy with local users and building trust among potential customers who recognise the words used in their language. Additionally, ensure that any landing pages associated with these ads incorporate localised copy and imagery whenever possible.
Track performance metrics. Once you’ve launched your Google paid search campaigns, track performance metrics across each region on an ongoing basis. This way, you can identify notable trends and make informed decisions about where best to allocate budget resources and how to refine targeting criteria based on observed results.
1. Avoid locations with few potential customers
It’s important to exclude certain areas from your targeting so you don’t waste valuable budget attempting to reach people who are unlikely to be potential customers. For instance, if your product or service has limited availability in certain regions or counties, exclude those areas since customers won’t be able to purchase what you’re offering. Instead, focus on locations with the highest concentration of customers.
Another way to exclude locations is by using negative keywords. These are keywords you don’t want your ad to appear for. For example, if you run a pet store and don’t sell fish, you might want to use ‘fish’ as a negative keyword to exclude people searching for fish-related products. A skilled PPC marketing agency can help you effectively identify and use negative keywords.
2. Monitor granular location metrics
To measure granular location metrics, you need access to detailed user data on where people interact with your ads and how they behave after that interaction. This could include information such as what city or region someone is viewing the advertisement in, whether they’re using a mobile device or desktop, if they clicked through the ad, or if they converted into customers.
By tracking those metrics, you can:
Here are some essential location metrics to keep an eye on:
CTR – This measures how many people click on your ad after seeing it.
Conversion rate – This measures how many people take a desired action on your website after clicking on your ad.
CPC – Cost per conversion measures how much you spend on advertising for each conversion.
3. Integrate local insider knowledge
With access to a wealth of data about local trends, businesses can better tailor their bids, ad campaigns, and keywords to better suit their local audiences. By understanding what people are searching for in a particular region, businesses can create custom campaigns to draw in high-value leads more accurately and efficiently.
4. Come up with a solid keyword structure
Start by understanding your target audience and the keywords they use to find relevant content. Once you’ve identified the right keywords, prioritise them based on their relevance and popularity to ensure maximum ROI. Use long-tail keywords, as they’re more specific and have higher conversion rates. Add geo-modifiers, such as city names, to further refine the targeting of your campaigns. And consider creating separate campaigns for each region you’re targeting so you can track performance in each area more accurately.
5. Advertise at specific times
Segment campaigns into different parts of the day. You can focus on peak hours or shift spending towards off-peak hours when competition for clicks is lower. This will help ensure your campaigns reach their maximum potential and have a better chance of driving conversions at a lower cost per click.
Creating time-specific ads also allows you to take advantage of seasonal trends or events in your target location. For example, you might create ads that promote your business during the holiday season or significant local events, such as festivals or sports games.
To create effective time-specific ads, it’s essential to understand the habits and behaviours of potential customers in your target location. This might involve analysing data on when customers are most likely to search for your products or services. You can also conduct surveys or focus groups to understand their preferences and needs.
6. Enable extensions
Extensions provide additional information to ads and can help increase CTR and generate higher-quality leads. By enabling extensions, you can add extra links, location information, contact numbers, review ratings, and other relevant information to your ads. Each type of extension offers its unique benefits and can be used to enhance different aspects of your ad messaging. For example, location extensions can help promote your business’s physical location and give users direction. Meanwhile, call extensions can encourage users to call your business directly from the search results page.
Extensions also enable you to customise your ad copy for each keyword or query you’re targeting, as well as set up different versions of the same ad for different audiences. For example, one version could target someone searching for a specific product. Meanwhile, another version could target someone searching for local services.
7. Create landing pages that are localised
Localising landing pages helps a campaign focus its message and improve performance. Landing page localisation involves customising content, imagery, and offers to match the interests and needs of regional prospects.
8. Test campaigns before scaling
A/B testing is an effective way to determine which versions of your ad are the most effective. By setting up two separate versions of the same ad, you can compare how many impressions and clicks each one receives. This helps you identify which elements are most successful in driving conversions and should be included in future campaigns.
In today’s highly competitive digital landscape, businesses are always looking for ways to gain an edge over their competitors. Location-based PPC advertising enables businesses to connect with highly relevant audiences in specific geographic areas. However, managing an effective location-based PPC campaign requires expertise, resources, and time.
As a leading digital growth agency, Smarter Media specialises in helping businesses of all sizes maximise the ROI of their location-based PPC campaigns. Our team of PPC experts can assist with every aspect of your paid media campaign, from setting up geotargeting to crafting highly relevant messaging and optimising ad copy and keywords.
So if you’re looking for effective location-based PPC campaigns that drive more traffic, leads, and sales, contact Smarter Media today. We’d be happy to discuss how we can help you achieve your marketing goals and grow your business.
As the world of eCommerce continues to grow and evolve, more and more businesses are turning to digital agencies to help them establish and maintain a strong online presence. However, with so many agencies to choose from, it can be difficult to know which one is the right fit for your business. In this article, we’ll go over some of the key factors to consider when choosing an eCommerce digital marketing agency, so you can feel confident in your decision.
An eCommerce digital agency specialises in helping eCommerce companies achieve their business goals. They typically provide a range of services to their clients, such as website design and development, search engine optimisation (SEO), social media campaigns, content creation, and curation, email marketing campaigns, and advertising campaigns.
The goal of digital marketing companies is to help businesses maximise their profits through effective digital marketing strategies. These agencies also help clients analyse data, so they can make informed decisions about how to best improve their performance over time.
An SEO company in the UK is a valuable partner for any business looking to succeed in the digital world. Here are just some of the advantages of working with them:
Let’s face it—when it comes to eCommerce, results are everything. You need a paid search marketing agency or expert SEO agency that can help you achieve your business goals and drive tangible results. To be results-driven, an agency must deeply understand your business and target audience.
They should be able to provide you with regular reports and analytics to help track your progress and measure your success. This will allow you to make data-driven decisions and adjust your strategy to ensure you always move in the right direction.
Ensure your chosen agency has a proven track record in launching successful digital commerce projects. Look for examples of prior work with industries similar to yours, as well as reviews from companies that have partnered with them. This will give you an idea of the quality of their online marketing services and how they’ve handled past challenges and successes.
Additionally, look into the team’s qualifications and expertise. Are there any members with specialised knowledge or skills relevant to your industry? Knowing who will work on your project helps ensure that the eCommerce agency you hire can deliver results that meet your standards and expectations.
An eCommerce agency with a proactive mindset can save time, money, resources, effort, and stress for both their team and their clients by avoiding potential problems in advance rather than trying to fix them after they’ve already occurred. This also shows that the agency is invested in consistently providing positive outcomes for its clients rather than simply responding when something goes wrong.
A proactive agency will also take the initiative to suggest new strategies, tools, and tactics that can help you achieve your goals.
Open and transparent communication means that the agency is always honest and upfront with you about its strategies, progress, and results. Transparent communication allows for better collaboration between you and the agency. It helps ensure that everyone involved is on the same page.
Look for an agency that takes the time to listen to their clients’ needs and goals to develop a plan that meets those needs. Furthermore, they should keep you informed every step of the way. They’ll provide regular progress reports and updates and will be responsive to your feedback and suggestions. A good agency will view your feedback as an opportunity to improve and grow.
eCommerce agencies must be able to respond quickly and adjust their strategies if needed. An agency that can provide customised solutions that meet your current needs but are agile enough to evolve with changing market conditions will be invaluable.
An eCommerce agency must also be flexible in its payment structures and services. Not all businesses have large budgets, so the agency needs to offer customised options that fit within your budget. Additionally, different projects will require different levels of service from an eCommerce agency, which means they need to be flexible enough to scale up or down depending on their needs.
Identifying your goals is your first step in choosing an eCommerce digital agency. What do you want to achieve with your eCommerce business, and how can an agency help you get there? Knowing what you want the agency to accomplish for your business and setting clear objectives will help you find the right partner and maximise the success of a project.
Think about what you hope to gain from working with an eCommerce digital agency. Do you need them to develop a website? Would they be responsible for creating content or streamlining processes? Answering these questions can help narrow down potential SEO agencies in the UK that specialise in the specific services you require. Additionally, consider any time constraints or budget restrictions.
Consider your short-term and long-term goals as well. Are you looking to increase sales and revenue in the short term, or are you focused on building a strong brand and customer base for the long term?
Make sure to thoroughly document each goal so that it’s easier to understand expectations and ensure successful collaboration. Once completed, refer back to this list during project meetings as well as throughout its duration; this will help keep everyone on track toward reaching shared objectives.
Once you’ve identified your eCommerce business goals and needs, it’s time to start researching agencies. There are countless SEO companies out there, so it’s essential to take the time to find one that’s the right fit for your business.
The best place to start is online. Look for reviews from previous clients and see what other people say about their work. Ask questions such as: What kind of eCommerce campaigns have they executed in the past? Are there any case studies that demonstrate their success?
Another way to research agencies is through referrals. Ask friends or colleagues who may have previously hired an eCommerce digital agency which one they recommend. This can be a great way to find first-hand information on how reliable a particular agency is and if they managed to deliver successful projects.
Once you’ve narrowed down your list of potential agencies, schedule a consultation or meeting to discuss your goals and needs and learn more about their services and capabilities.
Finally, compare different agencies side by side before deciding on which one will be right for you. Make sure you understand exactly what services each provides and consider factors like cost, timeframe, and size of the team.
Ensure the agency has a strong portfolio of successful projects related to eCommerce. Aside from reviewing the team’s core skills and experience in the industry, you should also assess their knowledge of modern trends and technologies used for eCommerce. By determining these, you can ensure you choose a partner with the skills, expertise, and experience to help you achieve your eCommerce business goals.
Consider the services offered in each proposal and how they match the needs of your project. Does one agency provide more or better services than another? Additionally, review the timeline of deliverables each agency has proposed; which do you feel is most realistic and achievable? Consider as well if an agency’s proposal includes details on how they plan to measure success or ROI. Lastly, assess the cost associated with each proposal. While cost should not be the only factor when selecting a digital agency, it can be used as part of an overall evaluation process.
Ultimately, choosing between two different proposals will come down to weighing all these factors against each other and selecting what best meets your goals for the project.
Choosing the right eCommerce digital agency is crucial for the success of your online business. With so many options to choose from, it’s essential to take the time to research, evaluate and compare potential partners to ensure that you find the right fit.
When it comes to eCommerce digital marketing, Smarter Media is a top choice for businesses looking to achieve success online. From SEO and PPC to social media, Smarter Media knows what it takes for eCommerce businesses to thrive. Our team of marketing experts works closely with clients to understand their business needs and develop tailored strategies that drive results and maximise ROI. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you achieve your eCommerce marketing goals.
At the beginning of February 2023, Google announced they are releasing their own version of ChatGPT ‘imminently’. The global superbrand owned by parent company Alphabet Inc. has felt the pressure by trending OpenAI’s 2022 conversational AI service called ChatGPT. Chat among technical heavyweights has suggested ChatGPT as a replacement for Google Search.
Google and Bing (Microsoft) have simultaneously released their own version in an attempt to keep up with market demand. As well as, we think, to ensure OpenAI does not overtake traditional search engines (or their useability). In this article, we’ll uncover what we believe Bard will do for search engine results pages (SERPs) and how search engine optimisation (SEO) and web content will need to adjust.
What is Bard?Bard is Google’s version of a conversational AI service, similar to OpenAI’s ChatGPT-3. According to Google, Bard is an Artificial Intelligence (AI) service based on their own Language Model for Dialogue Applications (LaMDA) which holds next-generation language and conversational capabilities.
Etymologically, the word Bard is historically found in Celtic cultures. Interestingly a bard could be a verse-maker, music composer, genealogist, historian or professional storyteller; of course, the most famous bard is William Shakespeare, who helped revolutionise both language and storytelling. A bard is generally employed by a patron (a chief for example) to remember and compose content for the patron’s ancestors or praise their own activities. We think it is a very fitting description and a great name for Google’s Bard.
ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence-powered platform that helps users interact with virtual assistants that are capable of understanding natural language. It is designed to be intuitive and user-friendly, offering an interactive and conversational experience. With ChatGPT, users can ask questions, receive answers in real-time, and even get advice on topics ranging from financial planning to health advice. The platform is designed to make it simple and easy to access the information you need without having to sift through a lot of information.
The paragraph above was the answer to a question we posed to ChatGPT. So the answer is in its own words. No wonder there’s been a scramble by other internet heavyweights to provide an alternative and try to make it better than ChatGPT and OpenAI’s capabilities.
The image below shows the international interest online (Google Trends) for the past three months (November 2022, December 2022, and January 2023)
OpenAI admitted that the content on which ChatGPT is trained is only up until 2021. This means that Google’s version Bard can take advantage of the almost unlimited information on Google’s databases in real time.
Google’s search bar is already a household name and is used over 99,000 times every single second (2022 Stats). Knowing this, Google wouldn’t replace the search bar functionality but rather place Bard alongside it.
However, the fast paced release of Bard has already revealed several errors, most notably on its opening question which has since wiped off $102 billion from Google’s share value. Since we know Google will continue to push their ideas to the entirety of Google users, and the Bard release is set to roll out any day now, we hope the functionality and accuracy will improve.
Bard is powered by Google’s own LaMDA (Language Model for Dialogue Applications) which was released (mentioned) over two years ago. They can recall real-time and (potentially) accurate information from Google’s own database (where OpenAI’s ChatGPT is limited).
Bard offers answers starting with ‘some say’ which points to the AI’s ability to answer questions based on several sites' content. This offers you information about a topic without you having to visit several sites at once. It’s a benefit that some copywriters have mentioned about ChatGPT as well.
Google mentioned in an online presentation that the purpose of Bard was to also remove any roadblocks to information. We think they want users on their SERPs for as long as possible, which is a classic move from Google (just see the old zero-clicks searches from yesteryears).
They also mentioned that Bard’s AI capabilities will be incorporated into AR, Maps, Lens, Multi-Search and more. Possibly biggest update to Google’s search functionality is the inclusion of Bard into more than just search from a user perspective. We expect search engine optimisation and SEO based content strategies to alter to meet this new challenge and functionality.
It seems that Bard will show as a first result on the SERP. The first question we have is “what about featured snippets?” Google has not mentioned anything else about existing search functions, including featured snippets itself. It is all speculation at the moment.
The landscape of a SERP may alter, and SEO strategies will need to take this into consideration. We may have to consider what keywords a Bard user may pose and how to optimise and create content so your website may rank in an answer in Bard. However, traditional search is not going anywhere and conventional SEO needs to continue.
There is some chatter about AI bias, and how can we optimise content to best rank considering this potential. Knowing this too, AI services such as Bard takes information from several sources and therefore, how can one website rank there (and potentially be the sole source?).
There has been a lot of gossip in SEO circles about AI participating in content theft (and how can we regulate links to sources). There are also considerations around content regulations and how to ensure accurate and factual information is presented in AI services like ChatGPT and Bard.
Google Translate has been improved and with the assistance of AI through Bard, there is talk about hreflang importance and if there would be any need (or priority) around this. For those who are unfamiliar with hreflangs, they’re a type of signal to search engines about what language is used on a webpage, allowing search engines to display that particular webpage for a certain language searcher, e.g. you may use an Italian hreflang tag to mark out a page as suitable for users of Italian Google. Obviously, there is no update to Google’s own best practices for multilingual sites, and we will stand by their importance as long as Google does.
One last point to make at the moment, is the fact that we have all known for the past few years that visual search is a priority for Google. This is due to the current generation of Google users using images (and Google Lens) to make searches of varying intents; as Google puts it, “if you can see it, you can search it”. The importance of optimising for visual search is only enhanced with the release of Bard and AI learning.
Knowing the massive change in the introduction of this technology can make a business anxious. It is our job to be experts in this new AI technology. We are able to apply our own SEO and Content expertise to the use of AI (both ChatGPT and Google’s Bard). Knowing and being a part of these changes and embracing them completely means we are able to continue helping your business grow.
We understand the generational importance of this update and the new function of Bard and we can advise accordingly to your industry and company’s needs. We also know that there is a potential that Bard may obliterate featured snippets, but before we panic, let's await Google’s announcement on this.
Finally, a term that has been floating around is ‘zero-click-searchs’ and this is when the answer to a Google user’s search term is offered without the need for the person to click through to your website. This is not ideal when you need them on your website to convert into a lead, a sale and contribute to your profits. As is standard in our practices, click-through rate optimisation is addressed as part of the Conversion Rate Optimisation strategy.
So if you find yourself anxious about what emerging artificial intelligence means for your website and especially your company, then reach out and we can guide you through SEO and Content optimisation for AI search services such as Bard and ChatGPT.
What is the future of Facebook ads? One thing is for sure, and it'll be much different from today. And yet, you can still learn from the past. We've been working with social media ads since 2020 and have learned much. So considering we're only just going into 2023 now, we thought we'd share some of our insights with you. In this article, we'll share five fantastic insights, free tools and master classes to help you grow your social media campaigns and get the ROI your business deserves.
Short answer: yes. Consumers might not like social ads. However, they are still very effective, and avoiding them is hard.
A key benefit of paid social media ads is their ability to impact results. Even though social media users who see ads in their news feeds may not convert as quickly, 58% of respondents said it affects their buying decisions. Further, 49% of internet users report purchasing from brands advertised on social media.
It’s also interesting to note that 57% of consumers use social media while watching television. So while television advertisements (31%) and word-of-mouth ads (28%) remain more popular for brand discovery than advertising on social media (27%), consumers are increasingly researching brands on social networks.
Given how effective social media advertising is and how it’s managed to influence our everyday lives, it’s still worthwhile to invest time, money and effort into social media ads.
Companies can use social media platforms to interact with clients and build relationships with them. The more familiar customers become with your brand, the more likely they recommend you to their friends, thereby expanding your brand's reach.
Comparatively speaking, social ads are relatively inexpensive. Budgets can also be set at any level. This way, you can devote some of your funds to social media without hurting your budget.
Ads on social media can also demonstrate social proofing, thereby improving brand loyalty and converting one-time visitors into long-term customers.
More advertisers are experimenting with social video ads than ever before. Increasingly, advertisers see that social video advertising can help them meet branding and performance objectives. As TikTok, Instagram Stories and Reels continue to rise, and marketers are also using snappy video content to reach their audiences.
Video advertising is Twitter's fastest-growing advertising tool, with more than 2 billion video views daily on the platform. It also states that tweets with videos receive ten times more engagement than tweets without.
Influencers with trustworthy social media ads and content are increasingly sought after by social media users. There is potential for micro-influencers to bridge the gap between the new demand for authentic, trustworthy sources and established influencer marketing practices. In 2021, micro-influencers had a higher engagement rate than mega-influencers.
The trend of personalisation has been around for several years now. Even so, its adoption for social media is still relatively new. Personalising social media ads is the most effective way for businesses and marketers to utilise the trend. Marketers can target and customise their campaigns through social media platforms. Since social media platforms now can understand the types of products people like, this enables you to show suitable ads at the right time to the right people.
Social media advertising is the second most popular digital advertising, following search advertising. Brands worldwide spent £3,118 on social media ads in Q2 2022, but UK brands spent 59% more. UK brands had the highest social media advertising spending, averaging £4,945. Most global digital ad spending goes to Google, and Facebook is close behind.
Social media platforms with the most popularity for advertising include Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and LinkedIn. Various ad formats on the platform include an image, video, carousel, collection and boosted posts. Advertisers on Facebook reach 2.11 billion people, which is why businesses can benefit from partnering with a reliable Facebook advertising agency.
Knowing the landscape before getting started is always helpful. Look at what your competitors do on social networks like Facebook and Instagram.
Social media ads are often viewed on mobile devices, so you need to make your ads easy to view on mobile phones.
There's no need to be present on every social network. Choosing the right platforms is more important, so you invest your time and resources wisely.
In a busy feed, anything that moves, such as videos and gifs, will catch your audience's attention. Additionally, motion allows you to share more images and information with less space.
Test several ads with small audiences, and determine which works best. The winning ad should then be used in the primary campaign.
It may seem daunting to create social media ads, but we're here to help. If you’re looking for a ‘marketing agency near me,’ and you’re in Swindon, our team at Smarter Media can assist you in running a successful social media advertising campaign. Get in touch with our strategists today.
So what is a competitive analysis report, and why should you create one for your business? A competitive analysis report is a detailed information sheet about your website's competition. It usually contains the website's most important characteristics (such as domain rankings, social media profiles, links, potential risks and more) so that you can make informed decisions on optimising your website.
Creating a competitive analysis report requires researching your SEO competitor's website content and related elements, such as keywords and links. The report can include analysing keywords, competitors' backlinks, keyword gaps and the top content.
A competitive analysis report allows you to observe what your competitors are doing and incorporate it into your SEO strategy. Rather than guessing what keywords to use, content to write and links to create, you can use the report to learn what has worked for others and build from there.
Without keeping up with the latest trends, companies can go out of business instantly. But regardless of whether your industry is prone to seismic change, you should know what drives your clients' decisions. This is where a competitive analysis report comes in handy, giving you an overview of your competitors and your market.
When you regularly analyse your marketplace through competitive analysis, you'll notice improvements to competitors' existing products or services and potential threats from new competitors. As such, this helps you adjust your strategy accordingly.
For SEO competitive analysis, follow these steps:
Identifying your SEO competitors is the first step. When undergoing this step, it's important to remember that your largest market competitors may not necessarily be your biggest SEO competitors. Smaller companies can have excellent SEO and perform better than their competition in the digital world.
Identifying your competitors shouldn't be a guessing game. When you rely on your instincts to figure out who your competition is, you may miss some important details. Often, large companies concentrate on high-volume keywords and neglect long-tail keywords, which allow smaller companies to gain a competitive advantage. So conduct a wide-ranging SEO comparison and analysis of various keywords. Next, check out the top 10 or 20 sites that consistently rank for them.
Identifying non-competitor sites depends on factors such as current ranking, resources and effort invested. Remember, the more established or bigger the site, the more effort you will need to devote to outranking it, affecting your overall strategy.
So focus instead on competitors who will impact your traffic the most. Your lost traffic will likely come from these sites.
Often referred to as keyword gap analysis, competitive keyword analysis helps you uncover keywords that your competitors rank high for but not you. To optimise individual pages, you should conduct a keyword gap analysis.
Look for keywords relevant to your business, highly searched for or likely to result in sales. Ideally, the keywords you choose should also be ones that you can rank well.
Manually analysing keywords is difficult because there may be thousands of keywords that you or your competitors rank for. The good news is that there are simple solutions and keyword analysis tools you can use to make things easier.
Once you discover relevant keywords for your business, you can create a page dedicated to ranking them. By doing this, you have a chance to attract customers to your site instead of the competition.
Content ideas can be developed using keywords. Aside from keywords, it is also a good idea to check out your competitors' most successful content. This content may be the ones that have earned the most links for your competitors. Links are essential for ranking, so focusing on topics others link to is a good idea. Once you identify your competitors' best content, you can significantly improve it in one or more ways. Afterwards, you can share your content with a similar audience.
Rather than simply copying your competitors' content, make it significantly better. It could be enhanced with more information or eye-catching graphics–anything that would improve its appeal and utility.
You can also determine your competitor's top pages by looking at the pages' traffic. You can identify good topics based on this information with accurate traffic estimates for each page.
Backlink analysis involves analysing the inbound links that point to a website. By studying these links, you can learn a lot about your competitors' SEO tactics, such as the type of content they're producing, their link-building strategy and how powerful their backlink profile is.
As you analyse your competitors' backlinks, you should consider the number of backlinks, the domain authority of websites that link to theirs and the relevance of the links in general.
Understanding the right keywords isn't enough. To succeed with your keyword, you must understand search intent.
The idea is to understand what the searcher is looking for by getting inside their head. You can do this by looking up a keyword you want to target. You can also use tools that would provide a SERP analysis report on a keyword's monthly volume, difficulty, priority and more.
Using the relevant data, prepare a competitor analysis report. With this report as a basis, you can develop your SEO content strategy. Please make a list of keywords and content ideas and save it. The next step is implementing the content strategy and contacting external sites if necessary.
After you publish new content or re-optimise old ones, you should track their performance. Ensure your competitor analysis strategy works by auditing your keywords regularly and creating competitor analysis reports.
Are you looking for an SEO company in the UK that can provide professional SEO services? At Smarter Media, our team of search engine optimisation consultants can help you achieve greater visibility for your website. Contact us today to learn more about our SEO packages.
