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!
Is there a social media lead generation agency near you? If you're in digital marketing, the answer is most likely yes. Many have learned that digital marketing isn't just about displaying ads. Of course, social media advertising is quite popular nowadays, and some companies don't know when to stop spending on paid ads. Sometimes, all they have to do is to start focusing on organic marketing instead.
Social media lead generation involves collecting new leads through social media. It is all about capturing and converting qualified leads through effective marketing strategies.
B2C and B2B marketers can benefit from social media lead generation, as it helps you identify your target audiences. As a result, you will be able to reach out to them with helpful content and offers and eventually convert them to paying customers. This establishes you as a valuable resource for potential customers.
Using social media, you can enhance your lead generation efforts to increase brand awareness, web traffic and community engagement.
If you want to collect leads organically, set everything up before you start your following social media lead campaign. For instance, if you want customers to get in touch, subscribe to your newsletter or purchase from you, make it easy for them to do so on your profile.
Your profile should include your contact information. However, before adding them, ensure you can handle customer inquiries via phone, email, Messenger and other methods.
Your bio should also include a link. This space is often used on Instagram, but it can also be found on LinkedIn, Twitter and Pinterest. Include a call-to-action that explains why people should click and what they can expect.
It is often possible to obtain information freely from people with the right incentives. Creating enticing lead magnet offers, such as a free tool or research report, will help you accomplish this. Additionally, you could offer whitepapers, webinars and discount codes.
In today's marketing world, instant messaging and chatbots have become powerful marketing tools. Using chatbots, businesses can better connect with their prospects and simultaneously lower overhead costs. AI-powered chatbots enable you to engage your social media followers and increase leads. Chatbots can also build profiles based on previous interactions, allowing them to provide tailored content and product recommendations.
Influencers on social media are a great source of qualified and engaged leads. Influencer marketing reaches people through the content they already consume. A few seconds of coverage from a content creator your target audience loves can boost social media B2B lead generation. Promote your brand by having your chosen influencers sponsor posts, giveaways and content.
Showcase how clients benefit from your products and how your brand has helped resolve common customer concerns by encouraging customers to leave feedback on your page. Social proof is a valuable lead generation tool, and social media is an excellent platform for showing client feedback. By allowing prospects to read or watch reviews and recommendations, you will increase your brand's credibility and make them feel confident to do business with you.
Social media contests are a great way to spread the word about your product or service. Generally, businesses run contests for two reasons. The first benefit is receiving many leads that can benefit their business. The second benefit is that participants can share each contest with more people. As a result, the post reaches an even broader audience.
Social media can be a great way to promote something time-sensitive and create buzz ahead of time.
You can create a Facebook event with the date, time, location and price a few weeks in advance. Utilise your company's Facebook page to encourage RSVPs. Set up a hashtag and promote it on all your social networks. Encourage Twitter followers to use it when discussing your event or promotion. Meanwhile, on Instagram, you can use the hashtag to share images from the event and invite your followers to join in.
By staying consistent across all your channels, you can use social media to make people aware of your event and motivate them to attend.
Pin important information, such as your contact info and other key links, at the top of your Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter profiles so that visitors can see it immediately.
When you go live on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, you can invite your followers to join you. During the live video, you can point them to a sign-up page.
To work this out, ensure your live video provides value to your audience. You can interact with an industry expert, do a Q&A on a relevant subject, share some insider tips or demonstrate how your product works. Your ideal customer should find the content you talk about in the video interesting.
Live videos do not have to be elaborate productions. In most cases, you need a smartphone and a tripod, and you're ready to go.
Your sales leads can be doubled with referral campaigns. Leads are rewarded for referring their friends and colleagues through these campaigns. You could offer a discount, complimentary gift or gift card for a referral. Meanwhile, referred people will have the opportunity to learn about your offerings and become potential customers.
Social media marketing is a key tool for generating leads. Following the tips above can turn any platform into a lead generation channel.
Looking for a social media agency to help improve your paid and organic lead generation efforts? Smarter Media has years of experience developing and managing social media campaigns. Get in touch with our team today.
In today's business world, everything needs to be optimised to fit the online market.
Besides the potential for reaching a larger, global market, companies that make the transition from traditional marketing strategies to digital ones one-up the competition by simply appearing on Google's search results.
One of the most popular methods of digital marketing is Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). But with everyone else doing it, should you hop on the bandwagon? Does it even produce benefits? Or is it just a fad?
In this article, we will get into the truth about SEO and if your business actually needs it to thrive in today’s digital market.
Are you sceptical about the benefits of SEO for your business? Speak to us at Smarter Media for more information about SEO.
The internet is being used in a variety of ways. Almost every person with an internet connection uses search engines to find what they need. One use that stands the test of time is search engines that help you find anything you need from baby items to the best restaurants in towns you've never even heard of.
This means, whatever your products or services are, having an online presence will be beneficial for any business in any industry.
But with the competition out there, simply creating a website isn't enough for potential customers to find your content. This is where SEO comes in - a way for your business to show up first on the search results page.
So, is SEO a good investment for your business?
The answer is yes. 100%.
And if a business doesn't use SEO and has a website, you'll be able to find your website… after 15 pages of clicking.
Here are 8 reasons why your website needs to be optimised using SEO strategies:
The benefits of SEO seem too good to be true, it’s impossible that it doesn’t come with a hefty price tag, right? So, your next question might be, how much should you spend on SEO?
Contrary to popular belief, SEO isn't expensive. It's actually one of the cheapest ways to advertise your company, especially compared to traditional methods. That's the beauty of SEO - you can temper the services and analytics based on your budget. So SEO can be as cost-effective and as expensive as you want it to be.
Why would SEO be perceived to cost so much, then?
Here are 3 reasons why SEO can be expensive:
SEO is essential for eCommerce websites as your products need to rank higher compared to your competitors, making sure that clients will click on your website over theirs. If you’re in the eCommerce business, here are the essential SEO strategies you should definitely have in your arsenal:
It all starts with keyword research to ensure you are targeting the right search phrases to input in your product descriptions. Incorrectly inputting the wrong keywords can negatively affect your impressions thus, not be able to convert traffic into business.
Look into product-focused keywords, buyer intent, and tools such as SEMrush and Amazon Suggest.
These keywords are another important factor for eCommerce websites as they are able to boost the traffic of your website. It provides a greater opportunity to differentiate yourself from existing listings while still keeping within the same thought.
For example:
Head keyword: buy chocolate
Long-tail keyword: buy organic almond dark chocolate
Same idea, just more refined.
In order to create usability and crawlability, your website’s structure needs to be sleek yet straightforward. This means that any user should be able to navigate through your website with ease.
Most SEO agencies have the expertise to do just that!
The best strategy is the one that prioritises your clients. But because Google is difficult to predict, there is only one thing you can count on in terms of the algorithm: Google prioritises user experience.
This alone should motivate you to improve every aspect of your website including SEO. So even when Google shifts their algorithm, you are sure to provide a great experience for your users.
There are tons of tools you can use to monitor SEO and its effectiveness on your website.
To optimise keyword research, you can try:
Simplify on-page optimisation through:
Improve off-page optimization using:
Monitor results through these tools:
Improve conversion rates,
SEO helps you create a user-friendly website that allows businesses to generate website traffic to convert lurkers into leads.
In other words, when you get more people to click on your website, it’s more likely for people to purchase a product or service - simply because they know of your existence.
Although big businesses and conglomerates make use of digital marketing to no end, it’s actually the smaller businesses that thrive with SEO. This is because the advertising playing field is somewhat levelled when SEO is in play.
Small businesses thrive when they embark on their local SEO journey.
Are you interested to learn more about how local SEO can help your business thrive? Give us a call at Smarter Media today.
Overall, any business of any size and industry will benefit from having an excellent SEO strategy. More than that, a company will truly thrive with the help of an expert SEO agency that guides them towards the right path.
Besides being able to build your brand, trust, authority and increase sales, SEO provides a beautiful way to increase the longevity of your brand.
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!
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is one of the best methods for adverts that have been tried and tested by experts for years on end.
SEO is the method that digital marketers use to boost your website's rankings to appear as one of the top results when inputting specific keywords. There are various types of SEO and many techniques under the strategy, including local SEO.
Local Search Engine Optimisation is a branch of ESO focused on providing the best results based on local search queries.
Overall, local SEO is an excellent strategy to get your website to appear on the first page of Google's search results, right at the top.
Are you interested in learning more about how local SEO can boost your business' websites? Keep reading to find out more!
Before we can delve into local SEO techniques and how your business can use it to your advantage, we first need to understand what local SEO means and why it's essential to have.
Local search engine optimisation is a sub-category of SEO that involves queries trying to find anything related to location. It is a strategy that helps businesses become more visible when users search for local search results on Google. For example:
The typical SEO strategy involves content, on-page optimisation, and link building. On the other hand, local SEO focuses on ensuring that potential local signals on Google's search landscape are consistent and correct.
If the information about your website or page is incorrect, it could affect how the results show up for those searching for a service or product.
Unlike regular blogs, local SEO provides a more customised search experience for users looking for specific information on Google.
This all seems vague so let's break it down using a practical example:
You are driving around, looking for a restaurant to eat in because you're hungry and craving for a good, juicy, American style burger. Unfortunately, you can't spot any, so you go on your phone and search for "American burgers near me." Four restaurants pop up with burgers on their menu. They all contain the description of the burger, how much they cost, where the restaurant is, the restaurant’s contact information, and how long it will take you to get there. It even displays customer reviews through starts and comments so you can fully evaluate your options.
Thanks to Google and local SEO, you were able to select the restaurant that suited your price range and cravings the best.
Local SEO is a way for businesses to be found, including all the pertinent information for you to reach out and avail of their products or services. Without the information provided by local SEO, users would not find your business at all.
Local SEO is like a standard Google search except more personalised to provide the best answer to a user's query. This means that Google uses a different set of ranking factors to determine the best result.
Here are some direct benefits of local SEO:
Local SEO is what you see when searching for a restaurant or store that has a physical location. It contains their address, contact information, reviews, ratings, and other pertinent information such as, "dine-in" or "takeaway" options.
Below the local SEO, you’ll find the normal search results that come up when searching for a blog, for example.
With local SEO, you can view your options, how far away they are from you, and you can directly place a call to connect with the location in question. You can even view how past customers or clients found their experience in that restaurant or store through the reviews and rating section, to be able to make a fully informed decision.
Here are some ways Google ranks local SEO:
So, Google would display the top options for a search such as "best hair salons near me" and the typical search results underneath.
Are you looking to set up your website to cater using local SEO? Set an appointment with us at Smarter Media for more information about how you can appear first on local Google search pages.
Although all companies and businesses can benefit from local SEO, some companies and individuals get better results. So if you have a physical location, you will benefit from local SEO. These include:
To be clear, businesses without physical locations can still benefit from local SEO due to the reviews and contact details features.
If it's not clear at this point, local SEO is an essential part of any business that wants to be found on the web - which should include everyone.
In today's digital age, everyone can be found online, specifically, on their mobile devices. Follow your audience by going where they browse using local SEO.
Here are some of the benefits of local SEO for businesses:
Are you confused as to how to use local SEO? Here are ten ways to start optimising local SEO today.
Using SEO is not an easy feat - it takes a lot of effort, patience and expertise, and is definitely something that cannot be done alone. In order to fully appreciate and take advantage of the benefits of SEO, it's best to work with an expert in digital marketing.
Experts in the field know how to use SEO and customise it to the way you want your results to be. They can also help track and monitor your webpage to keep it fresh and up to date with the latest strategies in the field, ensuring you the top spots on the Google search engine.
Are you ready to embark on an SEO journey to business success? Get the expertise of Smarter Media today by booking an appointment with us.
Boost your local SEO 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!
SEO audits are one of the best things to happen for your website's health and is a must to be able to create a better website that attracts more organic traffic to generate leads.
In a nutshell, SEO audits help business owners assess how well SEO strategies are working or if they aren't working. Once these issues or gains are identified, an SEO specialist will be able to diagnose the problem and propose a solution. If everything is working well, strategists usually recommend ways or strategies to boost website traffic further.
SEO audits are also used to spot current issues that need urgent fixing. Because an audit is comprehensive, specialists are able to pinpoint what exactly is the problem and find a fix for it whether urgent or more structural.
Let's break it down to understand what audits are, why they're necessary, and how you can successfully use audits to your advantage.
Clear up any confusion and craft amazing strategies with an SEO agency that you trust. Set an appointment with Smarter Media today for more information!
Before answering why SEO audits are necessary, we first need to understand what an SEO audit is.
An SEO audit is a monthly process of analysing how well a particular website is performing based on the SEO strategies implemented and how well the website fared on different fronts. The goal of an audit is to find the issues that are affecting organic search performance and finding fixes to urgent and more complex issues.
Although websites have varied results and needs, here are some things all SEO audited should present:
If these are not being shown at an audit, you should ask your SEO agency or specialist about looking into these factors to enrich the analysis. If your SEO agency says these aren't needed, you might want to consider consulting a specialist for a second opinion.
SEO audits can be compared to getting an oil change for your car.
Cars need to have their oils changed regularly to ensure that the vehicle is running smoothly and more importantly, elongate the lifespan of the vehicle. It's one of the best ways to maintain a vehicle to keep its value high and not have to deal with issues down the road.
As for your website, audits need to be done to improve its lifespan and not encounter website mishaps. It takes a peek at how your website is doing in terms of technical infrastructure, on-page elements, off-page essentials to optimise search engine visibility, including usability and conversion.
In order to become effective, SEO audits need to be regularly done. If not done regularly or incorrectly, your website won't be optimised to be found on search engines, lowering your chances of gaining leads.
Here are specific elements an audit takes a look at to craft an effective strategy:
The goal should be secure, crawlable, have clear navigation systems, and should be quick to load. Through audits, all these are possible.
To properly diagnose if anything is wrong with these components, here are some features that an SEO audit looks at:
SEO agencies and specialists often rave about how audits are the best way to improve organic traffic and boost ratings. But have you ever wondered why they need to be performed on a regular basis? Why can’t they just be done once?
There are several reasons why SEO audits need to be performed regularly. Here are a few of them:
Google constantly shifts and changes the algorithm of the search engine to remain up to date. They also do this to provide better search results to serve users better. Audits are done to accommodate those changes on a regular basis so your website doesn't fall behind.
Webmaster tools that are popular with SEO specialists are constantly updated so websites need to make sure they are compliant with the rules and regulations or risk getting penalised or worse, banned.
It is unavoidable to encounter website errors on a monthly basis. Typical errors such as error messages and broken links along with more serious website problems are exposed by a regular audit. When diagnosed, you can redirect these errors to recover the traffic you lost.
Content is not the only determining factor of a successful blog post. Titles and metadata play a huge role when it comes to showing up high on the search results page. They must be relevant to the website and the search query alike.
Google prefers fresh content, often pushing off old blogs and un-updated websites from the top of the search rankings. But if you keep your content relevant or fresh every 6 months or so, ranking high isn't tough to deal with.
If you've gone to check your website's performance on Google Analytics, you might have noticed that your organic traffic is flat or declining. This makes you worry and you wonder, is there anything wrong with what I’m doing now? What are the issues with the current strategy? How do I fix it?
Before making random changes to your website using trial and error, you should conduct an SEO audit. By viewing how Google sees your website, issues and problem areas will be revealed.
Are you not yet convinced that SEO audits can help boost your website's performance?
Take a look at these five benefits when performing an SEO audit.
This is a given and has been repeated throughout the article: Google loves websites that are healthy. It's actually one of the key factors that Google uses to determine which article goes on top.
Using an audit, you are able to find issues that your website may be experiencing and preventing them from becoming healthy.
Issues identified can either be fixed easily or need a bit more time. Whichever it ends up being, audits can help.
Since Google updates their rules and guidelines frequently, you might not even notice that you’re being penalised for certain strategies that are outdated.
With an audit, you can identify these outdated practices and flush them out of your website.
Audits are another layer of keyword research a website needs to gain an organic following. With it, you can identify what your target customer is looking for.
Since audits are regularly done, they act as a monitoring system that keeps your website on its toes. Besides giving you an idea of how your website is already doing, it also shows you how you can improve and what you can do next.
Audits are a great way to assess the competition and stay ahead. If you have an annoying competitor that keeps beating you in search engine rankings, it's time to bust out the SEO audit and beat them at their own game.
By understanding why SEO audits are important are you then able to capitalise and use them to your advantage.
But all this can be confusing. How can a business owner even begin to understand and strategise using all this information?
This is time to consult your neighbourhood friendly SEO agency or specialist to help with these. They are able to quickly identify and diagnose SEO and website issues and find the best solutions to make the fixes required.
Without an expert to guide you, SEO can be difficult to navigate and decipher.
Are you looking to boost your website’s performance by conducting an audit? Schedule a consultation session with us at Smarter Media for more information about how you can expertly navigate SEO, identify the issue areas, and receive recommendations on how to fix the problem and improve your website's ranking.
Create a better website 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!
Social media has become an essential instrument for communicating with your customers. 80% of businesses are already on social media, and 54% use it for customer service. This article discusses the top 5 ways you can use social media as a customer service tool (in no particular order).
With social media, you can stay connected to prospects, nurture customer relationships and increase brand awareness. But as a customer service tool, it is also invaluable. Leverage the effectiveness of social media as a communication tool using these five ways.
Customers should be engaged and interacted with, whether they complain, compliment your company or provide product feedback. Interaction is key to social media; you want customers to feel that your business is always on hand to assist them. Using social media lets your customers feel like they’re having a conversation with you. Customer and client satisfaction will increase if you respond to comments regularly.
Responding alone is insufficient. 90% of consumers expect an immediate response from brands regarding customer service issues. Keeping track of social media channels and responding to concerns right away is an excellent way to maintain strong customer relationships. Being timely is also essential.
Remember that social media users asking questions about your brand may not be customers yet. A responsive social media presence demonstrates your commitment to customer service. It shows potential clients that you care about them. If a potential customer doesn’t get support from your company, they’re likely to go to your competitors.
If you do not provide 24/7 customer service, setting the right expectations for your customers is crucial. Provide precise hours of service on social media. Whenever you go offline, inform your customers. Self-help links should also be provided. In the meantime, suggest alternative channels for reaching customer service.
As social media continues to grow, customers become more empowered. This digital development has also changed how a business’s reputation is managed.
Keeping an eye on your active social media channels is essential to maintaining brand control and providing prompt customer service. When your customers tag your social handles, this prompts you to know about their concerns or issues and take action as soon as possible. It’s likely that this won’t be the case for every customer, however. A customer may opt not to include a tag, which means the complaint may not be visible to you. However, it may be visible to all their followers who may choose to buy from a competitor rather than you.
Negative publicity about your business should be minimised as soon as possible. You should monitor your social media channels for this reason. You can utilise social listening tools to help you catch all positive and negative feedback from your customers.
Increasingly, social customer care relies on social listening. Due to the number of conversations that happen via social, managing every brand mention can be a challenge. Thus, many brands use monitoring and listening tools to discover brand mentions that aren’t specifically tagged or misspelled.
Social listening also helps you uncover frequently asked questions from your customers, helping you better understand your audience’s needs and wants. To address their commonly asked questions, you can use canned responses and make your social team’s job easier.
Make hashtags count by using them strategically. Social media users can navigate content using hashtags and discover relevant content.
Additionally, hashtags can enhance customer service by assisting customers in finding useful information. You can use hashtags to share news about products, recalls or tutorials. With the right hashtags, customers can search for answers on their own without contacting customer service.
However, it’s essential to remember that while hashtags can be useful, overusing them can be detrimental. A post with dozens of hashtags seems spammy, distracting and out of place. Keep your hashtag count to two or three per post. Note that social media platforms’ hashtag algorithms frequently change, so ensure you’re up-to-date on your platform’s hashtag recommendations.
You might want to consider chatbots if you’re looking for a more automated customer service method.
Social chatbots are an excellent way to provide 24/7 customer service. You can use them to answer common questions and reduce the volume of messages you receive. Chatbots powered by AI provide always-on functionality. They offer customers the information they need right away. Having that resource available when your team is offline is crucial.
It’s best to use an AI-powered chatbot for basic support questions. When necessary, live agents can assist. By dividing labour between humans and robots, productivity and customer satisfaction are increased.
It’s vital to be proactive in providing customer service. An effective proactive response involves anticipating your customers’ needs and ensuring they’re taken care of before they ask.
Provide proactive customer support by offering self-service. Self-service information resources would be helpful if customers frequently asked the same questions.
Proactive customer care also involves providing social content that educates your customers. Customer service channels on social media make excellent places for sharing educational content. You could, for example, create a video showing how to do something or a blog post that gives more information about your offerings. The goal is to help your customers get the most out of your products. If you provide an online service, you can post on social media to notify your customers about known issues. Support requests will be reduced as a result of these resources. Instagram stories, highlights and pinned posts on Facebook are also great places where you can provide self-help resources.
Social media is a powerful tool that’s here to stay. With the right social media strategy, your business can remain competitive and be prepared to meet future challenges.
Not sure where to start? We are a digital marketing agency in the UK specialising in social media campaigns. Count on our team at Smarter Media to provide you with expert support.Maximise the power of social and engage your target audience right where they are. Contact our team now.
Pay-per-click (PPC) is a form of online marketing where advertisers pay a publisher when the ad is clicked. It usually works with search engines, such as Google Adwords, and involves keyword bidding, where advertisers bid on specific keywords to display their ads at the top or to the right of search results. Those bids are how marketers measure the success of PPC campaigns—but that’s not all they can measure. Merging SEO (search engine optimisation) and PPC can help inform and improve paid advertising efforts, which is why PPC agencies like this exist.
PPC ads are a topic of debate even among seasoned marketers today. PPC remains a powerful tool for promoting your brand and engaging your audience. Despite video dominance in 2022, PPC will continue to be a powerful force. Without a doubt, it has the potential to be one of your most effective digital marketing strategies, regardless of your business size or level of experience.
The value of PPC advertising is undeniable. Nevertheless, PPC campaigns must be managed effectively as competition increases and costs rise. Marketers in 2022 need to remain flexible and utilise search marketing to its full potential.
The benefits of PPC advertising are numerous, making it an essential marketing tool for businesses. Here are some of them:
PPC allows you to pay only for website visits generated by your ads. Other advertising models charge you to display your ads without guaranteeing they will create results.
PPC ads are likely to attract customers who are looking for your products. Thus, you won’t waste money targeting an audience that has no interest in your product. That way, you can concentrate on converting the visitors who click once they land on your site.
Pay-per-click advertising also allows you to control your advertising costs. It lets you stop campaigns or make changes if they fail to perform. You can constantly adjust your budget as your needs and ad performance change. There is a daily budget that you can set, and AdWords won’t go over that amount, giving you greater control over your budget.
PPC lets you reach your target audience instantly. It helps your website appear higher on search engine results pages (SERPs), leading to better brand visibility. It also lets you narrow your focus to carefully selected keywords and demographics, attracting more visitors.
In branding, PPC marketing plays a crucial role. Even if the user does not click the ad, your website and company name are visible. This strategy can then be used to promote products and services or upcoming campaigns so that people can become aware of them.
You are more likely to be seen and clicked on when your brand and paid ads are visible at the top of search engine results. When prospects search for relevant terms, pay-per-click advertisements ensure they see yours. More importantly, your audience won’t have to search through thousands of results to find your ad.
Even if your organic ranking is low, you can remain competitive with PPC. If you have a brand new website or yours doesn’t rank in search engines, you can use PPC to promote it and gain a competitive advantage.
By segmenting and targeting your ads, you will be able to reach the right audience through PPC. This means only potential customers will see your ads. Better results are achieved since you are more likely to convert users who best match your buyer persona. With Google Ads, you can select specific keywords relevant to your business and direct traffic to relevant pages. A Google Ads agency can help you do this; they can drive traffic and increase your conversions.
You can target your audience based on several factors, such as location, age, interests, and more. Furthermore, by testing PPC campaigns, you can find out who responds to them and what platforms they prefer, allowing you to hyper-target your audience on the best platforms.
A combination of PPC and analytics allows you to see how users interact with your campaign and retarget them if they don’t convert. Let’s say a consumer clicks on your ad but does not buy. Using display ads across the web, you can retarget users to stay top-of-mind.
Retargeting those who have already expressed interest in your product makes sense because you know they are already interested. The more consumers think about your product, the greater the chances of your product converting. Retargeting campaigns can only display relevant product ads, allowing users to see what they’re missing.
A PPC advertising campaign fits into a broader digital marketing strategy, which includes SEO, content marketing and social media.
PPC and SEO are complementary because they often target the same viewers, such as those who use Google to find information, research and make purchases. Despite their lower traffic, they are less competitive, giving you a better chance of ranking for them. You can use Google Ads impression, click and conversion data to choose keywords for your SEO strategy. Additionally, you can use existing SEO data for PPC planning. Meanwhile, based on PPC keyword data, you can generate long-tail keywords. An SEO digital agency with expertise in PPC can help you combine your PPC and SEO strategies to maximise their effectiveness.
Search, and social media ads can be integrated to reduce acquisition costs and increase conversions. Social media strategies can also benefit from the availability of user data from PPC campaigns. As a result, you can collect more cross-channel customer information for strategic integration. Therefore, your campaigns will be more effective.
Trying to figure out how online advertising works can be a headache for a business. A PPC management agency is a more convenient and cost-effective alternative to establishing an in-house team and training them. Whether planning or executing your PPC ad campaign, you can rely on our digital marketing experts to guide you through every stage. Contact us today.
In August 2022 Google announced that they were rolling out a very important update to their algorithm. Google is always find new and exciting ways to improve, putting their users first as a priority. This one update is of particular importance for their users. Google has developed a specific process by which it gives precedence to content that is useful, helpful, and person-first. This alongside SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) best practices ensures a high performing website.
Thankfully, Google does let us know when they are planning on an update that would affect SEO efforts, and therefore our content team. The update published on Google Search Central outlines what to expect in vague and legally correct terminology and we are left to wonder how this will affect keyword research and copywriting.
In this sense we are lucky to have a team that understands how technical Google can be and with the help of industry knowledge we can often predict what is going to happen. Since Google updates its algorithm more than the general public changes its underwear, we look forward to what we think will be a fantastic update.
Content creators will have to work harder, we already do this, to create content where you understand the business and create content that appeals to an audience. This means no more AI copywriting, and more human copywriting.
Google has always preached that they prefer content that is created and written for an actual person to read, and not solely for the search engine results. Therefore, for years our content creators have balanced the delicate spider web of keyword research for Search Engine Optimisation with carefully created content that a real person will read.
When you take into consideration that Google’s new update would prefer content that is added to a website that truly answers questions, think Featured Snippets, then you’ll understand what type of content to write. 
When you add content to your website consider the following:
In summary, following Google’s SEO guidelines, please the person viewing the content first, and Google at the same time. Nope, not complicated at all thanks.
Google has decided to be somewhat vague, but who truly can explain what is ‘helpful’ content when talking about the entire internet at a time. What could be helpful for the motor industry, might not be for a recipe blogger.
Google mentioned helpful content to be satisfying to readers. That means, does a reader gain helpful information from your content or are they left searching for another website with more information?
The content that Google does not want is content that is repetitive, sends the reader to another page for an answer, or worse leaves the reader without an answer at all. Essentially, users use Google to answer questions. ‘Just Google it’ is the answer to any question posed out loud and the team does not know the answer to.
When thinking about adding any piece of content to your website consider first your SEO goals and intended results. Add this alongside your people-first content. To achieve real results in an SEO focused campaign using human orientated content follow the steps our content specialist follows:
When content is created by humans for humans using Google’s SEO best practices, that is when content performs to the best of its ability. Answering the questions that user’s pose is the priority, while keeping up with adding helpful, valuable content for readers.
When searching for an SEO service, it’s tempting to look for the cheapest package. However, there are several points to consider, including the ability of the SEO agency to follow through with Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and their knowledge as it relates to the updated information for SERPS. A skilled SEO agency will use all their knowledge and understanding to research your business, your industry, existing SERP positioning and SEO performance. Using this and your desired goals from a SEO campaign the right package can be suggested for you.
When it comes to your online business, if you’re not seeing the results you want, it may be time to consider getting professional SEO packages from a trustworthy SEO agency.
By increasing your rankings online, SEO packages can drive greater traffic to your website. You’ll potentially see more people supporting your business and increasing sales as a result of investing in SEO packages.
Although every SEO package might offer different services depending on which tier you choose, the elements are generally the same. Here’s what you can expect from monthly SEO packages.
SEO audit: SEO audits offer an in-depth analysis of your website, determining what’s working and what’s not. The audit will cover your content, your site’s mobile friendliness, backlink profile and potential algorithm penalties.
Website optimisation: A good SEO strategy considers functionality and user experience. Having an easy-to-use website will make users stick around longer.
On-page and off-page: On-page involves analysing keywords for your website, optimising your copy, headers, meta descriptions and title tags and developing internal links. With off-page SEO, you optimise your website from sources other than your own, such as obtaining backlinks from other sites.
Technical SEO: This type of SEO focuses on non-content factors, methods and techniques that improve the foundation and backend of your site. It involves repairing broken links, speeding up your website and making it responsive.
Competitor research: Competitor analysis determines your competitors’ strengths and weaknesses. It allows you to try something new or improve your products and services based on what’s worked for others.
Keyword research: Researching keywords strategically ensures you choose keywords that benefit your business.
Content development: A good content strategy is essential for educating and nurturing your prospects. If you provide compelling content on your website, your visitors will keep coming back for more content.
Link building: This involves prospecting and acquiring links to increase a webpage’s domain authority and search engine ranking.
Reporting: Reports inform clients about the performance of their websites and how their marketing strategies are doing.
There is no better SEO package than one that matches your business’s SEO vision.
But how to choose the best package for your business? The following will help you decide which SEO package is right for you.
You can more easily choose an SEO package that fits your needs once you know your goals.
Spend some time identifying your business goals and the platforms you can use to accomplish them. E-commerce platforms, for example, rely on SEO, PPC and SMO campaigns to be successful. So what are you looking to achieve with your website or SEO campaign? By identifying your SEO targets, you can then choose an SEO firm that matches your requirements.
Keep in mind that partnering with an SEO agency that understands your business’s goals is essential. SEO work requires that your chosen firm thoroughly understand your services and products. With a good understanding of your business, they can easily identify your objectives and work to promote your website effectively.
After determining your SEO targets, selecting a package based on your SEO goals is the next step. Narrow down your search by identifying what should be included in the package and what services you require. For an SEO package to be effective, it should be aligned with your company’s objectives.
Avoid selecting the wrong SEO company, and check the services they offer first before making your decision. You shouldn’t invest in SEO packages that don’t include the essential services. Moreover, a package should cater to the size and domain of your business.
The most common mistake businesses make when selecting SEO packages is prioritising to find cheap SEO packages. There is nothing wrong with finding affordable SEO packages or one that fits within your budget. Unrealistic budgets are the mistake. So make sure to research the average industry rate before making a purchase decision. The cost of SEO packages can vary from one region to another and from one company to another, so it is wise to do your research before selecting one.
Take into account your SEO budget, and estimate how much you can spend each month. By assessing how much you’re willing to pay, you’ll be able to narrow down your search much easier. Keep your costs within your budget, but don’t compromise either. Invest in an SEO package based on the results you want to get.
Testimonials and case studies tell the story of an SEO agency’s success. Check out client reviews and case studies. Examining the previous results and work of SEO agencies can help you determine if they can provide the services you need.
Scope out the company’s website to learn more about their accomplishments. It is crucial to review an agency’s work carefully before putting your trust in them.
Choosing an SEO agency is an elimination process. Discover what packages various companies are offering on their websites. Next, set up a face-to-face or virtual meeting to ask questions about their expertise, credentials, recommendations and track record. These meetings can help identify which potential providers can provide solutions that best suit your business’s overall needs.
The best SEO package is one that suits your business type and aligns with your vision. When handled by an experienced SEO agency, a business can reap the benefits of an SEO package for many years to come.
At Smarter Media, we tailor our SEO strategy to your company’s unique needs.
Let our expert search engine optimisation consultants handle your site’s SEO and select the right package for you. Contact our team today to know more.
Building a business from scratch requires a ton of hard work. It's never an easy task to take an idea and turn it into a profitable venture.
The journey doesn't stop there, though.
The most challenging part of running a business is ensuring that it continues to grow as the years go by, long after you're gone. It takes overseeing business operations, managing the company's finances, and most of all, making sure that your company keeps up with promotions and adverts.
This isn’t even the tip of the iceberg of what needs to be done!
And since everything is changing all the time, it can be challenging to maintain any stability in a business, especially when things are migrating to the digital space. Although it's a challenge to transition from traditional business forms to a more technological scene, going digital helps the company grow and even cut costs.
For example, most traditional forms of advertising have been classic posters, billboards, leaflets, TV, and radio to get the word out when it comes to your product or server.
But we see now that digital marketing offers a new wave of opportunities, one that is global and more widespread than ever before.
Digital marketing is now a crucial part of creating successful businesses and something that can’t be excluded. Methods such as email marketing, social media marketing, and getting your website are fundamental to building a reputable online presence.
Once you've got your fundamentals down, you'll soon notice that having a website and social media accounts are not enough to bring in new customers every month. With all the competition out there, your business needs an edge.
This is where SEO comes to play. In a nutshell, SEO can help your website be seen by potential customers looking to find the best product for them and even convert users that are simply browsing the web.
It's complicated and can get confusing so we'll break it down for you. Why is SEO important for a company website to have? Can it help the business grow? How can it do so?
Keep reading to learn more about how impactful SEO is for a business.
Are you looking for a reliable SEO agency to take your business to the next level? Speak with us at Smarter Media today for more information on how to use SEO to your advantage.
Before learning about how SEO can help your business, we should first look into what SEO is.
SEO or Search Engine Optimisation is a process that allows a website to be found in various search engines, but mainly on google. It can help users find your webpage to grow your online presence organically.
This means that when someone searches for a particular product, service, or company name, your website is the first entry on Google.
SEO helps boost your website amongst an ocean of competition through keywords and phrases that have been extensively researched and those that are proven to get clicks. It's a cost-effective and efficient way to become more visible online.
Now that you know what SEO is, we can dive into how we can apply it to help any business grow.
Are you curious to learn how SEO fits into the picture?
SEO helps businesses grow in many proven ways. Here are some of them:
It's not enough to gain clicks to get clients, but it sure doesn’t hurt to let people know that you have available services.
But since most people (we mean billions) are online, building a website is an essential part of becoming visible to potential clients.
SEO can help you get visibility by directing thousands, if not millions, to your website. It makes it easier for them to find that a business like yours exists, and through SEO, people become more aware of your presence.
SEO leads the way when it comes to brand authority and to transform it into trustworthiness.
When your website ranks high in Google or any other search engine, it increases brand credibility. Although not an overnight success, SEO can help you climb the rankings. After all, not one looks at the 10th page of a Google search, right?
We've been going on and on about organic growth. But what does it actually mean?
SEO is there to create the type of growth you want to see: users that visit regularly and stay with the company as it grows. Organic growth allows your website to be easily navigable even with tons of products or services in stock.
Search engines dislike poor-looking website interfaces, and those take multiple clicks to where they need to get, so be sure to make it aesthetically pleasing as well!
Customers nowadays do their research when it comes to purchasing an item or availing of a service. They now compare and contrast various services and ultimately choose the best one in their eyes.
But how will they compare your product to others when they can't even find your website? SEO takes this problem head-on by providing them with the information they need, including your products or services.
More than that, SEO tactics can relay deals and reviews that customers are looking for.
When a user browses your website, the hope is to convert them into a client.
When a website lands on the top of the search results and stays there, it's almost a guarantee that people will click on it first. As more users visit you, the more engagement you get, leading to a higher conversion rate.
Make sure to incorporate a contact us page and leave your socials as well!
Local SEO is becoming more essential due to the sheer number of people using mobile devices. The majority of these searches also have local intent.
Local intent means that people are searching for location-specific entries.
For example, a user is searching for the best Italian restaurant in her home town by searching "best Italian restaurants". Local SEO will show her all the top-rated Italian restaurants that are near her location.
Using heavily researched methods, local SEO can direct people towards your business without actually searching for your business!
Now that you have your website down to pat, we now need to deal with helping it grow as the years go by.
SEO helps create lasting results. Many businesses fall for the lure of black-hate SEO (or basically cheating your way to the top of search engines) but have proven to harm the brand instead - it only lasts for a couple of weeks.
A good SEO campaign is both strategic and lasting. So you can't expect results in the first months, it's a slow, steady process. But once you gain momentum, your online presence will be undeniable.
Embarking on a marketing campaign is laborious, tedious, and, most of all, expensive.
Investing in billboards, commercials, radio placements, and more can cost a business a lot of money - and it takes up too much time to do so.
SEO provides a way for you to advertise your company better than traditional methods while remaining cost-effective. Although you have to invest in hiring an effective SEO agency, the results are genuinely long-lasting with your brand gaining traction over time at a significantly lower investment than traditional advertising methods.
Remember that SEO is important but is not without flaws. If you don't curb the risks and deal with SEO in a dishonest manner (or take a shortcut), your website pays the price.
These include not having a proper link structure, having too many coding errors, using black-hat SEO, duplicate pages, forms, and issues with language and semantics.
SEO is a complex system, often opinion based, with many things at play, meaning it's difficult to understand by those not experts in the field. More than that, SEO practices are constantly evolving, just as much as the internet evolves as well.
This is why it's best to gain the insights and expertise of an SEO professional or, better yet, an agency to apply cutting-edge practices that will benefit your website forever successfully. Lastly, always remember that SEO is not an easy task. It takes a lot of time and effort to create a successful website that people love coming back to. But with SEO, you create a lasting business that gets promoted and optimised all of the time. Invest in your company's growth today, through SEO.
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!
