Research popular keywords in your industry

Keywords are terms people use to search when looking for products and services online. Spend some time checking out your competitors’ pages and keep an eye for what keywords they’re ranking for – a few word changes on your page may just be all you need to stand out.

Revive the content on your website

Your products may not have changed in the last year or two, but the needs of your clients and search engines have. Always stay on top of industry trends and don’t be afraid to change up your message. Consistent activity on your webpage will show readers and search engines you are the business to choose.

Pay attention to metadata in your photos

Most people don’t realize this, but the photos on your webpage have massive amounts of data that can impact your SEO. One way you can optimize this metadata is by editing the file names of your photos and filling them with relevant keywords that are more meaningful to users.

Speed up your website pages

Having the best content on the internet doesn’t help if your webpages are frustratingly slow to load. Whether your websites are on a home server or that of a larger company, you should do everything you can to get your pages to load faster and create a better experience.

Links, links, links

Writing a blog and have another relevant page on your site? Link it. Talking on social media about the products you offer? Link it. Drafting a call to action and want your readers to reach out to you? You guessed it – Link it! Making your website an interconnected experience will make it attractive for readers and search engines alike!

SEO can be a hard topic to understand and the best practices are always evolving, but we’re always evolving to give you the latest marketing solutions for you and your business. Give us a call today at 1-866-411-4411 to find out how our SEO experts can help you rank higher and grow your business.

About us:

411.ca makes digital marketing simple for business owners across Canada. We take the hassle and confusion out of critical online marketing channels by offering services and tools to help businesses establish and stabilize their online presence, manage and respond to their online reviews, and monitor social media conversations about their business.

We’re also Canada’s top exclusively online directory, connecting over 19 million visitors to people and local businesses each year. 411.ca reviews provide searchers with great information about local businesses.

The post 5 easy ways to improve your Google ranking with SEO appeared first on 411 Blog.

What is SEO?

The goal of SEO is to improve your ranking on search engines. To put it simply, SEO is a strategy of making your website more attractive to search engines by using relevant keywords, making your pages mobile-responsive, and delivering quality information to your readers.

How does it work?

When a user puts in a request for a search, the search engine (e.g.: Google or Bing) scans pages across the internet that would best suit their search. The search engine analyzes the content and the user experience on every page to make sure the top results will be exactly what the user is looking for.

Highly optimized pages use a lot of quality keywords and images, and have a mobile-responsive layout. These are all SEO techniques to deliver what the user wants and rank pages at the top of search engine results. If a page has few keywords, poor content, or bad design, then the search engine will ditch the site to the back pages.

Why is it important for businesses?

When it comes to marketing your business in the digital era and attracting more clients, Google really is your friend. More than 2 million Google searches are done every minute and 18% of those searches lead to same-day sales, meaning business owners can potentially see huge revenue increases by optimizing their pages.

Business owners should also know 93% of search engine users do not go beyond the first page, meaning bad SEO doesn’t just make for bad user experience, but also slow down your website traffic.

Whether you’re looking to appear in the top listings of Google, Bing, Yahoo, or any other kind of search engine, having a solid SEO strategy is the first step to drawing in more clicks and customers. If you’re looking for ways to optimize your website content and design, give our marketing experts a call today at 1-866-411-4411.

About us:

411.ca makes digital marketing simple for business owners across Canada. We take the hassle and confusion out of critical online marketing channels by offering services and tools to help businesses establish and stabilize their online presence, manage and respond to their online reviews, and monitor social media conversations about their business.

We’re also Canada’s top exclusively online directory, connecting over 19 million visitors to people and local businesses each year. 411.ca reviews provide searchers with great information about local businesses.

The post What is SEO and why is it critical for your online presence? appeared first on 411 Blog.

Read more to see how to prepare for seasonalities as a business owner:

Find ways to be unique

During your slower times, try and be as innovative as possible. Consider the products and services you currently offer:

• Are there ways you can update them and improve overall customer experience?
• Think about the industry you work in and brainstorm ways you can tap into specific market segments.

While you’re honing in on this, ensure your focus remains on your primary revenue driver. With this in mind, you can maintain a sense of control over the business while finding new ways to improve.

Stay in touch with customers

All businesses should keep in touch with customers, but especially seasonal businesses. Look for creative ways to communicate with your clients and to increase their level of interest in what you have to offer them. In doing this, you will entice your previous clients to continue to do business with you or even refer potential prospects to you. Reaching out to them in your off-season shows you value their business and care about their specific needs.

You can do this through email campaigns, promotions, or giveaways. Your off-season is also a great time to generate new online reviews, so your reputation is in good shape when people research your business before and during your busy season.

Develop a business plan for the year

Those working in retail or wholesale should predict their sales and order inventory to prepare for the year ahead. Analyze your past sales and inventory needed for your business to run on a monthly basis. Maintain steady communication with your team members and continue to update your staff on changes in the workplace or new business goals. Sit down and strategize what your goals are for the year and the major obstacles preventing them, and take advantage of every opportunity to prepare for change. Businesses with the most success are quick to adapt and continually work at growing and preparing for the future.

To help you stay on top of seasonalities and encourage growth for your company, we offer “Do It For Me” digital marketing solutions for small businesses. Visit our website to see more information on which package is right for you.

About us:

411.ca makes digital marketing simple for business owners across Canada. We take the hassle and confusion out of critical online marketing channels by offering services and tools to help businesses establish and stabilize their online presence, manage and respond to their online reviews, and monitor social media conversations about their business.

We’re also Canada’s top exclusively online directory, connecting over 19 million visitors to people and local businesses each year. 411.ca reviews provide searchers with great information about local businesses.

The post How to prepare for seasonalities appeared first on 411 Blog.

As the Internet has progressed over the years, so has the way people process information. A mobile-friendly website enhances user experience, establishes credibility, improves Google rankings, provides customers overall convenience, and makes it easier for them to contact you.

Read more to see why having a mobile-friendly website is crucial for your business.

Enhance user experience

It has been shown that consumers spend more than 5 hours a day on their smartphones. A mobile-friendly website allows users to easily access information and select buttons on the page directly from their phones. If your website isn’t optimized to be viewed on a phone, you will disengage viewers by forcing them to pinch and zoom in order to read the information. Mobile-friendly websites also provide a direct call to action, which enables a clear route of communication and improves your conversation rate. It’s important to have a clean website that takes design, layout, and images into consideration because this way, the mobile site can create the desired user experience on all devices.

Improve Google ranking

Google has created a new algorithm rewarding those with mobile-friendly sites. It’s important for businesses to use the right technology and adopt new strategies to deliver both personalized content and mobile performance.

Did you know 96% of Internet users rely on Google as their primary source for information? To ensure your site is optimized properly, visit Google’s guide to mobile-friendly websites. With that in mind, know that Google recognizes whether websites are mobile-friendly and then prioritizes them accordingly in the search results. You can check to see if your web page is easy to view across all devices by using the mobile-friendly test tool.

Greater convenience for users

People everywhere are using mobile devices for simple Internet searches, purchasing tickets, online shopping and more. Consumers are looking for an immediate service they can access whenever they want. You will reach more customers, faster if you have a website they can access in the palm of their hand. A mobile-friendly website will also help you build credibility. Building trust with your viewers enhances their overall experience and helps them to view you as a trustworthy source for information, services, and products.

At 411.ca, we want to see your business grow! Learn more about our custom, mobile-friendly

websites here.

About us:

411.ca makes digital marketing simple for business owners across Canada. We take the hassle

and confusion out of critical online marketing channels by offering services and tools to help

businesses establish and stabilize their online presence, manage and respond to their online

reviews, and monitor social media conversations about their business.

We’re also Canada’s top exclusively online directory, connecting over 19 million visitors to

people and local businesses each year. 411.ca reviews provide searchers with great information

about local businesses.

The post Three reasons why you need a mobile-friendly website appeared first on 411 Blog.

The importance of responding to reviews

In a recent survey done by Software Advice, 94 percent of respondents said they use online reviews to research medical providers prior to their visit. Responding to reviews shows that you care about the relationship with your clients and establishes credibility with your business. Showing potential patients you value customer feedback will optimize the overall customer experience.

Protect a patient’s privacy

It’s crucial you maintain a patient’s privacy when responding to reviews. In accordance with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), you must respond to online reviews and comments without divulging any personal information. If a patient mentions a specific treatment or visit, don’t acknowledge it. Instead, offer general phrasing like “We take your feedback seriously” or “We work hard to improve our patient experience.”

Listen and empathize

It is important for a patient to know you take their grievances very seriously. When necessary, thank them for their feedback and encourage them to continue the conversation offline. By discussing specifics privately, you allow patients to feel heard and understood.

Don’t delete reviews

Unless a review is seen as inappropriate or includes profanity or slander, don’t delete it. By maintaining reviews, both good and bad, you will establish trust among your audience. If the only reviews on your page are positive, people may become suspicious as they suspect the reviews are fake.

Acknowledge every negative review

By acknowledging the review, you are initiating the steps to resolve the conflict or improve communications with patients on the feedback received. This continues to demonstrate your commitment to providing exceptional patient care. When responding to the complaint, it’s important to maintain a professional and sympathetic tone. Avoid placing the blame on the patient, as this could drive potential readers to other providers.

Responding to reviews is very important to maintain your business’ reputation. It’s evident online reviews have become a trusted tool for patients to review past experiences and then make decisions on where to seek healthcare.

For more information, visit our website or give us a call at 1-866-411-4411.

The post How businesses in healthcare should respond to reviews appeared first on 411 Blog.

Here are three reasons that outline the importance of maintaining an online presence for your small business:

Enhanced accessibility

By creating an online presence, you are creating a digital path for potential customers to find you, wherever they are in the world. Websites can help you to be found online by potential customers and social media helps you connect with your existing customer base. Nearly 85% of consumers use the internet to find a local business, so even if you don’t sell your products or services online, your clients expect to find you there.

Improve your credibility for customers

Creating an online profile for your business amplifies your validity and credibility among your followers. If they can’t find your website, they may not believe you are a serious business. By opening the door for communication and for people to leave reviews, you create an opportunity to appear as a more reputable business overall.

Showcase the beliefs behind your brand

You are more than just the products and services you offer. People want to know—who is the person behind the business? Actively posting on online platforms shows your followers what is important to you. By sharing more about yourself and your business, you allow potential customers to connect with you on another level. By connecting with you, they will feel more encouraged to support you.

Engaging with potential customers, improving your credibility, and establishing the beliefs behind your brand are just some of the reasons it’s so important to be active online as a small business owner.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn for more useful information to help you manage your business’s online presence.

The post The importance of maintaining an online presence for your small business appeared first on 411 Blog.

Reputation Management Dashboard

Our Reputation Management Dashboard is available in our Review Sync and Sync Plus packages. Take a look at the walk-through of our user friendly dashboard below.

Social Media Management Dashboard

Our Social Media Dashboard is available in our Social Sync and Sync Plus packages. Take a look at the walk-through demo of our all-in-one dashboard below.

Have a look at our suite of digital marketing solutions to help Canadian small businesses with their entire online presence and reputation.

The post Reputation Management Dashboard and Social Media Management Dashboard appeared first on 411 Blog.

With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, love is in the air along with a lot of money. Many small businesses have seen consumers clamp down on spending during January, but can look forward to 81% of Canadians happy to open their wallets for Valentine’s Day in the name of love. Men will foot most of the bill spending an average of $219, but women do their part spending $109 on average.

Traditional Gifts

Gifts like flowers, chocolate and dining continue to be top of mind for Canadian consumers. If you own one of these types of businesses you know how profitable Valentine’s Day can be. For many small business owners, it is the single busiest day of the year and some need to hire temporary staff to meet demand – not a bad problem to have. However, businesses with traditional gifts face a lot of competition. You need to differentiate yourself to get found and make easy shopping experiences for people looking for gifts.

Unique Gifts

Small businesses that don’t offer conventional gifts can market their products or services as Valentine’s Day gifts to stand out and get noticed as unique ideas. Anything can be a Valentine’s Day gift with the right spin on it. A hair salon voucher, car detailing service, or home cleaning service can all make great gifts. 44% of Canadians say they will strive to find creative gifts that no one would think of. All you have to do is promote your gift idea with Valentine’s Day in mind and it will all come together.

Here are 5 easy to implement last minute Valentine’s Day marketing strategies for small businesses

1. Social Media Marketing

Make sure you’re incorporating Valentine’s Day themes into your social media. By getting people into the spirit of Valentine’s Day, you’re putting them in the buying mood. You can invite engagement by asking them to share love stories or post pictures. Even though you’re not marketing your products or services directly to them, by putting the idea in their head you will be top of mind when they do choose to buy something.

2. Create a Gift Guide

Like other time sensitive holidays many Valentine’s Day shoppers will be last minute shoppers. Creating a gift guide to help people in need of a good suggestion is a great way to promote your products or services as a solution to their problem. As a business owner, you know if you can solve problems you have earned business. You should segment your gifts by categories to make it easier for them to find the gift that suits them best.

Some categories you can use are:

Traditional gifts – for him and her;

Gifts by themes – for example, gifts for sport lovers;

Gifts by price points – for example, gifts under $100

3. Partner with another small business

All small businesses with something to offer for Valentine’s Day are technically competing for the same customers. It may make sense to partner with another small business that offers something complementary to what you offer. For example, a hair salon could partner with a nail salon or a florist could partner with a local sweets shop. Here’s how it works – both businesses offer coupons for the other’s products or services to motivate customers to do buy from the partnering business to get a “package deal”. By sharing customers both businesses benefit rather than being in competition.

4. Include a free item with purchase

You can gain a competitive edge by offering something for free upon purchase. For example, a restaurant could offer free deserts or cocktails for couples with the purchase of a meal for 2. If someone is looking for a restaurant, but undecided on where to eat, the restaurant offering something for free not only stands out, but also has a competitive advantage by having a more attractive offer.

5. Allow customers to book appointments with you

Once you have your prospect’s attention, you should make it as easy as possible for them to arrange for service. Our Booking Solution can be added seamlessly to your website, emails, Facebook, Google My Business and more so customers can easily book appointments for your service.

Valentine’s Day can bring in a lot of business, but it’s confined to a short period of time. The more time you can free up to spend servicing customers the more money you will make. Valentine’s Day customers are often first time customers for a lot of small businesses. If you can offer them a limited time discount, they may be back before you know it.

The post Valentine’s Day Marketing Tips for your Small Business appeared first on 411 Blog.

During the winter months, many brick-and-mortar Canadian businesses face challenges getting people in the door with significantly less foot traffic to depend on. On top of that, people are less social in the winter resulting in less word of mouth business. So if people aren’t browsing local stores and aren’t socializing, where are they? They’re probably in the comfort of their homes on the internet.

Canadians spend more time online than any other country and almost double the global average at 45 hours per week. It makes for a great opportunity to market your business online to target potential customers and generate sales opportunities especially during slow times.

Here are 6 ways to offset the impact of winter on your business:

1. Limited time promotions

Promotions are an excellent way to grab people’s attention and motivate your prospective customers to take action. Advertising your sale on your website is a good way to build awareness. Incorporating a countdown clock for your promotion end date is a great feature to build momentum and create urgency.

Promotions can also be advertised through social media. Social media marketing has the potential to reach masses of people very quickly. The more unique your promotion is the more likely people will share it, so be creative.

2. Offer incentives to get more business

Canadians love being rewarded for their loyalty. The average Canadian participates in 12.2 loyalty programs and that’s up 25% in the last four years. Loyalty programs are an effective way to generate repeat business. Loyal customers will spend more with you, buy from you more often and are more likely to share their experiences.

A referral program is another way to drive more business. The incentive for people referring you does not necessarily have to be cash. People have also responded well to discounts on their own purchases. Referrals are the most trustworthy form of advertising there is. It’s an inexpensive way to grow your customer base and create opportunities to have more loyal customers.

3. Cash management

You probably have a good grasp on how the winter affects your business. Putting money aside to deal with anticipated cash flow shortages is a good defensive strategy. You should watch your spending closely during this time and make sure you are not spending on things that could be put off until business picks up.

When things are slow, it probably means you have a lot more time. You finally have a chance to look through the books to see what you’re owed. You may surprise yourself at how much old business you can collect on with a little effort.

4. Review your operations

Are you able to reduce your hours without affecting sales? Are you able to operate by appointment only during this time? To make sure you’re not missing opportunities, we can make your website, Google My Business profile and  social media accounts “bookable” to allow people looking into your service to request appointments.

A slow time is a chance to really look at your processes to become more efficient. Maybe you can save money by using another supplier or by doing something differently. Any money saved is money earned. At 411.ca we are small business champions – we help thousands of entrepreneurs save on services they already use every year.

5. Segment your contact list

A slow time is the perfect time to go through your contact list and separate the good contacts from the cold leads. Segmented lists save you time by targeting people who are most likely to do business with you. It helps your efforts go further by marketing to specific groups in the most effective way.

These are our suggested segmented lists:

• Hot Contacts: These are your best customers. They’re the ones who engage, refer their friends and family and keep coming back for more. Your hot contacts will be the first ones to jump at the opportunity to join a loyalty or referral program.

• Warm Contacts: These are people who don’t buy from you often, but want to stay up to date with your business and maintain a relationship. Let this group know about your promotions to get them out more often.

• Warm Leads: These are people who have not bought from you yet, but have shown interest. You can market promotions to them, but include them in only the most exciting ones. Too much marketing could potentially turn them away. Your focus with this group should be to build brand awareness and make your business more approachable.

• Recent Leads: These are leads that you have recently acquired and are worth following up on even though they haven’t responded yet. You know from experience that if you keep working them, a percentage of these leads will convert into customers.

6. Plan for your busy time

There’s no better time to plan than when it’s slow. You can focus, take your time and really think things through. If you can figure out ways to get more out of your peak time, that’s time well spent. Your busy time should be spent serving as many customers as possible, not planning. Looking forward to better times also changes the energy and can be very empowering.

Don’t let your business get the winter blues. As a business owner you know that every problem is an opportunity. If customers aren’t coming into your location, then there’s a huge opportunity to reach them online. Digital marketing is your most cost effective form of advertising compared to other options like print ads, radio ads or billboards. Our new Sync digital marketing solutions help small businesses reap the same great benefits that come from having a complete online presence as large companies.

Call us at 1-866-411-4411 today for a free consultation.

The post Winter proof your business appeared first on 411 Blog.

411.ca is happy to announce the launch of our new Sync products. We have served the small business community across Canada for almost 20 years. With 19 million Canadian visitors last year alone, it’s no wonder why thousands of business owners choose 411.ca to grow their business online every year. We’re very excited about our new suite of products and how they will benefit our customers.

Online Presence Sync package

Having a complete online presence is the key to being found online. Our Online Presence Sync package will establish and maintain dozens of listings on search engines, directories and social media.

Making sure your business information is accurate and consistent across many sites increases the likelihood of ranking higher in local search. More importantly, potential customers searching for your products or services will see accurate information for your business no matter how they find you.

Review Sync package

Our Review Sync package builds on our Online Presence Sync package, plus has a focus on online reviews. We recognize that once customers find you, you must have a good online reputation to convert online traffic into hot leads. A recent survey revealed 97% of Canadian consumers check reviews for local businesses and 85% of them trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. It makes it extremely important for business owners to stay on top of all the reviews they receive across all review sites, directories and social media. However, with all the places someone can review your business we know how difficult that can be.

With our new Review Sync package, our Marketing Strategists will do it for you. We will monitor and respond to your online reviews on dozens of sites including Google, Facebook, Yelp and many more. We respond to both positive and negative reviews so you can focus on your business knowing your reviews are being taken care of.

Social Sync package

Our Social Sync package includes everything in Online Presence Sync, plus our social media marketing service. As the use of social media continues to increase, small business owners know how important it is to be active on social media. A recent study found that 91% of Canadians who are online own at least one social media account and 63% of them use social media to follow brands. Given how demanding small business can be, many owners simply don’t have the time to do it properly. The solution – have us do it for you.

With our Social Sync package, one of our social media experts can post regular relevant content twice per week to make sure you’re always engaging with your audience. Active social media accounts help you target more potential customers and more leads equal more sales.

Sync Plus package

Our Sync Plus package is a complete solution for small business digital marketing needs; think of Sync Plus as our full-service package! It includes the features of all our packages: social media, online reviews and local listings. Our team of Marketing Strategists will post to your social channels twice per week, respond to reviews as they come in, help you generate new reviews and ensure your business information is accurate and distributed online. You’ll also have access to our dashboards to monitor your progress.

We are extremely proud to introduce our new Sync products. We are here to work side by side with small business owners, offering innovative digital marketing solutions to help you be more efficient and get higher returns on your investment.

Feel free to call us at 1-866-411-4411 to learn how we are partnering with Canadian small businesses to help them with their entire online presence.

The post 411.ca’s digital marketing services – Introducing our new Sync products appeared first on 411 Blog.