By learning how to optimise your Google Business Profile account, you’ll rank higher on Google Maps and attract more leads through better local SEO results.

What is Google Business Profile?

Google Business Profile, also called GBP, is a free tool the search engine giant rolled out to help businesses have more control over their appearance in search results, maps, and across Google in general.

Listings from GBP often are above other search results, especially if the businesses are a part of the ‘local map pack’ of companies that appear on the map listing always displayed on the first page of Google search results.

Local searches will become even more prevalent as consumers continue to seek convenience. (The number of searches with local intent is presently hovering near 50%.) Using this free tool from Google is one of the best ways to keep your business in local search results because GBP caters to companies that need a dynamic local presence.

Why It’s Important for Small Businesses

As with all Google tools, if they offer it, you should consider it. There are numerous reasons GBP is an essential piece of your digital presence.

• A Google Business Profile helps your company stand out online. The virtual marketplace is crowded, and you must make an impact as quickly as possible. By using the GBP feature, you can easily:
  • Place a marker on Google Maps
  • Offer potential customers a quick way to phone or message you
  • Give a link to your website to drive traffic
  • Help customers by providing a user-friendly tool to leave you messages or reviews
• Your GBP makes it easier than ever to manage the information about your business that is appearing online across Google’s massive territory. The first pieces of information you will want to add are the foundation of your online profile. Your website, hours, phone number(s), special services, category, and photos are just a few vital pieces of information you should have on your GBP.
• Highlight important features of your business with your GBP. Often, your GBP will be your first point of contact with a potential client, so you should make the most of the opportunity. By adding a Q and A section, business posts about special events, or a behind-the-scenes photo essay, consumers will get a feel for your company’s purpose and vision. Make a point to show what makes you unique. Remember, since this often turns out to be the first impression for a searcher, keep your information up to date. Your awesome New Year’s promotion will not impress anyone at Easter.
• You have an increased opportunity to interact with your customers. And you should take advantage of it. Acknowledging and responding to customer reviews is a policy that has been recommended for years, and with good reason. Your response shows you value the review. Whether you receive accolades or criticism, open communication shows that you care about your business and your customers.

Taking communication with your customers a step further is possible with GBP. Using the Google Business Profile app, you can enable customer messages. You can create automated responses thanking your customer for reaching out. This allows you a bit more time to respond to questions or comments personally. The fastest response is best but be sure to make your response times under 24 hours.

• Your Google Business Profile adds authenticity to your company. If you are a reasonably new business in your niche or area, customers will likely be more responsive to you after seeing your GBP. Your profile can put potential customers at ease by showcasing some of your work. For example, if you are a floral designer, frequently add new images of your career so visitors can see your finely honed design skills. If you become a part of Google’s sought-after three-pack business profile listing, the chance of upping your traffic increases even further.

Must-Use Features of Your Google Business Profile

In addition to improving your online presence and allowing enhanced management of your profile, Google Business Profile has features that will make you sit up and take notice.

1. A Product Catalogue

Officially called the Product Editor and commonly referred to as GBP Products, you can use this feature to showcase your essential products or those you would like to feature. To use GBP Products, identify what you want to feature and fill in the following:

• Product image
• Product name
• Product category
• Product price (optional)
• Product description (optional)

From here, it is a matter of choosing the images you want and writing your copy.

Once you have your GBP Products set, your customers will be able to make use of its elements, such as,

• Click a featured product card to view the product details
• Click a product category to view an overview
• Click a product within a product category to view the product details
• Contact you to find out more information about a specific product
• Place an order by clicking on the button leading to your website
• Provide feedback in case there are any copyright or legal issues

2. Call-to-Action Buttons

If you operate a company with a website, you know that call-to-action buttons (CTA) are extremely important for conversions. Whether you want a customer to leave an email or seal the deal and make a purchase, these icons are vital. The CTAs in your Google Business Profile offers some exceptionally helpful options for activities that will help your customers use Google Search or Google Maps for several actions. These include:

• Check a menu
• Find out the status of a delivery order or a service, such as the time to completion of a dog grooming session
• Learn more about COVID-19-related information
• Review a list of the services your company offers
• Book, cancel, or reschedule an appointment
• Review your daily specials or find out allergy and special diet information on your restaurant menu
• Make, confirm, or cancel a reservation
• Place an order for food delivery or food pickup
• Place a grocery shopping order or order other products to be picked up or delivered
• Request a quote for several products or services
• Contact your business directly via chat, email, or phone call

3. Add Identity Attributes

Having correct and up-to-date identity attributes highlighted on your Google Business Profile can help your business stand out from others in your niche. These attributes are divided into two categories.

Factual Attributes – The business owner manages these. They include data that is measurable or can be confirmed by an outside source. For example:

• Women-led
• Wheelchair accessible
• Black-owned
• Covid-19 prerequisites such as temperature checks or masks required
• Forms of payment accepted
• Restaurant attributes like curbside pickup or carryout only

Business owners can control the factual details and make adjustments as needed.

Subjective Attributes – Subjective attributes are impressions, opinions, or attitudes shared by other consumers who visited the business. These come from Google and cannot be backed up by data as they are based on opinions. A company cannot update or control subjective attributes. Some examples include:

• Good for kids
• Popular with couples
• Upscale
• Cosy
• Trendy

Optimising Your Account

To get the most out of your Google Business Profile, you need to optimise it. There are several steps you can take to optimise your GBP. One and done will not provide you with the profile or image you want. Remember, you will want to check these periodically for accuracy and relevance.

Name, Address, and Phone Number – The most basic and vital information you need on your GBP. If you have mistakes or typos, customers will never find you. It is essential to look over this seemingly mundane information.

Use Your Business Description – Google provides space for you to write about your business’s products, services, history, and other features that set you apart from the competition. If your restaurant is using great, great granny recipes from the 1920s or the clothing pieces you sell are made from recycled products, this is the perfect place to tell your customers. Be sure this information flows naturally and is not a mash-up of keywords. Google also suggests that your information is:

• Free from misspellings or gimmicky character use
• Does not contain profane language
• Is not inaccurate, misleading, or confusing
• It does not feature limited-time information like sales or promotions

Add Images to Your Google Business Profile – Consumers are drawn to images, and you have space to add some to your GBP. Typically, your profile picture will be a company logo, and your cover photo should be something that best represents your company. You can also add business photos.

Create Google Posts – You can connect with your clients, share special promotions or upcoming events, talk about what is new, or even add a coupon code to reward those who took a minute to read your post. Make sure you add high-quality photos and keep posts relevant. Your posts will last seven days unless you choose to add an “Event” post which will last longer

FAQs

• Is Google Business Profile Free?

Yes, Google offers this feature at no charge. You set up your Google account and follow Google’s directions.

• How Do I Know if I Have an Unverified Listing?

It is important to note that Google automatically generates and updates business information on its own, so you may have an unverified listing. One of the easiest ways to check is to search for your business on Google Maps.

• How Can I Claim My Listing?

Once you find your business on Google Maps, there are a few simple steps to claiming it.

• • Find and click the icon that reads “Claim this business” or “Own this business?”
  • Click “Manage Now”
  • You will need to prove ownership by verifying your account via phone, email, postcard, recorded call, or live call. Once verified, you will be able to manage your listing on your GBP Manager Dashboard.

• Will Other New Features Arrive from Google?

The answer is a resounding yes. In addition to GBP, the search engine giant has a few additional elements designed to make your smartphone a lot smarter and various aspects of your business easier to highlight. These include:

• • Google’s Live View – Local search just got easier and more informative. Google Maps Live View allows you to point your phone’s camera at buildings and signs around you to get more information. For example, if you are interested in a restaurant, find it with Live View. From there you can get information about hours, the number of stars, prices, and how busy it is at the moment.
  • Multi-Search Near Me – Satisfying a craving for a specific dish is much easier with Google’s new way of finding the food you want. Either enter the type of food you want in Google’s search box with the phrase ‘near me’ or take a picture or screenshot of the food and add ‘near me’. Within moments, you will see listings of places that sell the food you need.

• • Car Charging Station – Google’s new filter will locate car charging stations and can differentiate between regular and fast charge stations. You can also use a filter to find stations with the type of plug you use.
  • Worldwide Ability to Find Wheelchair Accessible and Stair-Free Entrances – The Accessible Places filter works in more countries than ever. Using that setting, you can see what businesses are barrier-free in numerous countries.

Improve Your Local SEO Results

While starting your Google Business Profile may seem huge and complicated, it is a straightforward way to enhance your online presence. Google has created this opportunity for you to set your business apart from your competitors and build your brand. At the same time, you can increase traffic and make conversions.

You know that you need more traffic, and you try working on a new website or tweaking your current site. While there is nothing wrong with working harder, you will likely see more impressive results by working smarter and using WordPress plugins.

What is a WordPress Plugin, and Which Ones Should I Use?

Just a quick review, a WordPress plugin is a bit of code that runs with your WordPress site. The purpose of a plugin is to add new functions. Adding plugins allows your computer to perform a vast number of operations. Anything from a small change to a significant overhaul can happen with the right plugin.

It is mind-boggling to think about, but there are tens of thousands of WordPress plugins. I’ve weighed the options and, using my extensive SEO expertise, created my top-ten list of SEO plugins to help you get all you can out of Word Press.

1. Yoast

The WordPress plugin Yoast has been working to improve SEO rankings since 2008 and has successfully boosted millions of websites with greatly improved rankings. With the mantra ‘SEO for Everyone,’ Yoast is user-friendly yet highly functional.

The plugin offers numerous free features, including:

• Language Support
• SEO Analysis
• Readability Analysis
• Google Previews
• Automated Technical SEO Improvements
• Better Branding
• Advanced XML Sitemaps

Yoast also offers scores of Premium features. Considering Yoast is the only WordPress SEO plugin made by SEO experts, it is undoubtedly worth your time.

2. All in One SEO

This WordPress plugin is a favourite among many in the industry. It features an easy setup with an on-page checklist to help optimise your content. Many users appreciate the fact that All in One SEO has a toolkit that makes it possible for anyone to improve their search rankings without needing a crash course in SEO terminology. The plugin provides valuable features such as,

• Link assistant
• Advanced Redirect Manager
• Built-in WooCommerce SEO Tools

All in One SEO is frequently called the most beginner-friendly WordPress SEO plugin available.

3. Rank Math

This WordPress SEO plugin is growing and gaining popularity quickly. With Rank Math, you can optimise your site for social media as well as search engines. Another excellent feature is the plugin allows you to add a meta title, description, and Open Graph metadata to your blog posts.

You can also use Rank Math to get:

• Dynamic Keywords and Dynamic Suggestions
• Intelligent Questions
• Artificial Intelligence to Write SEO Optimised Content
• Extra Keyword Information.

You also get an impressive collection of SEO tools like a site audit, detailed SEO tests, local SEO, etc.

4. Ahrefs

As an excellent all-in-one SEO tool, Ahrefs is popular with bloggers, marketers, and businesses. It offers keyword rankings and research, content analysis, and other helpful analytics. However, Ahrefs shines in its backlink analysis. You can see who is linking to your competitors but not you. With this information, you can target these sites to build partnerships and build more backlinks. Ahrefs will also track the content competitors are ranking for that your business is not. This helps you target new content for your site.

5. Monster Insights

The number one Google Analytics Plugin for WordPress, Monster Insights offers user-friendly analytics in a powerful plugin. You can use the seamless one-click tracking to integrate with other WordPress plugins. Also, track over 100 data points, get SEO ranking reports, behaviour reports, E-Commerce reports, real-time analytics and more.

6. OptinMonster

Using OptinMonster allows you to capture the attention of your visitors and turn them into leads, customers, and repeat customers. How? By using the world’s number one conversion optimisation toolkit to create stunning customisable offers and take advantage of Behaviour Automation. Plus, OptinMonster gives you your stats in real-time as well as tests to keep increasing your conversions

7. SEMRush Writing Assistant

Making sure your written content is SEO friendly, relevant, engaging, interesting, valuable, and as evergreen as possible takes a lot of time and effort. The SEMRush writing Assistant can help you create excellent and engaging written content for your website and unify your voice across your site.

Once you enter your focus keywords, you will get:

• Content templates based on the top-10 results for that phrase
• A list of semantically related keywords to add to your text
• A readability score
• Your headline optimised for SEO
• Onsite plagiarism check
• Check content tone
• Adjust article length

With the SEMRush Writing Assistant, your content will be king in your niche.

8. Schema Pro

Rich snippets are an excellent way to make your website stand out on the results page. And Schema Pro will help you add them quickly and easily.

You can save time by allowing Schema Pro to automatically map fields and add schema across your website in a matter of minutes. Schema Pro also offers over 20 options, so you can be sure that you are using the best schema type for the situation. With Schema Pro, your website will stand out for all of the right reasons.

9. Redirection

No visitor to your site wants to see a 301 or 404 redirect error. With Redirection, you can redirect any URL and make sure your visitors can quickly land where they want. Additionally, Redirection can,

• Add HTTP Headers
• Group errors so you can track and repair them
• Migrate Permalinks
• Import and export
• Adjust IP collection to meet legal standards

Try Redirection, and you will see why it is the most popular redirect manager for WordPress.

10. WP Rocket

We all know how it feels to watch in anticipation as a web page slowly loads. The wait is frustrating, and you wonder if the website is credible because of its poor speed. These reasons are why page speed is one of Google’s core web vitals from its user experience update.

Using the plugin WP Rocket will revolutionise your site speed as soon as you begin using it. As the number one WordPress caching plugin, WP Rocket also includes premier features such as page caching, browser caching, and GZIP compression.

An added plus is you will need about three minutes to install and activate this plugin. You do not need to be a coding expert to launch WP Rocket, and the speed improvement will blow you away.

As you can see, there is no shortage of available plugins for Word Press. The key is to find the ones that get the job done and that you feel comfortable using. However, if you think that you simply do not have enough time to figure out Word Press plugins, I encourage you to reach out to me. For over a dozen years, I have helped hundreds of clients reach the pinnacle of the SEO mountain. I am happy to do the same for you.

Serving up what you want to say is much easier if you have relevant images. Remember, blog posts with images receive over 94 per cent more views than similar blogs with only text.

Before you start hitting the stock photo pages, you will get the biggest impact if your images are optimised for SEO. This means that you are posting images that are not only high-quality but are formatted correctly, have appropriate labelling, and are the optimal size and resolution for your users to engage.

Check out these ten tips that the pros use to ensure they get the most out of their images.

1. Use Unique Images

Even the best-formatted stock images will never give you the same results you will get with original photos. And this is why; the images you are using are also on the pages of hundreds of other websites. Some may be competitors; others may be in a different niche of the same industry. No matter where the images are, the mere fact that they are scattered all over the internet makes you look ordinary and unimaginative.

People love a good story. Use images to tell one. When you create your photos, you bring your audience closer to you, your employees, and your product. Are you a second or third-generation craftsman working in a family business founded decades ago? If so, take generational photos. If family members are not available for photoshoots, get older photos and professionally enhance them. Make people who visit your website care about great-grandpa cutting the wood for his first furniture order by hand.

Never underestimate the value of human connection. You want to reach beyond the ordinary and make an impact on customers that the other companies are either unwilling or unable to create.

2. Choose the Best Format for Your Images

After compiling excellent images that are relevant to your business and website, you will need to choose the formatting that will work best for your pictures.

While there are numerous choices, the two most common image formats that you can choose from are PNG and JPEG.

• PNG – The Portable Network Graphics file supports lossless compression. This means the images are high quality and scalable. While the PNG gives a clean and sharp image, the file size is large.
• JPEG – The Joint Photographic Experts Group is usually the default for saving images because nearly every computer can open the file. JPEG supports lossy compression. When you resize these images, you will have poorer quality than if the file was a PNG. This becomes less prohibitive because as you save a JPEG image, you can adjust the level of image quality.

WebP is an additional image format that is commonly used. Presently, it is the only format that Firefox and Chrome support. With WebP, you can choose between lossy or lossless compression.

3. Compress You Images

A critically important part of optimising images for SEO is ensuring that the photos posted on your website are compressed. Large file sizes will slow your page loading speed and annoy potential customers visiting your website.

Additionally, pages that load slowly can harm your ranking on results pages. This is because loading speed is a key metric in Google’s Page Experience algorithm update.

To avoid causing yourself problems, consider using an online tool to compress your images. There are many available. However, the very best (and the one I use) is https://compressor.io/ as it is versatile and provides marvellous results.

4. Never Infringe on a Copyright

This bit of advice should be understood, but it is worth mentioning because the consequences can be expensive and embarrassing for your business. If one of the many stock photo providers own the rights to an image you use, and you do not have a license to use it, you could have a lawsuit on your hands. Although, the first course of action would be a takedown notice.

Google Images allows you to set parameters to filter copywritten images from searches. However, creating your images is an excellent way to steer clear of the problem altogether.

5. Pay Attention to Image File Structure

Google shared valuable information with everyone hoping to improve their SEO. The search engine giant uses the file path and file name to rank websites. Based on this news, you should structure image files into subcategories. For example, if you sell garden supplies, do not do an image dump into a single media folder. Instead, divide into categories like /fertilisers/ or /pruning tools/ to gain favour with Google.

6. Use Structured Data

When you use schema markup (Google’s preferred structured data), you make it possible for search engines to understand users’ meaning and provide precise query results. Adding this to your images allows Google to use your image as a rich result. In general. Schema markup is an underutilised method, so you should use it with your images to give yourself a more significant competitive advantage.

7. Optimise for Mobile-Friendly Images

You know the statistics about mobile use and have heard about Google’s Mobile-First initiative. So, you already know why you should optimise images for mobile devices.

According to Google, you need to make sure your images are responsive. In essence, this means that your photos will adjust to the size of the screen the viewer is using.

This is possible by using srcset and sizes attributes. These give the browser more identical image options to display based on screen size.

8. Customise Your Image File Names

Being descriptive, creative, and naturally incorporating keywords are vital for good SEO. These traits are also necessary when you customise your image file names.

Adding detailed image file names is a valuable way to help Google understand your image and its context. It is the difference between labelling a photo “dog” or “white Australian Labradoodle.” Your customers will be pleased with seamlessly perfect results; no sorting is required.

The process of changing your images from default to detailed is time-consuming. However, it is worth your time.

9. Use detailed Alt Text

Alt Text describes images and is valuable when images cannot be loaded or offer web crawlers additional information about the web page. Additionally, alt text is necessary for web accessibility for visually impaired individuals using screen readers.

Google remarked that alt text could be instrumental in driving higher-quality traffic to your website. Additionally, quality alt text makes Google more precise with the information for search queries.

Just as with image file names, visitors will be directed to the alt text that most closely matches their search terms. You can also use alt text as an anchor for internal linking.

10. Define Your Dimensions

Setting your dimensions for images (and videos) is essential. By adding the height and width attributes, you tell the browser how much space an image requires. This ensures a smooth and quick loading that will please your visitors.
This will also please Google because it will help prevent Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) issues. CLS is a crucial part of the Core Web Vitals, which are at the heart of Google’s Page Experience Algorithm.

If you feel like there is something new that you should adopt to enhance your website’s SEO every time you turn around, you are correct. As mentioned in numerous posts and articles, SEO is consistently evolving. There is no one and done when it comes to SEO, and many business people find the need to adapt so often overwhelming.

You already have your hands full trying to run your business, and you have no spare time to adjust your SEO. Consider working with an expert with over a dozen years of experience and hundreds of satisfied clients. Contact me, Brad K Russell, to learn more about how I can help your business grow by leaps and bounds while freeing your time for taking care of business.

In this post, you’ll learn about the most important SEO trends in 2022. By doing so, you’ll be able to capitalise on these trends and drive more organic traffic to your website.

1. Google Discover

The search engine giant began adapting its news feed to be more intuitive and offer suggestions based on your search history. Appearing on Google’s mobile home page, Google Discover is another trend towards the query-less search Google hopes to make possible one day.

This is one of the most important SEO trends you can capitalise on in 2022.

To optimise and be featured on Google Discover, you should focus on the following:

• Create helpful content that answers searchers questions in a detailed and thorough manner – Lazy content will get you nowhere. You need to put in the extra effort to make your content shine.

For example: If you run a bakery, you may want to provide instructions for your customers so they can try and decorate cookies on their own. Content with little effort would be “Gather cooled cookies, icing, and decorative sugar together. Frost the cookies and add the extra embellishments as you like.” There is little to no substance here, and most people would not learn anything from the directions. By adding more specific instructions with examples and images, the bakery’s customers will find the information more useful and will be more inclined to try the suggestions for themselves.

• Create and post evergreen content – Google Discover does post news briefs it thinks you may find interesting. However, these are quickly replaced during the news cycles. Evergreen content is content that remains relevant regardless of the current season or time-frame.

For example: A gardening tutorial that explains how to prepare your flower bulbs for planting or tips for a successful vegetable garden. These will stay useful and are classed as evergreen as the information is relevant year-on-year.

• Adhere to the typical SEO rules – There are some parts of SEO that are not yearly SEO trends and should be adhered to at all times. These include:
  • Building quality back links from related external websites
  • Fast page speed
  • Mobile responsiveness across a range of devices
  • Optimised content with high quality images and relevant videos. For tips on how to rank YouTube videos, visit my guide here.
  • Great user experience
  • SSL certificate and other security measures in place

• Use images in your content – Images divide your content into manageable pieces. Additionally, Google Discover pulls an image from your page to use as a thumbnail in the Discover feed.

2. Plan on Optimising for Semantic Search

In the digital marketplace, the term semantic search means a search engine using techniques for finding products by meaning, user intent, and query context.

This SEO trend is a leap forward from the typical search method (lexical search) that relies on matching products to words or word variations.

Optimising your website for semantic search is becoming more vital than ever. Here are tips to assist you in semantic search optimisation:

• Create Content for People, not Search Engines – Trying to rank by writing content that you believe search engines will like no longer holds much weight when it comes to ranking. Search engines can understand user intent, meaning information geared to user intent will help you rank.
• Use Structured Data – Sharing information that will help your users is always a good idea. Structured data is information that helps you give your users pertinent information. For example, adding step by step instructions or a recipe to your listing shows both the search engine and your audience your site’s subject matter.
• Answer Questions from Your Audience – This should be pretty obvious. If you are a dog groomer and someone wants recommendations for the best hypoallergenic shampoo for dogs, answering the question is a way to give quality information to your audience. In general, take advantage of opportunities to interact with and help your site visitors.

3. Use First-Party Information to Build Contacts

Since Google announced it will move away from third-party cookies possibly in 2023, online retailers will need to rely on first-party data to build their contact lists. While the change may sound unsettling, first-party information is more valuable and typically more accurate than the third-party lists companies purchase. This is a critical SEO trend moving forward.

What is First-Party Data?

First-party data is the information that a business collects directly about its customers. First-party information comes from online sources such as:

• Form submissions
• Search queries done while inside the site
• Product views while on the site

What Offline Sources Does it Come From?

• Redeeming physical coupons
• Loyalty program account information
• Demographic information

Why is First-Party Information Preferable to Third-Party Data?

Because you are getting information directly from the customer, you will have the data organised the way you like it, and you will also have greater accuracy. Other plusses about first-party data include:

• You can personalise your customer interactions using the specific information you have collected
• Customers will come to know and trust you as you interact with them during the data collection and beyond
• First-party data can be free or available at a much lower cost than third-party information
• You can request permission to use the data you collect directly from your customers. This enables you to have a high level of compliance with specific privacy laws. You can assure your customers that their data is safe because you are the one storing it and can access it.

4. Refresh Your Older Content to Stay On Top of Current Trends

When older content is revisited and updated, it tends to regain its former vitality and then some. Revitalising your older content tends to work best with posts at least two years old. Once you decide what you will prepare for republication, make sure to pay attention to these details:

• Adjust outdated or inaccurate information and be sure your article has the date you add new data.
• Add video content or images to older work
• Improve your title tags. Why settle for “Growing Vegetables” when you can use something like “Top 10 Ways to Make Your Garden the Envy of the Neighbourhood.”
• Add your core and keywords early. SEO tells us to use keywords within the first 100 words. You can add them more often as long as they are natural and you are not keyword stuffing.

5. Create New Content That Is Lively and Evergreen

Experts are saying that business owners should be mindful of the content this year. Create content that is still relevant in a year or two. This means you should avoid news stories or other items with limited shelf time.

What Are Examples of Evergreen Content?

A great way to determine evergreen content is by thinking about common questions from your audience or typical concerns in your industry. Then you can springboard into topics for evergreen content.

For example, let’s say you own a pet supply store. Some questions your clients could ask may include:

• Are foreign-made pet treats safe?
• Which harness is the best for big dogs?
• Do tortoises need basking lamps?
• What do I feed a ferret?
• How much catnip is too much?

You could likely think of dozens of more industry-relevant questions like these that you can use as evergreen content topics. This is one of the easiest 2022 SEO trends to take advantage of.

6. Passage Ranking

In February 2021, Google’s new passage ranking system went live. With an impact reaching around 7% of websites, Google hopes to improve search results by focusing on understanding individual parts (or passages) of websites. Additionally, Google believes this method will be valuable for finding very specific bits of information that would be difficult to locate by searching entire websites.

Right now, there are not many details available regarding this change. However, Google’s reps say the best way to be ready is by working on headings and page titles. This will help Google narrow down options as it performs its searches.

Google’s changes ushered in by the passage ranking system will look at page titles and headings to give a more precise understanding of the stronger signals about a page. Google believes the big test of the page ranking factor will be getting the most relevant results to a query.

Are You Staying on Top of 2022 SEO Trends?

It is an unavoidable fact, SEO is consistently growing and changing, almost as if it were a living creature. Keeping up with the latest SEO trends is crucial for your business.

While these tips will help your SEO, you may not have the time or knowledge to implement them. If this is the case, get in touch with me. I work with a number of clients each month and have a proven track record of success. Allow me to use my expertise to help your business grow and thrive in 2022 and beyond.

YouTube is also a search engine with a vast reach and a significant amount of clout. If you think YouTube is only a place to watch young people put on tons of makeup, get instructions about how to make bread, or see funny cat videos, you are way off.

You may not think of YouTube as a search engine for videos. However, when you look for a video about how to fix a leaking tap, you are searching on a video search engine. In fact, YouTube is the second most popular search engine in the world.

By learning YouTube SEO, you can get substantially more people watching your videos. In this post, you’ll learn how the YouTube ranking algorithm works, and five steps to improve your video rankings.

Statistics About YouTube Use

If you happen to need more convincing regarding the impact YouTube has across the globe, here are some impressive statistics:

• YouTube had 16,500,000 Australian Visitors in August 2021. That is only 500,000 fewer users than Australia’s number one social media platform, Facebook, which had 17,000,000 Australian users during the same time.
• Worldwide, people watch over one billion hours of YouTube videos every day
• Every minute, more than 500 hours of new content downloads to YouTube
• YouTube’s quarterly ad revenue is over seven billion dollars
• Nearly 51% of B2B decision-makers turn to YouTube to help research products
• 70% of YouTube viewers purchased a brand after seeing the brand on YouTube
• When a YouTube ad is targeted by intent, there is a 100% higher lift in purchase than if the ad had been targeted by demographics
• Close to 90% of YouTube users find new brands while they browse their favourite channels

When looking at these statistics, it is easy to see the reach of YouTube. Imagine being able to leverage these statistics and reap substantial benefits.

By learning YouTube SEO and how to rank your videos, you will do precisely that.

Is YouTube SEO the Same as SEO for Google Search?

The two search engines do not share the same SEO. You may have some knowledge regarding the SEO you would use to conform to Google’s algorithms, however YouTube has its own search algorithm.

How Does the YouTube Ranking Algorithm Work?

In its Creator Academy, YouTube is very forthcoming about how to succeed on the platform. YouTube SEO bases its ranking factors on:

• How well a video’s title description and content match the viewer’s query
• Which videos drive the greatest amount of engagement for a search

The system of ranking videos is simple, and that is how YouTube wants it. While keywords matter, being able to tap into the viewer’s intent is vital. The reason is that YouTube cares about the engagement of the videos. The greater the number of viewers engaged with a video, the more advertisements appear. Of course, more ad views bring in more money.

How Does YouTube Measure Engagement?

YouTube analytics looks at several factors to measure the engagement of a video. These include,

• Audience retention
• Average watch time
• Card clicks
• Click-through rate
• Comments
• End screen clicks
• Likes and dislikes

Example of a YouTube Success Story

After spending years struggling to increase his stature within the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) organisation, Matthew Cardona (Zack Ryder) carved his path to success when he launched his YouTube channel.

Shortly after he debuted “Z! True Long Island Story”, Ryder became an Internet sensation. His popularity with the fans he gained from his YouTube show forced the hand of the WWE bosses, who were regularly subjected to arenas full of fans shouting, “We want Ryder.” Ryder gained time on television as well as endorsements from top WWE performers.

Ryder leveraged his YouTube popularity to ascend the WWE ladder of success. His efforts brought him fame and wealth along with individual and tag team championships.

How Can I Rank My YouTube Videos?

Ranking your YouTube videos comes down to one very familiar acronym, SEO.

These are the steps you need to take to rank YouTube videos:

1. YouTube Keyword Research

Great rankings start with thorough keyword research. For topic and keyword ideas, I suggest the following:

• To get the ball rolling, use YouTube’s feature called Search Success. Enter a word or phrase in YouTube’s search to get a list of some excellent potential keywords. Using this technique takes a lot of the guesswork out of finding keywords. YouTube users already enter the words on your list.
• Another option is to view a popular video on a competitor’s channel. Take note of their keywords and pay attention to how their video uses the keywords.
• Head to the “Traffic Source: YouTube search” report and check out the words users typed to look for your video. You may discover some keywords that have not crossed your mind.

2. Choose the Best Keyword

Ideally, you should choose a keyword that does not have a great deal of competition. To find out how much competition you have for the keywords on your list:

• Search for your keyword in Google, and be sure to add YouTube. Your search will give you all of the options of YouTube videos with the keyword.
• Look at the ‘about’ results. Google will tell you how many videos there are with your keyword.
• Optimise for keywords that have video results in Google. This helps you because Google only includes videos in search results that have specific keywords.
• Using Google’s Keyword Planner, look for keywords that get around 500 or more per month. By doing this, you are sure that you have a quality keyword.

3. Post a High-Retention Video

The idea behind this is simple. If your video keeps users on YouTube, then you will rank higher in the YouTube search results. It is your reward for increasing users’ chance to click on ads because they watched your video until the end.

Tips to keep viewers watching your video:

• Begin with a summary of your video. This helps the viewer know they are watching the right video.
• Go right into your content without long-drawn-out introductions to keep people watching.
• Make sure to use previews of what is coming in the video (also called open loops) so viewers keep watching to find out more

4. Optimise Your YouTube Video

Here’s a few ways you can rank YouTube videos:

• Say your keyword in the video. If you use the word your video is built around, YouTube will have a better grasp of your video topic.
• Make your title between five and ten words long. By doing this, you can use your keyword in the title without unnatural sounding keyword stuffing.
• Write a great description for your video. Use your keyword in it at least twice. Both YouTube and Google will be able to understand your video’s topic this way.
• Add tags to increase the chance of your video landing on the suggested video bar.

5. Promote Your Video

All of your work will amount to very little if you do not make sure people know your video exists. There are several ways to do this:

• Share on social channels
• Embed your video in blog posts
• Answer questions on Quora or other question and answer sites, then mention your video and add a link
• Set up a YouTube playlist
• Optimise your YouTube channel

YouTube SEO Can Take Your Channel to the Next Level

As you can see, YouTube is a treasure trove full of opportunities to grow your business. While a good bit of effort is part of building a great YouTube channel, you can reap outstanding rewards if you use a solid YouTube SEO strategy.

However, if you lack the time to devote to ranking YouTube videos, reach out to me. I have years of experience in the SEO industry and can help you get better rankings and more viewers.

Operating a successful business in today’s frantically paced world keeps you racing to stay at the top of your game. At the same time, staying ahead of your competitors is crucial. Somehow, just when you think you have everything under control and on the right track, you see a drop in your website’s ranking in the SERPs.

Whilst this can be hugely frustrating, try and remain calm. Several factors can lead to a ranking drop. However, not panicking and ignoring the problem are two different things altogether. You must address the problem and find the cause.

Have your Google ranking dropped suddenly? In this post, you’ll learn how to identify a drop in Google rankings, how to fix a manual penalty (if you’ve been hit with one), and how to safeguard your website from future changes to Google’s algorithm.

Steps for Planning Ahead

This is a good time to remind you that forewarned is forearmed. So, regardless of your present situation, take the time to look at these strategies, and you can have a plan in place when you need it.

To get ahead of a rankings drop problem, set up tracking so you are aware of daily changes in your standings.

Doing this involves just a few steps:

1. Go to Neil Patel’s Ubersuggest tool and sign up for an account
2. Add your first project, then enter your URL
3. Choose your location
4. Add keywords you’re already ranking for, or those which you would like to rank for in the future
5. Set your tracking preference to daily and make sure mobile tracking is on

The tool will send you emails about changes in your Google rankings.

Why Must I Look for Daily Changes?

According to Google, it makes about 3,200 algorithm changes a year. So, each day the search engine giant makes roughly eight changes. Those are a lot of changes to monitor.

If you miss a few updates, it could spell disaster. Once your tracking system is in place, you will be better prepared to deal with drops in your standing on the search engine results pages.

What Should I Do if I See My Rankings Have Dropped?

It is easy to feel as if the sky is falling when you see your Google rankings tumble. Remember, rankings will drop off from time to time. It does not signal a disaster every time this happens.

If your rankings fall, a good place to begin an investigation is with the report of increases and decreases for your website. You will want to discover if you have a few fluctuations in your rankings, which is a typical occurrence, or more. If you have a collective ranking free fall, it is the sign of a penalty, and you have a more significant issue on your hands.

Could a Penalty Cause My Rankings to Drop?

If your website experienced a significant drop across the board, you might have been penalised by Google. Penalties from Google typically fall into one of two categories with different causes and responses. These are Manual Penalties and Algorithmic Penalties.

Manual Penalties

What is a Manual Penalty?

As the name implies, this is an offence not triggered by an algorithm abnormality. Teams of Google’s employees investigate sites for non-compliance to Google’s Webmaster’s Guidelines. A site generally has been flagged by the algorithm for an offence, and then an investigation begins.

Remember, manual penalties can come with steep sanctions. For example, if your site commits a severe violation, Google’s manual penalty may erase all organic occurrences of your website from its SERPs. Simply put, your site will not rank anywhere for any keyword on Google’s results page.

If your website experiences a manual penalty, you will have no doubts about it. Google will send a notification. You can find these in your Search Console under the tab Security and Manual Actions.

What Should I Do if I Receive a Manual Google Penalty?

The tiny silver lining that comes with a manual penalty from Google is that the search engine will send you a notification that includes your offence, potential solutions, and the option to request a review of your site once you fix the problem.

The steps to take after you receive a manual penalty are:

• Look over any recent changes, content, or new business affiliates that may impact your website
• Set about responding to Google’s suggestions and change the offending content on your website
• Request a review of your website

What are the Top Six Typical Manual Penalties from Google?

Because Google manual penalties usually go to sites that are blatantly disregarding Google’s guidelines, the majority of businesses (who run quality websites) will never see one. However, knowing what Google targets for these penalties can be helpful.

1. Problems Due to Hacking – If your site is a victim of hacking, Google will take steps to protect potential users from exposure.
2. Cloaked Images – Hiding images behind other content will earn you a penalty
3. Expired Information – The set-it and forget-it mentality are common in the digital marketplace. However, Google will issue a penalty if you have expired information on your web page. Regularly look for posts that contain content like job listings the ended six months ago and remove them.
4. Underhanded Redirects -These are not the simple 301 redirect errors. These redirects purposely take users to a site they had no intention of visiting. A word to the wise, this activity is malicious and taken seriously.
5. Questionable Link Practices – The correct building of links will give your website a boost in standing. However, engaging in link spamming, link circles, and buying links will get you Google penalties.
6. Keyword Stuffing – Once a typical practice, keyword stuffing is a quick way to earn a manual penalty from Google.

Recovery from a manual penalty is possible. Make sure you carefully address the issues Google mentions in your notification and then request a review. Some problems are easier to fix than others. If you are struggling, reach out to me and I’ll be happy to assist.

Algorithm Change Penalties

What Are Algorithm Change Penalties?

Also known as automatic penalties, the algorithm penalties come from a change in Google’s programming. These penalties require more investigating than manual penalties because no notifications accompany your rankings drop.

How Do I Recognise an Algorithm Change Penalty?

There are some indications that point to rankings drops from a Google algorithm update. These include:

• Your website no longer ranks for your brand name
• PageRank (PR) for your site slips to one or zero
• If you previously had page one rankings, they have dropped several pages
• Your Google listing is for a page on your site that is not your homepage
• You find nothing when you run a search for your site
• Your website is no longer a part of Google’s cached search results

Why Are the Changes So Sudden?

Google’s main goal is to provide the best possible experience for its users. This means they are constantly in the process of tweaking and revamping strategies to ensure the best websites get top placement on their search results pages.

As stated, Google tells us they run approximately 3,200 changes to their algorithms every year. These all have the potential to impact rankings, although some are more earthshaking than others.

Tip: To keep up with changes, check out Moz’s list of Google’s algorithm changes.

While this policy is great for searchers, it can prove to be extremely challenging for the businesses who live and die by their location on the SERPs.

You are likely familiar with the Penguin, Panda, and Medic Google updates. These changes caused widespread upheaval across the digital marketplace. Once SEO experts figured out the goals of each update, sites could reestablish themselves. The same is proving to be true for Google’s recent Page Experience Algorithm Update.

What is the Focus of Google’s Latest Algorithm Update?

With its 2021 Page Experience Algorithm Update, Google turned its focus on the quality of users’ experiences on websites. It is worth noting that other crucial SEO factors such as backlinks, valuable content, and authority are still a part of the search engine’s criteria for high Google rankings.

What Areas Does the Page Experience Update Address?

Google’s update looks at Core Web Vitals. These are metrics that allow the search engine to determine if a site offers its users a good experience. These metrics are:

• Loading Performance – This metric measures how long a website takes to load its largest piece of content. If you have ever spent time watching a spinning circle on a half-loaded page, then you know why page loading speed is a vital component of a positive user experience
• Interactivity – The amount of time it takes for a web page to load its First Input Display (FID) is what this metric calculates. The FID is the website’s first impression to the user
• Visual Stability – As the name implies, Google wants to find out if a page is freezing, glitching, or having other visual issues that would negatively impact users’ enjoyment

Four Additional Factors Google’s Page Experience Update Monitors

Many websites already have these features running well. However, to avoid any potential issues with penalties, take a moment to check the following:

1. Is your site secure (HTTPS)?
2. Is your site mobile-friendly?
3. Is your site safe?
4. Does your site have any interstitials (e.g. popups) that slow browsing?

What Should I Do if My Rankings Fell Because of the Page Experience Update?

If your rankings plummeted after the newest update, all is not lost. However, addressing the problem is essential to regain your standings and your traffic and conversions.

Fortunately, many free tools can help you figure out why your website has tumbled on the SERPs. By conducting a thorough investigation of all factors that are a part of the Page Experience Update, you can discover what changes you need to improve your standing.

If you would like to learn more about how I can help you, please feel free to contact me for assistance.

While online retail sales have shown significant growth in recent years, online merchandise sales in 2020 saw a significant increase partly because of the COVID-19 changes. It is worth mentioning that some would say the growth of online sales in 2020 would have happened regardless of the pandemic. While this is likely true, the health crisis pushed sales farther than what would have happened without the upheaval from the Coronavirus.

While the world still struggles with COVID-19, many areas are beginning to return to the way things were before the pandemic. The attempt at normalcy begs the question, what happens to the trend towards eCommerce once the health crisis has passed?

If you are a retail business owner who has not joined the virtual marketplace, now is the time to get on board. In this post, you’ll learn why you should open an online store, how to do so, and tips to ensure the success of your new eCommerce website.

Seven Reasons to Add an Online Store

Because it is always a good idea to look before you leap, here are seven reasons why you should consider adding an online store to your brick-and-mortar operation:

1. Increase the Number of Customers You Reach – Whether you have one or 100 brick-and-mortar locations, you can only sell to the customers who are willing to trek to your storefront. Such physical barriers evaporate in the face of online retail. Your goods and services are available to the world.
2. An Economical Way to Expand Your Business – The costs involved in adding another physical location to your business can be astronomical. Even if money is no object, do you want that much capital tied up? You can launch an online store easily with the help of a good eCommerce platform.
3. Your Business Is Always Open – Even if you wanted to keep your brick-and-mortar company open 24/7, there is a strong possibility that you would be wasting resources for little return. However, your online retail store can serve your customers any time of day or night.
4. More Chances to Engage With Your Customers – When you have a business in the virtual marketplace, you increase the number of touchpoints. This gives you more opportunities to interact with your customers and build better relationships.
5. Improve Awareness of Your Brand – Running a small business does not mean you cannot have a vast number of customers. As your company’s online presence expands, so will your opportunity to grow your customer base.
6. Enhance Customer Satisfaction – At the end of the day, you want every customer to have a positive experience when they interact with your brand. Having an online shopping option can help ensure this happens. If a customer visits your brick-and-mortar location and loves an item that is the wrong size, you direct them to your online site where they can order the merchandise. Instead of sending away a disappointed customer, you can meet their needs and give them a positive experience.
7. Flexibility – Online retailers have the advantage of the flexibility that comes from using several channels to reach customers. In addition to flexibility, this approach, called omnichannel commerce, gives customers an excellent experience. The seamless design of omnichannel means that the complete transaction flows smoothly at all points of contact. For example, your customer notices a television advertisement for a product then sees the item in a physical storefront. Next, they research the product on their laptop at lunch then finalise the transaction by purchasing the item from a mobile device after dinner. Each step lends itself to the step that follows, and your customer has no difficulties picking up where they left off as they move from channel to channel.

Telling Statistics About Online Retail

Three statistics showing the growth of online shopping, on a global scale.

• 2.14 billion people will make online purchases in 2021. That number is up from 2016 when 1.66 billion people worldwide purchased goods or services online.
• E-Commerce growth worldwide between 2021 and 2025 will be close to 20%
• By 2024, online purchases will account for 21.8% of all retail sales worldwide
• Worldwide online sales of 4.2 trillion US dollars in 2020

What is a Brick-and-Click Business, and is it Right for Me?

The term brick-and-click (along with other similar names like clicks-and mortar or clicks and bricks) refers to a business operating an online store as well as a brick-and-mortar storefront.

Generally speaking, the majority of companies can do well when they add an online shopping site to their brick-and-mortar business. There are a few circumstances that could make the addition of eCommerce challenging. These include companies who:

• Deal in unique and complex to describe products or services
• Have especially perishable goods
• Offer items that are difficult or expensive to ship

How Do I Add an Online Store to My Company?

Adding an online store requires several steps. Before you begin your transition, here are a few points to consider.

Learn Who Your Customers Are – It is easy to dismiss this point by telling yourself that you already know your customers. However, spending time looking at analytics will show you where your sales come from now.

Discover What Your Customers Want – Even though understanding the products your customers need is essential, look at other areas such as preferred payment, delivery options, and ease of access. Shoppers are still concerned with safety, but the desire for convenience is growing. A study by Incisiv shows that

• 80% of consumers expect to increase the use of contactless pick-up
• 90% of shoppers would like on-demand delivery
• 86% of consumers plan on continuing their online shopping habits after the lifting of all pandemic restrictions

Consider Altering Parts of Your Business to Facilitate Your Online Demands – Depending on your niche; these changes could include

• Reworking physical space to make customer pick-up or deliveries easier to manage
• Offering incentives for trying your online site
• Increasing your online visibility and your perceived value by offering instructional videos or other helpful information to customers

Steps to Take Moving Forward

Having decided to add an online retail option to your company and align your customers’ needs with your offerings, you are ready to do the actual work of building your online store.

1. Set-Up Your Online Store

Many business owners believe this step is especially daunting. At one time, that was the case. However, entering the eCommerce world is less stressful, thanks to the variety of eCommerce platforms available. Many platforms are user friendly, have available assistance, and allow you to create a brilliant online shopping experience for your customers. Once you are up and running, remember to listen to feedback and tweak your site as needed.

2. Fulfilment and Shipping

If you have only run a brick-and-mortar establishment, filling and shipping orders may be a bit of a challenge at first. You must choose whether you will package and ship products yourself or work with an outside company specialising in fulfilling and shipping for third parties. You will spend less if you do these tasks in-house. However, you may discover that you are not saving much once you factor in the costs of doing it yourself.

3. Marketing

Digital marketing may be a fairly new arena for you if you have recently transitioned to an online enterprise. Building web traffic and converting visits into sales can be challenging.

A high ranking on Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) is essential. Additionally, be sure to make the most of all customer or visitor interactions by creating leads. For many retailers new to the eCommerce world, social media marketing can significantly impact without substantial fees. If you need guidance, turning to a professional with digital marketing experience is often a life-saver.

4. Offer Excellent Customer Service

For many brick-and-mortar retailers, the customer service aspect of their transition to brick-and-click is challenging. While the skills you and your staff need are the same, you now have different angles to consider.

Logistics questions are common and need addressing. Additionally, your staff will need to field payment questions, product descriptions, and troubleshooting requests.

You will need to choose the points of contact between you and your customers. The phone will likely continue to be a point of contact. Other popular choices for points of contact include live chat, email, and text messaging.

It’s Time to Go Online

As you can see, adding online retail to your brick-and-mortar business creates exciting opportunities to expand your company and increase your profits. Setting up a brick-and-click operation is something you may want to try on your own.

However, if constraints such as time or technical experience hold you back, you may want to consider partnering with an expert who can do the heavy lifting for you. With 12+ successful years of experience in the digital marketing world, I can help you find success with your online retail store. Feel free to contact me to learn more about how I can help you.

Recently, the search engine giant announced its latest plan for analytics: Google Analytics 4 (or GA4 for short). Before any unnecessary panic ensues, GA4 will run parallel to Google’s Universal Analytics for the foreseeable future. However, becoming familiar with GA4 now will save you and your employees some effort later.

In this post, you’ll learn what Google Analytics 4 is, the differences between it and Universal Analytics, and the benefits of making the switch to the new platform.

What is Google Analytics 4?

In its announcement of the new platform, Google described the GA4 as a privacy-centric platform that offers business owners and marketing experts valuable insights into customers across various platforms and devices. Additionally, at the core of the GA4, you will find advanced machine learning that will give users enhanced insights.

GA4 has several key changes from the Universal Analytics platform that will bring the opportunity for a deeper understanding of your customers and their behaviours.

How Does Google Analytics 4 Differ From Universal Analytics?

It is necessary to reinforce the point that GA4 and Universal Analytics are distinct entities. As such, there are numerous differences users will see as they interact with GA4.

1. The User Interface

Straightaway, users will see a change from what they have been accustomed to when using GA4 instead of Universal Analytics.

• Universal Analytics displayed data in three tiers (account, property, and view) GA4 shows two (account and property)
• Default reports between the two platforms are different

2. Different Data Models

Universal Analytics has several hit types. These include:

• Page view
• Event
• Social
• Transaction/e-commerce
• User timing
• Exception
• App/screen view

In contrast, the GA4 counts every hit as an event and makes no difference between the various interactions.

3. Events

Universal Analytics events are measurable interactions between a user and your site. These exchanges include:

• Downloads
• Link clicks
• Video plays
• Form submissions

Google Analytics 4 Events land in one of four distinct categories:

• Automatically collected events
• Enhanced measurement events

These do not need additional code added to the web page or app:

• Recommended events
• Custom events

4. Machine Learning Enhances Insights

To be fair, GA4 and Universal Analytics arrived at different points on the technology timeline. This makes a direct comparison sketchy at best. However, here are some details regarding GA4 and its machine learning. There are two crucial components of GA4 machine learning.

Automated Insights – With a click on the Insights icon, GA4 will offer you some insights that it pulled for your use. It chooses what to draw based on areas where data show noticeable changes either for the better or, the worse. This means you will always have information on hand when shifts occur.

Predictive Metrics – You can access this information under the Analysis tab. Google has numerous predictive metrics on tap for the future. At this time, the two metrics with available data are:

• Predicted churn
• Predicted conversions

5. Report Organisation

Google Analytics 4 features a fully overhauled structure for report organisation. According to Russell Ketchum, Group Product Manager, Google Analytics, reports now revolve around the customer lifecycle.

By focusing on the lifecycle, GA4 targets specific aspects of the customer’s time spent on a website. The information will give business owners and marketing specialists a fresh understanding of their actions and the most impactful techniques.

Benefits of Google Analytics 4

The GA4 platform will require some adjustment from business owners and marketers. However, the changes bring several benefits that are worth the effort needed to adapt. These benefits include:

• The power of machine learning
• The ability to enhance customer privacy
• Improved tracking
• User-centric data
• Unified data from across mobile devices and home computers
• A simplified data model to give better insights
• Opportunities for enhanced customisation

Reasons to Adopt Google Analytics 4

One of the most important reasons to use GA4 is the fact that, according to experts, it is the future of digital analytics. Presently, it is the default platform when a business creates a new Google Analytics property.

Additional motivations for adopting GA4 include:

• It’s forward-facing – Users will not have the option to import data from past Universal Analytics. Switching is the best way to collect the most data possible.
• There’s options to make custom reports – Google recommends that users of GA4 create their reports. This helps your focus and also removes the clutter of unneeded pre-programmed reports
• It provides the most relevant data – From several data streams and creates a single property.
• It’s relatively future-proof – With the promise of many more useful features.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why Do I Need to Transition to Google Analytics 4?

By starting with GA4 sooner rather than later, you will collect a more extensive data set before Universal Analytics is no longer available. Additionally, you can access and implement the latest measurement tools and acclimate to the system before your competition.

When Will Google Eliminate Universal Analytics?

The search engine giant does not offer a time frame regarding sunsetting Universal Analytics. Although, there are indications that point to Universal Analytics staying for a significant amount of time. Google expressed the desire for users to have plenty of time to set up GA4 as well as the opportunity to collect one or two years’ worth of historical data.

What Is the Best Way to Transition to Ga4 From Universal Analytics?

At this time, Google recommends that businesses using Universal Analytics create a new analytics property and use a system of dual tagging to run GA4 and Universal Analytics at the same time.

Adopting the strategy of parallel use will offer time to gather historical data as well as troubleshoot problems and adapt to the new platform. Ultimately, GA4 will become the default, and a transition will occur. Companies would be wise to use this time to run both Universal Analytics and Google Analytics 4 in tandem whilst preparing for the future.

Google Analytics 4 comes with a significant number of benefits for your business. However, there is a learning curve. If you want to harness the power of GA4 without investing your time, consider working with an experienced professional who will make sure your company reaps the benefits of Google Analytics 4.

Contact me for more information about my digital marketing services.

In this post, you’ll learn the advantages and disadvantages of WooCommerce, Shopify and Squarespace, so you can pick the best option for your e-commerce business.

What is an E-Commerce platform?

An e-commerce platform is software that you use to create an online shop or storefront where you sell your goods or services.

Benefits of Using a Top E-commerce Platform

The benefits of using popular e-commerce platforms such as WooCommerce, Shopify and Squarespace include:

• You can easily categorise products based on brand, type and other attributes
• Ability to provide a faster, more convenient buying process for your customers
• It’s a cost-effective form of advertising (compared to building an e-commerce store from scratch)
• Built-in SEO features, which will lead to higher Google rankings
• Access to a range of automated marketing features
• Ability to accept secure payments via a range of different payment processors
• Your store is open 24/7
• Your reach is virtually unlimited
• You can scale quickly

And many more!

Key Considerations

Before selecting the platform that best fits your needs, make sure it satisfies the following requirements:

1. Personalised – Customers want an online shopping experience that is distinct from every other web interaction. Adding your own branding, images, copy, and other marketing material will help your website stand out from the crowd.
2. Flexibility – With the world of online retail moving at such a fast speed, it’s vital that you can change prices and promotions easily.
3. Payment options – Customers prefer the ability to choose between their favourite payment method. Make sure the e-commerce platform can be integrated with Visa, Mastercard, PayPal, Afterpay, Zip Pay and other popular options.
4. Shipping options – Do you want to offer express or international shipping? Do your products vary greatly in size? The ability to offer different shipping options is paramount to the success of your business.
5. Scalability – Many industry experts feel that scalability is the most critical element to consider when looking at e-commerce platforms. If your website crashes at times of high demand, it’s time to look elsewhere.
6. Usability – A significant problem that still plagues some online businesses is optimisation for mobile devices. When you consider that more than half of searches occur on a mobile device, it’s paramount that your website offers a great user experience on phones and tablets.

Which Platform is the Best Fit for You?

Are you comparing WooCommerce vs Shopify vs Squarespace? Here are the benefits, shortcomings and costs of each platform.

WooCommerce

A detail that gives WooCommerce an immediate edge over its competitors is the fact that it comes to you from the makers of WordPress. When you consider the fact that WordPress powers more than 30% of all websites (making it the most popular content management system globally), you can have confidence that the people behind WooCommerce are professionals of the highest level.

WooCommerce is a free plugin that can transform your website into an e-commerce store quickly. Its popularity speaks for itself. In the United States, WooCommerce runs 55% of e-commerce sites.

Advantages

Because WooCommerce is open-source, you can make changes and adjust features from the back end. Additionally, you can easily add extensions to your site. This feature allows you to easily customise and improve your site.

Other advantages of WooCommerce include:

• Better SEO performance (I have personally found that WordPress outperforms both Shopify and Squarespace)
• It is open source and self-hosting, making it 100% customisable
• Most customisations can be done via free or paid plugins
• Numerous connections to accounting systems, POS systems, warehouse management systems, and payment gateways
• Offers more than 400 extensions
• Excellent support
• Robust documentation
• A huge international WooCommerce community that you can interact with to solve issues and build better websites

Disadvantages

WooCommerce takes longer to set up and requires the use of a professional web developer.

Other disadvantages include:

• WooCommerce and WordPress are open source and self-hosted. Therefore, you have to keep the server, WordPress core and plugins up to date. An expert should be involved, because updating WooCommerce and WordPress plugins require significant testing
• Template customisation requires technical capabilities
• When there are a lot of categories and products on a website, performance (i.e speed) can suffer

Costs

Technically, WooCommerce is free because it is a plugin. However, using the platform still requires payment for certain functions.

These include:

• Purchasing a website hosting plan from a 3rd party
• Registering a domain from a 3rd party
• Some payment gateway providers
• Some plugins and additional features

Shopify

Billed as an e-commerce platform that allows you to start, grow and manage your business, Shopify has a number of good features that make it the choice of around 800,000 companies worldwide.

Advantages

Shopify is a popular choice for small to medium sized businesses due to its ease-of-use and ability to scale.

Other advantages include:

• Mobile friendly
• Ability to easily connect to 3rd party platforms and sell your products on social media
• Over 70 professional themes
• Solid customer service help centre
• The option to hire help to assist with building your site
• Cloud-based
• A large number of extensions, themes and payment processors (less than WooCommerce, however)
• World-class site performance
• In-built marketing tools to boost sales

Disadvantages

Shopify is difficult to use to fully market your company, as it is solely an e-commerce platform.

Other disadvantages include:

• Harder to customise and integrate with other systems
• Can be expensive when scaling up or adding new features
• SEO performance is good, but WooCommerce outperforms it

Costs

You can choose from three pricing plans when you sign on with Shopify:

1. Basic Shopify – This plan is best for new e-commerce companies
2. Shopify – This plan is best if you have a growing business with a single retail store
3. Advanced Shopify – This plan is best for growing businesses with two or more retail locations

Squarespace

Beginning as a website builder, Squarespace grabbed a great deal of attention when it expanded into the ecommerce world.

A significant portion of this platform focuses on design, which offers an edge to those who embrace artistry as a part of their e-commerce store. Companies using Squarespace can work with excellent templates made to display their goods uniquely.

Advantages

Squarespace is great for small businesses that require an easy plug-and-play ecommerce platform.

Other advantages include:

• Ability to easily connect a payment processor
• In-built website analytics
• Easy merchandise organisation with the drag and drop sorting tool
• Form blocks to help make forms easily
• Flexible product variants to simplify inventory
• Good support options for customers
• Hosting, security and updates are included

Disadvantages

Squarespace is primarily targeted towards smaller e-commerce retailers. As such, it is less customisable than WooCommerce or Shopify.

Other disadvantages include:

• Limited scope to grow your business (due to less features)
• It is not easy to make customisations
• Low page speed and Core Web Vitals scores
• Transaction fees

Costs

The Squarespace e-commerce platform offers business users three plans:

1. Business
2. Basic Commerce
3. Advanced Commerce

Each plan offers additional specific features as the price increases. Additionally, Squarespace charges a 3% transaction fee. While small, these fees add up fast for a growing and thriving business.

Need Help Choosing?

If you are unsure which platform to choose, don’t worry. Feel free to reach out and I’ll happily answer any queries you may have.

Content marketing is a prime example of an approach frequently used in the online marketplace that remains highly effective. Even after many years, content marketing is an essential part of SEO and e-commerce because it offers customers real, useful information.

In this post, you’ll learn what content marketing is, what the latest 2021 trends are, and how to develop an effective content marketing strategy for your online business.

What is Content Marketing?

Content marketing is a way to reach customers and grow brand loyalty by giving customers something of value. Generally, this refers to information, guidance, or entertainment. It is important to distinguish that you are not trying to sell the customer on a product or service. You are offering something useful that likely correlates with your product.

What Are Some Examples of Content Marketing?

To better understand what content marketing is, and how it can help your business, let’s take a look at some examples of it being utilised by other companies.

Example One

United Kingdom grocer and retailer, Sainsbury’s, launched a magazine devoted to cooking. Articles featured recipes, entertaining tips, décor suggestions, and more of what anyone would expect in a cooking publication. Not only did the company get three-million paid subscribers to the magazine, but eight out of ten subscribers purchase products featured in the magazine’s articles.

Sainsbury’s created a way to give customers interested in cooking useful and entertaining information. At the same time, the company featured its products as a part of the information. It is vital to note that no hard-sell advertising took place. Consumers saw the usefulness of products as they enjoyed relevant information. It is also worth mentioning that Sainsbury’s reach extends to online videos, newsletters, digital offerings, and more.

Example Two

Johnson and Johnson is a well known name in baby care products. The company expanded its reach exponentially when it launched the website BabyCenter. The website is a treasure trove of information, hints, and advice that can help guide a mother from pregnancy, birth, and infancy through toddlerhood and beyond. BabyCenter offers access to a thriving online community and more.

When a company with generations of experience in baby and child care builds a site offering support, expertise, and assistance, expectant mums, parents, and those hoping to become parents will come; they will also buy featured products and share the site with others.

Example Three

The Corner Cup Coffeehouse is a small, locally-owned café. To improve name recognition and increase sales, the owner began inviting local performers to play for customers on weekend evenings. Additionally, the shop offers craft nights where a nominal fee gets patrons materials for the night’s craft and a free beverage. Typically, one free drink turns into a food and dessert order and more beverage purchases.

In a small town with a competitive market, The Corner Cup Coffeehouse created a strong, loyal customer base by using creative content marketing. Their customers enjoyed themselves and readily spread the word. The base they built was solid enough to make The Corner Cup one of a tiny percentage of locally owned businesses in its area to survive the pandemic.

How Big of an Impact Does Content Marketing Make?

The old saying ‘numbers don’t lie’ shines through in these statistics:

• The average conversion rate for businesses that use content marketing is six-times higher than the conversion rate of the companies that do not
• Content marketing methods cost roughly 62% less than outbound tactics yet generate three times more leads
• 91% of the top business bloggers publish content at least once a week
• 24% of marketers plan to increase their spending on B2B and B2C
• Ad blockers are on roughly 40% of personal devices. Content is not an ad, so it bypasses the blockers
• 70% of consumers would rather learn about a product in an article than from an advertisement
• 60% of marketers call content marketing an important or extremely important part of their strategy

What Must I Do to Be Successful in Content Marketing?

There are numerous ways to build your strategy. As with most facets of business, there is no magic formula. However, you will find that the following six tips work best in combination.

1. Position Yourself (and Your Company) as a Definitive Source of Information

Achieving this is not as difficult as it may sound.

• Start With the Right Topic – If you sell gardening supplies, it won’t be easy to prove yourself as an expert in dog grooming.  The fastest ways to find a topic are:
  •Build on existing research- For example, tending succulents is a popular topic and has been since mid-2020
  •Put yourself in the forefront of emerging topics- Sustainability is a big buzz word. Look for recent information on sustainability and gardening to compile a report
• Ensure Your Data and Findings Are Entirely Valid – Avoid the temptation to manipulate your results to make a particular point. When your actions come to light (and always will), you will lose credibility as a source and damage your reputation. Offer your raw data for others’ inspection. The SEO marketing site Backlinko posts its research information on GitHub and publishes their research methods and results
• Create Visuals to Post With Your Findings – Graphic depiction of your data helps readers gain a quick understanding of what you are explaining. For instance, if your research shows that plant variety A produces 30% larger cucumbers than B, use a simple graph to illustrate this information for your reader. Journalists and bloggers who cite your research can also embed your graph and create more traffic for your site.

2. Create More Quality Videos

We have a vast body of evidence to confirm that video is the future of content marketing. Studies tell us that 72% of consumers would prefer getting their information from a video than reading an article.

Nearly anyone with a smartphone can make a video of themselves and post it. However, this will not produce a quality video.

To create a video that will get and hold consumers’ attention, follow these tips:

• Make a Top-notch Intro – For a number of years, YouTube alerted video makers that the first 15 seconds of a video are the key to getting and keeping viewers’ interest. You can achieve this by getting right to your topic. A long explanation about why your video matters or a flashy animated introduction will not hold interest for long.
• For Maximum Exposure, Make YouTube Your Focus – The fastest option to get the most views for your video is to post on YouTube. As the second most popular website in the world, YouTube is where your video will get views. An additional benefit is that your videos on YouTube are accessible just about forever. This point alone gives YouTube an edge over Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other prominent social media sites.

• Optimise to be a Suggested Video – The YouTube Suggested Video sidebar (to the right of the main viewing screen) is where the majority of views originate. Even though the YouTube search is a helpful way for your video to land on someone’s main screen, viewers tend to click on the sidebar to select the next video. The reason for this is simple; generally, the Suggested Video content lines up with the topic of the video that is playing. One of the easiest ways to help get your video on the suggested list is by optimising your video around well-ranking keywords.

• Do Not Wing-it Use a Script – It is common knowledge that the most experienced speakers rely on a script to keep them focused and on topic. Create a plan for what you will say and work from there. Make sure you practise out loud several times so you can have a natural pace and voice inflection. Even great information cannot save a video that has content read by a monotone speaker.

3. Create Content About Topics That Are Just Beginning to Emerge

The concept is simple and makes perfect sense. People will focus on new and relevant information over the content they have seen repackaged dozens of times.

To learn what topics are close to trending, you can visit a website called Exploding Topics. Once there, you can search to find subjects labelled ‘exploding’ and subject matter that is no longer hot.

Your next step is to build relevant and informative content around the subject you choose.

4. Make Your Content Epic

Getting your content noticed in the vast expanse of the internet is a daunting task. This is especially when you stop to consider the fact that more content is being posted now than at any point in the past.

The answer to the problem is to create epic content. Making content that is impressive and in-depth means devoting your self and your staff to the task. There is simply no such thing as quick epic content.

Tips to keep in mind when creating epic content:

• Quality is always better than quantity
• Put professional effort into your design after writing top-notch content
• Consider teaming up with Domain Experts to give your content depth from a first-hand experience

5. Revisit Your Email

Years of unbridled spamming appeared to push email out of the picture for content marketing. However, with a new approach, your email list is relevant once again.

Making your emails something customers eagerly anticipate is not an impossibility, but it does take some time and effort. These actionable tips can help you see the value in email.

• Shift your format to encourage visitors to share their email – If your home page resembles a blog, you are due for an upgrade. Create more of a newsletter format and offer something useful in exchange for an email address. Links to eBooks, discounted shipping, or free helpful tips are all possibilities that get good results.
• Send concise emails – Your email needs to be dynamic and to the point, if you want customers to invest their time in reading it. With that in mind, arrange your material in small skimmable sections. Your customers can give your material a once over and focus on what matters to them.
• Exclusive content – Create and offer content specifically for your email subscribers. Consumers appreciate the acknowledgement of their loyalty.

For example, when you subscribe to my email list you will receive my top tips to stay on top of your SEO game and drive qualified customers to your business.

6. Work With Your Team

To allow yourself to implement the strategies that will help your content marketing reach the next level, you must have a well-directed team surrounding you. Here are two vital tips to help:

• Do not try to DIY – Easing their grip on elements of their company is difficult for some business owners. However, to succeed and grow in the long term, you cannot burn yourself out today. Create a content team with as much detail as you need to feel comfortable and then trust the professionals you hired to do their jobs.
• Provide tools for success – Your content team need direct ways to communicate and to be able to meet your expectations. Calendars, charts, and other documents can help give order to your team and keep everyone on the same page.

What Are the Top Trends in Content Marketing in 2021?

To succeed at content marketing in 2021, you need to watch for trends and adapt to them, while producing relevant and engaging content to share. While there will always be the next big thing, here are five current trends and strategies.

1. Not Just Video, Live Streaming

Considering the fact that approximately 82% of online traffic is video, its place in the future (as well as the present) of content marketing is secure.

However, while recorded video is still a popular and efficient medium to get your content to the public, studies show that consumers prefer live stream video.

Statistics on live stream video popularity include:

• A study by Search Engine Journal showed that their Facebook Live posts engagement rate were 178% higher than their regular posts.
• Live videos on LinkedIn get seven times more reactions and 24 times more comments than recorded video made by the same producers
• Facebook says their users watch live videos three times longer than recorded video
  Search Engine Journal experienced a 213% increase in referrals from live videos over two months
• The most popular kind of video (both recorded and live) is brand storytelling

If live video is not an option for you, move forward with the best quality recorded video possible. However, if you can manage live-streamed video, you should use it to your advantage.

2. Longer Blog Posts Are Popular

The typical number of words on homepages and blog posts is steadily increasing. The number of words jumped from 808 in 2014 to 1447 in 2020. The increase in words over time seems to contradict the quality over quantity argument. However, it shows that readers will spend extra time reading blog posts that are longer if the posts are also meaningful and useful.

3. Ultra-Personalised Content

The days of creating large quantities of generic content are far behind us. The tools used to gather information about customers are also useful to content marketers looking to direct material to a narrow audience of thousands or even hundreds.

4. Measuring Social Media Metrics

There was a time when marketers would post on a social media platform and simply check their likes, favourites, and clicks. These vanity metrics, as they are known, provide little useful data. In order for you to get your money’s worth out of your social media marketing, be sure to look for metrics describing:

• Conversions
• Shares across multiple channels
• Discussions and comments
• Engagement with your material

5. Ultra-Local

Just as marketers see tangible results from ultra-personal content, focusing on an ultra-local area will allow you to reap many rewards. Even though not all content can focus on a specific location, especially if your company’s reach is extensive, take the time to build local touches into your material. Special promotions in select areas or themes that centre on local sports or activities will grab customers’ attention.

A prime example of this in action is McDonald’s. Although they are a global entity, they tap into local and regional aspects of the communities they occupy. McDonald’s offers special promotions and souvenirs based on seasonally (and regionally) appropriate sports teams in the US. It is a small gesture, but it is a sign of solidarity and goodwill to loyal fans.

Customers see a local focus as an extension of personal attention. Take advantage of every opportunity to share that attention.

Five Actionable Tips You Can Start Using Today:

1. Post on Twitter Threads to get a high engagement rate
2. Personalise your outreach for a large response
3. Gear your content for social shares OR links because there is little to no connection between the two in a practically applied setting
4. Post on your LinkedIn page as organic reach on LinkedIn is rapidly growing
5. Consider forming a partnership and create unique content with different sets of data. A collaboration like this expands your reach and your database.

Need Help With Your Strategy?

It is easy to see how perfecting an excellent content marketing strategy can be extremely time-consuming. If you lack the time or the personnel to stay on top of your marketing, consider partnering with an experienced professional who has a successful track record.

I offer SEO and other digital marketing services for a select number of clients. Contact me for more information.