Everything You Need to Know About Search Engines

Understanding Search Engines

These are scripts or programs widely used on the Internet aiming at supporting users find exactly what they are looking for simplicity. This is done through typing in a specific keyword, phrase or question within the query box of a search engine.

Functioning of a Search Engine

The Search engine uses automated software applications that scan websites for the information requested within a search query. Some of the common examples of these applications include spiders, robots, or bots. Each search engine makes use of its own complex mathematical formula for displaying results. It is also referred to as an 'algorithm'.

Google is one of the leading search engines that provide a unique formula which has emerged as the standard for all other search engines. Hence, most business owners strive hard to base their SEO from those standards.

The algorithm of search engine makes use of key elements of the page to display results. The following listed are some of these key elements used:

- Page title
- Keyword density
- Content

Search engines cannot see images, design aspects or even any of the visual factors on a website. Hence, the text has always been considered the King for successful ranking. No wonder the following are always the matter of discussion when web pages get optimized for search engines:

- Image ALT tags
- Meta tags
- Descriptions
- Various other areas of content within a page

A search engine browses through several millions or even billions of websites to help bring the most relevant to the top of search engine result pages (SERP’s). Spider or crawler used by search engine visits each page and then indexes it within the database.

This process involves:

- Recording links within a page/content
- Assessment of density of keywords
- Stripping out stop words
- Removing information on the page (images and media)

All information gathered is used to locate the page quickly as per the relevance within a search and rank the page for suggesting where it will display in the SERP’s.

Understanding SEO

An acronym for search engine optimization, SEO is the practice of increasing the quantity and the quality of the traffic earned from a website through organic search engine results.

Traffic quantity and quality are some of the most crucial aspects of SEO quantity of traffic. Organic traffic is known to be the best type as it’s free and makes you enjoy the benefits of increased revenues via following the SEO guidelines of a search engine.

Google Penalty – What is It?

A Google penalty negatively impacts your website’s rankings, and in some cases it can delete your page from the searches entirely. Google’s standards are high, and they require yours to be as well if you want to get in the top SERP’s, but if you use shady strategies or practices, it can not only impact your rankings, it can destroy them.

Since the year 2000, Google has been busy upgrading its algorithms. It all started with a toolbar extension. None of the business owners knew the importance about ranking on search engines. All of a sudden everyone struggled to get to the top. Google's tweaking of algorithms made visitors being provided with the top, most relevant search results. This is how penalties came into play.

Penguin update surfaced in the year 2012. This created an impact on 1 out of 10 search results. A huge number of websites were erased from the massive index of Google. Shockingly, these became almost non-existent to millions of people. The main aim was to push low quality websites off the map. These were also eradicated completely from the searches. Thankfully, the ritual of using keywords overly to gain attention went extinct. This gave birth to brand new age of quality content.

There are a number of websites that get hit with penalties. With more updates rolling out on a consistent basis in the near future, the trend will certainly continue until everyone adopts the trend and follow guidelines of search engine giant.

It is crucial to read and understand the latest 'Google Webmaster Guidelines' to stay away from a Google penalty as far as possible.

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Understanding The Difference Between External and Internal Links

It is crucial to know the difference between external and internal links and use it strategically as part of your overall digital marketing plan. In fact, each type of link holds a special place in the strategic SEO plan aimed at enhancing rank of your website on the SERP (search engine results page).

What's the Difference?

External Links

- These points from one domain to a different domain.
- External links may emerge from your website to another website in order to provide additional information for readers.
- In some cases, these may be linked from your website towards an affiliate program.
- These are links from other websites into yours.

Internal Links

- These links just point within your own specific domain or website.
- The menu bar at the top of your site has internal links.
- Links from web pages on your site to your contact page are also an example of internal links.

To Sum Up

External links - These points to a separate domain.

Internal links – These points to content within the same domain.

How to Use External and Internal Links for SEO

First and foremost, both external and internal links hold a special place in an SEO strategy. Listed below are some tips on using these strategies:

External links help building visibility. Coming from other websites into your content, these serve as a great source of free traffic. The links are a crucial component of search engine algorithm of Google. For better results, it is important to concentrate on quality and the quantity of links. Fix or remove links from poor-quality sites immediately to avoid negative consequences.

Do the following to encourage links into your website:

- Add only rich, highly relevant content to your website.
- Develop an outreach program and ensure offering to guest post on various other sites in your niche in exchange for a link into your own site.
- Add link-embedded infographics with HTML code (these need to be copied and used on other sites)
- Make direct requests to webmasters for adding links.

External links help readers more than website owners as they add very little in terms of strategic SEO value. These links may connect readers to resources such as information or products. Here, the benefits of SEO benefits will accrue for the website you link to and not your own.

Internal Links

These links build your SEO and come with varied SEO benefits. Once search engine spiders locate your website, they will follow links to explore additional pages on your site. Internal links form overall website structure. A logical linking structure is attractive visually and very effective as it facilitates content organization on your website and assists visitors find requested info without any delay. Sprinkle the following throughout the website to help readers and search engines discover your content:

- Common page elements
- Concise menu bar
- Natural page links

Locate and Fix Broken Links

Broken links are dangerous for your SEO score. Links not in working condition any more are referred to as broken links. These may not work due to the target website for a specific external link being offline. Another reason is that one of the pages has moved. A broken link or two may not affect your rankings. However, multiple broken links may cause a lot of risk. Broken links result in poor reading experience and low traffic rate. So make sure you identify and fix these links to boost your website.
The best way to get rid of these problems is to locate and fix broken links via using tools such as Broken Link Checker. This is a free tool that scans your website and finds out broken links. This will help you to visit each page, find the link and then remove it.

Links – Just the Start

According to SEO experts, the calculation of website's position on SERP (search engine page results) by Google and all other major search engines is based on consideration of 100 and 200 elements. Internal and external links are a small yet crucial part of this exercise.

It may take time to build your links and fix any that are broken, but all of your efforts will pay off in the long run by a boost in traffic and position in the SERPS. And that makes the effort worth it.

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A Guide to the Perfect SEO-Friendly URL Structure

A lot of web developers believe that there is nothing like SEO-friendly URL structure. In fact, they claim search engines can make sense of a URL and a URL structure. However, SEO experts have different opinion. There's a difference between web developers and SEO experts:

Web Developers – These experts care about speed of the website, crawlability, and various technical things.

SEO Experts – They focus on website rankings and ROI.

So what may seem to be just an average website URL structure for a web developer may be SEO-unfriendly (not abiding by rules of search engines) URL structure for an SEO expert.

Understanding SEO-friendly URL Structure

As far as SEO is concerned, URL structure of a website must be the following:

Meaningful – Names of URL names must have keywords in them. Gibbering numbers and punctuation marks should be avoided.

Straightforward – Canonical URLs must be specified in URLs with duplicate content. Confusing redirects on the site should be avoided.

With an emphasis on the right URLs: SEO-wise, not all URLs on a site are of equal importance as a rule. Some even should be concealed from the search engines. At the same time, it is important to check that the pages that ought to be accessible to the search engines are actually open for crawling and indexing.

So, here is what one can do to achieve an SEO-friendly site URL structure:

Consolidate www & non-www Domain Versions

According to a standard rule, the two domain versions indexed in the search engines, (www and the non-www) can be consolidated in many ways. Most SEOs use the 301 redirect so as to point one version of their website to the other (or vice versa). An alternative to this is to specify your preferred version in Google Webmaster Tools:

Configuration >Settings > Preferred Domain

However, this comes with certain drawbacks such as:

- Takes care of Google only
- The option is restricted to root domains only. The method will not work for those with an example.wordpress.com website.

Some of the backlinks may point to www version, while others may be going to the non-www version.
The SEO value is consolidated to ensure both versions. It is better to explicitly establish the link between the two.

Relative and Dynamic URLs – Avoid Them

As per your content management system, the URLs generated may go as:

www.example.com/topic-name

or “bad” such as:

www.example.com/?p=578544

Search engines usually have no problem with either variant. However, for certain reasons it is better to use static (prettier) URLs as compared to dynamic (uglier) ones. Static URLs contain your keywords. These are more user-friendly and one can figure out what the page is about simply by looking at the static URL’s name.

Google also recommends using hyphens (-) instead of underscores (_) in URL names. This is because Google treats a phrase in which the words are connected with underscores as a single word. For example, e.g. a_beautiful_garden.

Create an XML Sitemap

An XML Sitemap is different from HTML sitemap. XML is for the search engines and HTML is mainly designed for human users. An XML Sitemap is a list of website URLs that you submit to search engines. It serves the following two purposes:

- Facilitates search engines discover pages of the website without any difficulty.
- The Sitemap is used by search engines as a reference for choosing a canonical (preferred) URLs on your website. It is important for search engines to pick a preferred (canonical) URL when they see duplicate pages on your website.

A special algorithm is used by search engines to avoid duplicates in search results. This also helps pick a single URL to represent groups in search results. This way, other web pages get filtered out.
A major norm used by search engines to pick canonical URL for webpage group is the mention of that specific URL in the sitemap of the website.

When it comes to SEO benefits, it is recommended to include only those web pages into sitemap that you want to show up in search results.

Use Robots.txt to Close Off Irrelevant Pages

Some pages on your website should be hidden from the search engines. These may be any of the following:

- Terms and Conditions page
- Pages with sensitive information

Avoid these getting indexed as they don’t contain target keywords. These will simply dilute the semantic whole of the website. A robotx.txt file comprises of instructions for search engines dictating the pages of a website that needs to be ignored during the crawl. These pages get a 'noindex' attributes and do not show up in the search results.

In some cases, unsavvy webmasters may make use of noindex on pages it should be avoided. So, while doing SEO for a website, make sure none of the pages you should rank in search contain the 'noindex' attribute.

A Special Tag for Specifying Canonical URLs

Use canonical tag for highlighting canonical URLs on your website. The canonical tag should be applied for making it easier for search engines decide on your canonical ULR. Use redirects for site pages redirection. On the other hand, employ rel=”next” and rel=”Prev” tags for paginated content.

For instance, on any Home & Decor based website, you may visit the Table runners and mats page directly, or take different routes directly from the homepage:

Homepage > Dining > Table Runners and Mats

The following URL will be generated with your pass recorded:

http://www.abc.com/shop/dining/tablerunnersandmats?id=22748&edge=hybrid&cm_sp=us_catsplash_tablerunners-%26-dining-_-row6-_-mats-%26-tablerunners

Or

Homepage > For the Home > Dining > Table Runners and Mats.
The following URL is generated:

http://www.abc.com/shop/dining/tablematsandrunners?id=22748&edge=hybrid

All of the three URLs lead to the same content. If you have a look into the code of each page, you can see the following tag in the head element:
Screen3 (SEJ)

For each of these URLs, a canonical URL is specified. This is the cleanest version of all of the URLs in the group:

http://www.abc.com/shop/dining/qtablerunnersandmats?id=22748

This filters down SEO value each of the 3 URLs to a single URL that needs to be displayed in the search results (the canonical URL). Search engines are capable of identifying canonical URLs all by themselves.

Summary

A website with SEO-friendly URL structure is one with a structure that facilitates website rank higher in the search results. Such a website has clear, error-free architecture.

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Simple Ways to Speed Up Your Website and Increase Traffic

If you are serious about bringing in more traffic to your website, realize the power of speed. Did you know waiting longer than 10 seconds for any page to load will simply irritate them. They will click back button or leave the site.

As per a study, it is revealed that consumers won't appreciate waiting for more than 4 seconds for a website to load. Websites exceeding that time limit are ranked poor by most consumers. These also recieve less business.

According to Marissa Mayer of Google.com, the following can increase in 10% traffic rate of a website:

- Lowering the size of Google Maps by 20%

The test also revealed consumers explored other options and sections with increased loading time. Another study suggested that one-third of consumers who waited more than 8 seconds or longer for a page to load left and visited another site. This gives a clear message that speed helps you gain a bigger stronger customer base. It will also help you gain more traffic to other regions of the website.

SEO experts working for a reputed website designing company know that the attention span of any average web browsing addict is terribly short. They want to get information as quickly as possible and when a website fails to provide speedy access to the information required, they simply bid goodbye to traffic. Hence, webmasters should focus on taking these demands into consideration and boost traffic. Decreasing size of the web page and increasing load time speed is crucial to increase traffic to your site.

Listed below are some of the best ways to decrease the loading time of your website:

Apart from reducing the size of images and keeping away from Flash animations, webmasters may use many other tools for decreasing website loading time. These include the following mentioned below:

HTTP Compression

This is a brilliant way to speed up loading times through HTTP Compression. The process shortens transfer rate between a web server and a browser. HTTP Compression process of a website involves compressing information used to load the website into a smaller format. This enables browsers and servers to connect at a faster speed and speed up loading time. The web server will also take less time to communicate with the web browser. It uses less bandwidth and speeds up loading time. Almost all browsers support HTTP compression capabilities.

Websites featuring too many images or other media files may not benefit from this because these files are already compressed. This makes HTTP compression absolutely useless. It is possible to compress formats not yet compressed (HTML, CSS, and plain text) to increase loading time. Websites featuring these elements in abundance must look for HTTP compression as an easy method to speed up loading time drastically. Experts believe that it is possible to speed up loading time by as high as 80 per cent.

Gzip is the most popular method of HTTP Compression. It is a software application specifically designed to replace original compression program of Unix. This is easily accessible for all platforms. The best part is that it is free on its website. In order to implement the compression process into your website, simply configure your server to correctly use the file.

Website Caching

Those who are unable to reduce image size of images and other non-HTML widgets can go for caching. This comes as a brilliant alternative with plenty of advantages. Browser caching is a process where a website forces browsers to create temporary files of all commonly used website documents. However, this is not the only way this process can be implemented.

Caching is of two types:

- Browser side caching
- Server side caching

Webmasters and website designing company need to emphasise on server side caching methods. This will boost loading time of your website. Server side caching guarantees:

- Upgrade of web pages less frequently
- Lessening the load on the server
- Allow websites to load faster

Jpcache – This is a great example of a server side caching system. It is a caching system for PHP that generates pages less frequently from the server. Hence, it reduces server load. It also speeds up loading time by around 80 per cent. Jpcache will cache output of website pages. There will be no referencing and loading of php-page. It uses gzip that offers benefits to webmasters using HTTP Compression to save bandwidth.

Caching helps speed up the loading process dramatically for returning visitors.

Optimize HTML Setup of Your Website

This is known to be the simplest way to speed up your loading time of a website. You simply need to optimize the HTML content of your website. In order to do this, go through HTML spreadsheet and remove any duplicate content. Aim at keeping the use of HTML at minimum to help web server load less code when accessed.

Note: HTML spreadsheet is the file where HTML is inserted to create your website. It has a .html extension.

Unnecessary Use of Font and Design Related Tags

This is another important area to take care of. Use of HTML for modifying website appearance is a waste of time. It simply adds too much code. Similar effects are created by using CSS (different from HTML). It makes a direct impact on the look of a website such as the font, display links, with a single code instead of several.

Javascript Files

It is wise to insert Javascript files into separate files. Simply stop inserting actual Javascript code into your HTML spreadsheet. It decreases the speed of your website loads drastically due to the amount of code used. Remember that you don't need to use the same code on every page. This can be eliminated. Save it in a different file. Thereafter, reference that file when compiling HTML spreadsheet.

Saving Images

Change the way you save images. Image size is not considered by most webmasters while designing a website. However, images may take up over half of actual website size. You can decrease the size by decreasing the colors used in an image. Try an image editing program for editing this. You can also decrease the dimensions and then save in .jpeg format. Do not use .png or any other format.

HTTP Compression

This is an effective way to reduce loading time. When paired with website caching, it can speed up website loading rate dramatically! It may even go up to the 4-second threshold for attracting more traffic.

Tools

Many webmasters use simple tools like limiting the amount of HTML and image size to ensure a quick way to speed up loading times.

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Instagram Stories V Snapchat Stories – Getting the Best For Your Brand?

Digital marketing is about getting a business heard. These days, most of the social media platforms are busy rolling out new advanced features that help brands enjoy an edge over their competitors. There are several impressive platforms to choose from.

The new trend of video storytelling is here to stay. Many big brands are making efforts towards figuring out how they will adopt it. The stories feature of Instagram was introduced in August 2016. This has aroused many questions and queries in people's mind about the best investment option - Instagram or Snapchat?

Since Instagram has already released live video and direct messages, the two platforms, look more similar than before. Here's what the two look like:

Instagram and Snapchat Stories can:

- Capture video and photos
- Last for up to 24 hours
- Can be recorded in 10-second increments
- possess the ability to send and receive disappearing photos and videos
- Swipe left to rewatch a story
- Add text, emojis, drawings, and photos
- Facilitate viewers to send messages through stories

Since both possess so many similarities, users of each platform are confused. They don't know where to invest. Another confusion is whether they should share video of both.

Most small business owners do not have enough time to devote to both platforms. It is time to focus on places your customers are and where you must invest your valuable time. In short, you must be able to figure out which specific “story” is right for your business.

Audience and Demographics

You must consider the following while choosing a social media platform:

- Whether or not the target audience lives there
- Size and type of audiences

Instagram

Most of the small businesses are devoting their time to post on Instagram. This helps them facilitate audience they’ve already built. The stories on Instagram can be viewed by your followers and anyone who comes across your profile and in search.

This also means you will get an opportunity to reach an even greater audience. The large user base of Instagram sets it apart. The count moves over 300 million daily active users. This  is almost double of Snapchat. The best part is that over 90 per cent of those users are under the age of 35 which makes it a an amazing choice for brands focused on 18-34 age bracket.

Snapchat

Most marketers recognize Snapchat as an extremely popular platform among social media users. In fact, around 7 out of 10 Snapchat users are millennials. Users on Snapchat are loyal and extremely engaged. Think about the audience you presently have, the wish to acquire and then go straight to the source.

The major challenge associated with social media is finding an opportunity to be discovered. In case, people do not see what you share on social media, nobody will be able to follow you. Also the journey to account discovery may vary from one platform to the other.

Instagram

There is a discovery page built into the app that features accounts a user hasn’t followed yet. This collection is based on an algorithm and selects photos based on a user’s interests, current followers, location, etc. Instagram stories have recently joined the discovery page, giving yet another opportunity to get more eyes on your story and grow your following.

Is your Instagram account public? If yes, then your stories are too public. Anyone visiting your profile can get a view of your story. In short, you have double the chances of earning a follower:

1. Through the content of Instagram feed
2. Through the content in your Instagram story

No wonder most big brands has been enjoying more number of views on Instagram as compared to Snapchat.

Snapchat

It is not easy too build a following on Snapchat. You will not find any discovery feature, suggested followers, and auto-populate potential matches for adding a username. Snapchat users must know your exact snapcode or username to start following you and your story.

When it comes to growing a decent following on Snapchat, the process involves promoting it through various other channels. These may include:

- Featuring Snapchat name on the website
- Adding the name to a newsletter
- Asking Facebook followers to add you on Snapchat
- Requesting Twitter or Instagram followers to add you on Snapchat.

Here, depending on the engagement, the audience may or may not accept your request. It is important to invest constructive time into Instagram.

In case, you are not really sure of stories on Instagram or Snapchat, simply follow an easy way to use both. You can start off with Snapchat and save each post to “my memories”. You need to save these to camera roll, and then upload them through Instagram stories.

This means the same story is added to each platform. It makes for an easier way to compare the following and conclude what deserves your time and attention:

- Numbers of views you have been getting
- Audience engagement
- Growth of your following
- Ease of use

You may save time by visiting straight to the source. Know where your audience wants to see you. It is important to understand that social media is all about trial and error. The idea is to get out of there and assess what actually works for your business.

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Branding Strategy – The Rules of Hiring a Digital Agency

Now that you have decided on hiring a team to make your digital dreams a reality, here are some tips to ensure success for your branding strategy:

Shop Around

This is the starting point of making a wise decision on hiring a digital agency. Shopping around for comparable quotes will save you money and reach out to the best agency. So research online, speak to your friends about the agencies they are happy to refer.

Portfolio

Take a close look at the portfolio of the agency you wish to hire. See if the quality of their work is in line with your expectations. It will help to look for examples of the types of projects you expect to work on with your agency. Know if the team has worked with clients in the same niche/industry  solutions  offered are similar to your brand in the past. This information will help you know about the experience of an agency and their capacity to provide solutions for your business.

Plan a Budget

Addressing the expense is important. Have you allocated any amount for this initiative? What you can afford to spend? Being upfront about your budget has a lot benefits. Too small a budget should also be tackled. Be ready to listen to the specialists who would be handling your project. Also avoid going overboard with the budget. It is safe to work out a midway.

Do You Feel Important

How do you really feel while communicating with agency of choice? Do you feel like a top priority? Do they respond to your queries, concerns, and emails? Think twice about your decision if they take days to reply. This means your job is not being valued. Go for an agency that's fast and keen on your requests. A digital agency should put in all its efforts to keep you updated about status of the project.

You are Hiring a Staff Member

The process of choosing a digital agency should be no different than hiring a permanent staff member. You would want to hire specific skills to deliver value to your business. So make sure an agency is highly qualified to deliver and ready to remain accountable throughout the project. Also ask probing questions about their experience, team, past projects, and competence.

Do They Understand Your Expectations?

Know if the specialists working for digital agency have understood the project scope as well. Speak to them if possible. This will let you know how confident they're with the project and what best they can do with it.

Outsourcing

See if the digital company outsources its projects. Outsourcing is not bad. However, it is crucial to make sure the work is being outsourced to specialists holding years of experience in their field of work. The only challenge for any agency is their ability to maintain freelance relationships in a way to ensure a best service to their clients. And this is what you should explore prior to hiring an agency.

Check References

Checking references is as important as looking for them. So make sure you speak to references of the  agency prior to signing a contract. Delaying reference checks can affect your business. Reviewing references thoroughly will help make the right decision.

The Contract

Read the contract well prior to making the final decision. This is important to a avoid any confusion in future.

Fix Up a Meeting with the Team

It is important to visit the offices of digital agency prior to signing on the dotted line. It is surprising but true that many organizations decide against a digital agency soon after a visit to the office. So it is important to pay a visit, meet the team, have a look at the environment and see how you feel about signing the contract.

To Sum Up

The constant growth of online retail has resulted in increase of digital spend. People have also started relying on digital agencies to bridge the 'expertise' gap. Deciding on the “right” digital agency can be tough. Any negligence or a wrong decision will prove dangerous for your business. However, the risks can be avoided by shopping around and being thorough in making queries, contract negotiation and checking of references.

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SEM Ensures More Sales Than Traditional Advertising

It is surprising that a lot of companies believe that Google isn’t for them even in this age. However, this is wrong. The present age advertising will not actually benefit from just the traditional advertising. Understanding the worth of SEM and integrating it into business marketing is definitely worth the effort. Here's how SEM can benefit you more than traditional advertising:

The Marketing Fundamentals Have Evolved

Those who do not consider SEM as an important element of business marketing strategy should remember how people back in the 1990s didn't believe that having a website was "worth it". Many large companies have enjoyed massive growth by just relying heavily on clients that have found them through search engines and online marketing. Searching for a service online is the easiest way to get what you want in this digital age. Taking advantage of this concept will help improve sales. For instance, it works to make service pages easier to navigate. This kind of smooth handling of customers and easier approach towards helping them reach a specific service will give ample time to your sales team to focus on handling incoming leads and other important tasks.

In short, people who visit you via Google and other major search engines are genuinely interested. When people look for a website, they will feed keywords "website design company" instead of a service into their favorite search engine.

The task of marketing was really tough before the advent of the internet. Today, the online marketers will ensure top-level placement in search to attract qualified traffic and leads. Most reputed SEM companies understand the significance and dynamic potential of online marketing.

The selling process was labor intensive in the past. This means a sales team of any organization had to identify leads, get in touch with those leads, follow-up with leads and even close the sale.

Unfortunately, potential leads were lost at each stage of the process. Most of the time, the potential leads got annoyed with cold-calls. Also, these calls failed to reach the right person at the right time.

Google and many other search engines have streamlined the sales process. They have made it more affordable, instant, and self-targeting.

Now, clients look for you instead of you running after them or hunting them. The present day clients are looking for your specific products and services that they need right at that moment. Once you show up on the first search results page, the number of clients reaching you will increase in number.

The primary goal of SEM is to put yourself in the line of sight. This helps clients locate you when they need you. The marketing process will help all forms of businesses including the following mentioned below:

Retail Outlets

In case, someone is searching for a specific item of cosmetic, skin care or clothing, they do not require walking through a store to locate it. These days, people search for their items and reach the stores they can get it from. Thereafter, they compare prices and styles right from the comfort of their homes. In case, your eCommerce website appears at the top of the search results, you increase the chance of maximizing number of people seeing your inventory first. The process also maximizes the amount of potential customers you may be reaching out to on any given day.

Professionals

Whether you are a doctor or a lawyer, maximizing your pull on potential clients will offer you a lot of benefits. All you need to do is make your digital presence speak to about your professional expertise. It is important to harness the power of search engine marketing. This will help you to establish yourself as an expert in your niche and industry.

Restaurants / Food Chains

Regardless of the kind of popularity your restaurant enjoys, tourists and customers must be able to find your place of business. For instance, if you own a Chinese snack restaurant in Chicago, it is important to be seen at or near the top of the page. Also the amount of competition in your niche and industry may vary according to location. Proper integration and use of SEM will help your business stand out in the crowd.

Benefits for Large Companies

Most large corporations believe that search engine optimization and marketing is not for them as their brand is well known and established. However, it is crucial to understand that online customers are impulsive. In case, they find a slightly different version or an interesting alternative (and affordable), of what you are offering, there’s an increased chance of shifting loyalties. Remember that if your organization shows up as better than the competition, potential and existing customers will be impressed.

Search engine marketing makes for a crucial tool in any organization's overall digital marketing strategy. Hence, it should be considered as an integral part of a successful advertising plan right from the start.

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Top 8 Inbound Marketing Mistakes Most Marketers Didn’t Know They’re Making

Inbound marketing is considered as the most effective technique for marketing by experts. The business world swears by it. In fact, it has also helped several organizations move ahead and achieve success simply by emphasising on developing premium quality content that pulls people toward businesses and products.

However, most business owners do not realize the mistakes they make while integrating inbound marketing into their business marketing strategy. Understanding these common mistakes can help you avoid them and add significance to your marketing strategy:

1. Unrealistic Goals

A set of goals is crucial for each action plan. However, it is equally important to keep these goals realistic or measurable.

2. No Strategy

Strategy is crucial to help marketers move away from major inbound marketing mistakes. Most people believe in producing content as fast as possible, especially when starting off with new projects. Although this idea is tempting, it is one of the biggest errors they make. A strategy makes an inbound marketing plan, a great success. So take your time and plan your strategy. Keep track via using schedules and editorial calendars. Focus on posting only the best content that's 100% relevant and click worthy.

3. Being at All Places at Once

One of the best ways to gain new customers is via using social media outlets like Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. The desire to be everywhere too soon for inbound marketing will be a huge mistake! It is crucial to be very specific about what platforms you are active on.

4. No Blog

Don't like blogs? This is a mistake most marketers make. Blogs have emerged as dynamic conversation tools for inbound marketing. Hence, if you wish to skip over these, you would actually be losing out on one of the best opportunities to generate new leads. So avoid making this mistake and you will not miss out on any of the strong calls to action in the future. No blogging will rule out any chance of featuring your body of content in a site that's accessible. This helps a website rank high on search engines.

5. Very Frequent Makeovers

Most business owners are tempted to redesign, modify or remake their website as their business evolves. However, this is one of the most serious mistakes they tend to make. Although a website with poor visitor experience and lacking proper optimization for search engines will not go help launch and have a positive impact on inbound marketing efforts, the best strategy to adopt is optimized website and place content strategically. The main aim is to incite your clients to take proper action and help business get found. Ignoring the step will result in underperformance of inbound marketing strategies.

6. Not Focussing on Target Audience

It may not be easier to write for the target audience. In fact, the process is quite hectic, boring and tiresome. However, it is crucial that you cater to all needs of your target audience. Get into detailed research and know what your customer needs, their desires, expectations and the way you would be fulfilling their requirements.

7. No Promotion Efforts

These days, a lot of information exists on television, internet and print. Hence, it is crucial that your material gets disseminated at levels. In case, you post a lot on Twitter, make sure you post it on Facebook too. Also, let all of your Google+ contacts are aware of any new blog is created. No promotion will not take your inbound marketing anywhere.

8. No Focus on Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

The content you integrate in your website should be properly and professionally searched-optimized. Without SEO, none of your website content, blog posts and social media posts will not reach to their customers. Optimizing content is a way to optimize opportunities.

Steering clear of all of the above listed mistakes will help you to ensure successful marketing strategy.

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11 Best Ways Marketers Can Optimize Their LinkedIn Profile

The consistent growth in demand for LinkedIn has come as no surprise for most dedicated marketers. LinkedIn is definitely the place to showcase one's talents, experience and enjoy incredible networking and marketing opportunities for promoting one's own brand or that of your clients. LinkedIn makes for an amazing tool for a number of things, including support for professional credibility, maintaining client and prospect relationships, building thought leadership and much more.

However, most marketers don't know how to use this amazing tool to its full potential. One of the best things to do is to start with maximizing and optimizing your profile. The profile plays an important role in marketing. Right from reaching out to prospects to establishing connection with industry influencers on behalf of your client or making new powerful connections, your profile is the first thing people will see.

Listed below are some of the best practices and tips for optimizing your profile. This will facilitate you to use it to build your own professional brand. It can be converted into a dynamic tool to take your marketing objectives ahead:

1. The Publishing Platform

Try exploiting publishing platform of LinkedIn as far as possible. This offers a number of benefits. The platform helps your posts become part of your profile. These live in a section right under the top overview section. Additionally, publishing something new get it shared with your follower connections. Another advantage is that the content becomes searchable on and off LinkedIn.

2. Focus on Your Professional Skills

Have you added skills to your LinkedIn profile? If no, then you are certainly missing out on a chance to optimize your profile for specific keywords. This is how you get super quick endorsements from all of your connections for those specific skills. LinkedIn is capable of showcasing top 10 skills of yours based on endorsements to help people know about your expertise.

3. Promote Your Projects

It really helps to use the 'Projects' section. Initially, it has been created for students to share projects. You can use it to highlight services, products, services or other projects including podcasts listed on LinkedIn profile. Link each project directly to your website. Thereafter, include all of your team members when applicable.

4. Endorsements and Recommendations

It is important to get endorsements and recommendations from those you’ve already worked with. This ensures depth and much needed credibility to your profile. These people can better describe what you have to offer. So don't wait anymore and reach out to former co-workers, supervisors, or clients and ask them to endorse your skills. You may also ask them to write a recommendation. In-mail or email can also be used for the same. Simply scroll to the 'Recommendations' section at the bottom of your profile. Now click “Ask for Recommendations.” The action will facilitate you to select what job you wish to be recommended for.

5. Share Your Awards and Honors

This is a section initially designed for scholastic achievements of students. You simply need to use the Honors & the Awards section to highlight all notable lists and mentions received from recognized publications and authorities in your industry.

6. Pulse Content

When writing your posts, it is important to choose a topic you hold the experience and expertise in. Once you do that, stick to it. Including too many elements will make you lose out on readers. The platform can also be utilised to repurpose existing content. Make sure you write a click-worthy headline and use keywords. The content should be 300-600 words.

7. Showcase Specialized Certifications

Don't worry if you haven’t completed a higher-education degree. Use 'Certifications' section to showcase your specialized and niche educational achievements. You may also list a certification related to your industry in this section and link to it. This helps people learn more about it.

8. Add Examples of Work

Focus on adding documents, presentations, images, links and videos to different sections of your profile. You can narrate your story in a visual way which will allow people to see your work in action.

9. Professional Memberships

In case, you belong to any professional organizations within your industry, simply use the 'Organizations' section in order to highlight your membership as well as the position you hold beyond being a member. This ensures you an opportunity to optimize your profile for keywords. For instance, professional writers can include their membership to 'Professional Writers of America'.

10. Language Proficiency

Knowing more languages is a plus point. There is a huge demand for those fluent in multiple languages. Hence, if you know some languages, include that information in the 'Languages' section.

11. Experience

Apart from being specific yet detailed, it is important that you are crystal clear and concise. So start with a brief overview of your role. Thereafter, you can highlight your specific responsibilities, various accomplishments and results. Make sure you do it is a bulleted list.

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8 Tools to Help Content Marketers With Blocking and Tackling SEO

Most professionals find the task of developing a great piece of content, time-consuming. A lot goes into preparing content, including:

- Make sure it drives organic search traffic to your website
- Optimize it well

There are many dynamic tools experts use to simplify optimization search engine for your content at all levels. Using these will make the task smoother, successful and time saving. Listed below are 8 tools that help content marketers block and tackle SEO:

1. BuzzBundle

This is yet another way to promote your content. It will also help you build some amazing links. BizzBundle helps with searching for questions relevant to topic of content on the following:

- Social networks
- Forums
- Blogs

The tool facilitates you to enter your keyword phrase and look for posts relevant to your topic. All of this is possible under one roof. In case, your visitors enquire about your topic, simply answer them with a link to your content. This is relevant, beneficial to your potential clients and usually appreciated.

2. Google AdWords Keyword Tool

This is a keyword research tool that's often underestimated as a powerful content marketing tool. All you require doing is entering a topic idea to get up to eight hundred suggested keyword phrases for that specific idea. The tool also helps downloading these ideas into a spreadsheet. Thereafter, you may sort them via search volume and get content topics for the most popular results. The tool promises you a huge number of content ideas.

3. BuzzSumo

This is a premium tool that facilitates users see the top content on a specific topic for social sharing volume. Clicking on the following buttons will help you to view backlinks from various other content and those that have shared content on Twitter:

- View Sharers Buttons
- View Backlinks

4. Impactana

Wish to learn more about a specific piece of content? If social sharing metrics on content is not the only information you wish to have, trust Impactana. This is a premium tool that facilitates users to see the following received by any piece of content:

- Number of backlinks
- Comments
- Views

Metrics of comments and views are very useful in determining whether or not a piece of content possesses a good number of social shares or links yet no traffic. The metrics also facilitate you to determine if links or shares or links have been purchased.

5. HubSpot’s Blog Topic Generator

Don't know how to come up with actual titles for keywords? Use HubSpot’s Blog Topic Generator. This tool is very helpful in developing specific titles. Once you enter a couple of keywords from your spreadsheet, it is possible to get some great title ideas. All you need to do is scroll below those ideas in order to enter your information which shows a spreadsheet that helps with generating over two hundred more blog post titles.

6. Grammarly

Do you have an editor to look over your content? If no, then Grammarly is just the right tool for you. It offers in-depth error checking which is beyond what Google Docs and Microsoft Word offer. Configuring Grammarly to look for issues based on content type created is important. You may also choose the type of issues it detects. The dynamic tool helps you to prevent you from losing various links and social shares to grammatical errors. Grammerly is very helpful for those do not write in their native language.

7. Sendible

This is a brilliant social media management tool that can share your content quickly with a variety of social networks. It is possible to review the analytics for each share. You can easily repost content to different or same networks for continued promotion.

8. WordPress SEO

If you develop content in WordPress on their own domain, WordPress SEO is a must have. The plugin will help you to configure SEO settings for each piece of content written. Thereafter, it assesses it for keyword optimization. It is possible to switch over to the Page Analysis tab for better tips on how to improve your content’s keyword optimization for search. It is best to install the tool to a site that doesn't give access to this plugin. All you need to do is install it on your own WordPress website. Then save the post as a draft. This runs it through WordPress SEO analysis.

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12 Must Have Tools for Marketers to Get More Out of Twitter

When it comes to leveraging the unlimited power of Twitter, you certainly need some third-party applications. These apps should be capable of directly catering to the features lacking in the main app. Luckily, there are a number of tools to choose from. All you need to do is choose the genuine ones (which literally means sifting through a humongous pile of tools).

Here is a list of 12 best tools to help you make this daunting task easier and get the most out of Twitter:

1. ManageFlitter

This tool is made for smart Twitter users. Using it will add more power and wisdom to your Twitter profile. ManageFlitter ensures advanced analytics. With unique features such as powerpost, the tool will let you schedule your posts automatically and get optimum visibility & engagement. With ManageFlitter, you can unfollow inactive Twitter accounts. It is a free tool and a must have for all serious marketers. which you should use right away.

2. Audiense

It is  quite popular among present age marketers. The enterprise level Twitter management tool is a certified Twitter product. Ideal for novices and pro-Twitter users, Audiense promises some dynamic features to help you make the most out of your Twitter account. Some of the best features include finding influencers to connect to, run automated Direct message campaign, finding the right time to tweet for max CTR, and many more. It allows users to bulk follow, unfollow and also locate all like minded twitter users. If you wish to make the most out of your Twitter profile, Audience is the tool for you.

3. Hootsuite

If it has to be a list of the best Twitter tools, it has to be with bold mention of the Hootsuite. This tool is very popular and effective. Hootsuite will help you manage your Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn profiles all at once. This is definitely a must-have for all serious online marketers. In case, you also have been managing multiple twitter accounts, the tool makes for an amazing add-on. It lets you re-tweet across multiple profiles automatically.

4. Storm It!

Tweeting with over 140 characters isn't possible. That's precisely where it sucks! With Storm, you can go for longer tweets. Simply write longer tweets and the app will share it automatically as an individual tweet. What's more, the app is absolutely free on Android & iOS!

5. SocialOomph

When it comes to choosing one of the best Twitter tools, SocialOomph is a hot favourite among marketers. It offers you a set of tools you require for automating your Twitter profile. Some of the major features of this tool include Auto send DM to new followers, Send recurring tweets, Automatic follow new followers, Delete all DM or Tweets, and RSS Feed to tweet. Most of the features of this tool are free. You may selectively pick the premium features and pay only for those you need.

6. Tweepi

Tweepi is very helpful in clearing off Twitter mess! Yes, if the majority of the Twitter users you follow are inactive, it will clear up un-followers and inactive. The tool also promotes you to follow Twitter users with relative interest. The tool is highly recommended Twitter plugin for WordPress. It handles some of the biggest problem of dealing with old content on your blog. All you need to do is setup the plugin to make it automatically share the post on your Twitter timeline.

7. Tweriod

Spying on the social media is no crime. Tweriod will help you keep close track of the time when most of your followers are in action. A little bit research in this direction will help you get to know your followers better. Using data from this tool will help you to schedule your tweets at the period of the day that's most interactive. This ensures better engagement. Tweriod is a free plugin available with basic auto-tweeting functionality.

8. TweetChat

The tool will help you make the impossible, possible! Yes, it helps you to interact with individual users, direct mentions, and direct message on Twitter. TweetChat facilitates users to participate in individual chatting sessions. This is a better way instead of publicly mentioning via using hashtags.

9. Twilert

This is similar to Google Alerts for Twitter! All you need is simply set up your keywords to start receiving Email alerts for the same. Once you or your brand gets mentioned on Twitter, the Twilert will alert you via Email. You can participate in the interaction. Since reputation management is crucial in the social media game, you need to be alert and act on it quickly. This tool helps you do just that.

10. Communit

The Twitter tool will help you to schedule tweet and automate several things to boost your Twitter profile engagement. This is a free account that allows you to engage with around twenty people and provide you with an idea and effectiveness of the tool.

11. GroupTweet

It is an amazing tool that lets you interact privately with a group of people on Twitter for communication purpose. GroupTweet allows you to engage and help groups communicate privately.

12. Paper.li

The tool has really taken Twitter news feed curation to the next level! Professionals and individuals rely on it to offer valuable content to followers. It can curate both manually and automatically as desired. Paper.li can easily collate or single out hashtags and tweets having relative ease.

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Top 7 Social Media Platform Marketers Creating Brilliant Content

Planning and executing on social media marketing strategy is an art. It takes a lot of experience, hard work and skill to create awesome content and ensure success with social media platform. Social algorithms are constantly evolving. With new networks emerging regularly, users have learnt to adapt to varied techniques they use social platforms for. Hence, it is crucial to keep up with a consistent high quality social media schedule for publishing and engagement strategy. Although this ain't rocket science, it takes a lot of commitment and hard work.

In order to make this undertaking easier, marketers have started using a number of social media monitoring and publishing tools. These are helpful in various ways, including:

- Scheduling of posts
- Publishing social media posts
- Providing insights into content performance
- Detailed insight on audience segmentation

Here is a list of 7 amazing content creators working on top social media monitoring platforms:

1. Brian Peters

Job Profile - Social Media Manager
Works at - Buffer

About Brian Peters

An experienced and qualified content, digital and social media marketing professional, Peters promises all kinds of amazing content for social media marketing strategy. His content is available widely on Buffer Blog.

Exclusive Content from Brian Peters

- 6 Proven Strategies for Successfully Promoting Content Across Social Media
- We Interviewed 75 Top Social Media Marketers. Here’s What They’re Working On, Today
- 10 Golden Rules for Social Media Managers and Marketers

2. Scott Amerman

Job Profile - Senior Product Marketing Manager
Works at - Sprinklr

About Scott Amerman

Scott Amerman has been working as the Product Marketing Manager at Sprinklr. Passionate about introducing new exciting products to customers. All of social media innovations of Scott can be found on the Sprinklr blog.

Exclusive Content from Scott

- To Emoji or Not to Emoji? 5 Twitter Customer Service Questions You’ve Always Wanted Answered
- 4 Startups that Know the Power of User-Generated Content
- How Brands Can Brace Themselves for Snapchat’s New Algorithm

3. Maggie Huston

Job Profile - Senior Content Manager
Works on - Oracle Social Cloud

About Maggie Huston

Maggie is a talented award winning journalist who has won Peabody award thrice. Huston's diverse background comprising of traditional as well as new media journalism. Her award-winning content is widely available on the her Oracle Social Spotlight blog.

Her Exclusive Content from Maggie

- Case Study: #WatchMeNeighNeigh
- How To Get The Most Bang For Your Buck On Social Media
- Our Surprisingly Successful Experiment With Facebook Live

4. Veronika Baranovska

Job Profile - Content Marketing Specialist
Works at - Sendible

About Veronika Baranovska

A novice in the field of Content Marketing, Baranovska presently works for Sendible. She holds many years of experience as a creative marketer with expertise in empowering brands to reach diverse goals. Veronika’s unique content can be found on the Sendible blog.

Exclusive Content from Veronika

- Top 3 Mistakes SMEs Make When Planning Facebook Campaigns
- 25 Interview Questions For Your Next Social Media Manager
- How To Optimize Your YouTube Channel And Videos

5. Alex York

Job Profile - SEO Specialist
Works at - Sprout Social

About Alex York

Alex is a skilled renowned writer and SEO Specialist. Working in Sprout Social, York works on both content management and organic traffic. His content is available on the Sprout Social Insights blog.

Exclusive Content by Alex York

- 7 Instagram Best Practices to Build Your Audience
- 5 Indispensable Habits of a Social Media Analyst
- Shedding Light on Facebook Dark Posts

6. Alexandra Zamfir

Job Profile - Social Media Executive
Works at - Falcon.io

About Alexandra Zamfir

Alexandra is passionate about the latest trends, techniques and strategies to introduce new cases on social media. Claiming to be a geek at heart, Zamfir likes to spend most of her time reading, researching new technologies and taking online courses to keep herself abreast of latest advancements in the industry. Alexandra’s creative and innovative social content is available on the Falcon.io insights hub.

Exclusive Content by Alexandra Zamfir

- Facebook Messenger Bots vs 1:1 Engagement
- How to Structure Your Social Selling
- Press Play to Boost Your Facebook Organic Reach

7. Jaime Netzer

Job Profile - Content Marketing Strategist
Works at - Spredfast

About Jaime Netzer

Jaime is a dedicated content marketing strategist. His amazing work has been published in various media outlets and magazines including Variety and SELF magazine, USA Today Special Publications, and many more. Netzer has been creating miracles with social media marketing on the Spredfast blog.

Exclusive Content from Jaime Netzer

- 4 Social TV Tips from Serious Pros
- 5 Tips for Building Your Brand with Instagram Marketing
- 5 Stats on Millennial Buying Habits

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