As much as we all wish it was possible to obtain top ranking positions on search engines overnight, unfortunately it just isn’t possible. Many factors come into play when expecting results from search engine optimisation, which is why the process requires some patience. As the saying goes, good things come to those who wait. This is certainly the case with SEO and the long-term effects are certainly a worthwhile investment for any business, in any industry. Learn more about why SEO takes time and why it’s definitely worth the wait. CONSIDER YOUR COMPETITION Consider your industry in itself and how many other businesses are in your niche. It’s likely you’ll have thousands, millions or perhaps even billions of other competitors who have the same objective that you have. They all want to rank for the top position in search results and want searchers to choose their business over anyone else. The current top-ranking websites utilising your keywords are likely to have invested in SEO for quite a while and have built up their online reputation overtime. There are more websites online now than ever before so the task of ranking #1 isn’t impossible, however it just requires time and good SEO practices. Your competitors have invested their time into SEO, and it’s rewarded them with the top-ranking positions, you may start off as the underdog, but soon enough your patience will reward you. TRUST THE PROCESS If you’ve decided to dedicate time and money into SEO to boost your business, it’s important that you learn to trust the process. The first initial stage of SEO requires an audit, where your SEO specialist will optimise your website in order to ensure it fulfils Google’s ranking guidelines. This will include fixing any technical issues or content issues which could impact your ranking. Your SEO expert will also conduct keyword research and a competitor analysis in order to devise the ideal strategy. This process can take some time especially if you have thousands of pages on your website which need to be audited. After this process, then your page is ready to be ranked. The next steps involve content creation, on-page and off-page backlinking as well as constant monitoring of your website’s technical components. This process is what determines your rankings and must be done efficiently. BUDGET CAN PLAY A PART The amount of money you are willing to invest in an SEO strategy can also impact the time frame with which you begin to see results. This isn’t to say that the more you spend the greater results you will receive, however the more you invest, the more time your SEO specialists can spend working on your website and your SEO strategy. Each digital marketing company has their own strategy in place, yet most will charge per hour so if you want to have the ball rolling fairly quickly, you may want to consider your budget and how much you allocate towards SEO. WHEN YOU CAN EXPECT TO SEE RESULTS Considering all the above factors, each website will vary in the time frame with which they are likely to see results. No SEO company can guarantee a definite time, however most will provide their clients with a guideline between 4-6 months to which they begin to see the results of SEO. Results could mean increased rankings, more enquiries or more website traffic. You should begin to notice positive impacts within this time period. In terms of ranking in top positions this can take anywhere between 6 months to 1 year, sometimes even longer depending on your competition and the strategy your SEO company has put in place. No SEO company should ever mislead their clients to believe that top rankings can be achieved instantly. These are positions which must be earned, and the time invested to doing so will positively impact your business in years to come. Unlike paid forms of advertising, SEO is based upon ranking websites organically and requires hours of hard work and time. Although PPC forms of advertising can provide benefits for businesses instantly, the long-term benefits of SEO are worthwhile. SEO takes time to implement a forceful strategy, yet once it’s implemented, the results will exceed your expectations beyond what you could ever imagine. Talk to the search engine optimisation specialists today at DGreat Solutions.
Google Algorithm updates aren’t always predictable and as SEO specialists this is something we have become accustomed to. One of the best tips we can share with you is to always expect the unexpected and always be as prepared as you can possibly be for the next Google Algorithm update. Although there are frequent changes being made, there are steps you can take to keep your website within the safe zone. Being one of the biggest factors of SEO, creating valuable content is one way you can ensure you survive the next Google Algorithm update. After years of experience monitoring the updates and adhering to them, we’ve established what content can keep you afloat. Here’s our top tips! ALWAYS CREATE EXCEPTIONAL CONTENT We understand creating content isn’t always the easiest of tasks, especially when you are managing other aspects of your business. However, when you do create content, it’s important you only produce exceptional quality content which will be interesting for your audience to read. Avoid writing numerous pieces of content which lacks in quality just for the sake of creating content. Ensure the content is well-written with no grammar or spelling errors. You don’t have to be a professional writer to create good pieces of content! DO NOT copy content from other websites or blogs. Be original and showcase what you know and can provide. Not only will your audience appreciate this but so will Google crawlers checking for duplicate content. If you want to be Algorithm Update Proof, this is the way to do so! UNDERSTAND YOUR AUDIENCE Do you know exactly what your audience needs? Learn about them! Take time out to think about who your typical clients/customers would be and the content you think they would be more inclined to spend time reading. What questions would they ask? The more time which you invest in learning about your audience, the greater equipped you will be to create content for them. The more you can appeal to your audience; the more people will recognise your brand and appreciate your content. Understanding your audience is the key to creating exceptional content which Google will always appreciate regardless of which updates come into play. PROVIDE YOUR AUDIENCE WITH VALUE One of the biggest factors which the Google Algorithm is essentially put in place to monitor is how well website owners cater to their audience. When you are creating content for your audience always consider what they actually would want to see or read. You need to first of all understand your audience as we have mentioned above, and then be able to predict what they would like to know about your industry. You could consider turning some frequently asked questions into content pieces and further educate your audience on topics you have an in depth understanding of. The best way to stay ahead of the Algorithm is to always keep user experience top of mind. Develop the trust of your audience by providing them with valuable content. ALWAYS WRITE CONTENT WITH YOUR AUDIENCE IN MIND The golden rule when writing content is to ALWAYS keep your audience in mind. Those who read your content are the people who most likely will become your clients or customers. Whenever you write content, you have the opportunity to showcase exactly what you know and how you can provide solutions to their problems or the answers to their questions. The content you create is for your audience, so it should be apparent that they must always be in mind throughout the creation process. Content which is purely driven to appeal to the audience will always succeed throughout Google Algorithm updates. In order to survive Google Algorithm updates, it’s important to always ensure you provide your audience with an exceptional standard of content. Keep up to date with Algorithm changes and make your audience a number 1 priority when writing content. For assistance with your SEO, talk to our expert team at DGreat Solutions today.
5 MOST COMMON SEO MISTAKES___
As digital marketing specialists, we encounter many websites which demonstrate poor search engine optimisation qualities. More often than not, this is as a result of business owners hiring inexperienced SEO specialists or they have attempted to enforce their own tactics without enough knowledge. SEO is not as simple as some may perceive it to be. There are many rules and guidelines which must be followed to ensure websites are providing useful information to their audience. If SEO is attempted by someone with minimal knowledge within the field, you could experience a negative backlash from search engines, resulting in your online reputation being tarnished. With extensive knowledge in the digital marketing industry, we’ve identified 5 common SEO mistakes so you can avoid them. 1. RANKING FOR THE WRONG KEYWORDS A significant element of SEO is your keyword strategy. Ultimately, this is the basis of SEO and determines the quality and quantity of traffic to your website. We often witness websites which are ranking for keywords which are not relevant to their industry or are too generic to be ranked. This is not beneficial for your SEO and will not provide your website with any value. It’s important to conduct research within your industry and devise a strong keyword strategy which targets your ideal target market. Think about the types of searches your ideal client/customer would make, try to incorporate this into your keywords. Ideally, the longer and more specific your keywords are, the greater your chances will be to rank. If you are a local business, incorporate local phrases or keywords into your strategy. The goal is to rank for keywords which generate the greatest number of searches with the least number of competitors. 2. NOT INCLUDING TITLE TAGS/META DESCRIPTIONS Optimising your website for SEO isn’t just about including your keywords throughout your written content. There are many other factors which influence your rankings and how search engine crawlers filter through relevant information on your pages. You must include relevant title tags and meta descriptions on each of your pages to ensure crawlers can accurately analyse the content on your pages and rank it accordingly. Without title tags and meta descriptions, crawlers are unable to read your content and determine whether or not it is useful for your audience. 3. WRITING POOR QUALITY CONTENT Posting poor quality content to your website can be seriously damaging to your SEO. Content which is considered ‘thin’ meaning it’s too short in word count, poorly written or unoriginal, can impact your search engine rankings. Google favours content which can provide searchers with value and isn’t just written purely to increase its website’s rankings. If writing blog posts isn’t your forte, you could invest in hiring a copywriter to create content for you on a regular basis. This will ensure your content is of a high standard and meets SEO guidelines. When writing blog posts, aim to have a word count of at least 600 words to ensure your content isn’t too thin. Avoid plagiarism at all costs and write content which is insightful and provides value to avoid being penalised by search engines. 4. NOT OPTIMISING YOUR WEBSITE FOR MOBILE Over half of all search volume results come from smart phones. This means the optimisation of your website on mobile is just as important as it is for desktop. Most of us now tend to search for items or services we need on our mobiles and if your website is not responsive or takes too long to load, you could lose a significant amount of business. Not only is it frustrating for searchers, search engines use mobile responsiveness as a method of ranking as they aim to provide a seamless experience possible for searchers. Check the responsiveness on your website and click through each page to ensure everything is running efficiently. You can test your mobile speed by using Google’s PageSpeed Insights tool. 5. IGNORING SEARCH ENGINE UPDATES One of the most important things to consider regarding SEO is the frequent updates which are made to search engine algorithms. Algorithms are consistently updated to ensure websites are providing valuable information and adhering to their rules and regulations. If you are not abiding by these updates, your website could be penalised, and you could lose your top-ranking position. Ensure your website is always updated to reflect new algorithm updates and maintain your positive SEO. SEO is an intricate technique to master and without correct knowledge and implementation, your website could suffer. Ensure to avoid making the common mistakes listed above to maintain your search engine rankings. Need help with your SEO? Talk to our expert team at DGreat Solutions today.
You can spend hours upon hours implementing SEO tactics, have amazing Google rankings but the second you disobey Google’s ranking factors, all your countless hours of hard work can be reversed. As we all know, Google’s algorithm is constantly changing which makes our job as SEO specialists slightly more tedious. Changes to algorithms can greatly impact businesses and their revenue which is why it’s so crucial to always keep updated. Change is inevitable and something you must be accustomed to especially within the online world. The best thing you can do is stay in the loop and learn how to best prepare for the changes which do occur. We have identified five common negative Google ranking factors and how you can manage them. DUPLICATE CONTENT There are various definitions of what duplicate content can be perceived as by Google. The first form of duplicate content is essentially reproducing content which is already visible on other websites. The second form of duplicate content relates to your own website and having the same content shared across your own domains and URLs. To resolve this issue, ensure you have only one domain name and set up 301 redirects to combat this in the event you do have duplicated content within your own website. Also remember to always keep your content original and relevant to your audience. DUPLICATE META INFORMATION Similarly, duplicated meta information can also be detrimental for your SEO. You should always ensure each of your web pages its own individual meta descriptions. Having duplicate meta descriptions may not directly impact your SEO rankings however they do impact your CTRs (click through rates) in search results. Google prioritises content which has high CTRs which leads to higher rankings so ultimately meta descriptions really do matter. To avoid any issues with duplicate meta description, always keep your meta descriptions as unique and original as possible. TOO MANY OUTBOUND LINKS Having outbound links on your website can be beneficial for your SEO, however having too many can decrease your website’s credibility. By having too many outbound links, this can potentially be viewed by Google as ‘black-hat SEO’ tactics which are unethical and can damage your reputation. The best way to avoid being penalised for having too many outbound links is to always use outbound links in moderation. PAGE LOADING SPEED Page loading time is so important because it directly corresponds to the user’s experience. Google rewards those who make extra effort to ensure their websites are functioning efficiently and have good page loading speed. A website which takes too long to load, is at risk of enduring high bounce rates. You can test your website’s speed by using Google’s Page Speed insights. This will reveal which speed your website is currently tracking at on both desktop and mobile. If your website is falling within the red zone, you will need to make changes to increase your page loading speed. Simple changes such as optimising large images can significantly improve your loading time. LOW DWELL TIME When SEO specialists refer to your website’s dwell time what they are referring to is a metric created by Google which measures user engagement. It includes the time each user spends viewing your website, bounce rates and CTRs. Having a low dwell time reflects poorly on your website and it can impact its ‘user friendly’ element. Ideally you want users to be engaged the second the click on your website and find value from the content you provide, being able to easily click through each page. The best way to avoid any discrepancies from Google for having a low dwell time is to ensure your website is easy to navigate, it is optimised for an enhanced user experience and provides valuable content. Google has an endless number of ranking factors, each aimed at providing searchers with the best websites possible to answer their queries. If you don’t adhere to these ranking factors, you can lose all the hard work you have invested into your SEO almost instantly if you do not resolve the issues which have been brought to light. By addressing the five ranking factors stated above, you maintain your SEO and avoid being penalised by Google.
In 2020, businesses have had to rethink their marketing strategy as a result of COVID-19 and take their products or services online. Search engines play a vital role in how much traffic is directed to a website. For consumers, search engines are an incredible tool which provides users with the ability to research any chosen topic and obtain valuable information instantly. With the implementation of search engine optimisation, this provides business owners with a great advantage to be able to market their product or service to any desired audience. Local SEO is a more targeted strategy of marketing which greatly benefits small business owners who work within a specific location and have a physical office or shop front. By implementing local SEO, businesses will have increased visibility under local search results and are able to target potential local prospects who may require your products or services. This provides small businesses in particular with an added advantage towards their marketing strategy and will benefit you greatly as we overcome the wrath of COVID-19. How can local SEO benefit your small business? Businesses now have the potential to target the entire globe however, depending on where you actually provide majority of your services, this won’t actually be of much use for you. If you own a restaurant or café, in Sydney, it won’t benefit your business greatly if you target search engine users on the other side of the world. Whilst it may be beneficial for brand exposure, in some circumstances local SEO is much more beneficial. The main objective of search engines is clear; to provide people with what they want and need. So, if you require a service within a specific location, Google and other search engines will provide you with the top-ranking websites within that location. Search engines rely heavily on local content, social profile pages, backlinks and citations to provide the most useful local results for search engine users. 4 out of 5 consumers use search engines to find local information. If you are not utilising local search, you could be missing out on a massive portion of potential clients or customers. How can I utilise local SEO for my business? Content is a major element of local SEO. When you create content, make an effort to frequently include phrases or key words relevant to your area. If you are a landscaper in Melbourne and you wish to target potential clients within your city, you should make an effort to incorporate keywords like ‘Melbourne landscaper’ as frequently as possible throughout the content of your website.It’s also important to incorporate the below: Add location tags and pages to your website Optimise your website for mobile Ensure your contact details are current and up to date (contact number, email, address etc.) Utilise local directories Frequently engage with local prospects and other local businesses on social media Ensure your website has an optimised URL, meta tags and meta descriptions Optimise your website for Google my Business (a local business verification tool) Try to obtain as many positive reviews as possible on Google Almost every industry has had to adapt to the unforeseen events which have taken place in 2020 as a result of COVID-19. Building an online presence has been the key to keeping businesses alive. In order to stay up to date in a highly competitive digital age, you must consider optimising your website for local search. Approximately 46% of online searches have a local intent, which means it’s crucial for you to optimise your website for local SEO to ensure it’s visible for locals within your area of operation. By utilising local SEO, you will notice a significant increase in targeted traffic to your website and prospects who are genuinely interested in your product or service. If you want to see a maximum increase in targeted leads to your website, talk to the team at DGreat Solutions today to find out how we can optimise your website for local SEO.