The Marketing Dogs – April News

The Marketing Dogs April News

The Marketing Dogs April News

Bonjour humans, George here, back again on the blog. A lot has changed since my last blog in January.

 

We have been busy on our dog project this month, Costa Del Dog, converting the human foyer into a beautiful paradise for us marketing dogs. Now we are finally seeing a little sun, our glass fronted premises is heating up nicely.

the marketing dogs enjoying costa del dog

We have a nice mat to lay on for catching the rays, or some cool tiles for when you’ve spent a little too long in the light, and need to cool down. The humans did lay some towels down for us, but I may have mistaken the towel for a toy, so they were quickly removed. Luckily though the area is pretty comfy anyway.

We don’t encourage sun hoggers (I think you humans have them too, the ones who put their towels down in the middle of the night) but we have had to have some words, with canines who will remain unnamed *snortSammysnort*.

sammy stealing all the sun

We asked the humans if we could build a pool, but they denied us planning permission unfortunately.

But overall, we are enjoying our little bit of paradise, though the sun is quite temperamental at the minute. Sammy keeps escaping to the corner desks when the sun moves, to catch a few last rays before home time.

Speaking of Sammy, she has certainly come out of her shell the last few weeks, bounding around like a deer in the office. It is great to see such enthusiasm from a new member of staff. She even did a little dance on Wednesday (or as the humans keep calling it, hump day), which made us all laugh.

Chops has mainly been on Costa Del Dog supervising duty, making sure our facilities are up to scratch, but she’s still be continuing her other supervising duties, such as keeping us groomed.

chops licking george

And me? Well I’ve not been very well, I ate a bad bone and had to have a nasty trip to the vet, but mum give me lots of extra hugs and love, and I’m back to my normal mischeavious ways now.

 

Love and licks

George xoxo

5 SEO tips for small businesses

seo tips for smaller businesses

seo tips for small businesses header images

SEO can be a struggle for any business, but it seems an entirely uphill struggle when you are a smaller business looking to rank. In this post we’re going to look at SEO tips for smaller businesses. How you can build your rankings, and what you should expect when it comes to SEO.

Though there are a number of things that can give your SEO a quick and noticeable boost in rankings. We’re going to look at 5 reasonably easy tips for SEO for small businesses today.

The first thing we should clarify is SEO doesn’t always bring quick results. It’s not a one-time thing you complete and leave. It takes time and patience. You will need to be prepared to put in some consistent efforts to your SEO, but oh does it pay off if you do.

So what things can you focus on to get your smaller sized business noticed?

Decide what you wish to rank for

Whether you want to rank for products or services, you need to decide exactly what those are. Then build your content around that. SEO is not the same as it used to be. You can no longer stuff loads of keywords into your pages and blogs to make them appear high in rankings. You have to carefully consider your content, to include relevant keywords, but in a manner that is user friendly. The overall focus should be to actually help with the query the user has.

Once you know what you wish to be found for, you can look at the page structure for your website, and potential blogs. To begin with, it may be easier to try and focus on one key term or idea for your page. To give it the best chance of ranking.

Establish your online presence

Small businesses are often in the position where they don’t have a lot of spare budget to spend on a fancy website straight away. But you don’t need all the bells and whistles to get started. A small site, with a few pages, perhaps with a blog you can utilise for new content, and social pages linked are all you really need to get started. However, you should be considering a mobile optimised website. As no matter what your size of business, you can’t escape that the majority of people now shop and browse on their phones.

You should look at a website on a suitable and relevant domain. Which can feature a little more about you, and why people should consider your services or products. This is your foundation, and where you should hope to push your online visitors to. You should also install Google Analytics when you build your site, as this will come in useful later!

You can then use a blog feature to update new content, showcase new products, highlight great feedback from customers, and also inform customers of issues relevant to your products or services. Finally you should look at social media to capture the attention of new clients from different sources and pull them back to your site. Social also does wonders for building up your site authority, as well as building the number of results in rankings.

Build up your internal linking

Link building is huge when it comes to SEO. In basics, the more people who link to your site the better. However, when you’re first setting out, having others link to you can be difficult, so you should perhaps focus on internal linking first. Ensure all of your pages or blogs link to other relevant content if possible. So for example, at the bottom of this blog you will find a link to our SEO blog category. Because you are reading a blog on SEO, we can assume you may be interested in reading more content that is relevant to that subject. Within those other SEO blogs are links to our SEO page, which talks about our SEO offering.

This is good practice in general as it provides a better experience for the user, but also helps bots that crawl your site to establish where your content fits in to the web.

 

Build up your local presence

We have another blog purely on this topic coming up soon, but local is something you really need to be considering. Since Google’s pigeon update, location has become a much bigger factor in rankings, and one that as a smaller business you can take advantage of.

Consider your local listings pages, such as Google+ page, which should match your address on your website exactly. Then remember to check through other directory listings for your business, and again ensure they all match the same address. Moz has just released a great feature called Moz Local, which will help you get started in this process.

Also consider building local ties (as you would offline too). So if you are working with another local business, talk about it! Make sure you have references back to them, and they backlink to you.

Track and assess

Use tools such as Google Analytics, or Moz to assess the traffic to your site, and how they are finding you. Google analytics is great for figures and feedback on traffic, but is a little lax these days on providing which keywords people have used to find you. Moz does a much more in-depth report on where you are ranking for selecting keywords, and if that has improved or dropped.

Then actually use your tracked data to build your content and your site in general. If people are finding you through slightly different phrases than you expected, then change your content slightly to reflect the tone people are using to find you, to help others find you. More people finding your website through a certain social network, focus more on that network.

SEO is an ongoing process, and one that you have to monitor and act upon to see continued results, so though it may seem a lot of work, continuing your efforts is worth it in the long run.

 

We have plenty of tips throughout our blogs on how you can build your SEO once you have become established. However, if you are still struggling with SEO, then why not give us a call? We work with businesses of all sizes, and look at each company’s individual needs before suggesting any way forward. Call us on 01543 495752 today and speak to one of our friendly team.

Six analytics tools for Twitter

twittonomy - twitter analytics tool

six analytics tools for twitter

 

A lot of time has passed since we first posted this blog on analytics tools for twitter (orginially posted April 2012!), and a lot has changed in the world of social media over 4 years, so we thought it was time for an update

(especially as one of our readers pointed out Topsy, a featured analytics tool, closed down at the end of 2015. Thanks Nina).

And with Twitter booming over the last 4 years, and developing their own analytics tools, it was definitely time for a freshen up of this blog! Here are some of the best Twitter analytics tools you can use for free, all in one handy post.

 

Twitter analytics themselves

(https://analytics.twitter.com/)

 

Twiitter analytics - twitter analytics tool

 

Since our last blog, twitter have released analytics themselves! Which makes things a lot easier for users to get a quick overview on how everything is going.

As with Facebook, Twitter wants you to find what is not working on your page, so you will pay to improve these things. So though you can gain loads of really good insight, it will be accompanied with a side of sales pitch.

We wrote a blog last month all about using social analytics, which includes twitter, as well as Facebook, and LinkedIn, which you can check out here.

 

Great for: Getting the facts from the horse’s mouth, and knowing exactly what is going on with your profile.

 

 

Tweetchup

(http://tweetchup.com/)

 

Tweetchup - twitter analytics tool

 

With Tweetchup you can analyse your own actions and connections, from how many mentions you get, to the users you are most engaged with, as well as where those users are located.

But it’s not just your connections, you can analyse any user’s activity within a certain date range, and see who they’re interact with most, what hashtags they love and when they are sending the majority of their tweets. (great for spying on the competition!)

You can also further analyse keywords and hashtags to get more insight of who is using them, when and where.

 

Great for: Further analysis of the details you can get on your twitter analytics.

 

 

Twitonomy

(https://www.twitonomy.com/)

 

twittonomy - twitter analytics tool

 

All the twitter analytics you could want represented in visual graphs and charts. With plenty of insight into the people you follow and who follow you.

You can export your tweets or followers to excel, if you and your team need to do further analysis of your twitter action while off the site.

You can also get a list of the people you follow who don’t follow you back, as well as followers who you don’t follow back, which is always good to know.

 

Great for: Detailed analytics on both you and your competition.

 

 

 

Twitter Counter

(

 

Twitter counter - twitter analytics tool

 

Twitter counter is a really clear visual tool, however it is the most limited out of our free options.

It enables you to view engagement metrics, get an insight into your audience, as well as compare yourself to the competition.

You also have the option to export stats, which is handy for meetings or discussions about your twitter progress.

 

Great for: a quick clear visual

 

 

Mention Mapp

(http://mentionmapp.com/)

 

mentionmapp - twitter analytics tool

 

Using a ‘mindmap’ style visual to show you where your tweets have stretched to over the last few days, and who you may have reached without realising.

But it’s not just for your profile, you can use it to see the top users for certain hashtags or related hashtags, enabling you to build up your twitter plans.

 

Great for: a very different visual of your twitter footprint.

 

 

Google Analytics

(https://www.google.co.uk/analytics/)

 

Google analytics - twitter analytics tool

 

Google analytics is a pretty essential tool when it comes to your website, and seeing the effect your tweeting has is no exception.

You can do many wonderful things with analytics, and one of those is setting up custom dashboards, to focus on a particular area of interest – such as social results.

There are plenty of guides on the internet to custom social dashboards, or you can download ours directly to your google analytics.

 

Great for: seeing the outcome on your website of your twitter efforts.

 

 

So many questions pop up when it comes to social media, but don’t get stuck, just head over to our social blogs for all the answers you need.

We know that managing social media is a full time job, if you don’t have the time or you’re struggling to manage your online presence, we can help. To find out how we can help, call us on 01543 495752 or email us at contact@themarketingpeople.com.

 

Keeping on top of your SEO

Keeping on top of your seo title image

Keeping on top of your seo title image

One idea we find is implanted with a lot of clients who come to us, is that SEO can be done once, get you high in search rankings and then left. But this is simply not the case. You have to keep on top of your SEO.

So we find ourselves saying over and over again that SEO is something you need to keep on top of. To ensure you keep your place in rankings ahead of your competitors. But how exactly do you keep on top of things?

 

Little and Often

As we have mentioned SEO is no one time thing, and you will never ‘complete’ SEO. So the best approach for your company (especially is the person dealing with your SEO has other roles too) is to perform check-ups little and often.

So where do you start with your check-ups? Use a tool like Moz. Where you have a number of free resources to get you used to the program, and getting started on SEO. Before moving on to a more robust paid option.

Their free resource kit allows you limited access to open site explorer and MozBar, as well as local and twitter analysis options.

Open Site Explorer allows you to see a whole host of factors that affect your rankings. Including your domain authority, page link metrics and inbound links to your site.

MozBar allows you metrics to analysis any web page. Which is useful for checking any missing elements on your own page. As well as what your competitors are up to.

Google Analytics also offer “page analytics” which offers in depth analysis on any webpage that contains analytics you have access to.

Put together your own toolbox that works for you to give you an idea of what needs changing. Then to assess how those changes are working.

 

Consider Both Front End and Back End

SEO works on a huge number of factors, which work both “back end” in the coding of your website, and “front end” in the content of your page. It can be really easy to stay focused on just one side, as both take a lot of time. However you need to remember to keep track of both.

This is where you may require help sometimes if you don’t have to chance to run this all yourself. Perhaps consider an SEO company, or web developer to look after your “backend” if you really don’t have time to learn these bits. Just remember to pick a company you will be happy to work with on a regular basis. Who will work together with you on the project. Though you should be weary of companies who promise you ‘guaranteed’ results.

And if you’re struggling with content creation that works then it may be time to seek out a copywriter, who writes for SEO purposes.

 

Keep Things Fresh

We do hear from a lot of our clients that, well they posted a blog 2 months ago, but they’re not ranking now. Or they have wondered why the content that has been static on their website for 2 years isn’t still drawing in the rankings it used to. And that’s because you have a lot of competition.

Almost everything ever written is now on the web. If you want your content to appear right at the top, you’re going to have to put in a little more work.

So whether it is creating new content for your blog or main web pages, or even updating old blogs with new information. You need to work a little harder on making sure your content is fresh. Any facts of figures are up to date, making sure the info is still relevant today, and linking where you can in your web page.

Do this a little at a time, using one day to write a blog, and the next to update a services page. You will gradually build, and improve your content, without being bogged down in pages and pages of content.

 

Create a Checklist

Being organised is essential when it comes to SEO. With so many elements to keep track of, staying organised means you know where you are in the process. As well as ensuring you complete each task to the same standard.

We would perhaps suggest a checklist. Where you have a list of the elements you want to update, alongside the pages you need to apply those updates for. You can then simply tick them off as you along. The task can be easily divided by a number of people, or passed on to a member of the team. And it also gives you an idea of what was updated recently, and what may need your attention sooner rather than later.

This is a great example from ClickMinded of a full checklist for you to use when you get started with your SEO.

However, you may also want to use one you come back to regularly. Where you can see what you updated, and when. So you know when to come back to it. We use a spreadsheet similar to the one below to refer back to.

seo checklist

 

Keep in the Know

The experts at Hubspot have a great article on keeping up to date with SEO trends, as the world of SEO changes quite often!

One of their suggestions is creating a stream on twitter. Looking at terms like ‘google algorithm’ so that any major changes that come up can be seen almost instantly. Make sure you choose a specific enough term though, as SEO may bring up a little too much to keep up with.

They also suggest following thought leaders such as Danny Sullivan or Rand Fishkin. Who are more likely to talk about any new updates, and what you can do to make the most of them.

Make sure you check out the rest of the article for more great tips.

 

Remember

  • Little and Often – take time to update and educate yourself when it comes to SEO
  • Focus on SEO as a whole, not just one end
  • Get yourself organised to remember where you got up to

 

If you are struggling to keep up with your SEO, why not see how we could help. Visit us at our offices in Burntwood, Staffordshire, and speak to our friendly team about what your company is trying to achieve and we’ll do our best to get you there.

Still not sure how SEO works?

Still not sure how SEO works?

Still not sure how SEO works?

Search Engine Optimisation is something you can’t escape in today’s modern world of business. Getting ahead of your competitors, and battling to get your content seen is essential for getting you in front of your ideal customers. And how does it actually work?

SEO is the process of trying to get found by the right people for relevant queries. And it has changed a lot over the last few years! With a huge focus now on user experience and finding answers to questions rather than keywords on a page.

For those of who who might not be too familiar with the process, SEO works by “crawlers” going through your website. Assessing how easy it is to understand information and follow steps to the next most suitable content. Pages are then “indexed” into the search engine for future use.

 

How is it decided what comes first in rankings?

Once your site has been crawled and indexed by search engines, users can start finding you. So how do you get to the top of the page to be found?

For each query inputted into google, it makes an educated decision as to what would be the most relevant search for that person. It does this by assessing a number of factors (over 200 to be exact) through an algorithm to deliver the best result for that person. Google won’t reveal the exact factors. However, there are a few which are known about and regarded as pretty important such as keywords, site speed and links. With many marketers focusing on these aspects to get their clients seen.

Not enough for you? There is a list of 200 factors here, but as they state, some are proven, some are just speculation.

So those ranking at number one have beat all of the other content on the web in those factors to become number one. With content being constantly updating, Google updating their factors, and each users search patterns being different, you cannot always be guaranteed the number one spot if you reach it. Rankings can vary each day.

 

How do I find out more about improving my SEO?

Making one change to improve your SEO will not bring you benefit. Same as one good meal will not make you skinny. One good investment will not make you a millionaire. And one early morning run will not help you win a marathon. Making changes to improve is a step in the right direction. But SEO is something that needs your constant care and attention. You need to work at it a little each day for it to be of any value or benefit to you.

Luckily SEO is a very talked about topic. So there are plenty of blogs and articles out there on how to get the best from your SEO. Just tread carefully though, as there are a lot of different approaches. And not all of them are the right way to do things. You may find you’re penalised by Google rather than ranking higher.

If you are just starting out with SEO, this article from Moz is a great starting point on search engines actually operate. And why we need to follow certain practices with SEO.

 

This seems a lot of work …

.. And it is! There are so many factors now when it comes to ranking well on the web. Which is great news for us as users. As we gain the most relevant, informative pages for our query. But as marketers, or companies working on their own websites, it is more complicated than ever before to balance all the factors needed.

Don’t believe us? Just take a look at this brilliant (if not a little scary!) period table of elements needed within SEO. Featured in this article by Forbes and created by Search Engine Land. It shows how many aspects you need to take into consideration for SEO. As well as how much pull they each have on your rankings.

SEO Period table featured in forbes and created by search engine land

 

Now you know how SEO works? Look at our other SEO blogs to find out more on how to use it properly and make your business stand out. Really struggling to juggle all of the elements? Why not have a chat with our friendly team in Burntwood about what you would like to achieve for your business, and we’ll do everything we can to get you there.