Emarketed

Monday, 29 October 2018

How to Optimize Your Website for Voice Search

Voice search is growing rapidly as a more popular option for finding information online and it not likely to slow down.

People prefer the easy hands-free option of voice search so it is crucial for marketers to consider these types of searches in the way that they approach optimization. It is possible for marketers to use SEO methods and other optimization tools to ensure that their company appears in the results of a voice search.

An important thing to keep in mind when optimizing is that the way people pose questions and use keywords with voice search is often very different than typing out a query. Understanding why and how voice search usually occurs can help you gain insight into the best ways to optimize. Specific voice queries may be more likely to be useful in directing people to your business in the results.

SEO professionals have been discovering new strategies to make use of voice search in a way that will boost a website’s rank. The ease with which people can ask questions on the go using voice search has made it beneficial for SEO marketers to get a website to appear more frequently. With voice search someone can quickly and easily find your business right when they are ready to make a purchase.

Differences in Voice Search

When people type in a search either on a computer or a phone they tend to use more succinct language. They might type in about one to three words that quickly identify the main information that they are searching for such as “Mexican restaurant LA”. With voice search it tends to be more conversational in tone since people don’t need to save time when typing and they often use more words and longer phrases.

A voice search might take the form of an actual question rather than just a couple of keywords such as “What is the best Mexican restaurant in LA?” Conversational phrases can be included in SEO strategies in order to get better results in voice search rather than focusing on short keywords.

Understanding the way that people use voice search and what takes place when it is used can help you come up with better optimization strategies.

Another aspect of voice search that makes it different from traditional searches is that it typically focuses on local results for specific items or places that people are looking for. When someone performs a voice search they often want to take immediate action because they are on the go or need to buy something. When typing a search into a computer the user is more often looking to read longer material and research a topic before they decide to make a purchase.

The type of content used to optimize voice search will work best if it is local and brief to help people make a quick decision to purchase from you. They often won’t be reading long articles or clicking through many different sites when using voice search so concise information that provides them a solution is the most effective. Reaching users when they are looking for local businesses can ensure that you are taking advantage of the possibilities of voice search.

Although traditional, computer-based searches are still important for optimization every marketer needs to familiarize themselves with voice search. If you are not optimizing for voice search then you are missing out on a great opportunity to reach customers who are looking for a business like yours. Balancing optimization for both voice search and typed searches can give you a more well-rounded marketing campaign.

The post How to Optimize Your Website for Voice Search appeared first on SEM Blog & News - SEO, PPC, Social, Marketing & More.

source https://www.emarketed.com/blog/optimize-website-for-voice-search/

6 Reasons to Consider Using Podcasts to Grow Your Business – And How to Do It

6 Reasons to Consider Using Podcasts to Grow Your Business - And How to Do It

When most businesses launch, they usually have a strategy in mind – go the traditional awareness way and then, leverage social media.

Whenever they’ve exhausted all options and ask me what next to do though, I find out that many of them are yet to explore the sheer opportunities provided by podcasts. This is a very shocking development for many reasons.

For one, 49% of Americans (aged 12 and above) admit to knowing what a podcast is, and no less than 33% of them have listened to at least one before. The numbers get more interesting when you find out that some 65% of listeners have purchased something promoted on a podcast than elsewhere.

It is thus a wonder why marketers who spent a paltry $90 million in podcasts ads as at 2014 are now projected to spend more than $400 million by next year (2019).

But then, even if these podcasts are recording such amazing numbers, how do they help your business?

1 Higher Engagement Rates

The thing with other forms of marketing (website, Facebook, twitter, etc.) is that you have to always get in front of your audience with new content. That is not the same with podcasting as you can keep them engaged without their visiting your site at all.

Anytime you drop a new podcast, it is automatically downloaded to the consumer’s favorite device. Given that the average American spends 25% of their total audio time on podcasts too, that means better results for you.

2 Low Entry Barriers

Podcasting is one of those forms of outreach that you can start with little to no experience. People out there are podcasting just for the fun of it, and businesses are getting in on the trend too.

Software and hardware requirements are equally not overwhelming. You can even scale up as you go higher in your business.

If you still want things done professionally, you won’t have to break the bank. You can find a handful of good Phoenix sound mixers to help you take your podcast from an amateurish level to that professional audio output level you desire – in no time, and at not much cost.

3 Brand awareness

If I haven’t already mentioned this, podcasting is one of the most natural ways to drive quality organic traffic to your website. With the amount of engagement the platform brings, there is no doubt about it being one of the unique ways through which you can spread your brand awareness further.

Podcasts can also be shared on different distribution platforms. This allows you put your podcast onto more visible sharing platforms. From here, all roads lead to a greater brand visibility.

4 Passive Consumption

Have you ever thought about how busy your audience might be? Not all of them, but quite a handful of them?

These ones might not have the time or patience to browse through your website content or social media updates, but they can always consume your podcasts passively. That opens up a new market for you with such people, allowing you to break into their own space.

5 Highly Effective

All of these benefits of podcasts would mean nothing if they didn’t hold any promise for your business. That is why it is important to reiterate how 63% of podcast listeners claimed to have bought something that was advertised to them.

It is also important to note that up to 88% of all those who are subscribed to your podcasts will listen to everything you have to say. By everything, I mean every episode too.

I might be wrong, but tell me any other platform currently offering such an engagement rate.

6 Audience Availability

Every business needs an audience to survive.

On the iTunes podcasting section alone, there are more than 1 billion total subscribers within your reach. Castbox and Podcast Republic might not be as large, but they offer you some 5 million subscribers too. Yet another platform is Podbean which brings on board an addition 1 million subscriber market.

Considering how even the top three social media networks can’t add up to give you such numbers, it is not rocket science why podcasting should be atop your business marketing agenda.

Getting started with podcasting

Like I said earlier, getting into podcasting for your business is not capital intensive at all. However, I suggest getting it done right, even if it means bringing professionals into the loop.

The best place to start would be by looking around your neighborhood for such professionals.

There are a couple of great Phoenix podcast recording studios that you can book sessions with to get your audio content out there. These studios not only offer you state-of -the-art equipment to make your content delivery better, but guidance and direction too.

You would also want to look for a great sound mixer to ensure everything you say is as crisp as possible. Fact is, a sound mixer should come as part of the deal when you’ve landed a great recording studio already.

Conclusion

The numbers are there. The platform is there. The tools are there.

Now that you know just how important podcasts can be to your business, why wait? If you ask me, the best time to have started podcasting is yesterday.

The market is still fresh – break in and scale your brand better!

The post 6 Reasons to Consider Using Podcasts to Grow Your Business – And How to Do It appeared first on SEM Blog & News - SEO, PPC, Social, Marketing & More.

source https://www.emarketed.com/blog/podcasts-grow-your-business/

Top 5 Live Streaming Solutions For Pros

2018 is not just an era of videos, but also a more urbane form of the same is popular these days – Live videos. From business and marketing perspective to career and entrepreneurship, live videos are ubiquitously offering the superlative ways to reach a wider audience base. The early adopters took no time to realize that a trending tech like video streaming solution would aid them to achieve a stable hold amongst their audience, ultimately enhancing their economy to the desired levels.

It is being keen-sighted as a chief tool to gain the attention of the impending prospects. Eminently, with a CAGR of 18.3%, the live video streaming has geared itself to grow its market from $30.3 billion (as recorded in 2016) to $70.5 billion in 2021(source).

Enterprise video streaming- growth in several verticals
Currently, the audience for entertainment (53%) majorly consumes the live streaming videos. However, there is no shortage of viewers in other spheres as well: Media (41%), Social Sharing (30%) and Sports events (29%). A recent utilization of live streaming solution by professionals in the education industry has led to an exploding growth of live streaming business in the current scenario.

The major reason for this escalation is the height of engagement offered by different live video streaming platforms in the market. They are continually fulfilling the audience’s desire to see real-time videos and interact with the presenter at the same time. By offering a seamless communication channel with the brands, the Enterprise video market will collectively reach the $41 billion mark by 2022.

What should you expect from a professional video streaming solution?
Being an individual broadcaster, you always have the scope for experiments, and you can try out live streaming on free platforms like Facebook Live or Periscope. However, while perusing live streaming as a profession or when streaming for a brand, you should favorably opt for professional grade solutions. There are aspects that critically matter when you are a pro live streamer: security of the consumer data, level of personalization for your audience, features for seamless interaction and options to enhance brand visibility. You cannot expect a free platform to fulfill all these aspects on a professional stage.

Tuesday, 23 October 2018

Is Your Content Dying to Be Engaged?

One of the the key elements that marketers focus on is creating high quality content that will keep people interested in their brand. But another crucial factor in marketing success is also getting higher levels of engagement on your content. How do you get more users to interact with and respond to the content that you share?

The content that you write for blogs or post on social media can get more comments, likes and shares if you think of angles that will make people feel involved. This could mean writing about debatable topics or asking for users opinions about things so that they are more likely to chime in. You can ask a question, have people compare two options or open up a friendly non-offensive discussion.

Another strategy to take in order to increase engagement is to use relatable humor, surprising facts or interesting stories to get people to respond to your posts. Content that has these qualities tends to get shared more often because users are hoping to get others to respond. It is a good idea to know your audience and what type of humor or stories will be relatable and interesting to them.

Appealing graphics and images are also a simple way to attract more attention and encourage more engagement with your content. If you are posting a blog then incorporating some infographics, screenshots or images of your products can help illustrate the topic you are discussing. Social media posts with colorful and attractive images tend to get more attention and engagement from followers.

Video can be just as effective a tool as images so make sure to incorporate some short video clips on your blog or social media profile. Using a variety of different strategies to increase engagement can lead to building more popular content online.

The post Is Your Content Dying to Be Engaged? appeared first on SEM Blog & News - SEO, PPC, Social, Marketing & More.

source https://www.emarketed.com/blog/engaging-content/

Which Website Builder is Right for Me?

There are plenty of different tools available to help people create their own websites without having to have any special coding knowledge. The most commonly used options are WordPress, Squarespace, Wix or Weebly which all offer options for creating a custom site. But how do you know which one will work best for the type of website you want to design?

One of the most important things to consider when choosing a website builder is what you are willing to spend in order to make your site. There are plenty of cheap or even free options for creating a site but they may not as secure, easy to use or have as many design capabilities. For personal blogs or a freelance type of business like photography, a cheap or free option like Squarespace may be the best choice.

For a small but more established business, most people choose WordPress because it is very user friendly, has many more design options to create a unique site and it is also more search engine friendly. It is a little more costly than other options but it offers many benefits that small businesses tend to prefer if they want more professional looking website. Because of its wider spectrum of design capabilities, WordPress sites are easier to customize and create the exact look and function that you want.

For someone looking to create just a basic website that they can use Squarespace for free or upgrade to the business plan for a small monthly fee. Wix and Weebly have very cheap basic options as well. The cost of creating your website will depend on the type of services you need as you choose from the different plans available.

Anyone can create their own website but finding the right builder depends mainly on your individual business needs and your site budget.

The post Which Website Builder is Right for Me? appeared first on SEM Blog & News - SEO, PPC, Social, Marketing & More.

source https://www.emarketed.com/blog/best-website-builder/

Monday, 22 October 2018

Getting Started with Micro-Video Content Creation

Video marketing has become a more integral part of a business’ overall advertising strategy as the popularity of video continues to grow online. People tend to seek out video to find information and also remember video more easily than other types of content. Powerful companies are now using micro-video content to engage users and increase brand recognition.

A micro-video is a essentially a short video clip aimed at retaining people’s attention by keeping the content brief. A micro-video might only be about 15-30 seconds long but contains valuable marketing information that the user is more likely to remember. People will usually watch the whole video, understand the message and be more inclined to engage with your business.

When it comes to creating micro-video content it is important to have a goal in mind such as brand awareness, customer retention or increasing engagement. You can then choose a type of video that will help you reach your goal such as GIF, animated video or simply a short clip. GIFs can be effective for creating something humorous or showcasing products with an eye-catching animation of them.

A video with real footage may be useful in introducing a new product and including important information about it that you want to share. For a real video clip you need to write a script if you plan to have narration or dialogue. In some cases you may just want to use background music along with compelling images and text.

Make sure to use some good quality equipment for your video including a nice camera and audio recording tools. A better quality video is likely to get more engagement especially if it has high quality audio rather than a smartphone microphone. Once you have shot, edited and uploaded your micro-video you can post and promote it on social media where you will start to see more engagement.

The post Getting Started with Micro-Video Content Creation appeared first on SEM Blog & News - SEO, PPC, Social, Marketing & More.

source https://www.emarketed.com/blog/micro-video-content-creation/

Thursday, 18 October 2018

How To Choose The Right SEO Agency For You

One study conducted in 2014 found that the first page of Google gets 95% of web traffic and that 67% of users go for one of the first five results on the first page.

Would you like your business to be on the first page and have a higher chance of attracting high-quality traffic? If you answered yes, then you need to find an SEO agency with the kind of expertise that will push your rankings forward.

In today’s age of competitive business, buying goods and services is quite tasking because there are a plethora of options available on the market. You are likely to face this challenge when choosing an SEO agency and the chances are that you might end up selecting an agency that does its marketing well but fall short with its services. If you are deciding to choose an agency to do your SEO, here’s what you need to do to get the best.

Check how long an agency has been operating

What experience does every agency you are looking into have? If an agency has been in the industry for long, then it has weathered several storms, and it is in a position to improve your rankings. New SEO agencies might know how to do SEO, but they might not be able to adapt to the ever-changing SEO requirements quickly. However, you should not discredit all new SEO agencies because some employ experts who can do the job as well as those in older agencies.

When looking at the longevity in business, you also need to check if an agency has worked with both small and big companies. If they have worked successfully with both, you can trust them because they aren’t just masters of one talent.

Gauge portfolios

Before making your final decision, you ought to compare the portfolios of several SEO agencies. If you go through their websites, you are likely to find a list of businesses that they have worked with in the past, though some might want to remain anonymous. If there is no list on the website, that’s a red flag.

An agency’s portfolio shows you the kind of businesses it serves which in turn helps you identify if it works with businesses in your niche. For instance, if you sell shoes online and the agency has worked with lots of online stores, then that’s a good sign that it can get the job done for you. Moreover, if an agency has worked with a variety of businesses, it shows that it is versatile and can adapt quickly.

Examine your goals

Your SEO strategy should have a goal at the end, for example, increase social shares by 5% quarterly. The figures of your goals should be tangible, reasonable, and attainable, keeping in mind that SEO is a field that does not achieve results overnight. That said, a good SEO agency is one that puts your goals and objectives first. Hence’ if you come across an agency that wants to begin working right away without knowing what you want to achieve, run! More importantly, the practices and goals of an ideal agency should mirror yours, so that you are always on the same page and working towards the same results.

Look for proven results

Research is pivotal when looking for an SEO agency. One of the things you need to look for before arriving at a decision is proven results. Are an agency’s past clients and employees satisfied with its services? You can get trustworthy reviews from an agency’s website.

Another great way to get unbiased opinions is to look at reviews left by previous customers on Google or Yelp. Alternatively, you can contact several past clients who have worked with a said agency to find out if they achieved the results they wanted.

Ask questions

This is one of the most critical steps that will help you determine whether an agency understands what you want and if it is the best fit.

Ask questions about:

The processes the agency uses
The resources that they need from you
What steps you should take when things are not done correctly
Their communication and reporting process for the progress of the SEO strategy

Mistakes you should avoid making

Trusting search engines as filters

The first step toward getting an agency is conducting some research, mostly via Google. When you search the best SEO agencies in your location, you’ll get some results, which you should take with a pinch salt. The best companies are busy and overwhelmed by new and retained clients. Hence they might not have all the time to do good SEO for their websites and appear on the first page on SERPs.

Believing there’s a secret method

One of the hugest red flags is agencies that tell you they have a secret SEO formula that will improve your ranking. This might have been the case a few years back but nowadays, SEO is an open field, and no one has a secret process.

Following the processes discussed above will land you an agency that does the best SEO and adapts to change quickly. For more information about SEO agencies, visit https://serpbook.com/blog/agency-rank-tracker/.

The post How To Choose The Right SEO Agency For You appeared first on SEM Blog & News - SEO, PPC, Social, Marketing & More.

source https://www.emarketed.com/blog/the-right-seo-agency-for-you/