Tag: marketing

Do Google Reviews Help Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)?

Posted on by Temitope Adelekan

http://www.temitopeadelekan.com

Google Reviews do help to improve search rankings and overall SEO efforts. There are many factors involved in search rankings; online customer reviews can be a good signal to search engines that your business is trustworthy and authoritative. In an era where competition is only getting stronger for small businesses, online reviews are a way to make your business stand out.

HOW DO WE KNOW REVIEWS MATTER?

When you consider SEO, reviews from customers aren’t usually the first thing that comes to mind. With all the other significant areas of SEO to concentrate on, reviews can be overlooked. 

Reviews matter most for local SEO. Reviews containing a searched for keyword can improve a local business’s performance, particularly in the box of local search and map results that appears at the top of SERPs, called the Local Pack. 

If you search for something like ‘DIY Store’, Google will use one of the factors to determine which businesses to display is reviews. Snippets of reviews will appear at the bottom of each business’s space, with the search terms used (and sometimes similar ones) bolded, showing what Google determines to be relevant. 

If your website is SEO-friendly and already has strong organic rankings for plenty of terms, then combined with reviews, then your site is more likely to show up in the Local Pack. 

But what if you aren’t a local business? Do reviews still matter then? If your business operates only in the realms of e-commerce or has no real physical location, some suggest that reviews are still crucial for SEO.

Why Do Reviews Matter For SEO?

Research is great, and everybody likes to see charts of businesses gaining more traffic, but you might still be unsure how online reviews can affect a business’s rankings in this manner. There are a few relatively straightforward explanations for why Google reviews do help SEO rankings. 

Google trusts your customers more than it trusts you

This is a slight exaggeration, but it is a fact that Google does depend on signals to determine whether a website is worth a good ranking or not. We have seen this since the very early days of Google with the importance of links. When your website gets a link from another relevant website, Google considers this link as an endorsement of trust in your website and will reward better visibility in the search rankings. In the same way, when a customer leaves you a review, whether good or bad, this review tells Google that your business is not only a real, and legitimate operation, but one that other people have interacted with it. The review can also help future potential customers to make decisions.

Google likes to read

Google reads your website to understand it. The more content it has available to read, the more it will learn about your business. When you use customer reviews on your website for SEO purpose or generate them on your Google My Business page, Google has plenty of new content to read and more keywords to add to its understanding of your business and what it does. 

Remember that when you search for ‘DIY store’, and Google pulled your query out as a keyword from the businesses’ reviews? Customer will describe your products and services to Google unintentionally. Those reviews will add to your business’s SEO value with your customers, even realising that their reviews are helping you in this way. A review can also help to fill in some of the content gaps that might exist on your website, and increase your overall website rankings and visibility in this way.

Great Reviews Mean More Stars And More Clicks

Whether you like it or not, people do trust reviews. Think about it like this, if you are looking at the Local Pack and see that two of the businesses have 2-star ratings, and one has a 5-star one, which one do you think you are more likely to click on? SEO rankings are influenced by click through rates. If a high percentage of searches choose your site from the search results, Google will take this to mean that you are doing something right and will give your site better rankings. Reviews can boost your click-through rates, especially if you are getting good reviews regularly. By encouraging more clicks with high ratings, you should see a boost in rankings.

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Brought to you by AAM Consultants

Edited by Temitope Adelekan

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Why is the Mass Text Messaging Service among the Most Used Services in the Market?

Posted on by Temitope Adelekan

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SMS (Short Messaging Service) is one of the most preferred ways of communicating with customers for business enterprises. Sending an SMS is simple, easy, and cost-effective. Targeting the new audience, expanding the market share, increasing brand loyalty and customer retention are some of the reasons why enterprises choose to use SMS as a major communication channel.

But how do enterprises send millions of messages per day? Sending one message at a time to individual phone numbers using a mobile phone is not an option.

The answer is most business enterprises use an SMS gateway and mass text messaging service to send messages to their customers in bulk. Many companies provide API integration services that will help enterprises integrate their system and database with the SMS gateway to send messages to customers’ phone numbers from a web application.

This makes it easier for them to send messages in bulk with a single click. There are many other advantages of using the API integration services provided by the companies. We will understand some of those in this post.

  • Cost-effective and Easy to Use
    • An SMS gateway allows enterprises to send messages from a computer. The support staff can simultaneously handle the task of sending messages and communicating with customers from multiple computers.
    • The interface is easy to use on both ends. Every mobile phone has the SMS feature in-built in the device. So it becomes very easy for the users as well as business owners to get acquainted with using the SMS as a potential marketing channel.
    • Users with little or no technical knowledge can also open and read the messages sent via SMS. It does not even have any dependency on the internet connection or smart phones.
    • SMS messages do not require an internet connection to be delivered to users. The mobile phone network will do the job effectively.
  • Suitable for Enterprises in Any Industry
    • Business enterprises from any industry can opt for the mass text messaging service.
    • Right from banks and financial institutions to healthcare, retail, travel, food industry, media and entertainment industries, any business enterprise can send messages to customers using these services.
    • The size and volume of the business also do not matter. Small, medium, and large scale business enterprises can opt for SMS messaging services.
  • Send Alerts and Notifications
    • Most enterprises use the bulk messaging services to send timely notifications and alerts to users.
    • Details about order confirmations, packing, shipping, deliveries, cancellations, etc. can be sent to users to keep them updated.
    • Notifications about service and payment due dates, flight and train ticket confirmations, restaurant reservation timings, etc. are a few more examples.
  • Use it as a Digital Marketing Strategy
    • SMS messages can be effective ways to promote and market a brand or a business and increase sales.
    • Capture Attention
      • Capture customers’ attention by sending them attractive deals and discounts.
      • Introduce them to new products or services they might be interested in.
    • Schedule Campaigns
      • Schedule promotional campaigns for the coming days in advance.
      • This will help plan the marketing strategy effectively.
      • Bulk messages can be scheduled in advance and automatically sent to customers on specified dates.
    • Cross-Promotion
      • Cross-promote the brand by sending attractive offers to customers with similar product preferences and purchase history.
      • Gently urge them to try a new brand by sending personalized product suggestions.
    • Exclusive Offers
      • Send exclusive discounts, coupon codes, etc. to special customers.
      • Categorize customers into groups and send exclusive offers in bulk.
    • Email to SMS
      • Messages can be sent from an email to user phone numbers using the API platform.
      • The messages from an email will be converted and forwarded to the selected list of phone numbers in the database.
    • Lead Tracking
      • Include links to the webpages in the SMS. Keep track of the leads generated through the messages to understand the extent to which SMS messages are helping in building the business.
    • Two-factor Authentication
      • Use two-factor authentication to ensure data security.
      • Send One Time Passwords and other confidential information with an added layer of protection.
      • Voice calls Fallback
        • If the OTP fails to deliver during the stipulated time, the voice call fallback option will ensure that the customer receives the OTP before the transaction time expires.
        • The option is auto-routed, and a call will be placed to the customer’s phone number from the system.
      • Two-way Communication
        • Allow customers to reply to messages sent by the enterprise.

Take feedback, ask for confirmations, or let customers initiate a message by providing them with the required codes to send as replies.

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Brought to you by David Neeble

Edited by Temitope Adelekan

Underrated Link Building Tactics!

Posted on by Temitope Adelekan

images

If you wish to expand your client list and attract more quality leads, you need to market and sell your brand. Along the same line, if you aim to rank high on the search engine results pages (SERPs), you need to build links for SEO.

Some of the most popular link building techniques that have been proven effective are guest posting, link reclamation, broken link building, and content syndication, among others. While these have stood the test of time, it’s worth looking into other methods, especially since a lot of link builders have been doing the same strategies for years.

If you want to get ahead of the curve and become the best marketer out there, you need to expand your strategies and find which ones work best.

This infographic guide from Spiralytics enumerates the underrated link building techniques you can add to your SEO strategy.

Below, you’ll find methods that are equally, if not more, effective than the usual ones.

Underrated Link Building Tactics

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Brought to you by Spiralytics

Edited by Temitope Adelekan

How to remodel a store to boost sales

Posted on by Temitope Adelekan

StoreRemodel1

In a time where more and more consumers conduct the majority of their shopping online, brick-and-mortar stores need to exploit their advantages. Physical stores can offer a cohesive branding and shopping experience that eCommerce simply can’t.

Of course, brick-and-mortar stores can’t beat the convenience of ordering products online, but they don’t have to. Consumers visit physical stores for the entire experience, rather than just buying an item. Small businesses should cater to this desire to boost sales.

Remodeling your store can be quite the undertaking, however, it will propel your brand forward and raise your bottom line. From colors to floorplans, create an enticing customer journey that will drive purchases. Learn how with the visual below:

StoreRemodel

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Brought to you by Bigrentz

Edited by Temitope Adelekan

6 Ways to Tell if Your Website Was Hacked

Posted on by Temitope Adelekan

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If you have the slightest suspicion that your website is hacked or has been hacked for some time, then that’s probably the case. At that point, you should act as soon as possible. Most of the times, people will complain that their browser is alerting them of the hack when they visit their site. It’s either that or the hosting provider took the site offline. This could reveal one scary truth – the hackers have invaded the site for quite some time now, and they might have done considerable damage. Ideally, you should invest in some security products to safely encrypt your website. You should do anything to avoid hackers and invasive attacks. But first, let’s take a look at how you should check whether your website’s health bar. We’ll talk about outside sources here, taking into consideration that even the most vigilant system administrator could overlook certain aspects.

  • Your browser gives you a warning

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If you or any other visitor stumbled upon this when accessing the website on Chrome, then your site is most probably infected with a healthy dose of malware. For example, this warning tells you that your website has been used as a den for phishing attempts. Links to your website are being sent to other people, tricking them into doing what the hacker wants once they visit the website. How does the hacker achieve this? Malware.

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The same goes for this warning. It’s self-explanatory, I think. Someone has access to your website’s internal structure, and they installed specific malware programs which infect the devices of your visitors.

  • The hosting provider takes your website offline

Your hosting provider might receive complaints from other users that your site is hacked, or their own autonomous screening programs have detected something wrong. Either way, they’ll immediately cut off your website from the internet. Keep in mind that some hosting providers might also format your server to prevent the infection from spreading to other users. It would be good to have a back-up close-by, just in case this happens. After they’ve closed down your website, you’ll usually receive a notification on your email.

  • Google search results show your website as potentially harmful

If you see this message right next to your website on the Google searches, then you’re probably dealing with hackers.

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Sometimes, Google will remove your website from the search results altogether, if they have strong reasons to believe the malware is very risky. At times, they’ll still show it, but accompanied by a warning notification. They’ll either say that “This site may be hacked”, when they’ve noticed strange changes made to the website, or that “This site may harm your computer”, which means they’ve successfully detected the malware and they’re reminding you of this. It’s also possible for your website to display different content in different countries as part of a hack. The only way you can detect this is if you use a VPN to check your website from different countries.

  • Your Malware Scanner warns you of an infection

If you’ve been listening to me and decided to employ a malware scanner, then most likely, this is where you’ll first find out that your site is being hacked. With a malware scanner, the time between the infection and its discovery is kept to a minimum, hence its efficiency and my advice. Check your email daily, so you don’t miss any warnings when they do come.

  • Customer complaints

The truth is, your customers get to use your website way more than you do, and if you have thousands of visitors per day, this could be a very handy warning system. Quite cynical, I know, but it gets the job done. If someone informs you of fishy things related to your website, don’t wait and allow things to get out-of-hand! Take it offline if need be!

  • Google’s Search Console warns you of any infections

This console is the former “Google Webmaster Tools”. The name says enough, I think. Use it to check for any inconsistencies Google may have found when it’s indexing your website. It will even provide you with a few statistics with customer visits. As usual, you’ll receive the notifications by mail. So, if you see something like this, then your website is probably hacked.

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How you can detect a hack before anyone notices

Visiting your website regularly should be your first and foremost prevention solution against malware and hacks. Just make sure to check the code and the databases regularly, and perform a couple of security checks as well. By using a Source Code Scanner, you can inspect all the PHP code and all the other source code to check for any known malware patterns. These programs will either check for any malware signatures that match their database of known infections or compare the suspicious code with a good version of it.

In this way, both old and newer types of malware can be safely detected before the infection gets to spread forth. You can also monitor the site traffic and check for any spikes. These appear when hackers use your website for a spamvertizing campaign. In plain language, they’ll include your link in spam emails which they send to people. Then, they get redirected to the true serpent hiding in the bushes. However, your website will still record a spike in traffic when the users first access the initial link. Searching for these traffic spikes with tools like Google Analytics will cut your time in half, and get you to the bottom of the issue. You’ll quickly have a general idea of whether your website has been hacked or not. Most hacked sites have these traffic spikes, so it’s quite a good hint in that direction.

Conclusion

Keeping your website malware-free is not that hard to accomplish, especially if you proactively search for any issues beforehand. Be vigilant, and you won’t be taken by surprise, that’s the golden rule. Build a routine of constant security check-ups, use Google’s Search Console, and remember to check your email daily for any warning notifications.

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Brought to you by Bogdan Patru – is a cybersecurity news analyst at VPNTeacher. He has a passion for international data policy and how it affects citizens’ privacy.

Edited by Temitope Adelekan

How Artificial Intelligence Is Reshaping Email Marketing (Infographic)

Posted on by Temitope Adelekan

Artificial Intelligence, technology

Email is one of the highest-performing marketing channels around, but it doesn’t mean that developments are no longer possible. Email marketing is proving to be more efficient with the introduction of the latest technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI). Practically all aspects of email marketing are compatible with how AI is supposed to work.

Since AI programs have machine learning features built into them, you can direct your email campaigns to the right audience based on your customers’ past behaviour, activities, and interaction with your brand. As a tool that’s capable of collating data about your email marketing performance, AI helps ensure that you’re able to optimise various elements in your email, from subject line to copy and CTA – so recipients will be compelled to find out what’s in it for them.

The following infographic also examines the role of AI in streamlining your email marketing through automation as well as setting business goals and making projections through data analytics.

How-Artificial-Intelligence-is-Reshaping-Email-Marketing

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Brought to you by Connextdigital

Post submitted by Jess Andriani

Edited by Temitope Adelekan

A Complete Guide to Using Infographics for Lead Generation

Posted on by Temitope Adelekan

snippet

It’s no secret that lead generation is an essential cocktail in ensuring that your business will take flight. If you’re reading this article, there’s a good chance you’re thinking that you’ve already exhausted all possible efforts in attracting high-quality prospects that your brand can easily convert, but you’re still looking for creative ways to push these efforts forward. Well then, you came to the right place.

Here’s a question to start the discussion: What comes to mind when you think of infographics? Some people would say stunning graphics of visuals; others would say it’s an excellent way to get engagement. Readers are usually captivated by this content type since it combines information and aesthetic. It’s a creative way to present data without overwhelming your audience.

Infographics are so valuable to content marketers because of its proven track record in increasing site traffic and tripling social media engagement. However, it’s not often associated with lead generation—a missed opportunity.

It’s time to change this! In the infographic below, you’ll discover that it’s possible to optimize your infographics so you can reap its benefits and get quality prospects for your business. Learn how to generate leads with infographics and get ahead of the competition.

A Complete Guide to Using Infographics for Lead Generation

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Brought to you by Spiralytics

Post submitted by Ushabelle Bongo – Popularly know as Shaw is a proud daughter of the Queen City of the South who has been hustling in Makati since 2016. She initially tried her hands at banking, only to be proven once and for all that her hands are made for playing with words, not handling numbers. Now Shaw is in a better place–a digital marketing paradise otherwise known as Spiralytics, where she’s making waves as a Content Specialist.

Edited by Temitope Adelekan

How Companies Use Scent Marketing to Influence Buyers

Posted on by Temitope Adelekan

fragrancex logo

Scent marketing has been used for years by companies across many industries to influence customer opinion, reinforce brand image or encourage sales. Scent is connected to parts of the brain that help us recall memories and experience emotion, which makes it a powerful subliminal tool.

How do companies use scent? It depends on the industry. For instance, Cinnabon bakes their cinnamon rolls towards the front of their stores so that the smell can easily travel outside of the shop. Since they are often in enclosed spaces (like malls), the smell is quite strong and encourages sales.

Companies can also use scent to reinforce brand image or create a certain atmosphere in their stores. For example, the scent of leather can inspire an image of opulence, leading customers to feel like the products sold there are luxurious. It is often used in upscale shops and storefronts.

Many gyms will use the smell of fresh linen to create or reinforce the illusion that their gym is extremely clean. Also, lemongrass can be used to energize and invigorate casino patrons or hotel guests.

There are numerous ways that scent marketing can benefit businesses both large and small. The below infographic from FragranceX delves into the subject a bit more!

the-science-of-scent-marketing-shareable

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Brought to you by FragranceX

Post submitted by Karli J. – Karli is a content marketer who enjoys sharing information on everything from travel and real estate to productivity hacks and marketing best practices. On the weekends, she loves to explore new places, enjoy the outdoors and have a glass or two of vino!

Edited by Temitope Adelekan

Time Management Best Practices for the Busy Entrepreneur

Posted on by Temitope Adelekan

Time Management Tips

Time management is an essential skill to master – whether at home or work. People always want to get things done so they can rest more comfortable when everything is over.

Questions such as where to start from, when to start, or how to start are some of the issues people face on a daily basis in the quest of finding/learning how to manage time effectively.

That said, there are some smart insights you can follow to solve the highlighted questions.

Learning this skill takes time, but following the necessary steps would ensure you acquire them. Some of the steps you should consider is learning to say ‘no’ when you have a lot on your plate already instead of jumping at every opportunity that is knocking at you. You have to be smart when it comes to what you accept and decline. Another point worth mentioning that is relating to the topic under discussion is delegation. It is imperative that a person knows how to delegate when the situation is overwhelming, this way, a person can keep tasks going without any hiccups.

These are some of the things you can take to heart and start mulling over. To know more about the best practices on time management, check out this infographic below:

Time Management Best Practices

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Brought to you by our friend at the Owners Up

Post submitted by Tanya Alvarez

Edited by Temitope Adelekan

Four Pillars of Brainstorming

Posted on by Temitope Adelekan

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Whether you love brainstorming or feel intimidated by the process, it’s always great to brush up on your idea generation skills. Coming up with creative ideas on demand is no easy feat, but implementing tried and true brainstorming best practices can help make the process easier. If you’re feeling stuck during a brainstorm, consider implementing the four pillars of brainstorming, a framework created by advertiser Alex F. Osborn in the 1940s. Alex F. Osborn created the term “brainstorm” and developed four pillars that you can use when coming up with new ideas.

By going for quality, withholding criticism, welcoming wild ideas, and combining and improving ideas, you can radically transform the success of your brainstorming sessions. Check out the infographic below from our friends at Fundera that outlines the four pillars and provides actionable tips to improve idea generation. Feel free to add your suggestions in the comment box below.

Brainstorming-ideas-infographic

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Brought to you by Fundera

Edited by Temitope Adelekan