Tag Archive for: seo

Google Ads brings image extensions to desktop

/in /by

New search engine update coming your way in just a few weeks. The new Google update will be bringing image extensions to desktop devices before the end of 2021. In addition, advertisers that are already using image extensions for mobile devices will automatically show those extensions on desktop. Google Ads will begin to roll out image extensions to desktop devices in the coming weeks, the company announced last week. This update will not only be added to static images, but also apply to all dynamic image extensions.

Why marketers should care.

It really depends, however image extensions can be extremely helpful in making your ads more visually appealing, which might encourage visitors to click on them. Before the end of 2021 and available the start of 2022, image extensions will also be available on desktop which will enable you to show any images that are relevant to users whether they’re at home or on the go.

If you’re already running image extensions on mobile, they’ll automatically show on desktop devices as this update rolls out, so make sure to monitor performance so that you can assess whether this is something that’s worthwhile for your brand.

Prior to this update, the images attached to ads would only show on mobile devices. For advertisers that are already using image extensions, their ads will automatically show these images on desktop devices as this update rolls out.

Desktop device performance can be broken out by segmenting your data by “Device.”

Dynamic image extensions are also expanding. 

This update also brings dynamic image extensions, which automatically select the most relevant image from your ad’s landing page, to desktop devices. In addition, these are also now available for all languages.

Google has also added a free, searchable library of stock images to help advertisers source visuals. To access the library, select “stock images” when you’re asked to choose an image for your image extension. Stock images can be cropped to a square or landscape format from directly within Google Ads before adding it to your image extension.

Final thoughts

In addition to Google Ads updates, general SEA and other digital marketing tips, we will continue to share case studies and the latest digital marketing news and tips to help you drive your business. Our goal is to ensure we help improve your marketing and drive success.

At Onimod Global, we have endless experience and expertise when it comes to all things SEO, general social media advertising, and digital marketing. Got questions about how to optimize your search engine advertising or want to learn more about us? Contact us here today.

Why You Should Combine Social and SEA

/in , , , , /by

Are you a PPC connoisseur or a paid social media pro? Are you neither of these things and looking for more insight on how to develop a paid digital marketing strategy? You have definitely come to the right place, as Onimod Global experts are here to share insight on both types of paid digital advertising and where it makes sense for you to invest you ad dollar.

Reasons to combine SEA and social media advertising

Why should PPC and social media ads be combined and regarded as a unit? When you combine the social media activities with PPC, you activate double the power online. Simply put: it’s a great way to increase your brand awareness and generate new leads.

1. PPC is successful: Search engine advertising that is targeted can lead to website traffic and success in just a short period of time. Use this effect to make your social media channels not only grow in following, but also in conversions.

2. Control demographics and usage: Users’ demographics cannot be controlled accurately when only using search engines. One the other hand, social media channels contain a huge collection of personal information such as photos and demographics – it’s worth using these data for PPC as well.

The journey to paid digital advertising

The journey to the goal of your paid digital advertising success is most often anything but straightforward. This is a crucial point that should always be kept in mind during your strategy process. Through being strategic with a funnel ad campaign, your customers may very often come into contact with your brand before they decide to buy. Another important note is people may already know your brand from a variety of platforms and influencers and have become aware of you in a positive way. This potential circumstance makes them more likely to click on PPC ads.

Due to all social media channels such as Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest, have become indispensable in many people’s everyday lives. They therefore offer excellent opportunities for “advertising”. Not in the traditional sense, though, but in much more creative ad formats that are meant to look native to the platform being disguised among organic content.

The difference between social media ads and PPC

Social ads are ads created for and shared on all social media platforms. Depending on the platform, the ads appear on users’ news feeds and, ideally, users will become more familiar with your brand and convert. The clearly designed Facebook ad manager will guide you through the creation of a campaign in which you act strategically and define your goals in the first step. You can create campaigns for Facebook or for Instagram.

Are you currently directing traffic from your PPC clicks only to websites or shops? Yes, that would make the most sense, because you generate the most revenue. Try something different and you may be surprised on the result: promote your social media channels through PPC. For example, make relevant content for your consumers which will lead them to wanting to consume more of your organic content.

This is where all of the success comes into play: with all of these platforms. you build a relationship with your customers and strengthen the image of your brand. The purchase of your product is not yet in the foreground of many people, if they, for example, are not yet familiar (enough) with the brand. However, if you manage to turn these people into fans of your Instagram page, their initial interest in your brand may eventually grow into a decision to make a purchase.

Final thoughts

All in all, we recommend you to ensure their is a cohesiveness between your brand and organic content to your social media ads, and PPC advertising is just as important from a search engine perspective. In addition to paid digital advertising and other digital marketing tips, we will continue to share case studies and the latest digital marketing news and tips to help you drive your business. Our goal is to ensure we help improve your marketing and drive success.

At Onimod Global, we have endless experience and expertise when it comes to all things SEO, general social media advertising, and digital marketing. Got questions about how to develop a paid digital marketing strategy or want to learn more about us? Contact us here today.

 

3 Crucial SEO Tips for 2021

/in , , /by

Search engine optimization, SEO, by definition is: a strategy in digital marketing which aims to improve your ranking on search engines.

Sounds easy to conquer, but we all know it isn’t so simple. It’s extremely difficult to keep up with Google’s 500-600 algorithm updates annually. That means there is at least one update per day every year. Experts who dedicate their careers to unlocking the secret to search engine ranking optimization still are puzzled at the end of the day. Fear not, we are here to help guide you with the top 3 SEO tips for 2021 that will get you on the right track to ranking success.

1. Understand your website’s core vitals

Maybe you’ve never heard the phrase before, but the philosophy behind it is becoming more crucial to your SEO and ranking. In May of 2022, Google will roll out Page Experience, which is a brand new algorithm ranking pages based off of their “core web vital” scores. A brief overview of what to look out for here is: 

Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) – Measures page speed. This is the time it takes for a page’s main content to load. The ideal LCP is 2.5 seconds or faster.

First Input Delay (FID) – Measures page responsiveness. This is the time it takes for a page to become interactive. The ideal FID is less than 100 ms. 

Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) – Measures visual stability. This is the amount of unexpected layout shift of visual page content. The ideal CLS is less than .1.

2. Focus on featured snippets
If they aren’t already, featured snippets should be a priority to include in your SEO strategy for 2021. Also commonly referred to as the holy grail of search, featured snippets appear at the very top of search engine page results (SERP), or in position zero, in a rectangular box. You can’t technically “select” the content shown in a featured snippet, but you can optimize your content so it’s more likely to appear in a featured snippet. Here are a few recommendations.

Use questions: all content that you write needs to be composed with the user in mind. What would they search in Google in order to come across your content?

Long term keywords: the longer words in a search query, the higher chance it will return a featured snippet. Only 4.3% of single word keywords resulted in a featured snippet as compared to 17% of keywords made up of 5 words, and 55.5% of keywords made of 10 words.
Keep formats in mind: When it comes to featured snippets, there are four different formats: paragraph, list, table and video. While writing your content with the goal of achieving a featured snippet, keep these different formats in mind. Also remember, Google wants to display information easily and distinctly to searchers looking for a fast answer. So format for the speed reader.

3. Focus on user experience
 In 2021, user experience is more important than ever in terms of SEO. As mentioned in tip #1, the new focus on core web vitals is all about user experience. In addition to that, Google also takes into account bounce rate, dwell time, and click-through percentage. The goal is to have a user click on your result, spend time clicking on different pages, and spend at least 3 minutes on your site.

More From Onimod Global

As certified SEO experts, our team is here to assist your business with holistic digital marketing strategies including SEO, because our goal is to make you more sucessful. To get in contact for an audit on your digital presence, get in touch with us here.

Google Now Shares What Factors Impact Specific Rankings

/in , /by

Google now shows why it ranked a specific search result. The new ‘About This Result’ feature shows searchers information about some of these most important factors used by Google Search to connect results to their queries. Read more

How to Improve Your Local Search Rankings on Google

/in , /by

Do you feel like your business’s visibility on Google is lacking? If your business isn’t showing up for relevant searches in your area, it’s time to reevaluate your local SEO strategy, specifically your efforts on Google My Business. This is one of the simplest tools you can use to improve your local Google ranking and quickly. 

If you don’t already have a robust Google My Business strategy, here are some things you can do to up your game. 

1. Enter Complete Data

Businesses with complete and accurate information are easy to match up with the right search queries. This is why it’s crucial to consistently keep your information up to date, especially if you’re making changes to your business. You want users to be able to easily tell what you do, where you are and when they can visit. Be sure to always have your address, contact information, business category and attributes filled out on your profile and up to date. 

2. Verify Your Location 

Verifying your location will make it more likely you show up in Maps and Search on Google. The simplest way to verify your location is through a postcard. To do this, all you have to do is request Google to send you a postcard to your business address. Before you request, be sure you have the following steps completed: 

  1. You have a standard Google Account for your business. 
  2. You have a Business Profile. 
  3. You have a Google My Business account.
  4. You’ve claimed your Business Profile. 
  5. You’ve verified ownership of your business. 

They usually arrive within 2 weeks. Once you’ve received the postcard, you’ll notice a verification code. You’ll enter this into your Google My Business profile and your location will be verified. 

3. Keep Your Hours Accurate 

Accurate hours let customers know when you’re available and give them confidence you’ll be open if they take the time to travel to you. Accurate hours are also another factor Google uses in determining if your business is legitimate, ranking your relevancy for each query accordingly. Be sure to update your hours regularly, including when you open and close and if you have special hours for holidays or events. 

4. Manage and Respond to Reviews 

One of the most critical factors to online rankings are customer reviews. A large number of genuine reviews lets customers know you’re a real and reputable company. To grow your number of reviews, frequently ask for customer feedback through email, on social and in person. Be sure to link your Google My Business Profile so they know where to leave the review. Responding to reviews can be just as important as getting them. This shows you listen to your customers and value their feedback. Google also highly favors business with a large number of positive reviews when it comes to relevant searches. 

5. Add Photos

To showcase your goods and services, and to tell the story of your business, add photos to your Business Profile. Accurate and appealing pictures may also show shoppers that your business offers what they’re searching for. These images may also appear in Google search results if a user is searching for your products or about your industry. Thus, growing your brand awareness and increasing your overall reach. 

Final Thoughts

At Onimod Global, we’re a trusted Google Partner. Meaning we specialize in all Google Ad areas including: 

  • Search Advertising 
  • Mobile Advertising 
  • Video Advertising 
  • Display Advertising 
  • Shopping Advertising 

If you need assistance in any area of Google Ads, SEO or SEM in general, contact us today. 

More from Onimod Global

Onimod Global releases the latest digital marketing news and essential marketing tips every Tuesday and Thursday! To catch up on the top digital marketing news and trends, click here. To find out more about who we are and what we do, click here.

Content Creation Tips to Improve Your SEO

/in /by

When it comes to SEO, a common misconception is that to be successful, you must “trick” the algorithm. Actually, it’s about having a grasp on the key elements of the algorithm and aligning your content strategy with these SEO considerations in mind, while also optimizing for your readership. 

Check out these simple ways to create high performing content that can also help improve your search rankings. 

1. Start with keyword research. 

One piece of content should have 1 primary keyword target and 5-10 additional keyword targets. Think about what your audience might be looking for and what questions they ask online to help determine your primary keyword. Generally, the most successful keywords have high search volume and low difficulty. Keyword difficulty refers to how much competition a keyword or phrase has. The higher the value, the more difficult it will be to compete with others using that keyword as well. It can be difficult to identify the sweet spot of seed keywords (high search volume + low difficulty) but when you do, it can have a great impact on your overall success. 

2. Determine search intent. 

Search intent refers to the primary goal a user has when performing a search query. Oftentimes, users are searching for a specific answer or research. To identify keyword search intent, look for clues in SERP titles. For example, if someone is looking for: 

  • Informational answers, they might use: guide, tutorial, how, what, tips, steps, etc. 
  • Navigational answers, they might use: brand name, product, service, etc. 
  • Commercial answers, they might use: best, cheapest, top, review, etc. 
  • Transactional answers, they might use: buy, price, coupon, promo code, etc. 

Once you’ve determined the intent, you then have to identify the proper format to go along with it. Conduct research by checking the top 10 articles in the results page. What formats are other sites using, what are their CTAs and what are their titles and descriptions? 

3. Optimize meta titles, meta-descriptions and H1s. 

A well-optimized meta title: 

  • Corresponds to identified search intent 
  • Contains target keywords 
  • Consists up to 60 characters 
  • Persuades users to click to your website 
  • Includes a CTA 

A meta-description encourages users to click on the SERP links and should: 

  • Be unique 
  • Be 1-2 sentences 
  • Describe the page
  • Include target keywords 
  • Play to a specific emotion
  • Include a CTA 

H1s introduce your content to your audience, so you want to make it catchy. You can create the best performing H1s by:

  • Describing what is going to be discussed in the body of the text. 
  • Include conversational terms such as how, what, why, etc. 
  • Include numbered lists (Top 10, Best 5, etc.) 

4. Structure content to make it easily digestible. 

This is why it’s important that online content is structured to be easy to scan and read. Since you never know who might stumble upon your site, you don’t want them to immediately bounce because your content is confusing or includes too many technical terms to be easily understood. To break up your content, use multiple levels of headers and ensure it’s easy to tell which content belongs to which header. Additional best practices include: 

  • Only discussing one topic per paragraph.
  • Avoiding lengthy sentences.
  • Highlighting main ideas by bolding, italicizing or changing fonts.
  • Include bulleted or numbered lists. 

5. Include optimized visual content. 

Visuals like images, videos, infographics, checklists, templates, etc. break up your content and allow readers to digest content quicker. When including visuals, be sure to optimize their size, names and Alt tags. These practices will ensure quicker page load times, make your content unique, more descriptive and 

More from Onimod Global 

Onimod Global releases the latest digital marketing news and essential marketing tips every Tuesday and Thursday! To catch up on the top digital marketing news and trends, click here. To find out more about who we are and what we do, click here.

How to Improve Your Website Copy

/in /by

High quality website copy is one of the most effective ways to improve user experience, sell your company and drive more conversions online. If you can create copy that’s engaging and makes you stand out from competitors, you’ll likely see success. 

Here are 5 simple tips to help you improve your website copy. 

1. Utilize the Voice of the Customer

Voice of the Customer is a way to describe your customer’s experiences with and expectations for your products or services in their own language. When trying to persuade your customers, it’s extremely effective to utilize VOC. This focuses on consumers’ needs and wants and prioritizes them into a hierarchical structure of importance and satisfaction. 

You can find examples of your customers’ language in a variety of ways, but reading reviews or conducting surveys are two simple tactics. These provide the consumer with ample opportunity to express problems and experiences in their own words. You can then identify common pain points, wants and needs of your consumers, which will allow you to craft your copy to perfectly solve those issues. This ultimately helps to improve your website copy by showing visitors you understand them and their problems, as well as provide a proper solution. 

2. Conduct A/B Tests 

You will never truly know what elements perform best if you don’t test different variations. While it’s probably not necessary to test every element of your website copy, you might consider testing: 

  • Different FAQs 
  • Statement vs questions in headlines 
  • Short vs long form copy 
  • Point of view (first person vs third person)

To determine which copy performs best, you have to present users with an ask as well. This could be a download, sign up, subscribe, etc. If you don’t have a true call to action, it will be harder to determine which variant actually resonates better with potential customers. 

3. Write from the User’s Perspective 

Different from the voice of the customer, user intent refers to what a given person intends to do when they reach your site. Sometimes this may lead to a clearly defined action, such as making a purchase, but sometimes it may not. While underlying problems users are looking to solve are likely very different, the reasons people visit a website are usually similar. Users are either looking to: 

  • Learn about the your industry 
  • Find out about your services 
  • Compare products, services or prices 
  • To make an actual purchase 

When writing your copy, think from the users’ perspective and ask these 4 crucial questions: 

  1. Is it obvious to see what this company’s product or service is? 
  2. Are the benefits clear? 
  3. Is this knowledge necessary? 
  4. Does every sentence of this copy provide useful information about your products, services or give insight on what you do?

Putting yourself in the shoes of the average consumer and not an industry expert can be difficult. Which is why it can be helpful to also conduct qualitative market research and ask people who are unfamiliar with your business to use your website and provide feedback. The bottom line is that your website caters to what customers want and not what you want.

4. Be Clear and Concise 

When it comes to searching for things online, no one wants to have to work to figure out what you’re offering them or to find information on your product or service. Treat your website copy as if it were the packaging of your product and explain exactly how the product/service would solve a consumer’s problem. 

5. Include Data 

Statistics, quotes from industry experts and original data can be extremely effective in strengthening additional points you’ve made in your website copy. Using third-party data is one of the most effective ways to make your brand more trustworthy and dependable. 

Final Thoughts 

Creating successful website copy isn’t easy, but there are a variety of ways you can work to improve it. By making minor adjustments to how you view and approach the process can provide your target audience with an overall better experience, which ultimately benefits you. 

More from Onimod Global 

Onimod Global releases the latest digital marketing news and essential marketing tips every Tuesday and Thursday! To catch up on the top digital marketing news and trends, click here. To find out more about who we are and what we do, click here.

Simple Link Building Techniques to Follow in 2021

/in , /by

When it comes to SEO, both on-page and off-page efforts are equally important and need to be done appropriately. Link building is an off-page SEO technique that has become essential in enhancing a website’s rankings and its overall growth. 

Over the past few years, marketers have had to change the way they go about link building due to changes in Google’s algorithm. Google now ranks the quality of links above the total number of links a website has. With that, here are four effortless link building techniques you can utilize in 2021. 

1. Guest Posting 

A guest post is one of the most impactful link building techniques. This not only allows you to generate more backlinks, but helps you build relations with others in your industry as well. It’s fairly easy to identify blog sites that will allow others to write guests posts for them. Look for a medium that is appropriately related to your niche, but not a direct competitor. Doing this will not only allow you to build more backlinks, but can help you build good relations as well. 

When guest posting, you want to make sure your content is high quality and published in a good presentation. If the delivery is not good, your reputation could suffer and defeat the purpose. Make sure you generate informative content so you’re building links in the most effective way. 

2. Broadening Your Relations 

No matter the industry, relationships matter. The same goes for link building. Identify blogs, forums and pages that are related to your niche. Follow them on social media and try to get into contact with them. Connecting with more businesses similar to yours can help in a variety of ways. Not only are you building links but you’re also putting yourself more in the loop of what’s going on in your industry. This also helps you create more awareness for your brand, ultimately helping you and your site grow. 

3. Testimonials 

Writing testimonials is another simple and effective link building method. There are many companies that ask and enable people to write testimonials on the products or services they offer. When you leave a testimonial, you can get a backlink if the company publishes it. Ultimately this will engage more visitors and traffic to your website. 

4. Keep an Eye on Competitors  

Lastly, you should keep an eye on the links your competitors are building. Monitor the strong links they have and see the strategies they implement in going about building them. This can help you improve your own strategies and identify how you can go about getting the highest quality links. 

Final Thoughts 

Link building is an essential factor in an overall SEO strategy. While these are fairly simple tactics, there are many more. Sometimes it’s easier to seek help from the experts. At Onimod Global, SEO is our core attribute and a pillar of our marketing strategy. We develop organic search engine optimization campaigns that deliver increases in organic traffic through an increase in natural rankings across all major search engines. If you’re interested in digital marketing assistance or want to learn more about what we do, contact us today. 

Onimod Global releases the latest digital marketing news and essential marketing tips every Tuesday and Thursday! To catch up on the top digital marketing news and trends, click here

7 Ways to Improve Your Online Presence in 2021

/in , /by

All businesses are looking to attract more customers in their local area. Obviously, increasing local SEO efforts is going to be one of the best ways to accomplish this. 

Here are 7 local SEO ranking signals to concentrate on to improve your online presence in 2021. 

1. Google My Business 

Claiming your Google My Business page is one of the simplest and most effective ways to start improving your local SEO. Not to mention, it only takes a few minutes and is free. Once you’ve claimed your listing, you can optimize it further by choosing the most accurate categories for your business. You should also add photos of your location, products, staff etc. This helps add credibility to your business and serves as an additional local ranking signal. 

2. Increasing Reviews 

According to Google, high-quality reviews can improve your businesses’ visibility, especially positive ones. And similar to Google My Business, you should claim all listings on any review sites. Though it’s important to note that Google reviews carry the most weight when it comes to SEO. Location keywords being used in reviews are also valuable, as it sends signals to Google that you’re a trusted local business. 

3. Create Social Business Pages 

While Google still remains top for search engines, Facebook is also highly utilized. Which is why it’s essential to have a business page and keep it updated with accurate information and link back to your website. It’s also helpful to claim listings on other social platforms, like Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram, as well. Even if you’re not frequently active on those sites, it’s still beneficial. 

4. Consistent NAP 

Make sure your name, address and phone number are consistent across all online listings including review sites, maps, social media, etc. Google wants to make sure they’re providing accurate information to users, and this can help ensure that. 

5. Mobile Responsiveness

Since Google’s mobile-first indexing has rolled out, they look at the responsiveness of your mobile site first, not desktop. Make sure your site is optimized as much as it possibly can be for mobile. If you haven’t done this already, Google has a mobile-friendly test that can help you get started.  

6. Local Keyword Optimization 

Be sure you’re consistently sharing content that organically includes localized keywords. This could be about local events, news, weather or whatever makes sense for your brand. Includes location keywords wherever possible but still make it natural. For example, you wouldn’t want to just say “air conditioning repair.” To optimize for local SEO you would add “air conditioning repair in Chicago.” Also be sure to also optimize your titles and meta descriptions.

7. High-Quality and Diverse Inbound Links 

Links from trusted Google sites are important for SEO and especially for local SEO. You want a range of inbound links that are relevant, authoritative and gained organically. Links from news sites, community blogs, etc prove that your site is trusted by others in your community. But the most effective inbound link is from a high authority site using both your city and a main key term. 

Final Thoughts

SEO is absolutely vital to achieve long term search engine visibility for your website.There are a number of ways to enhance your local SEO efforts but these 7 tips are a great place to get started. For additional and more advanced practices, it’s best to consult SEO experts. 

At Onimod Global, SEO is our core attribute and a pillar of our marketing strategy. We develop organic search engine optimization campaigns that deliver increases in organic traffic through an increase in natural rankings across all major search engines. If you’re interested in digital marketing assistance or want to learn more about what we do, contact us today. 

How to Start Successfully Marketing Your Blog

/in , /by

A blog can be an extremely valuable asset to a business’s overall success. Over the last decade or so, businesses have increased revenue, improved brand awareness, and boosted conversions with valuable written content published for their target audience and customers. But for this to be accomplished, you must market the blog itself. 

Follow these best practices for promoting and marketing your blog content. 

Keep buyer personas top of mind.

When creating your blogs, you should always be thinking about who your ideal customer is and why they need your product or service. This way, you’ll be able to create content specifically suited to your audiences’ wants, needs, challenges, pain points, etc. When you create your blogs with these points in mind, it will be easier to use it as a conversion tool. 

Watch your competition. 

Competitors can provide insight into what’s working or not working when it comes to blog content and your target audience. Watch for thought-leaders in your industry and see what they’re writing about or experimenting with. How is their audience reacting? What gets the most traffic and drives the most discussion? This can help you determine what you need to do to stand out and provide your readers valuable content. 

Perform SEO and keyword research. 

An additional way to help you stand out among your competitors is by making sure your blogs rank higher on a webpage. Dedicate some time to keyword research to identify the phrases your target audience is searching the most. You can then tailor your blogs around these keyword phrases and include them in the blog when they naturally fit. You’ll want to perform this research prior to writing your blog. You can start by creating a list of 5-10 keyword groups you want to rank for, along with their associated long-tail keywords. 

Determine where the content will be distributed. 

It’s important to strategically determine where you’ll be distributing your content. Depending on the blogging software you use to host, it may be simple to add your articles to their corresponding landing page. Other ways to distribute your content include social media and online publishing platforms. You could also work with industry experts or influencers to share your content on their platforms as well. 

Final Thoughts 

Creating a successful blog in your niche is a great way to reach and nurture potential customers. Consistent content that solves common challenges of your readers can help build trust and advocacy. This will inevitably contribute to your overall business success. 

At Onimod Global, we’re your in-house marketing team, your partner experts for specific marketing verticals or some nice balance in between. We excel in customer service and serving as our clients consultative marketing team. If you need assistance with your blogging strategy, contact us today.