It’s All in the Local SEO

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If you want your business to become successful, which you most likely do, then you should consider getting getting educated on local SEO. SEO, or search engine optimization, can help your company rank on the Internet when potential clients or customers go searching for a specific product . . . a product that you have to offer.

Take pizza, for example. Everyone loves pizza! Let’s say you have a new pizza shop opening downtown. When someone uses their computer or smartphone to search for new pizza restaurants in the area, you want your business to not only rank (or populate), but rank high. Local ranking can really help increase revenue and awareness. To accomplish this goal, you’ll need to become knowledgeable on SEO. Are you ready?

How High Do You Rank on Local SEO?

If you haven’t faced facts already, it’s time: We live in a world where technology is king. This is both a good and bad thing. Sure, a high number of people may be glued to their cell phones, but, we can also find just about any sort of information we want at the drop of a hat.

Is technology good or bad? Or, perhaps it falls somewhere in the middle–in that gray region.

Nevertheless, if you currently run a business, and you want that business to prosper, then it’s high time to think about technology and local ranking. In order for your business or company to rank, you need to improve your local SEO, and you can do that by:

  • Claim your “Google My Business” page
  • Add a long and unique description regarding your business
  • Upload as many photos as possible, and do be afraid to get creative
  • Include a local phone number with your business listing
  • Add an address for your business, and make sure it’s the same as the one listed on your website (consistency is key)
  • Upload a clear and flattering profile image and cover photo
  • If available, add your hours of business (i.e. when you open and close)
  • As soon as possible, get real reviews from real customers

Do any of these steps seem unclear, or too difficult to perform? This may immediately feel like a lot of tasks to complete in order to get local ranking for your business. However, this should be an important goal of yours. And, besides, once you get started, you’ll quickly discover that there’s nothing to the process.

One of the most challenging (and significant) steps listed above is the very last one: get real reviews from real customers. This step should only happen once the others have been successfully finished, but it’s still the one with the most collateral, as it will help attract new clients or consumers. Not only that, but local reviews have a direct impact on local ranking. And while your first priority should be Google reviews, don’t forget about creating and shaping a Yelp page–reviews there are important, too.

The best way to tackle reviews in hopes of improving (or establishing) local SEO, is to start with your current customer base. Whether you’re selling a product, offering a service of some sort, or providing the community with information, you have clientele. Now, you need to ask that clientele to leave reviews on your various pages (but, specifically, your Google page). Don’t be nervous or feel unprofessional asking for this assistance. If your customers are satisfied, then they’ll most likely want to do their part to see you succeed even further.

Information Is Key

In order to rank, meaning, in order for someone to find you with a simple Google search, you need to provide information–the right information. You’ll definitely want to start with the tips above, but then it’s imperative to include the proper content on your site. When it comes to local SEO, learning which keywords rank for your type of business are crucial.

Back to the pizza example. If you own a pizza shop, then the goal is to get potential clients to find your business when they Google “pizza places near me.” Often times, they will type in the city in which they live in. Therefore, when producing the content for your page, try to connect your location or city with your product. Yes, this tactic can work for all products or items.

Don’t Give Up

It may take some time to rank, so don’t give up. You may not rank overnight, but if you stick with the process, and keep trying to perfect your site, you should find your local SEO improving. And what does that mean, exactly? Your local ranking will also improve, and you’ll find more awareness surrounding your company. This is how your business can become successful . . . so get to work!

8 Effective Web Design Principles

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If you read around you will come to realize that the approaches to effective web design principles don’t vary much from one source to the other. The simple explanation is that conventions are a good thing and there is no need to reinvent the wheel. That is not to say your website can’t have bells and whistles (although the need for them is debatable). The core principles of web creation don’t address details, but mandatory basics.

Define the Purpose of Your Website

Before collecting advice, tips and how tos, take the time to precisely define the purpose of your site. Why do you need one? (Do you need one?) What do you expect from the visitors (buy, subscribe, interact).

If you want to build a website just because it seems like the right thing to do in this digital age, save yourself some money. A site is not a virtual business card, its purpose is to provide the users with an experience that produces results for you and satisfaction for them. In other words, forget what you like and want and switch to user-centric mode. The fundamentals of effective web design are indeed revolving around the visitors.

Core Design Principles of Effective Web Design

The way users browse the internet has changed and so have their expectations. You may have a great offer, a beautiful product or a one-of-a-kind service, it’s useless if haphazardly laid out or if information is hard to reach.

Site Map

Users have become used to sites working a certain way. While a website can still be distinctive and original, navigation should always be logical, intuitive and seamless. An effective web design shows only as many pages as is truly necessary. Don’t think that the more pages you have, the longer they will browse your content.

Usability

Right along with navigation, usability tops the list of items that deserve your full attention. Users want to go from one page to the next as easily and quickly as possible. Keep it simple. Make it easy to recognize hyperlinks, find contact tabs or forms.

Layout

This is one of the key tenants of effective web design – users like to understand what they see at first glance. If they have to squint to find relevant information or pull back to take it all in, they will likely make their visit a short one. Focus on the flow, make sure elements are aligned and don’t shy away from white space.

Text Content

High quality, relevant content scores bigger than fancy animation and takes precedence over color scheme and interactivity. The consumer comes to your web site in a quest for answers, with the hopes you can answer a specific need. (Keep an eye on text to HTML ratio).

Visual Content

Pictures and videos play a huge role in effective web design only if they offer relevant support to quality content. Should there be too many and you will lose the user’s interest. It goes without saying all visual elements you deem necessary should be optimized.

Behind the Scenes Web Design Principles

A lot more goes towards improving the user’s experience than graphic design and friendly navigation. To make the most of your site and reap the conversion rewards you need to tirelessly work on optimization.

Responsiveness

If browsing your site on a mobile device is frustrating, counter intuitive and near impossible, you might as well close it down and start over. Traffic originating from mobile is consistently growing. Your website must be responsive across all devices.

Speed

You have only a few seconds to spare before a visitor click the “close tab”. The digital age has spoiled us and patience is no longer part of our process. Your customers expect instant rewards, a fast loading page due to effective web design is one of those.

Testing

Testing, fixing and testing again. The ultimate principle to follow to ensure your site is functioning properly, provides a satisfactory experience and bears no major flaw: speed, responsiveness, links, images, code. Test everything, starting early.

Effective web design goes beyond the mere visual beauty of it. From concept to creation, always keep the purpose and the user in sight. If usability conflicts with your own personal taste, choose wisely. Internet users are demanding and not very forgiving.