October 2015 - Saba Digital Marketing

5 Signs You’re Working with a Great SEO Company

Posted on October 28, 2015 by admin@saba4321

When it comes to search engine optimization (SEO), many online marketing agencies will have you believe that it’s the toughest thing in the world to rank on the first page of Google. While it certainly requires a lot of genuine hard work to earn the trust and credibility of a major search engine and achieve the coveted first page ranking in organic listings, it can be done with effort, elbow grease, and help from a dedicated SEO agency. If you are searching for a trusted San Diego SEO company, here are 5 things to look for before signing any agreements.

1. Honesty

Assume you are an insurance broker selling auto insurance polices and the commission on a policy is $75. Now assume you are spending $2000/month on SEO services. At this rate, how many clients will you need to break even? The answer is 27. Now consider how many leads you will need in order to generate those 27 clients. If we assume that five percent of visitors will convert to clients, you’ll need right around 550 visitors per month to break even. A great SEO company cares about their clients. They are never in a hurry to close the deal unless they truly understand the marketing goals and revenue objectives of their prospective clients. The easiest way you can identify if you are working with a great SEO company is to see if they have taken the time to really understand your business model and determine whether SEO is the right fit and can provide an ROI that justifies the cost.

2. Clear Strategies and Exact Deliverables

A great SEO company will layout and explain their exact strategy for how they plan to get your website to the first page of Google in a way that’s easy for you to understand. A company that is confident in their strategies and SEO processes will also have a clear plan of action, list all deliverables, and explain how they track measurables.

3. Quality Content

Perhaps no other factor is more important in the SEO process than quality content. Google’s SEO Best Practices document states, “Creating compelling and useful content will likely influence your website more than any of the other factors…” There you have it. Right from the big G’s most important document on SEO. A great SEO company will do research to determine the exact type, nature, amount, and frequency of content needed to succeed and will tell you an SEO strategy that is void of high-quality content on a regular basis is certain to fail.

4. Backlink Building Transparency

The majority of SEO companies will include some sort of backlink building campaign in their search engine optimization services. High-quality backlinks are critical to making or breaking the prospects of ranking on the first page of Google, and a great SEO company will be transparent about the type and nature of the backlinks they will build. If a company just lists building backlinks as part of their services but fails to disclose what type of backlinks they will build, proceed with caution. It’s also important to know that building legitimate and highly relevant backlinks requires a lot of time, research, and outreach, hence the high price point of SEO services that include white hat backlinks. There are companies that specialize in building backlinks, and they charge as much as $3000 to $5000 per month, depending upon the number of backlinks. Keep in mind, however, no legitimate SEO company can guarantee an exact number of backlinks, only the work they put in.

5. Accountability Through Reporting

In the absence of transparency, clients start to make assumptions, and assumptions are always the perfect vehicle for misinformation and distrust. Great SEO companies will set the deliverables upfront and follow up with easy-to-understand reports on each deliverable. The reports should be used as a measuring tool to gauge the effectiveness of the campaign but should not be limited to just traffic, page views, and time spent on each page. Good reports should also identify areas of improvement and action steps for the future.

SEO is an important cog in the marketing wheel, and hopefully by now you’ve been able to gauge the quality of the company you’re working with. If you are with a great and trustworthy SEO firm, your business will thrive, but failure to select the right SEO company can be detrimental to your bottom line.

Essential Content for Any Editorial Calendar

Posted on October 26, 2015 by admin@saba4321

You may notice that you’ve fallen into a pattern of three or four types of reliable content. It’s easy to do, and most of us have been guilty of it once or twice. To mix it up, SabaSEO in San Diego suggests trying these 15 different types of editorial content.

1. The List (Theme and Variations)
Start with a central idea, then identify several ideas that bring greater meaning to the original.

2. Company Stories or News
Stories related directly to your company allow your audience to identify with you more. Remind them of your humanity and that you are passionate about making their lives better.

3. Case Studies
Show how your company provided world-class service to a customer. Or, demonstrate new or unexplored ways to use your product.

4. Keyword Exploration (SEO)
Take one or more of your most powerful keywords or phrases to build an article around. Explore the language of your audience.

5. Explain Why
There are issues in almost every industry that may not be clear to most customers. If you can describe something complex in a way that’s easy to understand, you create authority for yourself.

6. Explain How-To
This is another way to create authority. If you can help potential customers to do something they couldn’t do before, that builds trust and gratitude.

7. Product Review
Review a product that has solved problems for you that your audience would be interested in.

8. Book Review
When you read something you know your audience will love, share it with them.

9. Unexpected Angle
Take an idea that we think we fully understand and shed new light on it by describing it from a significantly different point of view.

10. Predictions
They are especially relevant at the end of the year, but can be used whenever a big event occurs in your industry.

11. Research
Explain new research done within your company or from outside sources.

12. Interview
Discuss an interview with an industry influencer published elsewhere. Or conduct the interview yourself.

13. Facts and Stats
Share unusual and interesting stories and figures that your audience probably doesn’t know about.

14. Roundup
Instead of creating purely original content, share with your audience the best ideas that you’ve recently discovered from other industry sources.

15. Testimonials and Quotes
It’s always good to have customers tell their own stories of how much better your company has made their life.

Interested in learning more? Give us a call at (858) 277-1717. We help businesses build their online presence through SEO, social media management, and PPC. Reach out today. We look forward to hearing from you!

Why Use Professional SEO Services

Posted on October 23, 2015 by admin@saba4321

SEO, or search engine optimization, can be a slippery slope to traverse. You may know how to use SEO to market your business, but maybe you’re not using it effectively. Using Google to find some good SEO strategies is an option, but chances are if you have found it on Google, there are already hundreds, if not thousands, of competitors using the exact same strategies. Employing the services of a professional SEO agency in San Diego may be just what you need for your business to grow, and here are a few reasons why.

1. A Professional’s Experience Means Better Results

It’s very likely that a professional SEO service can get you better results, and possibly even place your website as the first result on Google–something that takes a lot of time, effort, and strategy and is hard to do on your own. Being the first result on Google means your website will get maximum exposure. Remember, professionals are in the industry not just because they know how to use SEO to get traffic to your website–they know how to use SEO to maximize the amount of traffic you receive and turn clicks into prospects.

2. The Industry Is Constantly Changing

You might be familiar with today’s greatest SEO strategies, but they can change from one day to the next and if you don’t remain current you will eventually fall behind. Innovative online marketers in San Diego are constantly keeping up with the changing rules of the game through blogs, webinars, and conferences. When strong emphasis was put on local SEO, for example, many businesses needed to sit down and reevaluate their current strategies in order to be ranked among local businesses, not just in general.

3. Your Website Will Be Better Optimized

Perhaps the most difficult part of SEO involves maintaining the interest of those who visit your website. According to a study performed by the Nielsen/Norman Group, the average person spends less than one minute on a website. That doesn’t give you much time to capture their interest. Professional marketers can help you optimize your website by using “power words” tailored to your business to attract interest without the need to overload your content with keywords, which can push prospects away. The result is more prospects and more profit for your business.

Keeping up with the times can be a challenge. Why not hire a professional to do it for you? When you’re ready, reach out to Saba, Inc. in San Diego. We’re a full-service SEO company offer SEO, social media marketing, web design and development, and PPC campaign management. Give us a call at (858) 277-1717 to learn more!

Preventing Website Referral Spam

Posted on October 21, 2015 by admin@saba4321

Web site log files contain a list of sites that have links referring to your site. Often, webmasters review these records and visit the links they contain to see the context of Web site log files contain a list of sites that have links referring to your site. Often, the links leading to their site. In many cases, the host sites don’t include a referring link at all because the site owner used a spam bot to trick the website owner. This type of activity, known as referral spam, grows as people become increasingly desperate to earn money online. Saba, Inc., a boutique SEO firm in San Diego, elaborates on the growing issue below.

How Referral Spam Works

Website owners desiring to boost traffic to their site and increase sales or to increase advertising revenue use spam bots to crawl the web, leaving fake referral entries in server log files. Some estimates suggest that more than 60 percent of all traffic on the web comes from bots.

Referral spam tactics work because website owners and managers want to know what backlinks exist to their sites. Many log file analyzer programs and web-based utilities automatically create hyperlinks leading to referrers, simplifying the task of referrer analysis. By clicking on referral spam, users inadvertently boost the revenue and search engine page rank of offending sites, perpetuating the problem.

The Problem with Referral Spam

Although referral spam does not directly hurt anyone, referral spam causes two problems. First, the spam clogs referrer logs on websites around the world, making accurate log file analysis difficult. Referral spam can represent two-thirds or more of the referrals listed in small- and medium-sized site log files, making the information almost useless.

Secondly, the spam increases the power of Black Hat websites, increasing the occurrence of spam search engine results and perpetuating the problem. Some offending websites could also inject malware into visiting web browsers, making referral spam dangerous.

Preventing Referral Spam

Adding a .htaccess file is the easiest way to prevent referral spam because it blocks the bot before it has a chance to populate your log files with spam. When you deny access to the spam bots, you prevent them from creating referrer entries in your logs. An example of a .htaccess entry for this purpose follows:

## SITE REFERRER BANNING
RewriteCond %{HTTP_REFERER} semalt.com [NC,OR]
RewriteCond %{HTTP_REFERER} buttons-for-website.com [NC,OR]
RewriteCond %{HTTP_REFERER} seoanalyses.com [NC]
RewriteRule .* – [F]

You can add additional lines of code for each source of referral spam you find in your log files. Exercise caution when editing your .htaccess file and ideally have someone in web development do it because a simple typo could cause your site to malfunction. Also, make sure you backup your original file before you edit it.

Learn more about web development and White Hat marketing strategies from Saba, Inc. We believe in a content-is-king strategy and help clients reach their target audience the right way. Give us a call today at (858) 277-1717.

How to Make Your Company’s Social Media Profile Stand Out

Posted on October 19, 2015 by admin@saba4321

Let your content shine and grab the attention of those looking at your social media profile. Using social media for business, however, requires more than just posting whatever you fancy. Any SEO firm in San Diego county worth its weight will tell you it also requires key strategies to help your social media profiles make a statement and gather interest. Following are four tips you can use to grab attention.

1. Use Visuals

This might sound obvious to someone fluent in popular social media platforms, but newbies often over look this key element of social profiles. Social media users often just scroll through information. When you use images with your updates, users will pause to see what you have to say. If they think what you’re sharing is interesting, there is a chance they will share it with others and perhaps become a follower.

2. Decide Where to Make Your Statement

Each social media platform is a little different from the next. For instance, Facebook is known for inspiration, news, and social updates. LinkedIn is better for business-related posts. And Instagram is ideal if your business is very visual (photographers, boutiques, restaurants, etc.). Choosing the right social media platform for your business is half the battle, so do your research first.

3. Know What to Say

Once you know where to make a statement, you’ll have to decide what to say. Messages that have mass appeal help create a wider response from your target audience, including potential clients or customers. Developing posts that others want to share will help build activity and traffic to your profile.

4. Find the Trends

You can easily find what is trending on different social media sites and add your own two cents on popular topics. Using trending keywords as well as ideas allows you to build a response that relates to your business and get involved in a larger discussion.

Knowing effective ways to build your social media profile will draw others to you, help you establish a strong social presence, and ultimately grab leads through the power of social media.

To learn more about using social media for your business, call (858) 277-1717 and speak with the internet marketing specialists at Saba, Inc. We help businesses gain visibility through a combination of SEO, social media, and San Diego PPC management services. Call us today. We look forward to chatting with you!

Eye-Popping SEO Facts from 2015

Posted on October 16, 2015 by admin@saba4321

The New Year will be here before you know it. While Halloween costumes, Thanksgiving place settings, and holiday gifts might be high on the to-do list, if you want to make 2016 the most successful year yet for your business, make room on the list to read about SEO’s impact on 2015.

Without knowing, for instance, that search engine marketing experienced one of the sharpest budget increases among digital marketing channels, how can you adjust your 2016 budget accordingly to remain competitive in your industry?

Before you start (or solidify) a budget and online marketing strategy for 2016, check out the following infographic from San Diego SEO agency, Saba, Inc., to find out where other businesses are increasing spending, what devices have the highest conversion rates, and which paid method is the most effective for marketing.

Are You Following the Golden Rules of Content Marking?

Posted on October 14, 2015 by admin@saba4321

It never hurts to stay ahead of the game and prepared for the future by keeping up with the many rules of content marketing. Because of the way the marketing world works changes so frequently, San Diego search engine optimization companies recommend staying sharp on the latest golden rules that will bring you success.

1. Start a blog

There’s simply not enough content to market if you don’t have a blog. Blogs are the fuel for all different types of marketing, including search, social media, and most importantly, content marketing.

2. Use social media

There are literally hundreds of free social media websites that businesses and websites can market on. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest are just a few of the main outlets, but there are also places like StumbleUpon and Google+ to share your content on.

3. Don’t keyword spam

Maybe when Google had the old rules for search engine optimization keyword spamming in your content worked. Now, if Google crawls through your page and sees keyword stuffing it actually hurts your overall ranking.

4. Customize your blog

Remember that blog you started? Make sure that it’s actually tailored to your customer’s tastes instead of what you want. Changing things up based on the overall preferences of your customers and target audience is a great way to increase sales through content marketing.

5. Make your content easy to understand

With a few caveats, it shouldn’t take a genius to read your content, and the way your article is written shouldn’t give your customer a headache. Make it easy to read using numbering, bullet points, short paragraphs, subheadings, pictures, and much more. Utilizing these can help you rank through search engines as well.

It’s not difficult to understand the rules of content marketing, and by getting a clear image of the golden rules of content marketing in your head, you can easily incorporate them into your website.

Looking for a little more guidance when developing your marketing strategy? Saba, Inc. can help! As an internet marketing company San Diego businesses and business across the country trust, we’re happy to offer free consultations and website audits to show you what a difference working with a professional company can make. Give us a call at (858) 277-1717. We look forward to hearing from you!

5 BS Online Marketing “Facts” Accepted as True

Posted on October 12, 2015 by admin@saba4321

Online marketing can be tricky if you don’t have a good handle on what you’re doing. There are many myths that people take as fact. To their detriment, these people rely exclusively on these truisms. Here are some of the marketing “facts” that just aren’t true today.

1. Your e-mail list is the end-all

You might hear that your e-mail list is the most important factor that determines whether or not you make money. While e-mail lists are important, there are many other things that matter. How you market to the people on your list is as important as who you have on the list.

2. Passive income works for you

Many believe the myth that passive income works on your behalf. In truth, it’s the other way around. While perpetual streams of revenue may be nice–and may work to your benefit–they are the product of hard work. You have to lay the groundwork so that you can reap the rewards later.

3. Anyone can be an expert

There is a sense that any person who gets involved in online marketing in San Diego can become an expert. Like with any other venture, this is just not true. The people who truly become good at online marketing are those who work very hard and also have some natural skill in connecting with potential revenue sources.

4. Launching a website is the hardest part

Some believe that if you can get a website off the ground, the money will simply roll in. For people who have sustained success, it’s usually continued hard work that does the job for them.

5. All you need is additional traffic

Traffic is important, but it isn’t the only thing you’ll need. You have to have a website that’s designed to convert traffic into sales. All of the traffic in the world can’t save you if you have problematic landing pages that can’t convert.

6. Internet marketing is free

Those who don’t know the industry sometimes assume that they can market their business or service for free. After all, isn’t it free to post onto Facebook, Pinterest, Etsy, and Twitter? The truth is that the best internet marketers are using some of the paid services from these outlets. Online marketing often costs more than business owners imagine, but working with an experienced San Diego AdWords company can make a huge difference when growing your business.

Request a free website audit and partner with a San Diego search engine marketing company who can help you increase your online visibility. Call Saba, Inc. at (858) 277-1717 and see what a difference working with a trusted San Diego SEO firm can make!

Using Basic Psychology to Write Catchy Content

Posted on October 9, 2015 by admin@saba4321

As a trusted SEO company in San Diego, we know first hand what a challenge it can be to write compelling content day after day. Since psychology is concerned with how the human mind works, it only makes sense that basic principles of psychology would be relevant to how people respond to your blog posts, articles, videos or advertisements. Let’s look at a few principles of psychology that can be especially helpful in this regard.

The Need to Belong

This is a very basic human need that probably has a basis in genetics as well as psychology. It refers to the need to belong to a family, tribe, organization, clique or some type of group. If you want to convince people of something, it’s always helpful to remind them that a large or significant group of people already thinks this way. That’s why links to authority sources, statistics about group behavior, or testimonials for products work so well. All of these contain the message, “If you agree with this, you will be joining this group.”

Fear of Scarcity

The fear of scarcity is another deep-rooted psychological principle commonly applied in online marketing. When something is scarce, it is often perceived as more valuable. Phrases like “supplies are limited,” “offer expires in 7 days” or “only the first 10 people who respond will get the bonus” all promote the idea that whatever is being offered won’t be around for long. There are many ways to do this, but in all cases you are telling people that either time or a certain product is about to run out. This motivates people to take action so they don’t miss out on a limited resource.

Loss Aversion

Another important principle of psychology has to do with the fear of loss. For most people, the fear of losing what they already have is more powerful than the desire to gain something new. That’s why savvy marketers often employ risk reduction or even risk reversal tactics. These include free trials, money back guarantees and, in some cases, the promise to give buyers back more money than they initially paid if they return the item. These tactics help alleviate the fear of loss, making the offer more attractive and less anxiety provoking.

These are just a few of the principles of psychology that can make your content and marketing efforts more effective. The more you know about the human mind, the better you can communicate with any audience.

For more information about using online marketing like PPC campaigns and search engine optimization more effectively, reach out to the marketing experts at Saba, Inc. We help businesses gain visibility in the online world and connect with their target audience. Call us today at (858) 277-1717 for a free consultation.

2015’s Most Popular Search Engines [Infographic]

Posted on October 7, 2015 by admin@saba4321

When it comes to search engine marketing, who is finding your content and how your content is found is often just as important as the content itself. The answers to those questions help you identify gaps, determine new needs (like mobile marketing), and shape your overall marketing strategy.

Google may have reigned supreme among search engines in 2015, but that doesn’t nullify other search engines. Find out who’s searching, what search engines they’re using, and which devices are most commonly used in this handy infographic from San Diego SEO agency, Saba, Inc.

Month: October 2015