August 2018 - Saba Digital Marketing

3 Things That Make Your Content Great

Posted on August 31, 2018 by admin@saba4321

“Quality” is defined as a standard measured against other similar things, or simply a degree of excellence. But what does “quality” mean when it comes to online content? If the standards being used to gauge the quality of your content are established by Google, you’ll need to keep things like user experience and relevance in mind. The internet marketing service providers at Saba SEO share three specific signals of high-quality content.

1. Engagement Metrics

Search engines like Google strive to deliver content that’s useful and relevant for searchers. They use engagement metrics (e.g. bounce rates, conversion rates, and click-through rates) to get a better idea of how engaged visitors are with your content.
If searchers are clicking a link to your site and quickly going back to the results pages to try another site, they obviously didn’t find what they wanted or expected on your website. High-quality content, on the other hand, tends to inspire “long clicks” that suggest visitors found something useful because they’re sticking around.

2. AI-Based Quality Assessments

It’s no secret that Google is embracing artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. The best example of this is Google’s RankBrain program that facilitates the processing of large volumes of search data. Google’s Panda ranking algorithm is also used to identify low-quality content. When machine learning technology (computer evaluations that mimic human behaviors) was initially used to assess content quality based on Panda standards, 20 percent of Google’s results shifted.

With RankBrain now being Google’s third most important ranking signal, you’ll want to make sure your content is viewed by AI-based programs by:

• Basing keyword selection and frequency on the relevance and length of your content
• Using updated customer data to ensure your content is addressing your reader’s needs
• Removing outdated or duplicate content that could cause your site to be considered low-quality when it’s evaluated by crawlers

3. Link Quality/Patterns

Search engines essentially consider links directed back to your site as votes of popularity. After all, if someone is taking the time to put a link back to your site in their own content, you must be offering something of value. However, some links are from questionable sources or websites that aren’t related to what you have to offer.

These days, link analysis algorithms have gotten much better at identifying poor quality, spammy, or questionable links. Even if you have awesome content, bad links will diminish its visibility online, which is why you need to

• Use link analysis tools to spot low-quality links before Google does

• Make an effort to solicit links from high-quality sources
• Keep the emphasis on quality over quantity with links

The good thing about content is that it can be tested and retested until you have something keeping searchers and visitors engaged. For instance, if you’re not sure which version of a newly updated webpage will resonate best with your intended audience, run an A/B comparison test (two versions of the same content) to see which one performs better. You can also tap into your Google Analytics data to keep track of what kind of engagement your content is inspiring.

If you’re in need of high-quality content for your website or social media pages, turn to Saba SEO. As one of the leading marketing companies in San Diego, we have over ten years of experience in content development and search engine optimization. Our experts can assess your business objectives and create unique content that is sure to entice your target audience. We also offer SEO services to make sure your online content enjoys high ranking across multiple search engines. To schedule an appointment with one of our Content Marketing experts, give us a call at 858-277-1717 today.

An AdWords Script That Can Help You Find Underperforming Keywords

Posted on August 29, 2018 by admin@saba4321

AdWords (soon to be rebranded Google Ads) can be an effective tool to attract the attention of your intended audience in a way that’s direct, impactful, and compelling enough to inspire clicks and conversions. However, a low Quality Score (QS) can affect where your ads are placed and how much you have to invest in your various campaigns. Luckily, there’s a Low Quality Score Keyword Alert Script that can help you find QS problems and fix them quickly. The San Diego SEO specialists at Saba SEO explain how the AdWords script can help you locate underperforming keywords.

Understanding What Quality Score Is

Before getting into the script, you need to know what Quality Score is and why it matters. QS is a measure of ad relevance specific to keywords on a 1-10 scale. Google typically looks at factors such as click-through rates (CTRs) over a period of time, how relevant keywords are to your ads, and the quality of the landing pages linked to your ads. Google rewards advertisers with higher scores with lower bidding amounts and better visibility. If your QS remains too low, your account may be suspended.

Using the Script to Find Low QS Keywords

Keeping a track of underperforming keywords can be a tedious task, especially if you’re running multiple campaigns. The activity can be made easier with a script that has some handy features, including the ability to alert you when keyword scores are low. To use this script, go to Bulk Actions in AdWords. Choose Scripts and click the plus sign to add a new one. Paste the script shown in the first reference link below. Edit the following options:

• Email Addresses – Allows you to get alerts when Quality Scores are low for keywords
• QS Threshold – Lets you set the value for the script you consider low
• Label Keywords – Set this to “true” if you want your low QS keywords to be labeled
• Pause Keywords – Set this to “true” if you want to automatically pause your low QS keywords

Fixing Low Quality Score Problems

The script can help you find low-performing keywords, but you’ll need to take additional steps to fix the problems causing the Quality Score issues. There is no one-size-fits-all fix. However, you may see better results with your ads that have underperforming keywords by:

• A/B testing your ad copy to see what resonates best with your target audience
• Using ad extensions to make your ad more appealing to searchers
• Moving low QS keywords to more relevant ad groups
• Improving the quality of your landing pages so more clicks turn into conversions

There are some other tactics you can use to identify Quality Score issues affecting your AdWords campaigns. For example, you could look at your account on a campaign level to graph your QSs. Doing so will give you a quick overview of the various factors that contribute to your score. It can also be helpful to look at your impression-weighted quality scores at the account, campaign, and ad group levels and filter results by subfactors so you can spot issues easier.

Whether you need help assessing your Quality Score or creating a focused paid marketing campaign, turn to Saba SEO. We are among the best marketing companies San Diego has to offer, with over ten years of professional experience in search engine optimization, pay-per-click marketing, and web development. Our experts can assess your business objectives and target audience to create a comprehensive AdWords campaign. We make sure your message reaches all your potential customers. Call us at 858-951-1717 to schedule an appointment.

Bing Now Provides Exact Snippets of Code to Address Developers’ Concerns

Posted on August 27, 2018 by admin@saba4321

Developers often have a difficult time finding the code needed to make websites function at the optimal level. Searching for the right code can sometimes be time-consuming, especially if there’s a lot of skimming, searching, and reading involved. Bing is hoping to make things easier for developers with a new feature called Code Sample Answer. The San Diego web design experts at Saba SEO discuss the key features of Bing’s latest tool.

What Is Code Sample Answer?

Code Sample Answer is described as an “intelligent search feature” that allows developers to get the exact piece of code they need by simply performing a search, similar to what someone looking for a particular product or service would do. While this feature can come in handy for queries related to programming languages, it can also be used to handle other code requests developers may have, like searching for Git commands.

How Does It Work?

Unlike other tools, Code Sample Answer relies on natural language processing technology to determine a developer’s needs. Bing also uses language agnostic code understanding to quickly search through available data to find the correct code.

The Code Sample Answer feature will only return a response if Bing is highly confident they have determined the developer’s coding intent. Click signals from previous code-related queries are also used to increase the odds of producing the desired code.

What Are the Potential Benefits for Developers?

The development process can be painstakingly tedious, which is especially true if there’s a need to quickly correct code issues to proceed with development. The biggest possible benefit for developers is the ability to save some time during the coding process. It can also be an effective way for developers to identify errors in parts of their existing code.

Bing has said they plan to enhance the capabilities of their Code Sample Answer feature over time as developers use it. Specifically, the Microsoft search engine will improve this developer feature as more signals from web searches are collected. Bing will also consider feedback received from developers using the new feature.

Creating the perfect website for your business can be a challenging task. If you need a responsive site with a fast loading time, turn to Saba SEO, a San Diego web development company you can trust. For over ten years, we have developed unique websites for businesses all over the world. In addition, we offer content development and search engine optimization services to make sure your website remains on the top spot in all web searches. Whether your existing site needs a few minor changes or a complete revamp, give us a call at 858-951-1717 today.

The Google Speed Update Is Now Being Rolled Out

Posted on August 24, 2018 by admin@saba4321

In January 2018, Google announced a new algorithm change called the Speed Update. On July 9th, they started rolling out this update. The experts at Saba SEO, a leading SEO company in San Diego, discuss the key features of the latest Google update.

Page speed has been a ranking factor for desktop searches since 2010. With the Speed Update, mobile page speed is now a ranking factor in mobile search results. However, the algorithm change only affects a small percentage of pages. Those that deliver the slowest user experience will be negatively affected by the update, and sites that have fast-loading pages should see no difference at all.

Although there is a need for developers to increase their site speeds, slow mobile pages may not always rank poorly after this algorithm update. According to Google employees Zhiheng Wang and Doantam Phan, “The intent of a search query is still a very strong signal, so a slow page may still rank highly if it has great, relevant content.”

In case your site has slow page speeds, the best thing you can do is increase them. One of the easiest ways to speed up your mobile pages is to minimize your server response time, which you can accomplish by upgrading your web server software or improving the quality of your web hosting service. You should also minimize redirects, which automatically bring visitors from one page to another and slow down your page loading time.

As always, it’s still important to focus on other SEO factors as well, like keywords and links. Even if your pages load slowly, you may still rank well if your content is helpful, informative, and appealing to your site visitors.

If Google considers your pages to be fast, you shouldn’t have a problem. However, Google doesn’t specify exactly how they determine page speed. The Chrome User Experience report, the PageSpeed Insights tool, and the Lighthouse tool can all be helpful for determining your page speeds and deciding whether or not you need to make any changes.

Search engine rankings are always in a state of flux, and they are often impacted by Google updates. When it comes to SEO and other types of internet marketing, San Diego businesses and companies all over the world trust Saba SEO. We are a leading search engine optimization agency with over ten years of experience in digital marketing. Our experts stay up to date with the latest Google updates and offer out-of-the-box solutions to boost your online visibility. Whether you need a review of your existing marketing plan or a new strategy altogether, give us a call at 858-951-1717 today.

4 Common SEO Techniques Unofficially Supported by Google

Posted on August 22, 2018 by admin@saba4321

Google doesn’t have any plans to put out an official guide for all things SEO-related. However, the company has shown an increased willingness to answer questions and suggest certain techniques that may boost online visibility. If you do a little digging through the things Google has actually said, there are some SEO techniques they appear to unofficially back. The San Diego SEO experts at Saba SEO discuss four search engine optimization techniques that may be backed by Google.

1. Robots Directives within a Robots.txt File

The purpose of meta noindex tags is to prevent search engine crawlers from examining certain pages. It appears that Google prefers using robots.txt noindex over meta noindex tags since it’s a cleaner and less confusing way of telling the crawlers what not to index.

2. JavaScript-Injected Canonical Tags

Google initially announced in early 2018 that they would only process rel=canonical tags when a page is first fetched. However, it has since been discovered that Google does actually canonicalize targets of the JavaScript-injected canonical tags when this process is done via Google’s Tag Manager. While this process sometimes works, it’s generally not something to rely on.

3. Hreflang Attributes in Anchor Text

The purpose of the hreflang attribute is to let Google know which language you’re using in a particular page. Google previously said they neither officially or unofficially support using the hreflang attribute. However, evidence gathered from Google’s Search Console shows that anchor links with hreflang tags have been (sometimes but not always) picked up.

4. Ajax Escaped Fragment Solution

The beauty of using Ajax is that it eliminates the need for a complete page refresh. If you want your website content to be accessible to Google’s crawlers, you can rely on the escaped fragment solution and use a hashtag to dictate parameters so search engines can rewrite the URL appropriately. While Google said they are deprecating the fragmented solution method, there’s evidence suggesting this crawling scheme is still usable.

You’re more likely to see positive results with your online engagement efforts if you combine these SEO techniques with Google’s most important ranking factors. In a nutshell, key ranking factors include the quality and relevance of your content and backlinks, how accessible your content is when viewed on mobile devices, and technical factors like encryption, H1 and H2 headings, and anchor text.

Choosing the right SEO tools and techniques for your business can be a challenging task. Let the experts at Saba SEO simplify the search engine optimization process for you. We are among the leading San Diego marketing companies, with over ten years of experience in SEO. Our team can create a customized internet marketing plan for your business to help you boost your online rankings and acquire more customers. To learn about our quality-assured SEO services, give us a call at 858-951-1717 today.

How to Boost Your Click-Through Rate By Using Emojis

Posted on August 20, 2018 by admin@saba4321

Studies suggest many consumers like brands that don’t take themselves too seriously. Millennials, in particular, feel more comfortable expressing emotions with images. Consumers also tend to appreciate online content with a human touch, and you can’t get more human than using visual expressions known as emojis. The specialists at Saba SEO, one of the best SEO companies San Diego has to offer, share a few tips on how to use emojis to increase click-through rates.

Narrow Down Your Emoji Preferences

There are thousands of emojis available for your consideration, but not all of them can boost your CTRs. A recent study showed that none of the top emojis that contribute to clicks are faces. In fact, emojis in the shape of horses, trains, fruit, and downward pointing fingers tend to get more attention from clickers. Opt for random, less common emojis that still reflect your brand and what you want to express visually.

Include Emojis in Your Email Campaigns

Nearly half of all consumers prefer to be contacted by email. There’s a lot of competition for recipient attention in inboxes these days, so make your emails stand out from the crowd with attention-getting emojis. Two separate studies on emails sent for Valentine’s Day and Father’s Day showed that those with lip and wrench emojis in promotional emails had higher open and read rates. Use emojis in your email campaigns to boost CTRs by:

• Using recognizable emojis to replace one or two words in subject lines
• Placing a relevant emoji at the end of subject lines to emphasize the subject and attract recipient attention
• Including images related to your preferred emoji within the email body to continue the visual theme and encourage clicks back to your website

Get Social with Your Emojis

Social media is a perfect platform for campaigns that include emojis. Facebook users alone exchange more than 50 million emojis daily. Research shows that even something as subtle as including an expressive image next to the call to action at the bottom of a social post can increase click-through rates. Here’s how you can use emojis with your social media content:

• Use available emojis on a particular platform or something that catches your eye on an emoji finder tool to find relevant images that fit your campaign
• Place one or two emojis in your social post headers to grab attention
• Insert emojis where appropriate in the message or near the link back to your site

Put Emojis in Your Meta Info

In early 2017, Google announced they were once again allowing emojis to show up on search results pages. Searchers can even perform searches with a single emoji and receive results related to that image. Take advantage of Google’s embracing of all things emoji-related by:

• Placing a few emojis in the meta titles for your various webpages
• Adding emojis to your meta descriptions
• Inserting the words related to your emojis in meta titles/descriptions to increase your odds of being included in emoji-related search results

Insert Emojis in Your Push Notifications

Use emojis to get the attention of mobile device users by including them in push notifications sent from your app. When used correctly, emojis can boost CTRs and in-app time by encouraging interaction with your business. A study showed that push notifications with emojis performed better than those with images. Here’s how you can include emojis in your push notifications:

• Choose your preferred push notification platform or software
• Add relevant emojis to your messages
• Use emojis to help recipients quickly identify the subject, visually present your message in a way that uses fewer words, or reinforce your message’s content

In the event you’re not sure if emojis will work for your business, do some A/B testing to compare similar content with and without emojis included. If there’s no significant difference with CTRs, emojis may not be right for your brand. In some cases, being more expressive in a casual way may not be appropriate, as may be the case with certain legal or medical content. On the other hand, if you notice a spike in CTRs when emojis are included, continue to look for creative ways to add some personality to your content.

If you need help increasing your conversion and click-through rates, turn to Saba SEO. We are a leading San Diego SEO agency with over ten years of experience in digital marketing. Our experts can create a responsive website for your business and top it with high-quality content and graphics that are sure to result in more clicks. We also specialize in social media marketing to help businesses boost their brand image and interact better with their target audience. To learn about our high-quality internet marketing services, give us a call at 858-951-1717 today.

Effective SEO Strategies for Car Dealership Websites

Posted on August 17, 2018 by admin@saba4321

According to the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA), there are more than 20,000 auto dealerships in the United States. Not surprisingly, this means there’s a lot of competition online for car dealerships looking to attract the attention of buyers. There are many challenges that need to be taken into account when optimizing a car dealership website. Whether you’re investing in organic or local SEO in San Diego, consider the following strategies on how to boost your dealership’s online visibility.

Start with Google My Business

High visibility on search engine results page (SERPs) increases the odds of getting website visits. For dealerships targeting local car buyers, this means taking steps to earn a place in Google’s Local 3-Pack (top searchers in a specific geographic area). The odds of achieving this goal can be increased with an optimized Google My Business listing that includes:

• Correct NAP (dealership name, address, phone number) info
• The most appropriate category (e.g. car dealer, used car dealer)
• Photos (not mandatory, but definitely good for showcasing top-selling models)
• Short videos that autoplay on mobile devices
• Reviews (My Business shows average quality ratings)
• Answers based on questions being asked about your dealership (based on what’s seen with the My Business Q&A feature)

Submit Listings to Relevant Car Directories

Backlinks can also boost a car dealership website’s credibility in the eyes of Google. An effective way to enhance your dealership’s backlink profile is with submissions to relevant online car directories. Many of these directories also show up on page one results on Google, which can mean more visibility. Just make sure the NAP info matches what’s in your My Business listing.

Encourage Online Reviews

Overall quality of service is a big deciding factor when searchers choose one dealership over its competitors. Make it easier for potential car buyers to see what’s good about your dealership by encouraging happy customers to leave reviews. Some review sites even allow satisfied car buyers to single out dealership employees who were especially helpful. Get more mileage out of your feedback by adding a page that includes reviews and comments.

Use Long-Tail Keywords

The rise of voice search means more people are using conversational phrases to find stuff online, like local car dealerships. Attract more attention to your website by including groups of relevant and related keywords naturally within your site’s content. Long-tail keywords also allow you to get more specific with what you have to offer (e.g. “2018 Chevy Sonic” instead of “Chevy cars”).

Optimize Images

Every year, more and more people search for pictures of various vehicle brands and models online. You can use the alt tag to give search engine crawlers details about your images in a way that gives you some SEO power (e.g. “photo of 2018 Ford Explorer available at XYZ Ford Dealership”).

Emphasize Local Connections

Emphasize some of your local connections on your dealership’s website. For instance, you can make reference to community events or charities you support on your About Us page. Another tactic is to get a listing on your local Chamber of Commerce page that includes a link back to your car dealership’s website.

Google estimates the average car buyer actually visits only two dealerships, suggesting that a lot of the decision-making process takes place online. The most effective way to steer customers to your physical location is to be just as proactive about directing traffic to your car dealership’s website, which includes regular monitoring of overall online visibility, website performance, NAP info accuracy, and reviews.

If you’re running a car dealership and need help boosting your search engine ranking, reach out to Saba SEO. We offer high-quality SEO services San Diego businesses and organizations all over the world can trust. As a premier digital marketing agency, we use state-of-the-art tools and tactics to help our clients increase their online visibility and attract high-quality leads. We have over ten years of experience in providing customized and quality-assured SEO solutions for a wide variety of industries. To schedule an appointment with one of our competent SEO Managers, give us a call at 858-951-1717 today.

4 PPC Strategies to Use When Competing with Directory Sites

Posted on August 15, 2018 by admin@saba4321

Directory sites can be general in nature or related to specific services, subjects, fields, or industries. They can also be appealing to searchers who want a quick overview of various sites in one convenient place. However, if you’re running pay-per-click ads, directory sites can divert your audience’s attention away from your ads. Whether you’re managing your own PPC campaign or outsourcing the task to a reliable internet marketing service provider, here are a few ways you can compete with directory sites.

1. Use Location Qualifiers

Searchers can sometimes get confused when seeing directory listings and paid ads mixed together. You can use location qualifiers to tell the searchers that your listing is for one particular business that serves a specific geographic area. Since most people surf the web on mobile devices that detect their location, increase your odds of getting your ad noticed with qualifiers that include:

• “near me”
• “in my area”
• “[name of service you provide] in [name of city where you are located]” (e.g. “affordable long-term senior care in Jacksonville”)

2. Further Emphasize Location with Location Extensions

Location extensions allow your address and normal business hours to be included in your paid ad. Additionally, there’s a link to a map, which can be a plus if your goal is to use your ad to boost in-person visits. Location extensions can also make your ad stand out more from directory sites. Also, directory sites aren’t able to use location extensions since they just list sites with physical addresses they don’t own.

3. Use Local Keywords

Even with directory sites specific to a certain city, there are likely to be listings included from nearby locations. Make it clear to searchers that you serve a particular area by naturally including local keywords in your ads. You can even go beyond the name of your location or the geographic area you are targeting and focus on specific neighborhoods with different PPC ads.

4. Explore Other Ad Extensions

Take a moment to explore some of the other extensions you can use to make your ads stand out. For instance, you might use a sitelink if you want to encourage people who see your ad to come in for a tour, test drive, or a bite to eat. Other ad extensions that might help you out include:

• Callout extensions to promote special offers
• Review extensions that present third-party review info about your business in your ads and a link to outside sources for those reviews (ex: “A+ Accredited Rating” with a link to the Better Business Bureau site)
• Seller ratings (determined by Google from variables like third-party review aggregators)
• Consumer ratings (also automated by Google)

Another way to compete with directory sites is to present a PPC ad copy that’s compelling and attention-grabbing. PPC ads that usually generate the most interest focus on a single offer or ads enhanced by a relevant image. Of course, you can’t eliminate competition from directory sites or other ads, but you can be diligent about testing and streamlining your ad copy in a way that effectively targets your intended audience.

If you need a focused paid marketing campaign for your business, the experts at Saba SEO can help. We are a team of web developers, search engine optimization experts, and content writers with several years of experience in digital marketing. For over ten years, we have helped businesses create and execute winning online marketing campaigns, boost their search engine rankings, and attract high-quality leads. Call 858-951-1717 today to get in-touch with an experienced SEO Manager at the best SEO company San Diego has to offer.

How to Redesign Your Site without Shaking Up Your SEO Results

Posted on August 13, 2018 by admin@saba4321

Many business owners mistakenly believe SEO does not require continuous monitoring. However, search engine optimization needs ongoing attention if you want to optimize your return on investment and reap the possible rewards. Aside from Google algorithm updates, one of the main things that can affect your website’s visibility is any changes you may make to it. The San Diego web design specialists at Saba SEO share a few tips on how to redesign your website without affecting your SEO results.

Download Your Old Site’s URL Structure

Redesigning a website typically means making changes that alter its URL structure. Avoid unintentionally omitting anything that might impact your ranking, and make sure to download your original site’s URL structure. There are plugins you can use to download your sitemap to make this task easier.

Use a Temporary URL During the Redesign Process

It can be tempting to just tinker with your existing site as you go about redesigning it. However, making changes to the existing site could cause problems for visitors and affect the site’s performance. When redesigning the website, it’s not a good idea to block access to certain pages that could inspire conversions. Instead, copy your site and set it up on a temporary URL. You can also ask your hosting company to do this for you, or get some help from a developer.

Test Your New Website

After everything is copied to your new site, take a moment to test the website. There are plenty of handy tools you can use to do a comprehensive check of your new site and look for anything that needs attention. Pay particular attention to:

• Internal and external links
• Basic website features
• HTML and CSS

Set Up Your 301 Redirects

The purpose of a 301 redirect is to send visitors and search engines to a different URL. If you’ve made some subtle changes to your URLs, you’ll definitely want to make sure appropriate redirects are set up so searchers and search engines are taken to the correct page. With 301s, anywhere from 90 to 99 percent of your ranking power may be transferred.

Launch Your Newly Redesigned Website

Now that your newly redesigned website is ready, you can officially launch it. You may want to do this in stages if you have a fairly large site. For instance, you might start by debuting the lower ranking landing pages first and then save the higher ranking pages for last. It can also be helpful to promote your redesigned site. Some businesses promote their newly restructured sites by:

• Issuing an online press release
• Making the announcement via email
• Telling followers on social media

Finally, check your Google Analytics (GA) reports after your newly redesigned website is up and running. GA also allows you to compare data from previous periods, which helps you determine if your individual website pages are still performing at the same level. If you pay attention to the right details, your updated website might even produce better results than what you were seeing previously.

At Saba SEO, we can help you redesign your website without affecting your online visibility. As a leading SEO company in San Diego, we have developed websites and improved the search engine rankings of businesses all over the globe. Our team relies on a variety of white hat tactics to help organizations reach out to more customers online and attract high-quality leads. We provide search engine optimization, web design, content development, social media management, and paid marketing services. Call one of our SEO Managers at 858-951-1717 to schedule an appointment.

6 Mistakes Emerging Brands Make That Affect Their SEO

Posted on August 10, 2018 by admin@saba4321

Most emerging brands want to attract plenty of attention from searchers and enjoy a steady stream of conversions. However, it takes a lot of work to maximize the return on online marketing investment and increase search engine rankings. The specialists at Saba SEO, a leading SEO company in San Diego, discuss some of the most common mistakes that affect the online visibility of emerging brands.

1. Putting No Effort into Keyword Planning

Tools like Google’s Keyword Planner can be used to find the specific terms people are using to find your products and services. The information can be used to come up with an effective keyword list. On a related note, keywords tend to work better if they’re “localized” since most online searches have local intent. A common mistake brands make with keywords is being too broad. For instance, the keyword “car dealership” is going to have much more competition online than “Miami used car dealership.”

2. Separating SEO from Overall Marketing Strategy

Some newer brands fail to align their SEO efforts with their overall marketing strategy, which can result in mixed and inconsistent messaging. If this is the impression visitors get from your website, blog, or social sites, they’re less likely to remain engaged or take the desired actions. Alignment with a larger strategy can also result in:

• Content that’s easier to promote across multiple platforms
• Increased brand recognition
• An improved user experience

3. Avoiding Content Best Practices

SEO is more than just working keywords into content. Google’s search engine bots are now capable of determining how well the content aligns with what searchers expect. For SEO purposes, content best practices include:

• Consistently presenting fresh, relevant content
• Eliminating duplicate content
• Strategically using keywords where they’re likely to have the most impact (e.g. titles, subheads, alt text for images, meta descriptions)
• Checking the quality of links and removing spammy links in comments sections

4. Ignoring the Importance of Content Distribution

Many emerging brands mistakenly believe that SEO will automatically produce the desired results as long as the website, blogs, and social media pages are well-optimized. Because of all of the competition online, SEO needs to be coupled with an effective content distribution strategy that attracts the right kind of attention. A few ways to accomplish this goal include:

• Guest blogging to add some credibility to your brand
• Sharing content with online influencers within your niche/industry
• Using your customer data to build an effective email mailing list to promote your content, distribute segmented content based on customer interests, and provide supplemental content like email newsletters

5. Saving Social Media for Later

Websites shouldn’t exist in a vacuum. Search engines use social signals to determine how searchers are interacting with various brands. If social media interaction is an afterthought, your website may not attract too much attention. Social media interaction can improve SEO results by:

• Giving access to instant feedback to see what matters most to your customers
• Providing added incentives for social followers to visit your website by announcing new product additions or upcoming sales and promotions
• Increasing customer satisfaction and brand reputation with faster responses to customer questions

6. Failing to Keep Up with SEO Trends/Changes

The biggest mistake some emerging brands make is to assume SEO is a one-time investment. Search engine optimization is always changing and evolving. Over the past few years, Google has been focusing on how websites appear on mobile devices, and voice-activated searches have increased the use of more conversational keywords. You can increase your brand visibility by paying attention to SEO trends and updates.

Many variables impact SEO, so there’s no guarantee an emerging brand won’t make some mistakes when investing in search engine optimization. If you happen to be an emerging brand, seek professional input and keep track of the results you’re seeing as you present fresh, relevant content to your intended audience.

If you’re in need of high-quality SEO services, turn to Saba SEO. We are a leading San Diego SEO company with over ten years of experience in search engine optimization and an A+ rating on BBB. We work with both small businesses and large enterprises all over the world and offer customized digital marketing solutions with an affordable price tag. Our team can help you boost your online ranking, increase your website traffic, and generate more online revenue. To learn about our quality-assured services, give us a call at 858-951-1717 today.