Saba Digital Marketing

Why Is Social Media Marketing So Important These Days?

If you want to increase your local search engine optimization (SEO), social media may be the secret to making your site rank on local searches. Here are a few reasons for the importance of social media marketing in today’s world, brought to you by the digital marketing professionals from Saba SEO, a premier marketing and SEO company San Diego businesses rely on for high-quality service and unmatched expertise.

Social Media Beefs Up Google My Business

Including your social media in your Google My Business profile makes your listing more complete. Google’s mission is to provide users with complete information. When your site is more complete, Google rewards you with higher ranking. Local business SEO is still the Wild West. The sooner you complete your Google My Business information, the better chance your business will be at the very top of a search listing.

Social Media Solidifies Your Business Location

Half of all smartphone searches are local searches. Your social media plan can help potential local customers find you through searches. By including such information as holiday hours, descriptions of new products or services, and newsworthy information about your business on your social media, your odds of interacting with new customers improve.

Social Media Provides Shareable Reviews and Recommendations

Millions of people are on social media sites such as Facebook. Facebook reviews and recommendations shared by previous clients can help potential customers decide you have the products or services they’re looking for. In addition, if there are some unhappy customers, how you respond and resolve their issues online can assure future customers of your excellent customer service and ability to solve problems.

Social Media Marketing Is Easy on the Budget

Social media can be one of the best cost-saving tools for your organization’s budget. Instead of paying for advertisements that are promoted to everyone, your social media posts can be geared to your tribe. Social media can be handled in many ways. One individual can be the point person to create social media for all new releases, promotions, or other newsworthy information about your business, or separate teams can take over the social media accounts and dive deep with their expertise. Another possibility is to hire a social media influencer for a day. The influencer can change the paradigm around your product and introduce a whole slew of potential new customers to what you have to offer. This is the priciest and the gutsiest of all options.

Social media should definitely be one of the most important parts of your overall marketing strategy. If you need help creating or managing your social media efforts or you’re looking for any other type of Internet marketing service, call on the experts from Saba SEO. We’ve been helping businesses boost rank and increase revenue for more than a decade. Reach out to one of our social media marketing specialists today at 858-277-1717.

8 Marketing Strategies for Plumbers to Generate High-Quality Leads

Most people searching for a plumber are looking for two main things—somebody local and somebody they’re pretty sure they can trust. Even if you’re a reputable plumber readily available to serve customers in certain areas, you’re not going to get much attention online without the right marketing strategy. Here are eight tips you can use to flush out a marketing plan that’s right for your plumbing business, brought to you by the experts from Saba SEO, one of the leading marketing companies in San Diego

1. Embrace Local SEO

As mentioned above, most people looking for a plumber want a local company. Therefore, the best way for a plumbing business to get leads and inspire contacts is with a solid local SEO strategy. In a nutshell, this can be done by: 

• Creating locally focused content
• Inserting local keywords wherever possible (e.g., webpage URLs, title tags, and image tags)
• Making sure your business’s name, address, and phone number (NAP) info is correct and consistent wherever it appears
• Making your site as mobile friendly as possible—today, most searches, especially local searches, are performed on mobile devices

2. Create an Email Marketing List

For every dollar spent, email gives you back about $40 on your investment. If you’re running a local plumbing business, an email marketing list can be a very effective way to reach customers. Send out an initial set of emails based on customer info you’ve already collected and give your recipients the option of subscribing. To increase your odds of attracting subscribers, offer something appealing and useful in your emails. Options include: 

• A regular newsletter that offers plumbing tips
• Alerts about special deals and discounts
• Information about local events your plumbing business is involved with

3. Send Direct Mailers to Owners of Older Homes

It’s more likely that older homes are going to have plumbing issues. Tap into this potential pool of customers for your plumbing business by using an online real estate source like Zillow to come up with a list of older homes within your service area. You can then do a direct mail campaign to reach out to those homeowners. Even if they don’t need your services at the moment, they may remember your business when they do.

4. Build a Conversion-Inspiring Website

The most effective plumbing website is one that’s designed to generate leads and inspire conversions. Start by including your location in your site’s URL to make it easier for searchers and search engines to place your site’s link in front of the right potential customers. Next, increase your site’s lead generation potential by: 

• Including a plumbing-related blog on your site with topics relevant to your intended audience, such as simple repair tips for homeowners
• Adding relevant images to your site—just remember to include alt image tags so you can add image descriptions
• Using video content on your site that you can cross-promote on your YouTube channel or social media pages
• Linking to authoritative sites and generating high-quality backlinks from relevant sources
• Having a website that’s easy to navigate
• Including a clear and compelling call to action, especially on your landing pages

5. Gain Trust with Testimonials

Many people looking for a plumber have horror stories in the back of their minds, either from personal experience or what’s happened to friends. Overcome these inherent trust issues by including testimonials from local satisfied customers on your website.

6. Explore Facebook Targeting

As the most-used social media network, Facebook has an extremely wide reach. Use this fact to your advantage with targeted Facebook ads. You can determine who will see your ads based on several different options, including data from your email list. You can also use Facebook user data to determine which users see your ads based on criteria such as location, age range, and income level.

You can get more specific and target people interested in home improvement topics if you want to reach individuals likely to be receptive to plumbing update suggestions. You can even use Facebook to retarget customers who’ve already checked out your website.

7. Claim or Update Your Google My Business Listing

If you haven’t already done so, claiming the Google My Business (GMB) listing for your plumbing business will make it easier for you to show up within Google’s coveted Local 3-Pack—the top three listings for local business searches. If you do have a GMB listing, fully optimize it by using: 

• Appointment URLs to allow customers to schedule appointments directly from your GMB listing
• The direct-messaging feature to allow leads to contact you from your GMB listing—you can also set up auto responses or turn messaging off altogether for times when you’re not available
• The Q&A section to respond to frequently asked questions related to your plumbing business or the services you provide

8. Team Up with Compatible Businesses

One other plumber marketing strategy to consider is partnering with a compatible local business. For a plumbing company, this might include local building contractors or home improvement companies. This tactic allows you to present your business info to customers likely to need plumbing-related services.

Implementing some or all of these marketing strategies can help you generate high-quality leads and boost revenue for your plumbing business. Businesses who need more advice on how to create and maintain effective marketing campaigns should reach out to the marketing professionals at Saba SEO, the experts in Internet marketing San Diego businesses rely on for high-quality service and the most up-to-date knowledge about SEO and online marketing. If you need help with your marketing efforts, give us a call today at 858-277-1717.

SEO Tactics You Should Never Use

You may know better than to try and fool Google with deceptive practices like keyword stuffing. However, there are some other mistakes you may be making with your search engine optimization efforts. To point you in the right direction, the experts from Saba SEO, an industry-leading San Diego SEO company, offer this advice on SEO tactics to never use again—at least if you want to attract the right kind of attention from the search engine responsible for more than half of all Internet traffic

Targeting the Same Keyword

At one time, it was common to use the same main/target keyword for multiple pieces of content. However, Google is more interested in relevance these days, so mix up your keywords based on the actual content of each page. This tactic also eliminates the risk of unintentionally creating content that’s too similar because it’s focused on the same keyword. Consider using synonyms related to your target keyword.

Presenting Short, Non-Specific Content

At one time, it was good to be short and sweet with content. Today, Google pays more attention to longer forms of content because this is what inspires more interaction online. Studies suggest the content “sweet spot” is between 1,900 and 3,000 words in length.

Posting Content Erratically

Google looks for patterns, so you’ll be better off having a set posting schedule for things like your blog. You can do the same thing with your social media content. Just remember to be mindful of your content’s quality and relevance.

Overlooking Customer Reviews

Roughly 70 percent of consumers consider online reviews when making a decision. If you’re not paying attention to reviews at all, you’re missing out on an opportunity to convince searchers to choose your business over a competitor. Google also looks at reviews, especially for local rankings. Instead, be proactive about reviews by:

  • Seeking customer feedbacl
  • Responding to your online feedback, even if it’s negative
  • Optimizing your profiles on review sites for added SEO power

    Also, avoid the temptation to post fake reviews. Google is very good about spotting deceptive tactics like this. On a related note, avoid the temptation to buy links. You’ll be better off naturally earning links back to your content by reaching out to online influencers or having a good off-page SEO strategy. Lastly, with your content, focus more on quality, not quantity, and use tools like Copyscape on a regular basis to avoid duplicate content issues.

Using outdated or counterproductive SEO tactics can cost you customers and revenue. Businesses that need expert advice on the most effective SEO tactics and how to maximize their marketing strategies should call on the experienced professionals at Saba SEO, a premier provider of San Diego SEO services and digital marketing expertise. If you need help taking your online marketing to the next level, we can help. With almost fifteen years of experience working with companies of all sizes, we help businesses boost their rank and generate high-quality leads. Give one of our SEO specialists a call today at 858-277-1717.

What Are Learning Entities & Why Do They Matter for SEO?

If you enter the search terms “pizza” and “near me,” you’ll get results on Google for pizza places in your particular geographic area. This is an example of how learning entities can affect SEO and the results delivered to searchers on the hunt for something you happen to offer. Learning entities can affect Google’s top ranking factors, including content, links, and RankBrain. Here’s what you need to know, brought to you by Saba SEO, an industry-leading San Diego SEO and digital marketing firm.

What Are Learning Entities?

Google considers a learning entity to be “a thing or concept that’s singular, unique, well-defined, and distinguishable.” In other words, it can be a date, a color, or even an idea.

How Do Entities Relate to SEO?

With content, let’s say you search for “keyword strategies for SEO.” The terms “keyword,” “strategies,” and “SEO” would all be entities. Links create connections between webpages that reference certain entities. The role of RankBrain is to use available data to determine which entities are most relevant to searchers so appropriate results can be displayed.

How Does Google Use Learning Entities?

A clue about Google’s entity metrics can be found in a 2015 patent. Based on what’s included in the patent, the search engine giant considers the following four main factors related to learning entities.

Relatedness and Notability

The first factor is relatedness. For instance, the term “president” would be related to the current president and possibly a few past presidents frequently searched for. Google also looks at how notable certain entities are based on factors such as links, mentions, search activity, and similar details that indicate what matters most to searchers. Google further considers the value of the category or topic an entity is related to.

External Signals and the Prize Metric

External signals like reviews are used for figuring out contribution. For instance, a rave review from a single customer who absolutely loved his or her lasagna would be given less weight than a glowing review for the same dish at the same restaurant written by a noted local food critic. The prize metric is used to link search terms with notable achievements. For example, if you looked up “Oscar winners,” you’d likely see a list of the main winners from the most recent Oscar ceremony.

Based on another Google patent from 2016, the following facts about learning entities, SEO, and Google are also known:

  • Google assigns unique identifiers to each entity
  • The number of times entities appear in the top results is considered
  • Google has an entity database
  • A high-quality score is used to rank entities based on factors that may include freshness, searcher behavior, and links
  • Google uses content clues to sort out multiple entities with similar names—a searcher using the term “where is” with “Chicago” is likely looking for information about the city, not the musical
  • Google makes an effort to link entities with other search data it collects

Google also uses search data to gain knowledge about new entities

The particular learning entities you focus on for SEO purposes will depend on what goals you have for your content and online engagement. As for how you can apply what’s known about Google’s application of learning entities to SEO, a good thing to focus on is who you want to reach online. You would then use this information to do further research to find out what entities are most relevant to the audience you want to reach.

Websites that keep up with Google’s increasingly sophisticated practices are more likely to rank higher. If you want Google to recognize you as an expert on your product or service, Saba SEO can help. As a premier SEO company in San Diego, we have served clients for almost fifteen years. In addition to search engine optimization, our services include website development, social media marketing, and online reputation management. To boost your ranking and stay up to date on Google’s practices, reach out to one of our SEO specialists at 858-277-1717.

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