June 2019 - Saba Digital Marketing

How Damaging Was the Bug in Google’s Index?

Posted on June 28, 2019 by admin@saba4321

A drop on Google’s index is always reason to, at the very least, find out what’s going on. When this happens to roughly 4 percent of Google’s index, it’s time to get suspicious. In fact, this is exactly what happened in April of 2019 when a deindexing bug impacted multiple URLs in Google’s index. But how bad was this particular bug? The San Diego SEO specialists at Saba SEO explain its effects.

What Happened?

In the afternoon on Thursday, April 4th, 2019, Google received reports that several sites were dropping out of Google’s index. The search engine giant received more complaints as Search Console reports continued to show indexing issues the next day. By Saturday, Google claimed the issue was resolved. They retracted that statement the next day before once again claiming everything was good to go later that same day.

How Widespread Was the Impact?

Moz looked at more than 22,000 stable URLs when it came up with the 4 percent estimate, which is only a fraction of the trillions of URLs indexed by Google. Other data providers asked to chime in on the impact of the deindexing bug didn’t have the resources required to provide comparison estimates, which means the impact could have been more widespread, but there’s no way to know for sure.

How Are Individual Websites Affected?

Just because roughly 4 percent of Google’s index may have been affected doesn’t mean this same figure applies to your site. Some websites were unaffected. However, others may have seen 50 percent or more of their pages drop from Google’s index.

What Can Be Done About It?

The coverage report in Google Search Console will show you data related to your indexed pages. You can also see if there have been any significant changes since the deindexing bug was unleashed. Google did acknowledge that because of internal efforts on their part to resolve the indexing issue, there might be some additional indexing irregularities.

This incident occurred, for the most part, over a weekend, which is when traffic is generally lower. The issue has since been fixed, but if you’re still experiencing indexing issues, one option is to resubmit the non-indexing URLs to Google again. There’s nothing you can do to prevent issues of this nature, since it’s beyond your control. The only thing you can do on your part is keep an eye on your stats and be vigilant about reporting anything out of the ordinary.

It’s hard for businesses to keep up with everything that goes on with Google’s operations, so it’s best to let the experts at Saba SEO take care of optimizing your online presence. We are one of the premier San Diego marketing companies, and we have almost fifteen years of experience in search engine optimization, website design, content development, and Internet marketing. Our experts stay up to date on last-minute Google changes and issues so we can offer customized solutions to help you increase your search engine ranking. Whether you need a mobile-friendly website or high-quality content, we’re here to help. Call us at 858-277-1717 to schedule an appointment with one of our SEO experts.

Google Analytics & Direct Traffic

Posted on June 26, 2019 by admin@saba4321

In almost all cases, direct traffic refers to browsers who entered a URL directly into the web bar or accessed the site using a previously created bookmark. These types of sessions are normally read as direct traffic when the browser cannot determine a source for the visitor. This type of label simply means the visitor came from another source that wasn’t listed within the Google Analytics account. Whether you’re managing your search engine optimization yourself or consulting with a top-tier San Diego SEO agency, here’s what you need to know about direct traffic and Google Analytics.

Fixing Direct Traffic

The easiest ways to identify and fix direct traffic tracking within a Google Analytics account is to tag URLs that are used in campaigns. A good example would be tracking results from an email campaign. Simply add a tag to the URL that says “email,” and the visitor will show up under the right source. Google has a useful tool called Campaign URL Builder that can make the process very easy.

Noticing a Drop in Traffic

A sudden drop in traffic from one particular source could be a clue that traffic isn’t being categorized correctly. To determine the source of the problem, first make sure your website hasn’t been hit with a Google penalty or you don’t have some type of technical issue preventing visitors from accessing your site. Next, analyze other sources of traffic and look for sudden spikes in traffic. If you see a sudden spike in direct traffic, it means you haven’t lost that traffic. Those visitors are now categorized differently. A number of things could be causing this to occur, including a change from a non-secure to a secure HTTPS connection. If this is the case, the inbound links must be changed to match the new secure connection.

Correcting Redirects

If you have any redirects within your website, always use server-side redirects. Perform regular audits to ensure these redirects are occurring successfully and as planned. The complex redirect road map can often lead to the removal of tracking tags from the links.

If you need help optimizing your Google Analytics tracking capability, turn to Saba SEO. As one of the leading providers of SEO in San Diego, we have been in the industry for almost fifteen years. Our services include website development, search engine optimization, social media marketing, and online reputation management. To make the most of your online presence and Google Analytics tools, call us at 858-277-1717.

Pros & Cons of Content-Centered Online Marketing

Posted on June 24, 2019 by admin@saba4321

Content is king and will always be important. Still, there are some notable advantages and disadvantages associated with content for the purpose of Internet marketing. Forgetting about content altogether isn’t an option. Nonetheless, it never hurts to know what kind of challenges you could face and what kind of rewards you may enjoy with an online-based content strategy. The experts at Saba SEO, one of the premier marketing companies in San Diego, explain the pros and cons of content for Internet marketing.

Advantages

The main advantage of content for Internet marketing is the ability to boost brand awareness. You can do this with everything from website content to blogs and social media posts. In particular, hosted content allows you to reach a wide audience while also solving problems and forming meaningful connections. Content presented the right way online also has the power to:

• Expand your customer base
• Attract attention from customers willing to spread the word online about your brand (“brand advocates”)
• Generate traffic, leads, and conversions and encourage in-person visits
• Increase your brand’s visibility on search engine results pages (SERPs)
• Optimize your paid advertising results

Disadvantages

The main disadvantage associated with content for Internet marketing is how time-consuming and complex it can be if you’re trying to juggle everything yourself. However, this is a problem that can be solved if you work with the right agency, especially one that only charges for the services you need at the moment. Some of the other possible disadvantages you’ll want to be aware of include:

• You won’t see immediate results—it takes time to fully implement a strategy and achieve long-term goals
• There’s a high entry threshold, but there are plenty of smart ways to overcome this challenge
• An extensive online content strategy isn’t right for every type of business (e.g., local offline stores with no online presence or companies that provide services on an immediate, as-needed basis)

With content for Internet marketing, you’ll stress less if you put together a strategy based on clear goals and a solid understanding of who you want to view and interact with your content. This doesn’t mean you won’t have some struggles now and then if you do have a business that interacts with customers online, but being more focused makes it easier to expand on what’s already working for you and fix what isn’t.

If you need help creating high-quality content for your website, turn to Saba SEO. Our digital marketing experts can help you develop a content strategy for your business that’s sure to boost your online presence. For almost fifteen years, we’ve helped organizations increase their search engine rankings and develop strong brand images. We also offer social media management, SEO, PPC, web development, and SEO services. San Diego businesses should reach out to one of our content specialists today at 858-277-1717.

5 Steps to Finding & Monitoring Bad Backlinks

Posted on June 21, 2019 by admin@saba4321

Backlinks can be wonderful things if they come from relevant, trustworthy sources. However, links leading back to your site can do more harm than good if they’re unreliable, overly optimized, associated with spam, or no longer active. Keep Google and your intended audience happy by taking the following five steps to discover and monitor bad backlinks, brought to you by the experts at Saba SEO, a trusted digital marketing and web design company in San Diego.

1. Collect Backlink Data

Before you do anything else, you’ll need to know the status of your current backlinks. SE Ranking, Backlink Watch, and Ahrefs are just some of the tools you can use to get the data you’ll need to evaluate and monitor incoming links.

2. Get Backlink Anchor Text Details

The visible, clickable text other websites use to link to your website is what helps search engines identify relevant keywords that also relate to your site. Therefore, an easy way to discover and monitor bad backlinks is to see what anchor text other sites are using to steer traffic to your site. Moz’s Link Explorer is a tool you can use for this purpose.

3. Check Anchor Text Keyword Volume

Keywords related to backlink anchor text usually don’t have a fairly high search volume. Use your preferred keyword tool to check anchor text volumes, but remember to remove extraneous anchor text, such as instances when another site simply uses your site’s URL to link back to it. Once you get your results, pay attention to anchor text with unusually high volumes, since this is a common sign of anchor text manipulation.

4. Create a Spreadsheet of Suspicious Backlinks

Merge your backlink and keyword data, then put this information in a spreadsheet and remove any duplicates. Add a column so you can assess the quality of each backlink. If you don’t have a huge volume of questionable backlinks, simply use a backlink checker tool to manually check each one that’s suspicious. Some of these tools, such as Backlink Checker, conveniently break down results by rank, nofollow detection, and other factors.

5. Make a Backlink List and Update It Regularly

Once you’ve identified and removed or disallowed questionable, broken, or irrelevant links, keep an updated list of all links currently pointing back to your site. Moz’s Link Explorer has a Link List feature you can use to do this.

Whether you need a search engine optimization specialist or a web design expert, call on Saba SEO. As a premier SEO company in San Diego, we have more than a decade of experience in website development and search engine marketing. We can create a responsive, mobile-friendly website for your business and provide high-quality content that is sure to boost your online ranking. Give us a call at 858-277-1717.

8 Web Design Mistakes to Avoid

Posted on June 19, 2019 by admin@saba4321

With nearly 2 billion websites in existence, searchers have a lot of options when looking for something online, but a website is only going to be a smart long-term investment that stands out from the crowd if it’s set up properly and designed with user friendliness in mind. If you’re not seeing the desired results with your current website, it could be because you’ve made one or more of the common mistakes discussed below by the San Diego web design experts at Saba SEO.

1. Not Having a Call to Action

What do you want visitors to do when they get to your website? If you want them to call you, contact you, request more info, or visit your physical location, use a call to action to provide some clear direction. Otherwise, you’ll be losing potential customers because they don’t know what to do next.

2. Not Aligning Website Content with Your Sales Funnel

Each page of your website should have a clear purpose. If every page is designed with the assumption that a visitor is ready to take action, you’ll lose others who need a bit more information about your products, services, or business to make a decision. Website content needs to address the different phases of the buyer’s cycle. Consider including:

• Product demonstration videos for visitors who need more info to make a decision
• A blog section directly on your website to create awareness about your business and what you do or offer
• Coupons to provide an added incentive to make a purchase

3. Sticking Testimonials on Only One Page

There’s a trust issue with testimonials on any website, but they still have a place, just not stuffed together on a single testimonials page. Instead, place your testimonials on your site based on the content. For example, you would put a customer comment saying how easy it is to make a purchase or how fast delivery is on your Shopping Cart or Checkout page.

4. Not Localizing Your Content

If you have a location-based business, generic content won’t make your website stand out. You’ll see better results if you include local references within your site’s content (e.g., “Miami car dealer” or “electrical contractor in Cleveland”).

5. Omitting Pricing Information

Some websites purposely omit pricing references when the answer to “How much do I have to pay?” is “It depends.” However, people often gravitate toward websites that include some reference to price, even if it’s just a general price range. This also helps out your sales team by attracting more productive leads.

6. Overdoing the Jargon

Even if you’re aiming your services or products at a specific niche or consumers likely to understand certain industry terminology, getting too deep in jargon could turn off other visitors to your site. You’ll be better off if you mix appropriate “industry speak” with:

• Bullet lists highlighting main points
• Videos briefly demonstrating your main products/services
• Customer/client success stories to help website visitors understand what benefits they may enjoy from what you’re offering

7. Duplicating Pages

Pages on your website can get duplicated for many reasons. For example, you might have migrated your content to a new site, or maybe you recently changed your site from HTTP to HTTPS. Moz’s Site Crawl tool is one of the resources you can use to spot duplicate pages so you can either remove them or add appropriate redirects.

8. Having an Unorganized Site

If your website is a mishmash of content with no real order, you’ll only be confusing visitors. This is also true if you don’t have navigation features that are easy to use and find or a good internal linking structure to take visitors to related content such as relevant blog posts or more detailed product pages. One way to correct organization issues is to view your site as if you were a first-time visitor. Make note of anything that makes your experience difficult or frustrating, then make appropriate adjustments.

Whether you’re looking for a web design expert or a specialist in search engine optimization, turn to Saba SEO. As a premier San Diego SEO company, we have almost fifteen years of experience in website development and search engine marketing. Our experts can create a responsive, mobile-friendly website for your business and provide high-quality content that is sure to boost your online ranking. Call us at 858-277-1717 to talk to one of our digital marketing specialists.

Simple Strategies for Finding Backlinks

Posted on June 17, 2019 by admin@saba4321

Backlinks are a key ingredient of successful SEO (search engine optimization). Those links can help you establish expertise. Google rewards expert sites in the company’s quest to create a complete knowledge base. The key is to find backlinks from high-quality sites. The SEO experts from Saba SEO, a premier San Diego SEO agency, offer a closer look at effective ways to find backlinks.

Create Press Releases

Create and distribute a press release to credible news sites. This press release could be about a new product, service, or upcoming event. Another idea is to conduct a poll related to your business. Issue a press release sharing the results of that poll. Make sure to include contact and website information.

Ask an Expert

Interview a respected expert in a related business. Create a blog that’s at least 1,000 words long, and make sure to promote it on social media. Don’t forget to ask the expert for a backlink to your site. This also applies to an expert you interview on your business podcast.

Be the Expert

You know a lot about your line of work, and you’re an expert. Why not promote yourself as a podcast guest or conference speaker? One event or interview could result in multiple backlinks.

Donate

Donating your product or service will help get your brand’s name out there and do something good for others in need.

Sponsor a Contest

Create a contest or giveaway. Share this contest on social media and with news organizations. Make sure to share information about your business and how it relates to the prize. Always go the extra mile. Capture names and email addresses of contest entrants or offer discounts for your products or services.

Work with a Trusted Brand or Sponsor

Promote another brand’s product that complements your own.

Contact Other Sites

Search for sites that promote your brand or service. Contact them by email and ask if they would include a link to your site.

If you need help finding backlinks or developing your overall SEO strategy, call on the SEO experts from Saba SEO. We’ve been a premier provider of San Diego SEO services for almost fifteen years. Reach out to one of our SEO specialists today at 858-277-1717

4 Advantages of Online Marketing for Your Business

Posted on June 14, 2019 by admin@saba4321

As an increasing number of customers turn to the Internet to do their shopping, online marketing has become a crucial part of companies’ strategies. Online marketing also provides several advantages over traditional marketing channels. Consider these four reasons to take advantage of online marketing, brought to you by the experts at Saba SEO, one of the leading marketing companies in San Diego.

1. Convenient, 24/7 Access to Customers

No matter where your customers live, you can instantly reach them through online ads and social media marketing. Whether they’re browsing during their lunch breaks or tucked into

their beds at night, they can see your ads and browse your services right away.

2. Lower Costs

Internet marketing often costs less than traditional marketing channels such as TV, print, and radio. A Google AdWords ad can be put together in a matter of minutes, and you can adjust your bidding strategy to fit any budget. Even the smallest business can get started with online marketing for less than $100 a month.

3. Results Tracked in Real Time

Analytics software allows you to see how your marketing campaigns are performing and make adjustments. With print media, it’s difficult to track how many people see your ad. With online media, you can track not only how many people view the ad but also how many interact with it. You’ll have better insights into which marketing campaigns yield the highest returns on investment.

4. Personalized Ads

Along with using data tracking to monitor sales, you can also use data to personalize the ads each customer sees. If customers are searching for running shoes, you can target the ads they see around your highest-rated running shoes. Many software programs exist to take the work out of customization so you can quickly create targeted marketing campaigns.

If you’re new to online marketing, start out using one or two platforms to create and run your ads. As you see what works and what doesn’t, expand your strategy to better fit your products or services and your target audience. Soon you’ll see increasing returns on your carefully tailored campaigns.

If you need a winning online marketing strategy for your business, turn to Saba SEO. As a leading San Diego web development company, we have almost fifteen years of experience in Internet marketing, paid marketing, and search engine optimization. Our experts can evaluate your business objectives, identify your target audience, and design a comprehensive marketing plan that’s sure to boost your online visibility and conversion rates. To talk to one of our expert marketing managers, give us a call today at 858-277-1717.

5 Tips for Optimizing Your Site’s CTAs

Posted on June 12, 2019 by admin@saba4321

A call to action (CTA) is like a digital signpost that tells visitors to your website what you want them to do next. It’s also one of the most important elements on your various web pages. To point you in the right direction, here are five smart ways to optimize your website’s calls to action, brought to you by the digital marketing professionals from Saba SEO, an industry-leading San Diego SEO company.

1. Use Command Verbs

You don’t want wishy-washy CTAs. Use strong, clear, and concise verb phrases such as “call today” or “subscribe now.” Your preferred command verb should be the first word of your CTA, since you want to grab a website visitor’s attention ASAP.

2. Have a Responsive Website

It’s not unusual for on-the-go shoppers to quickly check a store’s website from their phones or iPads. If your website isn’t optimized for both desktop and mobile visitors (responsive design), your CTA may not display or scale properly when viewed on smaller screens.

3. Test Your CTA Copy

There’s no rule that says CTAs have to be short and sweet. In some instances, it makes perfect sense to have a longer CTA. One way to find a CTA style that works for you is to run an A/B test, which means presenting the same web page with two different CTAs and seeing which one performs better.

4. Make CTAs Easy to Spot

A simple way to make a CTA stand out is to leave sufficient white space around it. A CTA can also become more noticeable by:

• Using bright/different colors
• Making it physically bigger than surrounding text
• Using a CTA button—especially if most of your website’s traffic is mobile and you want to encourage “tapping” when your CTA is spotted

5. Don’t Overwhelm Visitors with CTAs

It many cases, it makes perfect sense to use more than one CTA on a web page. For example, you might put one in the intro paragraph for visitors ready to take action and another at the bottom of the page for visitors who need a bit more convincing to take the desired action. However, you don’t want to go overboard with your CTAs. If you do, you could end up annoying website visitors who are trying to view your content so they can make up their minds. Fortunately, you can also A/B test things like the number of CTAs on each web page and the placement of your CTAs to see what’s likely to work best for you.

When you optimize your CTAs by following these tips, you can boost your click-through rate and generate more high-quality leads. For help with every aspect of their content marketing strategies, businesses trust the experts at Saba SEO, a top-tier SEO, Internet marketing, and web design company in San Diego. Call one of our web content specialists today at 858-277-1717.

Different Categories of Online Marketing

Posted on June 10, 2019 by admin@saba4321

Internet marketing is any type of marketing activity done online. This definition gets a bit more complicated when you break down the broad term “Internet marketing” into its various subcategories. Still, it’s important to understand what your options are so you can take advantage of your available online marketing opportunities. Here’s a closer look at the types of Internet marketing that matter most today, brought to you by the experts at Saba SEO, one of the leading Internet marketing companies in San Diego.

Social Media Marketing (SMM)

With social media marketing, you use platforms such as Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram to connect with people likely to be interested in what you have to offer. SMM can be further broken down as organic or paid.

• Organic SMM – You use content in your various social posts to generate interest, build and sustain relationships, and inspire brand loyalty.

• Paid SMM – Some of the bigger social platforms have sponsored or promoted ad options. For example, Facebook has dedicated ads based on specific online marketing objectives.

Search Engine Optimization

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of optimizing your website and online content so it attracts the right kind of attention, both from search engines such as Google and Bing and from human searchers. In a nutshell, you want your brand or products to be front and center on search engine results pages (SERPs). This goal is achieved with a combination of SEO techniques, including:

• Target keywords
• Content that includes text, images, and video
• On-page SEO – Referring to what you do on your website to appeal to searchers
• Off-page SEO – Referring to the things you do outside your website that convince searchers to check out your website, such as paid ads, blogs and social media posts, and getting links from other sites that point back to your site (backlinks)

Content Marketing

Content marketing can be defined as the creation and distribution of various materials online. In addition to what’s included on your website’s various pages, content marketing also includes:

• Blogs and social media posts
• Videos and podcasts
• Case studies, white papers, and PDF files
• E-books and webinars
• Emails

Influencer and Affiliate Marketing

With influencer marketing, you reach out to “influential” people online and ask them to promote your products, recommend your brand to their followers, or include a link back to your website. Affiliate marketing is a setup where a commission is earned by others who promote your products online.

Email Marketing

Email marketing is the process of sending electronic messages directly to certain customers. The key to successful email marketing is creating mailing lists composed of people (e.g., recent or past customers or people who’ve recently visited your website and provided their email info) likely to be interested in what you include in your emails. What’s great about email marketing is the ability to customize your email content based on individual interests and preferences.

Paid Advertising

Pay-per-click (PPC) is the most common form of paid advertising, and it means you’re paying for each click back to your website that your ad inspires. Google Ads is the most famous platform for PPC. They also use keyword data to place your ads in front of searchers likely to be more responsive. Facebook has a similar platform. Some other social platforms, such as Twitter and YouTube, have their own unique paid ad options. Other than clicks, paid ad platforms sometimes charge advertisers based on:

Cost per thousand impressions – You pay for every thousand views your ad gets
Cost per action – You pay for each desired action taken that your ad inspires
Cost per view – You pay each time your visual content is viewed

Just because there are different types of Internet marketing doesn’t mean you have to use each one, especially if you’re a smaller business with limited resources. Once you’ve defined your online marketing goals and your target audience, you’ll be able to benefit from a comprehensive strategy that includes a combination of Internet marketing options more in line with your goals.

If you need help with your Internet marketing efforts, turn to Saba SEO. Our experts can help you develop a marketing strategy for your business that is sure to boost your online presence. For almost fifteen years, we’ve helped organizations all over the world increase their search engine rankings and develop strong brand images. We also offer industry-leading social media management, SEO, PPC, web development, and SEO services. San Diego businesses should reach out to one of our digital marketing experts today at 858-277-1717.

14 Predictions for SEO in 2019

Posted on June 7, 2019 by admin@saba4321

Search engine optimization (SEO) is about doing little things better each year, and it’s also about adjusting to the latest technology and needs of the consumer. Google is now creating a knowledge base and will rank high-quality sites higher. Here are 14 SEO predictions for 2019, brought to you by the experts at Saba SEO, a premier SEO company in San Diego.

1. Mobile

In 2019, all sites should be responsive.

2. Trustworthiness

Google rewards sites that demonstrate trustworthiness, which means hosting a secure site. All links going in and out of your site must be only to and from established experts.

3. Speed

Good UX is important for SEO, which means there’s no latency.

4. Process

Keep track of your customers’ regular purchases and make it easier for them to repeat those purchases.

5. FAQ Page

A good FAQ page answers all questions about your business. You can obtain these from questions customers ask on social media and in the comments of your blogs.

6. Security

Have you upgraded from HTTP to HTTPS? Google downgrades those who haven’t made the upgrade.

7. Testimonials

Offer a page of testimonials from customers to help you gain trust and improve your SEO.

8. Infographics

Infographics can do wonders for visibility and SEO. A high-quality infographic can be shared on social media. Don’t forget to include your website in the meta description.

9. Content

High-quality, well-written content that’s error free is important for SEO. Text that has no grammatical errors will improve your SEO.

10. Natural Voice

Natural language is now important when researching keywords. Voice commands are on the rise.

11. Backlinks

All links from other sites to yours must be from high-quality sites.

12. Internal Links

One way to create expertise is to create high-quality content that has internal links with more detailed information, which demonstrates to Google you’re an expert.

13. Content Length

In 2019, the length of a blog post should be at least 1,000 to 1,400 words.

14. Local Search

Google My Business unlocks the key to local search success. This free tool is more effective if you fill out all the information. The information needs to match what’s on your social media and your website.

If you need help keeping up with trends to optimize your business’s SEO strategy, call on the experienced professionals at Saba SEO, the leading experts on SEO in San Diego. We can help you with search engine optimization, online marketing, social media management, web design, and much more. Give us a call today at 858-277-1717 to learn more about our industry-leading services.