Saba Digital Marketing

SEO Tips for Websites

The success of search engines and our reliance on them as product and content consumers has cemented the need for even well-established websites to employ search engine optimization techniques. As such, here are some that you should be using:

1. Never, under any circumstances, should a website manager consider their website finished. This common misconception leaves well-established websites vulnerable to losing page position. To prevent this from happening, always continue to add value and improvements to the website.

2. Go directly to the search engines for updates on technical advice. While some established websites may assume they’ve mastered optimization, the art of SEO is always evolving. Make sure to check in with Google’s Webmaster Guidelines and Webmaster Help Videos to stay up to date on the best techniques and strategies.

3. Word choice is critical. Established sites should make sure the words it uses are the absolute most relevant and effective. SEO enables web managers to pull off an array of tricks but at the end of the day, sites cannot be misleading or their page rank and traffic will surely suffer.

4. Makes sure to clean house frequently. While having a significant amount of engaging and relevant content and links are a positive, established websites should make sure to prune content regularly. Getting rid of outdated or defunct information helps keep websites relevant and interesting.

5. An established website should be optimized for mobile users. It is clear that product and content consumers are moving to smaller, more mobile screens for their needs. Web managers need to make sure their website is able to make the size transition with consumers to provide a satisfying user experience and increase the number of return visitors.

Regardless of where a website is, digital curators need to stay up to date with evolving SEO practices. For some companies, this is easier said than done, especially when resources are tight. If you could use a little help stepping up your SEO game, reach out to Saba SEO, a trusted internet marketing company in San Diego. Give us a call today at (858) 277-1717 and receive a complimentary website audit!

Resolve for Better SEO in 2016

2015 was full of SEO updates and algorithm changes, so the world of online marketing has certainly changed in a year. Because of this, 2016 offers excellent opportunities for business owners to optimize their websites and expand their readerships.

1. Write Specific Content

After Google’s various quality updates, generic content simply won’t produce the SEO results that they’re looking for. To achieve high global and local SEO ranking, content must be unique and appealing to consumers. Google determines this factor of appeal by calculating data from inbound links, visits, and other areas. To make this data more favorable, create highly specific content that explores topics that are not widely discussed. Providing industry insights, commentary, entertainment, and helpful tips are excellent ways to increase a website’s Google rank.

2. Target a Geographical Location

During 2016, the number of mobile devices users will continue to increase. Since many consumers search for products and stores when they are away from home, companies can benefit from writing articles that target their city or region. To optimize articles for local SEO, writers should include a geographic location and a keyword in the titles of articles. The location and keyword can also be placed into the body of text, but take special care to prevent keyword stuffing.

3. Use Proper Heading Tags

After all of the most recent updates, HTML heading tags are still important for SEO efforts. Make sure all articles use the H1 tag. When relevant, the H2 and H3 tags should also be used. Google rewards properly formatted websites with rank promotions.

4. Eliminate Duplicated or Poor Content

For SEO purposes, quantity is not better than quality. When the much-anticipated Penguin 4.0 update occurs, Google will certainly penalize all websites that host duplicated or poor content. Audit articles on the company website to ensure that they’re SEO-friendly and engaging to readers. In addition to SEO benefits, deleting unoriginal content will increase website credibility.

5. Engage Readers and the Media

The black hat SEO practices of buying inbound links or otherwise manipulating search engines will no longer work. Utilize all available resources to attract readers and earn genuine links. One of the most effective ways to build credible links is to send press releases to media companies and engage social media followers. By sharing articles and answering questions in the public realms of Facebook and Twitter, you can build your brand and earn real links from real consumers.

2016 will be a year full of changes. By using trusted methods and keeping up with changes, you can improve your SEO efforts and earn massive profits. With three weeks of the New Year already gone by, there’s no time like the present to make sure you’re ready for the rest of 2016. Give Saba SEO a call at (858) 277-1717 and find the help you need to get your website in tiptop shape.

 

Developing Defined Digital Marketing Goals

Digital marketing is an excellent way to spread your brand to many consumers and increase profits. Before you start your marketing campaign, however, you should establish clear goals. This will save you time and money as you make decisions about your online marketing efforts.

Test Your Website

Over the past few years, search engine algorithms have changed rapidly. Because of this, many trusted SEO standards have become outdated and irrelevant. New rules have also been introduced. To ensure your website will continue to rank highly, you should evaluate your current SEO practices. This should be one of your first goals. If you can determine the strengths and weaknesses of your website, you’ll be able to develop a strategy for success.

Audit All Content

The old-school method of lacing articles with keywords is no longer effective. Instead, you must now rely on a natural growth of inbound links through other bloggers and social media users. To do this, your articles must be unique and useful. Google now penalizes sites that host duplicated content. When you audit your content, you should make sure that the information offers an original idea or a creative spin of an old one. Webmasters should also ensure that articles utilize all of the relevant HTML tags.

Expand Your Brand

One of the best ways to increase sales is to establish a mental connection between your company and the products that you sell. Nike is a company that has succeeded in connecting their brand with a specific product. Whenever people think about buying running shoes or basketball shoes, Nike is one of the first companies that comes to their minds. To expand your brand, take full advantage of social media marketing to promote your logo and attach it to a specific product. As your company gains traction, you can start to incorporate other products or services as well.

Increase Consumer Interaction

Most markets are saturated with companies that sell the same kinds of goods. In many cases, you won’t be able to convince consumers that your products are better than your competitor’s products. Fortunately, you can connect with consumers on a personal level to persuade them to purchase your goods and services. Use social media and surveys to learn what matters to your consumers. If you find a trend, you may want to incorporate it into your marketing efforts. Consumers appreciate companies who put forth the effort to directly communicate with them. Instead of using form letters and automated messages, you can respond to consumer concerns on social media. Facebook comments are an excellent way to show consumers that you care about them. Since Facebook comments are public, this may also increase your brand recognition.

Bolster Weak Areas and Reduce Costs

Most webmasters are very busy. Since time is limited, you should determine the strongest and weakest aspects of your website. If your social media marketing efforts are already fruitful, you should concentrate your efforts on other aspects of your business. To maximize the effects of your work, you need to make sure that you aren’t wasting time and energy on areas that are producing results. If it’s not broken, don’t try to fix it.

You should also analyze your marketing statistics on a regular basis to determine which strategies and keywords are not working to your satisfaction. Your company will certainly benefit from regular cost-benefit analyses. If you could use help creating and achieving defined marketing goals, give us a call at (858) 277-1717. We’re a trusted internet marketing company in San Diego and can help you develop your brand, further your marketing goals, and connect with your audience. Reach out today, we look forward to hearing from you!

Is It Time to Find a New SEO Agency?

If you’re like many busy business people, you may have hired an SEO agency to attract visitors to your website. While there are some truly great SEO agencies in San Diego available for hire, many companies are unqualified to help you. Be sure to check your SEO agency for these red flags.

They Aim for High Global Rank

Many SEO agencies simply aim for achieving a high global rank on Google and other search engines. Unless your company is a massive transnational corporation, this won’t benefit you. For example, if you own a hair salon in San Diego, the fact that people in Burma can find your web content will not increase your sales. Your company would benefit from an SEO agency that will help you build a strong local SEO ranking. Be sure to ask your current (and future) SEO agency about their local SEO strategies before continuing.

They Don’t Customize Their Strategies

Websites are nearly as diverse as people. Because of this, internet marketing companies in San Diego cannot use a single strategy for numerous websites and expect optimal results. If your SEO agency offers standardized packages that call for rapid link building and formatting changes, then it’s time to look for a new company.

They Don’t Write Engaging Content

The old methods of link building and keyword placement are no longer effective ways to achieve a high SEO rank. Agencies that still use these outdated methods should be left behind. Google and other search engines now reward websites that have content that readers appreciate and enjoy. This SEO-friendly content is often written in a manner that is either entertaining or useful. This will cause a natural growth of inbound links from social media sites and blogs.

Be on the lookout for these common SEO flaws to decide whether or not your current SEO agency is right for you. If you’re thinking of switching to a new agency or are looking for one that will truly take the time to understand your brand, reach out to Saba, Inc. at (858) 277-1717. In addition to SEO, we also offer social media and PPC management in San Diego. Give us a call today—we look forward to hearing from you!

Bad SEO Practices That Do More Harm Than Good

Search engine optimization is essential for building a robust business, especially if the majority of your market is selling products or services online. This, however, does not mean that all SEO is guaranteed to be good for your business. The wrong tactics and a number of common oversights could cause SEO to harm–rather than help–your growing organization.

Overlooking the Need for Reputation Management

When SEO works like it should, it is guaranteed to garner more traffic and attention for your business. Unfortunately, this attention can be both positive and negative. Consumers currently have a tremendous amount of power when it comes to shaping online opinions and thus, visible companies have to take a proactive stance on protecting their commercial images. Being proactive about reputation management is far better than simply issuing reactive responses to unexpected and even unwarranted attacks. When you work with a full-service SEO firm in San Diego, your provider will work diligently to ensure that your company image is virtually impervious to negative online attention.

Using “Set-It-and-Forget-It” SEO Solutions

SEO is an ongoing and ever-evolving process, especially when it’s done right. It is meant to remain in a near-constant state of flux given the way in which the web is being accessed and used is constantly evolving and changing. If you aren’t regularly investing time and energy into devising and implementing strategies that are relevant to the latest technical developments, SEO is probably causing more harm than good. Your on-site content must expand and evolve and link-building strategies should change each time algorithm updates are made or the related link-building platforms go down. In addition to establishing new, organic links from time to time, you also have to make regular efforts to clean up your existing link profile by disavowing dead links and making other necessary omissions.

Outdated Optimization Methods

There was a time when keywords were all the rage. Sadly, however, overuse of key terms have made major search engines far more stringent concerning how these optimization tools are used. Many companies that are still managing their own SEO in-house have not fully recognized the dramatic changes that have and continue to occur in this area. If you’re still structuring your SEO around keywords alone, these efforts are definitely harming your business and its online presence. With everyone taking a much greater focus on providing web users with optimal value, you must push your business to source or create truly informative content, rather than making keyword density a top priority.

Technical Problems

Having a reputable San Diego online marketing agency manage these efforts is often the best way to identify and resolve technical issues that might otherwise go overlooked. Making sure that pages are properly coded is vital for achieving an optimal level of overall site fitness and for ensuring your pages are quick to load. Optimization experts can also make sure that all of your pages are both accessible and viable on a variety of viewing devices. Companies who have websites that are not smartphone and tablet-friendly are likely getting knocked by Google. Moreover, these are two areas in which negligence or oversight can prevent you from ever achieving a desirable page rank.

Need to get your SEO up to speed? We can help. At Saba, Inc., we stay up to date on the latest SEO practices so you don’t have to. To learn more or request a free website analysis give us a call at (858) 277-1717. We look forward to chatting!

How SEO Can Grow Your Business

By optimizing your business website for search engines, you can expand your readership and potential customers without exhausting your marketing budget. While this is common advice that is offered by SEOs in San Diego, the benefits of SEO are rarely explained in detail. Here is how SEO can grow your business.

1. You’ll Be Able to Utilize Search Engine Trends

Each day, internet users perform approximately three billion searches using Google and other search engines. This drives traffic to a large number of sites in various niches. By optimizing your website for search engines, you’ll be able to attract visitors from various demographic groups. If you create SEO content that includes trending keywords, you can gain new customers and increase your profits.

2. SEO Will Save You Money

In the past, one of the most popular ways to market a company involved hiring an expensive public relations firm that would create advertisements and make connections. While these firms may still have a purpose for large corporations, small businesses can use the internet to improve their relationships with customers and other professionals. By using a top-quality website that’s been optimized in-house or by an SEM company in San Diego, you can deliver your brand’s message without using your entire budget. With SEO, you will be able to reduce your marketing budget and enjoy more profits.

3. Google Will Reward You for Valuable Content

When you first start producing content for your business website, you may be tempted to try to attract customers with advertisements and positive statements about the quality of your product. This would make sense if you were creating content for billboards, but this direct approach to advertising is not very effective on the internet. Google understands that internet users value information that is unique and useful. If you produce content that offers valuable information that cannot be found on other websites, Google will grant you an improved search engine rank. In addition to attracting new customers to your website, the reputation of your brand will improve.

Optimizing your website for search engines is a cost-effective marketing effort that will grow your business. But some companies, especially small businesses, feel optimizing websites and developing an ongoing strategy aren’t feasible. If that sounds familiar, let Saba, Inc. help! In addition to SEO services, we also offer cost-effective social media and PPC management as well as web design and mobile app development in San Diego. Give us a call at (858) 277-1717 and request a complimentary consultation!

Enhance Your Brand with These Social Media Marketing tips

Social media has become the newest trend for getting the word out about events, groups, and networking. No matter how confident you are about your marketing approach on social media, you can always improve on your efforts to build your brand. Here are a few ways how.

1. Determine Your Objective

What is your reason for marketing? Remember without an objective you won’t be able to plan accordingly. Ask questions such as “What will this objective achieve?” and “How will this objective help improve business?”

2. Define Your Audience

Before you can start marketing on social media, you need to know who your audience is. The products or services you’re marketing will determine your target demographic. Narrowing down your audience will help decrease wasteful spending and improve the outcome of your marketing efforts.

3. Choose a Few Social Media Networks

Once you understand your target demographic, you can determine which social media platforms they frequent and focus on those. Spreading yourself too thin across all platforms will not only cost you more in both time and money, you won’t experience greater results if you’re not actually reaching your target audience. Keeping your efforts to a few platforms will also make it easier to monitor traffic, flow, and results.

4. Create a Content Calendar

Creating a content calendar will help you stay on track with your marketing strategy. You will know exactly what went out on what day and can track the response and results of each piece of content. You will also have a game plan for the months ahead and can plan accordingly after tracking current results.

5. Network with Others

Using social media is more than just posting stuff on behalf of your company. Make sure to post comments on blogs and other forums to get your name out. Join groups with common interests and that attract people who might be interested in your product or service.

6. Evaluate Results

Measure your success by the goals that you have set for yourself. Were you able to increase website traffic? Were there conversions? Have you actively built and improved upon relationships with consumers? Were you able to create partnership opportunities?

7. Improve

Answering the above questions will help you continually improve on your social media marketing strategy.

Marketing your business and brand on social media takes a little extra effort, but it’s an achievable goal for businesses of all sizes. For businesses that don’t have the time or resources to manage social media on their own, there are cost-effective options like outsourcing your needs to Saba, Inc. In addition to managing your social media, we also put together SEO packages for small businesses as well as large.

Request more information by calling us at (858) 277-1717 and request a free website analysis and consultation as well.

The Code of Conduct for Online Reviews Every Business Needs

Online reviews can either make or break your business, so it’s definitely in your best interests to pay attention to what people are saying about your brand. If you take the right attitude towards managing and responding to online reviews, you can start making this feedback work for you and actually improve you’re online marketing efforts.

Check In on a Daily Basis

Consumers are paying attention to what online reviewers are saying even if you aren’t. Make a concerted effort to stay abreast of all the most recent posts about your business on popular review platforms. This will give you a clear understanding of just how powerful these platforms can be in terms of driving new business to or away from your company.

Never Respond from a Place of Anger

All companies have the capacity to attract both positive and negative feedback. It is not possible to please all customers all of the time and not everyone is guaranteed to like what you have to offer or what you do. Try not to take negative reviews to heart and never respond to them from a place of anger. If necessary, spend some time offline before writing your response so that you can avoid posting statements that you might regret later on.

Solve Problems in a Visible Fashion

Negative reviews give you the chance to respond to and resolve problems in a transparent way that helps your company garner more trust. This is why it is so important to keep your cool and craft your responses strategically. Showing others that the customer always comes first will make your company stand out while limiting the impact of unflattering feedback.

Be Gracious

Always thank people who’ve taken the time to upload positive comments about your company. This will help you build a friendly, personable brand that people are more likely to comment on in the future. Engaging with people who’ve posted to review platforms also gives you the opportunity to upload links back to your website, blog or social networking pages for increased connectivity, exposure, and improved search engine optimization in San Diego.

With the right mindset, you can use the reviews to help your business grow. If you could use help, give us a call at (858) 277-1717 and learn more about our online marketing services, including SEO, PPC, and social media management in San Diego. Schedule your free consultation today!

What Can You Do to Protect Your Website from the Growing Number of Hacks?

Hackers are invisible predators intent on stealing customers’ and businesses’ information from any vulnerable website. Unfortunately, as fast as new security procedures and software are being developed, hackers are not far behind in their ability to gain access to websites. However, as a trusted SEO agency in San Diego, we understand that a functional, well-designed website is essential to every thriving business, and these five tips can help prevent easy access to your website’s information.

1. Update Immediately

Although it is easy to dismiss update messages in the middle of the workday or delay implementing them until a more convenient time, immediately proceeding with the updates is essential for keeping information safe. Some updates are security updates and fix security vulnerabilities. Hackers are fast, it takes only hours to sort through thousands of websites looking for vulnerabilities. By updating your software promptly, you ensure that you have the latest protection available for your website.

2. Reduce or Eliminate File Uploads

Never allow users to upload files directly to your website. File uploads are one of the easiest ways into your system no matter how thoroughly they are inspected by the security procedures in place. Instead of allowing direct access to your files or the ability to upload files, store files out of the root directory. You can then use a script to access them when you need to.

3. Use SSL

Websites enable a fast and effective transfer of information from the client to the business. No more jotting names, phone numbers, and addresses down on sticky notes necessary. However, customer’s personal information can be stolen as it transfers from the website to your database. Using an encrypted SSL protocol will protect this information as it is being transferred.

4. Install a WAF

Web application firewalls are one of the best ways to block hackers and bots. The WAF acts as a barrier between your website server and the data connection. It scans every piece of data that goes through it. The easiest way to install a web application firewall is to pay a small fee for a cloud-based subscription service.

5. Stay Up to Date

Knowledge is power. Stay up to date on the latest news in the hacking world. If you know what hackers can do then you can take steps to prevent it. This is especially critical because the pace of technology development is so rapid.

Saba, Inc. is a trusted online marketing company based in San Diego that specializes in SEO, social media marketing, PPC management, and web design and development. Give us a call at (858) 277-1717 to learn more about our services or request a complimentary consultation.

Why Even Small Businesses Need a Websites

If your company plans to be a success in the 21st century, it needs a website. It is the ultimate tool to connect with customers, enhance brand awareness, and market to consumers without breaking your budget. Experienced San Diego SEO company Saba SEO takes a closer look at some other reasons why every company needs an online presence.

1) Everyone Shops Online

In 2015, online sales are projected to increase to $347 billion from just over $304 billion in 2014. A little over $76 billion in sales are projected to come from mobile devices such as tablets or smartphones. Companies that don’t have a website, especially one that is mobile-friendly, won’t have access to these customers.

2) Organic Traffic Expands Your Reach

A small business or a niche business may not have the money to advertise regionally or nationally through television or radio spots. However, small or niche companies can create a website that anyone in the country can find and place an order through. This gives them a chance to increase brand awareness and business even if they don’t have a large marketing budget.

3) Keep Track of Your Marketing Efforts

Internet marketing is unique because it gives companies the ability to see in real-time how a marketing campaign is performing. For instance, you can see how much it costs per click on an online ad or how much it costs to acquire a customer. You can also A/B test to determine which ad or landing page gives you the best return on your marketing investment.

4) Interact with Customers With Ease

If customers have questions or concerns, they can send an email or chat live with a customer service representative almost instantaneously. You can also include an FAQ section, a map, directions, links to social media pages, and customer testimonials.

5) Nobody Wants to Visit the Mall Anymore

Even if you have a physical storefront, it is still worthwhile to have a website. This is because online shoppers have cited the ease of comparing prices, increased choice of retailers, and not having to battle crowds as major reasons to shop online. Therefore, creating a website meets a basic demand in the marketplace that will keep your company competitive in the long run.

Over half of all small businesses don’t have a website. In today’s marketplace, not having a website is not an option. If you don’t have an online presence, customers who shop online or find out about retailers online won’t even know that your company exists, which is not good for the bottom line.

If you could use some help with website design and development, we have you covered. We can also help you implement online marketing campaigns to reach your target audience and boost traffic to your site. Give us a call today at (858) 277-1717 to learn more!

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