SEO Archives - Fortress Consulting Group

SEO Is Complicated: Here are Four Common Mistakes Brands Make

With some aspects of digital marketing, winging it might – just might – get you by. For example, social media is a space for bold experimentation and can be left up to each brand’s discretion, and the same could be said for some types of email marketing. With those, driving home a compelling narrative is more important than individual word choice. However, when it comes to SEO, you are dealing with a whole different beast – Google. Google, and other major search engines, have the power to determine whether or not your site will be visible to potential users. According to Ahrefs’ recent study, 90% of sites don’t receive any visitors from Google. At all. Ensure that your site will be part of the 10% by avoiding these common SEO mistakes.

SEO Mistake #1: Using Too Many Highly Competitive Keywords

As a web user, when was the last time you did a Google search and scrolled past the first page of results? It’s probably been a while, if ever, right? The second page of results is not where you want to be as a brand, and, oftentimes, a site ends up there because there are too many high-competition keywords on the page and not enough niche ones that make your website unique.

This is not to say avoid competitive keywords like the plague – because they are competitive for a reason – but without the right balance, you risk drowning in a sea of websites that look too much like yours in terms of keyword use.

The best way to avoid this mistake is taking advantage of the many search engine optimization resources available like Google Analytics, Keywords Everywhere, SE Ranking, and more. These services often feature metrics that will tell you how difficult it is for a specific keyword to rank on the first page of Google, thus increasing your organic traffic. It will be well worth your investment, especially if you own a site with a low domain rating.

SEO Mistake #2: Overlooking Meta Titles and Meta Descriptions

Metadata is crucial in helping your web page rank high on search engines. So what exactly is it? Well, the root “meta” refers to “the self.” Essentially, metadata is data that references or describes other data. It is the text that informs the reader about what they are about to read if they click onto the site. You’ve seen it before. Here’s an example of what effective metadata looks like:

So why is it important to make sure you include and optimize metadata in your SEO strategy? The answer is user convenience. You can see how Fortress strategically uses keywords in its meta descriptions, informing interested readers about what we do. These descriptions are important because they not only build up our credibility but also introduce readers to our distinct voice, right there in the search results. The goal with these descriptions is to simultaneously answer initial questions a reader might have, such as “Who in Chicago can help me get my brand developed?” as well as invite them to peruse the site in full. Once they’re in, you’re in business.

SEO Mistake #3: Not Integrating Social Media with SEO

The year is 2022. The reality is that some of the old rules of thumb regarding search engine optimization have lost some of their relevance. Namely, brands can no longer get by without pairing their SEO strategy with social media. Building up social media profiles by creating consistent and unique content is absolutely essential to driving up traffic. It establishes your reputation. It increases visibility. Here’s proof: research was recently conducted by CognitiveSEO that revealed a link between the number of engagements on social media and site ranking.

While there is no direct link between social media and SEO, that does not mean brands can ignore the clear indirect link social media has in boosting site traffic considerably.

SEO Mistake #4: Neglecting the Mobile Experience

Search engines take into consideration how mobile-friendly your site is when determining its ranking. When we talk about SEO evolving, this is a huge part of that, because everyone knows the most common way we access sites is on our mobile devices. Whether it’s ordering a Lyft, browsing for a new apartment, or quickly perusing a restaurant’s website before deciding to dine, we are attached to the convenience of our cell phones.

The way to avoid this mistake is to constantly remind ourselves that SEO is not strictly a conversation about keywords. Staying on brand is just as important. Websites with high-quality design are engaging in more ways than simply with their written content will perform better. Unequivocally.

As you read these mistakes, make note of them and how to avoid them, but most of all remember the general rule of always keeping your user in mind: UEO – User Experience Optimization, if you will. Your customers and clients will thank you.

What is Google’s New Marketing Platform and What can it Do for You?

Earlier this week, Google hosted a live web broadcast announcing their new ad service rebrand. AdWords has become Google Ads, DoubleClick has become Google Analytics 360 and they all fall under Google Marketing Platform. A lot seems to have changed but, being a copywriter, I don’t interact much with the backend of advertising and most of the broadcast went right over my head. I sat down with our Director of Digital Strategy, Eric Lucas, for a simplified breakdown of Google’s new services.

What exactly is the update?

Google’s new “Google Marketing Platform” will act as an umbrella service to house: Google Ads, Google Analytics 360, and Google Ad Manager. This is a one-stop-shop for all the front-end and back-end marketing services that Google already had in place including: the research, setup, measurement and optimization of a campaign. Now, marketers won’t have to integrate the separate features to make them work together, but, instead, Google Marketing Platform will allow them to easily toggle between features and allow the features to “talk to each other.” In addition to the bundling of their services, Google Ads will now have “smart campaigns” which use machine learning to optimize ad headlines and descriptions (which are getting a character boost too).

What does this mean for marketers?

Marketers like Eric will now be able to do their job better and faster. With all of Google’s suite of marketing tools in one place, the research, set up, measurement, and optimization will all be in one place. Google Marketing Platform will cut down on set-up time so that marketers can start delivering reports faster and be able to see how effectively your ad budget is being used. There will be better visibility of where the budget is going and what returns on investment are coming back to you.

What does this mean for brands?

Ad campaigns will be much more effective. The new platform will cut down on set up time which and reduce errors that could have occurred before from integrating separate platforms. Measuring and attribution will be easier because the services are better connected. The clarity of results will also improve significantly. For smaller businesses who don’t have a huge ad budget, they may require less long-term professional help. If you don’t have a marketing background, you still might want to consult an agency like Fortress. Business owners will be able to more clearly see what the results are saying about the success of their campaign. The responsive ads that use machine learning will help you to optimize your budget by more quickly assessing which campaigns are working and which ones aren’t. While the platform is more streamlined, if you don’t have a marketing background, you still might want to consult an agency like Fortress.

Will consumers see any change in their ad experience?

The biggest change will be the ability to turn targeted ads on and off. Google will still show you ads, but your data won’t be used to decide which ones you see. Eventually, search ads will become more relevant to you (if you allow targeted ads). Google is allowing marketers to use more characters in the headlines and descriptions which will give you a clearer idea of what the ad will lead you to. This may result in search ads giving you more relevant results than before.

Overall, Google’s marketing rebrand will make life much easier for marketers by integrating all their services into one platform. And, although Google has streamlined the process of paid ad marketing, you should still consult an agency. We’ve taken over several campaigns where the client started it themselves and couldn’t clearly see their results or wasted their budget trying to figure it out. In either scenario, we could quickly overhaul and revamp the campaigns to run more efficiently and maximize their budgets. Google has been the leader in paid digital advertising for a long time and is only getting stronger. Check out the recording of the broadcast here if you want to learn more in-depth about the changes happening in the world of Google Ads.

Social Media Tactics and Online Credibility

Social media is crucial when it comes to increasing your online credibility, and a lot is said about successful social media strategies: there’s no such thing as over-posting… respond to each comment… talk about everything to gain more followers… In other words, engage. Although all of these ideas are significant, the most important social media tactics to increase online credibility aren’t related to community engagement in the literal sense.

Narrowing your focus by creating hashtags for your social media content increases online credibility. Hashtags are used to search terms in a post and to group posts to similar topics. Keep in mind the fewer hashtags you use in a post, the better. #Overusing #hashtags #for #every #keyword #can #result #in #your #content #looking #like #spam. Not to mention, every word in your content is actually a search term online. But remember, the use of hashtags varies depending on the social media platform. For example, Twitter started hashtags and generally uses them to search and share information. Facebook, on the other hand, recently enabled hashtags, but they are used for more humorous purposes than they are used for searching/grouping purposes.

Social media and SEO go hand-in-hand. The more followers you have on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn—you name it—the more opportunities you create to share your content and build buzz around your brand. As a result, linking your social media sites to your brand’s site and creating share buttons for your content make it easier for people to not only view and pass on your information but also increase your SEO search and online credibility.

There is one thing that is more important than hashtags and linking and that’s consistency. When it comes to effective social media use, consistency seems harder to accomplish than anything else. It doesn’t mean you have to post 10 pieces of content every day, but if you want to be a credible online source you must post content regularly. However, it’s hard to be consistent with the plethora of social media platforms available these days. The first piece of advice: Every social media platform isn’t necessarily for you. Take the time to research and understand what platforms might be better for your brand before diving into everything. Second, if you do use multiple social media platforms consider creating a timetable for your content with Hootsuite. Hootsuite is a scheduled posting site that allows you to manage and post content to your various social media sites. In essence, it makes your social media life so much easier.

Online credibility isn’t about getting the most likes, retweets, and comments through social media tools. It’s about generating quality, relevant content that benefits and engages the reader through digital platforms.

Why Isn’t Anyone Visiting My Website?

You’ve invested time and money into designing the perfect website for your company thinking business will increase, but you’re not seeing results—what’s the problem? Perhaps your site lacks web traffic and in order to increase exposure, you must do these three things:

Search Engine Optimization

Are you utilizing SEO? Most web traffic will come from search engines, so your site needs to be optimized for specific keywords in order to get to the top of search engine results.Note: Most consumers typically browse only the first page of search engine results for products and services, and getting in the top results can be tough. There are definitely measures you can take which will increase organic traffic, but with Google’s constantly evolving algorithm it pays to have an expert craft a professional SEO strategy. Fortress specializes in SEO so contact us if you’re looking to stay on top of the market.

Social Media

Are you using social media like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and any other applicable sources properly? These tools are hyper popular and are a must to successful promotion of your website. Social media tools have the ability to share information to a large and diverse group of people in an instant. Not to mention, gaining new contacts, building relationships, sharing interests and increasing sales are real potential bonuses.

Interaction

What is the first thing a visitor sees on your homepage? Do you have a contact tab clearly visible and accessible to viewers? In other words, is your website user-friendly? If your site isn’t easy to navigate, you might be driving away potential customers. Make sure to plan where you want visitors to start, where you want them to go and how they can contact you if they have any questions or simply want to get in touch. And most importantly, make sure to respond to any inquiries!

The internet is a big space and, in order to get authentic traffic to your site, you need a plan to implement SEO, social media and interaction.

Five Benefits to Working With FCG

We often hear “bigger” and “better” in the same sentence. Dream for bigger and better things. Every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation. Bigger is always better.

But when it comes to finding the right integrated marketing company for you, smaller definitely has its advantages.

If you’re on the fence about what type of digital or integrated marketing firm to choose—corporate or boutique—here are five reasons why choosing a boutique firm could mean bigger returns for you in the long run.While the ideologies are geared toward us, the same principles apply to other independent digital marketing firms.

Partnerships — If you partner up with a boutique agency like FCG, it will not only happen at a faster rate than corporate (mainly due to the fact big companies require several sign-off processes), but consider the SEO advantages you could have. Being able to start a new campaign more quickly means that we’re able to start helping your rankings increase more quickly as well. We create cost-effective ways to advertise your business, we give lasting results in your competitive niche market and reach new ones, and we uphold a steady flow of leads to your cyber doorway.

No Middleman — Working with an independent company means more direct and clear communication between you and us. Without a middleman, you not only save money, but the ideas and messages you want to communicate won’t get lost through a game of telephone.

Personalized Attention — We are a growing company, but we believe that specializing in a few things thoroughly is more important than spreading ourselves too thin. We work hard for our clients and, through our expertise in digital media, advertising and web services, we build and support brands that are made to last.

Creativity — Large corporations are naturally risk-management-minded because they have far too many stakeholders to consider. On the other hand, boutique agencies like ours have the advantage to create original and compelling ideas. We embrace our individuality and look for clients who are open to new ideas and fresh ways to develop their businesses. We believe that making our clients shine will help us shine as a byproduct.

Customized Quality — We assess your wants and needs and provide you with high quality work, constructing unique plans to further your business instead of having a couple of standardized strategies to get by. And it’s within an affordable budget.

We bring decades of experience to the table. Above are just five of the many insights we’ve witnessed as an independent integrated marketing company. What are some other benefits? We’d love to see your comments!

Tag: SEO