Did you know that there are 30.2 million small businesses in the U.S. alone?

This number is only likely to increase in the coming years.

As a small business owner, you may struggle to get the word out about your company in such a competitive field. What’s more, you may simply lack the financial resources needed to launch massive advertising campaigns.

Luckily, there are plenty of tools at your disposal for boosting your organic visibility. Small business SEO services, in particular, can get you noticed without breaking the bank!

Keep reading to learn more about SEO services and how they can help your business today. Whether you want to learn and implement on your own, or invest in small business SEO packages, this article will get you started in the right direction.

What is Search Engine Optimization (SEO)?

Google processes over 40,000 searches every single second. This equates to over 3.5 billion queries a day!

Businesses everywhere can take advantage of this incredible search traffic with Search Engine Optimization (SEO). SEO is a digital marketing strategy that can improve a business’s visibility.

Think about a basic Google search. A user types a keyword into Google that best approximates what they’re looking for.

Examples include “effective remedies for sunburn” or “best restaurants in London.”

Google then ranks websites based off of which ones best match these searches. The better the match, the higher the ranking.

For this reason, most users will stick to the first page of Google results when searching. They will most likely click on one of the top ten listings.

What does this mean? If your web content is appearing in the second or third page of search results, you’re missing out on potential traffic. What’s more, you could be missing out on brand visibility–period.

Enter SEO. This digital marketing tool is available to anyone with a website! And it is ultimately designed to boost your organic visibility by optimizing your content for keywords your customers are likely to enter into Google.

What is Organic Visibility?

Organic visibility refers to how “visible” you are as a brand.

In general, the more visible you are, the better. More customers will notice your brand and–hopefully!–walk through your doors or engage your website to make a purchase.

In fact, that’s what marketing is all about. Most advertising campaigns are designed to get the word out about your brand.

Organic visibility, however, is the best kind of visibility. “Organic” in the marketing world refers to something that happens naturally. Organic searches refer to Google searches that lead a visitor to your site.

This has a lot to do with inbound marketing. Inbound marketing is all about letting the customer come to you (rather than the other way around). It can be far more powerful than outbound marketing, and far less taxing!

SEO is all about helping you achieve that organic visibility. When your content is optimized for the right keywords, it will surface at the top of search results, and your organic “click-through rate” (how many people click on your link as they scroll through search results) will rise.

The higher your click-through rate, the greater your visibility. This can only lead to more conversions, sales, and long-term customers.

What Are SEO Services?

It’s possible to implement SEO on your own or with the help of professionals. In fact, you can optimize your content for search terms without spending a penny.

If you are interested in tackling SEO yourself, we recommend beginning with Google’s SEO Starter Guide.

Even if you eventually invest in SEO services, it’s important to know the rules of the game. SEO involves so much more than cramming some great keywords into your content!

SEO services research, implement, and track SEO campaigns for small businesses. Instead of you having to do all of that work, the experts handle it for you. Many businesses have discovered the value of organic SEO, so while you can get started on your own if you lack the budget, over time the SEO grind gets taxing and it makes sense to bring in the pros.

Every SEO package varies, but small business SEO services focus specifically on finding lucrative keyword opportunities that are attainable with your website and your budget.

Marketing professionals will help you get there through content marketing, monthly reporting, keyword optimization, and effective link-building.

The Financial Benefit of SEO Services

What are the benefits of SEO services as opposed to DIY SEO campaigns? More importantly, how can agency SEO services help budget-conscious small businesses?

As a small business owner, you may be wary of outsourcing anything beyond the essentials. This is totally understandable, especially if you are in the first few years of your business.

After all, most small businesses start out at a mere $3,000 to $5,000. The majority of entrepreneurs seek outside financing, such as business loans, to get things going.

Marketing’s ultimate aim is to “get things going,” though–by getting you noticed! For this reason, investing in professional advertising services may be exactly what you need to get off the ground.

Here are some other reasons why SEO services may be what you need.

The Many Elements of Winning SEO

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) sounds simple at first glance. How complicated could it be?

Sure, SEO involves playing a bit of a matching game. Marketers choose search terms and knit these into existing content.

But it is so much more than this! If the only rule for SEO involved keyword integration, Google would have no way to assess authority and rank pages appropriately.

Google takes into consideration plenty of other factors when assigning rankings. For example, it looks very, very closely at content quality.

After all, Google has to maintain its own reputation as a search engine. If it fails to deliver good matches for searches, users will navigate elsewhere!

In its guidelines to a Google-friendly site, Google emphasizes the value of high-quality content. It urges marketers to give searchers the information they’re looking for. This content should be well-written and authoritative. It should not be misleading in any way.

Yes, it should be optimized appropriately for relevant keywords. But this is only part of the SEO pie.

Google also inspects link quality and number, especially the number of links to your site found on other sites. These “backlinks” can be valuable for assessing your domain’s authority and its likelihood of ranking highly.

If your site loads too slowly, this could also hurt your Google ranking. Google prioritizes fast-loading, mobile-friendly sites.

If you are new to marketing and SEO, all of these factors can be hard to keep track of! When you invest in SEO services, you entrust your campaign to experts well-versed in everything that influences rankings. What’s more, you can rest assured that they will be optimizing everything to ensure your organic visibility.

SEO Takes Time–And Effort!

SEO is a time-consuming, ongoing digital marketing process. It is not something you do in a day. Nor is it something that can be implemented and then left to its own devices.

In fact, the best SEO campaigns come from solid industry research. Professional SEO marketers will spend time analyzing your target market and industry niche. They will perform intensive keyword research to come up with the exact search terms your clients are likely to type into Google.

Then, they will optimize your content accordingly. Sometimes this involves fresh web design and actual content development. Some SEO services will incorporate link-building as well.

Once a campaign is launched, marketers will track it constantly, identifying areas for improvement and generating monthly reports.

As a small business owner, you’ve got enough on your plate as it is. Plus, your time is money. The more time you have to devote to SEO, the fewer dollars in your pocket.

SEO services can actually save you money by generating an effective campaign the first time–without costing you your time. The return on your investment will always be higher, especially if you are not well-versed in SEO already.

Like any relationship, building a strong relationship between your website and Google takes time. In the long run though, having a steady stream of organic leads for your business is an undeniable asset that leads to massive growth.

Results Happen Fast When You Outsource

Our customers have said it time and again. Outsourcing SEO generates fast, effective results. With SEO services, small businesses can get onto the first page of Google within a matter of months.

Tackling SEO on your own, however, can have variable results. It may take longer to boost those rankings organically without the aid of professionals.

Plus, it can be hard to identify areas for improvement if you don’t know what to track.

Don’t Get a Google Penalty

Yes, it is possible to make an SEO misstep. If you violate any of Google’s SEO rules, you are at risk of a penalty. Google penalties can tank your organic visibility. They can also take a long time to recover from.

DIY SEO marketers are at greater risk of these penalties than professionals. When you outsource, you eliminate this risk.

Any organic visibility acquired through SEO services you get to keep. End of story.

Final Thoughts: Small Business SEO Services

SEO can be a powerful tool for small businesses everywhere. Because it is a form of digital marketing, it is particularly ideal for budget-conscious businesses.

Small business SEO services can be especially valuable for boosting organic visibility. These are designed to get your brand on the first page of Google so that you can enjoy greater traffic, conversions, and sales!

While businesses do have to invest in SEO services, this investment is likely to save money in the long run. Every SEO campaign is time-intensive and unique and requires professional attention.

Are you ready to boost your visibility now? Start a conversation with us to learn more!

The post Small Business SEO Services: Improving Rankings on a Budget appeared first on Midas Marketing.

Working with SEO Analyst: Introduction

Search engine optimization is something that is well-known to web specialists but just breaking the into popular consciousness. The need to have a bonafide SEO analyst on your team is growing year over year. People are starting to take note of the power that SEO has, and for good reason.

For whatever reason, most businesses haven’t yet taken the time to optimize their websites for search engines. In fact, very few small businesses are investing in SEO.

We’ll go into some detail about why that is a mistake, in addition to why it may be good for you that your competition is slacking. Most importantly, though, we’re looking to show you why an SEO analyst is a good investment for your business.

Let’s get to it.

If You Don’t Know SEO…

An integral part of understanding the value of an SEO specialist is knowing precisely what search engine optimization is. It’s different than marketing, although the two are often confused.

It’s a fairly straightforward idea with a lot of ins and outs. It gets more complicated as you look closer, but the fact of the matter is that you have to look closer in order to see results.

So, here’s the basic stuff:

How the Search Engine Operates

Search engines are so intertwined with the web that most people have only experienced the internet through the use of sites like Google or Bing. That’s because these sites tend to provide us with all of the information that is immediately relevant to us.

At the same time, the data archived in search engines is just that: archived. Search engines scour the web in search for sites that they haven’t yet indexed. They do this with the use of bots called “spiders” or “crawlers.”

These can be likened to little messengers that bounce from site to site through links, documenting relevant information so that it can be searched at the front end of the search engine. These bots make note of a number of things.

Their first mission is to index the site and make note of the content. Having the content noted allows the engine to pull up sites based on the keywords that a page has. The second mission of the bot is to rank the pages based on over 200 factors that determine where the site will land when it’s searched.

That’s a basic overview of how Google indexes all of its 30 trillion pages. Surprisingly, that is less than 1 percent of the internet.

Where Search Engine Optimization Comes in

Search engines use algorithms to determine which sites will be most relevant to the keywords that a user searches with. Imagine it: whenever a person makes one Google search, their keywords are run against 30 trillion websites. Somehow, the site always pulls up pages that are pretty much exactly what we wanted.

This means a couple of things. First, the algorithm Google uses is sophisticated. Second, because there’s a smart algorithm, we have the opportunity to use it to our advantage.

How Sophisticated Is the Algorithm?

The whole process starts with looking at the words in the search. The system looks at your spelling to check for possible errors, uses language models to cross-reference synonyms, and get an understanding of what you’re looking to find.

This is essential because many people will search for the same thing but use different language to do it. Further, the system determines how specific of results you’d like based on language cues.

Once they’ve got a basic idea of what you want, search engines run through the pages that could be relevant. The keywords in the search are referenced against other pages that contain those words, deciding which of those sites has the keywords in the most significant places.

The titles and headings of pages are common spots for essential keywords. This process on the search-end of things is only possible because the search engine has already ranked the usefulness of pages.

How An SEO Analyst Helps You Use the Algorithm to Your Advantage

The back end of the search engine, the ranking process, is based on hundreds of factors. We know of a number of those factors, but it’s in Google’s best interest to keep their cards close to their chest.

If everyone knew precisely how the algorithm worked, irrelevant sites could optimize to reach the top of searches without being useful to users. If that happened to a search engine, that engine would cease to be useful.

Sites like Google want to remain the most useful so as not to lose their users to other search engines. As a result, we have to guess at some of the finer points of search engine optimization.

There are some general areas that we know the ranking factors fall into, though. Things like freshness, keyword relevance, user experience, reviews, backlinking, and quality are all taken into account. It’s likely that each of those terms has subcategories of ranking within them.

Going with what we know, SEO analysts dig into those categories and fine-tune them to the needs of the search engine.

The Work of Optimization

Each area that requires optimization is a challenge in itself. That said, the difficulty of ranking well is dependent on your competition.

If your local competition has entirely failed to optimize, you’ll have to do a lot less work than you would if your neighbors were spending all their time on fine-tuning their sites.

People are bound to catch on, though, and it’s important to have a well-optimized site, especially for local searches. Most people pull out their phones and search “tacos near me” when they’re hungry for tacos.

They search “gas station near me” when they’re out of town and need to find gas. They search “flower shop near me” when they forgot their partner’s birthday.

That’s the way of the world now. Word of mouth and print advertising are slightly effective, but the primary visibility of our time comes when you rank within the top three results on a search engine. In order to get to that coveted spot, you have to work on the following things:

1. Creating Quality Content

It’s essential that your site produces web pages on a regular basis. The ranking your site gets will be dependent on the “freshness” of your content. This is why you don’t normally see any posts in SERPS (search engine results pages) that were created before 2013.

The fresher the better. While you’re creating fresh content, you need to make sure that it’s actually relevant to what users want. This requires that you base content off of keyword research.

2. Keyword Optimization and Research

Trends in what users are searching should inform the content that you’re creating. When you make blog posts that answer common user questions, you can be sure that there will be users to look at your site.

This means that you should do research to find trends in keywords and use those specific words and phrases to optimize your content. Optimizing your content for keywords typically means placing one in the introduction, the header, a few in the body of the content, and the conclusion.

It’s important that the placement of these terms is natural, but it’s generally good to have a few keywords scattered throughout the writing.

3. Links

The more connected a page is, the more relevant it seems to Google. It’s important to link out to different sites, but it’s far more important to have sites link to you.

The process of accumulating links to your site is called “backlinking.” This means that you reach out to other websites that might have a connection to some of your content.

Once your site picks up enough steam, you’ll find that sites should link to you without you asking them to. In fact, you might be the site that they ask for backlinks if you’re popular enough.

4. Reviews

Search engines also value customer reviews and customer experience very highly. Achieving positive reviews starts with you and your physical business, of course.

There is, however, a wealth of options for incentivizing customers to give reviews.

Hiring an SEO Analyst

The information above might seem a little daunting. To be honest, we’ve only scratched the surface. Each of the general SEO categories listed above requires significant amounts of work and a lot of attention to detail.

Handling the work of optimizing your site correctly could take up dozens of hours a week. It’s almost as if optimization should be a job of its own.

That’s why SEO analysts exist. These are people who are skilled in understanding the nature of the search engine and how sites can tailor themselves to rank well. The investment of hiring someone to work on your site is an extremely valuable one.

Especially in a time of ‘near me’ searches and excessive reliance on search engines, having your site rise the ranks and reach the top will result in increased sales.

Think You Need Some Help?

It’s a good idea to think about working with an SEO analyst. It’s also smart to take a peek at your site and see if there are any longstanding issues with it.

If you’re interested in generating a presence online and improving sales, contact us to learn more about what you can do.

The post Working with an SEO Analyst to Improve Your Organic Visibility appeared first on Midas Marketing.

Working remotely can certainly have its challenges, but we’ve found having video calls with screen sharing greatly improves communication. In many ways, we’ve found that it’s even better than having face-to-face meetings. Here’s a quick run-down of how to get set up to use Zoom for conference calls, screen sharing, and webinars (if applicable).

Video Overview

Using the Zoom Application

Because the web client version of Zoom has limited functionality, we highly recommend downloading the Zoom application instead.

To download the Zoom App, click this link and follow the installation instructions: https://zoom.us/support/download

Click here for system requirements.

Using Your Browser

The Zoom web client allows joining a Zoom meeting or webinar without downloading any plugins or software. However, the web client has limited features and functions best on Google Chrome. If you decide to use a browser other than Chrome, you won’t be able to use your computer’s audio.

Joining the Meeting:

1. Click the link to join the meeting.
2. An option Join from your Browser may appear automatically. If it does not, select download & run Zoom.
3. The option Join from your Browser will appear.
4. You will be prompted to enter your name.
5. Click Join to be taken into the meeting.

Join Audio

Once you have joined, you can join the audio by computer,  dial in by telephone, or choose call me (if enabled for the host’s account).

1. Click Join Audio.
2. Click Phone Call, Computer Audio, or Call Me tab to choose your join method.
   1. Phone Call: Follow the instructions on the screen for dialing in by phone.
   2. Computer Audio: Click Join Audio By Computer. After joining computer audio, you can Mute/Unmute at the lower left corner or click on the ^ to select a different microphone and/or speaker. 
   3. Call Me: Choose the country of the phone you are calling from the drop down. Enter the phone number. Check Remember the number on this computer if you would like this number stored for future meetings. Click Call Me.

Viewing Video

When joined into a Zoom meeting from the web client, you can view one participant’s video in Active Speaker view or if the host spotlights a video. If multiple participants are sharing their video, you will only be able to see one at a time.

Conclusion

If you have any issues at all with this, feel free to give us a call and we’ll do our best to get you ready to go for our next call. Talk to you soon!

The post How to Join a Zoom Conference Call appeared first on Midas Marketing.

Choosing a Portland SEO Expert: Introduction

The last time you needed to build or redesign the website for your Oregon-based business, did you hire a company to get the job done right? If you answered “yes,” that’s great!

You saved time letting professionals do what they do so you could focus on what’s important to you: managing and growing your business.

You may have taken the same approach for your SEO, social media, and other online marketing components. If you didn’t, you have probably considered it more heavily by now, as online marketing strategies and execution are often more than meets the eye.

SEO is much more than identifying a few keywords your customers are using, and implementing them into your website. Google has tons of signals they use to determine page rankings.

And why do we care what Google thinks? Because they handle 92% of the search queries throughout the world. What they say (and how they rank pages!) matters.

Good news Oregonians – is it’s not too late. Hiring a local Portland SEO expert will get your website and organic search marketing strategy on track. You just need to make sure you work with an expert or team of experts who are capable, affordable, and fun to work with (this is Portland after all).

Read on for a few reasons it pays to hire in Portland, as well as the key components that define and drive a winning SEO campaign!

Why Hire a Portland SEO Expert?

Before we get into the most important elements of SEO, let’s talk about why you specifically want an SEO company from Portland.

You’ve heard of Silicon Valley. That’s the area of California that houses some big names in the tech game.

Well, have you heard of Silicon Forest? That’s the name given to the Portland metro area because of its own surge as a tech capital. In fact, Forbes named Portland the best place in the U.S. for businesses and careers.

Portland is a city chock-full of bright, talented, and creative people looking to make their way in the industry. Because of the high salaries folks in Silicon Valley demand, companies look to California’s northern neighbor for their workforce.

In other words, startups and other growing businesses are choosing Portland to lay down their roots. One, because of the talent in the area and two, economically it’s a slam dunk.

Convinced that Portland is where you need to look for your SEO expert? Now, let’s discuss the Google ranking factors.

What Is Google Ranking For?

Since the advent of the Internet, keywords have been an integral part of how search engines work. But are they as important as they were a decade ago?

After all, Google changes their algorithm what seems like every month. Can keywords still be as important as they once were? In a nutshell, yes. They’re just important in a different way.

So, where do keywords fit in Google’s grand scheme of things? And what else should a company focus on in search engine optimization ranking?

Rumors have swirled for more than a decade that Google uses 200 signals to rank sites. But, don’t get stuck on that number. It’s not possible to focus on every single rumored factor.

What you can focus on are the most important signals. Take a look at 10 factors that determine Google SEO ranking the most…

1. Crawlable and Indexable

Your site must use a crawlable, indexable URL. This means that when Google’s spiderbots go to work, they can find and understand your page.

They do this by crawling and indexing.

In simple terms, crawling is how Google discovers pages. It’s not a paid service, it’s Google’s bots searching and scanning over and over.

You can improve this in two ways. The first is to submit a request for Google to re-crawl your page. The second is by getting your page linked from another site Google already knows.

We’ll get to that a little later.

Indexing is what Google does after it finds your site. The short version is Google tries to understand what’s going on on your page.

It analyzes and catalogs text, images, videos, etc. It stores what it finds in its index. This is a fancy term for saying “Google’s massive database.”

You can improve both by having smart, simple URLs. You do this with subdirectories.

For example, say your company sells coffee. You have a blog that covers beans, brewing, and flavors. You’ll want each post to fall into one of those subcategories.

Your URLs will look like: https://www.yourcoffeesite.com/beans/where-beans-come-from. This makes it easier for Google to crawl and index you. Google will understand how your website relates to the various components of your URL structure.

2. Keywords: Research and Intent

Your site should solve a problem. But, what problem is it solving? That’s where keyword research and intent comes in.

Many years ago, keyword stuffing was a thing. People would jam the keyword “coffee” as many times as they could on their sites and in their blogs.

That’s because Google used to care about how many times a site used a particular keyword. Now, they care much more about the intent of the keyword.

This means you need to have a primary keyword (or keyphrase) along with a set of related keywords. These are secondary keywords. They’re words that are similar or even synonyms to the primary keyword.

The point is no matter if someone searches for coffee, java, joe — they are more likely to find your site than they were in the past (although proper keyword focus and emphasis is still important).

You can use a keyword finder to this, or you can do it yourself. All you need is a little SERP investigating!

Open up Google, start a search for words related to your business. Does a drop-down appear with a bunch of already finished queries?

That’s Google’s search suggest drop down list. It’s pretty much exactly how it sounds. Google uses its algorithm to suggest the most popular searches for a particular keyword.

They’re assisting you with looking for relevant intent. Go ahead and check it out and see what it suggests is relevant for your targeted keyword. It may give you some fun ideas for blog posts, too.

3. Domain Security

Domain security is becoming more and more important these days. How do you get it? By using HTTPS in front of your URL.

HTTP stands for HyperText Transfer Protocol. This is the process of transferring your site’s information to a viewer’s browser.

HTTPS is HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure. This tells Google it’s safe to index this information.

All you need to do to secure your domain is get an SSL certificate. If you have a WordPress site — and chances are pretty good you do — it’s free and easy to do.

If you’re part of the 40-50% of the Internet that doesn’t use WordPress, you may have to pay for yours. Ask the company that built your site about getting an SSL certificate if you’re unsure.

4. Build Relevant Backlinks

We mentioned having your page linked from another site is important for SEO. It’s even more important that you’re getting linked from pages Google already knows.

Why?

Even though you’re not getting all your traffic from these referrals, it tells Google you’re trustworthy. Trust is a key component in Google’s algorithm.

This also makes up a big part of the difference between white hat vs. black hat SEO. Black hat focuses on aggressive strategies to get you ranked, attempting to take advantages of the non-human elements of the search algorithm. It’s keyword stuffing, invisible keywords, and using backlinks that are irrelevant, among many other things.

White hat SEO uses trustworthy link building techniques. They use appropriate keywords, site structure, and content to generate traffic.

Black hat may be an easy way to get SEO results but it’s also an easy way to get yourself banned, too. Both Google and Bing have denounced using these practices in their webmaster guidelines.

5. Topic Authority

This is an easy one. The more you post on a topic, the higher each post will rank over time.

So, if you have a coffee shop, go ahead and blog about beans and flavors. Link internally to relevant service pages on your site to build a healthy link structure.

Don’t blog about irrelevant or unnecessary topics. This isn’t doing anything to help your authority.

6. Content

If you’ve heard it once, you’ve heard it a million times by now. Content is king.

But not only the content itself, how you structure it. Yes, you must have smart, readable content. But you have to structure it in a way that Google likes.

For instance, Google considers “good content structure” blogs that include:

• Headers
• Subheaders
• Bulleted lists
• Numbered lists
• Supported images
• Cited information
• Short, readable paragraphs

All these points keep readers engaged. Google likes engagement.

7. Loading Speed

Loading speed is all about user experience. Google’s pretty big on UX, too.

If your site takes forever to load, people just give up – if Google hasn’t already.

You know those “timeout” errors you get when you try to load a webpage? If Google deems it takes too long it basically tells you to move on.

But, loading speed is even more important as you’re about to see…

A good Portland SEO expert will help you optimize your website for high speed and performance.

8. Mobile-Friendliness

Mobile-friendliness is becoming more important year over year for SEO. There are several reasons having a site optimized for mobile use is important for SEO.

Here are the two biggest: use and speed.

More than 53% of all searches are now done on a smartphone. That means the UX of your mobile site must be at the top of its game.

But, 53% of users will give up on a page if it takes longer than three seconds to load. Ouch.

If your site isn’t mobile-friendly, make it mobile-friendly. Yesterday.

9. Responsive Web Design

Google also rewards websites who constructed their site through use of responsive web design services. In a way, this piggybacks off of having a site optimized for mobile use. But, the two are actually quite different.

“Responsive design” describes web development done in a way that considers which device the site is getting viewed on. In other words, mobile devices, tablets, laptops, and large screens — all at once. Regardless of what device someone uses to view your site, your site automatically adjusts to fit their screen.

This is important because it focuses heavily on UX. Since Google seems to be moving more and more toward actual human experience, this could be an even bigger factor in years ahead.

10. Meta Tags

You might hear that Google doesn’t care about meta tags anymore. While certain meta tags have become less useful for SEO (as engines have gotten better at figuring out what a page is about by its content), other meta information is still crucial.

They may often get forgotten but they’re still an important part of your SEO. Make sure you’re filling in:

• Title tag
• Image alt text
• Meta description

The meta description is the snippet that appears in SERPs. It should be persuasive, the right character length, and include your focus keyword(s).

Ready to Hire a Portland SEO Expert?

Hiring a Portland SEO expert gives you an advantage over your competition. While they’re struggling to figure out what SEO is, you’ll reap the rewards of having a professional handle it for you as your climb your way to page 1.

Are you ready to get the best and brightest to optimize your site and turn you into a rock star? Great! Click here to get started and set up your free consultation.

The post Choosing the Right Portland SEO Expert for Your Oregon Business appeared first on Midas Marketing.

If you walked into a McDonald’s, you’d probably know at least half of the food items they offer without even looking at the menu, even if you’ve never been inside one before. That’s how effective their brand build process has been over the years.

Even small companies are recognizing that creating a successful brand leads to more customers. But it’s not always so easy to figure out how to create a brand.

Learning how to build a brand takes some time and deep thinking. You need to dig deep and learn a lot about your company and your customers in order to be successful.

But when you find a winning combination, it can make a huge difference to your business and the type of people you attract.

In this article, we are diving into the process of how to establish a brand that makes the right people sit up and take notice.

Start Your Brand Build by Learning More About Your Customers

If you believe that your product or service is something “everyone” will enjoy, you’re wrong. Even Amazon doesn’t have 100% of the market.

With every business, there are people far more likely to become a loyal customer than others. Your first priority is to find out exactly who they are.

The more you know about your top customers, the easier it is to find effective ways to reach them. Factors like age, gender, and income levels are good ways to begin.

Figure out where and how these people live. Determine how they spend their free time, and what they do for work.

While some information may vary, usually there are common interests or factors most of them share. Once you have that information, it’s much easier to build a successful branding and marketing strategy.

Make a Brand Based on the Core Values of Your Company

56% of Americans will stop purchasing items from brands they feel are unethical. 64% of customers are more likely to shop with a business that shares the same values as they do. People only buy from those they know, like, and trust – whether it’s an individual person or a large enterprise.

Figure out why you’re in business in the first place. Determine what your real goals are.

Write down your morals and values that you want to bring to your company. Share them with your employees.

Then find a way to share them with your customers. People buy from people, not businesses. The more you have in common with your customers, the more loyal they’ll remain.

Set Yourself Apart from Your Competition

Coca-Cola and Pepsi both make very similar products. Yet they have some fiercely loyal customers who swear the two sodas taste completely different.

That’s because both companies have heavily researched their competition. They know exactly what each company does well. And they know exactly what they’ve failed at.

Researching your competition allows you to learn what to do and what not to do. And it helps you find ways to separate your company from the competition.

Find ways that make your company unique and start sharing those differences with your customers. This is your brand identity.

Developing a brand identity and voice helps sets the tone for how you want people to talk about your company.

Create a Brand Logo

A small, white apple with a bite taken out of it. It’s simple, yet incredibly powerful. Everyone knows that’s the Apple logo.

Creating a logo is another way for your customers to easily recognize your brand. Find an image that is powerful.

Choose a font that is easy to read yet sets you apart from your competition. And choose colors that best represent your company. Color improves brand recognition up to 80%.

Make sure to create a logo that can stand the test of time, as Quaker Oats has done. While the famous icon has gotten a makeover from time to time, since the 1800s, he’s been an iconic brand figure.

Start a Blog

Content is king and always will be. A blog is a great way to share your brand with new and existing customers.

It’s also a way to set yourself up as an expert in your field. And a great way to set yourself apart from your competition.

Blogs are considered a trusted source of information. Plus, it’s easy to formulate for SEO purposes.

A blog is also a great source of material to use on social media. The problem with blogging is not everyone is a great writer. And some claim they don’t have time.

But it’s too much of an integral part of your business to ignore. Your choices are to either hire a professional blog writing service or set aside 30 minutes to an hour to write an article.

Even if people don’t read your blogs, just seeing that you are actively producing content related to your industry builds trusts and creates a positive brand association experience with every impression.

Get Online Reviews and Testimonials

91% of your customers are reading reviews and testimonials about your business. 84% of them trust these online reviews as much as they do a friend personally making a recommendation.

Even as few as five reviews can make a huge difference. And there are tons of ways to get online reviews these days.

You can have a testimonials page on your site where customers can leave their own review. You can claim your Google Business Listing and ask customers to leave reviews there.

There are also tons of sites like Yelp or Angie’s List where the entire premise is for customers to leave reviews. No matter what type of business you’re in, reviews help people learn more about and trust your company before they’ve even attempted to make a purchase or contact you.

Have a Social Media Presence

Creating a brand means getting involved with social media. You don’t have to build a profile on every single social media site out there (and you shouldn’t).

There are over 100 social media sites, and it takes time and effort to create a brand on each site. Instead, start by determining which site(s) your customers are most likely to spend time on.

Once you have pinpointed the best site(s) to reach your niche audience, it’s time to build up your presence on that site. Make sure that the brand you’re building is represented on this site.

It should have the same look and feel as your website and all your marketing materials. Then, develop a consistent marketing strategy. Don’t just post once every few months, post several times a week.

People have to see your brand consistently before they’ll begin responding. But if they don’t see you at all or only sporadically, then it’s out of sight, out of mind.

Improve Your Customer Service

If you think customer service isn’t part of your brand, you’re wrong. And that belief can quickly ruin your business.

Let’s go through some customer service stats. 50% of your customers will stop a transaction or service because of bad service. 33% will consider switching to another company if they have a bad customer service experience when doing business with you.

Your employees are just as much a part of your brand as you and your business are. That means how how they act and what they say will all contribute to a customer’s experience.

Think of all the bad press Dunkin’ Donuts has received lately because of poor customer service that reeked of racism. Their brand has suffered as a result of Dunkin Donuts employees, and in some cases, franchise owners have behaved poorly when dealing with their customers.

While people will tend to talk more about their bad experiences, this isn’t always the case. News of stellar service spreads as well. Your focus should be on promoting your brand through excellent customer service with each and every customer you handle.

Delight your customers, and your brand equity will blossom!

Be Consistent

Whether you eat at franchised eateries or not, you know that no matter which one you enter, you’re getting the same quality of food. And you pretty much expect a similar experience at all of them.

That’s because franchises recognize how powerful consistency is. People want to know what they’ll expect even before they do business with you.

Brand building is about creating a consistent message with everything you do. That means your website, logo, social media presence, customer service, and business cards all need to share the same consistent message.

But being consistent also means sharing your message and your brand on a consistent basis. You can’t just write a blog article and then stop for a few months.

You can’t have employees wear uniforms one day and then let them wear whatever the next. You can’t change your logo three times in one year.

None of these actions help others take notice of how consistent your company is. Your goal is to build trust. One way to do that is to prove time and again that your company can provide great service and products each and every time.

Get Help Branding Your Business

Creating a brand isn’t always easy. It’s hard to take a deep look at yourself and your company and figure out what your core values are.

You may need some help. Ask your employees to help out, but don’t be afraid to dig deeper. Sometimes, an expert is your best option.

If creating a brand build your customers won’t soon forget is your priority, we can help. Click here to start the process!

The post What Goes Into a Winning Brand Build for Your Company? appeared first on Midas Marketing.

By now you probably have figured out if you want to improve awareness around your brand, you will need to have a social media presence. Whether you have a brick and mortar business or an e-commerce site, there is a lot of competition out there, and social media offers a great way to differentiate and establish your own brand identity.

Small business owners have a lot to deal with, and social media may be the last thing on their list–if it is on there at all. Employees can contribute by making a post here and there, sharing a post or asking friends to follow your business pages. But will this be enough to grow your online presence?

If you simply don’t have the time or the skills to properly promote your business via social media, you may want to consider looking into hiring a company that specializes in social media management. But how do you do that?

Read on to learn more about how to pick the right social media packages for your business!

1. Evaluate Your Business Needs

Consultations for social media management packages need to come with an evaluation of your business to determine your needs. Not every social media platform is right for every business. Having a business page on a platform that does not appeal to your target audience is a waste of time and resources.

A quality social media manager will be familiar with all primary platforms. Too often people specialize in Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest, without having the understand of how and when to pursue each platform. It is important that your social media team is able to gauge the social media habits of your current customer base.

2. Are There Multi-Level Platforms for Social Media Packages?

Pricing is always at the forefront of any business transaction. Don’t let the fear of how much it will cost scare you. Hiring someone to handle your business social media marketing may not cost as much as you think.

Having the flexibility to tailor your package to the specific needs of your business is important. Social media marketing is not a one size fits all situation. You want to ensure that you are not paying for services you do not need.

The option to choose which platforms, posting frequency and more is key to choosing the right social media strategy. There will also be specific tasks that should be considered to get the best bang for your buck.

Social media management packages should also come with the option to pick and choose the services you want to create the experience you desire.

3. Posting, Sharing, and Interaction

The basis of social media marketing services is to take the brunt of social media interactions from the plate of business owners. When looking to outsource these services it is necessary to be clear on your expectations.

As mentioned, outlining posting frequency and strategy is key. Make sure you this is well defined before engaging with any social media management company.

When it comes to interactions, you will need to be extremely clear as to what this should look like. Interactions include liking a comment, responding to a comment and answering specific questions.

The person running your accounts needs to be personable to facilitate engagement with your audience.

Make sure your social media package includes campaign monitoring and engagement, unless you would prefer to manage that yourself.

4. Customer Service

More and more we are seeing consumers turn to social media pages in search of answers to their questions or to find a solution to a problem. Part of this surge is the integration of new interactive capabilities for social media business channels.

Will you want the social media management provider to offer customer service duties or will these questions or posts be directed to someone on your staff?

It is one thing for someone to send a direct message to a company and have someone internally monitor the messages and respond to the customer. It is a different ballgame when people are posting negative reviews or posing questions in the comments field.

Knowing how these will be handled ahead of time is crucial to your business online presence. It also allows you to have prepared responses available.

5. Analytics

Any social media site that offers business platforms most likely has some form of analytics and insights reporting. It is important to know if the person handling your social media can retrieve the data and decipher the information.

You will want someone who can understand what the numbers mean and how to use it to plan for future marketing strategies. It is also a good thing for you to understand it as well. This way you know if the work being done is useful.

Analytics can tell you a lot about your social media presence on particular sites. Having Google Analytics will be a greater measurement of whether the strategy is driving traffic back to your company website or crossing over to other platforms. For example, are users sharing your Facebook content on Twitter and vice versa?

Your analytics will also be able to narrow down the demographics of your users and the range of your audience.

6. SEO Services

Do social media marketing services packages include SEO services? If not, they should. A big part of having social media channels is to drive traffic back to your website for lead conversion.

If the ultimate goal isn’t to close the deal on your product or service, then you should be questioning why you’re spending the money.

SEO services and social media marketing are able to intertwine to the power of your website. The company you use should understand SEO in addition to being social media experts.

They should understand that keywords are at the heart of all algorithms. Certain topics will always garner organic traffic, and people are drawn to photos and images. All of this should be considered as part of a strong social media marketing strategy.

A social media marketing firm may not include SEO within their social media packages, but they may offer SEO services. Don’t be afraid to ask about multiple service discounts.

7. Social Media Ads

The ability to promote your business, products or services is vital to the success of your social media presence as a business. Unless you are a big brand with name recognition, you will need a little help in the beginning.

Social ads are often included as part of a good marketing plan, so make sure you discuss this as part of your social media marketing package. You also will want to discuss who will be responsible for creating the ads and developing the rules for when and how they will run.

Payments for ads are drawn from a banking method associated with the social media account. Setting a monthly budget will be wise.

Also understand, each social media platform comes with its own set up, pricing, analytics and guidelines. The secret to successful social media ads is to know what you’re doing or hire someone who does. If not, you can waste a lot of money in a hurry by purchasing ads.

8. Social Media Content Creation

By now you know there is a lot to consider when shopping for social media marketing services packages. But it doesn’t stop with the previous tips. If hiring a social media specialist to manage your channels, you have to be mindful of the content that will be going out under your brand.

With the popularity of sites like Instagram and Pinterest, images and video have become must-haves for every social media marketing campaign. You will have to decide if you are okay with stock images or if you want a personal touch that reflects the true essence of your business.

To provide authentic engagement, you will want a true representation of your brand. Let your social media specialist know your desires and together work to make it happen.

9. Brand Awareness

At the center of all online marketing is your brand. Your brand is how people see your business and what is associated with it. For this reason alone, selecting a social media marketing package that speaks to your core beliefs is needed.

Attracting the right followers who are interested in your product or service is your goal for expanding your reach. You want a provider that is committed to getting those followers to your platforms. You don’t want a company that will tarnish your brand by buying followers or engaging in other gimmicky behavior.

You are paying for professionalism, quality service, and their expertise. A successful social media management package will give you all of this. The return on your investment will be seen in a rise in your brand awareness.

If your company does not see any tangible proof that your brand identity has grown, you may be using the wrong provider.

Ready to Step Up Your Social Media Marketing Game?

Not all social media packages are created equal. Anyone can claim to be a social media specialist. But without proof of proven success, they can’t be taken seriously.

If you’re looking for the perfect social media package for your business, reach out to our team of social media experts.

Click here to contact us for more information on how we can go to work for you!

The post Social Media Packages: How to Choose the Right One appeared first on Midas Marketing.

Great web design can double sales, reduce bounce rates, and improve customer perception of a brand. Designing a website from scratch is impossible unless you have a web design background. Finding a trustworthy web development company to build out your site should be priority number one for many businesses around the globe.

Many companies, both Portland-based and elsewhere, are turning to the great state of Oregon to find and hire a Portland web development company. The creative talent of the city, along with its mid-market rates, attract a wide variety of companies looking to hire a Portland web design team.

Just because you know you want to Portland company does not mean it’s going to be a clear choice though. Vetting web design services is going to take time and lots of research. In the end, all of this effort will pay off in both the product and total investment. To make things a bit more manageable on your search, we’ve constructed a checklist of things to review as you hire a web development company.

One of the biggest mistakes companies make when hiring a web developer is focusing on prices alone without a proper understanding of the value received per dollar spent. Don’t make that same mistake. Follow our guide and you’ll protect yourself from sloppy, amateur web design.

Portland, OR boasts a huge creative heart with design and development rates often less than those seen NY and LA – without compromising on quality!

Designing is a Two-Way Street

No matter how little you think you know about web development, having no say in your company’s website is a recipe for disaster. Your website is such a key component in your brand’s identity. You need a cohesive design that compliments your business’ core offerings.

A professional web development company will listen to what you have to say…not just dictate the project! They should be asking you lots of questions, as well as answering yours. Don’t let their fancy portfolio give you the impression that your input isn’t valid.

What Are Their Plans/Ideas?

On your initial consultation, the web development specialist should have some first-impressions or ideas already. If they can’t give you any feedback or a rough outline of what they could do for your business, it might be bad news. Inexperience speaks from a place of uncertainty and a lack of creativity.

Responsive Web Design

During your early talks, ask them if they will be incorporating responsive web design. What this basically means is that your website will be designed for all screens–mobile, tablet, and computers. This means that your website will be designed with one theme, which is adjustable for all devices.

Ever since Google updated their algorithms to adjust for the overwhelming chunk of the mobile browsing population, there has been a major push for web developers to get some semblance of a standard for website functionality. That’s where the concept of responsive design was born.

This was the most effective solution to being stuck with websites that are not properly for mobile users. Design one webpage that can display the same proportions and features, no matter what size screen you’re looking at.

Lastly, don’t just choose a responsive template and expect your site to be perfect. While many design platforms now incorporate responsiveness into their code, your website still requires fine-tuning for different screen sizes. Ask your web development company how they implement their responsive design process before moving forward.

Optimized for Google

Responsive websites, while not explicitly listed as the only preferred mobile browsing option, will perform better on search rankings than those who are using a simple mobile HTML-based website.

Any website design that isn’t responsive will usually leave tablets and hybrid tablet users with a lower-quality experience. This may mean that their screen space is either not being utilized, resulting in blank spaces on the sides, or that they are forced to browse the desktop-size webpage that requires more scrolling and swiping to navigate. Either way, they’re getting a second-class experience.

Local and National

If your business has a local audience, then you should ask if the design company has experience with local SEO. Branding and optimizing at a local level requires a specialized skill set. Google searches are much easier to rank for when your website is optimized locally.

That includes geotagging various website elements, organically hitting local keywords, incorporating Google Maps effectively, and more. 78% of all local mobile searches results in an offline purchase. People are looking to buy, and if your website isn’t optimized locally, you’re missing sales.

Advanced Web Design

Responsive web design doesn’t just look more polished, it enables the website to perform. The amount of coding that is needed to deliver a smooth experience for all types of devices, without using responsive templates, is unreasonably heavy.

Responsive websites are simple, yet visually impressive. They can be easily updated, migrated, and compartmentalized, without having to constantly adjust the code to work on all devices. Taking out the time and money wasted on the guesswork is well worth the investment in a new website if your current one isn’t mobile responsive.

User Interface Standards

As processors become faster, networks quicker, and convenient shopping the new standard, you don’t want to be left in the past with a clunky, unimpressive web design. Graphics and user interface buttons are becoming much sharper, and mimic the tactile feedback without tradeoffs of slower page loads or glitches due to inadequate processing power.

Users will start to look at web pages that are slower, flatter, and harder to navigate as outdated and not worth browsing. With so much competition out there, you can’t afford to lose a customer due to poor UI.

Your web developer needs to know about these visual trends, coding improvements, and advanced analytics. If they are just churning out simple websites and swapping out color themes and logos, they may not be the best if your brand requires a deeper web experience.

Experience is Crucial

How old should a web development company be before they’re deemed experienced? Well, this can vary, but you want them to be in business for a couple years, at least. You don’t want to fall into the trap of paying for a service from a fly-by-night operation.

Look at their portfolio, see how much work they have under their belt. Great web design should be met with great customer reviews and testimonials. It also helps if they have an active social media presence. It’s a lot harder to curate or manipulate customer feedback on other platforms.

Do They Have Marketing Experience?

Are they just a team of graphic designers and programmers or are they a complete web development company? Hiring a company who knows more than just aesthetics is a huge bonus. Your website is going to perform a lot better when it created with things like CTAs, bounce rates, conversion rates, and campaign strategy are understood.

Navigation and page elements won’t need to be forced into the design after the fact. Natural integration of buttons, subscription fields, and upsells is extremely valuable in web development.

Understanding Industries/Niches

While you look through their portfolio, take the range of companies they have worked for. Do a lot of them center around the same niches? Are their designs built for only a handful of industries?

This is important to know when searching for a web development team that will work outside the box. If the majority of their business is cookie-cutter websites, then that means they aren’t willing to challenge themselves. At worst, it could mean they are reliant on templates with little modifications. These developers may offer slightly more affordable prices, but the value you receive is significantly less, and your customers will be able to sniff this out.

If you want your business to stand out, you cannot afford to settle for a barely-modified template that does the job. You can have a clean, well-balanced, and unique web page design without breaking the bank.

Modern Designs and Trends

Have you ever watched an old movie or TV show and seen what websites looked like in the past? Go back far enough and you’ll be met with big, ugly, and flat pages with no “life.” Go back less than a decade and you’ll see ugly designs, but with less obvious flaws.

The reason why many amateur web designers have cheaper-looking products is not just due to technical skill. It’s about following modern designs and trends. People grow tired of looking at the same things for years on end. Just take the ultra-flat designs spurred from smartphone development.

Today, users find it a chore to navigate through these flat websites, taking 22% longer to find what they’re looking for. You don’t want to be left behind with an outdated look on your website. Ask the web developers what the current trends are in web design, and how they plan to implement them into your project.

Comparing Prices

We end on price, being the least important aspect to consider while shopping around for web developers. The reason, of course, is that much of what passes as web design these days is editing layouts and themes on WordPress. There’s nothing wrong with this approach for simple blogs or landing pages.

If you want a professional, brand-appropriate, and cutting-edge website, you’re not going to find it for less than $3,000. Another big issue with selling yourself short is not having all the security in place to prevent hacks and server attacks.

We’re not saying you shouldn’t negotiate and shop around. Businesses just need to understand that your website is a serious investment that you should budget for considering long-term ROI, not just the immediate return enjoyed from saving a buck or two.

Finding a Portland Web Development Company

Finding the right Portland web development company is not the easiest job with so many to choose from. The time spent interviewing and bouncing ideas off companies is well worth the investment.

We’d love to discuss your company and potential web design needs if you have further questions.

Contact us today to see what we can bring to the table!

The post How to Choose a Portland Web Development Company appeared first on Midas Marketing.

As a dental office, you will always face stiff competition. It is up to you as a service provider to gain a competitive advantage in your field. For essential services like dentistry, you may not get as much walk-in traffic as you will from web searches.

It is therefore essential to invest in quality dental SEO services. Dental SEO services are meant to position your practice as a visible authority in your field. They are also intended to help you turn prospective customers into paying patients at your practice.

According to research, most web users are likely to turn to search engines when searching for a service. The reason is that searches can yield quick results for local businesses. Still, unless you have a robust SEO strategy in place, it is likely that you will get outranked and your competition will enjoy those leads.

Ranking poorly will keep your practice from reaching its potential. Start with these tips to improve your dental SEO strategy.

Hiring a dental SEO expert will help position your practice to be discovered by younger, online searchers.

1. Have a Great Website

Before you even think of a dental SEO strategy, you need to have a website in place. A great dental website design gives you a strong presence on the market. With the immense number of online searches conducted per day, having an accessible site places your practice in a prime position.

Web users usually trust businesses with websites more than the ones unavailable on the internet. Your site needs to be intuitive and informative. A professional website gives you an edge in making you a business leader in your field. It can also be a lead generation machine for you when designed properly.

You can achieve the full potential of a website by incorporating tools that make it more accessible. Such mechanisms may include mobile accessibility and fast load times. Having a site makes your clients more confident with your practice from the very beginning.

2. Work on Your Website’s Accessibility

Making sure your website runs smoothly on any device is a strategy that could help your dental practice’s rank. Google is keen to reward websites whose content is accessible via mobile. With a large section of web users who use portable devices, you should highly prioritize mobile access.

A mobile-friendly website means you can maximize on opportunities to serve potential patients who would like quick services, local services or emergency services. It could also translate to making your website shareable.

Users can locate you using tools such as maps. They can also share information about your platform in other apps primarily found on mobile devices.

3. Enlist Reputable SEO Companies

Search engine optimization extends further than keyword placement. As a professional dentist, however, you might not know all the intricacies of dental SEO ranking. It is important to engage the services of a reputable SEO company on a monthly basis to build your website’s authority in the eyes of Google and others. A good SEO company will help you come up with a strategy that gets you to the top of search engine results.

Due to the competitive nature of your field, a reliable SEO company can help you pick out the most effective strategies for best returns. SEO can be an investment, with plans generally falling in the $500 to $3000+ depending on your market. However, when you consider the lifetime value of a new patient, every dentist looking to grow will see the value of ranking high in search engines.

4. Keep Your Content Fresh

Regular content keeps visitors coming to your site. Your content does not need to focus on selling your practice every time. Creating fresh and relevant content makes Google evaluate your site often and give your content precedence if it is deemed valuable.

Additionally, users trust a site that gives them valuable information about a particular field. Even if they were not looking for immediate services, reading dental content on your website gives your business a better standing among competitors and establishes you as a thought leader.

More content opens your site to more opportunities to utilize on-site SEO strategies. These strategies translate into organic traffic for your website and strong search engine placement.

5. Invest in Social Media

Social media channels are a complimentary resource for dental SEO. Social media platforms can bring you targeted traffic. By interacting with your followers, you can analyze your data to make even better choices for your practice.

Social media provides an opportunity to gain insights into your patients’ preferences. You can then revamp your practice to cater to a wide range of potential clients. Social platforms are also useful in marketing.

Keeping an active social media portfolio means you maintain a grasp across diverse groups. This helps you develop future strategies that target specific groups. It also assists in improving the visibility and authority of your practice.

An active social media strategy can improve your website authority, give you channels for sharing your blog content, and provide insight about your customer’s key pain points (and how you may want to adopt your SEO plan to reflect them!).

6. Use Review Sites

It’s been proven for a while now that web users will trust a business based on feedback from previous users. If a first time user wanted to use your dental practice, they’d look up what other visitors have said about it. Having your dental practice in high-level review sites such as Yelp could bring in more traffic to your business.

It also helps potential clients settle on your business. A keyword chain like ‘dentist reviews + city’ leads potential clients to review sites which mention your practice.

You can use this strategy by asking clients to leave a review about your business. Even a handful of 5-star reviews boosts your reputation in a sea of competing services.

7. Use Local Listings

To reap maximum benefits, it would be great if you optimize your keywords for local search results. Potential clients are more likely to seek out the nearest practice for essential services for dentistry. Using resources such as Google Local, you can position your business as the go-to choice in your area.

You can include contact information and physical address details of your practice. Prospective clients can find you online or walk into the business premises directly to schedule an appointment.

Local listings also give you a higher ranking due to less keyword competition. For instance, using a keyword chain which includes your locality will bring clients to your page if you have optimized your site for local results.

8. Embrace Video

YouTube racks up billions of video views every day. In fact, it is the second largest search engine behind Google. While you can spend hours writing up new content, you can direct some effort to video production.

Social media platforms are increasingly giving videos preference. By creating short, informative videos, you are developing a strong presence in a low competition environment. You can even use videos to market your practice by showing procedures.

Users too are showing an inclination towards video over traditional reading. You can package your message in easy-to-grasp graphics. Once potential clients see the business, they feel like they can trust the services you offer.

Making exciting educational videos also encourages users to share the content they find. The videos must be of good quality and in a format suitable for sharing.

9. Utilize Online Forums

Forums are an often overlooked, yet valuable assets in SEO ranking. Constant engagement in discussions gives you and your practice more visibility on search results.

Forum engagement can range from Q&A boards to commenting on blogs. It is also an opportunity to place your practice in service-specific platforms. The result is garnering more organic traffic to your site.

You stand better chances of appearing on the top of search engines if you offer helpful commentary on forum boards. It is even better if your input in these forums gets upvoted or rehashed by other users. New users and potential clients can correlate your presence with being a trusted resource for dental services.

10. Focus on Customer Service

Customer service has the potential to make or break your website and your reputation. For your dental practice, it is crucial to ensure that your patients experience stellar customer service every time.

Poor customer service can lower your ranking due to negative reviews and reports. If clients are continually complaining about your website, you might start experiencing lower return visits to your site.

When you’re investing in SEO, it only follows that your website and staff need to deliver on their end once potential patients discover your practice online! Excellent customer service will help you understand the diverse needs of your clientele so you can offer better dental services.

Dental SEO – Wrap Up

SEO is a vital resource that you can implement to help your practice achieve its full potential. You need to use other strategies to make sure you are getting the most out of your SEO campaign. As a professional brand, these tips will only bring you as much success as the consistency you put behind them.

A strategic dental SEO plan will strengthen your brand profile and keep you at the top of search results. Your audience will consider you a valuable resource for dental services.

To position your business as a reputable resource for top-class dental work, you need to consider hiring SEO experts. Forward-thinking dentists should embrace the mass shift of audience from traditional walk-in models of business. If you’re not entirely sure who is the right fit for your dental SEO needs, consult local listings.

If you want help in SEO, copywriting, web design, and digital marketing, the team at Midas Marketing is here for you. Just reach out to us whenever you’re ready!

The post Top 10 Dental SEO Tips to Grow Your Practice appeared first on Midas Marketing.

How does your website stand up in today’s digital age? Will potential patients contact you for an appointment after they land on your site?

When a potential client clicks on your website, you only have 10 seconds to wow them.

Your website design is the most important digital tool for your online reputation. So, you better make it count.

Get it right and you’ll be converting new patients left and right. But get it wrong and risk losing potential business for your practice.

Here are 7 dental website design must-haves for your practice.

Investing in a clean, custom dental website is necessary to position your practice for long-term success – it’s no longer optional!

1. Use Your Homepage to Impress Your Audience

Your homepage is a digital first impression of your brand. It’s where potential patients go to find information and learn about your company.

You have one chance to impress your audience with a clean and comprehensive homepage. Use this as an opportunity to be out-of-the-box creative and visual. The homepage should draw attention, without being too busy or cluttered.

Go for one amazing image that showcases your practice and captures the essence of your brand. Think bright, happy, and healthy smiles in wide dimension. Dentist office websites should evoke a sense of comfort and care from your audience.

Remeber to think above the fold, like a newspaper. How long the viewer stays on your site depends on what they see without having to scroll down. A modern yet simple design theme is best.

You want to stay light on content and incorporate your logo and slogan on the homepage. Also be sure to include a call to action. As well as clear and easy to find contact information.

2. Make It Easy to Navigate

Easy navigation is what makes a good website. It keeps it easy for viewers to find the information they need. Without having to waste time searching throughout your site.

Have a clear and concise menu at the top or side of your website. list your most important pages here. Use a drop-down function to keep lower priority pages out of view.

A dental practice website design should include the following sections:

• About Us
• Meet The Team
• Services
• Reviews
• New Patients Section
• Contact Us

You may also want to consider adding a special page about your dentistry experience. This is a section to showcase what makes the dentist unique. Highlight education, awards, and community involvement here.

I can also be helpful to list insurance providers on your website. Shortcuts to important information and documents are also appreciated by new patients.

Include office hours, address, and an interactive map in the contact us section. This helps users find you through Google maps when using their mobile phones.

Include a linkable logo on your website template so it shows up in the same spot on every webpage. This way it’s easy for users to get back to your homepage.

The website footer should include your contact information and social icons. Make it easy for viewers to call, email, or find more information.

3. Consistency Is Key

Be consistent throughout your entire dental office website design. Have your branding evident, with a pleasing color palette.

Make sure your digital branding techniques translate well to all other marketing materials. Text, colors, logo, and content should remain consistent across all marketing channels. This will help patients to identify your brand and better relate to it.

Use optimized images for your website. Go for quality, not quantity. Too many images will also affect how fast your site loads. A site that takes a long time to load will receive a higher bounce rate.

Pay attention to the size and spacing between letters and images. Text and background colors should complement one another and be easy to read. 16 pt size text is a general rule of thumb.

Use a text that reads well on all web pages. Sans serif fonts translate best for online text.

You’ll also want to limit the number of fonts you use. Too many different fonts can look unorganized and distracting.

Use subheadings and bullet points to break up text on web pages. It is friendlier on the eyes and will help your reader find information quicker. Your audience will also find your dental practice website design more engaging and be less likely to look elsewhere.

4. Get Friendly with Google

If you want your website to rank high on search engines, you’re going to need to make friends with Google.

To do so, pay special attention to your content. It should be fresh, inventive, and relevant.

You’ll want to lace important keywords throughout your website. This includes headlines, titles, descriptions, and meta tags. Google is also a fan of long-tail keywords.

Content should be natural, and easy for readers to digest. Local keywords are also important. They will help Google recommend you in local dentist searches.

Need help figuring out which keywords to use? Consider an SEO expert to increase online traffic to your website.

Linking to other affiliate sites (online review platforms, etc.) can also boost your SEO. Always check your hyperlinks to make sure they work and pages have not gotten moved.

Google also pays attention to the speed of your site. Use an online tool, such as Pingdom, to test how fast your site responds. Also, be sure to claim your business on Google My Business.

5. Keep Content Fresh and Relevant

Having fresh content is key for keeping your website up-to-date. Not only does this help with SEO, but it shows patients you pay attention to the details.

Be sure to keep your website updated with office upgrades and changes in company policy. Make sure your dental website designer gives you access to the backend of your site. This will allow you to make quick changes when needed.

It’s also helpful to use Google Analytics to measure traffic. If certain pages are getting low or non-existent viewing time, redesign them.

Blog About It

One of the easiest ways to add fresh content is by blogging. It’s simple to add a blog to your website using WordPress.

Aim to update it at least three times per week. Cover topics ranging from company updates to best practices to dental trends. Pick trending topics that patients can relate to, such as teeth whitening methods.

Start a Newsletter

Create a company newsletter as part of an email marketing campaign. It will let you stay in touch with current customers and reach out to new leads. Have an easy newsletter sign up right on your homepage.

Use an automated service such as MailChimp to create and deploy campaigns. Track the effectiveness of campaigns to see what tactics get the most engagement.

Get People Talking About You

Online reviews and testimonials are important for your business.

84% of people trust online reviews as much as a personal recommendation. So, ask all those happy customers to share their experience with the online community.

Aim for quality reviews on Google, Yelp, and other third-party sites. Don’t forget to respond back to your reviewers. It shows you value their feedback and are open to recommendations.

You can link reviews and testimonials right to your website. New patients will want to see real-life feedback from your customers. It will also do wonders for your SEO.

6. Don’t Get Left in the Digital Age’s Dust

The digital age doesn’t take lightly to old, outdated websites. And neither do your patients.

Over 50% of people use their mobile phones to conduct online searches. Make sure your site is mobile-friendly and test every single webpage. This will also make Google happy and push your website ranking higher up.

Younger generations expect to be able to do everything from the comfort of their smartphones. Consider a booking widget on your website. This will allow patients to make appointments after hours.

Use video content where applicable. Did you recently redesign your dentist office? Use a digital tour of the new space as a marketing tactic.

You’ll also want to avoid these website design mistakes.

Share Smiles

Be present on social media and use it as a tool to share stories of your brand. Facebook and Instagram are the main channels your patients turn to when seeking more information.

Share relevant articles and images. Showcase your employees and become involved in the community. Post seasonal highlights and holiday favorites to boost engagement.

7. Be Digitally Convenient

Use your website to meet the needs and expectations of your patients. Give them the information they seek right at their fingertips. Nowadays, people prefer this over calling and speaking to someone in the office.

Consider a patient portal. It makes it easy for patients to pay bills online, review records, or leave a message for the dentist. Appointment scheduling tools are also appreciated.

Go paperless and have important forms available online. This way patients can fill them out right on the website or email them in. Hyperlink your email address to make it quicker for patients to get in touch.

Provide a contact form for potential patients so it’s easy for them to get in touch. Add an FAQ’s section to help save time by answering popular questions.

Dental Website Design Tools for Online Success

Following these dental website design practices can help turn leads into new patients. Use these tools to enhance your digital brand and maintain a happy client base.

Is your website in need of a revamp? Learn more about how a contemporary and user-friendly website can transform your practice.

The post Dental Website Design: 7 Must Haves That Will Skyrocket Your Success appeared first on Midas Marketing.