Why SEO takes time and is worth the wait

Categories
Blog, SEO

As much as we all wish it was possible to obtain top ranking positions on search engines overnight, unfortunately it just isn’t possible. Many factors come into play when expecting results from search engine optimisation, which is why the process requires some patience. As the saying goes, good things come to those who wait. This is certainly the case with SEO and the long-term effects are certainly a worthwhile investment for any business, in any industry. Learn more about why SEO takes time and why it’s definitely worth the wait. CONSIDER YOUR COMPETITION Consider your industry in itself and how many other businesses are in your niche. It’s likely you’ll have thousands, millions or perhaps even billions of other competitors who have the same objective that you have. They all want to rank for the top position in search results and want searchers to choose their business over anyone else. The current top-ranking websites utilising your keywords are likely to have invested in SEO for quite a while and have built up their online reputation overtime. There are more websites online now than ever before so the task of ranking #1 isn’t impossible, however it just requires time and good SEO practices.  Your competitors have invested their time into SEO, and it’s rewarded them with the top-ranking positions, you may start off as the underdog, but soon enough your patience will reward you. TRUST THE PROCESS If you’ve decided to dedicate time and money into SEO to boost your business, it’s important that you learn to trust the process. The first initial stage of SEO requires an audit, where your SEO specialist will optimise your website in order to ensure it fulfils Google’s ranking guidelines. This will include fixing any technical issues or content issues which could impact your ranking. Your SEO expert will also conduct keyword research and a competitor analysis in order to devise the ideal strategy. This process can take some time especially if you have thousands of pages on your website which need to be audited.  After this process, then your page is ready to be ranked. The next steps involve content creation, on-page and off-page backlinking as well as constant monitoring of your website’s technical components. This process is what determines your rankings and must be done efficiently. BUDGET CAN PLAY A PART The amount of money you are willing to invest in an SEO strategy can also impact the time frame with which you begin to see results. This isn’t to say that the more you spend the greater results you will receive, however the more you invest, the more time your SEO specialists can spend working on your website and your SEO strategy. Each digital marketing company has their own strategy in place, yet most will charge per hour so if you want to have the ball rolling fairly quickly, you may want to consider your budget and how much you allocate towards SEO. WHEN YOU CAN EXPECT TO SEE RESULTS Considering all the above factors, each website will vary in the time frame with which they are likely to see results. No SEO company can guarantee a definite time, however most will provide their clients with a guideline between 4-6 months to which they begin to see the results of SEO. Results could mean increased rankings, more enquiries or more website traffic.  You should begin to notice positive impacts within this time period. In terms of ranking in top positions this can take anywhere between 6 months to 1 year, sometimes even longer depending on your competition and the strategy your SEO company has put in place. No SEO company should ever mislead their clients to believe that top rankings can be achieved instantly. These are positions which must be earned, and the time invested to doing so will positively impact your business in years to come. Unlike paid forms of advertising, SEO is based upon ranking websites organically and requires hours of hard work and time. Although PPC forms of advertising can provide benefits for businesses instantly, the long-term benefits of SEO are worthwhile. SEO takes time to implement a forceful strategy, yet once it’s implemented, the results will exceed your expectations beyond what you could ever imagine. Talk to the search engine optimisation specialists today at DGreat Solutions.

PAID VS. ORGANIC SOCIAL MEDIA

Categories
Blog, Social Media

When diving into the realm of the online world, the two types of social media businesses can utilise are paid and organic. Both present a number of opportunities for businesses and learning how to utilise both will be highly beneficial for your business. Whilst paid and organic social media varies in a number of ways, what you decide to invest more time into will depend purely on your business’s overall goals. So what exactly will work best for your business? Continue reading to learn more. WHAT IS ORGANIC SOCIAL MEDIA? Organic social media is essentially free content which is shared across the social accounts of businesses. When you create content on your social pages, it’s often viewed by a number of your followers, the followers of those who reshare your content and those who may follow any of the hashtags you utilise in your posts. Organic social media is effective for businesses as they are able to develop a deeper, personified connection with their audience. When you gain exposure organically, your followers are more likely to trust your brand as you’re providing content for the sake of adding value to their lives not just trying to make a sale. WHAT IS PAID SOCIAL MEDIA? Paid social media is promoted with payment and helps businesses reach a wider audience beyond their existing audience. The content you create will become visible in the newsfeeds of those who fall within your targeted market. You can target those who may be interested in your products or services as well as other demographics including their location, age and those with similar interests to your business. Paid social media is an ideal way to obtain new followers within a shorter period of time. By using paid social media, you are guaranteed visibility depending on the amount of money you invest and which platform you advertise on. Paid social media is highly effective for those who want to obtain greater brand exposure, reaching as many people as possible. HOW TO INCORPORATE ORGANIC & PAID INTO YOUR STRATEGY With changes in algorithms being made more and more frequently, having your content reach a wider audience organically can be a difficult task.  This is where paid social media can be very effective and assist your organic posts in obtaining a greater visibility. By combining both paid and organic social media you can obtain a greater understanding of your audience, grow your online presence and have both forms of social media support one another to provide you with the best results possible. TRACK ORGANIC POSTS TO UNDERSTAND YOUR AUDIENCE By analysing the metrics from your organic posts, you can obtain a better understand as to who you should target in your paid advertising campaigns. You can also gain an insight into which forms of content will work well for a campaign and what your target market will prefer to see. If you notice you have a post which has received a significant amount of organic engagement, use the same post as an ad and you’ll be likely to receive even greater engagement and click through rates. GROW YOUR ONLINE PRESENCE When you utilise both paid and organic social media tactics, you’re maximise the potential to gain more followers. Those who see your ads are likely to search your profile on further social media accounts and become more familiar with your brand, ultimately boosting your overall online presence. Both paid and organic social media work exceptionally well in conjunction with each other. Whilst you can still maintain an online presence with just one, you simply won’t achieve as great results as when both are combined. By utilising organic social media, you can understand more about your audience and further enhance your paid social media strategy. If you want to implement the ideal social media strategy, speak to our expert team at DGreat Solutions today to find out how we can help.

BENEFITS OF FACEBOOK SHOP FOR BUSINESS

Categories
Blog, SEO, Social Media

Created with the intent of simplifying the process of selling and purchasing products online, Facebook Shop is a common favourite amongst both business owners and consumers. With many businesses currently struggling and forced to close their physical shopfronts, taking their business online and utilising social media has been their saviour during this difficult period of time. Facebook provides small businesses in particular with a convenient method to do so. Even if you don’t have a website, you can still conveniently sell your products online to consumers via both Facebook and Instagram, as long as you have a Facebook Business Page. Facebook Shop has made the intention of buying and selling, quick and easy. So how can Facebook Shop benefit your business? IDEAL FOR IMPULSE SHOPPERS In the words of Facebook “users can enjoy the experience of shopping, not the chore of buying” and for impulse shoppers, Facebook Shop is the ideal tool to make purchases. Impulse shoppers see a product they find value in and want to make the purchase as quickly as possible, buying right in the moment. Facebook Shop caters perfectly well to this customer base and has proven to work effectively for many businesses. As Facebook Shop is also linked to Instagram, you can easily set up Instagram Shop in the same process. Share an image of a product, tag the items and your audience can easily tap the image to see details of the product. They can then click a direct link which will take them to the product either on your Facebook page or website to make the purchase. The process is simple, fast and makes shopping much more convenient. FREE TO SET UP AND EASY TO USE Another great benefit of Facebook shop is it’s free to set up and incredibly easy to use. There are simple instructions provided by Facebook which assist businesses in setting up their online shops. All you are required to do is choose the products you wish to sell and add them to your online catalogue. Page owners can then customise their shop in order to suit their brand, then link the shop to their eCommerce platform in order to make the purchase or they can purchase directly from Facebook. List all product features of your item and any other important information regarding your business. Facebook Shop replicates a real-life store where you can send messages to the shop and ask questions regarding specific products. Within a few clicks you can create your online store and begin sharing your products with the wider Facebook and Instagram community. SELL YOUR PRODUCTS ONLINE WITHOUT A WEBSITE One of the best features of Facebook Shop is business owners can sell their products online without having a website. If you’re relatively new to the online world and haven’t had the time or money to invest in a good website, you can opt to simply create a Facebook Business page and then utilise the shop feature.  This will work exceptionally well for businesses who have a significant amount of their target market on Facebook already. Once you have added your products online you can easily share them amongst your followers in order to promote them and attract potential buyers. There’s no denying that one of the keys to keeping your business afloat during these uncertain times is to establish an online presence. For newcomers to the online world, creating a Facebook Shop is a great place to start and easily sell to consumers. The introduction of Facebook Shop has assisted business owners across the globe in providing a seamless shopping experience for consumers. Not only does it assist shoppers with their shopping experience, but it also assists business owners in their ability to conveniently sell products to their target market. Facebook Shop is a cost effective, easy to use platform for business owners to sell to consumers with or without owning a website.  If you’re seeking social media assistance, contact the team at DGreat Solutions today to find out how we can help!

Google algorithm updates, what content survives and how to prepare.

Categories
Blog, SEO

Google Algorithm updates aren’t always predictable and as SEO specialists this is something we have become accustomed to. One of the best tips we can share with you is to always expect the unexpected and always be as prepared as you can possibly be for the next Google Algorithm update. Although there are frequent changes being made, there are steps you can take to keep your website within the safe zone. Being one of the biggest factors of SEO, creating valuable content is one way you can ensure you survive the next Google Algorithm update.  After years of experience monitoring the updates and adhering to them, we’ve established what content can keep you afloat. Here’s our top tips! ALWAYS CREATE EXCEPTIONAL CONTENT We understand creating content isn’t always the easiest of tasks, especially when you are managing other aspects of your business. However, when you do create content, it’s important you only produce exceptional quality content which will be interesting for your audience to read. Avoid writing numerous pieces of content which lacks in quality just for the sake of creating content. Ensure the content is well-written with no grammar or spelling errors.  You don’t have to be a professional writer to create good pieces of content! DO NOT copy content from other websites or blogs. Be original and showcase what you know and can provide. Not only will your audience appreciate this but so will Google crawlers checking for duplicate content. If you want to be Algorithm Update Proof, this is the way to do so! UNDERSTAND YOUR AUDIENCE Do you know exactly what your audience needs? Learn about them! Take time out to think about who your typical clients/customers would be and the content you think they would be more inclined to spend time reading. What questions would they ask? The more time which you invest in learning about your audience, the greater equipped you will be to create content for them. The more you can appeal to your audience; the more people will recognise your brand and appreciate your content. Understanding your audience is the key to creating exceptional content which Google will always appreciate regardless of which updates come into play. PROVIDE YOUR AUDIENCE WITH VALUE One of the biggest factors which the Google Algorithm is essentially put in place to monitor is how well website owners cater to their audience. When you are creating content for your audience always consider what they actually would want to see or read. You need to first of all understand your audience as we have mentioned above, and then be able to predict what they would like to know about your industry. You could consider turning some frequently asked questions into content pieces and further educate your audience on topics you have an in depth understanding of. The best way to stay ahead of the Algorithm is to always keep user experience top of mind. Develop the trust of your audience by providing them with valuable content. ALWAYS WRITE CONTENT WITH YOUR AUDIENCE IN MIND The golden rule when writing content is to ALWAYS keep your audience in mind. Those who read your content are the people who most likely will become your clients or customers. Whenever you write content, you have the opportunity to showcase exactly what you know and how you can provide solutions to their problems or the answers to their questions. The content you create is for your audience, so it should be apparent that they must always be in mind throughout the creation process. Content which is purely driven to appeal to the audience will always succeed throughout Google Algorithm updates. In order to survive Google Algorithm updates, it’s important to always ensure you provide your audience with an exceptional standard of content. Keep up to date with Algorithm changes and make your audience a number 1 priority when writing content. For assistance with your SEO, talk to our expert team at DGreat Solutions today.

WHY LOCAL BUSINESS SHOULD USE FACEBOOK ADS

Categories
Blog, Social Media

One of the most effective methods of Social Media marketing local businesses can utilise is Facebook ads. With its exceptional marketing capabilities, Facebook ads are the ideal way for local businesses to attract those within the community to support your business. Local businesses are often more conscious about the amount of money they invest into advertising and want to select the best method possible which provides the best return on investment. Facebook marketing has the ability to assist local businesses to promote their content and create a strong sense of brand awareness, driving lead generation. Are you a local business owner and want to learn how Facebook ads can benefit you? Continue reading to find out more. FACEBOOK ADS ARE MORE COST EFFECTIVE Implementing a Facebook ad strategy is one of the most cost-effective forms of advertising you can utilise as a local business. Having the ability to control your daily spend limit means you can closely monitor your spending and determine what best works for your business. This means businesses are able to try Facebook ads without outlaying a significant amount of money and learn about how to best target their desired audience. For new business owners, this is a great way to have your brand exposed to locals and increase your customer or client base. If you only have a small budget to spend on advertising, Facebook ads are the way to go and will provide you with the greatest results. ACCESS TO LOCATION TARGETING OPTIONS One of the greatest advantages of Facebook ads are its targeting options. As a local business, this is exactly what you need to reach your defined target audience and showcase your products or services.  You can effectively reach those within a specific radius to your shopfront including your country, state, city and even your postcode with further defined categories such as their gender, age, occupation, income and more.  By using this feature effectively, you can ensure your advertising budget is spent on attracting those who are actually interested in your products or services  BUILD TRUST WITHIN THE LOCAL COMMUNITY By using Facebook ads, you can promote your brand and gain the trust of those within your local community. The more frequently people are exposed to your ads, the more they will become familiar with who you are and the services or products your business provides. When creating your Facebook ads, it’s important to demonstrate your brands visions and values so your community understands they can trust you to provide them with the best service. Consumers are more inclined now than ever to support local businesses, use this to your advantage to provide them with an insight as to why they should choose you. EDUCATE YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE Finally, another benefit of Facebook ads for local businesses is you have access to a platform where you can educate your target audience. All businesses want to make sales, we need to in order to continue operating however in order to make those sales it’s important to educate your audience about your business. Facebook provides you with the option to share educational videos to demonstrate what your products or services are and how they can add value to the lives of your target audience. Think about what people need within your local community and how your business can assist, this will put you ahead of your competitors and show your target audience you aren’t just trying to sell. Local businesses are always on the lookout for the best ways to attract more clients or customers. As social media has progressed to be one of the most popular forms of marketing, we all spend so much time using it, it makes sense to promote your brand across the various platforms. For local businesses, in particular, Facebook ads are the most convenient and cost-effective ways to promote your business. 

HOW TO GROW YOUR INSTAGRAM FOLLOWING

Categories
Blog, Social Media

With more than 1 billion users across the globe, Instagram continues to provide incredible marketing opportunities for businesses. As we learn to embrace our digitally dominated society, it’s become apparent that there really are no limits as to what we can achieve with the help of social media. As marketers, one of the core objectives we work towards on Instagram is increasing the number of followers on a profile. The more followers, the more opportunities you have to showcase your brand and what you have to offer. If you are determined to grow your Instagram following, read our tips below to find out how you can do so organically. BE CONSISTENT WITH YOUR POSTS One of the greatest ways to grow your Instagram following is to stay consistent with your posts. Set a realistic goal of how frequently you are able to post. Whether it’s 4 times a week or once a day, create a content sharing goal and hold yourself accountable to it. The more frequently you post, the more familiar people become with your brand, trust it and expect you to continue posting regularly, providing quality content. A great tip is to plan your content in advance so you’re not just posting for the sake of posting and can actually provide value for your followers. Remember those who post regularly are more likely to receive greater engagement. CREATE A HASHTAG STRATEGY Hashtags are another great way in which you can easily grow your Instagram. With the right hashtag strategy, you can obtain visibility in the Instagram explore tab and be seen by those who aren’t yet following your profile. Instagram allows users to include up to 30 hashtags per post, however, it’s important to use good quality hashtags which are relevant to your business in order to achieve the best results. We recommend collating a list of hashtags that your target market would be searching for. For example, if you are a café you would want to incorporate a series of hashtags relevant to food/drinks, the cuisine you offer, your location etc. MAKE USE OF VIDEOS, LIVE CONTENT AND STORIES Creating video footage is the best possible way to showcase your brand and provide your followers with a deeper insight into the faces behind the name. Live content and stories in particular are raw, real and relatable. Make your video footage fun and interactive by showing fun elements of your workplace you can answer any FAQs, introduce your team or show a sneak preview of any new products or services you will be introducing. The more you create video content; the more familiar Instagram users will be with your brand and learn to trust your business. EMBRACE USER-GENERATED CONTENT Did you know that 9 out of 10 people are more likely to trust a brand that shares organic, user-generated content as opposed to professionally constructed content (Nielsen Consumer Trust Index). Essentially, what this means is Instagram users want to see content from REAL people utilising your services or products. Encourage your followers to create their own content and include your Instagram handle or hashtag. You could prompt people to create their own content by offering a discount on their next order or whatever you are willing to offer. Most Instagram users will gladly promote a brand if they are happy with the service they have received. COLLABORATE WITH OTHER BRANDS/INFLUENCERS Another highly effective way to grow your following on Instagram is to collaborate with other brands or influencers in your industry. Reach out to local businesses and influencers with a high number of followers and ask if they would be willing to promote your brand in exchange for a discount on your services or products. You could even suggest running competitions together to leverage both of your followers. This is an ideal way to create brand awareness and network within the online community. Once you gain new followers it’s critical to be conscious of the content you share with them. The work isn’t over once they hit the follow button. You must continue to create valuable content in order to gain their trust and encourage your followers to support your brand. And please, do not fall into the trap of buying followers! More often than not this provides practically no value to your business, wasting your time and money. Genuine followers will support your brand and are more likely to engage with your profile, becoming your customers or clients. For assistance with your social media strategy, let the team at DGreat Solutions assist.

5 NEGATIVE GOOGLE RANKING FACTORS & WHAT YOU CAN DO ABOUT THEM

Categories
Blog, SEO

You can spend hours upon hours implementing SEO tactics, have amazing Google rankings but the second you disobey Google’s ranking factors, all your countless hours of hard work can be reversed. As we all know, Google’s algorithm is constantly changing which makes our job as SEO specialists slightly more tedious. Changes to algorithms can greatly impact businesses and their revenue which is why it’s so crucial to always keep updated. Change is inevitable and something you must be accustomed to especially within the online world. The best thing you can do is stay in the loop and learn how to best prepare for the changes which do occur. We have identified five common negative Google ranking factors and how you can manage them. DUPLICATE CONTENT There are various definitions of what duplicate content can be perceived as by Google. The first form of duplicate content is essentially reproducing content which is already visible on other websites. The second form of duplicate content relates to your own website and having the same content shared across your own domains and URLs. To resolve this issue, ensure you have only one domain name and set up 301 redirects to combat this in the event you do have duplicated content within your own website.  Also remember to always keep your content original and relevant to your audience. DUPLICATE META INFORMATION Similarly, duplicated meta information can also be detrimental for your SEO. You should always ensure each of your web pages its own individual meta descriptions. Having duplicate meta descriptions may not directly impact your SEO rankings however they do impact your CTRs (click through rates) in search results. Google prioritises content which has high CTRs which leads to higher rankings so ultimately meta descriptions really do matter. To avoid any issues with duplicate meta description, always keep your meta descriptions as unique and original as possible. TOO MANY OUTBOUND LINKS Having outbound links on your website can be beneficial for your SEO, however having too many can decrease your website’s credibility. By having too many outbound links, this can potentially be viewed by Google as ‘black-hat SEO’ tactics which are unethical and can damage your reputation. The best way to avoid being penalised for having too many outbound links is to always use outbound links in moderation. PAGE LOADING SPEED Page loading time is so important because it directly corresponds to the user’s experience. Google rewards those who make extra effort to ensure their websites are functioning efficiently and have good page loading speed. A website which takes too long to load, is at risk of enduring high bounce rates. You can test your website’s speed by using Google’s Page Speed insights. This will reveal which speed your website is currently tracking at on both desktop and mobile. If your website is falling within the red zone, you will need to make changes to increase your page loading speed. Simple changes such as optimising large images can significantly improve your loading time. LOW DWELL TIME When SEO specialists refer to your website’s dwell time what they are referring to is a metric created by Google which measures user engagement. It includes the time each user spends viewing your website, bounce rates and CTRs.  Having a low dwell time reflects poorly on your website and it can impact its ‘user friendly’ element. Ideally you want users to be engaged the second the click on your website and find value from the content you provide, being able to easily click through each page. The best way to avoid any discrepancies from Google for having a low dwell time is to ensure your website is easy to navigate, it is optimised for an enhanced user experience and provides valuable content. Google has an endless number of ranking factors, each aimed at providing searchers with the best websites possible to answer their queries. If you don’t adhere to these ranking factors, you can lose all the hard work you have invested into your SEO almost instantly if you do not resolve the issues which have been brought to light. By addressing the five ranking factors stated above, you maintain your SEO and avoid being penalised by Google.

CREATING A SUCCESSFUL LINK BUILDING STRATEGY

Categories
Blog, SEO

Creating a successful link building strategy is imperative when devising a strong SEO strategy. If you’re outlaying money for SEO and not seeing any results, or perhaps your website traffic and search engine rankings are decreasing, it could be as a result of poor-quality links. Good links can bring a vast quantity of traffic to your website directly, boost your Google rankings and can greatly benefit your business.  Links were essentially designed to direct people to pages which may be beneficial for them. No matter how frequently search engine algorithms change, link building is a practice which remains a priority for search engine crawlers. If you incorporate this into your strategy, you will notice a significant increase in positive traffic to your website. After years of implementing SEO tactics, we’ve narrowed down our best tips to help you create the ultimate link building strategy.  RESEARCH YOUR AUDIENCE One of the most important things to consider when building a link strategy is that people physically link sites. This means you need to be creating content which provides them with enough value in order to be prompted to share your links.  Research your audience and compile a list of topics which would inform or educate those who may be interested in your niche.  Regardless of whether you’re creating content just for SEO purposes or not, it’s important to spend time creating appealing content. Poor content will not prompt other website owners to share your links and creating good content without link building is virtually useless as it won’t be visible. Research your audience thoroughly and start creating insightful pieces of content. DISCOVER CREDIBLE AND RELEVANT WEBSITES FOR YOUR LINKS After researching your audience, you can now begin seeking out websites which you could benefit from having your links shared on. This provides you with the opportunity to boost your content’s visibility using other websites. You may want to begin researching businesses within the same niche as yours and who may have already shared similar links.  Ensure the sites you have selected are reputable and have good domain authority. By having your links shared across sites with low domain authority, this could be detrimental for your website and its rankings. REACH OUT TO YOUR DESIRED WEBSITES Your next step should involve sending outreach emails or contacting prospective website owners. If you are sending out emails, ensure to personalise each email and try not to appear as if you are sending the same email to hundreds of other site owners. Be sure to introduce yourself, your business and connect on common grounds. Try to build a relationship where possible and always remain authentic.  You must be convincing and demonstrate how by linking to your website, their audience will obtain great value. Provide examples of some of your previous work and suggest some topic ideas which both of your websites could leverage. Avoid contacting website owners from fields which are polar opposite to yours, you will not benefit from having your links shared across sites where their target audience has no desire to visit your site. USE SOCIAL MEDIA TO PROMOTE Social media promotion is another link building strategy which often results in success. The more you promote your content, the more likely people are to view it, see value in it and promote it.  Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook are great social media platforms to distribute your links and encourage your followers or friends to share them. By using these platforms you can reach a greater audience and perhaps appeal to those who don’t typically fall within your target audience, however value the content you are producing. FOLLOW UP WITH WEBSITE OWNERS Finally, it’s absolutely crucial you keep track of all the links you have been building and to which websites they are distributed across. This continues strengthening your relationship with the site owner and provides you with an opportunity to have your links continuously shared.  You should also check from time to time if your links are still visible. If they are no longer visible, you may want to contact the site owner to understand why this has occurred. Whether you need to simply have the links reshared or perhaps you need to create something new, frequent check-ins means you are staying on top of your link building strategy. Having a successful link building strategy will greatly impact your SEO. Benefits will include receiving good quality traffic to your website and increased search engine rankings. Taking time out to thoroughly plan your link building strategy is one of the best ways you can achieve great SEO. For assistance creating a link building strategy, contact the team at DGreat Solutions today.

FIVE WAYS TO USE LINKEDIN POLLS FOR BUSINESS

Categories
Blog, Social Media

With over 690 million active monthly users, LinkedIn has grown to be the world’s largest professional social media platform. LinkedIn provides businesses with the opportunity to market their products and services and connect with other business professionals across the globe. With the introduction of the polls feature, you now have an additional way to delve deeper into your marketing insights. They can be created in either your personal or business account, group or event pages.  LinkedIn polls are easy to create and are provided as an option when you start a new post.  Simply add your question with up to four responses, set a time frame (between one day to two weeks) and let your audience select their answers accordingly. You can then track the responses received by your audience.  LinkedIn Polls are a great tool for business owners to utilise and conduct beneficial market research.  Continue reading to find out how your business can benefit from them. LEARN MORE ABOUT YOUR AUDIENCE By creating polls, you are able to learn more about your audience including their interests, hobbies or even their likes/dislikes. By asking a series of questions relating to their own tendencies, you can start to build a profile of your target audience and learn how to best capture their attention when creating promotional content.  The more targeted content you can create, the better your conversion rates will be. OBTAIN FEEDBACK ON YOUR PRODUCTS OR SERVICES Polls are a quick and efficient way to receive feedback from your audience regarding your products or services. If you have recently launched something new, you are able to obtain a deeper insight into what people really think about it. Feedback is crucial for the development of your business and LinkedIn polls provide you with a simple way to obtain feedback from your audience, which isn’t time consuming or too complicated. IDENTIFY ANY PROBLEM AREAS When you are able to identify any problem areas your audience are constantly faced with, you are able to provide relevant solutions to their problems. Using polls to ask questions relating to issues your audience may face can assist your business greatly. You may identify one specific area your audience is struggling with, i.e. if you are a videographer one area your audience might struggle with is editing content. This could present you with an opportunity to educate your audience on how to edit content or promote your services to assist. UNDERSTAND THE KNOWLEDGE OF YOUR AUDIENCE If you are frequently creating content and not receiving any feedback or engagement, you could be sharing content which doesn’t necessarily appeal to your audience. LinkedIn polls can assist you in understanding where your audience stands in terms of their knowledge in your industry and to what capacity. You can ask your audience questions to cover various aspects of your services or products. By doing so, you can ensure you are creating content which actually provides value for your audience and isn’t too advanced or too basic for them to read. RESEARCH NEW PRODUCTS OR IDEAS Have you thought of a new business venture and are unsure whether or not it would appeal to your target market? Create a poll and ask your audience! By obtaining the feedback of your audience you are able to consider the opinions which matter the most – the opinions of your potential customers or clients. This could also present you with new opportunities which you may have not yet considered. Creating polls are an ideal way to plan ahead for your business and consider future endeavours. If you have a LinkedIn profile and want to learn more about your audience and how your business can benefit their needs, give the polls tool a try. By using polls frequently, you can develop your business and enhance your marketing strategy.

WHY ONLINE SEARCH SHOULD BE PRIORITISED POST-COVID

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Blog, SEO

Since the first initial outbreak of COVID-19, the number of people conducting online searches has risen drastically. With many businesses forced to close temporarily and faced with an uncertain date of return, many were forced to rethink their entire marketing strategy. Those who kept afloat, did so because they already had a strategic digital marketing plan in place and established a strong online presence. As difficult as it was for the world to adjust to the rules of isolation and social distancing, these businesses were still able to operate even without a physical shopfront. Just as Australians appeared to have a grasp on the outbreak, we’ve now seen some cities face a relapse and unfortunately are now back in lockdown. Is your business prepared for the event of another outbreak? With such a significant number of consumers now utilising search to find products or services they require; this provides you with an opportunity to push your business through COVID-19 and come out on top. Your #1 priority when recovering from the aftermath of COVID-19 should be implementing SEO in order to remain current and hold your visibility in searches. LOCAL TO GLOBAL SEARCH Having an online presence provides you the opportunity to reach consumers on a local or international scale. Regardless of the size of your business and whether you operate solely from one location or on a global scale, you need to ensure your website will appear in relevant search queries. If you are a local business, it’s important to have your Google My Business page enabled, with your correct contact details so you appear in relevant local searches. Consumers are more inclined now to support local business and by working on your local search visibility, you can ensure you are front of mind whenever they seek assistance from a trusted brand. SEO WILL HELP YOUR BUSINESS IN THE LONG RUN Although SEO isn’t an overnight solution to your marketing concerns, SEO will lay down the foundation for success for when society normalises again. Most importantly, the rankings you earn now, can still benefit you in years to come.  Even if people aren’t able to physically use your services, they can still rely on your brand to provide useful tips or suggestions. Any SEO tactics you implement now, will benefit you in the long run. And the more SEO you do early, the greater results you will have in future. Perhaps your optimising your website to promote a better user experience, again, this will only bring forth more added benefits for your business. Remember, even if customers aren’t buying or using your services right at this moment, you have the ability to develop your brand and earn their trust. CONTENT TO INFORM Studies reveal consumers are 48% more likely to buy from a brand one week after reading their educational content. If you aren’t already writing informative pieces of content to educate your target market, you need to!  Each piece of content you create, optimise and publish now will assist your business with SEO now and in the future, building upon your credibility and brand knowledge. You can also edit your previous content to reflect your current situation. When creating content, ensure it is valuable for your target market, be consistent when publishing content and include internal and external backlinks where possible. SEEK ASSISTANCE FROM SEO EXPERTS If you’re new to SEO, it’s important to do some of your own research into SEO best practices and how you could create your own strategy. By seeking the advice of an SEO expert, you can determine the current state of your website and whether or not any changes need to be made. They can assist you with competitor research and essentially take care of the more difficult elements of SEO. Hiring an SEO expert will ensure you are maximising your search engine potential and can obtain as many leads as possible to your website. Looking back over 2020 so far, we can certainly agree we’ve all had a feeling of uncertainty in one way or another. By implementing SEO into your marketing strategy, you can at least guarantee your online presence and prepare your business for the day when we return to a normal way of living. If you require assistance with your SEO, contact DGreat Solutions today for your free digital marketing strategy.