Tag: SEO

10 Common SEO Mistakes

8 Common SEO Mistakes

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June 20, 2022

9:40 am

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Digital Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Video Marketing

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SEO is more than a necessity for online brands and businesses. It should always be a priority, according to a digital marketing speaker Hong Kong. A social media agency Hong Kong noted that SEO increases the chances of visibility among brands and businesses. It can drive website traffic and influence searchers to make a purchase. For a video marketing agency Hong Kong, SEO is a challenging task. Many brands and businesses struggle to determine the best practices to rank on Google and other search engines. Below are 10 common SEO mistakes. Knowing them can help brands and businesses fall into the bait.

Breaking Google’s Terms of Service

Backlinks are important to building a Google network. But along the way, there should be some control. Backlinks should be done properly, that is, referencing the information in the content to the right source. Asking something in return for linking to your content or buying backlinks is a no-no to Google’s terms of services.

Extremely Slow Website

A web page should load completely within 2 to 3 seconds. If it takes time for your site to load, visitors may abandon the website. To avoid it, design your website as simple as possible. Avoid unnecessary tabs and visuals as they can significantly affect the loading time.

Missing Internal Link

Internal links are also important to help search engines better understand your website. That is why failure to use internal links is a major SEO mistake.

No Indexing

Indexing is very important to rank in SEO. That means putting a navigational menu on the homepage to help searchers find different pieces of content easily.

No Keyword Research

Many brands and businesses experiment with randomly created pieces of content, thinking they will get search traffic out of them. That is without doing keyword research. The result is zero traffic for 90.63% of Google pages. Keyword research can help you know what terms your target audiences are searching.

No Matching Search Intent

The goal of every search engine is to give searchers the most relevant results for every query. It means that content should align with the search intent. Search intent can be classified as:

  • Commercial – when a searcher looks for something to buy
  • Informational – when a searcher wants to learn something
  • Transactional – when a searcher is ready to buy a brand, product, or service

Many brands and businesses overlook search intent. Be sure to align your creatives with such elements to rank on search engines.

Not Enough Backlinks

Building backlinks is also an important element in ranking on search engines. Brands and businesses should maintain a good relationship with people, other brands and businesses. That is the main purpose of linking a web page to other websites.

Targeting Too Difficult Keywords

Some keywords are less competitive, making it easier to rank them. Other keywords are too difficult and may require a lot of work to rank on search engines. Start with less competitive keywords. Once the brand or business becomes established online, that is the time to target too difficult keywords.

Reference:https://blog.red-website-design.co.uk/2022/06/16/seo-mistakes-damaging-website/

The 4 Pillars of SEO

The 4 Pillars of SEO

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December 10, 2021

12:40 pm

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Digital Marketing, Mobile Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Video Marketing

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Most brands and businesses today embark on search engine optimization (SEO). It is because statistics have proven that SEO is the magic of digital marketing. According to social media agency Hong Kong, the number one spot on Google garnered the highest CTR at 32%. Today, 76% of modern consumers will be looking for business using search engines.

SEO is no longer applicable to articles and website pages only. Even videos need to use SEO strategies as a video marketing agency Hong Kong noted. Video titles and meta descriptions play a significant role in gaining video views. As such, it is important for brands and businesses to have a basic knowledge about the 4 pillars of SEO.

A GLIMPSE OF SEO

A brand or business literally does not exist if people do not know about them, their products, and services. A digital marketing speaker Hong Kong defines SEO (Search Engine Optimization) as the process of improving your site to increase its visibility on Google, Bing, and other search engines. It makes people discover brands and businesses. 

The better visibility a brand or business has, the better it gets traffic into their websites, and the more chances they have to influence people in buying their products and services. Search engines work like an index to all pages on the Internet. They use crawlers to categorize each page and rank them according to the experience and values they give among searchers. This is where SEO evolves. Brands and businesses try to rank on their own niche and provide solutions to the pain points and problems of their target customers.

WHY DOES SEO MATTER?

SEO matters because it makes sure that your target audience discovers your business. They drive traffic to your social media pages and websites. As they drive traffic, brands and businesses get a better chance of a conversion. They can influence people to follow social media channels and subscribe to newsletters. They can boost sales through limited offers and one-time promo codes. 

Digital marketing today is not just a one-time process. Rather it aims to sustain brands and businesses. With SEO, you get to consistently connect with your customers and prospects. As better buying and customer experience matter in SEO, brands and businesses can build a loyal following that can help them last longer. Brands and businesses that are commonly ranking on Google have a better brand reputation and more followers.

THE 4 PILLARS OF SEO

The 4 pillars of SEO are content, off-site, on-site, and technical elements of a website. 

Content

Content is king for every website. It tells prospects what a brand or business does. It shows how, when, and where they do it. Much more, it relays the message of why does it influence prospects to patronize a brand or business.

SEO dictates that you need to create content that educates and gives value to the audience. To make your brand or business stand out, focus on creating these three types of content:

  • Credibility Content to give prospects a reason to engage in a brand or business.
  • Marketing Content to position a brand or business as an industry expert.
  • Service Content to appeal to the emotion of prospects and customers by showing what you do.

Off-site SEO

Off-site SEO includes external backlinks that can help build the domain authority of a brand or business website. Through content, you can create backlinks from other websites where you have obtained data from research. Below are 4 types of content that can boost off-site SEO:

  • Comprehensive Guides about a certain topic.
  • List Posts on myths, reasons, techniques, tips, or just about anything.
  • Original Research statistics, studies, and surveys. 
  • Visual assets such as diagrams, graphs, images, infographics, etc.

On-site SEO 

On-site SEO means establishing the keywords where a brand or business wants to rank. This is extremely important to build the industry or niche where a brand or business belongs. A website should be optimized according to individual pages and as a whole. To enhance on-site SEO, it is best to focus on the following areas:

  • Craft meta descriptions as if they were ad copies. 
  • Tap into the latest features of SERP to improve CTR.
  • Understand the language of your target audience through keyword research. 
  • Use descriptive and simple URLs.
  • Use keywords naturally within the page title and copy.
  • Use strong CTAs to make it easy for users on what to do next.

Technical SEO 

Technical SEO simply means making a website a joy to navigate among online searchers. It is essential for a brand or business website to crawl and rank on Google and other search engines. To do so:

  • Index pages for a better content hierarchy and search engine return.
  • Optimize your website for mobile use.
  • Speed up page loading.
  • Use CMS and other technology that are search-engine friendly.

Reference: https://blog.red-website-design.co.uk/2021/11/18/seo-4-pillars-2022/

Common SEO Mistakes That Weaken Google Ranking

Common SEO Mistakes That Weaken Google Ranking

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November 11, 2021

11:37 am

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Digital Marketing, Google, Social Media Marketing, Video Marketing

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Google is the largest global search engine. It accounts for 70% of desktop traffic. A digital marketing speaker Hong Kong highlights the importance of SEO among brands and businesses. With 360 billion searches on Google every year, SEO results to 67.60% of all the clicks. As such, SEO is more effective than PPC. 

There are millions of websites competing to rank on Google. If you are one of them, have you ever wondered why you don’t rank on the first page? Below are some common SEO mistakes that weaken Google’s ranking.

Domain Does Not Include Keywords

Including target keywords in the website domain of a brand or business gives an edge on Google’s ranking. They act as a match and relevancy signal for Google’s patent. The easiest way to optimize your website using target keywords is by adding them as meta tags on HTML pages. Don’t include irrelevant keywords, as Google may penalize you for doing so. It is also important not to do too much keyword repetition as it will result in keyword stuffing. 

Duplicated Content 

A social media agency Hong Kong notes that duplicate content can significantly weaken Google ranking. It is a big red flag to the search engine. All your website content should be accurate and first-hand. Brands and businesses can achieve this by doing thorough research and supporting their content with reputable references. They also need to check the content using plagiarism tools before uploading the content.

High Bounce Rate 

Google’s primary goal is to provide the best results among searchers’ queries. If your website’s bounce rate is too high, it may weaken your Google ranking. It is because Google views your page as not valuable to most users. A video marketing agency Hong Kong sites an example that if an audience clicks a video and leaves it after 1 to 2 seconds, it affects the video ranking. So, the key is to catch the audience’s attention in the first 3 seconds of a digital copy.

Keyword Stuffing

Keywords are vital for Google to know that your content is relevant to a web search. Brands and businesses should include as many relevant keywords to boost ranking. But keyword stuffing weakens Google’s ranking. It means including too many irrelevant keywords to trick the site. The best practice to use keywords and boost ranking is to start with your headline tag and then on the first 100 words of the page.

Non-Optimized Page Image 

Visuals make a page stand out. They can also boost SEO if optimized for a better user experience. As much as possible, brands and businesses should keep images properly sized and simple. A heavy photo with a large file size tends to load slow. It may also result in audiences not grasping the message of the image as well.

Page Loads Too Slow

One factor that prompts users to abandon a site is if the page load too slow. It weakens Google’s ranking as it does not provide a better user experience. Brands and businesses should aim for an average load speed for pages of 3 seconds or less. It is even if the suggested average load speed should be 8.66 seconds. It is because modern consumers have a much shorter attention span. A great way to speed up loading speed is to avoid too many plugins.

Poor Quality Content

Content is king. That is true even on Google ranking. Quality content gives the best solution for the audiences’ pain points and problems. It provides accurate information and valuable insights that can keep online users coming back to your site. Modern consumers are very smart. Within a glance at the content, they will leave the page if it has poor quality. It makes the page invaluable to Google users.

Unsecured Website 

Google always reminds brands and businesses that it favors HTTPS over HTTP. HTTPS websites are HTTP with encryption. Such a site is safer and more secure against hackers. It is because they have an SSL firewall that protects data while in transit. HTTP is a request and response protocol. Although it is most commonly used in data transfer, it does not provide any security features online.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Ranking on Google starts with doing the right thing. Tag your website based on your niche keyword. Publish well-organized and researched content. Make sure that they are valuable to your target audience. It is also important to keep your content, images, and page simple. This is to have a faster loading speed. If you do all of these, you’ll pretty rank on the first page of the largest global search engine – Google!

Reference: https://blog.red-website-design.co.uk/2021/11/04/2022-seo-mistakes/

SEO-Friendly Content

Tips to Create More SEO-Friendly Content

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June 4, 2021

10:59 am

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Digital Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Video Marketing

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The Internet allows access to any information that people need. Yet not all data online are accurate and equal. That is why search engine platforms put algorithms in place to provide the most helpful and relevant search results. A digital marketing speaker Hong Kong quotes that SEO is not about getting traffic. It is more about getting relevant and targeted traffic. This means that brands and businesses need to create more SEO-friendly content to succeed. Here are some amazing tips!

The search algorithms of Google are continuously evolving. The reason behind this is to avoid manipulations and tricks to improve search ranking. So, the safest way for brands to rank on top searches is to follow Google’s SEO guidelines. It may be challenging and tricky. Google aims to give searchers the best online experience. The key is making your content, pages, and websites user-friendly. Below are some tips to create more SEO-friendly content.

Tip No. 1 – Start with Keyword Research

Keywords are the direction of content. So, before you start writing, it is important to do keyword research. This is time-consuming as it is the process of creating a list of the most searched and valuable keywords relevant to your industry or niche. To do keyword research, start by creating a list of keywords that are important to your brand. Enter each topic one by one at Google’s Keyword Tool to choose the seed keywords. Choose keywords with a high volume of searches and a low keyword difficulty with a score of lower than 80. A piece of content should target a primary keyword and 5 to 10 supplementary keywords. To identify the primary keyword, brands have to ask what their audience is looking for and what questions they commonly ask online. 

Tip No. 2 – Optimize Your Content’s Headline

The title of content shows as the clickable headline among search results. A good title can make or break content. If they are unique but most likely recognizable, people will be curious to click the link of your content. According to a social media agency Hong Kong, most social media platforms use the title tag to determine how to display a shared page. All these reasons make it very important for brands to optimize their content headline. A good title should be relevant to the search intent and contain the target keyword. Keep the title short but sweet. As much as possible, the headline should at least be up to 60 characters. Most brands also find it effective to include the brand’s name within the title.

Tip No. 3 – Optimized Meta Descriptions

A meta description describes what content is all about in 155 to 160 characters. They are shown below the headline or title of content on the search results. Brands should optimize the meta description of the content to show its value among searchers. By successfully doing so, it will increase the content’s click-through rates. To optimize the meta description, use only 1 to 2 sentences and include a target keyword. Evoke the searchers’ emotions by uniquely describing the content. Think of a meta description as a mini ad for your content. State your value proposition to the searcher in an active voice. Another reason why meta description is important as a video marketing agency Hong Kong notes is that a meta description makes a video content readable and understandable in Google’s algorithms. The text description boosts the indexing of the video for people to find them easily.

Tip No. 4 – Organize the Structure of Your Content to Make Them Readable

Why is it important to make content readable? When your content is easy to read, there’s a better chance that the audience will continue reading it. But if the content isn’t organized and causes eye strain, the audience will likely abandon it. Great content is easy to consume, skim, and understand. To create one, break each topic into subtopics. This makes it easy for readers to digest information in bits. As much as possible, use simple words that the reader can understand. If there is a need to use a complex or unique word, try to explain the concept of those words in simple language. The content should answer the searcher’s intent or query. Do this by extracting each point per topic. A summary at the end of the content also makes it easy for readers to remember the information much longer.

Tip No. 5 – Add Visuals

Visuals are illustrations, images, or videos added to enrich content. Around 87.5% of marketers used visuals on their content. This is because content with visuals is more engaging and interesting. Why? Because the human brain can process visuals 60,000 times faster than text. To optimize adding visuals in content, focus on reducing your image size to load faster. But the quality of the image should also not suffer. Put a name on your images using plain language to make them readable by Google. Describe exactly what the image shows on the Alt tags. 

Reference: https://digitalmarketing.grazitti.com/resource/infographic/9-amazing-tips-how-to-create-seo-friendly-content-for-2021/

The Basics of Google EAT

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May 11, 2021

1:38 pm

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Digital Marketing, Social Media Marketing

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Ever wondered how Google ranks its search results? Well, the common answer is through artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. But there is more to it!  Google also hires human evaluators to audit the quality of its search results. Under a Google Search Quality Evaluation Guideline, EAT and YMYL matter most. YMYL means “Your Money or Your Life.” It covers content that directly impacts one’s happiness based on health, finances, and safety. So, what about Google EAT? Let’s talk about it further here!

WHAT IS GOOGLE EAT?

EAT stands for Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. This is the framework that Google human raters use to evaluate content creators, webpages, and websites. Google EAT is not a ranking factor on search results. However, it indirectly helps you rank in organic searches. This is because Google wants to ensure that sites with high-quality content rank better and sites with low-quality content get less visibility.

EXPERTISE

Always remember that Google’s standard of expertise depends on the topic of a page. There is a higher standard on more specialized topics. The EXPERTISE of a content author is very important to Google. Google’s main goal is to provide pages on a search result that contains useful information. If the content is written by someone who’s not competent enough, it is possible that the information may be harmful or misleading. The expertise rating of content commonly applies to YMYL pages. For example, Google prefers medical content to be written by a recognized medical professional. Or, it may have at least been reviewed by an MD listed in the article credentials. If the author of the page is not an expert but is sharing a personal experience, the content will be evaluated based on how applicable it is to the searched keyword and its relevant perspective. For example, a patient who is suffering from an illness can be an expert on how the illness makes you feel. Moreover, if the content is accurate and detailed enough, even if not written by an expert, Google will still reward the site with a better ranking. This is where the human factor of a human rater applies. To make sure that your site displays expertise very well, a digital marketing speaker Hong Kong suggests the following:

  • Choosing a content creator with authority on a certain field or niche
  • Including expert data or quotes from official or trustworthy sources
  • Peppering content with high-quality charts, infographics, photos, or videos

AUTHORITATIVENESS

If a searcher is Googling information for research purposes, expertise matters. For example, someone will most likely consult a mechanic to fix a vehicle being a car expert. But if a searcher is looking for products and services, authoritativeness matters. Yelp reviews are very powerful when people want to know the reputation of a local restaurant. They are written by average people. Yet, they are credible enough in sharing their fine dining experiences. A social media agency Hong Kong credits authority as the power to influence people. It is like credibility which has the power to convince. The AUTHORITATIVENESS of a page in Google is judged based on two factors:

  • The credibility of the main content
  • The reputation of the author and its website

Just like expertise, authoritativeness relates to how much of a leading figure one is perceived in a certain industry. If you are a leading figure in fitness and health, then you will most likely write credible content about them. Other websites will quote your words and link your web pages to their websites. These backlinks are very important to SEO. Online reputation also matters. If the website is a trusted source of information, it will receive high praises from other experts and positive reviews from users. Thus, the authoritativeness of a page greatly depends on third-party users. This is because without social proof from website visitors, the page has technically no use. To build authority, web pages should aim to collect the following:

  • Backlinks
  • Endorsement from experts of the industry or niche
  • Industry or niche credits
  • Ratings and reviews from users and communities
  • Recommendation from industry influencers
  • Relevant acknowledgment and certifications

TRUSTWORTHINESS

The best way to prove the TRUSTWORTHINESS of a site is a valid security certificate showing on web pages. It is also important to add links to the most visible location of the webpage. Assuring your website visitors that their information is safe results in them trusting the website as a reliable source of information. Google ranks the trustworthiness of a page based on the creator’s backlinks, credentials, reviews, and shares. Google knows that people appreciate and trust websites that deliver accurate and trustworthy data. So, they will move them up on search results. To improve the trustworthiness of a website, Google recommends the following:

  • Regulate the ad contents on your website. Banners and pop-ups can generate revenue but drive away annoyed visitors.
  • Make yourself available to engage through chats, contact pages, and search functions. Turn your website into a place where consumers can turn for information instead of just receiving a sales pitch.
  • Show off your trustworthiness. Display guarantees, trust seals, and warranties within your web pages. Moreover, highlight Google reviews, positive ratings, and testimonials. 

Today, a video marketing agency Hing Kong noted that the best way to publish positive ratings and testimonials is to published user-generated content. A happy customer’s video showing how a brand helps him or her solve a pain point can evoke emotions and drive conversions.

THE BOTTOM LINE:

In general, Google AI and machine learning rank the quality of pages by performing Google’s algorithms. But the accuracy and performance of Google AI and machine learning are reviewed by real people. This is to make sure that the rating of pages conducted by robots considers the human aspect of every query. AI and quality raters follow the same criteria. Thus, for a web page to rank high, the key is simple. Following Google EAT guidelines is the least every website can do to rank on Google.

Reference: https://devrix.com/tutorial/ultimate-google-eat-guide-2021/#:~:text=In%20Google’s%20webpage%20evaluation%20criteria,a%20page%20should%20be%20estimated.

6 Ways Artificial Intelligence Helps Digital Marketing

6 Ways Artificial Intelligence Helps Digital Marketing

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May 3, 2021

1:02 pm

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Digital Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Video Marketing

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Can a machine think? Can they do digital marketing? These are the common questions marketers are facing. Modern technology makes it possible for artificial intelligence to automate everything. Artificial intelligence (AI) is imitating human intelligence over machines. Machines are programmed to mimic their actions to aid in the execution of tasks and problem-solving. There are two kinds of AI – weak and strong. A weak AI is very simple and only performs a single task. A strong AI performs complex and many tasks. They are very human-like. A subset of AI is machine learning. It means the capacity of computer programs to absorb a huge amount of information. From these data, they can adapt and learn without human intervention.

A social media agency Hong Kong says that artificial intelligence boosts the fourth industrial revolution, which seems true. Today, effective social media rely on audience insights and machine algorithms. Search results in search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo were ranked by machine learning. Even 24/7 customer service on eCommerce websites and messaging apps are powered by chatbots. Indeed, artificial intelligence greatly helps digital marketing. Here are 6 ways on how it does so.

Boost Awareness and Conversion 

Modern people commonly search for products and services online. For products to be discovered, marketers should use the proper search engine optimization (SEO). They can do this by using relevant keywords commonly typed by an online searcher on the search box. The keywords should be about the brand or product, plus its features and benefits. 

Through artificial intelligence, search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo determine organic search results when a user types a query. Search engines’ AI rank them through the keywords, quality of the content, quality of a site, and location of the searcher. For example, a Chicago searcher typing “top restaurants” will see the most popular restaurant within the city and in Illinois. A searcher in Los Angeles typing the same keyword will see the most popular restaurant within the city and in California.

A digital marketing speaker Hong Kong reports that 70% of high-performing marketing teams have a fully designed AI strategy. They use machine learning as a competitive advantage. These teams have a growth mindset and invest in training to enhance their knowledge about AI. As such, they have greater knowledge of marketing analytics. 

Drive Better Customer Service Experience

The behavior of modern consumers has greatly evolved. They shop online anytime, anywhere. They demand immediate results. When they have a question, they want answers fast. When they are prepared to buy a product, they will do it even in the middle of the night. AI has made it possible for brands to connect with their customers 24/7. Through chatbots, they can seamlessly handle all customer concerns anytime, anywhere.

A chatbot is a software application that simulates a human conversation. As an AI, it is one of the most advanced and promising ways to mimic human interaction. Chatbots are integrated on messaging platforms, mobile apps, social media accounts, and websites. They are used to handle customer queries, sales, and other service concerns. They can also be used to conduct a survey or trigger a sale via promotions in messaging and mobile apps. Today, 80% of businesses are using chatbots. There are also around 300,000 chatbots in Facebook Messenger. 

Enhance Content Customization

A video marketing agency Hong Kong noted that artificial intelligence has greatly improved video marketing. This is by helping them customize their video strategies through the insights they have collected from video viewers. AI collects data on videos that a viewer commonly and previously watched. These include the duration and engagement of a specific video which can be a beneficial guide. Each viewer has unique preferences. But with AI, marketers can see what videos stand out most and what elements they have in common. 

The same scenario goes for social media marketing. Most social media platforms house a library of collected user insights. These insights can guide marketers in finding the ideal persona of their target customers. Based on AI demographics, they can easily segment their target group. Based on AI analytics, they can very well create custom content that appeals to these groups. Let’s take Starbucks as an example. Such a global coffee chain has created a real-time personalization engine that integrates customer data and preferences using their mobile apps. From these pieces of information, they have conceptualized the reusable cups promotion in the UK in 2018.  The promotion resulted in a 150% increase in customer engagement and a 3x increase in incremental revenues. 

Help Better Predict the Buying Pattern

Marketers harness the power of AI to study the online behaviors of consumers. As AI collected data such as browsing patterns, searches, and website views, marketers better understand their interests, needs, and preferences. These help them segment their audience better and easier. AI also makes it easier for brands to predict the buying pattern among consumers. These greatly improved the accuracy of demand forecasting and demand sensing. As proof, AI saved the retail industry a $50 billion obsolete inventory for the year 2018. 

Improve Social Media Marketing Performance

As mentioned, social media platforms house a library of algorithms, analytics, and insights from machine learning. These libraries of information provide actionable tips on how to achieve specific social media goals. The goals may include brand awareness, conversion, customer retention, discovery, engagement, or uplifting a brand reputation. Around 77% of marketers have intelligently automated their goal setting and marketing tasks among social media networks. Likewise, 41% say that AI and machine learning have improved their social media marketing performances. 

Optimize Media Mix Strategies

A media mix strategy is a process of determining how much budget can be allocated in different marketing channels and platforms. This is to get the highest return of investment (ROI) for every ad spend. The big data collected by AI on the Internet provides insights on which ads performed best and which channel have they earned the most revenue. Using AI, marketers can make better decisions on media mix strategies. AI has always been on track to solving marketing and sales problems ever since they emerge. As an example, Disney has been using AI to fine-tune their media mix strategy. Via the Tableau software, the company aggregated data from partner organizations to create new media mix models for budget optimization. From such aggregated data, Disney came up with the idea of marathon weekends. This campaign doesn’t only result in a higher ROI but at the same time revived Disney’s reputation as the happiest place on earth.

Reference: https://www.forbes.com/sites/louiscolumbus/2021/02/21/10-ways-ai-and-machine-learning-are-improving-marketing-in-2021/?sh=56f085ff14c8