• FAQs

          Search engine optimization (SEO) helps businesses drive visits to their website through organic search traffic. Given that the top organic search results receive a third of the clicks, a decline in ranking could be detrimental for your business. Implementing SEO best practices on your website will help to ensure that your web content is seen by as many potential customers as possible. The more visitors you have, the better your chances are of converting those visits into sales!

          Local search engine optimization (SEO) helps local businesses gain visibility by optimizing their local business listings for local search. A business that leverages local SEO will include its address, phone number, local opening times, and exact location in the form of a local citation. The goal is to rank for local searches which are usually performed by people in a specific geographical region looking for a business near them.

          We typically see results within the first 30 to 60 days, but when it comes to SEO, there are many factors at play. It's important to remember that SEO is a long-term strategy and results may not come as fast at you wish.

        • FAQs

          Digital advertising uses the internet to send advertisements to customers who are online through different websites and social media platforms like Google, Bing, LinkedIn and Facebook.

          The price for Google Ads management depends on the monthly ad spend. For accounts with $1,000 in monthly ad spend, the price is $550/month. Between $1,000 and $5,000 a month in ad spend, the price is $950/month. For $5,000 to $10,000 a month in ad spend, the price is $2,000/month. For more than $10,000 a month in ad spend, the price is $4,500/month.

          The price for Social Media Ads management depends on the monthly ad spend. For accounts with $1,000 in monthly ad spend, the price is $550/month. Between $1,000 and $5,000 a month in ad spend, the price is $950/month. For $5,000 to $10,000 a month in ad spend, the price is $2,000/month. For more than $10,000 a month in ad spend, the price is $4,500/month.

        • FAQs

          This depends on the complexity and size of a redesign and if eCommerce is needed. On average, it takes around 14-18 weeks from the web design intensive stage to launch.

          If your website experiences the following issues: it’s not responsive on all devices, has a slow loading speed, the design appears old and tired, users don’t spend long on the site, sales are stagnant, or your business is going through a rebranding - your website needs a redesign to boost your brand awareness and sales.

          Sometimes there’s no need to rebuild a website. Minor edits, refreshing page content and images, or restructuring page layout for SEO best practices can boost traffic and sales.

        • FAQs

          Semantic search launched in 2013 with the release of Google's Hummingbird update. Since then, Google's search engine has become more complex. The integration of machine learning, with RankBrain, and NLP, with BERT, has enabled the search engine to better understand the context of a query and deliver more personalized and targeted results. Semantic SEO is the process of creating machine-readable content using structured data and linked open data to help search engines better understand your content.

          On-page SEO is the practice of optimizing individual web pages in order to rank higher and earn more relevant traffic in search engines. On-page SEO refers to both the content and HTML source code of a page that can be optimized, as opposed to off-page SEO which refers to links and other external signals. From meta tags to page content, website structure, and HTML, on-page optimization services are focused on making your website more visible to search engines.

          Structured data refers to any organized data that conforms to a certain format, such as information in a relational database. When information is highly structured and predictable, search engines can more easily organize and display it in creative ways. Structured data involves using a piece of code that is laid out in a specific format easily understood by search engines. The search engines read the code and use it to display search results in a more dynamic way.

        • FAQs

          An SEO agency has experts in different areas of search engine optimization that may be out of the realm of your marketing team's abilities. SEO can be very complex and time-consuming. Furthermore, as search engine algorithms change it can be difficult to stay current on the latest ranking factors and strategies for improving online visibility. You will likely see a greater return on investment and better results from using a professional SEO agency than you would from tackling this on your own.

          As a digital marketing agency, SMA Marketing provides products and services in four areas: SEO, Local SEO, Digital Advertising, and Web Design

          We focus on building authentic, long-lasting relationships with our clients. We’re goal oriented and results driven and believe in doing good and making a difference in the world.

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5 Ways A Local SEO Strategy Can Grow Your Business

Ryan Shelley, CPBI

May 12, 2015

Local businesses are often leery of the term SEO. To them it’s either a gimmick or a marketing service reserved only for large companies with unlimited budget. I have spoken with a number of local companies who have tried “SEO” with a so-called expert and ended up paying thousands of dollars with very little if any return at all. Local SEO can be extremely powerful to businesses of all sizes if done correctly. Using these 5 tips consistently will help your business capture the audience that’s looking for your services or product.

Related Posts:

There are hundreds of reasons why your business should invest in a local SEO strategy, but I’ll let the numbers do the talking.

  • 50% of consumers searched for a local business on their smart phone visited the store within 24 hours. (The number for computer/tablet searchers who did the same was 34%)
  • 51% of consumers search for local businesses on-the-go
  • 30% would prefer buy in-store (vs. online) if they knew a local store was nearby
  • 4 out of 5 consumers use search engines to find local information

Below are 5 tips you can use to in your local seo strategy to optimize your businesses exposure and help you rank above the competition.

Tip #1: Capitalize on Long Tailed Keywords

To often local businesses are trying to rank for very broad and competitive terms. Because of Google’s algorithm giving weight back to larger directories such as Yellow Pages or Yelp, it’s nearly impossible to break into the top ten for some of these terms. Local businesses need to capitalize on there long-tailed keyword opportunities. Instead of trying to rank for “Shoe Store”, optimize your content around more specific keywords such as “Cross-Country Running Shoes in Melbourne FL”. Adding you city and state is a great way to narrow your approach and begin to rank quickly. Not to mention it will also drive much more targeted traffic to your site.

Tip #2: Be Consistent

Where and how you display your information matters. Remember, everything you do communicates something to your audience. You should always have you name, address and phone number (or NAP) on all of your online profiles. Make sure that not only the information is consistent and correct, but that the format of the information is also consistent. Consistency helps in web design and social as well. It lets the visitor know they’re in the right place!

Tip #3: Be Social

People who connect with a local business or brand online are more likely to become promoters. The end goal of your business isn’t the sale, it’s building a following who will consistently use and promote your product or service. Social shares and stats are a part of the Google algorithm and have an impact on your efforts. Make sure you use local terms and hash tags so that people in your area can connect with you.

Tip #4: Mobile Matters

Mobile optimization matters more now than ever. In April, Google released a mobile specific algorithm that impacts the ranking of your site based on it’s mobile friendly status. That stats above also prove that local search on mobile devices have a higher lead to conversion ratio, so mobile friendliness can’t be over looked. Not sure if your site is mobile friendly? Click here for a free assessment. 

Tip #5: Get Listed

The more listings the better, if they are listed correctly! (See Tip#2) Having your site correctly listed across all the major online maps and directories has a huge benefit to your local strategy. Your NAP should be listed in as many places as you can.  It can be extremely time consuming to find all these directories so we have a free tool for you to scan you site and see how you’re ranking locally.

Local search is a powerful tool for any business looking to draw targeted traffic that converts. By using these 5 simple tips your site and company will begin to move up the ranking and in return drive more sales qualified leads to your business.

If you have any questions or comments we would love to hear your thoughts. Comment below and let’s start a conversation.

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Ryan Shelley, CPBI

Ryan is passionate about helping companies make a more personal connection online with their customers and prospects. He is a regular contributor to Search Engine Land, the largest and most popular SEO news site on the web. His works have also been featured on the HubSpot Blog, Business2Community and by LinkedIn Marketing Solutions.

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