• 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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How to Handle a Google Algorithm Update

Ryan Shelley, CPBI

March 31, 2022

The most consistent thing about Google algorithm updates is that the search engine is constantly changing how search results rank. In fact, Google is reported to change its search algorithm around 500 to 600 times each year. Even though most of these tweaks go unnoticed, it’s easy to get wrapped up in the hype when a major algorithm update hits. At SMA Marketing, we’ve learned that most of the time, Google won’t acknowledge a major update until the SEO world starts to report the impact. When we do hear about an update, the information we get is very minimal.

As AI improves Google continues to tweak its search algorithm with the goal of being the preferred search browser for the majority of users. While their updates may occasionally drive SEOs crazy, Internet Live Stats reports that Google processes over 99,000 searches every single second for a total of 8.5 billion searches a day in 2022, so they must be doing something right!

Every update from Panda in 2011 to Core Web Vitals is intended to improve the user experience, however, not all updates are equal and some Google algorithm updates can harm a poorly optimized site. That’s why it’s vital to always use search engine optimization best practices.  Implementing on-page SEO and technical SEO best practices will provide an excellent user experience for your target audience and solidify your search rankings to remain strong as Google continues to understand the context of your content. Today, we’ll look at practical ways to handle a Google algorithm update.

3 Ways Handle Every Google Algorithm Update

Pause – Don’t Panic

When you realize there has been a major algorithm update that may impact your site’s search results, the first thing to do is to pause. Don’t panic. Pause and check your organic search results. Remember, if you’re implementing SEO best practices, you don’t have to worry about what Google is doing to enhance contextual rankings!

But if your site has bad links and hasn’t made an update just as shifting to a mobile-first index template, you will likely find your organic rankings fall.

Wait Before Reacting

In 2020, Google rolled out a Core Update in January that lasted three days. Now, eventually, the Core Update did roll out and remain. However, the January Core Quality Update was initially pulled back because of the increase in rank fluctuations that resulted in spam sites with poor domain authority ranking higher than high-quality sites with fresh content.

Google users complained loudly about poor search experience, SEO experts, and business owners. It only took a few days for Google to realize their algorithm needed further work. It’s worth waiting a few days to see how an algorithm plays out before doing a bunch of work on your site, especially since multiple adjustments are happening each day.

Adjust As Needed

Google may not tell us what its updates entail, but they explain the reason behind many of its update goals. For example, the goal of the July 2021 spam update is to improve the quality of search results by weeding out sites that the algorithms think are spammy.

By paying attention to what Google is looking for and by also listening to what they are not saying, you can avoid costly errors. And the best part is you don’t need to deal with updates blindly. SEO Experts watch site algorithms looking for the possible impact of algorithm adjustments to know when their sites have been impacted. To stay up to date with the latest information follow these industry experts:

Google’s Algorithm Updates

A lot has changed over the past 10 years. Here’s a list of Google algorithm updates.

  • 2011 ~ Panda
  • 2012 ~ Venice
  • 2012 ~ Penguin
  • 2012 ~ Pirate
  • 2013 ~ Hummingbird
  • 2014 ~ Pigeon
  • 2014 ~ HTTPS/SSL
  • 2015 ~ RankBrain
  • 2016 ~ Possum
  • 2018 ~ Medic
  • 2019 ~ BERT
  • 2020 – Core Updates
  • 2021
    • April 2021 Product Reviews Update
    • June 2021 Broad Core Update
    • June 2021 Page Experience Update
    • July 2021 Core Update
    • July 2021 Spam Update
  • 2022 – Core Web Vitals

Major algorithm updates can be scary, but you’ll be okay if you are doing SEO right and not trying to beat the system by buying links and spinning content. When you realize a major update has happened, stay calm, wait to see the impact, and make calculated adjustments if needed. Stay focused on building a strategy that delivers your users what they are looking for, creates connections that build links, and focuses on what you can control.

If your site suffered from the latest Google algorithm updates, you might need the support of an SEO expert to get things turned around.

How to Handle a Google Algorithm Update (2)

 

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Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in March 2017 and had been updated with fresh content.

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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