• 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 Web Design Impacts Your SEO, Branding and Conversion Rates

Ryan Shelley, CPBI

July 10, 2015

Most businesses would agree that having a great web design is important. The question is do you actually know why it’s so important. When it comes to developing a digital marketing strategy, many businesses compartmentalize the process; having one agency design the site and another build the marketing infrastructure.  Web design is way more than just looking great. At the core are elements and other factors that have a huge impact on your local SEO strategy, branding and conversion rates.

By merging the web design process with your overall inbound marketing strategy, you set your business up for long-term success. Instead of just seeking a great looking design business owners need to start asking a deeper question. What is the impact that my website and it’s design will have on the success of my online marketing efforts and business as a whole?

Your Design Counts

In a research study entitled, Trust and mistrust of online health sites, users were asked why they mistrust a website. 94 percent of comments were directly related to web design elements, while only 6 percent referenced specific content. They also record specific elements that caused red flags for them when it came to their trust of a website.

  • Busy or complex layouts
  • Pop-up advertisements and flamboyant ads
  • Small print that’s hard to read
  • Boring web design/lack of color
  • Slow website intros and load times

Content Is A Big Deal

While many users look to design elements for trust, content is vital when it comes to delivering your brand’s message and your local SEO efforts. When is comes to users, the content you give to them and how that content is displayed plays a big role in whether or not they will continue to engage. People want informative, relevant and easy to digest content. By making your users happy, the search engines will be happy as well. Not to mention the crawlers like to know that your content actually matches the keywords for which you are looking to rank.

Web Design SEO Relationship

SEO is a long-term strategy and must be approached with this in mind. (Tweet This) There are a number of factors that influence your rankings and many of them have to do with your website itself.  It’s easy to want to jump on web design trends but before selling out, you need to examine the relationship between your design and your local SEO strategy.  What may look and feel cool now, may bring a hefty penalty later.  Everything matters, from the structure of your HTML to the widgets on the page.

Power of Branding

Building your online brand is essential in today’s digital marketing world. This year Google has added weight to branding in it’s search algorithm. More on that topic here.  Your website is meant to build trust with your audience and promote your brand. Using your site to develop the correct perception of your brand will increase trust and in the long run build your credibility. Consumers are more likely to do business with brands they trust.

Improve Conversion rates

What good is a lot of traffic if it doesn’t convert? (Tweet This) The way you design your website has a direct correlation to it’s conversion rates. The goal of any good inbound marketer is to convert the traffic they get. This can be done in a number of ways but the big 3 are navigation, CTA’s and your color scheme.

  • Navigation: Keep it simple. Make sure they it’s easy for your visitors to get to where you want them to go!
  • CTA’s: A Call-To-Action should be exactly that. Do A/B testing to see what type of wording your visitors convert with the most.
  • Color: Everything communicates. By understanding what your color scheme is communicating, you create a feel for your visitor that entices them to continue to engage with you.

In order to be successful online, it is important to understand and embrace that your website and its design play a huge role in the overall effectiveness of your local SEO strategy, branding and conversion of your site’s visitors.  There is no one solution for all because every industry and market is different.  What may work for a web design in Melbourne FL  would not work in Atlanta. It’s important to do you research, understand your buyer persona and create a web design with purpose.

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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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