• 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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Using Marketing Personalization Without Being Creepy

Marketing personalization is possible thanks to the power of big data. But, as we have seen recently, data can be used for good or‚ well, evil. Personalization is a great way to engage with your users, but if you’re not careful you can come across as creepy. So let’s talk about how to use personalization without being creepy.

Before we get into some best practices, I want to share some statistics that prove personalization works.

  • 79% of consumers say they are only likely to engage with an offer if it has been personalized to reflect previous interactions the consumer has had with the brand. (Marketo)
  • By 2020, 51% of consumers expect that companies will anticipate their needs and make relevant suggestions before they make contact. (Salesforce)
  • More than half of consumers (57%) are okay with providing personal information (on a website) as long as it’s for their benefit and being used in responsible ways. (Janrain)
  • Personalization works: 88% of U.S. marketers reported seeing measurable improvements due to personalization — with more than half reporting a lift greater than 10%. (Evergage)
  • 78% of U.S. Internet users said personally relevant content from brands increases their purchase intent. (Marketing Insider Group)

As you can see, leveraging personalization can result in better engagement and improved sales. While there are a number of ways to personalize our messages for our leads, there are a few best practices to keep in mind. Remember, there is a fine line between personalized and just plain creepy.

Respect Their Information

When a lead hands over personal information in exchange for a piece of content, they are trusting you to respect that information. This is where a lot of businesses go wrong. Just because they gave you some information, doesn’t mean they also gave you free rein on how you use it.

We live in a world where we have been conditioned to hand over our names and email to gain access to platforms, content, or tools. This information is valuable and can be used to provide more value to the individual that shared it with us. The key here is to respect the information and not overuse, misuse or abuse it.

Here are a few best practices for using your customers’ personal data:

  1. Only use their name in personalization where it makes sense: Using a first name in an email is cool. Using it to greet them on your homepage is creepy.
  2. Be Transparent: Inform your visitors that you collect information to help give them a better and more personal experience.
  3. Give them a choice: If someone decides they no longer want to stay connected with you, give them a clear way to opt-out.

Context Is King

Context is the most important thing when it comes to personalization. Knowing when, where, and how to add a personalized message is the difference between great marketing and being a total creeper.

Take into consideration the communication platform. Email should be treated differently than a social channel. A website should be treated differently from the other two. When creating a personalized campaign, make sure that you empathize with your customer and take into account how they may react.

Use Common Sense

With all that we can do with technology one thing that often gets overlooked is common sense. In my last point, I talked about using empathy. But we have to do more than just empathize; we have to act on that. Before using your customers’ data to personalize your strategy, stop and ask, “Is this cool or creepy?” If you would feel weird getting the message you are about to send, stop and rethink your strategy.

There is so much we can do when it comes to creating personalized experiences online. Whether you are creating an email, social retargeting, or onsite personalization, make sure that you have all of your bases covered. While personalization can be very powerful and add a ton of value, if used incorrectly you can come across as creepy and untrustworthy.

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