• 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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ROI Isn’t All About Revenue

When investing in a marketing strategy, making sure you get a return is paramount. After all, isn’t that why you invested in the first place?  While increased revenue us one area you’ll be sure to track, there are a number of other returns that often get overlooked. Inbound Marketing is about more than just generating leads and sales, it’s about building a company that can scale and continue to grow over time. So what other returns on investment should you be looking for from your investment in an inbound marketing strategy?

What is ‘Return On Investment – ROI’

A performance measure used to evaluate the efficiency of an investment or to compare the efficiency of a number of different investments. (Investopedia) In other words, ROI measures the amount of return an investment produces relative to it’s cost. Here is the return on investment formula:

Return on Investment - ROI

When it comes to revenue generated from an investment, calculating the return is pretty simple. But what about the other benefits? Along with revenue, inbound marketing will also build brand equity, market positioning, and trust. All of these will help lead to more revenue over time, but can sometimes be harder to track. Nevertheless, all three are extremely valuable for any brand or company to establish.

Perception is Reality

When it comes to revenue generated from an investment, calculating the return is pretty simple. But what about the other benefits? Along with revenue, inbound marketing will also build brand equity, market positioning, and trust. All of these will help lead to more revenue over time, but can sometimes be harder to track. Nevertheless, all three are extremely valuable for any brand or company to establish.

Your brand is one of the most important assets your company has, and brand equity is essential to increasing the financial value of the company over time. Measuring brand equity can be a little difficult, but it can be done. As Professor Kevin Keller of Dartmouth College observes “although the details of different approaches to conceptualize brand equity differ, they tend to share a common core: All definitions typically either implicitly or explicitly rely on brand knowledge structures in the minds of consumers – individuals or organizations – as the source or foundation of brand equity.” (Brand Equity Management)  The way we can measure brand equity is in terms of the knowledge consumers have about our brand. Learn some common ways marketers measure brand equity here.

Increased Market Positioning 

Another return inbound marketing can deliver is increased market positioning. Business is a competitive arena. Every industry is packed with company after company vying for a larger piece of market share. The increased “noise” from everyone pushing their message makes it hard for any business to truly get heard. This is why inbound marketing is so effective. Instead of competing for attention, you seek to solve problems and invite prospects to engage with you.

Greater market positioning used to go to the brand or company with the largest advertising budget. If you could shout louder and farther, then you got the business. The internet changed that dynamic. Now, I’m not one to say that all traditional media is dead or that having a large budget won’t get you anything. What I can argue is that the way consumers interact is vastly different today and they have learned to tune out messages that don’t adhere to their worldview. Inbound marketing helps position your company as a thought leader and expert in the field. This helps attract people looking for solutions to the problems you solve. As you continue to educate and solve problems, your brand will begin to increase its market positioning.

Trust: The New Currency

Did you know that 88% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations? (Search Engine Land) This stat still blows me away, but it also confirms one simple truth. People want to do business with people they can trust. Just for a moment put yourself in the shoes of a consumer. Think back to a time where you purchased an item or service and the company you hired didn’t follow through on their promise. How did you fell? Mad, angry, taken advantage of? Now think of a time where you purchased a product or service and the company far exceeded your expectations. How did you feel after that interaction? You probably have done business with the company again or at least recommended them to someone. Following through on consumer expectations builds trust. An investment in trust is an investment in your company.

So what does this have to do with marketing? Everything you do communicates something. It says something about your business to the world and, as a result, those who interact with your brand or its message begin to create expectations. If your message doesn’t match up with their expectations, trust is hindered. This is why understanding your audience is key to successful business development. Building trust starts with being consistent in your message and delivering on your promises. It takes time to build and only a moment to destroy, so don’t overlook it.

When investing thousands of dollars a month in marketing your business you expect a return. While the most tangible ROI is increased revenue, as described above, there are many returns that are just as, if not more, important. Building brand equity, establishing market positioning and acquiring trust are all critical to the success of your company over time. None of these happen by accident. When investing in a marketing solution for your company, go deeper than just expected revenue increase. The other intangibles are what set good companies apart from great companies.

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