• 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.

  • Contact

Why You Need a Mobile Optimized Website for Local SEO

Ryan Shelley, CPBI

December 1, 2022

Google first announced the rollout of mobile-first indexing in 2018. Backing up their efforts to help website owners prioritize adaptive design, Google provides a free tool website owners can use to confirm design best practices. There’s little doubt local SEO best practices need to include a mobile-optimized website with a responsive web design.

Google has created a mobile-first world with its indexing requirement. However, following Google’s rules is not why your local business should have a mobile-optimized website. A recent survey found that consumers spend four times longer on smartphones than tablets, and Americans now spend an average of four hours daily on their phones.

2022 Mobile Phone Stats:

Mobile-friendly websites are prioritized for mobile search. When your business website has a responsive design, you increase your opportunities to connect with your target audience.

The Mobile User Effect

Local strategies always include some form of mobile SEO because most people use smartphones when they’re looking for local businesses. In fact, John Mueller from Google confirmed your rankings will differ on mobile and desktop due to customized search preferences. Another factor is mobile friendliness.

While mobile optimization may seem like an over-the-top detail, analytics prove a mobile-friendly site directly impacts a local business’s sales. Graffit9 reports that seventy-eight percent of location-based mobile searches result in an offline purchase.

SMART SEO: Search Marketing That Delivers

There are a lot of SEO companies out there that claim to be able to deliver things that just aren’t possible. Two of the biggest lies we see are, “We guarantee you the first spot on Google” and “One-time set it and forget it SEO Solutions.” Both of these statements are unreasonable and can cost your local business organic traffic.

SEO and local SEO are very different strategies, however both focus on attracting potential customers and ensuring an excellent user experience for website visitors. Read about a few additional agency statements we consider red flags; check out this post How to Hire the Best Local SEO Company.

SEO is both a science and an art. At SMA Marketing, we practice SMART SEO which focuses on building a strategy tailored to the specific needs of each individual business’s target audience. With the rise of mobile search, SMART SEO solutions are the only way to go.

Specific Solutions

While many SEO actions utilize the same platforms, each industry is unique. Additionally, no two businesses are exactly alike. A SMART SEO campaign centers around the specific business and its needs. While some elements of SEO are true for all industries, the ongoing search marketing efforts need a more specific approach. For example, a service-based business should focus on featuring the service areas. A brick-and-mortar or physical location-based business must ensure its location is accurate on Google Maps, Apple Maps, Uber, and other location-based map services.

Measurable Results

The next step in creating SMART SEO solutions is measuring your progress. You need to know whether or not what you are doing is working. Too many small business owners chase trends and throw money into short-term campaigns expecting fast growth, but more often than not, their ROI is either very low or nonexistent.

Local businesses should track Google analytics to confirm when digital entities appear in Google searches. Additionally, Insights on a GBP offers information on when Google search and maps connect a query with a Google Business Profile. Measuring your results helps to ensure you protect your hard-earned money and invest in areas that will grow your local business.

Attainable Goals

To make sure that your strategy will meet your desired outcome, you need to develop goals. These business goals will become the foundation for creating a mobile search strategy that converts. Tie your goals to real business results rather than focusing solely on rankings. Rankings tell only part of the story. With goals set in place, you can begin to look for solutions that will help you achieve these results.

Relevant Campaigns

Search engines are smart. No longer can you focus on writing for target-specific keywords and relative variations. Successful local SEO creates relevant solutions for your buyer persona. For many, “relevant” means “what’s trendy.” This couldn’t be further from the truth. “Relevant” literally means “closely connected to.” So, whether you are creating content, writing meta descriptions and title tags, or promoting your content via social media, make sure that it connects with your audience on an authentic level. As Facebook gets into the mobile search game, authentic and relevant mobile SEO solutions will be key to driving and converting more traffic than your competition.

Time Bound Strategies

Because SEO changes frequently, staying on top of the changes is a must. Each year, Google alone changes its algorithm 500 to 600 times. Building time-bound solutions forces you to look at what you have done and determine what to do next. But it’s not just the search engines that change. Users have determined that mobile is their preferred means of searching for products and services online. As mobile continues to increase its impact on search, smart local businesses will look at how users are adapting and plan a course of action accordingly. Our agency runs our SEO campaigns in quarters so that we can ensure we have continued success throughout the year.

While we may have seen mobile search surpass traditional search, this is only the beginning. More and more of our world is going mobile, and the time to put a plan of action into place is now. WebFx reports 97% of search engine users search online to find a local business. Local businesses that embrace mobile search and SMART SEO will see much faster growth and higher ROI than their competition.

How to Improve Local SEO

To help you out with creating your very own SMART Local SEO campaign, we’ve updated our Local SEO offer. The Local SEO Website checklist will help you build a strong foundation for your website. This list has all the “must haves” to ensure that your site meets Google’s best practices. Get your free checklist here or click the button below.

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on October 12, 2015, and has been updated with fresh content.

New Call-to-action
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.

Search by Topic

  • All Resources
  • SEO
  • Digital Advertising
  • Content Marketing
  • Web Development