• 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 the Heck Should We Read Your Blog

“All you need to do is have a blog and the traffic will come pouring in!”

Does this advice sound familiar? This misguided advice has been followed by entrepreneurs, businesses, and agencies for a number of years now. While content marketing is a powerful tool, it’s not the magic unicorn of internet success. As of 2020, Tumblr stats ~ 513 million blog accounts. WordPress.com has more than 409 million people who view more than 20 billion pages each month. and Medium is quickly taking the world by storm with more than 60 million visitors a month. All of these numbers look extremely impressive, but the real question still remains, why should anyone read your blog?

In the early days of the web, circa 1999, the blog was a place for individuals to openly share their thoughts, personal adventures, and opinions with their small, intimate, and close-knit community. While their posts were usually visible to the world, only those who wanted to engage and valued what the author had written followed their blog consistently. Most of the early sites were focused on the “individual’ rather than businesses or news sites.

Fast forward to 2020 and everyone has a blog, but for much different reasons. Blogging has turned from an intimate and community-focused platform for sharing and adding value into a billboard of regurgitated information for the masses. Don’t get me wrong, I am a firm believer in blogging, obviously. But after trying things the way everyone else did, I realized a few things. First, I wasn’t generating good traffic. Second, I was adding more noise than value and lastly, and most importantly, I wasn’t being myself.

Blogging is About More Than Traffic

If the sole reason you are blogging is to generate more traffic, then I can guarantee you one thing, your traffic will suck. We like to think that the masses are dumb and won’t see what we are doing, but truth be told, people are much smarter than we give them credit for. Sure, you may see a boost in your traffic for a little bit, but without a powerful purpose and clear direction, people will soon leave your site for something that adds value. 

More traffic is a short-sighted goal. Yes, growing your readership is important, but sustainable growth is a much more profitable goal. We live in a world where everyone wants to go “viral.” Really? Most viral content is exaggerated hype that often falls just as fast as it rose. What business really wants this? Using your blog to continually add value to your readers will encourage them to share your content with others who share their worldview. This leads to sustainable, long-term, organic growth.

Renew vs Regurgitate 

How many content marketing tips can we take? Do we need another 5 best email practices list? List and “How to” posts are extremely helpful and the data backs it up. If fact, I create a lot of this type of content as well. But I now do it from a whole new angle. Instead of copying and pasting the latest tips from the industry’s “big dogs”, I personalize my lists to my audience. I write from my perspective and share how, what, and why I do what I do. The key is to improve upon or share a personalized take on the strategies, topics, ideas, etc.

We live in a “copy and paste” culture where many don’t value the hard work and time others put into their content. Want to be different and give people a reason to read your blog? Write your own content.

Know Your Audience and Speak To Them

People are different. Seems like a simple concept to grasp and one that most of us would agree on. Many people are afraid to narrow their marketing scope, but the truth is that if you’re marketing to everyone you aren’t marketing to anyone.

Just because the business down the street uses certain marketing strategies doesn’t mean your clients will engage the same way. Of course, there are basic principles you want to use, such as SEO best practices. However, when you are developing blog content or an eBook for your ideal buyer you want to make sure the information is relevant and helpful to their buyer’s journey.

While reading blogging tips from a marketing website may give you some principles, you shouldn’t blindly follow them as a road map to success. Take the time to really understand your buyers and readers and then give personalized, professional advice and answer pressing questions they have. Tailor your content to meet the needs of real people who may come across it.

Don’t Do (or Stop Doing) These Things:

  • Copy & paste content
  • Blog because everyone else is
  • Post “just because”
  • Copy the competition
  • Share un-useful information
  • Belabor a point to make a post longer
  • Complain
  • Promote your own ego

Blogging is a powerful tool to share your thoughts, opinions and give practical advice to your audience. Blindly publishing content without a clear purpose and without your audience in mind will only result in noise. If you want to see value and ROI from your blog, then publish content that adds value to your readers. People have more choices now than ever before and shorter attention spans to go along with them. Write with your audience in mind and share your heart, passions, and knowledge with them. Give them a reason to come back time and time again. Copying others never made a business great. Learning from others and doing it differently has. It’s your choice.

New call-to-action

Original publication date July 8, 2016. Updated December 10, 2020.

Search by Topic

  • All Resources
  • SEO
  • Digital Advertising
  • Content Marketing
  • Web Development
  • Major Structure Data Updates From Google

    Major Structured Data Updates From Google

    As technology advances, so do the algorithms and updates from search engines like Google. A major update that has caught the attention of website owners and SEO professionals is the…

    How and When to Claim Your Google Business Profile Blog Image (1)

    How and When To Claim Your Business on Google 

    One of the first things we do at SMA Marketing when working with a local SEO client is look for the company’s Google Business Profile. Occasionally, we work with a…

    The 4 Fastest Ways To Contact Google Support

    The 4 Fastest Ways To Contact Google My Business Support

    Your Google Business Profile (GBP), formerly called a Google My Business profile, is an invaluable free tool for local businesses. That said, what can help your business visibility can also…

    Small Business SEO Tips from 10+ Years of Experience

    Small Business SEO: Tips from 10+ Years of Experience

    SMA Marketing has a long history of helping small businesses attract customers through effective search engine optimization. SEO is the foundation of our marketing strategy, enabling us to create a…

    6 Local SEO Tips to Improve Your Local Rankings

    6 Local SEO Tips To Improve Your Local Rankings [Infographic]

    From small businesses to larger enterprises, you need local SEO if you own a brick-and-mortar or online local business. Though local SEO (search engine optimization) is a long-term strategy that…

    What Is an SEO Agency?

    What is an SEO agency and what do they do? Learn how hiring an SEO agency will effectively drive traffic to your site and grow your business.

    What Is an SEO Agency?

    What is an SEO agency and what do they do? Learn how hiring an SEO agency will effectively drive traffic to your site and grow your business.

    What is SEO

    What Is SEO?

    The term SEO has a variety of meanings and is often understood. Learn what SEO is and how SEO works to improve a website’s visibility in search results.

    5 Ways To Convert SEO Leads Using Web Design

    5 Ways To Convert SEO Leads Using Web Design

    Learn how your web design impacts the conversion rate of you SEO leads and how a great design can grow your business online.

    SMART SEO & Content Marketing How Your Message Impacts Rankings [Infographic]

    SMART SEO & Content Marketing: How Your Message Impacts Rankings [Infographic]

    A SMART SEO strategy begins and ends with the development and marketing of awesome content. See how content marketing and SEO are connected.

    Why Design a New Website

    Why Design a New Website

    There are a few different ways to refresh your website. Learn the benefits of designing a new website as a part of your digital marketing strategy.

    Web Design and Development Services How To Find the Right Agency for Your Business

    Web Design and Development Services: How to Find the Right Agency for Your Business

    Learn the tips & importance of working with a digital marketing agency to find the right web design and development services for your business.

    • 6 Proven Methods To Improve Your Customer Experience Strategy

      Extend your relationships with customers beyond their initial purchase and create loyal fans with these methods for improving your customer experience strategy.

      Differentiating SEO vs. SEM

      SEM and SEO are digital marketing strategies that align to accomplish the same goals but consist of different execution. Learn more about SEM and SEO.

      What is Content Marketing?

      Excellent content marketing cuts through the noise of unhelpful information to attract the right customers. Read more from SMA Marketing.

      What Is Internet Marketing?

      Internet marketing is a powerful tool for businesses! Learn about digital platforms, tools, and content delivery systems to reach new customers.

      Guide to Search Engine Marketing

      Looking to expand your digital marketing portfolio? It may be time to explore search engine marketing. Learn more from SMA Marketing.

      7 Content Marketing Strategies You Can’t Ignore

      We’re highlighting 7 content marketing strategies you can’t ignore. A well-rounded content strategy helps you connect with your ideal buyer.

    • The Ultimate Guide to Optimizing Your Google Business Profile

      Ultimate Guide to Optimizing Your Google Business Profile

      Developing a diverse Local SEO strategy for companies with brick-and-mortar addresses or clearly defined service areas includes establishing and optimizing a Google Business Profile (abbreviated GBP for this article).

      Does Blogging Still Work

      Does Blogging Still Work?

      In the latest episode of Hack My Growth we’re going to look at blogging and what role it plays in marketing in the year 2021 and beyond.

      YouTube SEO Best Practices

      YouTube SEO Best Practices

      Did you know that YouTube receives 14.3 billion visits per month? That’s more than Facebook, Wikipedia, Amazon, and Instagram. Businesses and brands all over the globe are creating YouTube videos…

        6 Proven Methods To Improve Your Customer Experience Strategy

        Extend your relationships with customers beyond their initial purchase and create loyal fans with these methods for improving your customer experience strategy.

        What is Content Marketing?

        Excellent content marketing cuts through the noise of unhelpful information to attract the right customers. Read more from SMA Marketing.

        7 Content Marketing Strategies You Can’t Ignore

        We’re highlighting 7 content marketing strategies you can’t ignore. A well-rounded content strategy helps you connect with your ideal buyer.

      • 5 Ways To Convert SEO Leads Using Web Design

        5 Ways To Convert SEO Leads Using Web Design

        Learn how your web design impacts the conversion rate of you SEO leads and how a great design can grow your business online.

        Why Is User Experience Important in Web Design

        Why is User Experience Important in Web Design?

        Learn more about user experience (UX), why it is important for your website to have a good UX, and the benefits of having a good UX on your website.

        Why Design a New Website

        Why Design a New Website

        There are a few different ways to refresh your website. Learn the benefits of designing a new website as a part of your digital marketing strategy.

        Web Design and Development Services How To Find the Right Agency for Your Business

        Web Design and Development Services: How to Find the Right Agency for Your Business

        Learn the tips & importance of working with a digital marketing agency to find the right web design and development services for your business.

        Looking for a Web Designer? 10 Things to Keep In Mind

        Looking for a web designer but not sure where to start? Your website is your digital front door. Here are 10 things you need to look for in a designer.

        The History of Website Design: 30 Years of Building the Web [2022 Update]

        The History of Website Design. We’ve come a long way in 30 years of building the world wide web. Take a look at web design’s past, present and future.

      Get Up-To-Date Digital Marketing Tips Delivered Straight to Your Inbox!

      SMA Marketing Digital Marketing Agency Giving Back to Kiva Making Loans