• 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 to Work Effectively with Your Overseas Web Developer

According to Global Workplace Analytics, “The remote workforce has increased by 140% since 2005.” The remote, digital work space has dramatically changed how we do business today as teams now work from all corners of the world, meeting on platforms like Zoom and Skype to Slack and Teamviewer, to name a few. Some teams never meet each other or their clients face-to-face, so building trust, reliability and learning best practices for working remotely with overseas counterparts is key to having a successful, dynamic team and happy, returning clients!

The partners@smamarketing.net is located across several US states and countries. Our web developer and graphic designer are located in the Philippines, so when we work with our overseas team members, there are several things to keep in mind from best communication practices and cultural differences to client deadlines in EST.

3 Tips on How to Improve Communication With your Overseas Team Members

Communicating with people in a shared language is challenging at times. It can be even more so with team members who speak English as a second language. English is well entrenched in the Philippines and schools incorporate English speech and writing classes to ensure students not only learn the language, but also the proper diction and intonation, however, you should still be cognizant and sensitive to potential language barriers.

  1. Find out what platforms your developer prefers to use for communication, i.e., email and instant messaging over video meetings? Are they more comfortable speaking or typing in English?
  2. If necessary, simplify your English and choose words that are easy to understand when giving direction on projects.
  3. Ask your developer what time of day or night they prefer to work and coordinate this with North American timelines. Keep in mind that 2pm EST on a Friday afternoon in North America is 2 am on a Saturday in the Philippines. Here is a world clock to view time zones. 

4 Key Strategies to Help Web Development Projects Run Smoothly

Within our Web Development team, we are very fortunate to work with an amazing and devoted web developer based in the Philippines. When I joined SMA, I quickly learned how talented, dedicated and professional he is about the work. As we were learning about one another and our preferred work styles, here are four things I found most useful:

  1. Schedule a video call to meet your web developer ‚Äòface-to-face’ in order to build a good rapport.
  2. Collaboration is the key to a successful web build. Using Slack and Teamviewer are two great platforms to work on together to do edits, share screens, send screenshots and troubleshoot.
  3. When sending web edits, be specific by using visual guides such as step-by-step videos or screenshots with clear instructions.
  4. Establish project deadlines and send them to your developer with advanced notice, always confirming that these timelines work within their schedule.

Cultural Differences and Taking the Time to Learn About Them

I continually learn so much about our most excellent web developer’s culture, way of life, and his family which are all vastly different from mine in North America. I am respectful of these differences and always curious to learn more about his life from the importance of their holidays to strong family values.

In Chris Ducker’s book, Virtual Freedom he notes, “You must make it your business to understand the cultural and social influences” that guide your Filipino team member’s thought process. Filipinos deeply value their traditions and will not put work before important holidays. Since most of the country is Catholic, you should know when their holidays are, including the special nonworking days declared by the Philippine government. A full list of holidays can be found here.

It’s also important to note that many Filipinos choose to become entrepreneurs to support their families and put others through school. They run tight budgets and have likely already allocated the money you’ve promised them.

Lastly, humor is universal! Have fun with your overseas team members, enjoy learning about them and their culture. Myself and our web developer have shared lots of “virtual” laughs and have fun while building websites for our clients. We have created a trustworthy, reliable working relationship that transpires through the work we produce for our satisfied clients.

As working with remote teams becomes more mainstream, there are many ways to start off on the right foot in order to work effectively with your overseas team members. Following these simple steps will help build an excellent rapport with your web developer.

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