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10 SEO E-Commerce Rules your Business Should Abide By

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SEO should be at the top of your business’ online strategy. You need it to build a firm customer base, boost organic traffic and climb the search engine ladder. But for an SEO strategy to work, you need to learn what NOT to do.

Follow these 10 SEO Rules to avoid being smite by the big guy…who in this case, happens to be Google.

10 SEO E-Commerce Rules

1. Don’t Use Duplicated Content

 

In the digital sphere, stealing content is a crime against Google. To avoid penalisation, evade duplicated content at all costs. Ensure that your site uses original, relevant and useful content. Don’t bombard your web pages with pointless jargon.

Develop high quality content strategies and update your content regularly. An on-site blog can help with this. Google will punish sites that don’t abide by this rule, so take heed and listen.

 

2. Don’t Cram Keywords

 

Yes, your website needs relevant keywords to attract customers. However, this doesn’t mean it’s okay to stuff your content with them. In the past, cramming keywords into the content of your E-Commerce site may have helped your sites performance. But times have changed and you need to keep the number of on-site keywords to a minimum.

Only use relevant keywords that will help search engines see the value of your site. Avoid cramming keywords as this will be seen as an attempt to fool Google’s algorithms.

 

3. Don’t Use Black-Hat SEO

 

The battle between Good and Evil has been going on for centuries. On the internet, this battle is alive in the form of White Hat and Black Hat SEO strategies.

Avoid the dark side and try to use white hat SEO tactics to improve your website’s performance. This will help to make your website more valuable and relevant to users. Your site will be more likely to perform better as a result.

 

4. Don’t Include Too Many Ads

 

A good user experience means giving customers what they want. If your website is crowded with ads, this can be extremely irritating to your site’s visitors. Loose and “scrawny” content alongside all these ads is even worse.

Make sure that your site keeps ads to a minimum. Google will pick up on low quality content, which does not bode well for its online performance.

 

5. Don’t Install Hidden Text

 

Many sneaky business owners have tried to hide SEO text from the Google bot. These tactics include putting white text on a white background with the aim to show different text to site visitors and Google. However, this method of improving organic traffic will not work as well as you might think.

Algorithms can detect cloaked and hidden text. This results in the immediate drop of your site down search results listings.

 

6. Don’t Use the Same Meta Descriptions and Title Tags

 

Avoid using the same title tags for each page of your website. Focus on the specific details, services or content included in specific web pages.

If you use the same title tags throughout your site, this can prove to be damaging towards your SEO efforts. The same goes with meta descriptions. Make them unique and persuasive to encourage viewers to click on your link.

 

7. Don’t Choose Link Quantity Over Quality

 

Too many websites are focusing on how many links they have rather than the quality of these links.

A single link from a high performing blog for instance, can do wonders for your site. Whereas having many links from low quality directory links won’t do you any favours. Google sees high quality links as a reliable measure of website quality.

 

8. Don’t Create Microsites

 

Once upon a time (before the Panda algorithm came along), the creation of microsites were used to boost rankings and traffic. The sites usually contained thin content and where used to link back to the main site.

However, Google’s Panda algorithm update has swept these mini sites off the face of the internet, making them completely redundant.

 

9. Don’t Use Link Farms

 

One of the best SEO tactics is to have links coming to and from your website. You’re more likely to get noticed if your content includes links. These should be from outside sources such as quality blogs or social media pages etc.

However, this only works if it happens organically. Never use link farms or link-swapping methods which will trigger a red flag, resulting in the possibility of finding yourself on Google’s black-list

 

10. Don’t Spam Customers or Google Maps

 

Spamming will send you so far down the ranks that it would take God himself to pull you back up into the first page of search results. Just don’t it. Also, don’t bother creating a false listing on Google Maps either.

Many businesses have done this AND paid the ultimate price for it. This is seen as an attempt to fool Google, which (as you probably gather from the other 9 rules) will result in the harsh punishment of your website.

Our team of digital marketing experts and web design Belfast and web design Newry teams can help with any digital marketing adwords video production social media SEO Belfast Magento PPC Agency Belfast or web design questions you may have.

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The ABC’s of Digital Marketing Acronyms

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The digital marketing sphere is bombarded with tons of acronyms. At first, it may seem like a little much. After all, how can one industry have that many abbreviations? It’s a bit excessive, to say the least.

You’ve probably come across some of the most important ones already. Terms like SEO, CTR and ROI roll off the tongue so often that you begin to pick up on them early on. However, their definitions seem to get lost in the mail.

To save you the hassle of ‘Googling’ each Digital Marketing acronym, we have taken the time to compile this handy guide for all the newbies out there:

 

API – Application Program Interface

The API is a set of tools used for building software applications such as routines and protocols.

 

ASP – Application Service Provider

This allows web page scripts to be implemented by internet servers.

 

B2B – Business to Business

B2B is when a business approaches another business to make a commercial transaction.

 

B2C – Business to Consumer

B2C refers to the process of a business selling directly to consumers.

 

CMS – Content Management System

A CMS allows the convenient management of content such as modifying, deleting, editing and publishing etc.

 

CPA – Cost per Acquisition

An advertising method whereby the advertiser is required to pay when an advert acquires an acquisition.

 

CPC – Cost per Click

The CPC refers to the individual cost you will pay each time a user clicks on one of your ads.

 

CPL – Cost per Lead

Cost per Lead is the cost an advertiser pays for a sign-up from a customer. This is otherwise known as online lead generation.

 

CPM – Cost per Thousand

The cost an advertiser pays to reach one thousand people.

 

CR – Conversion Rate

The conversion rate measures the percentage of people who convert. This could a desired action such as signing up for a newsletter or making a purchase.

 

CRM – Customer Relationship Management

CRM is a type of customer and company relationship strategy that can help to increase loyalty.

 

CRO – Conversion Rate Optimisation

Want to increase sales and conversions? CRO is the system used to increase traffic that is more likely to convert.

 

CTA – Call to Action

A CTA is a clear instruction to encourage an immediate and desired response such as “Buy Now” or “Go to Checkout” etc.

 

CTR – Click-Through Rate

The click-through-rate measures the number of users that clicked on an advert or link. It is used in online advertising campaigns to help measure success.

 

DNS – Domain Name System

The DNS allows domain names to be both located and translated into Internet Protocols.

 

ESP – Email Service Provider

Your ESP is the company you use to market via email or one that offers various email services.

 

HTML – Hypertext Mark-up Language

This is a mark-up language used for labelling web pages.

 

HTTP – Hyper Text Transfer Protocol

An application protocol used for collaborative, distributed and hypermedia information systems.

 

IP – Internet Protocol

The procedure of sending data from one P.C or laptop to another via the internet is referred to as the IP. An IP address is given to each computer to identify it from the rest.

 

ISP – Internet Service Provider

Your ISP is the company providing your internet access and related web services.

 

KPI – Key Performance Indicator

A KPI is used to measure the performance or success of a specific activity.

 

OS – Operating System

An operating system is present in every computer and used to run applications and programs.

 

PHP – PHP Hypertext Pre-Processor

A PHP is HTML-embedded scripting language. This is used to write web pages.

 

PPC – Pay per Click

This is a type of internet marketing and refers to the price paid by an advertiser each time someone clicks on one of their online adverts.

 

ROI – Return on Investment

This is used to determine a company’s profitability as well as how cost efficient various investments are.

 

SEM – Search Engine Marketing

SEM is used to increase a sites performance and visibility on search engines through paid advertising.

 

SEO – Search Engine Optimisation

SEO, otherwise known as search engine optimisation, is used to increase a websites visibility and success on search engines organic search results.

 

SERP – Search Engine Results Page

The list of results that show up after a search term is entered is referred to as the SERP.

 

SMM – Social Media Marketing

This is a type of internet marketing via social network sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

 

SSL – Secure Sockets Layer

In order to establish an encrypted link between a web server and a browser (client), an SSL is used which acts as a type of security technology.

 

UI – User Interface

The User Interface is the way in which a computer system and the user can interact.

 

UX – User Experience

UX means User experience and basically refers to the experience a user has when using a certain service, system or even a product.

 

Our team of digital marketing experts and web design Belfast and web design Newry teams can help with any digital marketing adwords video production social media SEO Belfast Magento PPC Agency Belfast or web design questions you may have.

 

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How to Create an Effective Content Marketing Strategy

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Adapting an effective digital content strategy can help your business website to develop brand awareness, increase organic search engine results, drive high quality traffic to your website and increase click-through-rate (CTR).

But what is a digital content strategy?

Think of it as your online business plan.

Essentially, it refers to the creation of quality branded editorial content that is used throughout all types of devices, platforms and media channels. It provides measurable success for brands and assists your marketing goals to provide direction towards a fruitful outcome.

The first step is to define your objectives. Consider what form your content should take. Should it be in the form of a blog? Or perhaps it will be an app, video or website etc. Once you have defined your objectives and overall goal that you wish to achieve, you can begin to implement these changes into your existing content strategy.

 

Forms of Content:

Published Content: This refers to anything that has been published online by your brand such as social media posts, articles and blogs etc.

Reactive Content: When you post content and someone directly responds or reply’s to it, this is reactive content and provides a great way to develop trust and communication with your customers.

Proactive Content: Promoting your brand or business via other people’s networks. Includes re-tweeting, guest posts and sharing content etc.

 

Next, you need to define your target audience.

These are the potential customers who are most likely to be interested in your product or service. This may require some research to help you understand your market and what it is that they are looking for in a brand. Creating quality content is useless unless you know who your audience is.

Use online discussions, surveys, focus groups, competitor’s audiences’ and carry out interviews with various consumers to help you develop a better understanding about your ideal customer. You can then adapt and steer your content strategy towards pleasing your target audience.

You will likely need to appoint a digital marketing agency that will be able to provide expertise and relevant resources to help create effective and powerful content. They will also be able to help you establish your distribution strategy. Your agency will advise you on the strengths and costs of various content strategies, campaigns and formats.

How will your content reach customers?

A web design firm will be able to assist with this matter and provide ultimate solutions that will drive traffic to your eCommerce site, increase brand awareness and help you to strive ahead of your competitors.

Content topics and ideas must attract potential customers and encourage them to convert to your brand. Your header or title needs to be simple and to the point. Titles that include numbers, such as “10 ways to add creativity to your home” tend to drive a lot more traffic than long-winded titles. The body of your text should be clear, precise and use simple language. Avoid jargon and filler text that will send your readers to sleep before the second paragraph. Keep it light, entertaining and informative. Developing your brands voice will take time but after some practice, you will begin to see what kind of content drives the most traffic to your site and which have a poorer performance rate.

 

Create consistent and relevant content.

 

People have short attention spans, especially when they are online. Therefore, it is important to keep your reader engaged. Clear and concise language is a MUST. Use conversational wording to establish a personal connection with your readers. Evoking emotion is also a great element to content writing. Appeal to your customers by making them feel excited about your brand and you will definitely see a growth in conversions.

Once you have adapted and experimented with your content strategy over the course of a few months, you will have enough data to analyse and evaluate its performance. Content that performs well should be improved upon even more in the future whilst under-performing content should act as building blocks. Learn from your past mistakes and adapt changes to your content until you are pleased with the outcome.

Be patient. Developing an effective digital content strategy takes time. It’s mainly about trying new things, seeing what worked and what didn’t, and then adjusting content accordingly.

Our multi-award winning marketeers and developers are also waiting to help with any digital marketing, adwords,  social mediaSEO Belfast or Magento ecommerce web design questions you may have. We also provide training for third party SEO software tools such as MOZ to ensure you can clearly monitor progress and ensure your campaign is of the highest quality.