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How often has this happened to you: you search for a recipe online, click on one of the first results you see in Google... only to be met with a massive wall of text and photos? What do you do? Do you scroll down until you find the actual recipe? Or do you go back to Google, find a link that starts out with the recipe, and use that … [Read more...]
Google+ Is Shutting Down – Here’s What You Need to Do
It's been on the horizon for months, looming for years, but now it's finally time - Google+ is no more. Google announced a few months ago that its struggling social network would finally be retired, but a recently-revealed security breach moved their final days from August 2019 to April 2019. Here is everything you need to know and do now that … [Read more...]
SEO: Expectations vs Reality
Often when clients come to us for SEO work, we hear the same request: "I want to rank on the first page." This is a seemingly simple request, but once you start to unravel it, it becomes very complicated. What keywords do you want to rank for? How many keywords do you want to rank for? How quickly do you want to rank? What marketing … [Read more...]
How Google Ranks Websites
Ever wonder exactly how Google analyzes every website and ranks it? Behind their incredibly complex (and secret) algorithm are a few surprisingly basic tenants that dictate all website rankings. Google recently shared their approach to search engine optimization (SEO) on their Think With Google blog, and it's a great time to make sure your … [Read more...]
What the Most Searched Words of 2018 Tell Us About Consumers in 2019
While the rest of the country waits for the ball to drop on New Year's Day, we at BizzyWeb anxiously await another end-of-the-year-event: Google's Most Searched Words. Each year, Google looks back at the top search trends and we couldn't be more excited. Besides being really, really cool (in our professional opinion) the top searched terms tell us … [Read more...]
Why You Should Use Topics, Not Keywords
Conventional wisdom says if you want to rank on Google, you need to focus on keywords. But is that really the case anymore? Are keywords still important? The truth is that Google is shifting away from keywords and toward topics. What Are Keywords? Keywords are exactly what they sound like - key words that you want to rank for on Google. For … [Read more...]
How to do Keyword Research (And Why It Matters)
How do you find what you're looking for online? Would you type into Google, "floral plants with petals" or "florists near me?" Language is important. With our florist example, the "right" language is obvious, but more often than not it isn't that clear cut. The closer you are to a business, the harder it is to look at it from an outsider's … [Read more...]
A Quick & Simple Guide to Google’s New Marketing Platform
We love Google because they're constantly innovating and evolving. We also hate Google because they're constantly innovating and evolving. As soon as you get comfortable with an interface, Google rolls out a new update. It's a complicated relationship. In their continued efforts to streamline marketing, Google recently revamped their entire … [Read more...]
What is Google My Business?
If you've spent any time online, you've probably stumbled across Google My Business, even if you didn't recognize it right away. Ever search online for a service and then a map pops up or a little card appears at the side of the screen? That's Google My Business in action: We've talked a few times before about Google My Business, but with each … [Read more...]
The Best Times to Post on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Google+ [Infographic]
Social media is one of the most cost-effective - and just plain effective - ways to reach your audience. But between all the various platforms and demographics, it's hard to know when exactly to post. The ideal time for you to post will depend on your audience and what your analytics show you. However, there are tried-and-true posting times that … [Read more...]
5 Steps to SEO Your Blogs and Page Content
Ah SEO...everyone's favorite buzzword that no one quite understands. There are literally thousands of articles online about Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and the right and wrong way to SEO (and even some arguing that SEO isn't important at all). The truth is that Google is ever-evolving and what SEO means is also constantly changing. However, … [Read more...]
What is a Bounce Rate and What Does it Mean?
If you've spent any time at all playing around with Google Analytics, you've probably seen a statistic for "bounce rate." On paper, a bounce rate is simple - it's the percentage of people that leave your website after only viewing one page. In practice, however, it's a little bit more confusing. What's a "good" versus a "bad" bounce rate? When do … [Read more...]
Google Will Stop Showing Any Website That is Not Secure. Is Yours?
Google is like the protective older sibling of the internet. And like any good big bro (or sis) they want to keep you safe. Google announced that they will soon show a "not secure" warning for any site that is not SSL compliant and exclude it from search results. The change will be effective when Google version 62 launches in October. We've talked … [Read more...]
How to Update Your Google My Business Listing
We've talked ad nauseam about how frustrating it is to use Google My Business, so forgive us if you're sick of hearing about it. But between Google+ and Google My Business, we get a lot of questions from our customers. And understandably! Google My Business is notoriously confusing and hard to use (sorry Google!). You might not even know what … [Read more...]
SEO Truths and Lies
Does your SEO strategy feel like you're running and running...only to look back and see that you've barely moved? It's no secret that SEO is tricky, but if you're still bogged down in common SEO misconceptions then you're doing more harm than good. Lie: You Set up SEO Once and Forget About It A common misconception about SEO is that you only … [Read more...]
How NOT to Respond to Negative Reviews
It's no secret how important online reviews are to businesses - 88% of customers rely on them to decide whether or not to do business with a local company. But many business owners are so laser-focused on getting reviews that they don't consider responding to reviews. It's inevitable - if you're actively soliciting reviews, you're going to get a … [Read more...]
How to Get the Most Out of Google Analytics
Google Analytics is a fantastic tool that provides real-time data on your website traffic. But as anyone who's looked at it knows, the interface is overwhelming and confusing. It can be hard to find the information you need. Kristin Hicks of Constant Contact highlights the must-have metrics from Google Analytics: 1. Website Traffic The first … [Read more...]
Do I Need a Google+ Business Page?
So, Google. We need to talk. I appreciate everything you do for me - answering my stupid questions, giving me direction, helping me solve "who's that actor" arguments...but changing things and not telling anyone? That has got to stop. If you've dabbled in digital marketing, you've probably heard of Google+ or Google My Business. If not, you've … [Read more...]
Watch Out for This Tech-Savvy Gmail Phishing Scam
We all know not to open attachments from email addresses we don't recognize, but what if it's from someone we know? Thanks to the latest Gmail phishing scam, you can't even trust a familiar face. WordPress security tool Wordfence is reporting a wide-scale attack on Gmail users: The way the attack works is that an attacker will send an email to … [Read more...]
5 Social Media Tips for the Trades
Show of hands: who set up their social media, posted a couple of times and then never returned?Don't worry - we get it. You're trying to run your business. And you may be thinking: "What do I even talk about?" It's easy to look to big brands with their flashy videos and professional photos and get discouraged. But here's the thing: you … [Read more...]
Schrödinger’s SEO: Search Engine Optimization is Both Dead and Alive
Schrödinger's cat is a quantum mechanics paradox in which a cat trapped in a box with a bottle of poison may be simultaneously both dead and alive. Schrödinger's SEO is a paradox in which Search Engine Optimization is dead or alive, depending on whichever headline makes more waves. Everyone has an opinion on SEO: it's dead and over, it's alive and … [Read more...]
The Ultimate Social Media Image Size Guide [Infographic]
A picture is worth a thousand retweets. When Facebook and Twitter first launched, they were text-only and word-heavy. Now, virtually every social network has become more and more streamlined and picture-friendly. Pictures dominate social networks and consistently see more engagement.We’ll say it straight out: if your images aren’t optimized for … [Read more...]
What and How Often Should You Post on Social Media? [Infographic]
by Azure Collier, Constant ContactWhen I’m hosting Constant Contact’s social media webinars, I get a lot of questions from small businesses and nonprofits on social media best practices.One of the things I hear most often is “What should I post on social media and when should I post it?”That’s why we created this cheat sheet.In this cheat sheet, … [Read more...]
Make Google Work For You With These 4 Videos
Oh Google, my Google. What would the internet be without that trusted blue G? Since its launch, Google has moved beyond its impressive title as the most frequently-used search engine to a suite of applications, marketing tools and social networks. Plain and simple: pleasing Google is good for business. If your potential customers can't find you … [Read more...]
Making Sense of Google Analytics: 10 Tips for Small Businesses
by Jeremy Taylor, Constant ContactGoogle Analytics offers a truly extensive range of actionable data. It will show you who’s browsing your website, how they’re using it and how they found you. Without analytics, you rely on guesswork (and guesswork is a terrible business model).The problem is that it can be tricky to identify the metrics that … [Read more...]
Can Your Customers Trust Your Website?
We're hearing more and more frequently about hackers breaking into a company's back end systems and stealing customer information. As a business owner, it is your responsibility to protect and secure customer information and keep hackers at bay. How confident are you that your business's website is protecting your most important asset - your … [Read more...]
What’s The Big Deal About a Little Mobile ‘Buy’ Button?
Google recently debuted a new mobile feature called "Purchases on Google," which makes buying products directly from mobile search advertisements easier for consumers. Consumers turning to Google for search on their mobile devices now see a "buy" button in select promoted results. When consumers click on the button, it takes them to a page where … [Read more...]
Top Four SEO Trends for 2015
Google is now better able to reward high-quality Web content that is relevant to a search query, and less dependent on traditional signals, such as keywords, according to a recent report from Searchmetrics and detailed in this article by MarketingProf's Ayaz Nanji.Below are four key search engine optimization (SEO) lessons from the report, as … [Read more...]
4 Videos To Kickstart Your Social Media Strategy
"Are you on Facebook?" is now a rhetorical question. If you don't have a presence on social media, potential customers will pass you by. But it's not enough just to have social media accounts – you also need to know how to leverage them for your business. We frequently talk about social media in our weekly BizzyWebinars, and we've rounded up 4 … [Read more...]
9 Expert Ways to Grow Your Email List with Facebook
Miranda Paquet, Constant Contact “We’re finding Facebook to be less and less of interest to us because of the way they changed their algorithms for how our posts work…we found out that without paying for their marketing program, it doesn’t work for us.” Like many small business owners, Chris Iousa is wondering if it’s time to call it … [Read more...]
10 Simple SEO Mistakes to Avoid
by Jeremy Taylor, Constant Contact You have a website and you want people to see it. The trouble is, you have an awful lot of competition. If the world wide web is a beach, the websites on it are grains of sand. So how do you make sure your grain is the one your target audience finds? Avoiding these ten SEO mistakes is a great start… 1. Focusing … [Read more...]
Is Your Blog Getting Lonely? Eight Tips To Rekindle The Love!
by Susan Solovic for Constant Contact Are you and your blog having relationship problems? I’ve seen it so many times. Here are the common troubles I’ve witnessed: You know you should have a blog, but just haven’t gotten around to it yet, You started a blog, but have lost your motivation and are letting it slip, and You want to love your blog, but … [Read more...]
Understanding The SEO Journey – Old vs New SEO
As an online marketing agency, SEO is a common topic of discussion around the BizzyWeb office. This recent blog post published on Webbiquity.com by guest author Jack Dawson is an informative and easy-to-understand explanation of old versus new SEO. * * * by Jack Dawson Everyone implementing SEO usually has the same question – how long before I rank … [Read more...]
Big Changes in Mobile Search Coming April 21 – Is Your Website Ready?
Google recently announced that on April 21 it's making mobile-friendliness a ranking signal for searches performed on mobile devices. Mobile-friendly sites use responsive design, an approach to web design aimed at creating an optimal viewing experience (easy to read with minimal resizing or scrolling) across a wide range of devices (from desktop … [Read more...]
SEO Strategies to Boost Your Business
With continuous updates to mysterious and complicated algorithms, SEO has changed significantly over the years. It's no longer enough to load up a page with a bunch of keywords and wait for your page rank to climb. That just doesn't work anymore. Check out this handy infographic created by digital marketing guru Neil Patel for a quick breakdown of … [Read more...]
Getting Found with Google: Google My Business
You missed the live broadcast, but above is the replay! We had a full house today for our in-person seminar, and so we're re-recording today's content for the web. Enjoy! Google announced a new feature last week to help businesses manage their online presence. The “Google My Business” tool allows business owners to update their search, maps and … [Read more...]
