Is SEO dead? With so many companies shifting their marketing dollars and efforts from SEO to Social Media Marketing, some are left to wonder, is search engine optimization obsolete? In this day and age of digital communication via texts, Facebook, Twitter, and the likes of Instagram, building relationships with client and consumer hopefuls, can’t possibly be a bad thing if it’s done correctly. Right? It takes a dedicated and trusted social media manager, good strong strategies and proper management of the networks for social media marketing to really pay off.

Let’s assume you are performing social media marketing correctly and that you are building a good following in all the major social networks. You are babysitting the networks and responding to inquiries in a timely fashion and people seem excited. Are you converting these new “friends” and “likes” into sales? If not, why? Could it be that ALL of your efforts are going into social media and that you haven’t checked your website lately? Maybe your website is just not up to speed with what this technology savvy, social client base you’ve been diligently working on needs.

Guarantee: Times and strategies will constantly change. There are only so many hours in the day to complete all the necessary tasks of running and maintaining a business. One task that cannot be overlooked, ever, is SEO. Good, old fashioned, white hat search engine optimization. Fine tuning your content, titles and pertinent information on your website is crucial to an engaging website. With information on how the search engines utilize urls and meta-info being a bit sketchy, page titles, images and paragraph titles have to be engaging yet convey the correct information of the content quickly.

Might I suggest a Spa & Salon Day for your website? Spa & Salon Day? Really? Did a real live, experienced SEO/SMM strategist just suggest a spa day for a website? Yep. Sure did. Websites need a little love and pampering too. While social media marketing is an absolutely wonderful way to gain new clients, if your website can’t support your SMM efforts of traffic to your site, you aren’t going to ride the social revolution wave…at all.

Spa Day Specials for your website could be:

• Facelift: Does the content on your website need a facelift in order to utilize keywords representative of your company’s needs? Is the content of great quality? Is it engaging enough for the reader?
• Manicure & Tips: File down your titles and make them engaging, yet short. Are you page and paragraph titles suggestive enough to keep a visitor on the page?
• Soothing Eye Treatment: Does your website flash and blink and sliders make readers dizzy? Are images eye catching or distracting? Don’t forget some could be viewing on a mobile device.
• Microdermabrasion:  Scrub and remove that dead content that is no longer applicable.
• Full Body Massage: Does information flow in an easily navigable manner or do you have to “massage” it to get where you want to go? Do your menus and buttons still go where you think they go?

Spa Days can be expensive, especially when done right. But with regular website maintenance, hopefully you site can stick with spa treatments and not have to go the surgery route! Don’t forget….SEO IS NOT DEAD!

Melanie Ledbetter-Remy | Bizopia – Social Media Marketer

Bookmark It

2012 was a big year of change in SEO.  Once again Google led the industry shake ups by changing their search algorithm and announcing long term changes that forced the SEO firms to change the way we do business going forward into 2013.

The SEO world was turned on its ear when Google’s Matt Cutts mentioned at SXSW in March 2012 that Google was working on an search over-optimization penalty.  For months SEO professionals bickered and discussed the meaning of the comment and the consequences if enacted, but it quickly became evident that Google was serious in its attempt to make the GoogleBot smarter.

2012 saw many changes by Google intended to weed out low quality but highly optimized sites and help high quality sites achieve ranking success. The top six 2012 Google changes for SEO include:

1. Link Building – In their effort to make Google search smarter, Google Penguin updates adjusted the spam filters to block links from low-quality networks resulting in high ranking pages tumbling off the first page of Google.  Suddenly, SEO firms were left scrambling for ways to build more organic, relevant, quality links and rid themselves of harmful unnatural, paid links that had worked for high SERPs in the past.
2. Exact-Match Domain – In September 2012, Google released an Exact-Match Domain Update (EMD) that hurt the rankings of websites with keywords in their domain.  Even though this update was only to affect low quality EMDs, it appeared to have a much wider effect than intended, resulting in a large-scale devaluation of EMDs.
3. Google Search Plus Your World – In January, Google went live with Search Plus Your World to give logged in Google users a more personalized search experience.  Now the SERPs give priority to people connected to the user by placing their site higher on the search page.
4. Google+ Local – Google Places, a staple of local SEO, was merged with Google+ to make Google+ Local.  This update forces small businesses and users onto Google+ to increase traffic, audience, visibility and interaction on Google+.
5. Google Authorship – Google took a major step in implementing its authorship plan by announcing a link between a Google+ profile and content produced by that person.  This link builds a content producer’s authority on a subject, provides a valuable link to their content and customizes search results with the author’s profile picture.
6. Social Signals – This year saw Social Signals integrated into search more heavily than ever before.  How much weight social media interaction will ultimately be given in search algorithms remains to be seen but Google has continued to stress its importance.

As we start a new year, we look back on the changes Google brought to SEO in 2012 to develop our SEO strategy for 2013.   Google has shown a priority on helping high quality sites, with natural links, fresh content and social interaction reach the top of the SERPs.  All SEO professionals need to continue to move our clients in that direction to be successful.

__________________________________________________

Gary Remy leads Bizopia as CEO, helping Houston small businesses get found on the web through SEO, Web Design and Social Media Optimization. Stay in touch with Bizopia on Facebook, following on Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn or Pinterest.

Bookmark It

The latest viral video craze on the Internet, with more than 500 million views, is Gangnam Style by Korean artist Psy.  What makes it so incredibly popular?  Is it the quirky dance, the techno beat, or the over the top style of the video? As a Houston small business, would you love even a fraction of their half a billion views for your video or website?

If so, do SEO Gangnam Style!  By utilizing video SEO, you can direct massive amounts of organic traffic to your small business site. YouTube is the second largest search engine behind only their parent company, Google, and internet sites with video consistently have higher SERP (Search Engine Result Pages). As the third most visited site on the internet and with more than 14 billion video views a month, the popularity and power of YouTube is only increasing.  This growing size and importance of YouTube has made internet video marketing a necessary SEO strategy for Houston small business.

People love videos because they provide entertainment, pizzazz, and a bit of excitement. When visiting a web page, a well-placed video will grab attention unlike most text.  A well-produced video can inform a potential customer about what you do in a shorter amount of time than paragraphs and paragraphs of text on the page.  And, people remember what they watch 3x better than what they read.

Your small business video must be well placed, well produced and represent your business message to be credible.  It should define and represent your business style and business personality.  Some choose to make their video quirky or funny, but most are simply straightforward.   No matter what you put in the video, it must represent your brand and relay your message to potential customers.

We know that search engine companies like Google are placing increasing importance on social signals for rankings and video is integral for successful social media.  People watch and share video with friends via Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ and Pinterest faster and easier than ever before.  Placing a video on your business site, adds another building block to your Search Engine Optimization strategy. The size of YouTube and importance of social media make video SEO a necessary technique in the SEO arsenal of any Houston small business.

Bizopia, the solution for Houston Search Engine Optimization, offers a premium video SEO package to make your Houston business stand out in the crowd.

Lisa Jones

Bookmark It

What is Search Engine Optimization?

SEO or Search Engine Optimization is the implementation of an online strategy to increase organic traffic from unpaid sources to the website. A successful SEO strategy achieves higher rankings for the site in search engine results.

How Does A Business Benefit From SEO?

Search engines, such as Google, Bing and Yahoo drive 85% of all website traffic.  Studies show that 79% of search users do not look past the first page of search results and 42% visit the top result only. In essence, to be found today online, a business needs to appear at least on the first page of search results for their keyword or main topic.  Using SEO strategies increases your chances of being noticed by organic search engine traffic and putting your business at the top of search engine rankings.

How is Search Engine Rank (SER) Determined?

The most popular search engine, Google, uses a custom algorithm to return search results relevant to the keyword.  Though the exact criteria used by Google to rank sites is a closely guarded secret, your leading Houston SEO firm, has developed our own SER criteria that moves customers to the top of the search engine results for specific keywords or topics.  We constantly adjust our custom strategy to reflect any changes in the ranking system made by Google, as they accommodate new technology and developments.

Can I Successfully Implement An SEO Strategy On My Own?

The basics of SEO are online for you to attempt and the SEO do it yourself approach can make an improvement in your SER. Many businesses quickly learn that SEO is not a one time set up or design, but requires an ongoing strategy to navigate to the top of SER and maintain that high position.  This requires specialized knowledge and dedicated time to react to the private, frequently adjusted algorithm used by Google.  When SEO is done poorly or incorrectly, Google may disregard the site entirely, leaving your business lost online.

Hiring someone to manage your SEO dramatically improves the online brand visibility of your organizations, which in turn drives potential customers to your brand and site.

How Do I Know The SEO Strategy Is Successful?

Before beginning, we conduct research to create a baseline for organic traffic, develop a strategy and target SER for later comparison.  After the SEO strategy is developed and implemented, the SEO firm tracks the search performance to assess the success of each step.  With the use of advanced analytics, frequent research and other custom tactics the results of the SEO strategy will be measured and tweaked every step of the way to reach that coveted first page or top SER.

How To Get Started?

SEO begins with an evaluation of current SEO strategies for the business including measuring any current success from which a custom SEO strategy may be developed. Once the website is created or redesigned using SEO strategies, other online activities may be recommended, including, link-building, pay per click ads, engaging on social networks, press releases and blog writing are implemented to increase the effective return of SEO.

Bizopia, the perfect place in Houston for web design & SEO, offers free website evaluation to get your business started with a new SEO strategy.

Lisa Jones

Bookmark It

Small businesses have similar marketing needs as a large corporation without the budget of a large corporation.  Generating targeted leads with a great ROI at an effective price point is imperative to compete in the marketplace. Fortunately, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) allows the small business to not only successfully compete, but to thrive in the marketplace without breaking the bank.

The many benefits of SEO for small businesses include:

1. Cost effectiveness –SEO is one of the least expensive marketing options available; costing a fraction of a major marketing campaign.
2. Targeted traffic source – Using targeted keywords, your website will be found by customers already searching for a business offering your goods or services.
3. High ROI – The return on investment for businesses utilizing SEO strategies is much higher than those of traditional media marketing campaigns or other types of online marketing.
4. Functional website – Websites developed using SEO principles are functional, easy to navigate and customer friendly.
5. Increased brand visibility – Through link building, your company will be discovered on qualified, relevant sites increasing visibility and marketing beyond your immediate circle.
6. Measurable results – Many tools are available to accurately track the positive results of SEO on your site.
7. Increased traffic and sales – SEO increases the organic traffic to the site, which naturally increases your opportunity for greater sales.
8. Create Relationships – Building links with other relevant websites provides the opportunity to create relationships and spread brand loyalty online.
9. Global Marketplace- Small businesses are no longer limited to a local or regional marketplace because of their ad budget.  SEO principles increase web presence in a specific market area for local services or niche marketplaces.
10. Level the playing field – Millions of people visit the internet daily. You no longer need a major marketing firm to get your company, products and services in front of potential customers just strategic SEO.

Search engines want to return high quality, relevant results at each search.  With your website optimized for search engines, your site will rank at the top of search results, generate targeted leads, and open your small business up to the global marketplace at a cost effective price with a high ROI.

Lisa Jones

Bookmark It

Should your website speak for itself? Seriously? Here’s why it should. The global leader in measuring the digital world, comScore, released the U.S. Online Video Rankings for August 2010 today. This report suggests that 178 million U.S. internet users viewed online video content in August 2010. The numbers compute to an average of 14.3 hours per viewer. FOURTEEN HOURS? Oh my. That 178 million individual viewers racked in 5.2 billion online viewing sessions during August alone.

As you might expect, Google owned YouTube.com ranked the highest on the list with 146.3 million unique viewers. Second on the list….wait for it…wait for it….Facebook, with 58.6 million unique viewers for a total of 243 million viewing sessions. Yahoo! sites came in third with 53.9 million unique viewers. Wow! Facebook – number 2?

Website Design. With the above mentioned numbers, why on Earth would you NOT have a online video on your website? It’s yet another marketing tool that can be used to reach a specific audience. When websites are designed correctly, and every opportunity is exhausted to get all of your pertinent information out there for the world to see, great things can happen.

Our goal at Bizopia, Houston website design and internet marketing company, is to combine all of the latest trending techniques to get companies at the top of the search engines so you CAN be found. Everything from properly designed pages, constant search engine optimization, internet video, and proper application of social media marketing tools, is available with one company. Why organize multiple agencies, when you can get it all in one place? It’s like one-stop-shopping, my dream come true.

Call Bizopia today, and let’s get started on your new website, or revamping your old site. Old isn’t good enough in this day and age. Call today! 800.372.8552.

Bookmark It

Want to move up the ranks in Google, Yahoo or Bing? If so, contact Houston SEO company, Bizopia, and let us help you develop and market your business site through proven SEO and website development strategies.
In business since 2002, Bizopia has helped companies improve their ranking through increasing exposure via different methods such as Social Media Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, and strong website design and development.
With professional website designers, proven SEO copywriters and research assistants, Bizopia builds sites CORRECTLY the first time. With the ability to provide SEO services to companies with websites that are already constructed, sound SEO principles can be applied without major changes to the look and feel of the current site.
Multiple packages are offered for those that are still unsure or uneasy with this SEO (Search Engine Optimization) process. We guarantee that you will be satisfied because we still do business FACE TO FACE, and we will discuss our strategies up front with you. In this day and age of fast paced business transactions, the team at Bizopia still believes that it is very important to meet with every client and discuss your goals, as we know they can change over time.  Our customer service team is knowledgeable and friendly, and the development team can make changes in a timely manner – unlike large development firms.

To tweak, or not to tweak?  Keep your current site or start from scratch? Those are the questions you need to ask in this online marketing, web-centered world. Sure, there are ways to gain exposure without hiring a professional website design and search engine optimization company, but seriously, do you really have the time and the resources to provide maintenance to your site daily? Do you really have the time to do in depth research on your competitors – and to do it often? That’s why we feel it’s best for you to do what YOU do best, and to let us do what WE do best – and that’s to help you get noticed by the major search engines, attract new customers and clients, and to gain on that number one spot that everyone has their eye on.

Call today and let BIZOPIA, Houston’s SEO Company, get you noticed!

Bookmark It

When I am talking to business owners about their website, and why it is not ranking, many times I get the question, “ In order for your Search Engine Marketing services to work do I need to re-design my website?”  The short answer is no, but would you take a golf cart to Le Mans?  You don’t have to completely re-design your website, but we wouldn’t be talking if you were pleased with your website’s results so let’s take a look at the car (website) first before we discuss the fuel (Search Engine Marketing.)  Most business owners I meet with think they have addressed their website marketing needs because they have a website.  It may not get them business or drive much traffic, but the simple fact they have a website allows them to check off that task and wonder why their business isn’t growing. Many times their first website was built by a friend, child or part time web designer that has no clue about Search Engine Optimization.  The website may look good and talk about the products and services of the company, but without SEO architecture and content focus, the site will never rank in the search engines or on the clients preferred keywords.

So when you begin SEO marketing activity, it will improve the ranking of the website, but the results will not be near as successful if the website was built for SEO.  I like to compare it to putting high octane performance fuel in a go cart.  At the end of the day, it helps, but doesn’t get you there very fast. So my recommendation in most cases of a website re-design is to completely start over.  Build the website focused on the key words you are going after with a clear, focused, call to action.  The goal in any website is to have a visitor do what you want them to do, but they will never get that chance if they don’t find your website.  By building your website with the basic architecture of SEO: Keyword focused Title Tags, Keyword focused Header Tags, SEO Copywriting, Sitemap, etc. you can create a website or performance car ready to fly with online marketing activities.

Bookmark It