Do you own your website picures - or does someone else?

Stock image websites like Pixabay or Unsplash offer up royalty-free stock images. These may not be the best pictures ever, but most of the time they’re pretty good and you won’t run the risk of getting a nasty letter in the mail from a lawyer demanding thousands of dollars for the use of the image! Your website design will benefit from plenty of images so if free sources aren’t panning out, Shutter Stock or Adobe Stock may well be worth the investment.

Click Here to learn more!

Know Where You Source Your Images for Your Website Design!

Just because another website posts a picture in an article or a news story doesn’t mean it’s free to use. Just because you see a picture on social media doesn’t mean you’re able to use it in your marketing. Even if it’s a picture of you – you don’t always own the right to use that picture! As various celebrities like Katy Perry have discovered, you can’t share photos of yourself taken by someone else on social media without paying the photographer or organization that owns the image – without risking a lawsuit.

Click Here to learn more!



Michigan SEO Group
Website Design in Ann Arbor, Michigan

Is Dark Mode the New Best SEO Practice? - Not yet, but maybe soon!

So, no – Dark Mode doesn’t currently affect your SEO ranking. However, the thing you need to consider in the here and now is your website’s bounce rate. More search is done on tablets and cell phones, and a lot of that search traffic is happening in the morning and evening when people are likely to have dark mode turned on to ease the experience on their eyes. Making your website Dark Mode compatible may be something to consider to help potential new customers enjoy your website.

Click Here to learn more.

Michigan SEO Group
Best Practice SEO in Ann Arbor, Michigan

Dark Mode and Your SEO

Does Dark Mode Affect Your SEO Ranking? - Not yet, but it could hurt your bounce rate!

Mueller coyly mentioned that Dark Mode isn’t a ranking factor but jokingly said that if it becomes popular – it might be:

“I don’t think dark mode would be a ranking factor. So, maybe, at some point in the future if dark mode is really, really popular then maybe we would need to highlight dark mode sites in search when people have their phone set to dark mode. But I don’t know if that would actually happen, or if it will really go that far.”

Click Here to learn more about Dark Mode and SEO 



Michigan SEO Group
Best SEO Practices for Ann Arbor, MI Businesses

Stuck In The Online Marketing Muck? 3 Ways To Refresh Your Marketing Strategy!

Online marketing can be tedious is you don't hit the refresh button every now and then.

If you're bored with what you're doing or not seeing results - shake things up! 

Make Online Marketing for Your Ann Arbor, Michigan Business a Virtual Party!

Who says you have to do things just one way? If you're struggling to create interesting content that reaches your audience - take a step back and look at it again. If you're tired of writing page after page - stop. Maybe it's time you try some videos? Maybe you could work on your social presence and become a thought leader in your industry? Use your reviews to your advantage - be proud of your work and show the world what people think of what you've done!

There are a lot of ways you could go about this, but don't throw your SEO strategy out with the bathwater. Content creation is about keeping things interesting but also informative. If you're not seeing the results you want with simple blog posts - shake things up and try something new that excites you!

Click Here to learn more!



Michigan SEO Group
Online Marketing for Ann Arbor, Michigan Area Businesses

Looking To Improve Your Online Marketing?

Not getting enough business leads?
Trying to find a way to get more out of your business website? 

Here are 3 ways to improve your online marketing and reach more potential new clients!

1) Video Content
We’ve mentioned before the importance of optimizing your YouTube channel – but video is a great way to capture someone’s attention.

2) Social Media Forums

Are you a leader in your industry with valuable opinions? There’s a forum for that! Spend some time engaging with other professionals and get a reputation as a thought leader in your field.

3) Harness the Power of Reviews

Don't be afraid of directory or review websites - use them! Google My Business, Yelp, TripAdvisor, Better Business Bureau, Trade Associations – these are important leveraging tools for people to find info about your business, read reviews, and even place and order!

Click Here to learn more! 

Michigan SEO Group
Online Marketing for Ann Arbor, Michigan Businesses

Want a Website That Loads Fast AND Looks Amazing?

In the world of website design and hosting - bigger isn't always better! 

Local website design and hosting can offer several advantages over the big box approach.

1 - Local

This is important when you need to get a hold of someone when something happens to your website. You're less likely to get shoved into a support cue only to be served by some random stranger half the world away.

2 - Response Time

You want a website that loads fast for customers. The longer they have to wait to read your website the more likely they are to bounce. Local hosting isn't burdened with a massive influx of traffic and are usually able to offer you prime server space without the extra costs.

3 - Your Best Interests First

The other advantage of local is the personal relationship. For a smaller local company you're a name and a face - not an account number. If you call and say you've got a problem or if you have an exciting idea for your website - you're more likely to get feedback and action versus being handed a price quote.


Click Here to learn more about local website hosting and website design in Ann Arbor, Michigan!

Where'd Your SEO Ranking Go?

Google indexing issues are the reason your SERPs may be a bit wonky.

Did you check your client's or your own business' search ranking and wondering why you dropped off page one? April, May, and again this last August Google has had some indexing issues. One day your website could be on page one... the next it could be on page none. Apparently these issues have been fixed and your search results should be accurate, but to say the least this has made online marketing for local Ann Arbor, Michigan are businesses a bit tricky!

Highly competitive keyword markets appear to see the hardest impact. Don't worry though. You didn't do anything wrong. The best way to mitigate the issues is with a strong long-term SEO focus. The more pages you have with strong keyword saturation and focus - the less likely you are to notice the problem.

Click Here to learn more about this frustrating issue.




Michigan SEO Group
Online Marketing for Ann Arbor, Michigan area businesses

Rejected Google Ads? How SEO Can Fill The Gap!

What do you do when your Google Ads keep getting rejected? 

Depending on your industry, SEO may be your best shot.

We love Google Ads. For a number of our clients it can be a massive help to get some movement for a client while our SEO team moves them up the ranks organically. In the last year there has been a shift with Google implementing content or certification requirements for certain industries if they want to use Google’s paid search platform. What Google is effectively doing is self-regulating.  

With SEO there aren’t any restrictions. If you’re writing clean content that’s accurate and hits target keywords you should be able to organically move your client to page one on Google.

 

CLICK HERE to learn more 

Michigan SEO Group

Your Source for Best SEO Practices in Ann Arbor, Michigan

  

Can't Get Approval For Your Google Ads? Try SEO!

Google Ads are cracking down on content for certain industries. If your business has been affected by Google's new rules - best SEO techniques can fill that gap! 

What Google is effectively doing is self-regulating. Since there are no laws on the books to prevent predatory loan providers or shady medication dispensaries, Google is protecting its brand. We love Google Ads. For a number of our clients, it can be a massive help to get some movement for a client while our SEO team moves them up the ranks organically.

A strong SEO effort could be a cost and time-effective solution.

CLICK HERE to learn more 

Michigan SEO Group
Best SEO Techniques for Ann Arbor, MI Area Businesses

Is Your Website Hosting & Webside Design A Nightmare?

Do you have a third-party web host that takes days to make changes?

Is your website design loaded with plug-ins that constantly break?

Are you writing A+ content but your SEO grade is an F?

Big name brand companies may be known for ease of use and cost - but that's just it - they're cheap and easy, not the best option available. While you can get a pretty looking website, it might be doing more harm than good! When you look for quality reliable website hosting and website design for your Michigan business, local is almost always better!

At Michigan SEO group we have nearly fourteen years of experience providing best SEO techniques, reliable website hosting, and exceptional website design in Ann Arbor, Michigan.


Click HERE to learn more about why you should reconsider a big box approach to your website hosting and web design.

Michigan SEO Group
Exceptional Website Design in Ann Arbor, Michigan

Here's Why Local Web Hosting and Website Design Is Better Than Big Brands

Did you build your website through a company like Wix or Squarespace?

Is it running a bit slow or not getting the SEO traction you thought it would?

Are you 100% sure your critical information is secure with redundant backups?

There are a couple good reasons why your website might not be performing up to snuff. From the coding to plug-ins to where your website is hosted can all impact your performance. But there's a bigger issue that you should be aware of. These website builders are constructed so that anyone can use them - that also means that despite security precautions, it's incredible easy for these websites to get hacked.

At Michigan SEO Group we provide world class Web Hosting and Website Design for Ann Arbor, Michigan area businesses and clients all over the world. We build everything in our CMS and provide local hosting with a variety of security steps in place.

Click Here to learn more about our website development and web hosting services.



Michigan SEO Group
World-Class Website Hosting & Website Design in Ann Arbor, Michigan

Your Cool Looking Website May Be Stalling Out Your SEO!

Premier Website Design for Michigan Businesses

Here's the simple thing about SEO: like the high-quality content people come to your website to read, Google and the other search engines need to be able to read your website! Broken links, bad WordPress plugins, convoluted code, slow load times, unresponsive hosting - all of these could be factors that keep your website off page one in Google search results!
 
You could have written the perfect target keyword rich article for your website, but if Google and search engines struggle to read and index it, they may not rank it as high as it should be! At Michigan SEO Group, we provide clean and efficient website design for Michigan businesses. We build in our own CMS with clean code and host the website. Countless times we've had clients let us host and rebuild their website with dramatically improved results!

Click Here to learn more about our Website Design in Michigan services.

How Expert Website Design in Michigan Can Help Your SEO

 

Search Engine Optimization or “SEO” is a lot like running a marathon. It’s the long-term plan designed to improve your business’ search engine rankings to page one and keep you there. New keyword-focused content, social media, YouTube videos, blog posts are all key elements. The quality of your website design is equally important.  

CLICK HERE to learn why expert website design with SEO is so important! 

Have you filled out your Google My Business Profile?

If you haven't claimed and fully filled out your Google My Business profile - you're missing out on a valuable marketing asset - and an important piece of your SEO!

Click HERE for a step-by-step guide to claim your Google My Business profile and how to fill out each section to make sure your Business appears in Google's search panel!

3 Tips to Optimize Your YouTube for SEO

At Michigan SEO Group we help businesses thrive online. Social Media Management is one very important piece of the search engine optimization puzzle. YouTube has become a major player. YouTube videos frequently appear in search results along with images and maps, making proper optimization essential. There are a lot of techniques for optimizing your YouTube channel and videos, but here are the three most important tips:

Fill Out The Channel Description
Add Website and Social Links
Keyword Rich Titles and Descriptions 

Click HERE to learn more about optimizing your YouTube Channel!

What Happens Behind the Scenes of SEO

There’s a lot to SEO beyond good content creation and making sure you’re posting on social media. There are a lot of behind the scenes work that most people don’t know about.

   

If your search results are less than desirable – we can help you get back on track. As one of the best SEO companies in Michigan, we have a proven track record for getting our clients businesses to rank highly in Google search results. Click Here to learn more about the behind the scenes work that goes into SEO.

Does your business have a YouTube Channel?

Do you post videos on your business YouTube channel? How would you like those videos to help your SEO Results?

You may not have noticed, but YouTube is actually one of the fastest growing social media platforms! People post, share, comment, build favorite playlists – it’s a busy platform and should be an essential piece of your Social Media Management strategy. When working with our clients and their social media in Michigan strategies, YouTube is one area that offers terrific growth potential because videos are becoming an important ranking factor for Google and other search engines.

Click Here to learn about optimizing your YouTube Channel and videos and help improve your SEO results!

Are You an Expert? Does Google Know?

As a part of our OnlineMarketing Michigan initiative, establishing authority and expertise has become one of the best tools for improving Google search ranks. If you’re an authority in your field, if you have good advice and are knowledgeable in your industry, Google loves that and potentially will reward your website with higher SERPs. The trick is getting Google to notice that you’re an authority.

Step No. 1: Content

Your content needs to be top notch, written well, with cited sources. You don’t want keyword spamming and you do not want to present speculative unfounded statements as fact! For example, say you’re a therapist writing about a particular treatment, it’s a good idea to include links to respected publications and journals. This is just like citing a source for a term paper in college! Google sees that link, sees where it leads, crawls that website and if done right will lend extra weight to your article!

CLICK HERE to learn more about establishing your Expertise – Authority – and Trustworthiness

Have You Made a Google My Business Post Yet?

Remember that old Google Plus account you had and probably never posted on? Well, it’s dead. Google has killed off Google Plus and replaced it with the much more powerful and more engaging Google My Business! Claim Your Profile and make sure all of the necessary information from the name of your business to your hours of operation to the products or services you offer is accurate and up to date – but don’t stop there!

Google My Business is like having a free advertising platform at your fingertips. Google lets you craft news UpdatePosts, Event Posts, Special Offer or sale posts, and Product Posts! People searching for your goods or services can see your Google My Business profile in the info panel, see your posts and products and even schedule appointments or make purchases right there from your GMB profile!

That means you could actually be losing potential customers by not having your Google My Business profile claimed, thoroughly optimized, and by not posting at least once a week!

CLICK HERE to learn more about Google My Business Posts.

Do you even E-A-T your Y.M.Y.L. Website?

Your Money Your Life websites are held to a pretty high standard by Google and other search engines. If your business is offering health tips and services or if you’re providing financial planning or investment tips – heck – even if you’re a mechanic making a model or tire brand recommendation – you could fall under the Y.M.Y.L. category. This opens your website to extra scrutiny by Google as they try to stamp out harmful misinformation or junk information!

What does that mean for your business?

As part of our Online Marketing for Michigan Businesses initiative, we’ve seen that if you have a Y.M.Y.L. website and your content isn’t of a high enough quality that establishes your Expertise, Authority, or Trustworthiness – E-A-T – Google could actually punish your content or not rank it as highly as one of your competitors!

CLICK HERE to learn more about E-A-T and how you can help turn your Y.M.Y.L. website content around! 

Claim Your Google My Business Profile & Engage Potential New Customers!

Effective April 2^nd 2019 Google+ will be dead. You won’t be able to post there, all of that relevant information and valuable SEO material including business location, hours of operation and services will be moved over to Google My Business – but you need to Claim Your Profile!

This is a very exciting and powerful new tool Google is giving to businesses for free. Not only will is potentially improve your SEO results, but if you’ve properly optimized it – your business may appear in a special information panel because Google will recognize YOUR business ahead of your competitors!

But before you start posting – you’ve got to Claim and Optimize your Google My Business Profile. Click Here to learn everything you need to know getting your profile ready for posting!

THIS is Why You Need to Post on Your Google My Business Profile!

What if we were to tell you that there was a way for a potential new customer to not only discover your business but what you have to sell, see what’s new, AND possibly even purchase a product or schedule your services – FOR FREE? You’d think we were nuts, but we’re not nuts, we’re merely talking about Google My Business.

Strategic Online Marketing for Michigan Local Businesses

Not only is Google My Business good for your SEO profile, but it gives you the opportunity to post news, events, products and promotional offers customers and potential new customers can redeem right there in that profile without ever going to your website!

The way you need to treat Google My Business Posts is like it was Free Advertising! Now all you got to do is post!

Click Here to learn EVERYTHING you need to know about how to post to your Google My Business.

Have you claimed your Google My Business Profile? You Need To!

Google My Business and Online Marketing for Michigan Local Businesses

Google is giving local businesses like yours an incredibly powerful tool to help you market your businesses to potential new customers – Google My Business. Better than Google+ - your Google My Business profile can actually appear in Google search results! This will let people searching for your products or services be able to see relevant information about your business but also if you have an event, a sale or discount product or service. Meaning: people can schedule an appointment, purchase, or contact you directly without them going to your website!

But if you want your business’ Google My Business profile to appear in search results – you have to optimize your profile!

CLICKHERE for a complete guide to getting your business listed in Google’s search panel!

Do yourself a favor and post on your Google My Business Profile!

Now that you’ve claimed your Google My Business profile and optimized it – you need to use Google’s new platform to its fullest potential – you have to POST on it!

Smart Online Marketing for Michigan Local Businesses

What do you post? Well, that’s the good news. Google My Business gives you LOTS of options for posting. You have four primary categories:

What’s New

Event

Offer

Product

Do you have news about your business? Is you company hosting a big event? Did you just roll out a new product line? Are you having a sale on a specific item or discount on a service you provide? This is where you can tell people all about it!

CLICK HERE to learn more about how to craft your Google My Business Posts as part of your internet marketing plan!

Use Your Reviews for Smart Social Media Management

It’s one thing to be doing a good job and satisfying customers – it’s another thing to be getting positive reviews. A smart strategy in social media management for Michigan businesses is to leverage your positive reviews. Facebook, GoogleMyBusiness – if people are giving you a good review on those platforms, use them in your social media management plan! Pop It into a Tweet, find a good picture and add it to your Pinterest profile – the more people see positive reviews, the more likely they’re going to purchase your products or services.

CLICKHERE to learn how to leverage positive reviews in your social media management plan!  

Want Your Business’ YouTube Videos to Rank in Search Results?

Do you have a YouTube channel for your business? 

Is it optimized?

If you haven’t noticed, video is everywhere on the internet. It’s predicted that 80% of the internet traffic will be video by 2020. YouTube videos are even starting to appear in organic Google search results ahead of maps and websites - so now’s the time to get your YouTube Channel cranking!

At Michigan SEO Group we have over 12 years of experience providing proven internet marketing for Michigan businesses. Social media management is a big part of the equation and proper YouTube Channel optimization has become increasingly important.

CLICK HERE for 3 YouTube Channel Optimization Steps for Social Media Management Michigan.

Build Your Website Design for SEO

Can’t find your business in Google search results? – It could be your website’s fault!

Proper website design is an essential part of your SEO strategy. At Michigan SEO Group we provide high quality website design for Michigan businesses specifically built employing the very best search engine optimization techniques.

With a proper website design and quality content, there’s no reason why your business shouldn’t rank highly in Google search results.

CLICK HERE to learn more about the importance of web design and your SEO strategy.

3 Essential Steps for Optimizing Your YouTube Channel

Do you have a YouTube Channel for your business?

Have you gone through your channel and thoroughly optimized it?

Social media management for Michigan businesses is getting more and more complicated – but we’re going to help make it easy for you! Video is growing and is becoming an essential element for your business’ online marketing plan. If you’ve got a YouTube channel and are posting promotional videos we have three steps you must execute to help your videos appear in search results.

3 YouTube Channel Optimization Steps for Social Media Management Michigan

Write a keyword rich Channel Description

Include Links in the Channel Description

Write keyword rich Video Descriptions

CLICK HERE for more details about optimizing your business’ YouTube Channel for social media management.