Are Your Keywords Helping or Hindering Your SEO?

 

Are you feeling frustrated that about your website’s Google rankings?

Have you been struggling to figure out how to properly use keywords in your content?

Keeping pace with Google’s ever-changing algorithms amid a surge of technological advancements is a challenging task. As Google refines its criteria, many established website owners are witnessing fluctuations in their traffic. While this can be disheartening, it’s important to recognize that improvements can be made by consistently evaluating your content and adapting to Google’s evolving standards.

If you’re currently experiencing a drop in traffic, know that you’re not alone. Here are some factors to consider when evaluating the effectiveness of your keywords:

Are You Consistently Monitoring Your Metrics?

When experiencing a ranking decline, it’s important to regularly monitor your website metrics using programs like Google Console and Google Analytics. These tools help identify any potential issues and changes in traffic and performance. If your keywords aren’t performing well, maybe it’s time to incorporate new ones, or shift focus to optimization.

Are Your Keywords Optimized Effectively?

Do your keywords appear in your titles and headings? Are they sprinkled throughout your content? It’s vital to find the right balance of optimizing your keywords in a natural way so they gain enough traction, yet avoid appearing like a sales pitch.

If it appears that your keywords are in fact still ranking high and being optimized effectively, your keywords and SEO may not be the problem. It could be Google’s changing criteria that is deeming other content to be more useful at the present time.

Boost Your Content with an Ann Arbor SEO Company

If you’re seeking a competitive edge that will aid in improving your website’s standing on Google, consider seeking professional guidance and research the services of Ann Arbor SEO Companies.

Michigan SEO Group offers online marketing in Ann Arbor, MI and the surrounding communities. We perform search engine optimization, write digital content, and manage social media campaigns. Contact us today so we can begin creating a plan of attack for your SEO!

How to Evaluate Your Content When SEO Ranking Declines

Are you stumped as to why your content isn’t ranking highly on Google?

Would you like to learn how to refresh your content?

Keeping pace with Google’s ever-changing algorithms amid a surge of technological advancements is a challenging task. As Google refines its criteria, many established website owners are witnessing fluctuations in their traffic. While this can be disheartening, it’s important to recognize that improvements can be made by consistently evaluating your content and adapting to Google’s evolving standards. 

If you’re currently experiencing a drop in traffic, know that you’re not alone. Here are some factors to consider when evaluating the quality of your content: 

Is Your Content Original, Relevant, and Valuable?

When creating content, emphasize originality and relevance to stand out in the digital crowded landscape. Move beyond generic product listings and service descriptions and instead put focus on sharing experiences. 

Center your content around user experiences by writing about how consumers will feel when using your product or service, and shift to highlighting customer reviews and testimonials. This will humanize your content which is great for SEO and makes your material more appealing and engaging to your target audience. 

Boost Your Content with an Ann Arbor SEO Company 

If you’re seeking a competitive edge that will aid in improving your website’s standing on Google, consider seeking professional guidance and research the services of Ann Arbor SEO Companies. 

Michigan SEO Group offers online marketing in Ann Arbor, MI and the surrounding communities. We perform search engine optimization, write digital content, and manage social media campaigns. Contact us today so we can begin creating a plan of attack for your SEO! 

Five More Ways Reviews Help SEO

 How does leaving reviews help a business’s online presence?

Here are five more ways that reviews help small business SEO! (For the first five ways, see our previous blog, “Five Ways Reviews Help SEO.)

Local Pack Rankings

Positive reviews can help a business's position in the “local pack,” which is a set of local businesses that appear at the top of a search result. High-ranking businesses in the local pack are more likely to attract clicks.

Build Trust and Reputation

This is the companion to “user generated content.” Positive reviews build trust and credibility for a business. Search engines aim to provide users with helpful information, so they are more likely to promote a business that appears to be trusted by other users.

Increased Dwell Time and Engagement

The amount of time that a user spends on a business’s page is called “dwell time.” Reviews are an effective way of engaging readers, which means they are more likely to spend time interacting with your business page. Higher dwell time tells search engines that the content is relevant and valuable.

Mobile Search Impact

Many people perform searches on their smart phones or other mobile tech. Positive reviews can have a significant impact on mobile search rankings, as mobile search algorithms often prioritize local businesses with positive reviews.

Social Proof

This is the main function that people think of when writing or reading reviews. When users see that others have had a positive experience with a business, they are more likely to engage with that business, which influences all the previous points.

Get More Marketing Tips from a Local Michigan SEO Agency

Or better yet, let us help your business with SEO!

MSG is a local Michigan SEO agency run by real people who are excited to help you grow your business. For more information, call (877) 815-6974 or submit a contact form here. Or click here to read Google reviews from our happy clients!

Five Way Reviews Help SEO

Did you know that Google reviews can contribute to a business’s SEO?

Here are five ways that reviews help SEO:

Improved Local SEO

This one is pretty simple: positive reviews that contain relevant keywords can make a business appear more often in local search results.

Increased Click-Through Rates (CTRs)

Businesses with a lot of positive reviews are more likely to get clicks. More clicks equal a higher click-through rate, and a higher click-through rate improves your search engine ranking.

Keyword Relevance

Including keywords that are relevant to the business will make them show up more when those words are searched in Google. For example, “SEO Agency Michigan” and “Internet Marketing Company” are relevant keywords for Michigan SEO Group.

Fresh Content and Regular Updates

Google favors fresh, consistently-updated content. Since reviews are continuously updated over time, they are a strong source of fresh content. This in turn tells the search engine that the business is active.

User-Generated Content

This one goes hand-in-hand with “fresh content and regular updates.” Search engines often prioritize content created by users because it reflects real-world experiences, which contributes to the credibility of a business.

Get More Marketing Tips from a Local Michigan SEO Agency

Or better yet, let us help your business with SEO!

Michigan SEO Group is run by real people who are excited to help you grow your business. For more information, call (877) 815-6974 or submit a contact form here. Or click here to read Google reviews from our happy clients!

Artificial Intelligence in SEO

Curious about the new role of AI in SEO?

We haven’t forgotten about the latest up-and-coming player on the SEO field. This double-edged sword is only going to get bigger, so it’s important to take it into account. There is still much debate over the ethics of using AI bots such as ChatGPT in content creation, but regardless of that, AI is already working behind the scenes in the SEO process. Aragon Research explains it like this: “In 2024, we can anticipate further integration of AI technologies in SEO strategies, offering more precise targeting, personalized content recommendations, and enhanced user satisfaction.”

There’s an important distinction to make here: AI is not replacing SEO, or rendering it obsolete; it’s being integrated into the process. Customizing user experience to show relevant content means that the content still needs to exist, which brings us back to the importance of quality, original content for visibility. 

If you’d like to learn more about the role of AI writing, read our article on the subject here.

Get Original Content from an SEO Company from Ann Arbor, Michigan

Looking for an SEO company that doesn’t rely on AI?

Whether you’re specifically looking for SEO companies near Ann Arbor, Michigan, or you just need a company who cares about your results, Michigan SEO Group can help! The online nature of our website, social media, and SEO services means that we can help your business no matter where you are. But don’t take it from us, click here to read Google reviews from our happy clients.

To get started, call (877) 815-6974 or submit a contact form here.

The Relevance of SEO in 2024

Wondering if SEO is still relevant in 2024?

You may think that we’re a little biased towards that question, but don’t worry, we actually did the research to make sure we’re not out of date. The TLDR answer is: yes! As long as there are search engines (Google, Bing, Edge, etc.), SEO will always be a vital tool for website visibility.

Aragon Research has this to say on the topic: “In 2024, we anticipate a surge in the importance of multimedia content, including videos and interactive elements. Search engines will likely reward websites that engage users with diverse and valuable content.” This is to say, SEO is more than just keywords. Quality content is the driving force behind good SEO, and as we go into the new year, high-quality, diverse content will be more important than ever. 

Diamond Media Solutions says something similar: “The relevance of SEO in 2024 is not just about keywords but a more holistic approach to online content. Keywords, while fundamental, are just one part of the story.” Even just ten years ago, a website could gain solid visibility from a heavy smattering of keywords with a side of content. Nowadays, as the internet continues to grow and change, SEO techniques grow and change along with it. This means that while spamming keywords doesn’t cut it anymore, the importance of SEO hasn’t diminished—its priorities have simply evolved. Given that this evolution means good SEO practice prioritizes original educational content for website viewers, we would say this is a pretty good thing!

Boost Your Business with an SEO Company from Ann Arbor, Michigan

Want to give your business a digital edge in 2024?

Whether you’re specifically looking for SEO companies near Ann Arbor, Michigan, or you just need a company who cares about your results, Michigan SEO Group can help! The online nature of our website, social media, and SEO services means that we can help your business no matter where you are. But don’t take it from us, click here to read Google reviews from our happy clients.

To get started, call (877) 815-6974 or submit a contact form here.

Is Your Digital Presence Strong Enough for 2021?

The move to digital isn’t slowing down. Today, your digital presence is a branch of your business. Success in 2021 depends on it. Think of it like inviting customers to your website and treating them to the same kind of quality interaction you’d give them if they walked into your business in person. 

If your web presence doesn’t give customers what they’re looking for, they will look elsewhere. So, embrace online like it's the most important thing you'll ever do for your business. Because it just might be! 

You don’t need a huge marketing team to rock your digital presence or to provide outstanding online service. All you need is MSG.

Visit our website to learn more.

We Love Our Clients - Partners in Personal Assistance!

We are so proud to be helping to promote Partners in Personal Assistance (PPA) with their online presence! 

Partners in Personal Assistance is an Ann Arbor nonprofit that provides in-home and community-based personal assistant services. PPA offers an empowering solution for people with disabilities and elders who want to exercise independence and self determination in their personal care.

PPA's innovative approach to personal assistance achieves a level of integration, empowerment, and equality that benefits both Consumer Partners (Consumers) and Personal Assistants (PAs). People with disabilities are able to live more stable lives due to high-quality assistance, and personal assistants are able to make a meaningful difference in their clients' lives while earning a decent income. 

Consumers and PAs interview each other to decide if they want to work together. Each one has a choice in whether to collaborate as a team and set their schedule together.

If you'd like to find ways to help PPA, please let us know. We'd love to make the introductions! If you'd like to learn more about how SEO Ann Arbor could help with your online presence, take a look at our website!

Internet Marketing Secrets - What The World Wants!

What Does the World Want?

Last time we talked about making sure you narrow down what you do very, very well, and then to focus on that niche in your internet marketing. The next step is to make sure you know what the world wants when it comes to that niche. Think about it this way - you might sell the best upside down green widgets on the planet, but if nobody's typing "upside down green widgets" into Google, you're not going to get found. Instead, if people have a different way of searching - maybe they type "solve my widget problems"! If you know that, you can present your information in a way that meshes with search habits and also addresses their concerns in a very direct way. 

Learn more about focusing on what the world wants to rocket your internet marketing success upwards with this article.

Internet Marketing Secrets - What You Do Very, Very Well

What Do You Do Very, Very Well?

Before you start working to build your internet presence, it's so important to make sure you know what it is that you do very, very well. When you say it out loud, it sounds silly, but we've worked with so many clients who have never taken the time to really narrow down what they're best at, what they most enjoy, where they make the most difference, and where they make the most profit. As a result, not only does their internet marketing lack focus, not only are they wasting a lot of money on their pay-per-click marketing, but often their businesses struggle as well!

Learn more about narrowing down your online marketing to focus on what you do best with this article.

Internet Marketing Secrets - Use Pay-Per-Click Marketing? Absolutely!

What is Pay-Per-Click Marketing?

Pay-Per-Click marketing is pretty much what it sounds like - you pay a marketing service each time a visitor clicks on a link to your website. The biggest player is Google's Adwords program, but there are others, with Facebook paid ads running a close second. You set up a campaign, select some initial keywords, and write one or more ads that tell potential customers what you offer. Other than a few high-dollar categories like legal services, real estate, and some home improvement categories, most clicks will cost you very little.

Visit our website to learn more about pay-per-click marketing!

Internet Marketing Secrets - The Sweet Spot!

What's one thing every business should know about internet marketing? The sweet spot!

What's the Sweet Spot in Internet Marketing?

That's where what you do very, very well and what the world wants come together. We see mistakes all the time in internet marketing ... usually by people who just post random things on their website and social media. They're inconsistent with their posts, but most important, they haven't taken the time to nail both aspects of this critical core of internet marketing.

Wouldn't it be great to know that you're using your online presence as effectively as possible?
Would you like to be sure you're spending your internet marketing dollars wisely?

To learn more, read the complete post on our website!

Five SEO Tips You Can't Live Without!

First, find the best keywords! 
There are two things that the average business website does that are NOT very helpful to SEO. 

First, they choose words that only a person who already knows about their business would type into Google. For example, a local heating a cooling business we know optimized their site for the word “mechanical.” Now, an educated person might know that “XYZ Mechanical” would repair and install home furnaces, but someone whose furnace just quit will probably type in “furnace repair.” You have to make that kind of calculation for all your keywords.

Second, they choose keywords that very few people are searching for. If you have limited space on your site (and you SHOULD limit the number of words on your homepage, at least), then you want to focus on the keywords that most people are searching for. There are a number of good tools to find out, including the keyword tool on Google Adwords, and many free services offered by the search engines. Make sure the keywords you select are actually ones being commonly searched in your area of specialty. Don't forget to check your successful competitors!

Find out how many incoming links your competitors have, and their top five keywords. This will give you very specific guidance as to (1) how many links you’ll need to compete, and (2) what keywords they deemed important.

You’ll have to dig a little deeper to make this information meaning, however. The quality of incoming links is at least as important as the number, so you can use of the many free back link checkers to find out the Page Rank of your competitor’s incoming links. 

You’ll also want to go further with your analysis of your competitor’s keywords. Review them just as you do your own – make sure they’re keywords that are widely searched, and figure out how to incorporate them into key phrases that generate sustained search interest.

Third, add great content! This is the thing Google is trying to get you to do, anyway. You want to include actual content that inspires people to visit your site and share it with others. If you aren’t a great writer, find someone who is. In the large context of your advertising budget, freelance web writers are often very affordable. Here are some of the qualities of good online content: originality, usefulness, worth sharing, accuracy, detail, excitement. One way to learn more about shareable content is to visit one of the free sites that allows you to search for most shared articles. Study those articles and you’ll figure out some of the things they do that make them so shareable.

Fourth, make sure you optimize your page titles and meta description. Page titles are those words that appear at the top of your browser window, usually in the gray or blue space above the URL (uniform resource locator). Make sure your page titles contain as many of your top keywords as possible while still reasonably indicating the purpose of the page. There’s a lot of evidence to suggest that Google only considers the first 66 characters of a page title, but many SEO experts still advise including as many words as you think are necessary to adequately describe the page. 

The meta description is a phrase that often shows up in the snippet of text Google shows below the link to your site. It’s a chance to point out what your page is all about. As part of what we call “four-in-one” keyword optimization, we like to be sure our most important keywords are included in the URL, page title, headers, and text of our home page, and to make sure the meta-description is compelling.
 
Fifth, be sure to use title and ALT attribute 
The title attribute is included in the html of a link. Though the viewer won’t see it (unless she’s looking .. or actually, if he or she is blind. Browsers for the visually impaired often read the title and ALT attributes) it tells the search engines more about where they will end up if they click the link. Since this isn’t meant to be a technical article, we’ll just say here that the link will not only contain the URL of the destination page, but also a short description of it. Once again, this is a good place to employ keywords.

The ALT attribute is also for the search engines and those who use browsers or readers for the visually impaired. It gives more information about an image, which otherwise wouldn’t have any value to the search engine.

This is far from an exhaustive list of SEO methods. But it will help get you started. If you’re not inclined to do this kind of work for yourself, or if you’re too busy, give us a call at 877-815-6974. We’ll do a quick FREE evaluation of your website, and let you know if we can help get you to page one of Google!

What on Earth is an "Opt-In"?!

We’ve talked before about the need for an “opt-in” of some kind. That’s a method where we offer something that visitors to your website might want (an “incentive”), so they share their email address with us. We've used this approach with many of our most successful clients.

We urge you to let us create an opt-in for you!

We’ve seen again and again that it’s an important part of a robust online presence, and it really helps us get the message out there that you care. In the long run, that’s very valuable for building your brand and getting you more qualified customers!

How it works:

1.    We offer an incentive of some kind – a handy guide, a white paper, a coupon.
2.    We create a button or other place on your website that tells people they can get the incentive by sharing their email with us.
3.    Once we get the email, we have an automated system in place to follow up with them and share more useful information.
4.    Customers learn that you are good at what you do and that you are abundant.
5.    When they need services like your, they think of you in a positive way!

Why we need it:

In the course of our work, we've seen that many visitors will come to a website, but most leave, right away or after a minute or two. You have no way of knowing who they are or reminding them what you do. Some are potential clients, but they may leave and forget about you. If you think about it, that’s a loss that should make you feel the pain of missing out on business that you really deserve to get.

On the other hand, if they claim your incentive, you have a fighting chance to get their business, and make all your effort on website design, blogging, social media, and opportunity scouting worthwhile!

What we need from you:

1.    First, just say “yes!”
2.    We’ll suggest some ideas for the opt-in and VVVS sequence.
3.    You let us know if the ideas seem okay, or suggest others.
4.    We create the draft of the whole sequence.
5.    You approve the draft or suggest changes.
6.    We implement the opt-in and automated VVVS sequence.
7.    You start building a list of potential customers who think you are awesome!

It may seem like a bit of trouble, but many of our clients have been very successful using this approach as part of their overall marketing strategy. Imagine what just one or two more customers or clients per month could mean to your bottom line!

If one of your competitors is using it, you will likely see their business growing as clients chose them instead of you. You don’t want that to happen, and neither do we!

Give us the okay. We’ll get to work, and try to keep it as simple as possible for you!

Our Ideal Client Communication

Our Ideal Client Communication

“We believe in helping people achieve their dream of a successful, growing business and an abundant life…starting today!”  We do this by employing a vast number of website design, internet marketing and SEO strategies and tactics. However, our work is not done in a vacuum! 

We need consistent communication and content from you to maximize your success. We encourage you to think of your SEO specialist as an extension of your team. 

We design your SEO campaign to work best for your  particular customers, products, and services. Your expertise in your business and your knowledge of your customers’ needs is invaluable to us.  Here are a few examples of the kinds of information you can help provide:

•    Phone calls – who is calling or emailing you, and what are they asking for? – Let us know, early and often! 

•    Upcoming sales and events:  If you have a big sale or open house planned – Let us know!

•    Cancellations:  If an event or promotion is cancelled that we’ve advertised for you – Let us know! 

•    Conferences and community service projects:  Your staff “Races for the Cure” or attends a special conference or training session – Let us know!

•    New products or services:  You change your hours, launch a new product, recall a product, or find a new use for it – Let us know! 

•    Awards and recognition:  If you or a staff person becomes a member of an organization, your business receives accolades, or the baseball team you sponsor wins a tournament – Yep, you guessed it! Let us know! 

•    Industry news:  You recently read any interesting trade journals or blogs related to your business – Let us know!  [and please provide us with a link or copy of the article]

•    Staff news:  You hire a new employee, an employee retires, or other notable events occur like marriages, certifications, graduations, babies, etc. – Let us know! Are you noticing a theme yet?

•    Customer testimonials or reviews.  Stories about customers are worth their weight in gold.  Your staff went above and beyond to help a customer – Let us know! 

Are you wondering what a staff change or a community service event could have to do with your SEO campaign?  For getting the word about your business out there, ALL news is good news!  We can add your keywords into almost any content. Not only that, any “feel good” or personal news will tend to attract more human visitors via social media, especially if you provide us with photographs! 

Speaking of photographs, when you have an event, it’s really, really important to designate someone to take photographs (with permission) of happy customers to post on social media and your website.  We’re serious! It would be wonderful if you would assign someone the task of taking photographs and ONLY taking photographs, to make sure photos don’t become an afterthought. 

The more you “Let us know,” sooner rather than later, the more successful your campaigns will be!

Move Strategic Thinking to Strategic Doing

We follow Sam Geist, a top business strategist who posts great advice in his newsletter called "Quick Bites." This week's post is worth repeating! 

A couple of weeks ago, I once again facilitated a roundtable discussion on execution. I relayed to the group that studies have shown that the reason 95% of businesses are not successful is that they are 

not willing to do what the 5% who are successful are willing to do.  

We then made a list of what they felt was required to join The 5% Club.
Take a look at seven of the achievements on the list:

• Operate the business with a sense of purpose. Have a plan of where your business is going. No aimless wandering.
• Engage in open and clear communication. No big secrets. No tall silos. No excluded employees.
• Focus on accountability. Who does what by when. Delegate responsibility. Give authority. Stay in the loop.
• Encourage flexibility and adaptability. Be willing to collaborate for the well-being of the company. Be ready to "zig" when the competition "zags."
• Take a circular approach. Change is continuous. Improvement is continuous. Execution is continuous. No beginning, no end.
• Maintain "a company of leaders" perspective. Learn from everyone in the company. Teach everyone in the company-from top to bottom.
• Use all your resources-internal and external-beneficially. 

Innovation, strategies and plans cannot move forward alone. Without execution they lie dormant in a heap.  

LESSON LEARNED: 
"Execution is everything today. Get your people to execute. Take charge of execution. Move strategic thinking to strategic doing."

--Sam Geist   

Read more about Sam at http://www.samgeist.com/

5 Things Your Website Design is Missing

Are you running a website for your business?

Do you wish you were getting more leads online?

If your website isn’t performing as well as you’d like, there could be some key elements missing!

Website Design Ann Arbor

Website design is essential when you're trying to get more leads from your website. It can affect how long potential customers stay on your site!

Here are five things your website design might be lacking:

• Social media links: It is considered standard practice for every business to have links to social media platforms. These platforms are like extensions of your company’s personality – so display them on your home page!

• User-friendly navigation: Make sure your website is clean, organized, and won’t drive away customers!

•  Call to action: This might not seem like an element of website design, but a dedicated place on every page on your website to encourage people to call/click on something/subscribe to a newsletter is important.

•  Responsive design: A responsive design means a website design that can be viewed on any size screen – laptop, large desktop, phones and tablets - and still look good and function well.

• High quality images: Images help visitors to better understand who you are, and the kind of personality your company has. The more friendly faces on your site, the better!

Looking For More Tips?

At SEO AnnArbor, we want to help you get the website you’ve always wanted for your business, and get you more leads! Contact us today on our website for a free website design evaluation to get started!

When you think "website design ann arbor" ... we hope you'll contact us!