The Big Mistake Almost Everybody Makes

Here’s a quick “reality check” from Big Don Prior. 

Who’s Don Prior? 

He’s the one telling you how it’s going to be!

This SEO business can be tricky.  There are lots of moving parts.  There’s your website, blog, social media, online reviews, web hosting, and much more.  All these need to be monitored, optimized, and maintained.  It’s a lot of work, but someone’s got to do it. Your friends at SEO Ann Arbor are experts when it comes to SEO and everything that encompasses it!

Most people think that their website is a “fire and forget” situation. Once it’s up and running, they’re good to go and they don’t need to do anything else. 

That’s a mistake.  Big mistake.  Huge.

Except the Successful People 

If you don’t continually check the results, you won’t wind up where you want to be.  Updates need to be applied. Content needs to be updated. Results need to be checked.  People who are successful online make this part of a continual process. Not a one-time deal. There is no “set and forget” going on with the A players.

There are things that are beyond your control. Most people want their website to show up on the first page of Google, but Google periodically changes the rules of the game, and they do so with no notice to you and me. That’s why you need to monitor it, pay attention, and fix the issues that pop up. Or have someone monitor it for you.

We’ve seen Google stop indexing a bunch of pages on particular websites. Something like this can adversely affect your search engine rankings, especially if Google decides to stop indexing 50% of the content on your site. Fortunately for our clients, we keep an eye on just this kind of thing.

When was the last time you logged into Google webmaster tools to check the status of your site?  Even if you did, they aren’t going to tell you what the problem is.  They basically say “we stopped indexing a bunch of pages on your site.  You figure out why, because we aren’t telling!”  Usually this requires someone with a high level of proficiency in web design, web hosting, and SEO to figure this out.  Again, our customers are covered.

So How Are YOU Doing?

As Google continually changes the game, we’re on the case, monitoring how the changes may effect your search engine rankings. In some cases maybe what’s needed is an upgrade to your site to use https (secure hosting). In others it may be ensuring that the name of your site is referenced consistently (either with or without the “www” at the beginning of the domain name). Sometimes your site just needs to be resubmitted to Google and the other search engines. Other times, there are changes that need to be made to your content, hosting platform, or internal linking strategies. 

We have all this covered. Our customers have people for that. 

Do you?

Website Design in Ann Arbor: Contact the Experts at SEO Ann Arbor Today!

Want to learn more about internet marketing and successful website design? Call our experts at 877-815-6974 to arrange a time to visit or get your questions answered. If you’re more comfortable with email, you can reach us at info@seoannarbor.com or just contact us here.

For more in depth news on how to stay on top, sign up today for our Black Belt SEO Tips & News! You’ll learn about the truth about how to stay on top and website design in Ann Arbor.

Are You an A Lister?

What are the “A-lists”? They’re those annoying services like Yelp!, Zillow, Angie’s List, homeadvisor.com, and so many others that fill up the top slots on your search results when you just want a local company to help you out!

What are the “A-listers?” They’re those wonderful businesses who recognize that some part of their business comes from referrals from the A-lists. They realize that part of a robust online presence is making sure you’re included on the A-lists, and that your listings are as current and correct as possible!

Organic is Good, Ubiquitous is Better!

We work very, very hard to get our clients on page one of Google search results for their target keywords. When our clients are engaged in the process and help us create useful, compelling content, they always get there. And every single one of those clients tell us that they’ve seen increases in their business ... a little, a lot, or a massive, overwhelming increase. That is a truly wonderful phone call to have!

But it’s critical to understand which listing services (1) show up near the top of page one for your target keywords; and (2) provide good referral opportunities for potential customers looking for businesses like yours.

Go Ahead, Take a Look!

Take a quick look at Google results for your market. If you offer custom hand-made jewelry, type that in and see what shows up. If you’re a great plumber, type in something like “plumber near me” and see which A-lists show up. Whatever your business, you should know who occupies that precious territory on the top half of page one.

You should also reflect on what kinds of referrals you get. Are you part of an organization that gives you specific email or text referrals? We’ve worked with therapists who get a lot of their referrals from Psychology Today online. We’ve worked with trades people who get referrals from Angie’s List. We’ve worked with disaster restoration companies that get referrals not just from their corporate franchise website, but also from specific restoration sites that have found a way to show up high in Google results.

If you find a few A-lists that fulfill both criteria listed above, make sure you sign up with them right away! That will help make sure people can find you if they first click on the A-list player on the top half of a Google search results page. But don't stop there. In addition to making sure you're an A-lister, be sure your site is optimized for search results, make sure your blog is helpful and healthy, your social media is active and engaging, and your business listings are all up to date.

Want the Job Done Right the First Time? Contact the Best SEO Company in Ann Arbor!

Want to learn more about internet marketing and how to optimize your website using SEO? Call the best SEO Company in Ann Arbor at 877-815-6974 to arrange a time to visit or get your questions answered by our experts! If you’re more comfortable with email, you can reach us at info@seoannarbor.com or just contact us.

You can even sign up for our Black Belt SEO Tips & News! We report on the latest in SEO news and research findings.

Elements of Great Website Design!

At SEO Ann Arbor, we’re your experts when it comes to website design in Ann Arbor and the surrounding areas. We have your best interests in mind and want to see you succeed in the online world! We’ve compiled a list of the website design elements and trends you should keep in mind:

1. Unique Typography

According to Hubspot, “When you create your company's brand, your choice in typography can provide subtle hints about who you are. Are you fun or serious? Functional or informational? Regardless of what font you choose, be sure that your designer considers its applicability across browsers and computers. Choosing a font that is not supported by common browsers and computers could mean that your website displays awkwardly on different devices.”

 2. Ribbons

Want to showcase important information? Do you want to grab your viewers’ attention quickly? Ribbons are mostly used for highlighting important text on the web page. If you’re having a hard time grabbing visitor’s attention you may want to consider this!

3. Background video

Do you want to tell people what you’re all about? Do you want to make personal connections with your customers? A video can help tell your story by significantly reducing the amount of text on your page, making it visually more appealing to look at!

Learn more about elements of great website design in Ann Arbor by reading more on our website! Call our experts at 877-815-6974 to arrange a time to visit or get your questions answered. If you’re more comfortable with email, you can reach us at info@seoannarbor.com or just contact us.

How to Step Up and Truly Make a Difference!

What sets you apart from your competition?

Are you getting your point across?

Are you afraid of sharing your true self with the world?

That could be a big mistake if you’re trying to develop deep relationships with the people you do business with. People are more likely to bond with you because of a deep shared sense of “why,” not just because you sell widgets they want. And since we’ve been paying attention, we’ve noticed that a lot of great business relationships start not because of common needs, but because of common beliefs or passions.
    

Pepper in Your Purpose

We aren’t suggesting that you cynically deploy your beliefs to make more money. That may help a bit in the short term, but we believe the best stuff in the world comes from living to your highest purpose and sharing that purpose with others. In the marketing world, while you can never get completely away from addressing your customers’ wants and needs, you can “pepper in your higher purpose” (a phrase we borrowed from the inimitable Charly H. Caldwell II). People will pick up on it and pursue your products or services with a deeper drive because they sense that you support a similar world view to theirs. So what are some ways you can let people know what you believe in your marketing?
 Here are a few:

1. Start your videos with phrases like “I believe…” or “This is who I am…” Just be sure you’re telling the absolute truth.
2. Borrow famous quotes from people who believe as you do.
3. Explain how your particular approach evolved out of your world view.
4. Ask a happy customer to tell the story of your shared “why.”
5. Make sure your “elevator speech,” your “one-minute business commercial,” your logo and your tagline all contain elements of your deeper purpose.
    

Authenticity marketing can be a bit harder to develop at first. Trying to fit your world view into your marketing tactics can be daunting, and if you let yourself give in to the temptation to take the easy way out, you’ll find that your materials may seem bland or inauthentic. Don’t be afraid! Some people may not react well to your beliefs, but it’s almost a certainty that unless you are filled with hate or negativity, there will be many, many people who do bond with you powerfully because of your clearly expressed beliefs.

We Can Help…

If you find the process of building an authentic marketing plan too daunting, we can help! We have a highly evolved process for delving into who you are and who you serve. Together we can build a campaign that could transform the message you are sending with your online presence.

At SEO Ann Arbor, we love helping people succeed, so if you’re struggling to get to the level of your dreams, we’d love to have a chat! Call today! 877-815-6974

Decoding SEO: Get The Facts From Our Experts!

There’s so much information out there about SEO that it can be overwhelming to try to sort out what’s factual, what’s false, what’s helpful, what’s not helpful, and what’s just too complicated to understand unless you’re in the field.

Here are a few “bottom line” facts and tips that we encounter frequently. Hopefully they’ll be helpful to you!

Your Domain Name Matters!

If you’re Coca-Cola or CNN, you can use your name as your domain name and be fine. For most smaller companies, however, you shouldn’t overlook the SEO value of getting a domain name that includes your top keywords. It’s a super-fast, almost free way to get traction on the search pages.

Ignore Internal Links at Your Peril!

Are you linking from your most prominent pages to other less prominent but still relevant pages? Are the links working? Is the link anchor text appropriately keyworded? Does the progression of information from one page to the next linked page make sense?

You might be surprised at how many businesses build websites and add info over time without thinking about the user navigation experience. Those who remember their visitors often forget the search engine robots. Make it easy for both to navigate your site and understand what they’re seeing!   

Check on your Keywords Regularly!

For gosh sake, please keep tabs on your keywords! Once is not enough! After you research how people are searching for your products or services, keep track of how you rate for those keywords. Pay attention and actually work on optimizing your relevant pages to improve your rankings.

But don’t stop there. Every few months, dig back into the keyword tool to find out if search habits have changed. You might have page one presence for all your target keywords, but if the world has moved on and nobody’s looking for you in that way anymore, your traffic is going to suffer. Refresh your highly targeted keyword list regularly … you’ll be glad you did!

Internet Marketing for Your Ann Arbor Business That Matters!

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Still have questions? Call our experts at 877-815-6974 to arrange a time to visit or get your internet marketing questions answered.

Is Your Website Mobile Friendly? Consider This!

Is your website mobile friendly?

Can you navigate your website easily?

Are you worried that your website visitors click away too fast?

Mobile friendly websites are important and for a very good reason ... Usability!

Almost everyone has a smartphone nowadays. If it’s not in your hand, it’s attached to your hip.

Can your customer easily navigate your website? When converting your website from a desktop version to a mobile design, you must revisit your “clickable” elements — links, buttons, menus, etc. — and make them “tappable.”

You must rework your buttons to ensure there won’t be any confusion. Websites viewed on desktops have a hovering function, whereas on mobile you can’t hover. It’s all done by the tap of your finger!

What else should you consider? Read our article on “What You Should Think About When Creating a Website Design for Mobile Devices.”

To learn more about mobile website design for your Ann Arbor business, visit our website for more information. Call our experts at 877-815-6974 to arrange a time to visit or get your questions answered. If you’re more comfortable with email, you can reach us at info@seoannarbor.com or just contact us.

SEO and Giving Back!

We’ve talked about this before, but at Network Services Group (NSG) and Michigan SEO Group (MSG) we try to run our business based on principles.  One of the most powerful principles that we’ve found is that consistent effort performed over the long term produces amazing results.  Consistency pays dividends.

Nick Sunio, NuStepping to end Alzheimer's on The Longest Day.

This is especially true for the work we do for our customers, but it’s also true in many other areas, and with life in general.  Want to lose weight?  We all know what we need to do – eat healthy and exercise.  That’s not the hard part.  What’s hard is doing it consistently.

One thing that we’d like to do more of is giving back.  We feel blessed to be able to help our clients doing work that we love, but we also love supporting other worthy causes and doing our little part to make the world a better place.  Giving back.


In the past we’ve supported many worthy causes.  We’ve participated in the ALS ice water challenge.  The 22 push-up challenge to support veterans who suffer from PTSD.  Habitat for Humanity.  We’ve also worked with, and made donations to other non-profit organizations such as the Brain Injury Association of Michigan, Partners in Personal Assistance, and the Humane Society of Livingston County.

Our Internet Marketing Directors working on Habitat for Humanity.

We will continue to participate in, and make donations to support charitable causes that are near and dear to our hearts.  While we can’t say yes to everything, we do want to step up and make giving less of something we do on an ad-hoc basis, and more of something we do on a regular basis.

To that end, and applying the principle of consistency pays dividends, we are going to be making regular monthly donations to worthwhile causes.  We are going to start off by giving $200 per month to causes that we hold near and dear to our hearts.  We realize that this isn’t a huge amount of money, but it’s a start.  It’s something we feel we can do every month on a consistent basis, and we can always look for additional opportunities to donate when we have the additional time and resources to do so.

We’ll be picking causes that our principles hold near and dear.  We’ll also ask for input from our team members, so we can support causes that they love.  It’s just one more reason for them to feel good about the work they do here. 

Who knows?  Maybe we’ll get some publicity.  Maybe some of the people we know will see us doing our bit, and it will encourage them to do theirs.  But more importantly, we want to feel good about supporting these causes, and hopefully our humble donations can help make a difference.

A wise man once said that making a difference in the world means that other people need to know what you did.  That’s why we’re putting this out there.  We’re going to do it.  We’re going to feel good about it.  We hope that you will join us.