How to Use Instagram to Promote Your Brand and Drive Sales

Contents

Marketing Tips to Help Grow Your Brand on Instagram

Prioritize Aesthetics

Leverage the Digitization of Interactions

Use Relevant Hashtags to Sell on Instagram

Incorporate Photo Tags

Conversations With Followers Matter

Share Insightful Stories to Humanize Your Brand

Final Thoughts

If you’re new to Instagram or have been struggling to increase user engagement on your IG account lately, you’re probably wondering how to turn things around. If you don’t have the right tools, insights, and resources, using Instagram for business can seem like an uphill battle.

Continue reading “How to Use Instagram to Promote Your Brand and Drive Sales”

Can I rank my new startup and business high in Google worldwide through SEO and Make it a Commercial Success

Are you In pursuit of creating a global footprint for your website? Then you are well aware of the challenges coming your way. Once you’ve entered several different markets and created individual websites for them, a ‘copy/paste’ of content from your original site to the international ones simply won’t cut it.

Developing a dynamic international SEO strategy is your key to unlocking global fame; no matter what the size of your company may be. Due to the ephemeral nature of Google’s SEO requirements, it is imperative to be abreast with new information and adapt to local knowledge in order to truly hit the mark.

Before you begin your plans for world domination, here are some ways to polish your strategy for best results.

Different regions – Different Demands

As a business catering to multiple regions, it is important to understand that what works in one place may not work in another, due to different audiences with vastly different perceptions and preferences. As Google provides SERPs modeled according to interests and trends prevalent in a specific region, your content, keywords and SERP layouts with have to change.

Make sure your content is optimized according to the local standards. Translating content doesn’t work; each region has its unique local vocabulary and cultural interests. Therefore, translated keywords may not be the ones searched for at all in a new region.

Create a Global Outline

While creating your international SEO strategy, the first step you must take into account is incorporating hreflang tags.

This tag is a code that lets Google know which region your content is made for. Have a hreflang tag means your content will be shown in the region whose audience it is intended for. Writing locally-specific content that appeals to the readers in a certain region helps provide a better user experience of your website and drives consumer interest.

Having these tags also prevents being shunned by Google for producing duplicate content. Once Google, with the help of hreflang tags understands that your content—that may be similar—is for different audiences, you are good to go.

Here’s how to add the hreflang tag in your content.

  1. Add the tag in HTTP header and make sure it appears on every page.
  2. Add the tag in your location maps
  3. Mark up the content pages

Localizing Content

Region-specific websites need region-specific content.

Word-for-word translation will drown your SEO efforts. To appeal to the taste of different audiences, your content must be localized to their liking.

If you want your content to resonate with an international audience, you must educate yourself with local insights and curate your content accordingly. Prior research at your end will include looking for search trends present in the region and then using those keywords and vernacular in your content.

Create separate landing pages for each region you operate in and optimize them by adding local feature so as to enhance the look for your landing pages in the SERPs.

Blending Different Strategies

All great strategies are the perfect blend of several different ones and your global SEO strategy is no different. By combining local, mobile and international strategies, you boost your chances of producing a comprehensive strategy that hits the mark!

Here’s how to go about it:

  • Rate countries by their potential for prospective customers and identify your priorities.
  • Use the global outline you initially created to make sure that search engines are aware of where your content is to be displayed.
  • Then use your region-specific strategy to produce content.

Note: Working with a native writer and incorporating local keywords is integral to the performance of your content.

Lastly, ensure that your websites are mobile-friendly. With a growing segment of the population browsing the internet from their mobile phones, capitalize on the opportunity by making sure every page of your website is mobile-friendly!

Analyze Your Results

Once you are done with all the above-mentioned steps, it’s time to measure your success. Use data from your analytics to understand what works and what doesn’t, and tweak your strategy accordingly.

To clearly measure your progress, keep a note of your presence in different locations before, during and after your strategy.

Similarly, check the rankings of your pages to see if your hreflang tags and keywords are working.

Your digital presence defines the reach and reputation of your business. When expanding to new markets, using these tips can help you create, not only a positive presence, but also a lasting one.

Need Help with SEO?

Let Search Berg help your international SEO efforts by simplifying the process for you. Our international SEO services have been used by hundreds of clients, operating in different parts of the world such as Europe, Asia and North America and the Middle East.

Contact us and let our team of brilliant international SEO experts pave your way to global dominance.

The New Cut-Down In Google Search Results Snippets

It’s only been around 5 months since Google announced an increase the character limit for search engine result snippets, also referred to as META descriptions.

Since the announcement, websites had been taking advantage of the change to provide as much information to the searcher as possible with longer META descriptions. See example below.

All that changed just recently.

Now Google is scaling back the length of these snippets adding that they are now “slightly longer than they were originally back in December of 2017”.

This cut-down has been confirmed by Google’s public search liaison Danny Sullivan on Twitter. According to his tweet, though there is no fixed length, and that the length of snippet displayed depends on its relevance, the “search snippets are now shorter on average than in recent weeks”.

We at Search Berg Labs saw it coming way back when the new changes were first implemented late last year. While an argument can be made that providing more data in the snippets means, users can view more information in the SERP results and make a better decision on which result to click; Our analysis concluded that such an impact was extremely minimal and in some scenarios, negligible. In fact, in some cases, users were turn off by seeing “too much content” on the results page. There is a fine line between displaying too little and too much and Google realized that this line was crossed with the lengthy snippets hence the correction.

There is another side to it as well. The time and effort website developers and designers had to put in in order to add these lengthy snippets was unnecessary. This was extremely tedious and cumbersome for larger sites 100+ pages or more.

It should be noted that when increasing the length of snippets shown at the end of last year, Google specified that changing meta description tags was not necessary if a developer felt that their shorter snippet was sufficient for information.

However, SEO’s, being the perfectionists that we are, naturally stressed on conforming to the new guidelines. Needless to say, there may have been a few heated developer-SEO meetings. At Search Labs though, things went much smoothly as our DEV team is SEO-driven and has a fascination with SEO.

So how long is the length of META tags now?

In a follow-up comment to his Twitter post, Sullivan once more specified that the length of snippet is going to be generated dynamically, based on how much text the search engine’s system (algorithms) deem worthy of searcher’s notice.

The new average length for desktop-based snippets comes around 160 characters, while mobile search pages will display an average of 130 characters in a snippet.

If you are one of the many website owners/developers who increased the length of meta descriptions these past few months, revisiting these may be important. However, we should specify that Google has advised the public not to put too much emphasis on shortening snippets’ lengths, since these are chosen dynamically.

For our clients, customers and followers concerned about changes such as these, Search Berg stays on top of things. Our SEO technicians are dedicated to consistent research to provide you with updates on all the latest news in Search.

In-House Vs SEO Agency—Why The Latter Ensures Conversions And Long Term Success For Small Businesses and Startups!

As is the case with most things in life, there are only two ways to go about Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Do it yourself or get someone else to do it for you. Many people would quickly choose the first option. After all “When you want it done right, you’ve got to do it yourself” is a very popular concept and correct in most cases.

But what if you don’t know anything about what needs to be done? What if you don’t have the time or resources for it either? The situation calls for practical hands-on expertise—and when it comes to SEO, it means either create your own team or hire an SEO agency.

Using common sense, factual data and industry trends, this blog post will breakdown how outsourcing still is the undisputed king of this seemingly never-ending battle with in-house teams.

1. Going In-House Is Expensive

Building an in-house SEO team entails hefty short-term and long-term expenses.

According to GlassDoor, the national average salary per year ranges between $36,000 and $88,000. That’s more than $5000 spent on one full-time employee per month, and this is just one part of the overall expense.

In addition to their salary, you need to allocate a budget to office space, computers and associated overheads that you would for an in-house team. Once those expenses are take care of, you’ve got benefits and health insurance. Also, your Human Resources team will be responsible for processing payroll and calculating taxes for the new team members.

Add all expenses—you know that’s a completely outrageous figure, right?In short, an in-house team can be quite heavy on your organization’s pockets. If you are running a small-scale business, with limited funding, then you need a better alternative.

Outsourcing SEO as in working with an SEO Agency means that you’ve only got to deal with one person, not the whole team. Third-party SEO teams typically assign one account manager to each client, who tackles the ins and outs of writers, link builders and designers. All you’ve got to do is let them know what services you need, and settle on a deadline. No personality issues, no extra management, and best of all, no additional costs.

Just sit back and watch the SEO magic happen. Working with an SEO Agency entails an easy monthly retainer setup, and all you’re tasked with is to provide review and feedback.

2. You’re Not Sure What or Who the Team Should Consist Of

SEO—it’s all about using the right set of keywords in the content, right?

Wrong. Many in-house marketers have yet to be aware of the nuances of search engine marketing. Keyword research and analysis is only the beginning; effective search marketing strategies involve high-quality content writing and link building—two of the most significant factors for ranking for Google algorithms.

Imagine getting all of this done in-house.  How many writers, link builders, designers and developers will you need? On what basis do you interview them: skills, experience, dedication, competence? Conducting Search Engine Optimization in-house can become very challenging, especially if you are aiming for page-one ranking.

An SEO agency is focused specifically on search marketing, which means they have a team of seasoned experts. We’re talking professionals at every stage of SEO, the salesperson who contacts you on the first meeting and explains the SEO process, to the analytical expert who will study the changes in lead generation and conversion.

They know how to delegate work— assigning your content to experts who specialize in your industry and wrapping it well before the deadline is a breeze for them.

It’s like having access to the best talent across each essential facet of the SEO process within the right time and budget.

3. Outsourcing SEO through an Agency is Much Easier than making a team from scratch

Starting out on in-house SEO team?You’re testing waters. Checking to see which techniques work, and which don’t. Between learning and deploying these methods, the in-house team’s work terms become tricky to handle. Plus, you are responsible for each and every decision.

You’ve got a contract with your team—who may or may not perform well, you’re seeing every expense through and you’re starting out from SEO square one. Outsourcing the task may be the smarter choice.

Conventionally, SEO agencies have no contracts; you renew your SEO services package on a monthly basis. All costs are determined up-front, which means you can let go of the stress of unexpected or hidden fees.

As a leading SEO company, at SearchBerg, we also offer a 30-day money back guarantee on their SEO services, so clients can test the waters without wasting the marketing budget. Owning a strong portfolio, these SEO companies make the work terms hassle-free.

Additionally, you can gain access to a number of online marketing services when working with an SEO agency.You can lean on your SEO agency for other marketing needs—that is, if they provide a full set of online marketing services. These include SEO-based content development, website design and development, pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, reputation management, and so on.

4. You’ll Spend More Time Setting up the Team than on SEO for Your Website

According to Google,30% of mobile searches, which are increasingly becoming more popular than desktop searches, are related to a specific location. Research shows that 72% of people who conduct a local search end up visiting a store within a five-mile radius.

The message behind these facts is that every day wasted is a day your target audience is not doing business with you and competitors are getting the edge.And when setting up an in-house SEO team, you waste a considerable amount of time, most which involves training and rectifying content errors.

On the other hand, a third-party SEO team is prepped and ready to go. Within a matter of minutes, you can set up a new client account, receive your content in a couple of weeks, and rank better within a month.

It’s that simple and efficient.

It’s Just Not Worth It

50% of modern search queries consist or 4 or more words. Voice-search is becoming increasingly popular, which means these queries often contain “natural speak”. Marketers today are also considering SEO as one of their top priorities, with 82% reporting rising effectiveness of SEO strategies.

In short, competition is increasing, even amongst businesses in niche business sectors. As your competitors become better at SEO with each passing day, you’ve got no time and money to waste. If you want to achieve your SEO goals as soon as possible, the SEO agency approach is your way to go.

If you go for a full-service SEO agency such as SearchBerg, then you can cut the time associated with other online marketing services. Full-service companies often do multiple tasks simultaneously.

In one month, you will receive trendy keywords, have your website updated, post new blog content and remain active on social media platforms.

You can start off with just SEO, and expand your services package as your business takes off and grows.

Then there is a matter of B2C vs.B2B Search Engine Optimization. Most in-house marketers specialize in B2C SEO. Your B2B SEO strategy requires ultra-precise industry-specific keywords. According to Demand Gen Report’s 2017 survey of content preferences, B2B customers prefer prescriptive style of content. When you are looking to build relationship with professional, not pitch a new product to customers, the tone matters. Expert SEO teams consist of both B2C and B2B SEO experts.

If you want to ensure that your SEO investment is worth it, outsource it. The world of online marketing tactics in only set to become more competitive with time. Why not let the pros do what they do best, and give your business the best shot at great search engine rankings?

Do It Right, Hire An Expert SEO Agency

Search Engine Optimization is complex science. Google changes its search engine algorithms over 500 times every year, with new iterations introduced every few months. Marketers—especially those working in a small-scale business—need professional help to keep up with current and future evolutions of SEO.

An expert SEO agency will not only save precious time, but also keep you informed on any changes in the digital marketing landscape. If they offer other services, you can scale as you please and opt for marketing tactics that further support SEO.

You don’t have to have an over-the-top budget either; unlike many traditional marketing methods, search marketing is by far one of the most cost-efficient. So what are you waiting for? Contact an SEO Agency today!