working on on-page optimization

Optimize Your Site – Get Started with 3 Basic SEO Principles

Web traffic is one of the crucial things for companies hoping to grow. In this case, “traffic” refers to people visiting your website, whether through their organic searches, social media links, a direct visit to your web page, referral, and so on. It plays a vital role in your sales funnel, as each visit can translate into sales. If people cannot find your web page, no conversion or transaction can take place. 

There are many recommended ways to increase one’s web traffic, but search engine optimization (SEO) is one of the most popular. This method is the secret weapon of modern businesses today. If you have not yet mastered how to optimize your pages, this article will give you some facts and tips to help you improve your SEO performance.

Why Invest in SEO

SEO has a proven track record of helping businesses improve their online presence and performance. Here are some facts you should know about the current digital landscape:

  • SEO is all about letting people know about your business via search engines. According to these statistics, 93 percent of the website’s traffic comes from searches. 
  • At least 75 percent of the people looking for options refer to the first page of the search results. Targeting this position will give you more chances to acquire the clicks and interests of people. 
  • If you are not yet exerting effort into your SEO, you are missing out on a lot. More than half of today’s marketers prioritize growing organic traffic via SEO as their primary marketing strategy. 

Basic SEO Principles to Know

Fortunately, search engine optimization is not so difficult. It would help if you kept up with the algorithm and system changes, but it all begins with these main principles:

1. The Keyword Is Your Main Element

SEO works with keywords. You need to find the right keywords for your website. Choose keywords for your website and every page you have in it. 

List keywords which you believe people associate most with your business. If you want a more objective way of finding them, use online tools such as Google’s Keyword Planner, to see which keywords work well for your target audience. You can also refer to the frequently asked questions online or the keywords that similar businesses and competitors use.

2. Beware of Title Tags

Most digital marketers fail to look into the other details of the site. One of the critical SEO determining factors that you should never overlook is the Title Tag. It is where you enter your headline and what the search engine refers to when analyzing what your topic is all about. Through this detail, the search engine can assess where your page should appear in the ranking. 

Guideline When Choosing a Title:

  • It should be compelling or exciting for the browsers
  • It should be inviting
  • It would be better if the title includes your keyword
  • Use online tools that help score your headlines’ potential

3. Do Not Forget the Meta Description

Right next to your headline is the meta description. It is the summary of your content that viewers see on their search results is placed right under the title. Like your title, it should be concise, compelling, and relevant. Using your keyword in this part can also help improve your page’s ranking. 

Conclusion

Include search engine optimization in your priorities to see how it can open up possibilities for your business later. However, you should know the important SEO dos and don’ts first and watch out for the search engine updates and guidelines before you expect to see good results. By abiding by their recommended best practices, you can increase your chances of generating more traffic and sales. 

Siteful Solutions is your expert and full-service digital marketing agency in Ottawa. If you need search engine optimization help from an experienced team, we can assist you. Our goal has always been to help increase our client’s visibility on Google every month through our industry-leading practices and strategies. If you have the same business objective, allow us to help you out and provide you with accurate and transparent results.

seo rankings

3 Ways You Can Build a Successful Brand Through SEO

Your brand is how you, your employees, and your audience perceives your business. According to Jeff Bezos, the founder and CEO of Amazon, “It is what other people say about you when you’re not in the room.” Thus, it is good to give this more thought based on what you know about your target market. 

In your brand’s case, what do you think people would say about your business behind your back? If you want them to say positive things, you need to prioritize brand building. You have to pay close attention to your tagline, logo, signage, interior design, customer service, and more. In other words, it is everything that showcases the core of your business and what you value. 

Brand building sounds complicated as it needs consistency and hard work and takes time, but you can achieve this through SEO. For the longest time, this strategy has been a vital tool for optimizing brands online to accomplish business goals. But with a more crowded landscape and an even tougher competition due to the new normal caused by the global pandemic, you might have to reassess your strategies to ensure you are effectively converting leads into loyal customers and continuing to generate revenue. Here are some ways to do this:

Improve online experiences

Your homepage does not need to be your landing page, especially if your audience is browsing your website with a goal. This is because your homepage might not have the information they need or the necessary call to action to address their needs and fulfill their initial intent. 

You need to partner with an SEO agency to increase customer engagement by enhancing your audience’s user experience. You can also determine the pages with the least bounceback, such as the pages users click on that encourage them to browse another page. Gathering this information allows you to create the best entry page and provide a tailored experience to every consumer. As a result, they can improve their rankings, conversions per visit, click-through rates, and eventually, lead conversions.

Acquire and recruit new customers

When building a brand, you have to convert your new website visitors into brand visitors. It means your audience first checks out your website to learn more about you, and then they regularly visit your web page because they are genuinely interested in what you offer. 

Doing this successfully leads to an increased volume of non-brand-traffic. 

You can achieve this by seeking SEO services to understand what your visitors are searching for and looking for the best way to rank high in their search engine results. The more they see you in their searches, the more they are likely to be familiar with your brand and visit your website. This strategy can help you create a loyal customer base.

Ensure companies can mitigate online complexity

The best way to create a solid and lasting online presence is to provide a consistent, high-quality virtual experience. You can achieve this and have control over your online presence through SEO. Thus, you have to incorporate SEO into your web development strategy right from the start to ensure a seamless experience for your customers.

Conclusion

A strong brand identity will help you build your credibility, reach and gain more customers, and boost employee morale. Achieving these goals may not be easy, but you can increase your chances of success by leveraging SEO technology. Consider the suggestions listed above and partner with skilled SEO experts like us to maximize brand awareness online.

If you are looking for the best SEO company in Ottawa, then you’ve come to the right place. At Siteful Solutions, we can build your brand by helping you rank competitively on search engines. We also specialize in web design, Google Ads, and more. Chat with us to learn more about how we can assist you!

website seo

Why Your Small Business Should Implement SEO in 2021

In recent years, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) has become paramount in the world of business and marketing. Not only does it increase your online visibility and website traffic, but it also presents your business with plenty of opportunities. 

The global pandemic has even increased the demand for SEO. This is because more people are staying in the comforts of their homes and heavily relying on the Internet for business transactions. As such, you must do what it takes to optimize your website and content to get a higher SEO ranking and increase your visibility on Google. 

If you haven’t implemented SEO yet for your small business, now is the right time to do so. Here’s why:

1. Consumers dependence on the Internet

There’s no denying that the Internet is the current and future state of business. The global pandemic has further compelled consumers to rely on the web for their business transactions. In the coming years, you can expect consumers to be heavily dependent on the Internet. If you haven’t started with your SEO strategies, you might already be behind the competition in the market. But it isn’t too late yet, as working with a highly reliable SEO agency like Siteful Solutions will help you set up this online strategy.

2. Increase in website traffic

SEO typically involves optimizing your website, writing relevant content, and building backlinks. Your ultimate goal is to get the top ranking in the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) environment. By doing so, you can get users to visit your website with the sole purpose of converting them. The more visitors your website has, the more opportunities there are for your business. In fact, SEO can increase customer engagement, generate leads, and even convert sales!

3. Business profit and high ROI

With an increase in online visibility, many users will be aware of your business and your website, in particular. The more visitors drop by your site, the more opportunities your small business will have. This is why it’s essential to start implementing SEO for your business by publishing relevant content, fixing your website, and building links. By doing so, you will drive your target consumers to your business website and give them an excellent User Experience (UX). When you do this, it can translate into lead generation and hopefully sales conversion, which means more profit for your business!

4. “Future-proofing” your business

Keep in mind that SEO is a dynamic process meant for the long term. It doesn’t happen overnight, and you cannot expect it to immediately bring high returns to your small business. In fact, it must be implemented well, consistently monitored, and regularly adjusted. If you do it right, it will yield better results for your business, which can be beneficial in the long run. Ultimately, it serves as a “future-proofing” strategy for your business.

Here at Siteful Solutions, we help clients and businesses rank higher in Google and other search engines. Our ultimate goal is to increase online visibility and drive traffic to your website. If you’re looking for SEO services in Ottawa, ON, we’ve got you covered! 

Conclusion

At this point, you now know why you should implement SEO for your small business as early as now. With solid SEO practices, you’ll be able to take advantage of the following: consumer dependence on the Internet, increase in website traffic, business profit and high ROI, and “future-proofing” your business. With all these valuable benefits, your small business will get a good ranking in SERP and grow, thrive, and flourish in the long run!

Are you looking to implement SEO for your small business in 2021? We’ve got you covered! We’re a full-service digital marketing agency in Ottawa, specializing in web redesign, Search Engine Optimization, Google Ads, and Shopify ecommerce. Get in touch with us today to learn more about our services!

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Better SEO Strategy: 5 Common SEO Myths You Should Know About

Over the years, businesses and digital marketers use Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to rank websites on various search engines. SEO can be complex due to its countless rules, which leads to many misconceptions. These misconceptions have put many businesses in trouble, and worse, almost out of business. With that, we’re here to debunk these common myths about SEO. 

It’s Over

You’ve probably read on Facebook groups and other platforms that SEO is over. The reason behind this is the continuous changes in the digital marketing world. 

The truth is, SEO isn’t over; perhaps, it won’t ever be over. There are billions of searches happening every single day on Google alone, which makes SEO essential. As long as users search on search engines, SEO is here to stay. 

You Can Use Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Ads to Increase Site Rankings

This myth has been going on for some time now, and a lot of people actually believe this to be true. The myth goes like this: Google favours sites with PPC ad campaigns. 

No, Google doesn’t work that way. 

Google uses an algorithm to organize PPC ad placements, but it doesn’t use the same thing to determine organic search results. Indeed, a PPC campaign and an SEO strategy can have many benefits, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it will result in better rankings. 

Content Should Be Longer

It is natural to hear from someone these days that you need to have longer content when you want to rank higher on search engines. The truth is, there is no evidence behind this claim. 

There might have been studies over the years that have shown content with more than 1,000 words are doing well on the SERPs. Again, this doesn’t mean that increasing the length of your content will immediately boost your rankings. 

Content that is high up on the SERPs is up there because they are well-optimized, informative, and bring value to users. If your content is full of fluff and repetitive information, plagiarized from other sites, or stuffed with keywords in every paragraph, don’t expect your content to be favoured by Google.

It’s All About Long-Tail Keywords Now

One of the reasons marketers and business owners prioritize long-tail keywords is their low monthly search volumes. They think that these keywords are easier to rank for. However, it really doesn’t work that way. 

If you want to make sure you’re using the right keywords, you need to put more focus on the Keyword Difficulty score instead. 

There was a time back then when building links would help increase site rankings—but that was before. Times have changed, and this is now a myth. 

Link-building strategies are still important, but if you want to get the most out of them, you need to pair them with a solid content strategy. 

Conclusion

SEO is here to stay, but due to misconceptions, like the ones listed above, it can be difficult to develop the right strategy to bring your desired results. Now that we have debunked these common myths about SEO, you can now make better strategies that will push your site up on the SERPs. The next step is to work with a digital marketing agency that can help you boost your SEO.

Siteful offers full-service digital marketing services in Ottawa. We specialize in SEO services, Google Ads, and everything in between. Contact us today!

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3 Easy Google Ads Tips to Boost Campaign Conversion Rate

Running a profitable paid search campaign has various components and can be difficult to manage all the different moving parts, particularly when you have multiple clients. The vast array of options and selections can make it impossible to figure out the cause of a campaign failure or issue. Here are 4 ways to ensure your PPC campaign is running smoothly and optimized to maximize ad spend and revenue.

1. Fill Out All Available Content Fields

Google Ads offers the ability to add multiple different headlines and descriptions to one ad. Using responsive search ads, Google will optimize the display of each headline and description based on relevance and user preference. This can significantly boost your conversion rate and lower your Cost Per Click (CPC). If you want to maximize your ad performance, make sure to fill out all the available headlines and descriptions for your ads.

2. Utilize All Relevant Ad Extensions

When curating PPC campaigns, it’s important not to forget to include Ad Extensions in your ads. They can considerably boost your conversion rate and serve as a great tool to attract undecided customers. They help to give the customer a better understanding of your website and offer additional value to them. Below are some of the most common extensions used on Google Ads:

  • Sitelink Extensions: These are additional links which display below your main headlines and description which can provide additional value to your customers when viewing.
  • Callout Extensions: Use callouts to highlight niche phrases such as “Free Global Shipping” or “Secure Payment Checkout” to build trust and credibility with your customers.
  • Call Extensions: Often a phone call is the best way to convert a client. Giving someone the option to call you directly is a powerful tool to boost conversions.
  • Structured Snipppets: Great tool to further describe features to your customers. These are category-specific so ensure that you are providing relevant content.

3. Use the Correct Keyword Match

In order to show your Google Ads campaigns to customers, Google relies on user intent through keyword searches to determine targeting and relevancy. Whenever someone types a search into Google, ads are displayed based on an internal auction system and on Google’s relevancy factors. It is important to understand the different methods which Google uses to determine these matches. Below are the 3 ways you can categorize your keywords.

  • Broad Match: This is the widest keyword match and will show your ad on searches which include similar words or synonyms to your preferred keyword
  • Phrase Match: Your ad will only show when your exact keyword is somewhere in the search phrase in the order which you specify, but the search can also contain other phrases.
  • Exact Match: This is similar to the above modifier, however it will only show your ad when your keyword is the only phrase in the user search. In recent years, Google has relaxed this slightly and begun to include misspellings, plurals or other spellings of the word.

Each has its own method and serves a different purpose. Broad match will lead to more clicks and a lower CPC. However, it may lead to click from irrelevant searches which cost you additional money. Whereas exact match will have a higher CPC but more targeted searches and higher Click-Through Rate (CTR).

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Best WordPress Plugins for Business Websites in 2021

Looking to enhance your business’ WordPress website in 2021? With over 50,000 available plugins to choose from, it can be incredibly overwhelming to find the ones that are right for your website. We often get asked by clients and readers for our top choice of WordPress plugins in many different areas including SEO, site speed, backups, analytics, forms, etc. So below we’ve broken down our favourite plugins for your business website in 2021.

1. MonsterInsights

MonsterInsights is ranked the #1 plugin for Google Analytics integration in WordPress. It utilizes the proper connection method in order to get accurate user data. Most importantly, it prevents tracking of logged in users so that internal traffic is not counted towards your analytics.

The best feature of the plugin is that it displays all the essential data and information directly inside the WordPress dashboard, so you don’t even have to leave your site to track your visitors. MonsterInsights also contains numerous add-ons for additional components such as WooCommerce in order to provide you with the best data for your marketing.

MonsterInsights has a free version with limited features and may be sufficient for a basic website or personal blog. But the real power is in the premium version which offers unlimited customization and control, giving you deeper insight into your reader’s data.

2. WooCommerce

WooCommerce is by far the most popular e-commerce plugins for WordPress powered websites and is used by more than 5 million websites. It contains all the features required to build and operate an online store.

Over the past few years, WooCommerce has developed itself into an ecosystem containing dedicated themes, plugins, and even hosting plans. It has also adapted to recent world developments by offering simple local delivery and pickup, and focusing on local shopping experience.

WooCommerce is among the top competitors with other stand-alone e-commerce platforms such as Shopify and BigCommerce which are rapidly growing their respective enterprises and steadily gaining traction in the online store arena.

3. WPForms

Contact forms are undoubtedly an essential component of every website regardless of size or industry. WPForms is the most comprehensive and seamless solution for any forms on your websites, and offers numerous integrations with other services.

WPForms allows you to easily create contact forms, newsletter subscriptions, order forms, surveys, and so many more interactive features, all in an easy to use drag and drop builder. It offers total customization of fonts, colours, design and more.

The plugin also integrates with all the popular marketing and payments platforms such as Stripe and payPal, so you can easily collect payment directly within the form.

There is a free version of the plugin, WPForms Lite which offers a simple, yet limited solution. But if you’re serious about growing your business, we definitely recommend investing in the Pro version which unlocks all the features and integrations.

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3 SEO Tips for Increasing Organic Traffic To Your Website

Organic traffic is an excellent method of generating high-quality converting leads without emptying your pockets in ad spend. Often the most loyal clients are those who come across your site organically while browsing Google looking for their desired service. If you’re looking to improve your search engine rankings and get seen more by local shoppers, consider implementing the following seven simple yet effective SEO techniques.

1. Consistently Post Valuable Content

Frequent updates to your websites act as positive catalysts for both readers and search engines. It shows that you are dedicated to maintaining your site and providing ongoing value to your readers. Although there is extensive research indicating the best time and day to post, SEO studies have found that simply maintaining a consistent posting schedule is more important for long-term growth. Posting about new and trending topics is particularly beneficial as it can be much easier to rank higher on Google due to the increased search volume for that particular area. 

Below are some things to think about when planning and executing marketing strategies

  • Identify your audience
  • Know your focus
  • Understand your niche
  • Refresh your content
  • Highlight trending topics
  • Monitor your progress

Despite popular belief, quantity does not beat quality when it comes to backlinks. Not only can bad backlinks reduce your website’s overall credibility, but they can also result in Google penalties which can have significant long-term impacts on your ability to rank. Such links include link exchanges, paid links, and advertorials. These only serve to damage the reputation of your site and should always be avoided.

  1. Use tools such as Ahrefs to analyze all of your website’s backlinks. This will include all links, relevant, irrelevant, good, and bad. Once you’ve compiled a comprehensive list, you can begin weeding out the negative links.
  2. Reach out to your webmaster to get these links removed and hidden from search engines.
  3. Use Google’s disavow tool to inform search engines that these links were created without your knowledge and to request that they be disregarded when analyzing your website’s reputation. 

3. Perform Keyword Research

Keyword research is among the most important practices in SEO and can largely determine your success in search ranking. By researching keywords, you are able to determine those which are most relevant to your content and will generate the best leads.

Below are some keyword research tools to help you compile a list:

  • Ubersuggest’s Free Keyword Tool
  • Google Ads Keyword Planner
  • Moz Keyword Explorer
  • Alexa Keyword Research