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Start-Up Digital Marketing in today’s small business world

peter bakke digital marketing tucson az

So you’ve heard that Search Engine Optimization [SEO] can produce results. Good. It’s true.

Right off the bat, we are going to answer what we consider to be two big, important questions about the way we do SEO.

Big SEO Question Number 1

What is the purpose of a successful SEO strategy?

Answer: To reach your target market by increasing your search rankings for mobile, tablet and desktop searches. This should increase your customer base. It’s as simple and complex as that.

Big SEO Question Number 2

What is the topmost requirement for successful SEO?

(In other words, what is the first thing that you need for successful SEO strategy?)

Answer: You may be surprised by this answer. It’s not SEO.

In order to succeed in today’s hyper-competitive digital marketing world, you need an outstanding website that provides the best and most relevant information for your customers. SEO is a big part of that equation, but you need an outstanding Website first and foremost. SEO and other digital marketing sectors work from there.

Yup, you heard that right. This is a big disclaimer and if you take away only one thing from reading this far, we won’t proceed with your SEO until your Website is in fantastic shape.

You should not proceed with ANY SEO firm if your website does not pass muster.

A poor Website is an SEO show stopper. Don’t let anyone tell you differently.

If your Website is not in fantastic shape, we can help with suggestions for Website improvement and even redesign. Another disclaimer: We only work with WordPress websites. Apologies to all Drupal, Joomla, Hubspot and hundreds of other content management system users.

Why only WordPress? For many reasons.

It’s free and open source which means it is a growing, easy-to-use standard across many industries.

WordPress is easy to work with and customize for you, your team, and your chosen SEO company. It is flexible. It is well established and has a vast installed base with many valuable free and paid add-ons, including e-commerce and security to name just two. We could go on, but your time is valuable. Trust us that WordPress is becoming the dominant player for managing small business websites.

There you have it. If you can handle the truth just stated above, please read on and learn more about succeeding with SEO. Otherwise, thanks for taking the time to visit us. On your way out, check out this free list of 5 things to improve your SEO. [we can help with all of them, by the way.]

So, dear reader, if your website rocks now (or in the near future) you are ready and primed to take your business to the next level. More truth-talking: We can improve your SEO and therefore provide qualified leads for you, but you have to deal with your new SEO-provided customers in a world-class way as only you can do!

ARE YOU READY TO WIN WITH SEO?

Have you done everything that you’ve been told to do at industry conferences and read in business magazines to raise your Website to the top of the search ranking results? Reality check, huh?

You probably don’t have the time or inclination to do SEO yourself, right? That’s where we come into the picture.

But first, when you look at the search results for keywords describing your business and see how much better your competitors are doing, do you ask yourself why they’re at the top of the page and you’re not?

What you need are more resources, more expertise, and more time. We can help.

THE ART & SCIENCE OF SEO

Newsflash: The search engine wars are over. The search engines have won.

We only do white hat SEO. Meaning, we will not put your website [and your firm] at risk by trying to game the search engine ecosystem. Have you heard of Artificial Intelligence [AI]? Of course you have. That’s what search engines are in a nutshell. Don’t mess with them. If Google catches you and your SEO company with your hands in the proverbial cookie jar [that is, using black hat SEO techniques], you could wake up one day and be in search engine purgatory … relegated to page 50 or worse. Don’t take that chance. We never put you in that nightmarish position.

We are transparent. We tell you everything we do, when we do it, and how effective the results are for your bottom line. We also make suggestions for you to pursue with other partners in the many other digital marketing sectors, such as email, web design, and usability.

WHAT DO WE DO?

We’ve broken your SEO program into three phases: On-page, Off-page, and Maintenance.

Phase 1: On-Page SEO

Note: As mentioned above, we only work with WordPress sites. This allows us to be absolutely efficient with your time and money.

The first phase includes the following examination and fixes:

Is your website internal structure SEO-friendly?

Are your images optimized for both SEO and loading speed?

Do you have indexing issues?

Are your title tags and header tags SEO-optimized?

Do you have internal links set up on high-value pages?

Do you know your most valuable keywords and are you monetizing them?

Is your website load speed adequate?

What is the status of your website content?

Plus dozens of other checks and fixes we will share with you. The goal of this phase is to ensure that your website is an asset to your marketing efforts, not a hindrance.

Phase 2: Off-page SEO

During the second phase, our goal is to do work not on your website but on strategies and tactics that search engines use to rank your site.

Here are a few of the things that we will address to help increase your SEO ranking:

Google+ local directory listing status

Do you have a consistent, uniform NAP (Name Address Phone) all across cyberspace?

Have you claimed and optimized your Google Local business page?

Are you actively seeking Google reviews?

Are you pursuing additional directory listings

What’s the status of your Social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn)

Discuss and pursue high-end directory links for your industry and associated costs

Examine local sponsorship and scholarship opportunities to obtain valuable links back to your website

Phase 3: MAINTENANCE

Develop your authority with continued work on Phase 2 to maintain and improve SEO rankings

Competitor analysis

Vigilance on your rankings

Customer conversions and continued ROI and reporting

Institute new and creative ideas to stay on top of rankings

HOW LONG TO MOVE THE NEEDLE?

You’ve heard this one before: It depends. Seriously. If you’ve had other SEO companies “muck up the works,” it may take many months to move the needle. We may even tell you that you need to hire someone else to clean up the mess before we can work with you.

Generally speaking, moving SEO rankings can take several months, depending on your website’s current status, given all the variables involved with search engine algorithms. Some experts say these SEO variables or “signals” run in the hundreds.

HOW MUCH WILL YOUR DIGITAL MARKETING SERVICES COST?

This is one of the many ways that we’re different from the competition. We aren’t going to give you the runaround when it comes to price. To buld a roadmap, we must generate SEO baseline reports about the current SEO state of your business. We charge an initial fee of $750 to do that. We then can begin our monthly on-going SEO plans that start at $300 per month and go up to $1,500 per month.

Our mission is to work with primarily small businesses and we will work with you to develop a strategy that fits your budget and your needs. Caveat: These numbers assume you have a “clean” SEO profile. If there are serious SEO problems created by you or your former SEO company or your nephew, rates for identifying fixing the SEO issues will have to be discussed and next steps identified.

PARTNERING WITHTUCSON WEB MARKETING

Here is the TUCSON WEB MARKETING guarantee: It’s simple.

We will get to know you and your firm. We will be partners in SEO.

There is no long-term contract… only month to month.

Bottom line: If at any time you want to move in another direction, you are free to cancel our services and we’ll give you access to everything we’ve done for you. We just need two weeks’ notice.

IS THIS THE END OR THE BEGINNING?

So, are you ready to rock and roll? Contact us to discuss your needs.

Next Steps…

Call 520-261-2090 to get started on YOUR Search Engine Optimization plan!    

TUCSON WEB MARKETING, LLC
39039 S Tranquil Dr
Tucson, AZ 85739
520-261-2090

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Solving the Customer Problem of Convenience or Anxiety? Or Both?

From Avinash Kaushik:

“When answering the question, why is Uber so successful, most people answer with one word: Convenience.

I believe there is a smarter assessment of the underlying reason for Uber’s success. You just have to dig a little deeper.

I believe Uber is so successful because of a different word: Anxiety.

Uber eliminates the anxiety of finding a ride.

Bottom-line: Never ask your customers for what solutions you should create for them, just ask them what problems they face. Be patient. Look below the surface. Find the root-cause. Once you have that, you have something that is hard to find… Something you can build a competitive advantage on.”

 

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Email Personalization for your Business

Truism: One can’t personalize email communications with just an email address.

Can anyone argue that point? Therefore, you have to ask at least a few questions in your sign-up forms like name, location, demographics, and interests. Why did a new subscriber sign up, for example? That is valuable information and a great start for personalizing email follow ups.

You may need to rethink your entire email strategy if you want true personalization.

Use the unique subscriber identifiers that you gather to segment your email list. For example, if 8:00 am is the best time for opening email, you’ll need to send out emails based on timezone / location.

Does where I’m headed make sense? As difficult as it may seem at first, the only way to personalize is to get added info up front from your subscribers. Obtaining added information from your existing subscribers (if you don’t have it) is another hurdle, but one that must be addressed in order to personalize.

So, you can’t personalize with just an email address… well, sort’a. Another way to personalize (somewhat) is to track email behaviors. One of the easiest is to segment an email list based on what links subscribers click on in your emails. A good email provider will provide insights into what actions subscribers take – like clicking on particular links.

To execute a peronalized email campaign or just to get some customer acquisition ideas, send me an email !   [email protected]

Good luck!!

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Are You Unhappy with Your Digital Marketing Efforts? You are Not Alone

Unhappy DIgital Marketer!
Image: Dale Moore via Creative Commons

Some 80% of business owners are unhappy with their online marketing efforts. Are you among them? Most likely, you don’t have the time or the expertise required to do the job the way you desire. That’s understandable and that’s how Tucson Web Marketing comes into the picture. We can help do all the work that needs to be done in the Digital Marketing area for you to get results. Our goal and passion is to help small and medium businesses obtain qualified customers through digital marketing. Please contact us at [email protected] for a free assessment of your Digital Advertising needs.

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Passwords and Email are the Keys to your Digital Kingdom

Standard-lock-key

If you lost all your business emails and passwords at this moment, what shape would your business be in? Do you have email and password backups? In the digital world, email accounts and passwords are now the “keys” to your business kingdom. Share them sparingly and covet them fiercely.

Do not sign up for vital online services using an individual’s email. The business manager’s email, say [email protected], may seem adequate and safe, but it is not. Instead, maintain a generic email account and password for online services that can be accessed by several people – use something like [email protected] to access your vital online services such as Web hosting and merchant accounts. If Freddie decides to leave the company, all you have to do is change one password and your business’s online accounts are secure. And please, please make your passwords non-trivial.

If your company is large, you can create several categorical online accounts like [email protected], [email protected] , and [email protected] depending on departmental responsibilities. In this scenario, every password should be different across functional areas.

You get the picture. No matter what scheme you come up with to keep your digital business organized, make sure  your emails and passwords are current, secure, and backed up, else you may face days of unnecessary fear and dread when Freddie the business manager decides to quit his job to work for the competition or join a rock band.

As a modern day King Richard might cry at such a prospect, “My Kingdom for all my business-related emails and passwords!”

Fare thee well.

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Hackers are likely Attacking your Digital Properties

Hackers from Brazil to Spain and Ukraine are tirelessly trying to guess the passwords on several of my client’s WordPress Websites. It is rather disturbing to see daily attacks.

There are several WordPress login security plugins that work well to protect Websites by locking out IP addresses for several hours or days. I suggest you look into them as well as making sure your passwords are STRONG on all your social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, etc.

It’s a jungle out there.

Here is a strong password generator:

https://strongpasswordgenerator.com/

Here is a way to geo-locate the IP address of a hacker (provides country and city based on IP address):

http://www.iplocation.net/

IP addresses of the hacker’s ISP (Internet Service Provider) are usually provided by your security software in a log or within an email to your administrator. Place them into http://www.iplocation.net/ and you’ll get an idea of where the bad guys are located. Looking up this information provides little solace, but it provides a constant reminder that you must be vigilant in order to protect what is yours (and your client’s).