by admin | Feb 8, 2020 | Blog, SEO
As more and more local businesses understand what SEO can do for them, they are definitely going to accept it as a major component in their business development and promotion strategy. This is surely going to increase the importance of local SEO in 2020 and beyond. Nearly 46% of all searches carried out on Google have got local intent. The increasing use of local SEO will not only raise the bar for the local companies but it is also going to give rise to more competition.
Under such conditions, let’s have a look at some of the practices that are going to emerge in the sphere of local SEO in 2020 and beyond.
One of the things that are definitely going to remain unchanged is the RDP, which signifies relevance, distance, and prominence. The relevance factor determines the way in which a particular business listing matches the intent of the user conducting the search. The distance defines the closeness of a business to the location of the searcher. So if someone is looking for a restaurant that serves Italian food, then the eatery that is closest to the home of the customer will have the highest ranking. The prominence factor depends on the popularity of a business. So if a restaurant is very popular, then it is going to have the best ranking.
Now let’s explore some of the factors that are going to create major changes in the way local SEO is going to work in 2020 and the coming years.
Better businesses are going to have higher ranking
Google is currently implementing some changes in its algorithm which can favor all local businesses having best ratings and reviews which make them the most popular. Therefore irrespective of the money spend on advertising by any firm; it is the companies that appeal to the mass audience that can have the best local SEO ranking. Companies that have the loyalty and support of their customers offline and online are going to enjoy better ranking at all times. On the other hand, companies that try to achieve higher ranking through unethical methods like buying reviews, likes and fake positive comments will find themselves being poorly ranked in the Google search engine result pages.
New and enhanced engagement metrics
A range of new and powerful search engine metrics are going to come forth which is going to transform the way local SEO works. These can include everything from how the prospective customers save contact information of a business entity on their mobile phones and the frequency in which people look for the location of a business on the Google Maps. All these data will be tracked by Google so that important local SEO decisions can be taken and businesses can have appropriate rankings.
Widespread use of entity authority
The authority of a local business in any given segment is also going to play a major role in determining the way in which Google algorithm for local SEO works. Google is likely going to use factors like popularity and engagement in order to determine the level of authority of the local business within a given sector. Popularity of a business is going to depend on how frequently a business is going to be talked about in the online world as well as the response it has in social media, on various sites, articles and forums. The extent to which people are engaged with the brand will also impact the local SEO of a business. So if you have a lot of people loving the interaction and experience that they have with your brand, your website is going to have better ranking in the Google SERPs.
Increased importance of Voice SEO
More and more people are going to use voice search when they need to find a local business in any given sector. Already voice search has become a major way in which people conduct searches on their phones. The improved voice technology has also played an important role in a popularizing the idea of voice search. Therefore companies offering local SEO solutions must include voice SEO in their strategy when they plan on optimizing the online ranking of a locally owned and operated company.
Implementation of question-based keywords
Question-based keywords or long tail keywords help to make sure that the search queries are more specific and to the point. The people who look for local businesses are going to use such long tail keywords with questions when they plan on getting any kind of product or service that they want.
These are some of the trends that are going to change the way local SEO is carried out in the days and months to come. Many of these practices are already in application and will only get more prominent with every passing day.
by admin | Apr 4, 2018 | Blog, Social Media
In today’s world, it is extremely important to have a well crafted website that serves as a platform of interaction for a company with their target customers. A website can play a crucial role in branding and also help to inform customers about the products and services that the company has to offer. However, it is also necessary to invest wisely in developing an effective social media strategy that can help in expanding the online outreach of the company. Most companies nowadays tend to promote and sell their products through online means. Therefore the customers tend to interact with mechanical devices and systems whenever they need to buy something. This makes them miss the direct human interaction that customers once used to have with the sellers. Having a strong social media presence allows customers to interact with the personal side of the company. This helps a company to develop a trusting bond with the customers which results in a long term rewarding relationship.
The leading social networking websites like FaceBook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google Plus, Snapchat and YouTube offer excellent marketing opportunities for different kinds of businesses. Unless a company has a comprehensive social media marketing strategy, it runs the risk of lagging behind competition.
Here are some of the distinct benefits of investing in a social media marketing strategy:
Direct Communication with the Target Customers
One of the most important advantages of social media marketing is that it allows a company to communicate directly with its customers. This can be extremely helpful for the business as it can use the feedback and input of the customers to improve the quality of its products and services. This can eventually help the business to become more and more relevant to its target customers. The business firm can also develop effective marketing strategies by studying the needs and demands of its target customers.
Studying the Competition
Apart from studying the target customers, a business firm also needs to learn about its competition if it is to prosper and grow. It is quite obvious that the competition is also using social media in the best way they can to augment their interests. By studying the social media profiles of the competition brands, it is possible for a company to completely stay abreast with the latest digital marketing strategies and methods that are in use. Moreover, studying the social media marketing strategies of other companies that draw better results can show a company what needs to be changed or done in order to generate better responses from the target market.
Result Driven Marketing
In many cases, customers do not respond with much eagerness when they find companies are approaching them with a blatant or aggressive marketing approach. However, with the help of social media marketing it is possible to generate a strong response among customers who then feel the urge to check out the products and services that are offered by the companies. Social media marketing makes it possible to place adverts strategically within different types of informative posts. Companies can also largely benefit from the subtle marketing methods that they can try out with the help of social media.
Improved Responsiveness
Responsiveness is the key to success for any company. In the digital age, business firms greatly rely on social media to get feedback from their customers with which they can improve the quality of their products and services. Social media provides customers with an excellent platform to express their thoughts, concerns or issues regarding the products and services that they use. The business firms can take note of customer complaints and make sure that all issues with the products and services are immediately dealt with.
Affordable Marketing
Unlike certain other forms of marketing, maintaining social media profiles and implementing effective marketing methods through them does not cost a fortune for a company. The easy affordability of social media marketing along with its effectiveness makes it one of the most widely used methods of marketing at the present moment. The cost effectiveness of social media marketing also makes it a viable option of marketing for startups and small businesses.
Branding
Branding is a process by which a company name is made into a major brand that is easily recognizable by the customers. In order to ensure success for a company, it is extremely important to focus on branding as over time the target customers identify certain products with some key brands in the industry. With the help of social media marketing, it is possible to transform even small businesses into major brands in due course of time.
Online Reputation
Most customers do online research nowadays before they buy any product or service. This means that when they find a particular company has a positive online reputation, they will surely invest in its products and services. Having a strong social media marketing strategy allows a company to develop a positive online market reputation.
by admin | Nov 19, 2017 | Blog, Website Design
Web designing not only helps to determine the aesthetic elements of your website but it also has a major role to play when it comes to making your website convenient and user friendly. Due to this reason, you should put special emphasis on the process of web designing and steer clear from the various common website design mistakes that might undermine the value of your website. In order to avoid these mistakes, you must first learn about them and know how they might affect your business. Poorly designed website can affect your online ranking and also discourage people from visiting your site again and again.
Here are some common web design mistakes that you should stay away from.
Not Creating a Responsively Designed Website
In today’s world most people tend to browse the internet in their smartphones and tablets. Therefore it is necessary that you design your website responsively to provide your site visitors with a seamless browsing experience. Not having a responsively designed website can also lead Google to penalize your website. This can greatly affect your SEO rankings and give your business a bad press. A responsively designed website can not only help you to generate more leads but it can also help you to enjoy greater number of sales conversions.
Using a commonly available Free Website Builder
While developing and designing a website, it is understandable that you may have budget concerns in your mind. However, if you simply choose to use a common free website builder app that is randomly available on different sites, you might actually end up with a poor quality website at the end of the day. Many of these random website building apps add numerous lines to the back end codes of the website which in turn leads to slow loading time. This can eventually lead to countless errors and major performance issues in time.
Poor Loading Time
When a visitor clicks on your website, it is important that your site loads as quickly as possible. Ideally a site should load completely in less than 4 seconds. However, most of the sites surveyed by Google have shown that they have a loading time more than 7 seconds. Make sure that your site is not filled with too much of large files as that can eventually end up increasing the loading time. Slow websites can be quite irritating to site visitors and this can eventually lead them to avoid visiting your site in the long run.
Not Making Proper Use of Design Elements
Many websites tend to make too much use of design elements and this eventually makes the website really loud and gaudy. Then there are others who simply go in the other direction to make their websites look as minimalistic as possible. However, in doing so they tend to make their websites look completely drab and plain. It is important to maintain a balance at all times and make the most effective use of the design elements so that the visitors respond positively to the design of your website.
Choosing Fonts Without Much Care
The fonts that you choose for your website can create a positive impact in the minds of your site visitors or simply discourage them from using your site ever again. Therefore make sure that the fonts that you choose for your site are beautiful and express the message of your business properly.
Improper use of Colors
While some colors are considered soothing for a website, there are others that can seem to be loud and disturbing for your visitors. Make sure that you choose a good color combination for your site that is appealing to the eyes.
by admin | Oct 28, 2017 | Blog, Branding & Design
When increased visibility is name of the game, it’s no wonder that heavy weight brands spend millions in production cost just to print their logos. However, massive brand exposure does come with an environmental and obvious financial downside. Imagine, the cost of ink for printing a logo is double that of an oh-so-fancy Chanel N°5!
Thankfully, French designer Sylvain Boyer has done the math and figured out that cost – millions, actually – can be saved if brand logos are tweaked imaginatively and intelligently to deliver a sustainable solution, both ecologically and economically.
Enter, ‘Ecobranding’ – a conceptual exercise aiming to help brands continue their ever-escalating promotional activities in an evolved, eco-friendly, and cost-effective manner. All this while upholding the essence of the brand logos and consequently saving millions in input costs.
Ecobranding seeks to trim down logo production costs by whopping 10-40% annually by altering the brand design with a transformed logo without compromising on its quintessential brand essence. In the process, it is making the brand more economical and ecological while keeping up the brand logo’s visual performance and reducing environmental impact.
If the route of ecological revamp is chosen and logos are streamlined, businesses can emerge successful. Take a look at these legendary logos and get inspired:
McDonald’s – Brilliantly optimized, the remodeled McDonald’s logo uses 34.11% less ink.
Nike –Using 26.33% less ink, the Ecobranded Nike logo is certainly more eco-friendly.
Apple –The corporate makeover of Apple makes the logo leaner and greener using 22.32% less ink
FedEx –With 18.19% less ink, FedEx becomes environment friendly
All Image Credit: ECOBRANDING-DESIGN.COM
by admin | Oct 23, 2017 | Blog, Branding & Design
A well designed logo can be a major driving factor in a company’s success. Time and again we have seen that many business firms are able to develop a lasting impression in the minds of their customers with the help of their well designed logos. This is something that is certainly applicable for the American ice cream company Baskin Robbins. Based in Canton, Massachusetts and founded in 1945 by owners Irv Robbins and Burt Baskin in Glendale, California, the company currently serves to more than 3 million people all over the world on a weekly basis. The company has steadily grown over the years and has developed about 5800 registered outlets in a total of 43 countries worldwide.
Ever since the company started its operations, Baskin Robbins has created more than 1000 flavors in all these years that have a lasting appeal on their extensive clientele. However, since the beginning, the company was known for its well known “31 flavors” slogan which left a permanent mark on its logo. The logo of Baskin Robbins is widely held to be one of the most popular, iconic and immediately recognizable logos ever created in the food industry. Over the years, the company redefined the look of its logo in a number of ways. However, certain aspects of the logo have remained the same even when new versions of the logo were created. For instance, the logo of Baskin Robbins mainly comprises of three different colors; pink, blue and white. The pink color symbolizes the pink spoon that is offered to the customers for tasting the samples. The distinct blue and white shades of the logo stand for qualities like elegance, excellence, purity and reliability.
The latest version of Baskin Robbins logo was implemented in 2007.(1) This new logo beautifully shows the number “31” that signifies the total number of flavors that are offered by the ice cream company. The number “31” appears in pink color between the names of “Baskin” and “Robbins”. Judging by the response of ice cream lovers all over the world, the new logo certainly has captured the imagination of millions of people. Just like Baskin Robbins, another business firm deserves special mention for it effective use of a highly creative logo and that is Amazon. Originally launched as an online bookstore, the first logo featured a large translucent A against a watery backdrop. This was further accompanied by the line, “Amazon.com; Earth’s biggest bookstore”.
Gradually as Amazon evolved into a major ecommerce portal that offered everything from books and music to other items, their logo changed into a new one that closely resembled the current logo. Soon, Amazon started working on its current logo which featured the words Amazon.com with the arrow that connects the A with the Z, denoting that everything from A to Z is available with the online shopping store(2). The arrow also creates a smile that indicates the satisfaction of the end users as they buy all of their necessities from the online store of Amazon.com.
Reference: 1
Reference: 2
by admin | Oct 22, 2017 | Blog, Branding & Design
The symbol for the Audi logo is the four ceiling rings representing the four original manufacturers of the Auto Union. The Audi emblem signifies association of the Audi brand with others: DKW, Horch and Wanderer. The first ring from the left side symbolizes Audi; the next ring represents DKW; Horch is represented by the third ring and the fourth ring signifies Wanderer. The similarity of the Audi logo to the official Olympic logo led World Olympic Committee to legally pursue Audi in the World Trademark Court. However, World Olympic Committee lost the case and Audi kept its official logo.
The four rings that make up the official Audi logo symbolizes the four oldest automobile manufacturing companies in Germany that came together to create the new company in 1932. Prior to this, the motor vehicle manufacturers operated independently from one another. The companies Audi, DKW, Horch and Wanderer became the principal foundation pillars for the modern automobile firm of AUDI AG.
The logo was changed lately in 2009 in order to celebrate the 100th birthday of Audi. Certain minimal changes were made in the size, print, color and the common appearance of the logo. The logo is designed to sign the motto “Vorsprung durch Technik”, which actually means “Progress through Technologies”. The new logo makes use of a font that is more standardized and appears simple yet modern. Such a tweak in the appearance of the logo is meant to communicate a message from the makers of Audi cars to all the employees and customers about rendering more advanced, innovative and creative designs. Implemented in 2009, the new logo is considered to symbolize the whole car company and it also further reinforces its historic bond with the Audi’s customers.
The logo of the Audi company includes four 3 dimensional overlapping rings which nowadays look more sharp-cut and precise with the effective use of polished chromium look. Apart from signifying the merging of the four automobile companies Audi, DKW, Horch and Wanderer, it also represents strength and security. The logo is considered to be a symbol of power and protection, depicting the historic 1932 merging of Audi along with the three other noted car manufacturers. This new look of the Audi logo that was created in 2009 expresses the relentless and earnest efforts of the auto manufacturer to strengthen the ties with the clients as well as increase the loyalty, efficiency and ultimate superiority of the car brand.
The new Audi symbol has a darker coloration which gives it a highly defined, prominent and shiny look. The shade of aluminum in the rings perfectly portrays slight design and innovative power. The bottom competency of Audi certainly places the brand apart from all others. The bright and sleek look of the new logo adds a distinct touch of sophistication to the cars. The new font used in the logo gives an impression of high efficiency. It also provides with a sleek and innovative feel, which certainly goes well with Audi’s new design principles and technologies.
