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On some level, most SEO and digital marketing professionals know how important user engagement is. Consider this: The search algorithms have a simple role… to provide the end user with the best, most relevant answers to their queries. Google and the other search engines want to offer users meaningful results. As such, they try to reward the content that gets people clicking and interacting.

If your website doesn’t provide users with relevant information—if users don’t find it worthy of their engagement—then your SERP rankings are liable to drop, as your site is effectively replaced with something deemed to be more relevant.

That’s the simple summary of user engagement and its relationship with SEO, but of course, there’s quite a bit of complexity contained within this topic.

Different Types of User Engagement

You’ll naturally want to focus on content that promotes user engagement, yet it’s important to note that user engagement comes in many different forms. Some of the most common examples include:

1. Click-through rates. This is the entry-level user engagement you need—e.g., people seeing your website in the SERP and actually clicking on it.
2. External forms of engagement—linking to your content, sharing it across social media platforms, etc.
3. Dwell time. Once someone clicks through to visit your site, how often do they stay there?

Tracking the Right Metrics

Each of these types of engagement is meaningful, and worth pursuing. Taking a strategic approach to user engagement requires SEO professionals to actually monitor and measure their progress, which means knowing the most useful metrics. Here are a few to consider, all available in Google Analytics.

1. Pageviews. This measures the total number of visits to your page within a set span of time.
2. Top content. This metric helps you determine which piece of content has received the most engagement.
3. New visitors. Are you actually growing your audience, or are all your pageviews coming from the same people?
4. Bounce rate. How often do people visit your site and then immediately navigate away? You want to aim for the lowest bounce rate possible.
5. Time on site. How long do people spend reviewing the content on your site? More time equals a higher level of engagement!
6. Conversions. Are your website visitors signing up, calling, emailing, etc.? This is one of the most important engagement metrics of all!

How Engagement Impacts SEO

It’s important to note that not all of these metrics are Google ranking factors—though a couple of them, like dwell time, are.

While they are not all directly impactful to Google’s algorithms, they can certainly make a big difference with regard to your overall ranking. More precisely, having good engagement numbers proves that people are connecting with your content and finding it to be useful—and again, that’s what Google and the other search algorithms prize above all else.

A good approach for SEOs is to stop thinking in terms of the algorithms and what they want—to stop chasing these different ranking factors—and instead focus on simply creating content that will cultivate engagement, across these different metrics and categories.

It’s by giving your end users what they want that you can ultimately satisfy the search algorithms and achieve robust rankings.

Connect with Driven2020 to Learn More

It may sound straightforward, but of course, there’s nothing easy about developing content that generates engagement. That’s why we encourage companies to work closely with an SEO and digital marketing partner, like Driven2020.

We’re here to offer a data-driven, no-fuss approach to content creation and search engine optimization. Reach out to Driven2020 today to discuss the solutions we can offer.

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Nobody ever said search engine optimization (SEO) was easy. Actually, it can sometimes feel downright complicated. Not only are the algorithms constantly shifting and evolving but there’s a huge number of factors you have to account for if you want your site to rank.

Some of those factors are what are known as off-site ranking factors. These include signals to the search algorithms that your content is valuable to the end user—for example, links from other reputable publications.

But there are also on-site ranking factors, which have more to do with organizing your site in a way that it’s easy for the algorithms to scan it.

These on-site factors are incredibly important, and they’re also relatively easy to get a handle on. As far as SEO goes, they can be low-hanging fruit.

And yet, many websites overlook them! Here are just a few of the most common on-site ranking factors you need; double and triple check that you’ve crossed off all these boxes. And if you need an expert opinion, the Driven2020 team is here for you.

Don’t Skip These Crucial Ranking Factors

1. Compelling content. Google uses a framework called EAT, which stands for expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness. Basically, the algorithms want to reward premium-grade, highly relevant content that truly satisfies user queries. Are you providing it?
2. Title tags. Also called SEO titles, these are the page titles that appear at the top of the search window. They tell both the algorithms and the end user what the page is all about—and although your space is limited, title tags can be a valuable place to include some keywords.
3. Meta description. Every page should have a meta description—a short description that tells the algorithms and the search user what the page is about. This is the snippet of text you’ll see on the SERP. Again, use a keyword or two if you can. Include a call to action. And, be sure each page has an original meta description. Unique content is key.
4. Headline. Similarly, each page should have a clear, compelling headline at the top—something that provides the reader with a reason to scan your page. Again, if you can work in an organic keyword or two, that’s even better.
5. Image optimization. The images on your page should never be an afterthought! On the contrary, you should be careful to select quality images that support your content. Also, make sure you optimize them with SEO-friendly titles and alt tags. Images present invaluable opportunities for search optimization, yet they are often overlooked.
6. Great copywriting. The quality of your writing matters—but what makes good, SEO-friendly copywriting? The critical thing is readability. Just make sure you write something that reads well and is easy to skim. Focus on the end user and on delivering valuable information—and generally, the rest will fall into place.
7. SEO keywords. Finally, make sure you’ve done your keyword research; Google gives you plenty of tools. As for how to place them, we’ve noted some strategic areas throughout this post (meta description, headline, etc.), but you can also work them into your content organically. Again, so long as you use them judiciously and keep the focus on readability and coherence, you should be just fine.

These are just a few of the on-site SEO opportunities you have available to you. To find out more about strategic site optimization, give us a call. Driven2020 boasts a team of seasoned, results-oriented SEO professionals, and we’d love to take a look at your site. Reach out to us today!

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Executing a successful SEO strategy is anything but simple. There are countless factors to juggle, including both technical and creative components, off-site ranking signals as well as on-site cues. What’s more, Google’s search algorithms are always in a state of flux; the SEO expert has to keep tabs on a constant stream of updates and revisions.

Given the complexity of SEO, it’s only natural that mistakes are made. Even the most accomplished SEO professionals can err, and usually, it’s possible to course-correct and bounce back.

With that said, there are some incredibly common SEO mistakes that amateurs often make, and their results can really be catastrophic. If you don’t quickly right these wrongs, your entire SEO endeavor can come up short.

These Common SEO Mistakes Can Ruin Your Efforts

Some examples:

• Not properly defining your goals. You may say that the goal of SEO is obvious—it’s to get better rankings. Sure, but for which keywords are you trying to rank? In which geographic area? And how will you measure and define success? Do you have to be on the first page of Google for certain search terms, or are you simply looking to gain a little more prominence among local search engine users? Defining objectives and metrics is always key and is one of the biggest and most common SEO mistakes.
• Not assigning roles. It takes a full team effort to make your SEO campaign a success. You need Web design, you need social media, you need content, you need someone to track data and analytics—there’s a lot to consider. It’s crucial to specify who’s doing what, and to outline all the responsibilities required to meet your goals. If you don’t, things could start to slip through the cracks.
• Working without a schedule and a plan. SEO isn’t something where you can fly by the seat of your pants or make it all up as you go along. It’s important to plot out your strategy in advance, and to create a schedule of when key tasks will be completed. Again, without this planning, you may find that important tasks get overlooked.
• Not paying enough attention to your website. You’d be amazed how many SEO campaigns have a deficient website at their center. Remember that the website is the hub of all your SEO efforts, and that ensuring the proper content, keyword placement, and site architecture can make or break your entire mission.
• Growing slack in your content production. You’ve got to continually feed the content monster! Regular blogging and video content are especially key. Without fresh content updates on a regular basis, you’ll quickly be forgotten by the Google search algorithms.
• Not staying abreast of algorithmic changes. Again, it’s important to understand that SEO best practices aren’t etched in stone, and that the algorithms themselves change regularly. Make sure you have trusted resources to keep you in the know about these updates, and that you tweak and adjust your strategy accordingly.
• Paying for stuff you don’t need. Like anything else, SEO requires you to have a budget in place. Far too many businesses blow their budget on stuff they don’t really need and are common SEO mistakes made while failing to invest in the things that really bring results.

Incidentally, Driven2020 was founded with the mission of connecting clients to those things that really yield results, excising all the fluff that tend to eat into SEO budgets. In other words, if you’re looking to invest in an SEO plan that’s totally focused on moving the needle and helping you meet your goals, you need to give us a call! Reach out to Driven2020 to talk SEO today and avoid making common SEO mistakes that can ultimately cost you.

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These days, all SEO is local. What matters to business owners is that their brand can be discovered by consumers within the community—the folks who might actually become paying customers. That’s certainly true for law firms, which may care about national name recognition but probably care even more with potential clients in their own backyard.

Local search success doesn’t happen by accident; the good news, though, is that there are some simple strategies firms can take to generate results.

5 Things Law Firms Can Do to Improve Their Local Search Visibility

1. Include the right keywords.

For attorneys, there are a couple of keyword categories to keep in mind. They are:

• Hiring intent keywords. These are the words and phrases a client might use when they are looking for an attorney to hire—e.g., estate planning lawyer, commercial litigation firm, real estate lawyer, etc.
• Research intent keywords. These are the words and phrases prioritized by those who are simply trying to get the lay of the land, and to determine whether they need an attorney at all—e.g., what is a will, do I need a trust, what are the penalties for a DUI, etc.

We’d recommend including both types of keywords in your content; use the Google Keyword Planner to help you determine some smart phrases for your firm’s website.

2. Have a Google My Business page.

We can’t recommend this highly enough. Signing up for a Google My Business account is free, and it’s what allows your firm to show up on Google Map results—i.e. to be prominent in local searches. Make sure you take the time to sign up for a profile, fill it out completely, and work in some of your keywords where possible.

3. Optimize your website

There are a number of on-page SEO opportunities for lawyers to keep in mind—too many to name them all here. To get you started, though, here are some steps we recommend:

• Make sure you have a meta description, including keywords.
• Include a call to action on every page of your site.
• Include an H1 title tag on each page of your site, ideally with a keyword included.
• Make sure your NAP (name, address, phone number) information is listed on every page of your law firm website.

4. Get citations and links.

In terms of off-page SEO opportunities, citations and links are especially valuable. You can often get listed on other sites simply by asking—for example:

• General/national business directories
• Industry-specific directories
• Local business associations and Chambers of Commerce

Reaching out to claim these opportunities is very much worth the effort, and can add a little credibility to your firm’s website.

5. Cultivate reviews.

Reviews on Facebook, Yelp, and especially Google can help your business reach a wider audience. Indeed, Google puts a lot of emphasis on reviews, so it’s very much worth your while to directly ask your clients to provide some words of feedback. And when you get reviews, whether positive or negative, view it as a chance to show some customer service, thanking the reviewer and, if necessary, asking how you can improve their opinion of your firm.

Local SEO for Law Firms

These local SEO tips can help your firm be discovered by the right people—and if you’re ready to put them into action, we’d love to help. Contact Driven2020, a marketing agency that specializes in helping law firms, today. Connect with us at your next opportunity and we’ll start the conversation!

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There’s a common misconception about online ads—namely, that consumers hate them. Dig into the research and you’ll find that this isn’t exactly true, however. People don’t hate ads; they just hate irrelevant ads. When marketers can precisely target their advertising to show the consumer something he or she is actually interested in—well, that’s the sweet spot. That’s where everyone wins.

It’s an achievable goal, especially through the practice known as remarketing. This is something we highly recommend to businesses, and in today’s post, we’ll look at remarketing in detail.

What Is Remarketing?

Imagine this scenario: You’re online, browsing for a new pair of brown boots. You look at some online shops and see some things you like but aren’t quite ready to make a decision. So you scroll over to Facebook—and as you look at your newsfeed, you notice some ads for the very pair of boots you had your eye on.

Has this ever happened to you? If so, then you’ve had some experience with remarketing, at least from the standpoint of the consumer. Remarketing is all about personalizing ads, making them more relevant to the consumer needs, often based on their actual online behavior. From the advertiser’s standpoint, it’s a smart way of ensuring that you’re only spending ad dollars to reach consumers you know have some interest in what you’re selling.

How Does Remarketing Work?

To get started with remarketing, the first thing you’ll need to do is have the right code affixed to your website. This allows you to track activity on certain pages, and keep tabs on folks who show an interest in particular products. Additionally, many e-commerce stores track shopping cart pages, allowing them to follow up with shoppers who abandon their orders.

Once you’ve identified your target consumers, who can show them specialized ads, featuring the products they’ve already viewed. Essentially, remarketing allows you to follow a consumer across the Web and to create multiple touchpoints with them throughout their consumer journey.

Why Is Remarketing So Valuable?

Being able to stick with a consumer across his or her journey is invaluable; remember that only about 2 percent of all consumers actually convert on their first visit to your website. Some studies show that it takes as many as 10 touchpoints before you can coax a lead into a sale—and remarketing is one of the most efficient ways to create those touchpoints.

There are some other perks to remarketing, too. It’s a smart way to use your marketing budget as efficiently as possible, minimizing the risk that you’re wasting ad bucks on consumers who just don’t care about your product. Indeed, the precise targeting that remarketing offers is almost unparalleled.

It’s also an effective way to build goodwill for your brand. Go back to what we said about consumers hating irrelevant ads; with remarketing, you can largely excise those from your strategy, instead serving the kinds of content that your target audience really wants to see.

Getting Started with Remarketing

Just one caveat: Remarketing really only makes sense within the parameters of a robust, comprehensive marketing strategy. That’s something we can help you develop right here at Driven2020, a company that skips the fluff and goes straight to what delivers results.

If that sounds like the kind of online marketing campaign you’d like to launch, we invite you to give us a call. We can help you put together a customized action plan that encompasses SEO, website design, social media—and yes, remarketing! Connect with us today to start the process.

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One of the secrets of effective social media marketing is selecting the right platforms on which to be active. Very few companies can afford a sustained presence on each and every social channel in existence, so it’s important to choose wisely and use your resources judiciously.

At first glance, it might seem like Instagram is an ill-fitting platform for law firms. After all, Instagram is devoted to photos and videos, and works best for businesses that have photogenic products to display—florists, bakers, interior designers. The practice of law doesn’t necessarily strike one as a visually enticing pursuit—so does that mean lawyers are better off sticking to Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter?

Not necessarily. Instagram is the fastest-growing social channel, and offers access to users you may not be able to reach on other platforms. It’s too important to dismiss it out of hand, and there are actually some good, strategic ways in which law firms can use Instagram to their advantage.

We’ll show you.

How Law Firms Can Find Instagram Success

Start with the Basics

Before you jump onto Insta and start posting photos and videos, step back and make sure you have the basics down pat. Specifically:

• Think about your goals. What are you trying to achieve on Instagram—and how will you measure success?
• What audience are you trying to reach? Think about your clients, and think also about the kinds of Instagram content that might appeal to them.
• How often will you post? It’s good to create a schedule and assign someone at your firm to handle postings. Even one or two posts a week is a really good start!

Once you spend some time considering these basics, you’re ready to start with some posts.

Post the Right Content

You may not have photo-friendly products to show off, like the cake baker or the interior designer, but there are still some good ways for law firms to get visual!

• If you have a new blog post on your firm’s website, promote it with a still image that’s somehow related to the topic at hand.
• Post candid and “behind the scenes” shots of your office and your team, a great way to “humanize” your firm and foster relationships with your clients.
• Post short videos of your attorneys offering quick legal insights. For instance, if you’re an estate planning lawyer, you could post a minute-long clip in which you explain the importance of having a will, list some other key estate planning documents, etc.

With a little creative thinking, there are plenty of ways in which you can develop content that connects with your clients.

Don’t Forget Hashtags

Hashtags are critical for ensuring you’re your content is discoverable by other Instagram users. Try to have at least two or three relevant hashtags per post. These might be geographically specific or simply pertain to your legal niche. (For instance, think #estateplanning, #SanDiegoAttorneys, #divorcelawyers, #familylaw, #CharlotteLawFirm, etc.)

Follow Other Accounts

Finally, make sure you follow other Instagram accounts, building up a vibrant community. These accounts might belong to:

• Your employees
• Other area firms and attorneys
• Other local businesses you’ve worked with

There are plenty of ways in which your firm can use Instagram advantageously—and if you’d like to get deeper into some specific strategies, we’d love to chat! Driven2020 is a seasoned digital marketing firm that has worked with a number of law offices and local attorneys. Reach out to us today to discuss various options for promoting your firm—on Insta and otherwise!

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The Web has grown increasingly visual over the past few years. As users scroll through content on their tablets and phones, their eyes are naturally drawn to photos and videos. What that means is that even if you’re implementing visual content—like a company blog post—it’s important to match it with some striking, emotionally resonant visuals.

How to Choose the Right Images for Your Content

How Many? The first thing you need to think about is how many images you actually need. There’s no single right answer, and it’s not as if picking 10 images instead of nine is going to make a world of difference. Still, there are some basic considerations to make. For one, think about your audience. If you’re writing for beginners/novices, you may want to implement more images, providing step-by-step visual representation. For a more advanced audience, fewer images will probably do. Also, think about what you’re trying to achieve through your content. A tutorial will benefit from more images, while a simple overview post may only need a couple. What About Stock Photos? Next, consider what kind of images you’re going to use. Our first piece of advice here is to avoid using stock photos if you can. Why? Simply put, they can be way too generic and often never completely fit your content. What’s more, most users can detect stock images pretty easily, and often they come across as pretty empty or hollow. It’s always better to use something more specific and personal, even if it’s just a screen shot from your computer and a quick snap with your phone. Are GIFs Okay? So, if stock images are bad, and screen shots and custom images are good – what about GIF’s? We’d recommend them only in select instances. They can work well if you’re aiming for a cheeky tone, something informal and fun. They may also work well with highly niche audiences. For more general, overview content, though, we’d probably recommend staying away from the GIFs. What About Memes? For memes, we recommend basically the same thing we did with GIFs—they can definitely make funny additions to more casual content, but only use them when they really seem to fit. Trying to force memes just to look trendy can backfire, making you look a little desperate. Is There a Place for Real-Life Photos? Taking some photos from your office, featuring you or members of your team, can really work well—these images are highly personal, they’re original, and you can make them fit the topic at hand. For example, if writing about a specific product, take a picture of your team members using that product. Or, just photograph the product lying on a table or desk somewhere in your building.

Using Photos in Your Content

The bottom line about using photos in your content: There’s always a little wiggle room. There’s always a little guesswork involved with determining how many images and what kind. When all else fails, go with your gut. Remember that the Web is a distinctly visual place, and it’s getting to be more so all the time. As such, learning to make smart decisions with your imagery can really help your content to shine. We’d love to talk with you more about putting a meaningful content plan into place. The Driven2020 team helps business owners from across the country with effective digital branding and outreach. Contact us today with any questions you have about image use!

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If you’re in business long enough, you’re bound to get some feedback—some of it positive, but some of it negative. And, in the era of online review sites, that feedback can be tough to ignore. As such, business owners are smart to consider different strategies for responding to their online notices—including both the flattering and the not-so-flattering ones. Indeed, Google now offers some expanded options for weighing in on your reviews.

Responding to Google Reviews

Thanks to some recent changes, businesses can now reply to their Google reviews on the desktop version of Google Maps. Before, it was only possible to reply on the Google My Business website or on the Google My Business app. In other words, there are some new ways to directly comment on the reviews your business receives—though some of the same limitations still apply. (Your business profile has to be verified by Google, in other words.) If you do log in to respond to one of your reviews, you may also notice that Google’s produced a new guide to help deal with negative feedback; it’s definitely worth a look.

The Best Ways to Respond to Bad Reviews

What the Google document will remind you is that just because you get bad reviews, that doesn’t mean you have a bad business. The customer may have had the wrong expectations, or have been having a bad day. No matter how unreasonable you think your reviews are, however, it’s important to always respond with professionalism. Simply put, flying off the handle and yelling at one of your customers is only going to make you look petty, and your business could suffer as a result. As for what Google specifically recommends, here’s a summary:

• Don’t attack the reviewer personally, or disclose their personal data—but do invite them to contact you directly to work out the problem.
• Investigate some of the reasons why the reviewer may have a bad impression of your business.
• Take responsibility for anything you did that may have been wrong, but don’t apologize for things that are beyond your control.
• Apologize for the bad experience, being as empathetic as possible.
• Sign the review with your real name or initials, showing that you’re a real person!
• Remember to be polite! No lashing out or being mean!
• Respond to negative reviews as quickly as possible.

To these words of advice, we’d only add a couple more points. Negative reviews offer you with the opportunity to provide some good customer service—so ask what you can do to make things right. Remember that you can respond to positive reviews, too, even if it’s just to offer a quick thank-you. This will show customers that you’re listening and that you welcome the dialogue.

Online Reviews Matter Now More Than Ever

It’s good to see Google provide more guidance for review response—because online reviews shape business reputations now more than ever. Make sure you monitor your reviews, and that you have a process in place to respond to your feedback—always proving to your customers that you value what they have to say, whether it’s positive or it’s not! As you consider all the best options for bolstering your online reputation, make sure you reach out to Driven2020. We’d love to present you with some customized digital marketing solutions. Contact the Driven2020 team at your next convenience, and let’s have a conversation!