Design, News

It’s often remarked that good user experience (UX) will help bring traffic to your website—that when you design your site so that it’s easy to navigate and to extract information from, it helps with everything from search rankings to site referrals. But of course, the inverse is also true: Bad user experience can actually repel users, and send your website visitors scurrying.

What does bad user experience look like? Really, any site that makes it difficult for users to explore is probably not a well-designed one from the UX perspective. With that said, there are a few specific UX failings you’ll want to be sure to avoid.

Avoid These UX Disasters

Ads in the Center of the Page

Have you ever been to a website where there’s a huge ad, positioned right in the middle of the page? If so, then you know how annoying these ads can be. They actually force you to navigate around them just to use the site—and for many users, the effort won’t be worth it. They’ll simply seek what they’re looking for elsewhere.

Slow Loading Time

Similarly, most Web users have little patience for a site that takes ages to load. If your page doesn’t load within four seconds—and ideally even less—then you’re almost certainly losing traffic. You may need to either remove slow-loading elements from your design, or else seek a faster server.

Overly Complicated Web Design

The best sites tend to be the simplest ones: They offer just a handful of options, laid out in a way that makes sense. When you overburden your visitors with different options, you’re not impressing them; you’re just overwhelming them. Make sure your website provides the user with a clear path toward the information he or she is after.

Auto-Play Videos

Here’s another one that you can probably relate to: You visit a site and are surprised to hear audio playing, perhaps drowning out the music you were listening to from your device. You can’t find the mute button, so you just navigate away from the site completely. The bottom line: Nobody really likes auto-play videos. They only serve to frustrate—and as such, they’re best avoided.

Pop-Up Ads

Thankfully, pop-up ads have largely become extinct. They still show up on a few sites, though, and are almost always a detriment to the user experience. Simply put, people associate pop-ups with spam sites. If you want your site to remain credible, you’re wise to ditch the pop-ups.

Poorly Written Copy

The writing on your website is an important element in user experience. You want your writing to be clear in conveying what you do, and what value you offer to the reader. Good writing will also help guide the user through your site, and provide calls to action where appropriate.

Stock Photos

Here’s one that may surprise you. Stock photos may seem fairly innocent, but actually, it’s usually pretty easy to spot them—and they can actually undermine your credibility. Original images are always best, especially for businesses like law firms or accounting agencies, where earning trust is key.

Create a Site Where UX is First

The good news is that all of these pitfalls are avoidable. One way to steer clear of them is to seek guidance from the Web design pros at Driven2020. In fact, when you contact us, we can schedule a full website audit, where we’ll provide concrete ways to make your site more effective—and that includes improving the user experience. Schedule your consultation; contact Driven2020 today!

Design, News

SEO is never static. It changes all the time, both due to Google’s constant tweaking and to the general evolution of technology. In the coming months, a few noteworthy trends are likely to stand out, and define all 2018 SEO activity. Here’s a quick rundown.

Mobile-First Indexing

This first one needs a quick clarification. It has long been important for websites to be optimized for mobile users. What’s changed, just in the past few months, is that Google now looks to the mobile version of your website first and foremost; in terms of SEO rankings, your mobile site is even more important than its desktop counterpart.

So what does this mean? If you don’t have a mobile website, or if your mobile website is slow to load, you could see a rankings loss. For all intents and purposes, your mobile website is now your primary website—so invest in it accordingly.

Semantic Search

Google’s ongoing mission is to provide search engine users with helpful, relevant answers to their queries. A big part of that hinges on knowing what it is, exactly, that search users are looking for.  Semantic search—attempts by Google to understand the finer points of user language, and what it says about user intent—demonstrates this.

One practical implication to consider: Generally speaking, a piece of content that delves deep into one specific topic will work better than a page that’s more scatterbrained. Focus on creating blogs and website pages that are true information hubs.

Machine Learning

This third SEO concept is closely related to semantic search. Here’s the short version: If you type a search query that’s a little vague or nebulous, Google will actually employ AI to help figure out exactly what it is you’re trying to find. Its primary machine learning program, RankBrain, is now one of the most significant SEO signals.

The implication, again, is to focus on creating strong, compelling resources that take into account semantic search and user experience. In many ways, it’s best to just think about the end user, rather than get too caught up in the algorithms. Create valuable content, and the rest largely takes care of itself.

Featured Snippets

You’ve seen featured snippets on the Google SERP, even if you didn’t know that’s what they were called. These are Google’s “rich answers”—simple answers to factual queries, embedded within the SERP itself. It’s part of a larger trend for Google to make the SERP itself a treasure trove of information, without any need to click on a specific listing.

Featured snippets occupy invaluable online real estate—so if you can rank for one, that would be handy. Focus on creating topical resources, formatted as tables, bulleted lists, or Q&As, that answer very specific, factual questions.

Voice Search

Finally, any article about 2018 SEO trends must touch on voice search—maybe the biggest game changer of them all. Voice search has become so prominent, it’s actually poised to overtake more traditional search within the next few years.

So what should you do to engage with voice search queries? Mirroring the conversational style in which voice search queries are phrased is a start. And once again, formatting in a Q&A or list format helps, too.

Preparing for the Future

There’s no better way to future-proof your SEO efforts than by getting a broad, comprehensive strategy in place—and that’s something the Driven2020 team can help you with. We’re always on the cutting edge of what works in SEO. Learn more by contacting the Driven2020 team today. Make sure you ask about scheduling a full marketing audit!

Design, News

Title tags are some of the most fundamental building blocks of SEO success. If your tags are missing, if they’re duplicates, or if they’re simply not written well, it could compromise your SEO results in a big way—so what do you need to know to get your title tags right?

Defining Title Tags

To begin, let’s make sure we’re all on the same page about what title tags actually are.

Basically, this is an HTML tag that appears in the heading section of each Web page, offering some clue or context as to what the page is all about.

Moreover, the title tag appears at the top of the Web browser, as well as on the Google search results page. Beyond those two places, it’s not actually visible to your website visitors, which is why they are so easily overlooked—yet title tags provide valuable information to the search algorithms. Simply put, they allow you to tell Google what your website is all about.

Writing Effective Title Tags

As for writing good title tags, there are a few factors to consider.

Context

First, you need to know where the page in question fits within the broader context of the website. For instance, the title tag for your About page will probably be a little different than your title tag for a product page.

We recommend starting with a basic site map, showing your page hierarchy. Title tags for top-level pages, like the home page, will need to be fairly broad. Once you get deeper into the site, your title tags can become more specific.

Content

You need to think not just about your website as a whole, but also the content of the page in question. Remember: A good title tag gives a clue what the page is about.

As such, your title tag should be assembled from words, keyword phrases, and ideas that are drawn from the page content—and they should offer a big picture of what the page topic is.

Originality

You never want to have duplicate tags—even if you have two pages where the content is very similar. Duplicate tags can actually incur SEO penalties, so make sure yours are always distinct from one another.

If you do have duplicate title tags, you’ll be able to tell from Google Search Console. We recommend taking a minute to review your tags now, and rewrite any duplicates you spot.

User Intent

Another tip: Don’t skip your keyword research. It matters for all phases of content creation, and that includes title tags.

In particular, make sure your title tags include some keyword that match search user intent. What are people looking for when they come to your site? What are the goals they’re trying to accomplish? Those are helpful questions for framing your title tags.

Length

A common question is how long should title tags be? The answer: Around 70 characters. If you go beyond that, Google will truncate your title tag—which means your users won’t see the whole thing on the SERP.

Also, make sure you get important words and phrases at the beginning of your title tag, whenever possible.

Optimize Your Content—and Reach More People

Optimizing your title tags is a small yet crucial way to reach more users. To learn more about boosting your visibility and improving your outreach, contact the Driven2020 team. We’ll help you see the big picture, and to understand how on-page SEO is just one tool for making your website a sales machine.

It all starts with a website audit; contact Driven2020 to schedule your audit today!

Design, News

Marketers create content for different reasons, but one of the primary ones is to boost traffic—either through organic search or social media. Getting visitors to your page isn’t the only meaningful marketing metric, but it’s certainly a crucial one—and it’s all but impossible without the right kind of content.

But not all content is created equal, and some types of content have proven themselves remarkably effective at generating traffic. As you plan your own Web content, here are a few traffic-magnet content types to consider.

Content That Brings in Traffic

Lists

The tried-and-true list is always a good way to format content. Something about the structure of a list appeals to the human brain; it’s easy to skim a list and glean valuable insights from it. A list of specific apps, tools, resources, etc. is an especially effective form of content.

Webinars

A well-run webinar, one that considers a truly relevant topic, can accomplish a lot of things at once. It can demonstrate your expertise. It can posit your brand as a solution to customer problems. And, it can bring in a lot of traffic—and not just traffic, but real leads, too. Running a webinar takes effort, but can be amply worthwhile.

Podcasts

Podcasts have a lot of the same benefits as webinars, and like webinars, they take some work to pull off. A good podcast can help you bring in a lot of curious listeners, though, some of whom may even subscribe to future ‘casts.

Roundups

You’ve probably seen roundup articles on the Web—articles wherein a number of experts each weigh in on a specific topic. Because you’re inviting other thought leaders to participate, you’re likely to get a boost from their own traffic sources, which makes roundup content effective. Just using a simple email survey, you can try to get feedback from your peers, then format it into a treasure trove of expert information.

Interviews

Interviews with industry experts work for much the same reason that round-ups do—not only are you demonstrating your status within your field, but you can leverage the traffic-generating channels of the person you interview. Plus, most industry experts are flattered when you request to interview them—so it could lead to a positive, long-term relationship.

Ebooks

An ebook alone may not be enough to generate traffic—but if you can position it as something truly valuable, and promote it well through social media and your company email list, a good ebook can certainly bring in visitors.

Product Reviews

Consumers use the Web to research their purchasing decisions, and product reviews are always a hit. You might consider reviewing products that are related to your industry—weighing in on the pros and cons of each, from your vantage point of industry expertise.

Research

Finally, if you’re able to produce some original research—even survey results—that say something about your industry or niche, that can certainly draw some eyeballs. Original research isn’t something you can put together overnight, but it can be well worth the time and effort required.

Develop Content That Brings in Traffic

This list is by no means exhaustive. Truthfully, there are a lot of creative ways to generate traffic. The key is finding the one that makes the most sense for your business.

That’s something Driven2020 can help you with. We’re old pros at using content as the centerpiece of an immersive marketing campaign; we can show you how great content works within the big picture. Let’s start that conversation today. Give Driven2020 a call at your next convenience!

Design, News

Search engine optimization is constantly evolving. The new year is sure to bring new opportunities, as well as new challenges; due to changes in technology, changes in consumer search behaviors, and even changes to Google’s algorithms, SEO professionals must show constant vigilance and flexibility.

There’s no time like now to start preparing your SEO efforts for whatever 2018 may bring. Start by reading up on some of the key trends that are poised to shape the year. Here are some of the ones the Driven2020 team is keeping an eye on.

Voice Search/Digital Assistants

Thanks to Siri, Alexa, and other virtual assistants, voice search is on the rise—and in fact, it’s predicted to become the dominant search methodology by 2020.

If you’ve read anything at all about current SEO trends, this probably comes as no surprise to you—but the question is, how can you make sure you’re accommodating the needs of voice search users? A couple of thoughts:

• Optimize your content for natural-language, conversational queries—including statements and questions. While a more traditional text-based search might be, “Justin Timberlake wife,” a voice search is more likely to be something like, “Who is Justin Timberlake married to?”
• Aim for the answer box—position zero on the SERP. Here’s what makes the answer box position so important: If there is an answer box listing for the voice search query, that’s the content that will be read aloud to the user. You can aim for this prominent position by making use of numbered lists, bullet points, and tables, or by formatting your content in a Q&A style.

Link Building

Link building is one of the most tried-and-true SEO practices—but it’s changed and evolved a great deal in recent years. What’s popular today is linkless link building—which might at first seem like a contradiction in terms.

A linkless link is one where your brand is mentioned/cited on a page without an actual hyperlink present. This may not sound valuable, but actually, it’s an increasingly important Google ranking signal. Getting these linkless links—as well as a few well-earned and high-quality hyperlinks—is crucial to your SEO efforts.

How is it done? There’s no easy answer here. The best way to get links is to work on long-term relationships with other bloggers or brands. Additionally, create the kind of customer experience that builds brand prestige and gets people talking about your company all over the Web.

Mobile-First Indexing

Here’s one more way to prepare your SEO for 2018. Google has long encouraged the development of mobile-friendly sites—but now, it’s actually necessary to prioritize your mobile page over its desktop equivalent. The reason for this is simple: Google now uses the mobile site as its primary ranking signal.

Some general tips for ensuring that your mobile website is firing on all cylinders:

• Make sure it’s fast! If it takes more than three seconds to load, it’s not fast enough.
• Ensure responsive design; the user should not have to do a lot of scrolling, squinting, or resizing just to see your content.
• Remove any content types that don’t work on mobile devices—CSS, certain image types, etc.
• Write content that’s succinct and easy to ready even from a mobile device.

Are You Ready for 2018?

As you seek to ready your marketing efforts for the new year, make sure you’re getting the right guidance. Driven2020 stays on top of all the latest SEO trends, and we can help you develop an adaptable and future-proofed SEO plan. Start that conversation today: Contact the SEO experts at Driven2020!

Design, News

Even brick-and-mortar businesses need SEO. In fact, we’d almost say that especially brick-and-mortar businesses need SEO. Here’s why: When consumers in your neighborhood want to find a good local business—whether a law firm, hairdresser, pizza place, or discount electronics store—they turn to the Web. What they find in Google’s local search listings determines which nearby company they take their business to—simple as that.

You’ve got to be findable to local customers; you’ve got to stand out from the crowd of your competition. In this post, we’ll show you how.

Local SEO Tips to Help Your Business Be Found

Write Strong Meta Data

The Google Search Engine Results Page (SERP) doesn’t give you much space to make a case for yourself—so you’ve got to seize the opportunity. Make sure each page of your website has a strong meta title and meta description. Include your business name, keywords, a call to action, and a value proposition.

Ensure Consistent NAP

NAP stands for name, address, and phone number. You want to have this information displayed consistently across every page of your site, as well as on social media profiles, etc. To reiterate, consistency is key!

Earn Local Citations

Getting links from credible, local directories can really help with your rankings. Seek opportunities on the local Chamber of Commerce page, industry-specific directories, and more. In addition, sites like Yelp, Foursquare, Citysearch, and MerchantCircle provide good citation opportunities for you.

Start a Google My Business Page

This is a free tool that Google offers to make your business more easily discoverable on the Web—so there’s no reason not to make use of it. Make sure you fill out the profile completely. Add keywords as naturally as you can. Don’t forget NAP information!

Get Some Reviews

Reviews on online review sites—and on Google, in particular—help with your rankings. Make it easy for customers to leave you feedback. Include a link to your review profile on your company website. Also consider asking for reviews on receipts and invoices, or in your email newsletter.

Use Schema Markup

This one may require you to get some help from your Web developer, but it’s worth it. Schema markup can provide Google search engine users with additional information about your company, such as hours of operation, location, and current Google star rating. Include it if you can!

Aim for More Time on Site

The more time people actually spend on your website, the more it helps your search engine rankings. The best way to increase time on site is through giving people content that engages them. Blog posts work well, and video works even better!

Include Plenty of Links

Invite readers to explore your site further; include internal links to relevant/related pages. Don’t go overboard, but do add some subtle, internal navigation wherever you can. External links, to authoritative websites, can also help enhance your page’s SEO potential.

Ensure Your Site Loads Quickly

Do a speed test. If it takes you more than four seconds to get the page fully loaded, there’s a problem—and you need to discuss it with your Web developer right away! More and more, slow-loading pages are being actively penalized by Google.

Step Up Your Search Engine Optimization

There are always further enhancements you can make to your SEO efforts. We’d love to audit your site and make some specific recommendations—all with the purpose of making your website highly visible and truly competitive. Start that process today. Reach out to Driven2020 for a full digital marketing audit.