Uncategorized – SEMA https://www.searchmarketingaustralia.com.au Search Engine Marketing Australia Tue, 11 Aug 2020 01:45:44 +0000 en-AU hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.2.11 How to Write Content Like a Professional for Australian Audience https://www.searchmarketingaustralia.com.au/how-to-write-content-like-a-professional-for-australian-audience/ https://www.searchmarketingaustralia.com.au/how-to-write-content-like-a-professional-for-australian-audience/#respond Tue, 11 Aug 2020 01:45:44 +0000 https://www.searchmarketingaustralia.com.au/?p=6979 It’s quite often said that there are no rules for learning English, but how do you differentiate between the different styles of writing? How can you write like a professional if your target audience is Australian? Well, there is good news for 1,500 million English speaking people around the world. The language has a lot […]

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It’s quite often said that there are no rules for learning English, but how do you differentiate between the different styles of writing? How can you write like a professional if your target audience is Australian? Well, there is good news for 1,500 million English speaking people around the world. The language has a lot in common, and you just need to bring a subtle change in the style if you want to cater to an Australian audience. So, how do you write content like a professional for an Australian audience? Let’s find out!

Master your writing skills for an Australian audience

If you are new to the field, you should know that quite often, you will have to switch niches as per the requirements. So, how can you interact with a new audience in an appealing way? You might be required to sell a new product or service, or you might have to write in a style that is entirely new to you. Here is how you can get started.

Curate a list of all the top blogs

If you are new to the writing style that particularly an Australian audience will like, you should start with understanding their preferences.

You can make a list of the most liked blogs in a specific niche and start with analyzing the content. Start searching for the top blogs on search engines and come up with the websites that have the highest authority. This way, you will know the preferences of the audience that you are catering to. Understand the Australian writing style and start taking notes. In fact, these blogs and articles will give you the information and learning you need to satisfy the requirements for the Australian style of writing.

To get the perfect Australian tone of writing, it is always advisable to regularly read blogs that are written by famous Australian niche writers. For instance, you could go through Jonathon Crossfield’s personal blog or read some of the best pieces by Justine Justine Larbalestier’s blog.

Make a note of the most commonly used words

Every industry will have specific jargon. Even though you shouldn’t be filling you content with these jargons, you can include them every now and then to set that trust in your Australian readers. There will be a lot of such words but don’t worry! You don’t need to know everything. You can simply skim through these words and figure out the ones that can be included in your content.

This will require some research and time, but you will be able to please your readers and relate on a more personalized note with them.

Never plagiarise

One of the most basic mistakes that you can make while writing for any audience is plagiarized content. When you start copying the work of other writers and experts, you start losing the trust of your readers. So, make sure whatever information you include in your content is entirely unique. Even if you are referring to some statistics or figures, make it a point to provide the appropriate credits. Do the reader likes to waste their time and read plagiarised work.

So, once you are done with your work, always check the content through a plagiarism checker. If there is any content that is coming under plagiarism, correct the same. Only then, you should let the readers go through your unique content.

Pay attention to differences in spelling

One of the significant and primary changes, when you are catering to an Australian audience, will the spellings. If you are more suited to the American writing style, the difference will be subtle. All the ‘or’ suffixes will become ‘our.’ For example, it is colour in the American style, but when you are writing in Australian English, it will be colour.

Similarly, ‘er’ becomes ’re’, ‘ize’ becomes ‘ise’, etc. There are various such small changes, but to appeal to an Australian audience, it is crucial that you keep these in mind.

Punctuation! Punctuation!

Another essential point to note is the punctuation in your content. In the American style of writing, you will be putting commas before “and.” However, this will not hold true for the Australian style. Also, in Australian English, you will be using double quotes if you are including any quotes in your content. The periods or commas also go outside the quotes when you are writing in the Australian style.

Time and measurement

In case you are including date and time or some sort of measurements in your content, be thorough with the Australian style. You will be using the 24-hour clock or military time. Moreover, you will have to mention the date as month/day/year. Even the measurements in Australia are in the metric system. So, make sure that you are thorough with these basics so that you can connect with the readers and build much-needed trust.

Stay away from broad subject matter

One of the best suggestions, if you are writing for the first time for an Australian audience, would be to start with something small. A narrow topic will require less research, and it will give you enough exposure to understand the Australian style. That being said, make sure whichever topic you pick, your research is thorough and extensive on the same.

Take inspiration from your heroes

Start quoting some of the known Australians in your article. Get some information about a few starts and figure out a way to include their quotes or experiences in your content. By doing this, you will show the readers that you know these famous Australians. Moreover, your content will also be liked by the majority of the readers.

To sum up

Writing for an Australian audience won’t be as different as you might think. But, make sure that you are thorough with these basics. If you are able to incorporate these tips into your content, your content will be able to grab the attention of the right group of readers. Master writing content like professional in the Australian style and see how your content and ideas are appreciated.

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Does Social Media Marketing Have An Impact Without SEO? https://www.searchmarketingaustralia.com.au/does-social-media-marketing-have-an-impact-without-seo/ https://www.searchmarketingaustralia.com.au/does-social-media-marketing-have-an-impact-without-seo/#respond Wed, 30 Jan 2019 03:42:17 +0000 https://www.searchmarketingaustralia.com.au/?p=6849 Remember when newspaper advertising used to be the biggest thing around? Business owners would spend a fortune on bold, bright and colourful ads because they knew they worked. Then, the radio came along and took centre stage, followed closely behind by television.   Now, however, social media marketing (SMM) and search engine optimisation (SEO) are […]

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Remember when newspaper advertising used to be the biggest thing around? Business owners would spend a fortune on bold, bright and colourful ads because they knew they worked. Then, the radio came along and took centre stage, followed closely behind by television.

 

Now, however, social media marketing (SMM) and search engine optimisation (SEO) are luring in companies, corporates, entrepreneurs, and even small mum-and-dad businesses with the promise of high returns and trackable data.

 

There’s no denying that TV, newspaper, and radio advertising had their day (and still do in some cases), but there is growing data to suggest that SMM and SEO both might be game changers for providing business owners with real returns and real results.

 

Learning all about these two marketing methods can take some time, and some people also struggle to understand whether SEO affects social media or vice versa.

 

Here’s everything you need to know about this new, revolutionary form of marketing for businesses – and whether social media marketing has an impact without SEO.

 

What is Social Media Marketing?

Social media marketing is the act of using a social media platform (such as Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook), and websites, to promote your products and services. A more traditional name for SMM was e-Marketing.

Search engine optimisation is a series of steps to make your website more visible on the internet without spending any money. The goal is to enjoy organic – or free – clicks to your site with the strategic use of metadata, graphics, keywords, hyperlinks, and more.

 

How do the Two Marketing Options Intertwine and Impact Each Other?

 

Social media does not tend to impact your search engine rankings, but it can do wonders for the effectiveness of your SEO processes. It can help improve your internet visibility – ensuring all the right people see you appear in their chosen search engine, and it can bring additional traffic to your website.

 

Being present on social media, using Social Media Marketing, can also increase your brand recognition, enable you to get a broader reach with your content, and even help with local SEO too.

 

How Does Social Media Marketing Work on its own?

 

Without even considering SEO, getting involved in social media and SMM optimisation can help your business benefit from tremendous success. Firstly, you need to do the following:

 

  1. Outline goals – what do you want to achieve?
  2. Determine your target market
  3. Establish where on social media you will find your target market
  4. Discover what message you want to portray to your potential new customers

 

Once you know the direction in which you want your social media presence to head, you can begin reaping the immediate rewards. Social media has an impact, without even bringing SEO into the equation, in the following ways:

 

  • Drives web traffic
  • Helps you to build conversions
  • Establishes brand recognition and awareness
  • Enables you to interact with your target audience

 

But, what about WITH Search Engine Optimisation?

 

It’s clear to see that building a social media presence for your business is going to be helpful, but when you partner it with SEO, you are going to see even more benefits – including those listed above.

 

Once you establish yourself on a social media platform such as Facebook – or even YouTube, you are offering your business a chance to get even more visibility on a search engine than ever before.

 

Now, when someone searches for you – or uses strategic keywords that align with your business image, your website, and social platforms will appear (and hopefully near the top). Without a presence on social media, this would not happen.

 

What’s more, upon searching for anything relating to your business, social results show up as a web page – even if it’s technically not a web page once you click on the link.

 

For example, if you post a tweet that correlates with what someone is looking for on a search engine that will show up as an individual search result.

 

One of the most significant impacts that social media marketing (SMM) has in connection with SEO is being able to capture and track external links. You can share a hyperlink to content from your website to your social media page, and then use Google Analytics to track its success in bringing people to your webpage.

Social media marketing (SMM) does have an impact without SEO. However, both SEO and SMM work better together rather than apart. If you are going to get more involved with either social media or search engine optimisation, you will find there are far more benefits in linking the two instead of doing one or the other.

 

Search engine optimisation can help you to build a better search engine presence with optimal brand recognition. But social media marketing can use the power of the people to increase click rates to your website on anything you post on platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, or Twitter.

 

You are going to get a significant impact with either SMM or SEO, but it will be fireworks if you use both!

 

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The Ultimate Guide to SEO for Small Businesses https://www.searchmarketingaustralia.com.au/seo-for-small-businesses/ https://www.searchmarketingaustralia.com.au/seo-for-small-businesses/#comments Thu, 06 Dec 2018 00:35:20 +0000 https://www.searchmarketingaustralia.com.au/?p=6803 And how it differs from a big business SEO strategy!   As the number of clients looking for products and services online continually increases, small startups are getting a clear message – the future of marketing lies in SEO. There is no better way to promote business and reach the target audience. Those companies that […]

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And how it differs from a big business SEO strategy!

 

As the number of clients looking for products and services online continually increases, small startups are getting a clear message – the future of marketing lies in SEO. There is no better way to promote business and reach the target audience. Those companies that fail to reach their potential clients usually collapse in the first year of operation. Starting a business is a risky venture.

 

That is why an increasing number of emerging companies resort to SEO, a marketing discipline aimed at increasing search engine visibility. The idea is simple – the higher you rank in search engines, the more clients you get. However, SEO for small businesses cannot entirely compare to SEO marketing of large companies. Even though the main idea remains the same – to reach as many potential clients as possible, the approach is somewhat different.

Target Unique Keywords

Keywording is one of the rare aspects of SEO that come easier to small businesses than to large multinational companies. Multinationals need to come up with a specific keyword that relates to their brand and clearly distinguishes them from the competition. As for small companies, the creative process of producing keywords is not demanding in such a way. However, this does not make it less complex. There are entire keyword research strategies aimed at increasing the visibility of emerging companies. There are many aspects to consider when creating high-value keywords.

Keywording is a crucial part of effective SEO for small businesses

A mobile phone with Google application and the word “analytics” typed in the search.

Small businesses are better off with longer and more natural phrases that are likely to be typed in search engines. In addition, as small enterprises usually focus on local clients, it is a good idea to add a location. For example, the phrase “best movers in Melbourne” sends a clear message to all prospective clients looking for professional moving companies in the mentioned area. Long descriptive phrases are more likely to attract local clients with specific requirements.

 

Understand Your Audience

Whereas large enterprises strive to attract people of different nationalities, generations and financial backgrounds, SEO for small businesses concentrates on a more or less specific audience. That is why it’s imperative to understand the needs of your potential clients before you optimize your website for search engines. If you understand the way these needs transfer to online search, you can create an effective SEO strategy. It is difficult to compete with established brands. As search engines favour brands, the only way to good rankings is through well-targeted marketing.

 

Social Media is Your (Best) Friend

 

One of the advantages of small businesses over large corporations lies in their use of social media. As local companies focus on a smaller number of people and a more narrow market, they can create closer ties with their clients.

Small businesses can use social media for a personalized approach

Mobile applications for Facebook, Twitter and other social media.

Social media are a powerful marketing tool. If you wish to become a better social media marketer, there are strategies you can resort to. However, one thing is for sure – social media are an important part of SEO for small businesses and one of the roadways to better visibility.

 

User-Friendly Web Design

 

Even though you are doing everything by the book, your website may not attract clients because of the lack of uniform design that attracts the eye. Needless to say, large corporations have the budget to employ a whole sector of web designers within the company, which means that they are fully covered as to their online presence. But the starting point of a small emerging company is nowhere near.

In addition to content optimization, small businesses need to invest in web design

UX considerations include where you place content

However, this does not mean that you should give up on having an attractive optimized website for your business. Even though you do not dispose of a budget that allows you to have a team of web designers within the company, you can always resort to outsourcing.

There are numerous companies that provide full SEO marketing services for different lines of business. For example, if you’re a moving company in need of better online visibility, you can find out more about SEO solutions for your business on moversdev.com. Hiring a specialized company to conduct SEO for your business is absolutely cost-effective.

 

A Smaller Website Means Fewer Seed Keywords

 

We already mentioned that keywording is somewhat easier for small businesses. But only in terms of creativity. As smaller websites have fewer keywords they can target, these keywords need to be chosen carefully. The phrase that will act as a keyword has to be carefully weighed against clients’ needs. In other words, in order to create a phrase that will effectively direct the traffic to your website, you need to know which phrases potential clients most commonly use in search engines. For better results, hire professionals to do this part of the job for you.

Relevant seed keywords assigned to each landing page (courtesy: moz.com)

Small Businesses Must Demonstrate Credibility

Large established brands need not prove the quality of their products and services. In consumers’ minds, a well-known name guarantees quality. However, if you are trying to establish a new brand on the market, you need to prove you are able to provide high-quality service. In addition to a well-structured website, you need to present testimonials and reviews. There is no better way to convince the target audience in the quality of your service than to present recommendations from a number of satisfied clients.

 

Small Companies CAN Rank Against Big Ones

SEO for small businesses may differ from a big business SEO approach, but this does not mean that they cannot compete in rankings. A good strategy aimed at increasing search engine visibility can be most rewarding in the long run. One thing is for sure – small companies have a greater need for SEO. As the future of their business largely depends on online visibility, they need to adapt to the ever-changing business environment. Investing in SEO is gradually becoming an imperative of successful marketing for small and medium enterprises.

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Which B2B Marketplace Should You Trust as a Start-Up? https://www.searchmarketingaustralia.com.au/which-b2b-marketplace-should-you-trust-as-a-start-up/ https://www.searchmarketingaustralia.com.au/which-b2b-marketplace-should-you-trust-as-a-start-up/#respond Thu, 29 Nov 2018 03:00:03 +0000 https://www.searchmarketingaustralia.com.au/?p=6792 As a startup, it’s true that businesses face several challenges. However, getting over these challenges is what the risk-taking ability of a successful entrepreneur is all about. Many B2B companies are launched every now and then. However, only those survive which are able to promote their products and brands smartly. A significant challenge that almost […]

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As a startup, it’s true that businesses face several challenges. However, getting over these challenges is what the risk-taking ability of a successful entrepreneur is all about. Many B2B companies are launched every now and then. However, only those survive which are able to promote their products and brands smartly.

A significant challenge that almost all startups face is lack of investment. This challenge stops you from advertising your products which eventually lead your business towards a shutdown. Although, there is one way you can make a presence for your B2B company online and start getting orders in no time. Wondering how? With the help of an international B2B marketplace.

These B2B portals offer an open platform for companies from all corners of the world to interact and start trading with each. All you have to do is a signup and provide all your company details. After that, not only can you search for relevant buyers, but they will also start reaching out to you. Having that said, the real question that arises here is which B2B platform you should trust? To start, here are a few essential requirements that you should consider before signing up on a specific B2B marketplace.

1.    Number of Members

Probably the most crucial thing to look at is the number of members that are already signed up. By knowing how many people are already active on a platform, it can help build your trust and confidence on a specific B2B portal. In addition, there is no point in wasting your time looking for potential clients on a platform that lacks an adequate number of relevant members.

For example, if you go through businesses like Alibaba and Amazon Business, you’ll see millions of members who are happily connecting and trading through these B2B portals. That apparently means, instead of searching for potential B2B buyers that are relevant, all you have to do is start contacting them with all their details available on such platforms. Though many Alibaba B2B competitors are fighting to reach the top, it is your job to evaluate each network.

 

2.    Experience

Though there is no harm in signing up to every other B2B marketplace that crosses your eyes, we still advise that as a startup you should focus more on portals that have been around for quite some time. Older and well-set B2B marketplaces are considered much more trustworthy than new ones. In order to maintain their reputation and quality of members, all suppliers and buyers undergo a strict verification process. This process is used to ensure the authenticity of the member as well as all the personal details they provide.

Once you have established a name for yourself and are generating enough leads and orders, you are free to sign up to new B2B marketplaces as well. You can find other new businesses there which you can work with. However, always be careful when you work with such buyers to avoid any scam or fraud.

3.    Paid Services

When you start a new business, a few workers and a warehouse full of stock aren’t the only things that you need. One crucial thing that all companies need to have is a user-friendly and well-maintained website. In addition, to actually gain online recognition for your site you’ll also have to utilise digital marketing techniques.

Worried how you’ll do all that in so little time? Well, many online B2B marketplaces have started offering premium packages in the form of digital services to boost your business. For example, if you go through sites like Tradekey and ExportHub, you’ll see a variety of digital service packages you can choose from. From making your website to promoting it on social platforms, to getting it ranked on Google with the help of SEO marketing techniques. They do it all! That means you can relax and start generating leads in no time with minimal investment and efforts. – Sounds like a pretty good deal to me!

4.    Money Back Guarantee!

You can’t put your money on the stake without any proper guarantee. Can you? To be honest, I definitely wouldn’t! Regardless of which B2B marketplace you choose, you should always see if they are offering a money back guarantee. As a startup, most businesses are already operating on a shoe-string budget. Therefore, investing without a guarantee is a risk too significant to take. – Think before your act!

5.    High-quality Round The Clock Support

Customer support is a crucial element that signifies the quality of service you can expect from a potential B2B platform. If you wish to check how much help you’ll get from representatives of a specific portal then reach out to their team and have a quick chat. You should also contact them at odd times. For example, if a platform considers itself an international B2B marketplace, they should have support staff available 24/7. If that’s not the case, and eventually you have to talk with a chatbot that is programmed to answer basic and limited questions, maybe you should move on to the next option on your list.

Wrap Up

Though there are hundreds of B2B marketplaces available for you to start your business, you can’t rely on all of them. Start by researching and carefully evaluating all the best ones. Go through the points we’ve mentioned above and make sure that you don’t make the wrong move. As a B2B startup the stakes are pretty high so make sure that you trust the right marketplace. Once you become a member of a good B2B portal, the rest is history!

 

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5 Ways A SEO Copywriter Can Help Your Business Grow https://www.searchmarketingaustralia.com.au/seo-copywriter-helps-business-grow/ https://www.searchmarketingaustralia.com.au/seo-copywriter-helps-business-grow/#respond Tue, 20 Nov 2018 04:00:34 +0000 https://www.searchmarketingaustralia.com.au/?p=6767 Everyone today is looking for the right way to reach the top in their respective industries and areas of expertise. And the focus has slowly but completely shifted towards the online presence of companies and the impact they will have. However, such an achievement is easier said than done. To get there, you have to […]

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Everyone today is looking for the right way to reach the top in their respective industries and areas of expertise. And the focus has slowly but completely shifted towards the online presence of companies and the impact they will have. However, such an achievement is easier said than done. To get there, you have to either spend years of financial and temporal investments into research and education or opt for professional assistance. Today, we touch a bit more upon that aspect of paid digital marketing assistance and how an SEO copywriter helps your business grow.

Why has the role of SEO copywriters become so important for online businesses?

Finding the perfect balance has become essential in every sphere of life, be it personal or business. For expert online advertising and marketing efforts, this balance has proven to be found in a combination of content and design. And SEO copywriters have found their calling in being the blacksmiths of such combinations – ones that maximize leads while minimizing bounce rates.

Never underestimate the manner in which a professional SEO copywriter helps your business grow.

What is unfortunate for most businesses is that this is not something that just anyone can do. You need to find the right person for the job to ensure the best possible results. Hence, you need to make sure that the copywriter you find fits your business profile in the best manner possible. Thus, if you were a company looking for industry-specific marketing and SEO expertise, you would turn to teams that work within your industry and are experts for that particular branch.

The best part of hiring professionals to handle your website content is that they will go beyond that one task. They can also provide you with a detailed content strategy that will result in a copy that:

  • Ranks you higher on Google search results in terms of relevant keywords for your particular area, services and products.
  • Boosts your conversion rate with charged and inspirational call-to-actions that will hold the attention of customers.
  • Provides budget-accommodating marketing campaigns that follow your business plan and schedule.

The primary focus here is to secure more time to focus on other aspects of the development of your business. So, here are the top 5 ways in which an SEO copywriter helps your business grow:

#1: SEO copywriters are well-versed in all aspects of online marketing

Forging a concrete online marketing strategy for your business is a demanding endeavour. The copy you come up with has to be able to engage audiences, be valuable and visible in the eyes of search engines, and inspire visitors to become customers.

A good marketing strategy is essential in the toolkit of any SEO copywriter worth his or her salt.

And this is exactly the way in which an SEO copywriter helps your business grow – with the practice of optimized content that will contain the technical aspects that offer value, all the while appealing to target audiences to act. Your marketing-versed SEO copywriter can help you leverage that content in your larger marketing strategy.

#2: Keyword research is an essential part of the process

What’s the point in winning 1st place for keywords that no one in your area searches for? Instead, SEO copywriters have the tools and methods that can help differentiate between the important and irrelevant keywords for your particular line of business. And this will be of use later on as well, given that you will be able to expand your target audience based off of the keywords your SEO experts define as important. An SEO copywriter helps your business grow in a multitude of ways, among which you might find the potential to analyse and upgrade your website to ensure maximum efficiency and revenue.

#3: Keywords need to be naturally imprinted in the copy to provide value

So, you’ve dug up all the relevant keywords that you need to position for – now what? This is just the beginning of a long-term battle in the world of search engine optimization. You now need to figure out how often to use those specific keywords and where to place them to receive the most value from them. And these are all inquiries that experienced SEO copywriters can answer and resolve if given a chance to do so.

#4: Keep tabs on the competition to stay in the race

Hiring a professional copywriter goes beyond securing optimized website content. In order to create compelling content that matches the needs of your target audience and industry, you first have to know them. This is where an expert SEO copywriter steps in. They:

  • research the competition and they’re rankings and strategies
  • analyse your audience base and their expectations
  • discover new opportunities to promote your business online etc.

The job of the copywriter goes beyond the calling of writing – it requires much more than that.

#5: Save time and energy while securing quality content

Most people underestimate the investment it takes to achieve the level of a professional SEO copywriter. Content creation is an acquired skill that takes years of hands-on experience to comprehend and perfect. So, instead of wasting your time on learning more about SEO, you can simply hire a professional that already has the knowledge you need.

Thus, you end up saving yourself hours and days of researching and writing content for those 10 pages on your website and can focus on other aspects of growing your company.

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Bad SEO; Three Factors That Could Be Hurting Your Rankings https://www.searchmarketingaustralia.com.au/bad-seo-three-factors-that-could-be-hurting-your-rankings/ https://www.searchmarketingaustralia.com.au/bad-seo-three-factors-that-could-be-hurting-your-rankings/#respond Mon, 17 Sep 2018 04:02:28 +0000 https://www.searchmarketingaustralia.com.au/?p=6697 “Successful SEO is not about tricking Google. It is about partnering with Google to provide the best search results for Google’s users.” – Phil Frost   Your concerted efforts in refining your SEO technique would help you achieve increased conversion rates and a higher page rank. In this regard, any savvy and shrewd online marketer […]

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“Successful SEO is not about tricking Google. It is about partnering with Google to provide the best search results for Google’s users.”

– Phil Frost

 

Your concerted efforts in refining your SEO technique would help you achieve increased conversion rates and a higher page rank. In this regard, any savvy and shrewd online marketer would know that being aware of the latest search engine optimization tactics, techniques and algorithm is paramount in conjunction with the regular optimization of pages.

Regardless of what your endeavour might be–if it is to increase your traffic, brand exposure and awareness or simply to know who your target audience is–knowing the ins and outs of SEO is vital. Remember, your efforts in curating relevant topics and creating compelling content would be all for naught if it is not paralleled with good SEO techniques.

Audiences online are constantly looking for excellent content just like the ones you are constantly producing. However, you need good SEO work in order to deliver them exactly right at your website’s doorstep. In essence, good SEO would enable your audiences to find your web pages and content better.

Unfortunately, good SEO only gets you so far and regardless of how remarkable your efforts for refining your technique might be, if you overlook the small technical things, it could significantly hurt your chances of ranking higher. In fact, these are the oversights that would contribute to a diminished page ranking. Some of these you might have overlooked, but if you continued to do so, you can be heavily penalized by Google.

Here is a list of some of the little and surprising things that might be hurting your search ranking:

 

Bad Blog Comments

 

We all know that we cannot reasonably expect every single comment on our blogs to be singing praises, but that is not the kind of bad comment we are talking about here. Instead, what we are referring to as bad blog comments are the spam comments which every blog has to deal with. Of course, some online marketers are still using black hat SEO tactics until today and one tactic would involve having automated bots posts spam comments across hundreds or even thousands of sites in just a single day. This is an effort to divert and increase traffic to other sites.

 

An example of ‘spammy’ comments on blog posts

 

Unfortunately, apart from polluting your posts, spam comments hurt your website’s ability to rank regardless of whether the links found within the comments are followed or not. Google penalizes you because spam comments are an indication of the kind of website you are and just how qualified you would be to be the recipient of traffic. In the eyes of Google, you are just as bad as the spam commenter.

 

Having measures in place to counter spam is far easier than having to fix them after the fact so, setting your website user-generated comments to default a no-follow option is a great place to start and to add an anti-spam measure like RECAPTCHA plugins.

 

 

Sluggish site speed

 

Another factor utilized by Google to rank pages is site speed. With this in mind, your time to the first byte is actually an incredibly essential factor you must look into. Time to the first byte refers to the amount of time it would take a visitor to get the first byte of information from your server. Apart from playing an integral role in affecting your page rank, your page speed is imperative in giving your users an overall cohesive experience. The longer it takes for your page to load, the more likely your visitors would end up in other pages. Moreover, slower page speeds would also mean that search engines couldn’t crawl as many pages as it ought to with their crawl budget.

 

 

A good checklist to fix slow load time is to:

  1. Utilise screaming frog to crawl your website and check the response times for each URL
  2. Place in order the pages that are the slowest to have an order of priority to work through
  3. Check the speed using Google PageSpeed Insights or GTMetrix
  4. Optimise your image sizes (< and >100kb
  5. Make use of CDB to scatter your requests across various geographical locations
  6. Use CSS Sprites to combine images within single files to save server bandwidth
  7. Switch off plugins you don’t use
  8. Use third-party video hosting like YouTube or Vimeo

 

Broken links and images

 

Your content should not only be rich and informative, it should also be visually appealing as well. Broken internal and external links can cause a webpage to return an error status. In this regard, broken links and unavailable images may discourage users from visiting other pages of your website or create a negative user experience if they can’t find what they’re looking for. After all, when they follow links to or from your site, they expect content to be readily available once they do reach that page.

 

 

Apart from giving your users a negative experience, broken links prevent crawlers from indexing your site properly. Which in turn could mean that your website rank will be negatively impacted. This could happen due to the following reasons:

 

  1. Incorrect Disallow enters in your robots.txt
  2. DDoS protection system
  3. Misconfigured or overloaded server

With this in mind, regularly check your links both internal and external to ensure that you are not redirecting your audiences to broken pages.

 

To fix these kinds of issues, if your website returns an error, either remove the link or replace it with another resource. If they are still working within some browsers, you may find an issue with your web hosting. As another option, you could utilise the ‘crawl delay’ directive in your robots.txt

 

 

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27 Actionable Tips For Content Marketers https://www.searchmarketingaustralia.com.au/27-actionable-tips-for-content-marketers/ https://www.searchmarketingaustralia.com.au/27-actionable-tips-for-content-marketers/#respond Tue, 21 Aug 2018 00:18:12 +0000 https://www.searchmarketingaustralia.com.au/?p=6633 The post 27 Actionable Tips For Content Marketers appeared first on SEMA.

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Australia’s Most Searched Topics in 2017 https://www.searchmarketingaustralia.com.au/australias-searched-topics-2017/ https://www.searchmarketingaustralia.com.au/australias-searched-topics-2017/#respond Sun, 31 Dec 2017 00:45:02 +0000 http://www.searchmarketingaustralia.com.au/?p=6481 With 2017 quickly coming to an end, Google has released a report detailing the most popular search queries in Australia over the last 12 months.   The results might surprise you… 2017 in Review   Stress balls are a thing of the past, but fidget spinners were all the rage in 2017, and Google’s search […]

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With 2017 quickly coming to an end, Google has released a report detailing the most popular search queries in Australia over the last 12 months.

 

The results might surprise you…

2017 in Review

 

Stress balls are a thing of the past, but fidget spinners were all the rage in 2017, and Google’s search queries prove it. ‘Fidget spinner’ appeared in three of the top trending lists, with people asking what they were and if they could DIY them.

 

Apparently, we’re also quite obsessed with slime, especially if it’s fluffy, borax-free or made from a glue-free alternative.

Not surprisingly, we were all about the AFL, horse racing, and cricket, with Melbourne Cup coming in as the third most searched term in Australia for the year.

 

It’s also clear that we loved Sophie Monk as The Bachelorette, as she comes in first on the list of trending people in the land down under, with Ed Sheeran and Hugh Hefner following closely behind her on an International scale.

2017's most searched items in australia

Australians were also pretty keen to read up on the same-sex marriage vote, as well as why Australia Day falls on January 26.

 

Cyclone Debbie was also a much talked about topic, as well as Bali’s volcano, Hurricane Irma and the attacks in London, Las Vegas, and Manchester.

 

If that wasn’t already enough, we also tackled some pretty tough issues, like political tension in North Korea, what Bitcoin is and how it works, and thanks to Donald Trump’s Twitter feed, we all wanted to know what ‘covfefe’ is.

To get a little more specific, Google has released its full trending lists for Australia in 2017…

 

Overall

  1. Australian Open 2017
  2. Melbourne Cup 2017
  3. Wimbledon 2017
  4. Fidget spinner
  5. Cyclone Debbie
  6. iPhone 8
  7. North Korea
  8. Chris Cornell
  9. iPhone X
  10. Amazon Australia site

 

News

  1. Cyclone Debbie
  2. North Korea
  3. Amazon Australia site
  4. Hurricane Irma
  5. Bali volcano
  6. London
  7. Las Vegas
  8. Manchester
  9. UK election
  10. Schapelle Corby

 

Global People

  1. Harvey Weinstein
  2. Ed Sheeran
  3. Kevin Spacey
  4. Gal Gadot
  5. Floyd Mayweather
  6. Jake Paul
  7. Post Malone
  8. Pippa Middleton
  9. Boy George
  10. Macklemore

 

Aussies

  1. Sophie Monk
  2. Kate Fischer
  3. Schapelle Corby
  4. Ben McCormack
  5. Dustin Martin
  6. Cassie Sainsbury
  7. Lisa Wilkinson
  8. Paul Hogan
  9. Katherine Langford
  10. Amber Sherlock

 

Loss

  1. Chris Cornell
  2. Hugh Hefner
  3. Chester Bennington
  4. Tom Petty
  5. Bill Paxton
  6. David Cassidy
  7. Nicky Hayden
  8. John Clarke
  9. Rich Piana
  10. Malcolm Young

 

Sporting Events

  1. Australian Open 2017
  2. Melbourne Cup 2017
  3. Wimbledon 2017
  4. Mayweather McGregor fight
  5. AFL Grand Final 2017
  6. US Open 2017 Tennis
  7. Mundine vs Green 2
  8. ICC Champions Trophy 2017
  9. AFL Fixtures 2017
  10. Rugby League World Cup 2017

 

What is…?

  1. What is MSG
  2. What is Bitcoin
  3. What is kimchi
  4. What is a publican
  5. What is covfefe
  6. What is a fidget spinner
  7. What is MSG and why is it bad
  8. What is Sharia law
  9. What is DACA
  10. What is Good Friday

 

Why is…?

  1. Why is Pandora shutting down
  2. Why is Club Penguin shutting down
  3. Why is Australia Day on 26 January
  4. Why is it called Good Friday
  5. Why is Nathan Lyon Garry
  6. Why is my poop green
  7. Why is Messenger crashing
  8. Why is Snapchat down
  9. Why is two up illegal
  10. Why is my internet so slow

 

Recipes

  1. Beef Stroganoff
  2. Hot cross bun
  3. Hollandaise sauce
  4. Chilli con carne
  5. Chicken Cacciatore
  6. Bechamel sauce
  7. Chicken parmigiana
  8. Shepherd’s pie
  9. Beef Bourguignon
  10. Quiche Lorraine

 

How to Cook…?

  1. How to cook tofu
  2. How to cook eggplant
  3. How to cook pasta
  4. How to cook rice in microwave
  5. How to cook smoked cod
  6. How to cook silverside
  7. How to cook lentils
  8. How to cook salmon fillets
  9. How to cook fennel
  10. How to cook rhubarb

 

And that’s a wrap on 2017. We hope everyone has a Happy New Year!

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