Tag Archive for: Digital marketing agency Chicago

4 Common SEO Myths That Marketers Should Reject

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When it comes to the best search engine optimization (SEO) practices, it can be difficult to know what methods are currently working and what is not. Search engine algorithms on Google, Bing, Yahoo, and others are frequently changing and this factor makes it challenging for marketers to adapt. There are numerous myths floating around about what a “good” SEO strategy consists of. Listed below are four common SEO myths that all marketers should be aware of.

1. Stuffing keywords is the way to go
The method of stuffing keywords is both outdated and falls into the “black hat” side of SEO practices. Search engines these days (Google especially) are more focused on rewarding legitimate organizations trying to drive real traffic to their sites. Don’t confuse implementing rich keywords in good content development compared to “stuffing.” An article from Entrepreneur describes keyword stuffing as “having too many keywords stuffed into your domain, this will be viewed as a spammy tactic that Google can pick up on.” Ultimately, the practice of keyword stuffing not only destroys credibility, but can ban sites from being shown on search engines at all.

2. The security of a site doesn’t affect rankings 
Regardless of the other benefits a secure site offers, many marketers and organizations either don’t believe or realize how important having an SSL certificate is for optimization purposes. According to an article in 2014 from Google’s Security Blog, “security is a top priority at Google, so we’re starting to use HTTPS as a ranking signal.” Other search engines like Bing and Yahoo have adapted this practice as well. In general, secure sites (SSL installed) are starting to become the norm online and do have important implications when it comes to optimization and higher organic rankings on search engines.

3. Blogging isn’t that important for SEO
This is one myth that appears to be going away soon, but is still present among organizations who aren’t in touch with today’s digital environment. Maintaining a well kept blog in general will only increase online visibility and fuel your SEO. Google and Bing’s algorithms reward valuable and fresh content for specific search queries. The major SEO factors of blogging consist of relevant content production, attracting internal/external linking, expanding of keywords, and many more. Regardless of the industry, maintaining a well written blog is one way to increase your organization’s SEO presence and appear ahead of competitors in the search engine results.

4. “Having a contact at Google will get me on the first page”
Some organizations actually believe having a contact at Google will help their site rank better for relevant searches. Although knowing a Google representative is very beneficial in regards to the Google Partners Program and latest information, Google doesn’t staff employees to help businesses with their SEO. According to the Entrepreneur article, “this is the fascinating component about Google; you have to follow the latest trends to make sure your SEO strategy aligns with Google’s constant algorithm updates.” Moreover, if an agency or marketing professional claims to have a contact at Google relating to SEO and first page rankings, they are lying.

Contact Us: At Onimod Global we know that organic search engine optimization or SEO, is absolutely vital to achieve long term search engine visibility for your website. Years of experience in SEO is the core of our strategies. We develop organic search engine optimization campaigns that deliver increases in organic traffic and natural rankings on major search engines like Google, Bing and Yahoo. Check out Our Work to see what SEO solutions Onimod Global has to offer!

4 Tips for Selecting the Right Digital Marketing Agency

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When it comes to making marketing decisions for an organization, it is usually a company’s best interest to hire an agency in the ever changing world of digital marketing. When outsourcing these marketing efforts, selecting the right digital marketing agency for your business is critical. According to research from Capgemini Consulting “companies with a strong digital presence in their industry tend to outperform their peers.” Listed below are four tips that every business should use when deciding which agency is right for them.

Evaluate Work and Track Record:
Doing your research on multiple agencies is one of the best first steps to choosing the right one. If they are not listed on their sites, request case studies from agencies to see what benefits can be provided for your organization. Click Here to view our case studies at Onimod Global. Ultimately, doing your research and ensuring the agency you outsource to is legitimate will most likely lead to positive returns on your investments.

Know Your Most Important Needs:
Before the search for a digital marketing agency starts it is essential to pinpoint the specific digital needs your organization is seeking. Is there a higher priority on search engine optimization, social media marketing, or search engine marketing? All three of these areas could be equally important, but it’s important to address questions like this at the beginning of the process. Some agencies specialize in certain areas of digital marketing, while other agencies like ours provide full scale services. In the end, one of the starting points for every business seeking a marketing agency should be building an extensive list of digital needs.

Transparency of Results:
The last thing you want from an agency is a lack of transparency. There are many marketing agencies out there that like to provide reports for clients that only showcase successes. Agencies that want to stay ahead of the game like ours are frequently looking to improve and highlight areas where changes can be made. The ultimate goal for any business seeking the right agency is to make sure they are doing their best with intentions to always deliver a positive ROI and grow your business.

Be Blunt Upfront:
Many organizations can be afraid of being blunt to an agency, yet it’s a major investment being discussed. Be upfront about what the expectations are and don’t be afraid to walk away if the negotiations don’t go as planned. Although the standards for performance need to be realistic, make sure you and the marketing agency are on the right page about what the end goals are. At the end of the day, finding an agency that fits with your business model and is willing to adapt to what your organization wants will most likely be your best bet.

Contact Us: If you’re a business seeking improvements in SEO, SEM, Website Development, or any other digital service feel free to reach out to us at Onimod Global on our Contact Us Page. We look forward to hearing from you!

The 7 Best Ad and Landing Page Elements to Boost Online Conversions

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When it comes to success with paid search, it’s not just about ad copy. You have to pay attention to your ad extensions and your landing pages as well.

In this article, Mona Elesseily from Search Engine Land discusses the specific ad features and page elements that searchers/shoppers want when they’re shopping online. She also covers ways to also incorporate the elements using PPC/paid search.

1. Images

Seventy-eight percent of shoppers want images.

Shoppers respond well to images. It’s the reason Google has been and is continuing to increase the number of images we see on search engine results pages (SERPs). It’s also the reason good online retailers allow us to zoom in and view products from different angles.

An awesome way to increase the number of images in the SERPs is to use product listing ads (if applicable). We love how product ads allow us to take up space and show more than one product in the shopping pack. We like adding ad annotations like price drop alerts (in Bing), merchant badges and product ratings to make ads pop even more and grab buyer attention.

Focusing on feeds now will pay dividends in the future, as shopping feeds will likely appear in more places in the SERPs (Think image search and local ad units), and feed-based advertising will become much more commonplace. It’s a good idea to prep for opportunities that will come along in the not-too-distant future.

2. Product reviews

Sixty-nine percent of shoppers want product reviews.

It’s a great idea to have them on your site and also to incorporate them into PPC ads using review extensions. Review extensions are finicky, as there are lots of search engine policies related to posting “accurate and current” reviews. It’s not uncommon to have ads disapproved a few times before they get approved.

It’s worth noting that reviews can be no more than 12 months old to appear in Google Trusted Stores, and hence, review extensions. Consistently ask customers to review products, so that review extensions (and seller ratings, for that matter) will continue to appear in your account.

3. Side-by-side product comparisons

Forty-six percent of shoppers want side-by-side product comparisons.

These are effective ways to compare your company products or to compare your product against the products of competitors. Graph or table format tends to be the easiest to read and allows shoppers to better digest information.

Here’s an example from Phillips and some of their natural light wake-up lights:

http://searchengineland.com/figz/wp-content/seloads/2016/10/Screen-Shot-2016-10-02-at-11.34.27-PM-800x472.png

Personally, I like to highlight (or badge) the most popular product. Badging is very effective in improving online conversions, and I’ve seen increases of more than 20 percent when tables include a badge. In the example below, the pro version of the product is the most popular and is denoted using the color blue.

http://searchengineland.com/figz/wp-content/seloads/2016/10/Screen-Shot-2016-10-02-at-11.39.19-PM-800x378.png

This example would have been even better if the blue column were marked “best seller” (or similar wording).

4. Customer testimonials

Forty-two percent of shoppers want customer testimonials.

I find these very useful, especially if there’s a striking difference between you and your competitors.

I work with a company that manufactures a product that’s more expensive than their competitor’s product. Their testimonials highlight other benefits and do an effective job of making the extra cost negligible. The “negative” is offset by the awesome knowledge and customer service.

screen-shot-2016-10-03-at-12-07-27-am

Testimonials effectively encourage people to bite the bullet because they know their overall experience will be good and that they’ll be thrilled with their purchase.

5. Video product demos

Thirty percent of shoppers want video product demos.

This is especially true if the product is complicated or hard to understand. For example, let’s say you sell car replacement parts, and the parts are tricky to install. Here’s an example of videos from 1aauto.com.

screen-shot-2016-10-03-at-12-17-30-am

In PPC, video extensions are a good option to consider. At this point, these are only available in Bing.

6. Live chat with shopping assistant

Twenty-two percent of shoppers want live chat with a shopping assistant.

A good option for this is the ActionLink extension in Bing. We’ve seen higher ad engagement as a result of including this, especially in industries where people have a lot of questions, like home renovations.

7. Links to media coverage of company products

Nine percent of shoppers want links to media coverage of company products.

On sites, people often include “as seen on” and other such credibility indicators. Be sure to also include links to media coverage. I test short video clips of the media coverage on pages. Sometimes, having clips in addition to links to media coverage boosts conversions.