SEO Archives | Blue Shift Web Services Blog https://blueshiftwebservices.com/blog/category/seo/ Blue Shift Web Services Blog Posts Fri, 11 Apr 2025 19:54:49 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://blueshiftwebservices.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/favicon-194x194-100x100.png SEO Archives | Blue Shift Web Services Blog https://blueshiftwebservices.com/blog/category/seo/ 32 32 SEO Strategies That Actually Work: A Practical Guide for Businesses https://blueshiftwebservices.com/blog/seo-strategies-that-actually-work-a-practical-guide-for-businesses/ Fri, 18 Apr 2025 16:00:19 +0000 https://blueshiftwebservices.com/blog/?p=704 In today’s digital-first world, visibility online is everything. Whether you’re a small business, a growing startup, or an established company, your ability to be found on search engines like Google plays a direct role in attracting new customers, building credibility, and growing your bottom line. That’s where Search Engine Optimization...

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In today’s digital-first world, visibility online is everything. Whether you’re a small business, a growing startup, or an established company, your ability to be found on search engines like Google plays a direct role in attracting new customers, building credibility, and growing your bottom line.

That’s where Search Engine Optimization (SEO) comes in.

SEO isn’t just about keywords or rankings—it’s about connecting your audience with the answers they’re searching for, and making sure your website is set up to serve them well when they arrive.

In this guide, we’ll explore essential SEO strategies that benefit most businesses, plus how your website plays a central role in making it all work.


Why SEO Matters for Businesses

When someone Googles a question, service, or product, their journey often starts (and ends) on the first page of results. That means if your business isn’t ranking well, you’re likely invisible to a large segment of potential customers.

SEO helps:

  • Drive targeted, organic traffic to your website

  • Build trust and authority in your industry

  • Increase long-term ROI compared to paid ads

  • Improve overall user experience across devices

But effective SEO takes more than guesswork—it requires a strategy tailored to your audience, your business goals, and how search engines actually work.


Foundational SEO Techniques for Most Businesses

Let’s dive into the key components of a well-rounded SEO strategy that any business can benefit from.


1. Website Structure and Technical SEO

Search engines need to crawl and understand your website efficiently. A well-structured website is critical for both visibility and user experience.

Key tips:

  • Use clear, consistent site architecture (logical navigation and internal linking)

  • Ensure your website is mobile-friendly and responsive

  • Optimize page speed and reduce loading times

  • Implement SSL for security (https)

  • Create and submit an XML sitemap

Your website is the central hub of your online presence. Every SEO strategy depends on it being optimized from the ground up. If your site isn’t built for performance, everything else suffers.

👉 Learn more about why web design is the core of your digital strategy:
Why Web Design is the Central Hub of Your Online Presence


2. Keyword Research and Intent

Not all keywords are created equal. Effective SEO starts with understanding what your audience is searching for and why.

Tips:

  • Use tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ubersuggest, or Ahrefs to find relevant terms

  • Focus on long-tail keywords (e.g., “best web design agency for small business”)

  • Group keywords by intent: informational, navigational, or transactional

  • Prioritize keywords that align with your services and customer journey

It’s not about stuffing your content with phrases—it’s about creating content that answers what people are genuinely looking for.


3. On-Page Optimization

Once you know your keywords, it’s time to implement them smartly across your site.

Best practices:

  • Include keywords in title tags, meta descriptions, headers (H1, H2), and body content

  • Write unique, descriptive meta descriptions for each page

  • Use SEO-friendly URLs (short, readable, and keyword-rich)

  • Add internal links to relevant pages within your site

  • Optimize images with alt text and compression

Google rewards clarity and structure—so does your audience.


4. High-Quality Content Creation

Content isn’t just for blogs. It’s how you build authority, educate your audience, and create pages that actually show up in search results.

Ideas for strong SEO-driven content:

  • Blog posts answering common industry questions

  • Service pages that clearly outline your offerings

  • Case studies and testimonials

  • FAQs and how-to guides

  • Location-based landing pages for local SEO

Google prioritizes E-E-A-T: Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. Your content should reflect all four.


5. Local SEO (Especially for Brick-and-Mortar or Service-Based Businesses)

Local SEO ensures your business shows up when people search for services “near me” or in a specific area.

Steps to boost your local presence:

  • Claim and optimize your Google Business Profile

  • Collect and respond to customer reviews

  • Use consistent Name, Address, and Phone Number (NAP) across the web

  • Add local keywords to your site and metadata

  • Create location-specific service pages

Appearing in local results can drive high-converting traffic from people actively looking for what you offer.


6. Backlink Building and Off-Page SEO

Backlinks—links from other websites to yours—act like votes of confidence in Google’s eyes. More quality backlinks = more authority.

Strategies include:

  • Guest blogging on reputable industry sites

  • Getting listed in local or niche directories

  • Collaborating with partners or industry influencers

  • Creating share-worthy content like infographics or guides

Avoid spammy tactics. Focus on earning links from trustworthy sources.


7. Regular Monitoring and Improvement

SEO isn’t a one-time project. It’s an ongoing process of testing, refining, and adapting.

Use tools like:

  • Google Analytics (to monitor traffic and behavior)

  • Google Search Console (to track indexing and keyword rankings)

  • Yoast or RankMath (for on-page optimization if you’re using WordPress)

Set monthly goals and track what’s improving—and what’s not. SEO takes time, but consistency pays off.


Wrapping Up: SEO and Your Website Go Hand in Hand

No SEO strategy will work if your website doesn’t support it. From load times and mobile performance to content clarity and user experience, everything leads back to your site. That’s why a well-built website isn’t just nice to have—it’s a strategic asset.

If you haven’t already, check out our post on why web design is the central hub of your online presence to see how design and SEO work together for better results.

Want help planning or auditing your SEO? Let’s talk.

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Top SEO Trends for 2021 https://blueshiftwebservices.com/blog/top-seo-trends-for-2021/ Wed, 09 Dec 2020 10:22:42 +0000 https://blueshiftwebservices.com/blog/?p=568 In today’s data-driven world, Search Engine Optimization is more important than ever. There are more than 3.5 billion searches taking place every day on Google and 73% of marketers use SEO tools to enhance their content. Consequently, they succeed in driving more traffic to their website which eventually leads to...

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In today’s data-driven world, Search Engine Optimization is more important than ever. There are more than 3.5 billion searches taking place every day on Google and 73% of marketers use SEO tools to enhance their content. Consequently, they succeed in driving more traffic to their website which eventually leads to better conversions.

In 2021, good SEO is going to be even more important. There is going to be an increase in the number of websites and internet users. It is time to reboot your SEO strategies and respond to the dramatic shifts in consumer intent.

The following are the top SEO trends as predicted by the experts:

1. Artificial Intelligence and its role in SEO

Artificial Intelligence will greatly impact how Google ranks content in SERPS. Google’s Algorithm “Rank Brain” is expected to be more important and versatile in 2021. The algorithm uses user experience signals to determine valuable content. This implies that it is more important to write engaging and well-organized content to captivate the attention of the user.

2. Website performance and User Experience

User Experience will matter a lot in 2021. If the people who land on your website interact with the content and find it engaging, it improves the ranking of your website. Good user experience is governed by factors like load time, interactivity, and stability of the content as it loads. These user-metric-signals indicate a delightful web experience for the people. Consequently, such content ranks higher in Google SERPs.

3. The Role of Mobile Friendliness

In 2019, a Google algorithm update rolled out which would rank mobile-friendly websites higher. The trend is expected to continue in 2021. According to a research, around 73% of users will use the internet solely through their mobile phones by 2025. For better ranking, make sure that your website is effective and visible on mobile phones.

  1. EAT Principle and the Quality of the Content

Google highly values the content which fulfills the EAT principle. EAT stands for expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness. The principal is used to indicate high-quality web content. Especially in a few business niches like health or finance, EAT is a very important ranking factor. In 2021, the EAT principal will be more impactful which means that it is important to create authentic and engaging content.

You can create such content by following certain steps. First, create buyer personas that help you understand the people who are interacting with your business. Secondly, find out the search intent of your audience which helps you figure out the consumer journey. Thirdly, research and create engaging content. Lastly, link to reputable sites and get backlinks from authoritative sites to prove authoritativeness.

Furthermore, long-form content tends to rank higher than shorter content. According to research, content with 3000 plus words gets three times more traffic, four times more shares, and 3.5 times more backlinks than the shorter content. Consequently, both the quality and quantity of content is of great importance.

  1. The Role of Video and Image Optimization

Youtube has more than 1 billion users. This indicates that it is more important to create videos than ever. In 2021, video content is expected to be one of the most important forms of content. Similarly, image optimization will play a great role in improving your SERPs. Use high-quality, relevant images to drive engagement as well as create videos and optimize them for driving traffic to your website. 

Key Takeaway

User experience is at the core of all major SEO trends for 2021. This means that webmasters and SEO experts need to revisit their website, improve the content, and ensure better engagement through multiple media. 

Blue Shift Web Services is a dedicated web design company which creates beautiful, well-optimized websites. Call us today and talk to one of our experts.

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Complete guide to Local SEO in MELBOURNE, FL and Brevard County https://blueshiftwebservices.com/blog/complete-guide-to-local-seo-in-melbourne-fl-and-brevard-county/ Wed, 23 Sep 2020 03:07:06 +0000 https://blueshiftwebservices.com/blog/?p=541 Local SEO is an incredibly effective way to market your business online to local customers. It enables you to promote your products or services at the time when local customers are looking to the solution to their problems. If your online presence stands out, your potential customers can pick you...

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Local SEO is an incredibly effective way to market your business online to local customers. It enables you to promote your products or services at the time when local customers are looking to the solution to their problems. If your online presence stands out, your potential customers can pick you out of all the local services which offer the same products and services. According to Google, 46% of searches have local intent. Even if someone isn’t looking for location-based businesses, the businesses that are optimized for a specific location are going to more visible in SERPs for that location.

 

Benefits of Local SEO

Being visible in local search results can bring an enormous advantage from an SEO perspective. Your business looks more authentic and reliable for potential customers. The more visible you are in the SERPs, the more relevant your services or products seem to their searches. A good SEO strategy also enables you to get insights about what your potential customers are looking for.

 

Melbourne, Fl SEO and Brevard County SEO: Best Practices and Tactics

Blueshift Web Services knows that SEO is always changing. That is why we use some of the best data digging aggregators to increase your online presence through accurate citations. Based in Melbourne, Fl, a business hub for South and central Brevard County, we have been helping local businesses, multi-location businesses, and SEO professionals understand and improve their positions in the local search market.

Best Practices for Local SEO

Some of our recommended best practices for Local SEO in Melbourne, FL, and Brevard County are as follows:

1. Create a Google My Business Account

Optimizing your Google Listing can enable you to be more visible in local search results. However, you need a Google My Business Account to verify ownership of your business as well as encourage your customers to review your business online. You can also publish up-to-date products, events, or special offers to promote your business.

2. Online Reviews

If your customers write online reviews for your business, it looks more authentic and reliable. It also encourages a lot of local customers to buy from you.

3. Rank for Snack Pack Results

Snack Pack results are the boxed area that appears at the top of the organic SERPs, whenever an organic search is made on Google. According to research, snack pack results get 30%clicks as compared to organic searches, which get 40% clicks. A good local SEO strategy can enable you to rank for snack pack results as well as organic search results.

4. Local Citations

Citations can be classified as online mentions of your business. They usually include the name, address, and phone number of your business. Having correct and consistent citations can enable your customers to find you online easily. It is a good idea to periodically create and check your citations on some of the big data aggregators like Infogroup, Factual, Acxiom, and Thomson Local. Checking or creating your listings on these sites can enable you to provide authentically and up to date business information to tens and thousands of your customers.

5. On-Page SEO

You must follow some of the best on-page SEO practices like using keywords in the title tag, H1, and using a short URL. If your business serves multiple cities, you must build local landing pages to rank for location-based terms e.g. “Car wash, Brevard County” or “Car rental in Melbourne Fl.”You need to build location-specific pages if you have a physical office in those locations.

Key Takeaway

Every small or multi-location business can grow its online presence by following local SEO strategies. Some of these are different from what’s practiced in standard SEO. The key aspects of a good local SEO strategy are maintaining a Google My Business Profile, creating accurate citations, managing reviews, and doing effective on-page SEO.Having an effective local SEO ensures that you can take advantage of lucrative local searches and become more visible as compared to your competitors.

 

 

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Local SEO Strategy for Your Business https://blueshiftwebservices.com/blog/local-seo-strategy-for-your-business/ Tue, 28 Jul 2020 16:00:30 +0000 https://blueshiftwebservices.com/blog/?p=505 Local SEO and search engine optimization (SEO) overall, as people are learning thanks to this quarantine period, is very important to the success of a business online. While there are a load of other factors including social networks and signals, websites, and paid advertising, SEO is one of the most...

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Local SEO and search engine optimization (SEO) overall, as people are learning thanks to this quarantine period, is very important to the success of a business online. While there are a load of other factors including social networks and signals, websites, and paid advertising, SEO is one of the most lasting strategies. Local SEO refers to ranking on locality based keywords and utilizng things like Google My Business to show higher in the search results pages.

Google My Business

GMB (Google My Business) profiles are a must have for EVERY business, especially those with a brick and mortar location. The first thing to know about GMB is that this is how you are found on Google Maps. Being listed on Google Maps gives you a chance to possibly, organically, show above those who rank first in the actual search results. This is because when a local keyword is searched, Google will display the Paid Search Ads, then the GMB results, and then the organic search results. Google My Business displays 3 people before offering a “see more” option. These results are based on a large variety of factors just like the SERPs, however the key that I’ve found is the number of REVIEWS on the listing. As a major feature of GMB, the reviews are amazing in several ways:

  • They showcase your quality of services/product for potential customers to see.
  • They serve as their own SEO technique with keywords
  • They boost your listing higher within Google Maps.

To give your business the best chance to be the first spot on Google My Business, you should treat it as a social media profile. It should be completely filled out, updated regularly, and every review should be responded to (good and bad). Keeping your profile fully optimized and filled out is a great way to make it easy for your customers to find information that they were looking for without hunting too hard for it. As for the SEO technique for the reviews, you should guide your happy clients on how to best help you. What I do is that I request that they mention the service(s) that they got, the location that their business is in, and what they thought was the best part. This has definitely help my rankings. You should encourage all of your happy clients to leave you a review, either through a follow up email or on your receipts. You can also offer a reward in exchange.

Local-based Keywords

Local based keywords are the best way to rank locally for your services and products. Local based keywords can be your city (Melbourne, FL Web Design), or county/providence (Brevard County SEO). The best way to find which keywords to optimize for is to use a tool such as Google Keyword Planner to determine the search frequency and the search quantity. Once you’ve determined your keywords, you want to use the keywords through your website but also have dedicated pages for them as well. The keywords should be throughout headings, titles, page descriptions, and more.

 

SEO takes time

The downside to SEO is that it takes time. It’s a long-haul game to get and stay at the top of the search results. Because of this, it’s important to get started as soon as possible.

 

If you don’t have the time to dedicate to your Local SEO and overall SEO strategy, let us do it for you. Our SEO packages are here to take the hassle of maintaining your online presence and leave you reaping the rewards. Call now or email to get started!

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SEO | Your Guide to the Ultimate Digital Marketing Strategy https://blueshiftwebservices.com/blog/seo-your-guide-to-the-ultimate-digital-marketing-strategy/ Tue, 21 Jul 2020 23:13:12 +0000 https://blueshiftwebservices.com/blog/?p=502 SEO is not the first step of digital markeiting, as that position is reserved for Web Design and Websites. However, when it comes to ongoing digital marketing such as advertising, connecting to your clietns, and providing information to your visitors, SEO is the task you want to start as soon...

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SEO is not the first step of digital markeiting, as that position is reserved for Web Design and Websites. However, when it comes to ongoing digital marketing such as advertising, connecting to your clietns, and providing information to your visitors, SEO is the task you want to start as soon as possible. Search Engine Optimization is a long-term game for your business to play. It requires dedication, consistency, and continuation. SEO refers to the strategy in which you try your best to rank as high as you can in the search results for specfici keywords. For example, our landing pages: “https://blueshiftwebservices.com/service/brevard-county-seo” and “https://blueshiftwebservices.com/service/melbourne-fl-web-design” rank 5th on the first page, and 5th on the second page. This allows us to gather ORGANIC traffic (meaning that we didn’t have to pay the platform to display our site.

There are several ways to maintain a search engine optimization strategy. You can hire an SEO professional to create and maintain the strategy for you, you can take the DIY approach, or you can do a mixture of the two by either havinng a pro create the strategy and you maintain it or vice versa. Regardless of the approach, you;ll need to know at least the following things:

  • Target Keywords (e.g. SEO professional, brevard county seo, SEO strategy)
  • Goals (more sales, more visitors, brand recognition, etc)
  • Target demographic
  • Online Presence

Now I’ll begin with Online PResence. Your online presence refers to everything about your business online: contact information, profiles, pictures, reviews, etc. It’s important for you to know how each aspect of your online presence and digital marketing streategy interacts with each other. For example, a major part of SEO is actually social signals. Social signals is posts about your business on social media platforms like Facebook. Google and other search engines use these signals to determine how to rank your site and pages in regards to certain keywords.

Secondly your goals. Your goals are a major aspect of SEO because this is going to determine how you track and adapt your strategy over time. If your goal is to provide users of your service/product with knowledge and answers to frequently asked questions, you’ll likely target specfic questions and link them to a designated page with pertinient information similar to the the searched question.

Finally your target keywords and demographics. When it comes to SEO, your keywords are the backbone of your strategy. You need to determine your keywords and keywords phrases. This is typically a list of 10-15 words or phrases that you want to rank for. The sweet spot here is to find key words that are searched for frequently but have low competition. The goal here is to at least reach the top 3 positions for each keyword or keyword phrase. Majority of the users who do a search will only click on one of these three results. After you reach these, it is important to maintain your position through upkeep and maintenance tasks in your SEO strategy.

If you are ready to start ranking your business higher on google, give us a call today!

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Blogging – Why Your Business NEEDS An Active Blog on Your Website. https://blueshiftwebservices.com/blog/blogging-why-your-business-needs-an-active-blog-on-your-website/ Wed, 15 Jul 2020 01:06:40 +0000 https://blueshiftwebservices.com/blog/?p=474 Writing a blog. Many people when they hear this sentence instantly think of the lifestyle bloggers with the dream houses and children that sit perfectly posed for all the pictures and pets that are the perfect angels. They think of sitting there for hours to write 100 words. They think...

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Writing a blog. Many people when they hear this sentence instantly think of the lifestyle bloggers with the dream houses and children that sit perfectly posed for all the pictures and pets that are the perfect angels. They think of sitting there for hours to write 100 words. They think back to grade school where sitting for an hour meant you only wrote 5 lines which was just one paragraph. However, blogging is vital to your business. You might be thinking “Hey, I don’t read a blog,  nor do any of my friends, Who’s going to read ours?”. The answer: GOOGLE. Google is going to be reading your blog in order to rank your site in the search results. Organic SEO is important to your online presence, your digital marketing, and overall promotion of your business,

Benefits of Blogging for your Business

Google loves to see your website being updated frequently and consistently. Blogging is one of the best ways to do this. Blogging allows you to target keywords that you want to rank for. For example, I want to rank for SEO (search engine optimization) in Brevard County, Florida. So you’ll see that I’m using that phrase throughout this blog post while doing other SEO strategies such as backlinking to a dedicated page about Brevard County SEO.  Targeting specific keywords gives you the power to hopefully outrank your competitors and gather more traffic from it. Other benefits to blogging is to create more for google to index, letting google know that you are knowledgeable about your industry, have more content to index, which generates more traffic for them. You can also utilize blogging as a content generator for your social media, as you should always share your post on your social media profiles to create a thickened and stronger web for your online presence. It also gives your customers and visitors a reason to return to your site, sign up for your email list, and potentially buy from you.

Hindrances of Blogging

Just like anything in digital marketing, there are cons to blogging. For example, blogging can be time intensive. Since it’s vital to be consistent and frequent on your blog, you’ll spend a lot of time doing the research, writing, editing, and posting of each post. You also cannot plagiarise anything, Google will know and it will hurt you bad in the rankings.

How To Blog for SEO

The main things to know when you’re blogging for SEO are that you needs to be frequent, consistent, reliable, informative, well-written, and focused. The first thing you should do is to determine your posting schedule.For example we post on Tuesday every week. This once-a-week frequency is perfect for us in both management and results. The next step is to determine your topic and your keyword or keyword phrase. Then you’re going to research your topic and keyword. This will allow you to find statistics in order to strengthen the reliability and trustworthiness of your piece. Once you’ve finished the research, and have written the blof you then must edit it. It’s important to make sure there are no typos or grammatical errors. You can use something like Grammarly to do this step. When posting your blog, you’ll want to ensure that all the technical SEO aspects such as the title, meta description, and links are completely and correctly filled out. After posting at your designated time, you should then share it on all of your social media platforms: facebook, instagram, twitter, linkedin, etc. Remember to use relevant hashtags to boost the visibility of your post.

If you’re looking for professional help with SEO feel free to learn more about our SEO services here. If you’re not sure what to do next when it comes to marketing your business online, feel free to call for a free digital marketing consultation!

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Local SEO and You | A Guide to Ranking Your Business Locally https://blueshiftwebservices.com/blog/local-seo-and-you-a-guide-to-ranking-your-business-locally/ Tue, 21 Apr 2020 21:18:58 +0000 https://blueshiftwebservices.com/blog/?p=416 SEO is such a vast field of digital marketing. There’s many things that go into SEO from Technical SEO, to On-Page and Off-Page SEO, tp Local SEO. Today we’re going to cover the later, Local SEO. Local SEO has some incredible tools to get you found by your community. We’ll...

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SEO is such a vast field of digital marketing. There’s many things that go into SEO from Technical SEO, to On-Page and Off-Page SEO, tp Local SEO. Today we’re going to cover the later, Local SEO. Local SEO has some incredible tools to get you found by your community. We’ll cover tips and tools that you can use to get yourself to the top of the search results for local queries. We will be using our county as an example: Brevard County SEO.

    1. Google My Busines
    2. Local Keyword Landing Pages
    3. NAP Syncing
    4. Local Directories

Google My Business for Local SEO

An amazing tool that EVERY business should have (especially if it has a location) is Google My Business.For example, we have our listing here: Blue Shift Web Services. There are so many useful features of Google My Business. You should completely fill out all of your profile. GMB allows your customers to leave reviews, find directions to your location, and see more information about your business. There’s a lot of good things that you can add into your profile like

  • Images – These can be portfolio images, event images, products, etc.
  • Website Link – Having your GMB profile include a link to your website is a powerful SEO boost, due to the high quality back link.
  • Your category – If you look at our listing, it says “Website designer in Melbourne, Florida” which gives us a boost when someone searches that phrase.
  • Hours – This gives your potential clients valuable information at a glance about when they can visit your location.
  • Appointment Link – This is optional but also powerful. If you have a link to a digital calendar where they can reserve a portion of your time.
  • Posts – just like social media, you can post updates to your Google My Business profile.
  • Over time, Google may include links to other profiles like LinkedIn, Facebook, and other review sites.

Tips for Google My Business

  1. ALWAYS respond to reviews posted on your profile regardless of whether it’s good or bad. There’s benefits to this in both SEO and in brand image.
  2. Post status updates similar to how you do on Facebook or Instagram.
  3. Send your clients a review request after service.

Local Keyword Landing Pages

Landing pages are a great way to target highly specific keywords. For example, we did this with “Brevard County SEO“. We focused our web copy around SEO in Brevard County by mentioning the keyword multiple times, using it in the headings, title, and description, and focusing around similar area based things like cities, and landmarks.

You can do the same by looking into your industry and what areas you are trying to target. For us, Melbourne, FL is where we are located so we would use “Melbourne FL Web Design” as a keyword to try to capture more of the searchers in that area.

Using locality in your keywords is a great way to also capture the “near me” search market. Statistics show that people generally go to a location within 5 miles of them.

NAP Syncing for Local SEO

It’s NAP time, and no I don’t mean sleeping. NAP stands for Name, Address, Phone Number. It’s an acronym used to talk about making sure that these VITAL pieces of information are the same across all the platforms and profiles that your business is listed on.

You don’t want people finding the wrong information about your business and then deciding to go your competitor because of it. There are many ways to track and update these profiles, from doing it manually to utilizing a tool.

If you’re tracking your NAP manually, I recommend using a spreadsheet to list out all the places that you’re listed, and the information that they have like login information. Then, if you move locations or update your phone number, you have a checklist of sorts to go through to make sure it all matches up.

 

Local Directory Listings

Directory listings are an amazing way to generate backlinks, and getting listed in location based directories works wonders for Local SEO. The most common local directory to get listed in is your local chambers of commerce. For us, that’s the Melbourne Chamber, the Palm Bay Chamber,  the Cocoa Beach Regional Chamber, and the Titusville Area Chamber. Most chambers are paid resources, but provide a huge amount of value.

Other directories can be found by searching your state, county, and city with either your industry with “directory” or “business directory”.

Conclusion

So no matter which Local SEO tactic you use to boost your rankings, doing so will get you found within your local community. Four ways to boost your SEO ranking locally are Local Keyword Landing pages (like our Brevard County SEO page), NAP syncing, Local Directory Listings, and Google My Business.

If you need help with your digital marketing, check out our digital marketing services. If you’re interested in Local SEO landing page service, check out the Brevard County SEO page.

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Multiple Page Website vs One-Page Website https://blueshiftwebservices.com/blog/multiple-page-website-vs-one-page-website/ Tue, 14 Apr 2020 22:15:00 +0000 https://blueshiftwebservices.com/blog/?p=412 So the most commonly asked question I get regarding web design is “I just need, like, one page right?”. The answer is NO. While a one page website is better than no website, it is definitely not ideal. You need to have multiple pages, each with a minimum of 500...

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So the most commonly asked question I get regarding web design is “I just need, like, one page right?”. The answer is NO. While a one page website is better than no website, it is definitely not ideal. You need to have multiple pages, each with a minimum of 500 words. The reason for this is that you want to give search engines as much as possible to index and therefore rank you with. The average website consists of about five pages: Home, About, Contact, Services/Shop, and Blog.

Should I have a one page website?

A one page website has some benefits, such as being easy to update, easy to navigate, and simple to load. However, it’s only going to be between 500-1,000 words on average. This means that you’ll have a lot of keywords about what you do without having a lot of supporting copy. 

Your whole goal of having a website is to be found. If you’re not giving Google much to work with, it simply won’t show you high enough in the search results to be found. A web page should have a minimum of 500 words, but if you only have a one page website, it definitely needs to be higher. The downside is that the longer a page is the more likely a customer is going to click away and hurt your SEO stats that way. 

A one page website is harder to have rank on Google due to not having a clear topic of the page. You’d be putting information about many different topics all on one page without much indication about what the page as a whole is about. There are ways to have a one page website without the drawback of confusing search engines when it comes to the topic. You can use clear, high level (level 2 max!) headings that indicate a change of topic, you can use separators, different colored backgrounds and more. 

Should I have more than one website page?

Having a multi-page website increases your overall word count and allows you to target specific keywords with providing supporting copy. Multiple website pages also help visitors get to what they’re looking for fast. You should have a minimum of 500 words on each of these pages. A good rule of thumb is to make each topic it’s own page. 

For example, you’ll see that I have an individual page for each service that I provide. This allows my visitors to find specific information regarding each service such as prices and a breakdown of why the service is important, benefits, and what’s included in each package. 

Doing this also naturally allows you to use the keyword as many times as possible. Meaning you’re not having to worry about whether or not you’ve used the keyword enough. Other technical SEO techniques for keyword ranking is using the keyword in 

  1. The Title of the Page
  2. The Meta Description of the Page
  3. In the first sentence of the post
  4. In at least 2-3 subheadings throughout the page.
  5. As many times in the body of the page as possible, naturally. 

A multiple page website allows you to optimize for keywords a lot more efficiently and effectively. Other benefits of a multiple page website that a one page website  doesn’t have include: 

  • Greater ease of linking from other platforms
  • Ability to keep visitors focused on what they’re looking for without overwhelming them.
  • Blog to keep readers up to date

So what’s better, a one-page or multi-page website?

From an SEO standpoint, a multipage website is much better than a one-page website. It gives search engines clearly defined pages which will capture more of the search result listings that are relevant to your keywords, help users find what they’re looking for quickly, and provide a greater variety of links when posting in your social media. A one-page website is better than no website however, but you should plan to invest in a larger website as soon as possible. 

Looking for a web designer? Look no further! We offer amazing quality at amazing prices and are ready to work with you to get your business online and have it thrive online. Check out our portfolio here!

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Marketing on a Budget https://blueshiftwebservices.com/blog/marketing-on-a-budget/ Wed, 01 Apr 2020 19:55:04 +0000 https://blueshiftwebservices.com/blog/?p=403 With all that is happening in the world right now, budgets are tight. Marketing, while still very important, is taking a backseat to other obligations. Today we’re going to cover several options for marketing on a budget that will help your business without hurting your wallet. While most people are...

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With all that is happening in the world right now, budgets are tight. Marketing, while still very important, is taking a backseat to other obligations. Today we’re going to cover several options for marketing on a budget that will help your business without hurting your wallet.

While most people are aware of things like paid advertising, many don’t realize the benefit to consistent posting on all channels. The first thing you can do is to have an active blog on your website. WordPress is the best platform for blogging, as that is what it was initially built for. Blogging can be a free way to not only target keywords pertaining to your industry, show Google that you’re relevant, and share your knowledge, but also to give you content for your social media presence! 

Blogging for SEO 

There are some important factors that should be taken into consideration while writing a blog for search engine optimization. You’ll need to make sure that you’re focusing on one keyword or key phrase. This is going to be the topic of the blog post, for example this blog’s key phrase is “Marketing on a Budget”. You’ll want to use this keyword as much as naturally possible. When writing a blog post it should be no less than 500 words, however the more the better. Creating graphics and using images throughout your blog is a great way to encourage your readers to share your post on social media platforms. You should strive to place an image every 150 words or so. Make sure to add proper “alt” tags describing your images. Another thing you can do when writing is to link back to other pages or posts on your site. For example, at the end of a blog post you can recommend a blog post with a similar topic that you’ve posted previously. 

After you’ve written your blog post and published it on your site, you’ll want to share it to EVERY social media channel you can. You can create custom graphics for each platform, or use a generic square layout for all of them. 

Some great places to share in addition to your pages are inside Facebook Groups, LinkedIn Groups, and Google My Business. Search for relevant industry groups and networking groups, and join them. Make sure to read the rules before sharing your posts, as some groups consider it as self promotion.

Make sure to post consistently. If you post every week, make sure to do it on the same day. For us, our typical posting days are Tuesday or Friday. You can determine the best day to post by checking your analytics.

Social Media for Marketing on a Budget

We have talked before about having a social media profile on all of the major platforms, regardless of if you’re using them. However, when money is tight and you’re marketing on a budget, social media can become a great way to getting yourself out there as long as you remain consistent. 

Images and videos are the way to go when it comes to social media. Most industries will benefit from using Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram. We go in depth in “Social Media for Business”.

Be sure to register for our email list in order to stay up to date with the latest tips in marketing! If you’re looking for an SEO professional or a full-service digital marketer, we’re here to help. 

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E-commerce SEO Done Right https://blueshiftwebservices.com/blog/e-commerce-seo-done-right/ Wed, 08 Jan 2020 01:51:02 +0000 https://blueshiftwebservices.com/blog/?p=396 E-Commerce SEO is another beast when it comes to marketing. It has a whole set of recommendations that are specific to product and category pages as well. Making sure that you’re doing the most that you can in order to make sales and get customers is the primary goal of...

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E-Commerce SEO is another beast when it comes to marketing. It has a whole set of recommendations that are specific to product and category pages as well. Making sure that you’re doing the most that you can in order to make sales and get customers is the primary goal of SEO for your e-commerce store. If you’re looking to start an e-commerce store, e-commerce web design is an important part in and of itself.

On – Page SEO

Similarly to your regular SEO practices, your title tag on product, shop, and category pages should have a Title and Description. Depending on your selling platform, there are different areas to set this information. For example, on WooCommerce the category page metadata is set through the categories tab. Products metadata is set from the product entry page.

Titles

Your title should include modifiers like “Buy”, “Cheap”, and “Deals” to increase your conversion rates. The title of the page is displayed on the tab of the browser, at the top of your google search results, and at the top of the page on your website.

Descriptions

Your description is going to be an important part of e-commerce sales. They provide your customer with details about the product, and is your major chance to sell sell sell. The description is also shown in search results, and when the product is shared on social media. You should structure your description to have a concise need to know first paragraph, and then more detailed description afterwords. Some great modifiers include: “Great Selection”, “Free Shipping”, “Sale”, etc.

Descriptions should be 1000+ words. Of course, it’s not feasible to do this for hundreds of products. However, you should strive for your top performing and most important products to have a minimum of 1000 words. This would be a long-term investment, and you can do it over time. However, no description should ever be less than 350 words.

When writing your descriptions, you should sprinkle your keywords 3-5 times throughout. You keyword should also be in the title of the page. The first 100 words are super important, and you should use your keyword at least once in there.

Keywords

Since we mentioned keywords, a great way to do keyword research for e-commerce is to use Amazon. Search your keyword and look at what the top products are doing. Another way is to use the Google Keyword Planner. 

URL

Urls are the website address that shows in the top bar in a browser. It identifies the page or product, and should be short and concise. For example, the URL of this blog post is “blueshiftwebservices.com/blog/e-commerce-seo”. It gets the point across very quickly and simply. 

So there you have it, to boost your on-page SEO for your e-commerce store, focus on the URL, Keywords, Description and Title. Hopefully these important aspects of on-page SEO give you a significant boost in your sales and conversions. Not sure how to proceed or don’t have the time? Check out our amazing SEO package and other marketing services

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