Local SEO Tactics and Digital Marketing Strategies

If you're doing SEO, then you're also using Google in ways that the average Google user is not.  You're performing research, market analysis, and looking for content ideas, among other things.  In this episode we're going to cover the topic of "search operators", to help you level up your Google search game!  We'll touch on some of the more powerful and hand search operators, and hopefully turn you on to some new ways to use Google to improve your SEO and knowledge.   What You’ll Learn Use search operators to refine and manipulate the type of search results you are looking for There are dozens of individual search operator functions that you can use Simply type the search operators into Google, incorporating them into your Google search You can restrict search results to a single domain You can restrict search results to specific keywords or topics Use search operators for precise market research and competitor analysis

In this episode, we interview Scott Hudgins of Core ID Services and Michael Takla of HackNotice about cybersecurity and corporate breaches.  A surprising amount of information can be purchased, shared, or just plain found on the so-called "dark web".  Bad actors can gain access to this information and compromise your company assets, including your website.  Scott and Michael are here to talk about CIA, a new service by Core ID Services, that helps companies to be proactive in the fight against cybersecurity, as well as share some simple and effective best practices that we can all improve upon!  BONUS - Core ID Services is giving away free 30 day trials to all Local SEO Tactics listeners!   What You’ll Learn Scott Hudgins with Core ID Services and Michael Takla of HackNotice discuss dark web threats Core ID Services provides identity theft protection and cybersecurity services for businesses and individuals Most corporate cybersecurity issues arise from third party vulnerabilities and breaches Over 70% of breaches originate from credentials stolen from a third party Employees that use corporate email addresses for personal account logins can be exposed Being lazy and reusing credentials on multiple services can lead to breaches Most security hacks are lazy, looking for the easy victim, and are not very sophisticated Good security starts with basic personal best practices, like using a password manager app If you know or think any of your account credentials are compromised, you should absolutely change your password Core ID Services can proactively find your information on the dark web, so you can take fast action before you are compromised

Getting back into some direct SEO tactics on this episode, we'll dive into the topic of content silos and using the silo architecture to help you with some SEO gains. Leveraging this strategy can help to build relevancy for your topics, products, and services. We'll break down the basic concept of the content silo so you can implement it on your own website!   A content silo technique can potentially help you rank higher for specific search terms and topics Create a strong landing page that you want to rank in Google Develop supporting pages that dive deeper into to topic of your landing page Do not link your landing page to the supporting pages The supporting pages should link to themselves, and to the landing page Each supporting page should be in-depth and specific on one topic that is related to the landing page intent Supporting pages in the silo are not intended to be linked in your main menu or navigational structure All actions on your supporting pages should be pushing users to your landing page

This is a special mini-episode, to let you know about new coronavirus related attributes that are available in Google My Business. Not many companies are taking advantage of this right now, so it is important to take the time to investigate this if it applies to your business! This can help your visibility, your clicks and conversions, and have a positive impact on your GMB SEO. Check out the show page for a link to the YouTube video, so you can see the screen-cast with examples and guides on how to do this in your GMB listing.   Google has released some new Google My Business attributes related to the Coronavirus pandemic You can add attributes such as curbside pickup, take out, delivery, and in-store shopping Not many businesses are taking advantage of this attribute right now You may have to change your primary business category if you are not seeing the attributes Discover what categories your competitors are using if they trigger attributes but you are not

How-To videos are hot right now!  With everyone completing their honey-do list at home, learning new hobbies, or just trying to be productive, there has been a surge in views for educational and How-To videos. Take advantage of this and leverage How-To videos on your website!  There are many types of How To videos, and we go through some examples in this episode. Once you have the video, you can leverage it for all sorts of benefits, including transcribing the text, embedding the video into your website, extracting the audio, saving screenshots, and much more!  Enjoy!   Use How-To videos on your website to get SEO benefits How-to videos are extremely popular right now There are many types of How-To videos you can produce You can easily create videos, post them to YouTube, and embed them in your web pages Leverage your videos A How-To video does not have to be a DIY video or a tutorial video How To make things or build things are easy videos that you can make if relevant to your business You can make How To videos that guide customers on how to hire services like what you provide Make educational How-To videos to help customers know when to replace or repair items you provide    

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, it's still important to focus on your SEO and website.  One thing that is important to your SEO, but often hard to execute, is getting more backlinks for your site.  A great way to get backlinks right now is to tap into your local media and community resource websites. Right now, most of these organizations have web pages or sections of their website dedicated to giving local businesses more visibility.  There are resource pages, maps, and listings of businesses that are open, and the services they provide.  This is an excellent and easy way to obtain great high quality and relevant backlinks for your website.  In this episode we'll discuss the tactics and strategies you can take advantage of right now.   Backlinks are a big part of search engine ranking in Google Most media outlets have a page online to list local businesses that are open Often times you can link back to your website on these sites Find local TV, radio, newspaper, or online publications Look for their Coronavirus resources area and find their posting area Get your business listed in as many as possible    

When it comes to your website, security is often an overlooked topic.  Right now, with the current coronavirus pandemic impacting our lives and dominating our news and discussions, we are all very distracted.  The bad guys and the hackers know this and can take advantage of the situation while our attention is focused elsewhere.  Make sure your website is secure and protected against these threats with some simple and often free solutions.  As the saying goes, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" and that holds true for this topic here.  Taking the time to make sure your website is protected can save you many headaches and a lot of time down the road.   Always be aware of website security, especially in times of great distraction Security issues can impact your customers or users and your search engine visibility Your website should be secure with SSL security If you are using Wordpress, keep Wordpress updated to current releases Make sure all Wordpress themes and plugins are updated to avoid security vulnerabilities Use security plugins for Wordpress to easily strengthen the security of your website Audit user access, credentials, and password policies to understand who has access to your website If your website is compromised, your web page speed can be impacted severely If your website is compromised your email addresses can get blacklisted and prevent emails from being delivered An exposed website can be hijacked and used for phishing scams, or to charge you a ransom to restore it You can use software to monitor your website and watch for any unauthorized changes

In this episode Jesse and Bob share thoughts and ideas that are working to keep businesses afloat during this coronavirus pandemic.  It's always important to listen to your customers to identify their pain points, their motivations, and their desires - and that is even more amplified right now.  By quickly adapting your business, and communicating these adaptations clearly online and on social media, you can continue to serve your customers and maybe even thrive in the current marketplace.  Leverage technology and your human resources to change now, setting your business up for maximum success now and also for the future. What You’ll Learn Ways that businesses are pivoting their digital marketing for the coronavirus pandemic Google reviews are still paused by Google, so new reviews are not showing The questions and answers section of Google My Business is also temporarily down Keep using the available GMB features, like posts and photos to communicate Make sure you communicate your business open status front and center online If you have downtime and extra labor, you can focus on producing content to improve Google rankings Record videos to showcase your products to customers and leverage the videos online or in emails Show customers what you are doing right now for no-touch service, and how you are being clean Customers are looking online to see what steps your business is taking to be safe during the pandemic Understand your market and how it is shifting today, and make sure you adapt with it to serve customers Look at selling gift certificates to generate revenue now and stay connected with your customers View the show notes, resource links, episode transcript, and watch the video version at https://www.localseotactics.com/how-remain-open-for-business-and-stay-relevant-online-during-the-coronavirus-pandemic-055/  

Since we can't escape the current coronavirus pandemic, we will again embrace it in this week's episode!  Learn some of the tips and tricks that businesses are using right now to adapt to the current marketplace, and how to communicate those changes to their customers and prospects.  You can leverage your website and social media in new ways, to stay connected and give customers the information they are looking for.  Adapting to these customer expectations and providing them solutions will win you new business now while positioning your brand for operating in the future COVID-19 era, however long that may be. What people are doing to make sure their businesses stay open and active How to let everyone know you are open for business still How to better communicate with customers about your business and status Opportunities with social media and digital communications Position your brand to survive the coronavirus pandemic

Coronavirus is having a major impact on businesses large and small.  In addition to the economic impact of COVID-19, customers are changing the way they interact with businesses, and businesses are forced to pivot and offer services or products they may not have in the past, in order to survive.  Luckily there is a host of technology solutions to enable more dynamic online interactions with your customers, as face-to-face retail becomes an issue in the coming weeks or months.  In this episode, we'll focus on some popular video and communications tools, and discuss how to use them to operate your business, and also to engage with your customers in new ways. What You’ll Learn How the COVID-19 pandemic is changing the way we interact with businesses online People are rapidly changing how they look for a business online Businesses are shifting to more online and website based communications Use tools like Zoom, Loom, and Google Hangouts to interact with customers in new ways Leverage video recordings and YouTube to enhance the content and purpose of your website