How To Manage Your Google Reviews
If you have a business, it is important to collect feedback from your customers. One of the best ways to do so is to ask for reviews from time to time. Given that the vast majority of people use Google when they are looking for products and services they need, you should use Google to collect reviews from your audience as well. At the same time, what should you do to manage them? Learn more about how to handle both great and negative customer reviews, and make sure you respond to them in a timely manner.
How Often Should You Check Your Reviews?
Nowadays, plenty of business owners are asking themselves how often they should be checking their reviews. It all comes down to the number of reviews you’re getting, your team size, and what it would take for you to respond in a timely manner. Set up notifications when someone posts a review so that you can promptly assess its accuracy – whether positive or negative feedback has been left.
If you have a team member who is dedicated solely to managing your reviews, then checking them regularly (say every day) is ideal. If other tasks need more attention from you, then once every couple of weeks may suffice depending on the situation.
Be Sure To Ask For Reviews
If you want people to give you reviews, you need to ask for them. But how should you do so? Focus on your outcome. Before you begin crafting your review request, define exactly what it is that you want to accomplish. Are you looking to measure customer loyalty? Or do you need feedback on how well your business is doing with its customer service? Identifying and understanding these goals will allow you to ask the right survey questions and collect valuable data.
Individualize your message. When writing out your review requests, make sure each one has a personalized feel—your customers will appreciate it! Even if an email looks great, if the content feels cold or impersonal, then they won’t engage with it as much.
Keep it brief and to the point. Nobody likes having to take long surveys. Keep things concise so that readers don’t lose interest before finishing up—you don’t want them abandoning their responses halfway through! Additionally, avoid using unfamiliar words or phrases; instead, opt for language that’s straightforward and easy to understand when guiding people through reviewing your business online.
Respond To Your Reviews Often
It’s essential to display professionalism as a business owner, and responding to customer reviews is one great way of doing that. It will build trust between you and your customers, resulting in more positive reviews for the future, and it can also provide valuable feedback on how you can improve! Whether the reviews are positive or negative, you should take a few minutes to respond to them and let your audience know that you care about their feedback.
Plus, if customers have had an enjoyable experience with your company, they’ll be more likely to share their stories with others. So take time out of your day to thank them publicly for supporting you. This could even turn these people into brand advocates who spread the word about all that is good about your business.
Use Your Reviews On Your Website
Positive online reviews prompt people to take action. It is essential that your business openly displays positive customer reviews. Showcasing these wonderful comments on your website will give potential customers an insight into what kind of service they can expect to get from you, leaving them with no doubt that their time and money would be well spent.
It’s worth investing some extra effort into adding badges or testimonials to your homepage. This way, visitors are able to see all the great feedback you’ve been receiving over time. Doing so will make them feel confident when choosing whether or not to work with you, knowing exactly what kind of quality service awaits them!
Reviews: They Are Great For Business And Your Website
Do you want to increase your search results rankings? If so, you need to showcase your positive reviews. As a business owner, it’s important to understand the power of user reviews and how they can drive traffic, social sharing, and even your Google ranking.
Reviews provide an invaluable source for long-tail keywords that are specific to the products or services you offer. These highly targeted search terms help increase visibility when users enter similar phrases into their searches.
In addition, consumers tend to trust recommendations from friends and family more than any other form of advertisement, so incorporating reviews into your social media strategy should be a top priority for companies looking to boost sales with word-of-mouth marketing! By recognizing this potential benefit on social media platforms, businesses will be rewarded by Google with increased rankings as well!
Work With SEO Locale To Improve Your Digital Reach
Clearly, reviews are important, and you need to work with an expert team that can help you manage them. At SEO Locale, we provide local business SEO services, and it would be our pleasure to help you as well. Contact us today to speak to our team!
2021 Growing Your Business with New Years Resolutions
2021 New Year’s Resolutions For Businesses
The year 2020 was a year filled with change and uncertainty. We saw many businesses shut down or downsize due to the effect of the global pandemic. It has been hard for many, but we saw that there was always room for opportunity.
Some trends, methods, and businesses flourished last year and have set the tone for 2021.
What Happened In 2020?
Due to the threat of the coronavirus, many industries slowed down, and some even shut down. Airline travel was almost nonexistent. Prices also lowered for many industries, including retail, causing them to lose profit because demand was also too low.
Businesses that have relied on foot traffic took the biggest hit. Those that could not adapt to an online or safety-focused model were ones that lost the most.
Our clients saw improvement with their SEO as we pivoted for their business. Staying on top of the changes when the pandemic hit.
2 Client Digital Marketing Pivot Examples:
There was light in the midst of the chaos and darkness, though. Ecommerce had one of its best years, with most people turning to online shopping as the budget for travel and events converted.
Computers and home office accessories also jumped in prices due to high demand. Everyone was working from home. Companies also realized that there are ways to function even in unusual conditions.
Resolutions For 2021
We don’t need to put a lot of focus on 2020. The best thing we can do about it is look ahead to decide what we can do for this year. If you’re looking for some resolutions for your business, here are some ideas to help you start moving forward.
Prepare For The Resurgence
People are hungry for a return to a normal state of living. They want to catch up on the time they lost in 2020.
Many analysts believe that people will be more open to using their money for goods and services this year. This is especially true since they haven’t been able to do many things in the past year. With vaccine distribution underway, we may be closer to a virus-free future.
Every recession opens the door for a new boom in all markets and industries. The last major recession occurred from 2007 to 2009, when both the housing and oil industries collapsed. After it ended, economies and various markets returned to their pre-recession form in the span of two to four years.
Keep your customers informed of how you are operating. Pivot for the changes ahead.
The question is if you’ll be ready once this resurgence hits. Here are some ways to prepare for it:
- Create goals and objectives for 2021
- Do competitive SEO research to expand your local or national reach
- Prepare your marketing plan for the year ahead
- Look for beneficial partnerships and build relationships within your community
- Update any outdated content or processes you may have
- Update your website with a clear message of how you are operating
- Create a new web design if you have not done this recently
- Try new things (social media, update logo/brand)
- Nurture your current or previous customers with email marketing
Remain Flexible
New trends will occur as the year progresses. By staying flexible and relevant, you will not only survive this year, but you can flourish in it.
Consider how a focus on safety and health paved the way for safety-focused products to thrive. Even before the pandemic, businesses had to adapt to each new change they face in their respective industries.
For example, the pandemic brought about a more work-from-home environment. Many companies realized that they don’t need to pay expensive upkeep for office space and materials. If you are functioning well with this current setup, why not continue with it for a while?
Stay Positive And Optimistic
Despite what many consider one of the worst years for business, the global economy is still on track. Many business leaders believe that the world will be back on track by the second quarter of this year. If inoculation occurs by the middle to the end of this year, then we only have a few months left before it happens.
If you remain positive and optimistic, you can see areas of action to take advantage of this year. Not only that, but your attitude will also influence and drive other members of your team. Stop focusing on what has happened and see what you can take advantage of this year.
Get Creative with Digital Marketing
It always pays to think outside the box and approach problems with a different perspective. One of the ways to do that is to learn something new. Figure out ways to present your company in the community or increase your online presence with creative digital marketing techniques.
You can take an online course and commit yourself to learn a skill. Not only will it add value to you, but it can also give you a different take on how to approach your business.
The skill doesn’t even have to be directly related. You could be learning a new language or having music lessons and still get something out of it. New experiences allow you to meet new people who can turn out to be new colleagues or customers.
Give Yourself Time To Rest
As business owners, we are always thinking. We are thinking of ways to survive and to thrive. Entrepreneurship can be demanding, and it can take a toll on us. You may not feel it physically, but your mental and emotional state could have suffered a lot the past year.
Take some time to rest and relax. Set your mind on other things for a while. Here are a few things you can do:
- Read an interesting book
- Listen to audiobooks or podcasts
- Start a journal
- Become involved in meditation or yoga
It’s Time To Make Plans And Set Goals
Every step you commit towards a better 2021 is a step that will affect your business from now on. Put your plans on paper and set goals that define what direction you want to fulfill this year.
Don’t forget to relax and enjoy each moment along the way. We’re always looking at the big picture, but looking at the end of the line will not benefit you if you still have many things in front of you.
Take things one step at a time. 2021 will be the start for many business owners to move forward. If you stay true to your New Year’s resolutions, you can enter a very different 2022. This year has promise, and you wouldn’t want to miss out on taking advantage of it just because the previous year didn’t work as well as you wanted to.
Online Shopping Shatters Old Records on Black Friday 2020
Economic Woes Didn’t Stop Online Shoppers
Many experts were wondering how holiday sales would turn out in the wake of the pandemic. With many stores having to change their policies due to the influx of Coronavirus cases, there was significant doubt as to how well the economy would perform. In addition to changing the physical shopping experience, experts also wondered if the economic situation would impact how much households were willing to spend.
Miraculously, statistics indicate that holiday sales did not just exceed expectations–they overcame them.
The small businesses who prepared to switch their business model with eCommerce SEO did exponentially well. We’re excited to see the consumers helping out the small businesses through tough times in 2020. These sales numbers are encouraging a ton of businesses to completely stay up with the times in terms of their digital marketing.
The Lead-Up to the Holiday Weekend
Black Friday and Cyber Monday saw a lot of trouble leading up to the holidays. Coronavirus cases continue to spike in huge cities. Businesses are forced to either close or limit the number of people in the store at a time. Due to some states having to go back down into lockdown, manufacturers had to reduce the number of products they could produce.
All of this was occurring with the fact that households are still suffering financially. Many people are still out of work. Those that are able to return find themselves either working part-time or being forced to stop as businesses are closed again and again.
Despite economic uncertainty, this did not seem to stop holiday sales.
Thanksgiving saw a significant rise in sales. However, the majority of those sales came from online sources. In fact, compared to past Thanksgiving days, this year saw an increase in online sales by 20%. The amount raked in through online stores was $5 billion.
Interestingly, half of the online transactions that took place were conducted on a smartphone.
Those retailers who offered curbside pick-up for those who ordered online sales also had a stronger conversion rate in their sales.
Black Friday saw similar growth. They had an identical increase in online sales. Consumers ended up spending $9 billion despite their financial insecurity. The number of people who used their smartphones to pay for purchases was 40% of the total consumer base.
Small Businesses Flourished
Luckily, small businesses saw a good deal of sales. Their sales increased by 500% compared to what was happening in October. That would continue into Saturday with revenue growth of 300%.
This means that small businesses that made the investment in switching to online sales and service were able to bring in substantial financial growth.
The Smartphone Angle
Perhaps one of the most interesting trends of these holiday sales is that most of them were conducted by a smartphone. This only further confirms that consumers are relying on their smartphones to purchase goods and services over other platforms. Small businesses that want to continue to engage their consumers and bring in sales need to ensure that they have a website that is mobile-friendly or design an app specifically for their company.
Switching to an eCommerce & Online Service
By making your website SEO-friendly and having a mobile site available for smartphone users, your business can have just as much success as some of the other small businesses that made the investment. Building a competitive edge in the market is important moving forward. Businesses panicked in 2020 because their “offline” sales weren’t ready to be online.
SEO Locale is a premier SEO company in Philadelphia that provides top-notch digital marketing services. We’ve been doing digital marketing for decades and can help you pivot your company to a better 2021, contact us today.
Google’s New Small Business Advisors Program Aims to Help SMBs Grow
Small business owners are not given the same resources as corporations or enterprises. They are often left on their own trying to figure out how to gain an edge over one another. Google wants to help. In the wake of businesses having to shut down due to being unable to adapt to the current pandemic climate, it is vital that small business owners take advantage of the kind of advice that Google offers. Here is what small business owners can learn from the new Google Small Business Advisors Program.
Who Can Apply?
One of the aspects of their advisor’s program that Google has emphasized is that its program is for small businesses only. While they do not give a fine definition of the parameters of a small business, it likely means anywhere from a handful of employees to just under 500 workers.
If you have employees within that range, then you can likely apply for their program. As it stands, Google charges $39.99 per session.
What Will Occur During a Session
During your session, which will likely take place through a video call, you will sit down with a Google expert. You are able to tell the advisor about one or two different products that your business sells. Due to time constraints, Google does not suggest attempting to squeeze any more in. You will likely need to pay for another session in order to discuss other products that you have.
However, in the session, the advice that the advisor gives will likely be scalable. You may be able to extend it to the rest of your products.
In particular, the session is about helping your business make the most of Google’s tools and services to grow your business and bring awareness to your brands. Google has tons of programs and services that can make running a small business more profitable.
Yet not all small business owners know how to use these tools or what they even do. An advisor can show them what tools can have an impact on their business and in which way to use them.
Digital Marketing to Beat Your Competitors
One avenue that the advisor will likely discuss is digital marketing. If your small business is running to catch up to join the rest of the businesses around you online, then you have a lot of work ahead of you. To ensure your business attracts the traffic it needs to stay afloat, you need to master digital marketing.
One move that some small business owners make is to internalize digital marketing. Yet simply passing on the construction and upkeep of a website to a typical employee is not a good business move. It is unlikely that the employee has the digital marketing training and experience your company needs.
Instead, you should look for an agency that can grow your traffic for you. This includes helping your business understand SEO, Google Ads, and other forms of monetization and traffic growth that translates into sales. Our premier digital marketing agency in Philadelphia has a proven track record to help all types of businesses thrive online.
Start Growing Your Small Business Today
Learning from Google’s Small Business Advisors Program can help your small business grow and expand. If you want an agency to do the digital marketing for you, we’re here to help grow your small business. Contact SEO Locale if you are interested in any type of digital marketing.
Holiday 2020 is Do or Die for Many SMBs
The COVID-19 pandemic hit small businesses the hardest. Big box stores frequently have investors and savings and even help from the government to rely on. Small businesses, on the other hand, don’t have easy access to these resources. Many had to shut their doors. A few managed to hang on, but they’re facing a crisis coming into the holidays. Most business owners was not prepared for online order or eCommerce and struggled once COVID-19 came crashing down on the United States. Here’s why small businesses need to do everything they can to make a sizable profit during Holiday 2020.
The Impact from the Coronavirus
For months, several businesses had to shut their doors to their customers. Lockdowns kept businesses from running their operations. Customers and workers were unable to utilize their services or make an income. Yet some businesses still needed to pay their employees to keep them on board. Others had to keep paying health insurance premiums and other bills even though they weren’t bringing in any profit to cover their expenses.
This has left many small businesses in the red. With the virus still hitting many cities hard, small business owners are hoping that the virus remains contained enough that they can keep their doors open to the public.
Yet many reports have indicated that the majority of shoppers will be doing their holiday spending online. Small businesses that haven’t utilized certain SEO strategies may not see the kind of profit margins that they need to survive the new year.
How Small Business Owners Can Take Advantage of Holiday Sales in 2020
More than ever, it’s important for small business owners to adapt to the times. Consumers are worried about big crowds in stores. Some states may not even allow stores to accept that many customers within them at a time.
To ensure your small business can receive the profit it needs to get back on its feet, you need to have strong traffic on your website. The best way to acquire that traffic is through SEO or search engine optimization.
SEO involves the process of using strategies and tools to increase your ranking on a Google search. Proper honing of your SEO score can land your website on one of Google’s first few search pages. By showing up sooner in a Google search, consumers are more likely to visit your website and make a purchase.
It can be tricky nailing down the particulars of SEO. While experts know a few key strategies that can dramatically increase your SEO score, much of the algorithm is still a mystery. To ensure your website performs as best it can, you need the help of SEO experts.
Contact Us to Increase Your Score
Start preparing for the holiday sales today by contacting us to increase your SEO score. We’re ranked as one of the best national SEO agencies out there. Let us save your business.
Online Holiday Sales Could Reach $200 Billion Thanks to COVID
With a recent report from Adobe stating that online holiday sales may reach $200 billion, it’s more important than ever for businesses to hone their SEO and bring traffic to their website. SEO Locale is a leader in the eCommerce SEO space, we help businesses grow their online sales and we’re going to break down the reasons why you need to step it up. Here’s why businesses can expect their online stores to be hit harder than their physical stores in 2020.
The COVID-19 Pandemic
While online sales have been steadily rising as the preferred way for consumers to shop, it’s the Coronavirus pandemic that is pushing most consumers into the arms of online stores. It’s simply safer to buy their holiday gifts online than it is going to a store.
Yet the pandemic has also brought into question as to if consumers are going to spend as much this year as they did last year. Many families were hit hard with job furloughs and lay-offs. While many of those families now have their job back, others are still unemployed, and for many, a large gap in their savings is gone.
Another stimulus check may help bolster families and allow them to spend as much as they would like this holiday season. However, as of yet, there hasn’t been any real action on a second stimulus check.
Regardless, any holiday shopping that is going to be done will likely be performed online.
Other big businesses are gearing towards this shift. Some, like Wal-Mart and Target, have even closed their doors for their usual Thanksgiving shopping sales.
With Black Friday quickly approaching, businesses need to be prepared to garner as much online traffic as possible to make up for the losses that the pandemic waged on them.
How to Find Those Holiday Sales
Businesses who haven’t implemented an SEO strategy are missing out. SEO, or search engine optimization, is the process in which a website utilizes certain tools and strategies to make Google’s search engine rank their website higher on their search result’s list.
If you’ve ever searched for anything on the internet, then you know that you likely don’t look past the third or fourth page during a Google search. No one has time for that. If your business is on that fourth or fifth page during a Google search, then you’re missing out on tons of traffic.
Implementing an SEO strategy can increase your SEO score and land you more consumers. If you have money to make up for because of the pandemic, then investing in SEO experts and strategies is essential to your survival.
Start Including SEO Today
It’s a race to the first holiday sales and those who hone their SEO score will receive most of the sales. Contact us if you want to learn more about our custom national SEO packages.
Do You Still Need SEO During the Coronavirus Pandemic?
You need SEO during the Coronavirus pandemic now more than ever. Your business must operate from home if you want to do your part to keep the community safe, and you should reach out to people who need your business more now than they ever have. Even if your business is shutdown during the Coronavirus pandemic, it is not a time to consider shutting down your digital marketing. Your business needs to recover after this is over. Small businesses will be getting a ton of support from communities throughout the world, as they understand the difficulties these businesses are going through. Consider all the things that you can do to reach the public during this challenging time.
Your Company Offers Essential Services
If your company offers essential services like HVAC, plumbing, or cleaning, you should increase your SEO presence. You want your customers to know that they can reach out to you even though the pandemic is still a real threat. When you work with us, we will help you find the customers that need you most. Businesses are turning off their paid advertising and SEO during this time, so it is a perfect opportunity for you to gain more business and beat your competition during the Coronavirus chaos. SEO Locale are experts that will help you target businesses that are working from home and need your services.
Your Company is Shutdown? No problem…
If your business was forced to shutdown, this is the perfect opportunity to advertise your business. You may think it’s crazy because everyone is at home, but the consumers will be bored on their phones and surfing the web. It’s the perfect opportunity to get your brand out there, and when they are ready to make that purchase, you will be in the forefront of their minds. We understand it is a scary time, as no small business owner has an end game during this time. Our COO Nick Quirk spoke to The Intelligencer about the unknown for small business owners.
How Can You Help Companies Get Back To Work?
If your company can help people get back to work, you should market yourself using this angle. You will see a change in the way that your website gets traffic because customers are searching for emergency services. We will help you add emergency or urgent services to your online marketing strategy. We will help you create a new list of keywords that should be used during the pandemic. The COVID-19 will be around the world for some time. Your business needs to stay on track with online marketing while people are isolating themselves. Keyword search volumes will be increasing, and your brand needs to be in front of those people.
Cleanup And Recovery Services
If you are a business that helps companies recover from disasters, we will help add the Coronavirus or the pandemic to your marketing strategy. Customers are looking for businesses like yours that can help them recover.
Helping Companies Operate Today
You might manage a company that helps companies create software or apps to manage their business. It is easy for you to add the pandemic and other emergency-oriented keywords into your digital strategy. Your customers will learn that you can help them change the way they do business, and they can continue to operate as they normally would.
Add More Information To Your Website
While we can help you with your online content strategy, we must add all this information into your website. Your website can become a hub for emergency information during the Coronavirus pandemic, and we will help you add a special notice to the website that tells your customers how you are responding to the pandemic. If you have crafted a quality response to this emergency, customers will trust you more.
Conclusion – Don’t Put Your Guard Down, It Is Time To Beat Your Competition
We will help you change your SEO plan during the Coronavirus pandemic. You can show your customers how you offer emergency services, and we will implement that strategy, utilizing keywords that will reach customers in need. Even if your business has a mandatory shutdown, we can still help you market yourself both during and after the pandemic. We’re here to help businesses get out of this chaotic situation that no business owner could have foreseen or planned for. We’re a premier digital marketing agency in Philadelphia with a plethora awards and accolades to prove our success to the business world.
Phil Cannella and SEO Locale Join to Fight Fake News
These days there’s a lot of talk about fake news and those who work in the field of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) are at the forefront of helping determine which content is relevant to search engine users.
How To Start an Ecommerce Business
Over 40 percent of internet users across the world have made a purchase online. That’s a substantial figure. Moreover, it shows how people are increasingly turning to online shopping, primarily because of better mobile networks. You have to register a domain name, buy a hosting service, and use website builders
How SEO Services Can Help Any Business?
Search engine optimization is a digital marketing tactic that aims to expose a website to relevant search engine users. Essentially, SEO involves conforming to the expectations of Google so that its algorithms will elevate an optimized site in search engine results pages. When you engage in SEO, you can develop