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Category: Search Engine Optimization

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HOW GOOGLE IS MAKING USER EXPERIENCE COUNT

Google has given us an entire year to prepare for the update on user experience (UX) that will be making its debut next month.

You read that right – in May 2020, the global search engine, Google, announced that their upcoming upgrade would start to include user experience, among other metrics, to rank site performance. UX will also affect your company’s placement in Google Search.

While user experience will not be the sole factor in your placement, it will become increasingly more important from here on out. Let’s take a look at the main markers you will want to keep in mind for May 2021, so that your site does not vanish off the face of the web (or trickle down to the 2nd or 3rd page on Google).

The highly favored search engine has been preparing for this update for over a year now so there are quite a few opinions on the topic floating around. However, we prefer to get our information straight from the source. According to Google, the user experience update hopes to improve the way we interact with content, and how to decide which pieces are most important to the consumer.

They note: The page experience signal measures aspects of how users perceive the experience of interacting with a web page. Optimizing for these factors makes the web more delightful for users across all web browsers and surfaces, and helps sites evolve towards user expectations on mobile. We believe this will contribute to business success on the web as users grow more engaged and can transact with less friction.

In other words, Google is going to gauge how useable your site is, especially across different devices and platforms to make sure that the user-friendliest sites make it to the top during your research. How? By measuring your core web vitals, comparing them to your competition, and ranking accordingly. We will show you what this means and the best practices your company can take to prepare.

DOWN TO THE CORE

Core Web Vitals are new metrics that Google is rolling out to measure things like speed and accessibility on any given page on your site. Adjusting your site to fit these standards will impress Google, as well as your clientele! Creating a more enjoyable user experience is Google’s goal for a reason. In order to quantify UX, there are three core vitals highlighted across several sources: page speed, page interactivity, and page stability. Let’s take an even deeper look into what these vitals mean for the future of your site.

Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), or page loading speed, is the first metric that is considered a core web vital. Simply put, this is how long it takes to load the largest piece of content on any page of your site. 2.5 seconds and under is the sweet spot for a good loading speed. If your site is pushing 4 or more seconds, look into your server, the amount of JavaScript on your pages, and make sure you are not using slow time fetching resources. To improve your page loading speed, look into size loading platforms for media-rich pages!

First Input Delay (FID) measures your page interactivity speed. For a successful and enjoyable user experience, the interactive elements on your site, like forms and text boxes, should load and be ready to function within 100 milliseconds or less. If your interactive content loading takes 300 milliseconds or longer, you will need to test and edit JavaScript delays and optimize the code on each page to make the 100-millisecond mark!

Last but certainly not least, Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS), is the core web vital that measures page stability. This is the most frustrating feature for users, for good reason. Page stability means that the elements on any given page do not shift while loading. Every element has a place on each page, and if your site is stable, they will never budge or shift while the rest of your content loads. 0.1 is the goal here, anymore 0.25 or over is going to need adjustments. This is the easy part, you will need to specify the size dimensions of every single image or video on the page for best results. These, among other valuable components, like accessibility across devices and platforms, and rich content, will all be taken into consideration whilst your website is being assessed by the algorithm.

CONTENT STILL MATTERS

Any time “updating the algorithm” is mentioned, we cringe a little. But the bulk of ranking will still stem from authentic and useful content. Google has made it clear that while the UX update will alter how sites are displayed in the search engine, the content on your site itself, still plays the largest role in ranking. If you already consistently update your content, minimal modifications will be needed.

To quote: While all of the components of page experience are important, we will prioritize pages with the best information overall, even if some aspects of page experience are subpar. A good page experience doesn’t override having great, relevant content.

TIPS AND TOOLS FOR TRACKING UX

As your marketing mavens, Power On has plenty of tricks to try for a seamless transition into the core web vitals world. The first steps to improving your UX ranking are internal. Optimize each page on your site for speed, reduce 400 errors, and fix any and all broken pages/links as they appear. These each contribute to a negative user experience and drag your site performance down.

After an internal assessment comes a comparison to your competitors. While you may think your site is fine and dandy, your competition could be blowing you out of the water! It is important to check up on your competition to compare speed, SEO health, and so much more. Tools like page speed insights will allow you to search yourself and/or competitors to see where you stand in several areas. Google has released several tools to test, track, and enrich your user experience in terms of Core Web Vitals.

If you are keeping up with the competition, or beating them, you should still analyze your site design for layout shifts and other usability issues. To identify any issues more easily, try using a site like Crazy Egg on your popular pages. We suggest testing at least three of your top-performing URLs to review your usability, site structure, navigation, and more. You can always experiment with additional tools and plug in’s to monitor rankings and other data over time.

SUMMARIZE THE STREAMLINE

Google updates are not new, they just decided to brace us for impact this time around. The User Experience Update combines site functionality with SEO structuring in hopes of creating the ultimate user experience. Successful sites will be enjoyable, equitable, usable, and useful while providing inventive and original content.

Not sure how to get started with upgrading your UX? Power On can help!
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SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION – HOW WILL IT IMPROVE YOUR BUSINESS?

Finding relevance in the online marketplace begins and ends with a targeted and focused effort on keyword combinations and quality content, which is the focus of Search Engine Optimization. Look at the internet like a chamber of commerce, and the keywords as a representation of the committees, meetings, and other activities you can target for new business development. First thing is that there must be a plan to engage those activities that would give you the best benefit to growing your business, and second is that you must show up and engage those activities in a credible and accountable way. Over time the effort not only puts you and your business in a viable position within the community, that position has been earned and is deserved due to the work put into it. The digital marketplace, unlike some commercials we see late at night, also takes time and focus to become a viable business channel and Search Engine Optimization is critical for long term ROI.

So, our first objective to help define the value to your business Search Engine Optimization can have and how it can deliver results to the bottom line. Here is a quick list of the SEO value that can be expected:

  • Focus your online position
  • Target qualified business opportunities
  • Earn Organic “Free” traffic looking for your services
  • Allows for an ability to analyze web resource performance.
  • Cuts down Performance Based Advertising Budget so company can grow.

So, with all of these benefits available and the ability to finally put a measurable ROI on the performance of your resources it is clear that Search Engine Optimization is important for those companies who have a plan and need a way to measure growth. It doesn’t always have to be a big investment, but if there has never been an effort to engage the search engines with a targeted keyword focus then you can expect there to be a setup fee related to the work needed to edit and organize your existing resources with the appropriate purpose. It is important to make sure that you have a Search Engine Optimization Assessment before you get going as it will greatly improve your ability to keep the hours down to a minimum and save money on development.

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WHY HAVING A SOCIAL MEDIA BUDGET IS CRUCIAL

From Myspace, to Facebook, Twitter and sites that are still up-and-coming, social media marketing has evolved into something that is more than a place for the posting of funny cat videos and sharing family vacation photos – it can be used for enhancing your own brand or business at a more personal level. With this being the age of all things digital and social, using these sites for business is a smart way to increase exposure to a larger, more personal audience. The issue with this is that some people seem to forget to consider when thinking about using social media for business is including it in their budget.

Although it may be free to start a page for your business, advertisements do cost money, and factoring this cost into your budget must be considered for effective marketing. It is also not something that should be thought of as a quick addition to any kind of marketing campaign – social media takes time and manpower to build as a helpful tool for increasing the productivity of your business or brand.

Today, nearly everyone is involved in some sort of social media. Whether it is as simple as having a Facebook for sharing pictures, to writing for a daily blog, social media is something that has become part of everyday life for a large percentage of people. These digital platforms can be more informal and come across to a larger crowd, while also appealing to a more relaxed audience all at the same time. Information is pushed across the digital realm in a quicker, more efficient way while allowing for it to be up to date and keeping up with the times. For example, if something were to happen or needed to be shared with the audience of your business the moment it happens, news could be spread in nearly real time. Obviously, this can be incredibly beneficial for a number of reasons for your business.

A website or app, such as Twitter, allows for a more personal approach to pushing out content. On Twitter, followers may favorite, retweet, quote, and respond to a tweet with ease. This creates a more personal atmosphere that may be created without having to deal with the hassle of the phone or email. It is informal, so responses can be quick and to the point, while still getting results. Many people like this for business due to the fact that it somewhat humanizes the company. For smaller companies, this creates a brand image and more social networking for future and potential customers, all while helping with website traffic and explaining what the company is capable of. This also gives larger companies a chance to put off the smaller business feel, while still allowing for the recognition of the large-name brand.

Another thing to note when considering social media is that if you are not on it, your competitor is. A huge percentage of the general public is on the Internet regularly, and with a large percentage of those people actively on social media, it gives more people a chance to learn about your business. The average person checks their various social media accounts several times a day, and with your company being on these same sites it makes for a convenient place to further promote and market. Being on these sites also boosts your brand name in search engines, which creates more results and places where potential customers can hear about you.

In conjunction with your complete marketing strategy, social media can raise the overall value of your company while keeping costs at a minimum. Joining these websites will cause not just a noticeable amount of increased website traffic, but a quantum leap. If one of your posts are shared by fan or audience member, all of their followers or friends will be able to view the post, and they may share it – this creates an exponentially growing base of people who are seeing your information and getting your business name out there. There are also sites, such as StumbleUpon, which allow customers to literally “stumble” onto your website after creating a profile which is tailored to their specific interests. This obviously creates a better chance for the people who are already interested in the genre in which your brand is located to see your website. These sites can be just as helpful as things such as Twitter and Facebook, and help to ensure that other people that share the same interests as your company see you.

This form of marketing is much more inclusive for everyone involved as well. Employees and staff can be more involved with the communication aspect of the company, while teaching the general audience about said brand or company. This allows for the building of a digital community on a grander scale. On the contrary, the consumers can tell a company directly, via Facebook wall or Twitter for example, exactly what they want and what they think. This opens the channel for a direct connection between the company and the consumer. They may tell you how much they adore a product of service, or how much they may hate it and what needs to be improved. The audience can let you know exactly what they want and why they want it – just ask a question or for opinions on a social media site, and you will get responses.

The next question normally asked when it comes to advertising on social media is if it is actually worth it to pay for advertisements on an otherwise free site. The answer is yes, you should. Leaving room in your budget for these sites allows for a whole other realm of audiences to be found. As an example in the most traditional way, a post is put on Facebook, pushed into the newsfeeds of the people who have liked the page, and only seen those same people. There is no new audience, nor is there any chance for a real increase in visits because these people have already seen your information. When someone pays the fee for a promoted post or page, this shows up in newsfeeds of people that may have not liked the page, but have similar interests of your company. With costs starting at as little as ten dollars for promoted posts on Facebook, this form of effective marketing is affordable for nearly every budget. In comparison to the cost of a traditional marketing scheme, this is a more “bang for your buck” deal, which allows the marketing of your company to be enhanced on a social platform.

Within your social media budget, search engine optimization and tools for social media must also be considered in addition to actual advertisements. SEO must be considered for your website to rank higher and receive more traffic, which promotes your business. Tools are available to make your life on these social media sites much easier as well. Sites such as Hootsuite, SocialBro, ManageFlitter, and many others offer an easier way to create, schedule, and manage content in a more streamline way. Buffer is also a good tool to consider, as it allows you to schedule and put content into queues for pushing out at a later date. Using these tools also gives you a way to look at the analytics and statistics of your visitors. These are a must for any social media marketing strategy and will help you exponentially.

Allowing for the space in your budget for social media marketing will be a strategy that will pay for itself many times over. These platforms can increase exposure and create a more human forum as a direct connection with your clientele or intended audience. If social media is something that you are already doing in your marketing strategy, considering the use of paid advertisements can greatly increase your results with minimum financial impact. To put it simply, if you aren’t advertising on social media, you are letting customers walk out the virtual door.

Power On Marketing