In addition to building an easy-to-find and easy-to-use website, one great way to make sure Google knows about your company is to get a free listing on Google My Business.  It’s a no-brainer method to get in front of your customers – and you don’t even need to earn your way there with SEO or buy your way with Google Ads – you just need to own a business that has some face-to-face interaction with customers (eg. you can’t operate 100% online).  No online strategy is complete without Google My Business (GMB) and there are new features you need to know about.

What is Google My Business?

Google My Business is a free tool you can use to help manage your business’ online presence across Google, including Search and Maps. In short, it’s Google’s local business listing management system.  If you don’t have a free listing for your business yet, you can get started at google.com/business. You can also download Google’s free mobile app, which allows you to update your listing from any mobile device.

Once you create a listing, you’ll need to verify it to prove that your business really exists in the location you say it does. You have a few options – including email, phone or using your Google Search Console listing – but most companies choose to verify by mail.

Why is Google My Business so important?

If you’ve created a GMB listing and people search for your business name, Google will provide that information immediately on the first page, as you can see from my example below:

Aside from the benefits this can bring (people can call you, get directions, see your opening hours, etc.) it also means they can leave your business a review, which is great for your digital footprint (more on this here).  Also, if you don’t fill out all your business information, someone else could, because anyone can suggest an edit to your business listing . . . including unhappy customers or your competitors. So make sure you take the time to complete all the information you can.

What’s new: Posts, Booking Buttons & More

Just as Google regularly updates their algorithm to improve the search experience for users, they also make regular changes and improvements to business listings. Some of the most recent changes they’ve made to GMB have to do with their desire to optimise search results and answer as many questions as possible within those results.  Here are some of the new features to consider:

1. Posts – posts are a new feature that you can use to write text, add an image or video clip and a call-to-action to your GMB listing. These can be used for events, sales, promotions, products, blog posts, or any type of announcement. Posts ‘go dark’ after seven days but give you a chance to change things up regularly so your customers have the latest information about what’s going on at your business (and old posts are still there, they just get moved down).
2. Photos and videos – you can now add more photos and even video to your GMB listing. Google reports that businesses with photos receive 42% more requests for driving directions and 35% more click-throughs to their websites. Create high-quality, engaging images to help draw customers in and refresh them regularly. Name, tag and describe your images and videos as well as geotag them to help with your SEO.
3. Make a booking – bookings are another new feature that’s now available. If your business relies on customers making appointments – such as a hair salon or massage therapist – and you use connected scheduling software, clients can book appointments directly from your GMB listing. This feature makes it really easy to get new customers, because they don’t even have to leave Google search to book an appointment!
4. Owner identity attributes – Google has added new owner identity attributes that allow you to let people know immediately if you are a female-led or veteran-led local business. The information gets added next to other details about your business such as if you have wi-fi, accessible seating, take reservations, etc. This could be meaningful to some potential customers and one to keep an eye on as Google says that it will be adding more over time.

There are many ways to optimise your Google My Business listing and best of all, they’re all free!  If you need any help, contact Breathe Marketing today.

On-site (or on-page) SEO is what’s displayed on your website – it’s the written copy your visitors read and search engines see, and it’s what helps give your site a boost in search engine rankings. Off-site (off-page) SEO, on the other hand, involves content outside (and/or linking back to) your site.

Here are four key things to keep in mind for both SEO-friendly and viewer-friendly content:

1. Write for people, not for Google

When writing your content, make sure you write for real, live people. First of all, people who visit your site will be much more likely to read it (and actually spend some time learning about what you offer) if it’s clear and makes sense. Creating good, informational and engaging content takes a lot of time and effort, but it will always help you in the long run.

And when you have new, fresh content available on a regular basis, Google will re-index your site and your customers will keep coming back (and hopefully make additional purchases). Your customers want to see what’s new, understand what’s different about your products and services, get ideas on how to use a product and learn about related topics, so Google will reward you when you show them.

2. Research your keywords and use them wisely

It’s important to do your keyword research (and if you need help with that, contact us) and then put together a plan for where and how they can be used to the best advantage, including within pages and in your meta data. Don’t just create a bunch of sentences that include keywords. Remember, Google and other search engines are getting much better at ranking sites that are designed just to rank for certain terms – a technique known as “keyword stuffing”.

(Remember the bad “black hat” techniques we talked about in our last post? “The Goog” is watching and will penalise you for these sooner or later.)

As a basic guideline for ranking with search engines, be aware that it’s hard to rank for keywords that don’t appear in your page content itself. Each page should be organised around the goal of ranking for a specific keyword or keyword phrase, with a few related phrases and keywords mixed into that copy. You don’t want to overdo it.

3. Don’t duplicate

Make sure that as much as possible, you have unique content on every page of your site. Google claims there is NO duplicate content penalty, but they do recognise ‘thin’ or ‘boiler-plate’ content that’s out there just for the sake of ranking.

If you’re just building your site and haven’t written the content yet, consider creating a spreadsheet to map out what’s going to go where, look for places where you need additional content, and then create pages to fit your needs within that structure.

4. Make sure title tags and content match

As mentioned in our previous SEO post, a title tag is text that’s incorporated into your html to help describe your site content to search engines. Even though a visitor to your site doesn’t see this text on the page, it’s still considered an element of on-page SEO. In fact, it’s the most important on-site SEO element besides your actual content, and it appears in three key places:

⋅ In a browser
⋅ In search engine results
⋅ On external websites (such as social media sites)

It’s critical to create descriptive title tags for your site’s pages that match the content and include keywords to help with your rankings. Remember, if someone finds your site in a search, it may be their first exposure to your site and/or product, so write compelling text that will draw those searchers in.

Finally, in addition to the fact that both Google and your visitors like it, an added bonus of creating good on-page content is that it helps position you as an expert in your field. The more you and your team members write and share knowledge about your products or industry, the more you build trust and loyalty with your audience.

Need help with keyword research or improving your SEO?  Contact Breathe Marketing today.

Here are three of the latest and biggest trends in website design:

Large photo, image and video background

Big photos and full-screen illustrations – especially for banners and backgrounds – are big. Apple was one of the first major companies to use this style of layout, but the idea been picked up by many other firms, including one of my clients, SA Power Networks.

In addition, many sites now use full-screen video backgrounds on their home pages, including sites for organisations like Australian Open, AirBnB and Australia.com.

Both of these options provide an opportunity to make a strong visual statement for viewers. In addition, they tend to be clean and uncluttered, and they often feature simplified menus that help direct people where you want them to go.

However, be careful when choosing these layouts, as one of the most common problems with large backgrounds is that they don’t always work in all screen resolutions. If you go this route, be sure to view the layout in all possible screen resolutions, browsers, devices, etc.

Parallax and scrolling websites

Scrolling websites have been around for a while now: longer website pages where you flick up and down (similar to how you use your mobile device).  I did this website nearly a year ago which still looks very current: www.khouryconsulting.com.au

But what’s very cool is the use of parallax scrolling which results in the background moving at a slower rate than the foreground. This technique was originally used in 2D video games to create an illusion of depth, and it’s now being used to create a 3D visual effect as you scroll down the page.

Here’s a good example: www.alexandrinafarm.com.au

When done correctly and sparingly, these sites can be really eye-catching and memorable – but when done incorrectly, they can come across as overdone (or even overwhelming) for viewers. So go careful. Also, if you decide to use parallax scrolling for your site, be sure that the layout is mobile-compatible, as this technique often looks great on desktops and laptops, but doesn’t always achieve the same results on smartphones or tablets. And on that note . . .

More Google changes coming: 21 April 2015

There’s additional urgency to make sure your site works on mobile devices. Why? Because Google will soon penalise you if it doesn’t.

As I’ve mentioned before in some of my blog articles, Google often updates their algorithm to improve the overall “search experience” for all users. Google has announced that they’re updating their algorithm once again beginning 21 April 2015, and this time, in an update nicknamed “mobilegeddon“, they’re penalising sites that aren’t mobile-responsive.

In other words, if a site isn’t designed to adjust for a smartphone or tablet viewer, its search ranking could drop.

The good news for Breathe Marketing clients is that we’ve been using mobile responsive website templates for a long time now, so they’re all safe.  But other companies will need to act fast in order to avoid being penalised and potentially losing customers.

In fact I’m one of them!  Rather like the plumber with the leaky taps at home, my own website needs an overhaul to make it fully mobile responsive (it was designed about 3 years ago).  Ironic isn’t it?  So keep an eye out for the new, updated Breathe Marketing site coming soon.

Have questions about these trends? Interested in using one or more of these techniques for your site? Contact Breathe Marketing today.

In today’s post, we’ll take a look at some recent changes to this tool that have made it even easier to track your web traffic and improve your site’s performance.

After a quick review of the highlights, we’ll discuss making the switch from Classic to Universal Analytics.

Universal Analytics: What’s New

For almost a full year, Google was beta testing some new features in Analytics. As of early April, the full version – known as Universal Analytics – became the operating standard. In essence, the features change the way data is collected and organised in order to do a better job of tracking how people are getting to and using your site, especially when using mobile devices.

At this point, Universal Analytics is an option; it’s not required. You can still use Classic Analytics if you prefer for now, but at some point, you’ll have to make the switch. Moving forward, product updates and new features will only be available to Universal Analytics properties, and Google will ultimately ‘auto-enroll’ you in the new Analytics.

So why make the change now? There are a number of features and upgrades that definitely make the upgrade worth considering (especially since, as always, it’s free).  Here’s a breakdown of some of the biggest updates:

Customise it

Want to create and define your own metrics for reports? Now you can. With custom dimensions and custom metrics, you can collect, segment and review data that wouldn’t otherwise get analysed, such as specific product details, different authors who write content for you, etc.

In the (Time) Zone

Until Universal came out, all Analytics properties were processed in the US Pacific Standard Time Zone, because that’s where Google is based. For those of us in Australia, that wasn’t very helpful. With the new rollout, you define where you are and get time zone-based processing, which is a big deal for our side of the planet.

User ID

The new User ID feature allows you to ‘group’ multiple visits by a visitor (and associated activity) with a unique ID. For instance, if an individual customer logs in and visits your site from a laptop, then from a smartphone and finally with a tablet, you can measure that activity and tie it to one single visitor, rather than as separate unique visitors. (Note: The person remains anonymous – only the behaviour gets tracked.)

With the User ID, you can get a more accurate user count, analyse user experience, and get reports across different devices. This is one of the biggest changes in Universal Analytics, and offers a whole new way of determining how and where your customers are using your site.

Ready to make the switch?

If you’re currently running Classic and want to upgrade to Universal, there are a few things you’ll need to do. Remember that snippet of code you used to set up Analytics in the first place? You or your developer will need to update this with new tracking code.

Google has established a Universal Analytics Upgrade Center to help you understand and make the changes – it’s definitely the best place to get started.

Have more questions about Google Analytics and how to use it? Contact us.

Enter Hummingbird, the latest update from the search engine giant.

What is Hummingbird and what does it do?

Officially released at the time of Google’s 15^th birthday (at the end of September), Hummingbird has really been ‘live’ since late August. Senior-level executives at Google claim that it’s actually the largest update in the past three years, affecting about 90% of all online searches, and is therefore much bigger than Panda or Penguin.

In general, the idea behind Hummingbird was to make online searches more ‘human friendly’ by better understanding complex phrases and language. For instance, if you type a full question into the search box instead of just a few keywords, Google will show you sites that are most likely to answer that question. Therefore, Hummingbird focuses on all the words in a query and how they connect, rather than only a few terms within that query.

The Knowledge Graph

Hummingbird also makes more use of Google’s Knowledge Graph. Google has been using this knowledge base since 2012, which returns answers to “semantic search” questions. For example, if you type “How many seats in Sydney Opera House” into the search box, you’ll see something like this pop up at the top of your results:

Google uses the Knowledge Base to answer your question before listing any other sites relevant to the performance venue.

In addition, on the right side of your screen, you’ll see more information about the building appear, including the address, the names of the architects, opening date, a Google map, etc., like this:

By providing this information, Google is working to anticipate what other needs and questions you may have, and there’s more of this to come. Google executives have stated that anticipating the needs of searchers is a big part of their future work.

Also, with the explosive growth and use of mobile devices, Google has been working on ways to improve voice search (since, of course, they want to make sure it’s easy for you to get results using your phone). Therefore, Hummingbird better understands phrases that are spoken, rather than just typed.

What do these changes mean for your website?

As we said when Penguin came out: Don’t panic. Having good content on your site is still the most important thing you can do, and the use of keywords in your site still matters. However, anticipating and answering your visitors’ needs will become increasingly important, so keep that in mind as you create new content.

Have more questions about all of this? Need some help? Let us know and stay tuned for future posts on SEO!

If your company produces a product that gets shipped worldwide and you don’t have a ‘brick and mortar’ store, this may not be such an issue for you. However, if you have a small business that provides products and services to local customers, you’ll want to make sure they can find you easily.

If you sell flowers in North Adelaide, for instance, you want to be on the first page of Google results when someone types in ‘flowers North Adelaide’ on their phone, tablet or computer. Unless you deliver in Melbourne or Perth, you don’t need to worry about customers in those areas – you only need to focus your energies on potential customers who want flowers (or want flowers delivered) in the Adelaide area.

So what can you do? Here are four tips to make sure your business gets found by local customers:

1. Make sure your website is optimised for mobile devices. According to recent statistics, over 50% of Australians now own a smartphone. Not only have that, but 19% of Australians searched for local suppliers and services on their smartphones on a daily basis. If customers can’t access or read your website on a phone or tablet, they’ll move on to another site and you’ll lose business.

2. Add your business on Google Places, Yahoo Small Business and local directories. Be sure to add your business to Google Places and Yahoo Small Business, which both have basic packages for free. In addition, sign up for local directory options such as Yelp and Yellow Pages.

3. Use local keywords. What areas do you serve? Do you have stores in more than one location? Do you offer on-site services for customers located anywhere between Gawler and Sellicks Beach? If your products and services are location-based, help customers find you by noting specific place names on your site.

4. Put your contact information in text (not an image) on every page of your site. This will help viewers find you and also help Google connect your business to local searches. Although be careful about including your email address which leaves you open to spam – there are workarounds you can do here. Preferably, you want to set up a ‘click-to-call’ feature directly from your site so that people can immediately dial your number from their phone once they find you.

Have questions? Need some help with improving your local marketing? Contact us today.

Why? Because when Google’s algorithm changes, it can have a major effect on how high a site ranks in a search. This means that a website that was ranking really well before the change can suddenly take a nose-dive and end up far lower in search results.

So what does all this have to do with a penguin?

As explained in our SEO 101 post, Google’s software uses tools called spiders to help ‘crawl’ website content, looking for information to bring back about sites they visit.  When spiders visit web pages, they’re looking for many things including the words used on pages, how relevant they feel a site is for a particular topic, how many links a site has and how relevant those links are. All this information is used to get sites listed in rankings.

Unfortunately, sometimes businesses use bad tactics – or ‘black-hat’ techniques – to try viagra online to get on the first page of search results. In 2012, Google released an algorithm update known as Penguin, the goal of which was to penalise sites that used black-hat techniques such as keyword stuffing, duplicate content, and linking to irrelevant sites (also known as “link spam”).

Google estimated that this change only affected about 3.1% of English language search queries, but some webmasters saw a major drop in their sites’ rankings. Now, in their continuing battle to penalise ‘black-hatters’, Google has announced that another algorithm change is coming in the next few weeks: Penguin 2.0.

Though no one outside Google knows just what to expect, there’s pretty clear evidence that sites with a high number of bad links, or link spam, will be targeted, and those sites will drop in overall search rankings.

What can you do?

First of all, don’t panic. If you’re currently using proper white-hat SEO techniques such as creating valuable, original site content for your customers and linking to legitimate sites that are relevant to your business products and services, you shouldn’t have any problem when Penguin 2.0 is released.

However, SEO is clearly becoming increasingly complex.  If you haven’t already, consider outsourcing your SEO activities to a reputable SEO provider.  Asking them how Penguin has changed their SEO practices is a good place to start in sussing out their expertise.  If they don’t know what you’re talking about then they may not be the right people to help you with your SEO.

For more on Penguin and link building, check out this article from Searchenginewatch.com.  What’s also really interesting is all the commentary at the end of the article – there’s clearly a lot of confusion out there right now about SEO and what these Penguin updates mean.

Have more questions about all of this? Need some help? Let us know – and stay tuned for future posts on SEO when Penguin 2.0 gets released!

What is a search engine?

An internet search engine is a database of websites, videos, images and other content. Search engines determine what to include in their database based on many things (such as content quality, level of authority, etc). Once a website is included in a search engine, it’s considered to be “indexed.”

Note: If a website is not indexed, it won’t show up when people search for it, even if they type in a specific domain name such as www.yourbusiness.com.

There are many Internet search engines, including Yahoo!, Bing, MSN, Ask.com and AOL, but Google is arguably the most powerful and well-known.

Google and other search engines include a search tool which people use to find information, products or services on the web. (You probably use Google all the time yourself.) When you type in words for a search – like “picture frames,” for instance – Google immediately searches from millions of existing websites to find the best matches for those words, and then displays all the known websites that match in the order it thinks best and most relevant.

How does that work?

Search engines use software tools called spiders to help ‘crawl’ content, looking for information to bring back the the database about sites they visit. The information gets stored, which helps you get your search results more quickly.

When spiders visit web pages, they’re looking for a number of things, but two of the main things Google spiders look for are:

1) What words are used on a page, and
2) Where those words are found on a page.

If a spider comes across a website that is not in the search engine’s database already – and if it determines that the site is good – it will include the information in the database.

So how does knowing all this help you?

When you sell products or services on the web, you want people to find your website easily – not only that, but you want your website to be on the first page of results when people use search terms that match what you sell.

By knowing what spiders are looking for and building your website content to match, you make it easier for search engines and customers to find your site and purchase your products and services.

Have questions about this? Let us know – and stay tuned for future posts on optimising your site for search engines!

At the very least you should track where all your new enquiries come from.   This can be a great indicator of which marketing activities are working better than others.

1. Try and centralise the recording of all sales enquiries – they will typically come through by phone or email.  If you don’t have a salesperson, try and make one person responsible for recording enquiries.
2. Set up a dedicated email account if you haven’t already eg. sales@….. Then promote this in your marketing and route these emails to the person responsible for recording enquiries.
3. Create a simple Excel spreadsheet that lists all the possible ways that somebody could hear about your company/products/services. eg. Yellow Pages advertisements; trade magazine advertisements; referrals/recommendations; networking activities; website; online marketing etc.
4. Find out from potential customers how they got your phone number/email address or how they heard about you.
5. Nowadays many people will say ‘your website’ but dig deeper and ask whether they knew your company name or not.  This can indicate if they Googled generic search terms that led them to your company (hence your Search Engine Optimisation and/or Pay Per Click activities are working), or they Googled your company name (which they could have got from a recommendation, advertisement, media coverage etc).

You don’t want to interrogate your potential customers, but asking two simple questions is not unreasonable.  It will give you useful information that you can use to measure and tweak future marketing activity.

http://www.google.com/alerts

All you do is enter a search query you wish to monitor.  This could be:

• Your company or product name – monitor what is being written about your company or products
• Competitor names – great for keeping an eye on what your competitors are up to
• Industry terms – useful for keeping up-to-date on changes and developments in your sector