Let Our Team Handle Your Online Marketing On Every Outlet

July 5, 2017 By SEO Houston Pros Leave a Comment

Marketing Automation Is Thriving And Growing But Often Misunderstood

Many people have the misconception in 2017 that marketing automation is declining when in fact, it’s a growing trend for businesses and will continue to be so going forward. The biggest issue with marketing concepts is the misunderstandings related to automation and how to use it effectively. If you have been using marketing automation or you are thinking about using it, you want to be aware of the ways in which it is often misunderstood. This is where a Search Engine Optimization Company Houston can help.

1. Only Marketers Use Marketing Automation

The fact is that marketing automation gets its best results when sales and marketing are used together as a tool. List building along with email marketing and nurturing those leads account for only half of what’s possible. The results that can come from the sales department using these tools to analyze prospective customers along with sending them messages that are specifically personalized to their behavior and with designing sales campaigns that are based on the information gathered are just some of the possibilities.

2. It’s Too Complicated

Many people get overwhelmed when they first see an automation process. But it’s not as difficult as it might first seem if you simply get some quality training and guidance when first learning the software. Anyone needing help can call on a Search Engine Optimization company Houston. Everything is customizable, from workflow options to email automation and even contacting leads. With a little practice, it’ll be simple.

3. Marketing Automation Is Just Another Name For Email Marketing

At first glance, they may appear to be the same but there is a considerable difference. The reason why so many people have this misconception is simply that it’s the only part of automation that they’re familiar with. The fact is, however, there are many moving parts that make this type of tool a substantial powerhouse that goes beyond just email marketing. Obviously, using email is an essential ingredient but there are other aspects such as tracking the behavior of your leads which allows you to personalize the emails by defining exactly who they are.

4. Is Marketing Automation Spam?

In no way is it spam and in fact, it is highly personalized email marketing. Tracking the behavior of leads allows you to see the best way to contact them and interact with them on your website. Some of these interactions can include the type of page that’s being viewed along with the time of day and even the date that they view it. For some of your leads, you will have information from forms that they filled out and from links that they clicked or videos that they watched.

All of that information can be used collectively to better understand your leads and make a very personal email campaign and workflow. You will get their attention because of the highly personalized messages in the email. It will resonate with them and they will begin to build trust in your company which increases the opportunities to change the lead into a customer.

Don’t Delay, Begin Your Marketing Automation Now!

Are you ready to grow your business using this powerful tool? If so, call or contact the SEO Houston Pros right now. Our team of dedicated staff will help with each step of the process. You get the platform setup along with email templates and the workflow process. Our business is to help your business thrive!

SEO Houston Pros Keeps You Up-To-Date With Content Strategies

July 5, 2017 By SEO Houston Pros Leave a Comment

Staying Current in Houston, Texas With Content Strategy

In this digital day and age, it is crucial to have a well-planned content strategy in place. All day everyday consumers use the internet for research as well as purchases. If they happen to need what it is you offer, you want them to be able to easily find you. You want a professional and well-planned digital strategy that is always kept up-to-date.

Your Content Strategy Doing Its Job

Life nowadays goes faster than any other era in history. Everything is always improving and changing or disappearing. So that you and your content are found when consumers search, you must keep your content up-to-date. Keep the following tips and pointers in mind when managing your content:

SEO Is A Moving Target

Google is always making small tweaks to its algorithm, on a yearly basis over 500 are made. If your SEO campaign is not frequently reviewed and updated, you will most certainly fall behind. Over time, browsing habits also evolve and when a consumer searches for what you offer, they may not be able to find you. It is critical that you perform a quarterly review of the effectiveness of your SEO campaign. This will allow you to make any changes needed so that you stay in front of your target audience as often as is possible.

Changes In Your Industry and Company

You also want to reflect changes which could affect your customers in your content. Perhaps there will be small changes to your products or services, maybe some company news that from time to time will need to be updated. At times, changes that occur in your industry itself could impact the content on your sites as well. Running into information that is incorrect or out-of-date can cause customers to look elsewhere, and at times never return. It is also good to periodically refresh your content and looks so that it doesn’t become outdated.

Creation of a Company Blog

Does your company have a blog? This is a key component to brand management and inbound marketing. Your blog is where you have the chance to engage outside of your business with your target audience. On your blog, you can educate, entertain, capture interest, and even add value. Basically, you are able to establish yourself as an authority and engage in conversation which builds relationships. Being as this is dynamic, it is important to regularly post content. How regularly? Well, there are few things that this depends on such as your resources, business, and your target audience.

Catch Them On Social Media

It is undeniable how often people use social media. Another opportunity for communicating professionally with your target audience is through social media marketing, even if it is casual. It is another great way of building relationships. A steady social media campaign opens doors like nothing else can. Simply imagine the amount of free publicity that your posts being shared with friends and family members of your clients will provide. Now if you are wondering how often you should post on social media, once again it depends on your resources, business and target audience.

It Can Be Challenging To Keep Current

From business changes to SEO, social media and blogs, it can be challenging for you keep your content current. It takes resources, time and energy. However, if it is done right, your ROI will be unmatched. You may already be so occupied with your business that thinking about it is overwhelming. SEO Houston Pros is your choice for a Houston Internet marketing company. We are a local digital marketing firm whose specialty is content management and inbound marketing. Call us today and we can help you analyze your needs for content management as well as create a marketing strategy for your business in Houston.

Google Fined $2.7 Billion Dollars For Manipulating Search Results

June 28, 2017 By SEO Houston Pros Leave a Comment

Google Fined An Astounding $2.7 Billion By The EU For Manipulating Searches

The European Union has fined Google a record $2.7 billion (2.4 billion in euros) fine for skewing search results in favor of Google’s own shopping site. But that may be only a fraction of the ultimate costs of the EU’s demand for Google to cease and desist.

Although Google has plenty of cash to keep it afloat, it may lose much more than the $2.7 billion due to a potential loss of ad revenue along with a regulatory backlash against Google’s other services, including restaurant reviews, maps, and more. This, in addition to the EU’s threats for more penalties.

The decision, brought by Margrethe Vestager, the EU’s antitrust chief, brings a 7-year investigation to an end. The investigation came in the wake of accusations from both small websites and well-known sites like News Corp., Microsoft, and Springer SE. While politicians in Europe have called for sanctions against Google, or even demand that it be broken up, U.S. critics challenge the accusations by claiming that EU regulators are deliberately targeting successful American companies.

A binding order from the EU demands that Alphabet Inc., Google’s parent company, must “stop its illegal conduct” and start giving equal treatment to competing price-comparison services, and notify the EU of its plans to do so within 60 days. It’s up to Google how it wants to accomplish this.

The ultimatum was issued by Vestager, imposing a 90-day deadline to incorporate the changes and give smaller price-comparison competitors a chance against the Google shopping ads that appear alongside search results. The EU states that it plans to monitor Google over the next five years and “may impose stiffer fines in the future” up to 5 percent of Google’s daily revenue if the demands aren’t met.

Kent Walker, Google’s general counsel, shared that the company disagrees with the EU’s findings and may decide to seek an appeal.

According to the EU, Google has promoted its own comparison-shopping service as far back as 2008, putting its own services at the top of search engine results when shopping for a new item. Comparison-shopping rivals only have results popping up on page four, putting them at a distinct disadvantage, since the first page garners 95 percent of all clicks.

A lawyer at the Parisian Firm Simmons & Simmons declares that it’s normal for a private company to favor its own services. But the EU’s decision imparts obligations to Google that one might expect for a water or power company. Such companies were once considered a state monopoly.

The fines levied on Tuesday may only be the first in a series of heavy penalties aimed at Google by EU antitrust committees. This comes at a difficult time for Google, which is already fighting for its Android phone software and its AdSense internet advertising service. Vestager hinted that she may also look into Google’s travel, maps, and restaurant reviews, which have also engendered complaints.

In spite of the recent record-breaking penalty, Google is unlikely to be fazed by the $2.7 billion fine when it holds a cache of $90 billion. More concerning is the way EU regulators are trying to force Google to change its online shopping search results, one of the biggest revenue sources for the internet giant, and one of the greatest weapons in its arsenal of online competitors.

At SEO Houston Pros our SEO Experts in Houston confirm that although this ordeal with Google may seem like a bump in the road, we have addressed similar issues in the past. We take pride in keeping ourselves ahead of the curve and by doing so are able to keep ourselves up-to-date on all new algorithm changes. More importantly, SEO Houston Pros spends rigorous hours studying those changes brought to Google’s search engine platform.

We at SEO Houston Pros are incapable of taking on every client, as we only work with 1 client per niche in any given area, but to see if you are a good fit for our services, contact us now by filling out our contact form, or to expedite the process for consideration fill out our discovery application to see if your business qualifies for our service, and one of our executive SEO architects will be back with you promptly.

Is Your Website Outdated: SEO Houston Pros Explains

June 28, 2017 By SEO Houston Pros Leave a Comment

5 Signs That You Need To Have With A New Website Design

Your website needs to reflect your brand in the best possible light, especially considering that most likely it is the first place that a prospective customer will learn about and see your business. If your website design is outdated and either is not responsive or looks like it from the 1990’s, then it is definitely time for you to upgrade! When a visitors lands on your website, the individual will determine within a couple of seconds whether they want to leave or stay. Frequently, this decision will be based on the way your website navigates, feels and looks. On your home page, do you have a video or music auto-playing? Is your home page lacking engaging images and full of large blocks of text? Does your site have pop-ups on it? If your answer to any of the questions is yes, then you should definitely consider getting your business website design revamped.

Should Your Website Design Be Updated?

If you are wondering whether or not to hire a professional web design company, then you should consider the following tell-tale signs that your site needs to be re-designed right today!

1. Your Website Is Not Mobile-Friendly

Take your phone out and type your website URL in one of the major search engines. What does your website look like? Is it easy to navigate? Is your site easy to view? Take the time to look around and think about these questions. If you discover that it is slow, time-consuming or difficult to move around the website that you have currently on a tablet or mobile phone, it’s time for something new! Most people who are visiting your website will be coming via a mobile device and those numbers will only continue to grow over time. If people are not able to navigate your website easily on a mobile device, then they will leave immediately and get the information they are looking for from your competitor. So don’t allow this basic conversion to prevent you from getting new customers and leads.

2. An Outdated Appearance

Basically speaking, if your website has an old appearance individuals won’t take the time to really review it and check it out. If your website has an old appearance, that means that it is outdated and most likely it is difficult to navigate. Everybody wants to quickly and easily locate what they are searching for when they land on a website. Your site should have plenty of graphics that point to your major products and services, and the main navigation tabs need to highlight your business’s key areas, and every page of your site needs to have a call to action. As a general rule of thumb, get your website redesigned every three years at least. Given how fast technology changes and consumers needs change, this will help to ensure your website stays current.

3. Slow Loading Speed

One of the major components of website design is usability. Are the images on your home page loading slow? Does it take longer than two seconds for the pages on your site to load? In general, people will leave a web page after they only wait three seconds for the page to load! As a society overall we are going to increasingly become more impatient. However, we have the technology as well to meet those demands – so take advantage of this and use it! There isn’t anything users hate more than when it takes a website forever to load. By having a professional company do a new website design for you, they will make sure the loading speeds for you site meets industry standards.

By getting a new website design done by a professional company, they will ensure these loading speeds stay within industry standards.

4. Your Website Is Not Optimized For Search Engines

If your website pages are not optimized, how can new users find your business? Keep in mind that most new customers will learn about your business online. That means that you need to appear within the search engine listings whenever phrases that are relevant for business are being searched. For example, if you are a Houston real estate agent, the best way that you can be found online is optimizing your web pages for some of the main key phrases like “Houston realtor” through using search engine optimization in Houston. By working on your organic marketing on a consistent basis, you can get your business found on Google for the relevant phrases that are relevant to your business.

5. Your Social Media Accounts Are Not Linked And Integrated

Social media offers a huge opportunity. Getting on Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook will allow you to encounter new prospects that you have never met before. If your point is to acquire new prospects and customers, then you need to have your social media accounts integrated and linked with your website. With assistance from an experienced brand management and web design company, you can get easy access to all your social platforms using just a click of one button.

We Are Web Design Experts That Can Help You!

Do any of these concerns relate to your current website? If you are ready for your website to get a new design, then give us a call today! We can provide your business with a customized solution that will improve the website experience for your users.

Making Your Mark With Internet Marketing in Houston

June 27, 2017 By SEO Houston Pros Leave a Comment

A Powerful Tool For Brand Awareness

It might feel like an elusive goal to build brand awareness. To keep your Houston business running smoothly you have so much work and very limited time. You might be wondering about the best use of your marketing budget. Here are 7 important tips on the impact of a company blog on your brand.

Here are 7 important tips on the impact of a company blog on your brand.

7 Ways Your Blog Builds Brand Awareness

A company blog is an incredibly powerful tool to help you build your brand. Your company website helps establish your web identity while a blog is responsible for drawing people to you. It is your direct channel of communication with your clients. An opportunity for enduring opportunity. Consider the 7 benefits below of a company blog for your brand:

1. Increasing Website Traffic

The content on your website probably does not change all too often. Chances are that you just have a handful of pages that stay constant over extended periods. This makes sense. Web design is important but you need to think about this: each blog post is a new page for the search engines to pick up. It is another hook in the water for fish to find you. Quality content posted frequently will continue driving traffic to your website.

2. Lead Generation

Blogs are typically not places to sell products. They are a great platform for connecting with clients. However, if you add a call-to-action, each blog post provides a great opportunity for lead generation. Especially if you provide value and high-quality content on topics that your target audience would be interested in. The role of the call-to-action is to prompt the reader to engage with your brand in one way or another. It could be a webinar, free eBook, or just a “Contact Us for additional information.” The call-to-action on your blog will help generate more leads for the sales team.

3. Establishing Your Authority

Consistent valuable content is what distinguishes you as an authority to your clients and in your industry. The more valuable the content, the more it will enhance your authority. Think of the blog as a platform for answering common questions your target audience and clients will love. If you generate valuable content consistently over time you will establish yourself as an authority in your field. Your clients will be coming to you.

4. Supporting Various Social Media Initiatives

Frequent quality content is the key to a successful social media marketing strategy. You can draw from other sources but a blog will provide a steady flow of content to share. Each blog post you share on social media will point readers back to you and not just them but also everyone that they share it with too. It is an opportunity that you would not like to miss.

5. Connecting with Customers

A blog can be considered a way to add a human touch to the business. You can use it to touch people’s hearts, make them laugh, and even engage their minds. You can address the issues that your clients are concerned about. You can use it to give clients an inside look into your company values and culture. A blog can give your company a voice and personality and will make you more approachable.

6. Building Long-Term Relationships with the Community and Clients

Your clients will appreciate the content that you provide over time and will start looking to you as a leader in your community. You will facilitate ongoing conversations and the clients will participate if you offer them the chance. Pay attention to comments to your posts and respond to them. Make an effort to know your clients and allow your brand to connect with the target audience.

7. Gaining Insight Into the Target Audience

Blog analytics can provide valuable insight into the interests of the target audience. You can note popular topics, track readers, keeping an eye on comments and shares, and recording click-throughs. You can use the data to find out what makes the target audience tick and will guide future marketing decisions and blog topics.

A Word of Caution

You might be tempted to use blog posts as written commercials but you shouldn’t do it. The goal is for the target audience to decide to read the content you provide. You can be sure that they are not interested in reading sales material. Provide them with valuable content, which is interesting, funny, or heart-warming and they will keep coming for more.

One Blog at a Time

Brand awareness is a critical part of a long-term Houston internet marketing strategy. A blog is one of the best tools available to you when it comes to building brand awareness. Do not miss this opportunity for connecting with the target audience. Consider starting a blog. We are your resource for digital marketing, branding, and generating high-quality content. If you would like to learn more about digital marketing or to get started with your business blog, contact us.

SEO Houston Pros Helps You Manage Your Online Reviews

June 27, 2017 By SEO Houston Pros Leave a Comment

3 Simple Steps To Managing Your Online Reviews

Are you aware of what people online are saying about your brand? You probably are aware if you are like many of the small to medium-sized business managers or owners in Houston. It is possible that you have come across a few negative reviews of your business. Negative reviews are often the worst nightmare for a Houston business owner. You work hard to build a brand that people know they can trust and negative reviews online can ruin a reputation that has taken years to build in just one day.

The question is, how do you make a comeback once the negative reviews have been posted online?

Types of Reviews

It is important to understand the different types of reviews online. Many people have heard about Facebook reviews, Google reviews, and Yelp! However, there are many other platforms where clients can post reviews. Which platforms are popular in your industry? Think about the different websites that make recommendations for service providers in your industry. Chances are that such websites provide a way to rate and review providers.If you wish to manage the online reviews of your brand online, you need to find out where your clients are posting both negative and positive feedback.

How Do Reviews Affect Your Business?

Many Houston business owners wonder how reviews affect their business. Whether the reviews are posted by ‘trolls’ that treat posting negative reviews as a hobby or by clients that genuinely feel that they had an undesirable experience with your brand, reviews are important.

Just think about the number of times you have undertaken a Google search for “____ reviews.” Restaurant reviews. Product reviews. Movie reviews. You should be getting the picture. You often don’t have a previous relationship with the product or business in question. You thus rely heavily on the opinions of others to make the most informed choice possible for the most desirable outcome. How many stars must a service or product have before you decide to do business with the company? The answer is at least 4 or 5 for most people.

3 Easy Ways to Take Charge of Online Reviews

If you are reading this, chances are that you have had a negative experience with online reviews. You probably realize already that you need to take charge of your reputation online and find a way to manage the reviews. You might have even skipped the introduction to this blog post and come directly to this section.

Here are a few easy steps to help you get started from the experts in online marketing Houston.

1. Responding to the Reviews

It is perfectly okay to feel defensive and angry after receiving one or several negative reviews. You need to shake off that feeling and go into customer service mode. What would you have to say to such people if they were right in front of you in your store? How would you handle the situation? This is usually a double whammy in an online environment. The person that left the review will not only see that you care about resolving the issue but so will anyone else who has ever thought about doing business with you.

Upon considering the message and tone that should be conveyed, respond to the reviewer quickly to try to resolve the situation. If necessary, offer to take the conversation offline by providing a phone number or email where you can be reached. You must not allow “empty air” to send an unintentional message. A better approach would be to go for a polite response instead.

2. Establishing Relationships

Social media marketing can be an effective tool for building brand loyalty and inbound traffic. Use interesting, fun, and useful content to attract and engage people on social media platforms. Establish yourself as an authority in your industry and have fun while you do it. Show the personality of your brand and build trust by giving your company a face through social interaction with consumers. Give the audience a powerful experience with your brand that they feel the need to provide positive feedback.

3. Asking Existing Customers for Positive Reviews Online

It is still important to ask for the review even if the customer experience you provide is top notch. In this information age, many consumers will probably not leave a review unless you request for it. Take note of the clients or customers of the most positive experiences with your business then ask them to leave reviews online. Avoid making them search for you. Whether you would like to be reviewed on Facebook, Google, Yelp, or on any other platform, make it easy by providing a link that leads straight to the page where they can leave the review. The higher the number of positive reviews, the more the “watered-down” the negative reviews will become and the lower the impact they will have on the overall score.

Learn More

Online brand management is made up of many parts required for proper functioning that make it a complex system. Learning to manage reviews online is a step in the right direction. However, there are still many other parts required for the most favorable outcome. Contact us or call today and learn more about how to get and stay ahead in a highly competitive marketplace from the experts in online marketing Houston.

The Houston SEO Pros Give You Our Tips To Mobile Marketing

June 20, 2017 By SEO Houston Pros Leave a Comment

Top 7 Mobile Marketing Tips

No matter what we might think of it, our mobile devices are increasingly becoming a more significant part of our daily lives. There are some studies that are predicting that by 2018 more than one billion individuals across the globe will be using smartphones.

Marketers need to view this as an excellent opportunity to come up with real-time, personalized and unique ways to engage and connect with their customers, like taking advantage of using Google My Business for example.

But what are the things that are most important to know about mobile marketing?

Our Houston search engine optimization team has put together the following tips to cover the most important things you need to know when it comes to mobile marketing for 2017:

1. Mobile Isn’t Just About Phones

There is more that mobile marketing covers than just reaching individuals on their smartphones. It actually encompasses a wide range of different technologies and devices that you will want to consider. It is important to think about the various operating systems, sizes of device and types of activities individuals are doing on different tablets and phones. For example, a recent study conducted by Forrester showered that 66% of smartphone users use their device while they are in the store, but only 9% of tablet users do this.

2. Fundamental Marketing Principles Are Still Applicable

Whether you are using mobile, print or radio advertising, the small fundamentals of marketing are still applicable. Ultimately, it is all about conveying the right message at the right time to the right customer. Working under the assumption that the initial way that your brand is experienced by customers is via mobile, and utilize tools such as Google Analytics in order to learn as much as you can about their behavior, device, and location.

3. Mobile Marketing Is Constantly Changing

Although it is always a good idea to have a plan, when it comes to mobile marketing one of the most important things that you need to know is that your marketing plan needs to reflect the constantly changing nature of the industry. New operating systems, apps and devices will all come and go and impact the mobile marketing efforts that you do in some way. Your mobile marketing plan should have periodic reviews built into it to help you assess whatever changes are occurring and then making the appropriate adjustments to it.

4. Your Focus Should Be On Responsive Design

When you have a responsive website it means your online content is optimized at all times for viewing on numerous different devices. Not only will this help to ensure that users have a positive experience no matter what device they are using, but it is also important to have a responsive design due to the latest Google algorithm that ranks pages according to how mobile-friendly they are. Those who don’t make the effort to optimize for mobile will be penalized and have lower search rankings.

5. Don’t Be In A Hurry To Develop Apps

It is often expensive and time-consuming to develop your own app, and depending on your business it might not actually be necessary. If you are able to achieve the functionality that you need for your website, then it may not be necessary to spend a lot of effort and time on web development. The key to getting all of this is work is understanding what your visitors need the most from your business (location, phone number, hours, promotions, etc) and then provide that to them on your responsive and optimized website.

5. Video Is Becoming Increasingly Popular

Social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook have been integrated seamlessly to be able to watch video content easily as part of the mobile experience. Utilizing video to advertising on mobile is in its infancy still, but it is among the fasting growing methods. A recent study by Google suggests that individuals who watch videos on their smartphones are 1.4 times more likely to view ads compared to people who watch videos on televisions or desktop computers. In addition, when it comes to sharing videos, smartphone viewers are 1.8 times more likely to do this compared to individuals on personal computers.

7. Listen Carefully To Your Customers

Although you might be very eager to use mobile to get the word out about your products and services to your customers, remember that mobile is an extremely personal type of communication. Trying to blast your way through to customers will likely provide you with negative or subpar results. It is very important that you listen carefully to your customers to be able to establish a connection with the correct audience and communicate the right message to them at the right time. A recent survey conducted by PWC found that users say they prefer a more conversational approach instead of an impersonal one when it comes to mobile advertising.

If you keep these fundamental mobile marketing principles in mind when developing your mobile strategy, it will allow you to attract more customers as well as engage with them over the long-term, effectively. Mobile marketing is rapidly and constantly evolving, so if you can stay up to date on all of the newest technologies and techniques, you will be able to leverage mobile successfully as a key component in building your brand.

SEO Houston Pros Provides Expert Social Media Marketing

June 20, 2017 By SEO Houston Pros Leave a Comment

Expert Social Media Marketing Advice: Learn Good Pointers

After formulating an SEO strategy to dominate your market, it will then come to sharing and/or linking content on your social media platforms and accounts, then there are a number of guidelines to follow, as well as a few things not to do. When you have created your own social content, it could be an on-site article or blog post, an article from another site, a podcast, or even a produced video. It might just be content that you are sharing with someone else. Anything that’s interesting or of value to others needs to be shared and also linked through the right channels. Here are a few pointers that you can use freely for optimizing your social media content.

If you think you might need further assistance on this matter, then also check out our search engine marketing Houston services website. We can help you out with things like increasing your social media and search engine conversions both with great content, including video production and marketing.

What You Should Do When Linking Social Content

As a general rule of thumb, it’s good to start with Facebook when posting any of your content. This is the biggest social media platform of all, and estimated one-quarter of all Internet traffic goes through links that are on Facebook.

When you do create your own social content, make sure it is linked directly to a web page hosting it, often your company site or business blog.

There’s a pair of ways to accomplish this, as you either get to include the website you are targeting with your Facebook post, or you can just include the Facebook post itself on your actual website using Google Analytics and Facebook SDK Embed tools. That works, interestingly enough, by tracking pixels for every website from Google Analytics and your social sites.

That content also needs to be linked to any indirect pages too. Indirect pages are any Web pages with content that is similar, but not actually your personal page. That means that if you are posting anything important on social media regarding your company, be it an article, video, or press release, then you are able to share your own social link from other sites that have news about your business or industry. That includes your own website, blogs, and even other Facebook pages.

Next, just make sure that your own direct website is linked to any indirect pages, and that part is finished. Do this simply by incorporating your website links where your content originates in the post you share. It’s easier than it looks.

Next, you move into both the middle and bottom sections of the above graphic. The middle section is easy enough, since you should always, always, always duplicate all your content on other sites with social networking. That means that if you post something to a Facebook page you have, it should also get posted on any other social media site that is possible, be it Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, or Pinterest. If your social platforms are linked, as they should be, this process can be automated. If your various social platforms aren’t linked currently, please click here to learn how you can accomplish this.

The bottom section of your graphic is to be used when sharing any content that you are not the actual or original author of. For instance, if a news reporter writes any news story regarding your company’s new store opening, product, or service, then that reporter should be listed as the “author.” Include their social media sites if it’s not already there, as it’s easiest and best to just do a direct social share straight from their own social media profiles.

Finally, if you any content you get and share come from an original website, then a link back to it needs to be included with any other links that might be relevant based on the content or circumstances in question.

What You Shouldn’t Do With Social Media Content Posting

When you are posting various content on your social media sites, always make sure that you incorporate links back to your website, the other social media platforms you’re on, or even both. You should never just post something trivial regarding your business and then put your feet up waiting for conversions.

Putting Yourself Above The Competition And On The Map

June 13, 2017 By SEO Houston Pros Leave a Comment

Why Your Local Business Should Focus on Google Maps

Google Maps offers buyers and sellers a chance to see how easy it is to transact business. A search on Google Maps can provide all available businesses in an area, offering the consumer choices in which business they want to visit.

Google Maps can provide a link to the company’s website for additional information, or provide contact information for the business. That’s why it’s extremely important to ensure you’re precise, the use of citations and the ability to build great local links has huge potential. The more precise your information is, the better Google can categorize your business. With proper categorization, your business will be able to generate targeted local traffic for keywords that are widely searched

Google updates the maps periodically. SEO Houston Pros is ranked highly in the Google Maps for SEO in Houston and other major markets. We make sure we use the best data to create keywords, generate citations, build local links, and any other parameters needed to get a site ranked well to get the attention of local SEO clients.

Some Things Google Maps SEO Can Do For a Small Business

Influence Consumers – A better ranking means you get more calls and leads.

Creates interaction – Great for businesses that have customers who use mobile search.

Provides relevant information

Provide potential customers with company reviews – Which is a great thing!

It can be expensive to rank organically depending on your business industry or niche. However, Google Local is a cost-effective method of generating traffic. A small business can compete with larger local businesses. This platform can get your business on the web, which for come small businesses is enough to get their business moving in the right direction, giving them a fighting chance against the larger competitors.

So, there’s no reason for a business to not have a verified Google listing. Business owners should be researching SEO tips and looking for articles like this one to learn how to find ways to beat the competition. Or, they should be seeking help from an SEO professional, like those at SEO Houston Pros, the lead Houston search engine marketing company.

Local SEO companies like SEO Houston Pros will source citations needed for local business listings. We get the precise keywords needed to bring targeted leads or customers into your business. A local business’ top priority should be to be visible in the search engines. A high traffic volume can increase a business’ revenue in the long run.

A customer navigates through Google’s Houston Maps to find routes to a destination and nearby places to visit. Local business must be aware that this search plays a role in the choice the customer makes when looking at Google Maps.

The Google map search is mainly made up of location, keywords, and industry. If you use the right citations you gain a competitive edge. Local Seo companies look for citations since they are one of the most powerful tools that can be used to build trust with Google and improve your listing in Google Maps.

A small business owner should quickly learn that citations are important on Google Maps. Google relies on this information to determine the niche and rank you. Based on your citations you may be ranked above or below your competitors.

The SEO company you work with should conduct competitor research to determine what links your top competitors have. Then, they can get those links for your business. This eliminates the double leg work.

Google maps can improve your businesses bottom line. The perks of knowing what tactics to use to dominate Houston or other markets will make your businesses online exposure unstoppable. However many clients make simple mistakes that can cost them dearly when it comes to building their citations. If you do it right a citation can bring in a better search engine rank. A good ranking is a basis for bringing in more leads and customers.

A Citation Must Be Precise and Unique

You should avoid generalizations – Reach out to your customer by being specific.

Restructure the citation – If you change one listing, you must change all of them.

Avoid using ambiguous keyword terms

Use a consistent N.A.P – Company name, address and phone number.

The competition in local search is high since all businesses want more customers. That’s why you need to work with a top marketing company in Houston, and other major markets nationwide. The company you hire will be involved in optimizing your citations as needed since the usage should be relevant to your local area.

Google Maps should be verified periodically to update listings and ensure all of your company information is correct. When you have a high user rating, Google will believe your business is established and trusted. A local business thrives when it has frequent visits on its listing and reviews. If you need help establishing your business online and dominating your competition, we’re just a phone call away!

Being Mister Geppetto In A World of SEO Pinocchios

June 12, 2017 By SEO Houston Pros Leave a Comment

8 Internet Marketing And Social Media Lies You Still Believe Are The Truth

SEO and social media are fairly new marketing methods. This is why businesses owners are still trying to figure out how to use them to their advantage. During the learning process, bad habits are often picked up. Unfortunately, many so-called experts promote these as great ideas when they are the furthest things from it. Here are 8 marketing lies that most believe and they are absolutely true. If you need additional information on the subject, check out our social media service page or take a peek at some of our blog posts.

Lie #1 – Advertising To Your Audience Is A Great Idea

Many people believe that it is wise to advertise to all of your followers on social media sites. This is actually a huge mistake. People who visit these sites like reading unique content that is trendy and has the ability to keep them engaged. They do not care to follow links and browse your website for hours on end. If you advertise, there is a chance they may stop following you. The best way to get around this would be to urge them to sign up to receive email communications. Use this channel to show them all of the products and services you have to offer.

Lie #2 – You Automatically Do Well If You Have More Followers

It may seem like having a ton of followers makes people believe that you are someone who is cool and worth taking a look at, but that is not the case. If you are following random people in an effort to boost your numbers, your audience will be filled with people who have no interest in you, which means they will not engage with you. Sites like Google take note of follower engagement. Those who have content that is not very popular will not bode well.

Lie #3 – Buying Followers Is A Great Business Decision

As you were told earlier, having a large following is often seen as a benefit. The reality is that having people around who don’t engage with your content is terrible. When you pay for followers, most of the accounts will be bots; not real people. This means that none of the accounts you add will engage with you in any way. If you want to find ways to find followers who will engage with your posts, take a look at our video production page. It is filled with tips on creating solid content.

Lie #4 – You Are Free To Post Whatever You Like

It is important that you are using the proper links when posting content from your site on social media sites. You should add things like images, cards, and graphs to your posts in order to optimize them. When your posts are optimized, people will be more likely to share them with others. Google may also take note that you are linking back to your site the right way.

Lie #5 – Posting More Is A Wise Choice

Social media is filled with all kinds of discussions from people all over the globe. Some business owners think it will make people feel more connected if they post personal content. This is not true at all. If this is something you have been doing, you should STOP right away! There are social media tools you can use that will let you know when your followers are engaging with your content. Do not post all day about things no one cares about. Try posting once or twice a day and make sure all content is trending, exciting and relevant to your business.

Lie #6 – It is Okay To Have Online Arguments

This point cannot be stressed enough. If you receive a bad review from someone online, your response should not be argumentative. This will make you look unprofessional and devoid of intelligence. People have no interest in doing business with children, so act like an adult. Contact the person in private and try to resolve the problem civilly.

Lie #7 – Badmouthing Competitors Won’t Cause Damage

This may seem obvious, but many people act like they never got the memo. It may seem like a great idea to trash talk businesses you are in competition with. Instead, you will look very petty and people will assume you are not very smart. You may even come across as weak. If you have a great business and you are proud of it, there is no need to stoop that low.

Lie #8 – Link Building Software Is Awesome And Simplifies Things

Link building is a term used in SEO. It refers to the act of building links from your website to other sites on the Web. There is a good and bad way of going about this. The best way would be to look for other sites that are similar to your own. Focus on those that have content that is relevant to yours. Building links to their sites would be a wise idea. If you buy a program that builds tons of random links, Google will destroy your site before you know it. Even if it looks easy, do yourself a favor and stay away.

SEO Houston Pros is Houston’s leader in local SEO services. We have always stressed the importance of doing your research before deciding on what route to go for your companies SEO. If you have any questions in regards to the route you are looking to take we insist that you contact us or call today!