How To Gain Google’s Trust So Youre SEO Houston Company Can Rank Higher

April 6, 2018 By SEO Houston Pros Leave a Comment

How To Use SEO To Prove Your Websites Worth To Google

An Introduction To SEO

Search engine optimization isn’t anything mystical. You may have heard about SEO before and some discussion about the way it works within the Google Algorithm. Basically, it is a repeatable and measurable process that send the search engines signals to demonstrate that your pages are worthy of being displayed in Google’s index.

A complex mathematical formula is basically used by Google. It is referred to an algorithm, and it provides every website with a score and all searches that are done on Google by people in order to determine which website should rank on top for what individuals are searching for. The algorithm can be thought of as a set of empty buckets. When it comes to SEO, your task is filling up more algorithm buckets compared to all of the other websites that you are competing with. You can help to affect the search engine rankings of your website by achieving the highest scores for your website’s quality, authority and being the most trusted store when people are looking for what you have to offer. If you need help with this, you can search for an SEO company Houston to assist you.

Some buckets are given more weight compared to other ones. There are three major buckets you need to thoroughly understand when it comes to search rankings. Those buckets are an authority, trust, and quality. In terms of quality, the thing that Google is attempting to measure when it is trying to determine which websites should rank is those that offer something interesting, unique, or valuable to Google searchers. One example of this is good content. So if you sell t-shirts, and you use the same exact description that all of the other t-shirt sellers use on their sites, then you aren’t providing anything that is unique for the searchers on Google. Although your t-shirts may look cool, you have the same exact content that all of the other sites have. So what you need to offer instead is interesting content that people will enjoy. For example, you can make it possible for people to personalize their shirts. Provide people with valuable information. You can get even more creative than that. Having people take pictures of themselves wearing your t-shirt is one great idea. Get a community created by individuals who love your products. Have a celebrity wear one of your t-shirts and get them to share photos online. Try to do something that is unique or something that is different. If you are able to show Google that your company is unique and interesting then it will start to be reflected in your search engine rankings.

Does Google Trust your Site?

Another very important bucket is trust. You need to be sure that you thoroughly understand this when you are attempting to rank your site in Google’s search results. Google really doesn’t want to display just any old website to their searchers. Instead, they would like to show searchers the best website, and Google needs to know your site is trustworthy in order to show it. Google had indicated that one thing it does is penalize companies or stores or websites that get poor reviews on a consistent basis. So if you have lots of poor reviews, sooner or later Google will stop showing your website within their search results since it doesn’t like showing their searchers those kinds of sites. So prove to the Google algorithm that your website is trustworthy. Find some authoritative websites that will link back to your site. Get industry links, newspaper links, have trusted websites link to your site: happy customers, vendors, business partners – have them link back to your site so that you can demonstrate that you are highly trustworthy and credible.

The final important bucket that you need to be aware of is an authority. Google likes displaying popular websites. If the most popular of all t-shirt websites can be shown to individuals searching for t-shirts online to buy, then that is the website that Google wants to show to its searchers. You need to convince Google by sending them signals that your website is the most popular one die the type of t-shirts you are selling. Build a strong fan base. Get a social network built. Have people link to your site, have people share pages from your website on their social networks. Get as many people as you can to show photos of themselves using or wearing your products, get them to leave testimonials and make connections with them. Get a fan base created and ga e they rally behind you to talk about your company and link to your site. Prove to Google how authoritative and trustworthy you are.

If you really think about it, SEO is simply the process if providing the search engines with proof that your website is the best, the most interesting and unique site, the most trusted, the most authoritative, that their customer – the search – can be offered. Do everything that you can to get customers to talk about your products and your company, and produce lots of great content, get links. If you do all of that Google will have more confidence that your website provides the best result that can be offered to their searchers, and your website will start to rank on Google’s first page.

To get started, call us or contact SEO Houston Pros. We invite you to visit our blog for more SEO tips and tricks!

The Best SEO Company In Houston Lists The 5 KPI’S You Need To Track In 2018

March 23, 2018 By SEO Houston Pros Leave a Comment

Top Five SEO KPIs to Track in 2018

Over the last several years, search engine optimization has evolved. Additionally, search engine optimization metrics have changed. One of the most important components of an effective SEO campaign is keeping track of your results. Continue reading to learn the top five key SEO KPIs to track in 2018.

What are KPIs?

KPI is an abbreviation for Key Performance Indicators. These indicators measure several things and help you determine the effectiveness of your campaign and evaluate if you are achieving your objectives. Let’s take a look at the five most important metrics to track.

1. Page Speed –

As internet speeds increase, page speed becomes more important. Starting in 2017, page speed was one of the most critical KPIs. Google wants to provide its users with a first-rate experience, which includes giving internet users immediate access to each website. Because most visitors are directed to your site through Google or another search engine, it is essential that you rank high in search engine results. One way to improve your ranking is to have a fast page speed. Finally, fast loading websites provide a better experience for your visitors. Studies show that website navigation efficiency results in higher conversion rates.

2. Indexed Pages –

Many website owners think that when they submit a page to Google that Google automatically indexes it. This is untrue. When you submit a page to Google for indexing, Google considers it a suggestion. This does not mean your page will ever be indexed. Keeping track of your indexed pages on Google is critical. Your unindexed pages can be causing you to miss out on important opportunities, especially if those pages are critical to the success of your website. In order to ensure that your pages are indexed, submit your sitemap using the Google Search Console. Finally, make sure that the important pages on your website aren’t blocked by robots.txt. If you struggle to improve your website’s performance, make sure to contact the best Houston SEO company for help.

3. Bounce Rate –

Website owners often forget to look at bounce rates; however, this is an essential metric that should be tracked. A bounce rate is the number of website visitors that leave a website after viewing a single page. Bounce rate metrics show you how a visitor navigates your site once they click your link. If you notice visitors are leaving within seconds of visiting your landing page, it should be a red flag that there is something wrong with your website. One of the most common reasons for this is that your meta description or ad has unclear information. For example, if a visitor thinks your website is offering something and they visit and realize you are not offering what they want, they will leave immediately. Therefore, it is essential that your meta description and ads are easy to understand and accurate. Once you have verified this, you will need to evaluate your web design, layout and content to help you determine why your bounce rate is high.

4. Conversion Rate –

The point of getting visitors to your site is to convert them into customers. Even if your website has 50,000 visitors each day, it is not productive if these visitors are not converted into customers. Keeping track of your conversion rate can help you improve your website so you can turn casual visitors into paying customers.

Here are several things to look at when you are trying to improve your conversion rate:

Can visitors easily navigate your website?
Is your call to action statements simple and easy to understand?
Does your website have an easy to follow conversion process (newsletter sign-up, brochure download, purchase, etc)?
Is your website mobile friendly?
Does your webpage load quickly?
Does your website provide valuable content that meets the needs of your visitors?

If you answer no to any of these questions, it is time to identify changes that need to be made to your website to increase your conversion rate.

5. Web Ranking –

Where Google ranks your page when an internet search is performed is one of the most important things to track. Google has made changes to how they rank a website, so it is essential to stay up to date on the latest updates. When Google updated its SERPs to Rank Brain, the content on your website became even more important. Content that answers visitors’ queries can help improve your rank better than content developed based on keywords.

Final Thoughts

As you monitor and track your search engine optimization KPIs, you may find a number of issues arise. When this occurs, it is time to take a look at your website and make the necessary changes. When you do this, you will find that your conversion rate and web ranking will improve quickly. Take the information listed above to help your website succeed in 2018 and beyond.

To get started, call us or contact SEO Houston Pros. We invite you to visit our blog for more SEO tips and tricks!

Reporting A Wrong Number Is Requested

August 18, 2017 By SEO Houston Pros Leave a Comment

Google Local Is Now Asking Searcher To Report Any Incorrect Phone Numbers Immediately After Calling

Recently Google has provided the option for reporting whether a business phone number is right immediately after the business is called from their Google local listing or map. Anyone who has ever had difficulties getting in touch with a business knows how even more frustrating it can be to finally find the contact information and then reach a wrong or dead phone number. Wrong numbers hurt both business owners and consumers at the same time. They result in lost customers and the customer’s needs are ultimately unfulfilled, which sends them elsewhere in order to get their needs met. That is why it is so important to practice professional SEO in Houston to ensure that all of your business contact in your listings is correct. On Google maps and local listings you now can report a wrong phone number immediately after calling through a new prompt that is displayed after the call is completed.

The prompt so far is visible only on a local listing, and available only when you use a mobile device to make a phone call. After you have made your call, go back to the browser window where you made the search – there will be a small yellow box asking if the number that you just called is correct. Let Google know if it is a working and accurate number and pay it forward.

Optimistic Benefits

What is so good about being able to report wrong numbers? It can be very hectic to run a business, and the owner might not always have the time to keep their information correct and updated with help from an SEO firm. Google has provided consumers with the opportunity to help other prospective customers out in addition to business owners, by giving them a way to report false information simply and quickly. It will definitely help to cut down the number of wrong phone listings that are out there, which will make life easier for both business owners and consumers. The option for reporting incorrect phone numbers might sound brilliant from a local marketing perspective. Unfortunately, not all SEO teams and internet marketing companies follow the rules. This new pop-up potentially could be the next nightmare for Google’s local listings similar to the “anonymous reviewer.”

Pessimistic Uncertainties

So will Google notify a business owner whenever a customer reports that a phone number is inaccurate or inactive? That is the big question. Also, what options will be provided by Google to the business owner for fixing the problem if one is reported? Will the phone number be changed by Google based on other information in the listing? Will the business profile be pulled from the local listing results by Google if a phone number gets reported as being incorrect? Is this question caused by Google for both non-verified and verified phone numbers? What if the reception on a phone is bad rather than the actual number being bad? Will Google be punishing business due to potential customers having bad cell phone coverage?

These questions have many different possible answers to them, but Google hasn’t revealed the information so far. With local listings being so highly competitive these days, and the removal of everything except the highest ranking local businesses from local search recently, the conditions are prime for competitor sabotage to take place. It is going to be very interesting to find out what other new features will be tested and integrated into the new Google+ Local listings in the upcoming months. In particular what other user-based information will be used for ranking quality of the local listings as well as what weight the information is going to carry.

For more information please call or contact SEO Houston Pros today!

A Guide To Link Building for SEO Beginners

August 14, 2017 By SEO Houston Pros Leave a Comment

Link Building For Beginners

If you are currently searching for ways to integrate effective SEO strategies into your website, you may have come across the concept of link building. Any Houston internet marketing services provider can explain to you what link building is and why you need to start doing it sooner rather than later. This is a brief guide to link building which aims to offer you a better understanding of the concept, as well as a few actionable ideas and strategies.

Houston Internet Marketing Services Provider Explains Link Building To Small Business Owners

Link building is the process of obtaining links from other websites to your web pages, with the purpose of improving the authority of your website, and therefore its search engine rankings. Whenever a website with high authority and with lots of readers links to you, a little bit of this authority gets transferred to your website. This is the online equivalent of expert recommendations.

When a website links to another one, the two web properties become associated. This is why not all inbound links are good for your website, and why you should seek for links from high authority websites in niches or industries that have a connection with your area of activity or with the main topics of your website. For instance, if you sell flowers, you won’t benefit too much from a real estate website linking to you, as the two industries aren’t related in any way. On the contrary, a link from a wedding planner or from a funeral home will boost the relevance of your web pages for their main keywords.

Similarly, if a low-quality website links to you, this link may do more harm than good, as it would be a signal that your web property is associated with low-quality service providers. Too many links from such sources and you may notice a negative effect on your rankings. This is why smart business owners choose to hire Houston internet marketing services to help them identify local websites with high authority and establish a connection that would enable them to obtain some high-quality links to their websites.

There are multiple ways to build solid relationships with high authority websites in your industry. One surefire way to get noticed is to use information from the high authority website, and give them credit for it. Another method is to ask the website author for an interview which you can publish on your own website. Guest blogging is another effective way of building long-lasting relationships with other website owners. If your website doesn’t have an associated blog, it’s time to set up one and start blogging.

These are only a few ideas to help you understand the essence and the basic principles of effective link building. If you use the above advice, we would be happy to hear from you. How is link building working for your website? Which of the tips we’ve provided here has helped you the most?

Contact or call SEO Houston Pros today for more information regarding link building and link building strategy. We encourage you to visit here so that we may start by providing you with a FREE website audit to get started.

Staying Up To Date With Googles Search AI

August 3, 2017 By SEO Houston Pros Leave a Comment

Google Continues Improving Search AI

In order to keep current with the SEO world, it is very important that you keep a close watch on Google’s plans. Last month John Giannandrea, who is the vice-president for search at Google, spoke about the increasing role that artificial intelligence was playing in search engine optimization. We have gained some very valuable insights from this interview as to what is on the horizon for the world of SEO.

In fewer than 20 years, Google went from processing approximately 10,000 searches on a daily basis to 40,000 per second (or about 3.4 billion per day). Both the Internet and Google have changed significantly over the past 18 years; there were about 2 million websites when Google first started, and there are more than 860 million today. Even more shocking than that, there are now more than 3 million Internet users – or nearly half of the world’s population that are online now. A majority of them use Google on a daily basis.

For Google, all of this has caused huge challenges for the search engine giant. It can not only rely on a search engineer team to adjust algorithms and monitor trends manually in order to provide search engine results that are the most relevant. The solution to this problem is a combination of machine learning and artificial intelligence.

Six years ago, before John Giannandrea joined Google, he was CEO for Metaweb Technologies Inc. That company was acquired by Google. He now leads Google’s Computer Science Research and Machine Intelligence that is at the heart of driving change for Google.

Google has made advances within many of the key aspects of AI already, like translation, natural language processing as well as image and voice recognition. However, it is now looking to use AI for improving how it ranks websites.

Giannandrea discussed what it means for both Google as well as its customers ultimately. He said the machine learning helps them improve the products they offer and makes things possible that only a couple of years ago were impossible. It is now possible to use your smartphone to talk to Google’s app. Deep learning has improved speech recognition, while natural language process (NLP) assists with understanding what someone means. Gamil is now able to block more than 99.9% of spam through the use of neutral networks, including some spam that has never been seen before.

Google being able to block email spam also is connected with being able to properly identify web spam. Already we have seen that algorithms like Penguin and Panda have been able to significantly reduce how much web (search) spam there is on the Internet. However, one thing that Google has been quite cagey about so far is in revealing how much of it is due to manual programming and how much machine learning governs.

Over the past few years, one of the largest changes at Google has been the Knowledge Graph’s increasing importance, which was the reason why Metaweb Technologies was purchased by Google.

Google Search will definitely continue focusing attention on either one or both of these two core aspects: improving the breadth and quality of instant results, or the Knowledge Graph, and the development of more reliable and faster machine learning algorithms for eliminating web spam as well as helping to rank the best websites and businesses at the very top of the search engine results pages (SERPS).

Google has definitely made impressive progress with its algorithms with the likes of RankBrain and Humming Bird. Giannandrea said that Google has gotten a bit smarter and doesn’t rely on only matching keywords any longer. Over just the past year alone we have seen plenty of evidence of this – many old SEO techniques such as SEO services that in the past used to help vault companies up to the top of the SERPS for their most important keywords are not working as well as in the past. This is where reputable SEO services in Houston can come into play.

How Google Has Been Changed By RankBrain

Giannandrea offered some critical insights on RankBrain as well, stating that it has helped Google better understand complex or long questions. And it is tied to real-world people, things and places by the Knowledge Graph.

Within the SEO world, it is a fairly gray area still. We just know that it exists and that it is massive, but what exactly is Google Rankbrain? No one really knows how it works or what it does! That poses one of the great challenges faced by SEO in many years and is no doubt something that Google is deliberately doing. Google doesn’t like SEO much – it wants to completely control its search index, and doesn’t like having any reliance on SEO professionals to assist businesses with ranking well.

Allo is the most recent update. It isn’t directly linked to search currently. However, since Giannandrea was discussing it, we can be confident that the data collected from the Allo app (which is a chat app) will be used for improving Google’s artificial intelligence even further. Giannandrea said that as they are developing their Google Assistant, that they will be using all of the experience they have from building Search, and that it will be extended to all types of other things that need to be done on a regular basis. And that they were still in the early phase of the journey.

So it appears that the future of search includes more machine learning, more artificial intelligence, and more user data being harvested to feed into the systems. SEO is becoming increasingly more challenging. However, ultimately, if best SEO practices are followed, then a website that is well-designed and has search optimized quality content, will be able to perform quite well.

Let our team at SEO Houston Pros keep you up-to-date on all algorithm updates from Google and better your online exposure within Google’s search engine. By calling us or contacting us today you can rest assured that you are provided with ahead of the curve SEO services in Houston. One of our architects is waiting to hear from you, don’t wait any longer!

Class Is Now In Session: Content Management for SEO

July 10, 2017 By SEO Houston Pros Leave a Comment

Manage Your Content Using These 4 Enhancements

Building Your Brand Using A Blog

Anyone who has a business in Houston Texas is looking for that edge to set them apart from the competition. If you have found yourself trying out every strategy you can find and feel that you’re just spending good money after bad without getting the promised results, then you might consider getting a Houston SEO consultant to help you create a working plan. It may appear that managing content is a small piece of the puzzle but using a blog for your company is a simple but powerful way to enhance results. We will explain how important content is when it comes to SEO or your businesses online exposure.

How Content Management Works

In the recent past, it wasn’t especially difficult to build your brand and market it. It was simply a matter of having great products and services and a professional commercial that would catch viewers attention along with enough budget to schedule air time. Whenever your target market would watch TV they would see your commercial and a percentage of them would respond to it. But technology has changed and along with it the way in which people engage and consume information has also changed.

Invasive marketing such as the commercial that would interrupt the TV show worked fine until recently. But now when consumers are asked if they were given a choice, they say they don’t like invasive marketing. They want more control over when and what they watch. But of course, you will still need to get your message in front of as many people as possible. That’s how and why you need to have a company blog that promotes your brand while giving the viewers the type of content they want.

The Benefits Of A Company Blog

One of the benefits of a company blog is the ability to start conversations with customers and those who might become customers. It’s one of the best chances your company will have to build rapport between you and your clients. The blog is available for viewing by your target audience around the clock so even when it’s past normal business hours you can be engaging with your audience.

Your articles should be entertaining when it’s appropriate and they should always be useful and interesting and in most cases, those articles shouldn’t try to sell anything. You can use the blog as an opportunity to establish yourself as an expert and allow the audience to see your special knowledge and skills in your industry. It’s also a great place to give related insights on various areas of interest.

You will want to be consistent with the delivery of your content. Here you will not be selling, only connecting with your audience. They will feel a connection to you when they see that you’re giving them value. Then, when they’re in need of what your business offers, they will think of you first when they’re ready to buy.

Anytime you introduce new staff, use that opportunity to show your values and cultural interest along with community awareness and any charitable activities you’re involved in. Allow your audience to meet your team and see them in action. Let people know why you do what it is that you do. When people trust and believe in you, they will remain a loyal customer for life.

If you need help with exposure consider getting SEO Houston Pros to help you gain likes, shares and client referrals. People enjoy sharing the things they find valuable and interesting. Anytime someone finds your post to be particularly useful or entertaining or if they find it highly interesting they will gladly share it with their family and friends. They will actually help you to market your business because they like your content. Using a professional consultant in Houston can help you understand how to tweak your content to get the results you’re looking for.

Build Relationships

Although you’ve likely heard this before it’s worth repeating that people buy from people they like. A company blog is an ideal opportunity to make and build relationships with customers, clients, and those who could become a customer. The effective use of content management gives a company the opportunity to engage with their audience in a way that they never could through other venues.

One of the major keys to successful content management is consistently posting content that is of high quality and that engages the audience in an interesting and entertaining way. SEO Houston Pros can help you with putting together the type of quality content management services that you need to produce blog articles that are compelling. Simply contact us today to start getting the help you need to generate content that can connect with your audience from your company blog. Feel free to call with any questions that may have gone unanswered here.

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.

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.