The Benefits Of Local SEO For Your Houston Business

September 19, 2017 By SEO Houston Pros Leave a Comment

How Local SEO Services In Houston Can Benefit Your Business

If you operate a business in Texas, our company can help you get a handle on marketing to a local audience via the Internet. The importance of online marketing can’t be overstated. Once you understand the power of the Internet, you will be able to see exactly why it is so important to master local search.

There are a number of ways that local SEO services in Houston can benefit your business. The primary goal of any search engine optimization campaign should be to get more targeted traffic to your website. When people who are interested in your products or services can easily find your site, they are far more likely to make a purchase.

One of the advantages of working with a Houston-based SEO company is that they are familiar with the local area. This will help them more effectively market your business online. Because they already have a good idea of how people in the Houston area use the Internet to search for products and services, they can optimize your site to improve your chances of connecting with a local audience. They can also conduct extensive research to find out what keywords people in your neighborhood are using to search for products or services in your industry. Again, this will allow them to laser-target your optimization strategy so that your site reaches the intended audience.

Getting your business listed on Google Maps is especially important. That way, it will show up when people search for local businesses. An SEO company in the Houston area can help ensure that your business shows up on Google Maps and that all of the information included in your listing is correct. This can help improve your chances of having local customers discover your business online, which is a real advantage when it comes to targeting a local audience.

Working with an SEO specialist in Houston makes sense for a lot of different reasons. Not only can you meet with them in person to discuss your website but they are also familiar with how people in your part of the country think. As a result, they can often develop more effective SEO campaigns than an SEO company located in another area could. That is why it is so advantageous to work with an SEO company that is located right in your community.

You can reach far more people through the Internet than you can by using traditional advertising methods such as hanging flyers or putting an ad in the paper. When you advertise online, you have the potential to connect with people who are located throughout the world. Even if you are just targeting people in your community, it is essential that you optimize your website so that it is easy to find. When people search for the products that you sell, your site should come up as one of the first results.

If you have any questions about the SEO services that we offer, feel free to contact us and we will be more than happy to talk to you about how we can help your business connect with customers in the Houston area. We can also help you understand how local SEO services in Houston can help your business get more customers and make more sales.

We invite you to call us today! To expedite your online exposure, you can start the process by filling out our Discovery Page!

Using Anchor Text The Right Way In 2017

August 18, 2017 By SEO Houston Pros Leave a Comment

How To Use Anchor Text In A Post-Penguin World

In the post-penguin world that we are living in, there has been a lot of attention focused on anchor text and how to properly use it now. When the over-optimization penalty is considered as well, there definitely had to be changes made to when and how to add anchor text. That is why it is so important to work with a reputable Houston SEO service provider to ensure that you are using anchor text properly for the current conditions.

First of all, let’s recap the way things were done back in the good old days. A certain keyword would be selected to focus our article on and we would add a hyperlink to the relevant page each time the keyword appeared in the text. In the days where keyword densities might see words repeated as many as 10 or more times, that included an excessive amount of highlight anchor text and made for a very unnatural situation since no one would ever add a word this many times naturally.

As time moved forward we started slowly cutting back on anchor text being created that had the keyword directly in the article. That was a significant change from the way it was formerly taught. We started moving away from having multiple links on one page that used the same word over and over again to diversifying the words that we used. However, this still involved having as many as 10 links per page and then navigational links on top of that.

Today, when links are made in the copy we need to ensure that they are strong links. There are some pages where on anchor text is added because it simply doesn’t make any sense. I believe we are working more in the way that was intended by Google now than we did in the past. When you have something that is relevant and related, then make the link naturally. If you don’t, then simply don’t.

It isn’t a good idea any longer to try forcing anchor text on a page simply to create a link since you will soon discover that the page is over-optimized.

There are also new challenges to link building and making links to your website. You don’t want to add monetizable keywords at a feverish pace to an article or post that you are submitting via a third party any longer. If the subject of your article is helmets you wouldn’t add gloves, brakes or tires t your author box. Instead, you might have “Click Here,” with those words being your anchor text.

So how do you go about creating a link naturally? That is a major consideration now whenever you add anchor text to an article.

The world we live in now is dramatically different than the one from even five years ago. You will be much more successful trying to provide users with relevant links and information than you will be trying to gain Google.

Google is onto over-optimization in addition to Exact Match Domains. Therefore the best advice is simply to act naturally in everything you do, create engaging, high-quality content and watch your rankings continue to improve over time.

Call now! Or contact us here to learn more about the benefits of getting SEO done right foryouru business with SEO Houston Pros!

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!

Google Securing Search For Ad Clicks

August 14, 2017 By SEO Houston Pros Leave a Comment

Recent Changes To Google Search

Google announced last week that they are moving to secure search on paid ad clicks and that all searches were being switched to encrypted searches. AdWords advertisers until recently were provided with complete access to keyword data, either through Google itself or via a third party tool that uses the API for the data. In the future, you can expect that even paid search keyword data is going to be blocked and you will see “Not Provided” instead.

What Do These Changes Mean?

What this means is that keyword data will no longer be passed on to website owners. The change eliminates a website’s ability to track its users based on keyword searches. This makes it harder for organic searcher marketing professionals to have the ability to which keywords are driving traffic to websites. That is why it is essential to have a reputable Houston SEO company to work with to adjust to these important new changes. Specifically, what this will mean is that the search query that is typed in by a user before they click on now will get passed through using a Google redirect over to the destination URL without the data being passed on to Google Analytics or any other software except for Google AdWords.

Why Is Google Doing This?

According to Google Adwords’ Product Management Director Paul Feng, this change is mainly due to security.

Feng said in an announcement that they worked hard for a long to keep searches secure on Google. Since 2011 SSL encryption has been provided for signed-in searches and that has been rolled out to searches made in the Chrome browser from the Omnibox. Feng added that they were extending their efforts for keeping search secure by removing the query from the ad click refer the originates from SSL searches at Google.com.

Advertisers will still have access to a lot of useful data for optimizing and improving their landing pages and campaigns. For example, detailed information can be accessed in the AdWords search term report along with the Search Queries report in Google Webmaster Tools.

The aim of this move is to homogenize search query referrer data from organic clicks and ad clicks. Last year when search terms in organic searches were encrypted by Google, it leads to claims of the hypocrisy of advertisers continuing to get access to the terms while others did now. Now that there will be across the board secure search, Google is effectively closing those claims of hypocrisy when it comes to paid and organic search terms.

How Are Users Affected?

Advertisers still will have access to paid search query data through utilizing the search terms report inside of the Google AdWords dashboard. Those advertisers who don’t utilize third party management tools might not notice any difference either, other than maybe needed to have access to AdWords tags.

Google is effectively removing the referral keyword string in order to prevent keywords from being displayed in website logs and providing secure search. All data, however, will continue being stored in the AdWords dashboard and advertisers will still have access to it.

Call or contact SEO Houston Pros today for further information.

Be The Best When It Comes To SEO Content Marketing in Houston

August 14, 2017 By SEO Houston Pros Leave a Comment

Content Marketing Tips

Content marketing is not a walk in the park especially if you are new to it. However, if you are able to master it you will be able to drive the right customers to your website. You will have new ideas and numerous questions along the way. So, to make it less of a hurdle, here are a few expert content marketing tips to make your campaign a success.

Simple Communication

Don’t write your articles or posts like a novel. Most people like it when such information is straightforward and simple. Make it a conversation with your audience and offer value in a way they can comprehend.

Write Excellent Headlines

Your headline is what grabs the audience’s attention. Your headline should be able to attract and encourage the target audience to read your content. So, come up with informative and relevant headlines like “tips for content marketing..”, “what business owners need to know about..” “The benefits of..” etc. Ensure they are catchy and always give the readers an idea of what they can expect in the post.

Always Have SEO in Mind

When it comes to content marketing, search engine optimization is a tool that you cannot afford to overlook. Yes, content is king, but it is useless if it can’t reach the right audience. Proper optimization of your content will make it easily reachable to your audience.

Share the Content

As mentioned, your content is almost useless if it has no readers. You can reach your target audience by sharing your posts across various platforms such as social media and forums. Pushing your content out there can make a world of a difference.

Test Your Posts

This is an excellent way to test picture posts, headlines as well as your social media content. Share it on different social media platforms but not in a similar manner. However, ensure you share them at the same time and day of the week. This will help you know the ideal delivery method as you analyze the results.

Recycle the Content

You want to give your readers posts that bring value and are relevant to your niche, but you do not want to reuse the same content. So, brainstorm and find fresh and unique content, so that the readers stay interested in your blog or site. If writing’s not your thing, you may want to consider hiring a team of writers to do the job.

Content marketing can be hard for some, but if you implement these tips properly, it will become simpler. Remember that doing business online requires consistency to stay relevant. So, be smart and take the expert advice and your business will certainly flourish.

Providing your website with the best Houston SEO services and staying relevant with any and all of your content is key. Contact SEO Houston Pros or call us today to learn more about how search engine optimization can benefit your business in all of the right ways!

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!

Playing Your Cards Right When It Comes To Content

July 10, 2017 By SEO Houston Pros Leave a Comment

Dealing with Duplicate Content

The first thing to know about duplicate content is that it is not the same things as plagiarism. You can feel the effects of “duplicate content” simply by having URLs that are too closely matched on your website. As a matter of fact, this is a fairly common occurrence, but it must be addressed posthaste before the search engine begin to drop your rankings and you lose those hard-earned visitors.

Following is a guide to addressing duplicate content:

The Essential Guide to Dealing with Duplicate Content

If a search engine is met with a choice to choose your site or the one with original content, there isn’t chance your site will make the cut. You might even have the best SEO campaign ever assembled, but if you have duplicate content your work is in vain. Following are some effective ways to handle duplicate content.

1. Redirect Various Pages to a Single URL

The majority of duplicate content errors are the result of a bad URL distribution. Bad in this case means you have many pages that lead to a single URL and the differences between them too small to be noticed. If you are using the 301-redirection option, you may point some people in the right direction. This is the first way to address this problem.

But, the duplicate will still exist, the only difference is that searchers have a better chance of finding the page they are looking for. Duplicate like this is the result of a way of collecting session ID cookies. Redirects are an effective way of fixing this oversight.

2. Double Check Your Content … Twice

The most obvious type of duplicate content is the sort that has been “borrowed” (plagiarized) from another site. Even though blog sites sometimes guess that introducing a particular piece of content as being taken from another source covers this issue, but it doesn’t.

Perhaps, in the ethical and legal definition you have absolved yourself of plagiarism but in the eye of the search engines, not so much. Your URL will receive the kick if the search engines are to choose between honoring your site or the site in which the original content can be found.

Making a simple investment in Copyscape a couple times a year is the best way to avoid this type of trouble and it is well worth the cost. The good bonus is that if you find others boosting your content, Copyscape will point them out.

3. Adjust Duplicate Content with A Rel=” Canonical” Tag

If you are running an online retail outlet, you are probably fully aware of the difficulty in distinguishing products that are so similar except in maybe size and color. You could have a website full of duplicate content simply because you have so many products that are similar.

This duplicate content can be changed by adding a canonical tag. Use a rel=canonical tag that will redirect users and accomplish the same purpose as redirects in less time

4. Check That All Links Conform

By the same measure, you can use the canonical roots for all your pages and eliminate duplicate content this way. Just be sure that every new page on the website features a URL address that conforms to its domain.

5. Link Back to Original Work

Just about the easiest way to eliminate duplicates, especially if you are sharing content with other sites, is to link back to the original content. Of course, the search engines will have to make a decision when looking at links that reach the same content. Be sure that the link you use is reaching the original site and content.

6. Collect Similar Content onto One Page

Another problem is when similar content like listings for products seem similar and end up creating duplicates. It has been estimated that 25% of all content on the web has been duplicated in some manner. Trying to come up with unique descriptions for all your products and listings will be virtually impossible. Instead, gather all the content that is similar and place this on one page.

7. Try A Search Tool to Find Duplication

Finally, there are some tools online that can help you locate pieces of duplicate content so you can choose how best to deal with each instance. You can try the webmaster tools available from Google or any other search engine.

Bonus: Get Help from the Experts

Maybe you understand all this already and simply don’t have the time or experience to handle the duplication efficiently on your own. This is when calling in the best SEO in Houston can help. Our experts have plenty of experience and can get your SEO campaign back on the road. Contact us or call today!

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.

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.

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.