Igniting Business Blog

Do you have trouble keeping up with the endless march of Google algorithm updates? You're not the only one. Google's search algorithm is a complicated masterpiece of engineering, and Google never stops tinkering with its creation.

Last week, in the first part of our blogging series, we discussed a few blogging benefits and why your small business should have a blog. This week, we’ll discuss how blogging can actually save you time.
Many small businesses don't blog because it seems like a waste of time. Unfortunately, this means missing out on the opportunity to maximize your online marketing. Strategic blogging streamlines your marketing efforts, drives more traffic to your business, and saves you time.

As a small business owner, you've most certainly got your hands full. While balancing managing expenses, meeting with clients, and marketing your business, you might think that blogging is one thing you can go without.

With the majority of consumers today turning to Google when searching for new places to eat, hang out, shop, etc., it’s essential for your small business to have, and fully utilize, a Google My Business listing to keep your search engine rankings up and customers at your door.

Before the onset of the internet, “word of mouth” was an essential marketing tool for small businesses. Earning a good reputation in one's community meant building relationships with both the public and related businesses that proved helpful to their own customers.

Google aspires to be fair to companies that want consumers to find their websites and to the consumers searching for results that best meet their needs. To achieve these goals, Google updates its algorithms hundreds of times a year. These updates may make searches easier and more efficient for consumers, but they drive business and service sectors to distraction. How to keep your small business’s website ranking well on Google is a question that must be asked weekly, if not daily.

Amid such a digitally dynamic business environment, ranking highly in search engine results has become crucial to your small business’s success. With the majority of consumers turning to the web to find products/services, ensuring that customers can conveniently find your small business when they're searching online is essential.

As you know, simply having a website these days doesn't guarantee leads. The businesses that generate the most leads from their sites are making smart use of search engine optimization (SEO) and keeping up with the ongoing changes. It's all about making sure consumers can find your company online and that they find your business first when they're ready to make purchasing decisions. As search engines are constantly evolving their algorithms, how is a business to know what SEO practices work the best? While there are numerous SEO factors to consider, below are just a few to consider to help your ongoing ranking efforts.

We all know the timeless saying “A picture is worth a thousand words”. On the internet, though, that might not be so true – especially for search engines. Have you ever wondered what a search engine reads/detects when it comes across an image on a web page?

When it comes to writing content for online audiences, ensuring your content is engaging is essential. According to Nielsen Norman Group, around 79% of readers spend time skimming rather than reading online content; only 16% read pages word-by-word. From these statistics, it is evident that many businesses produce content that’s never read. In order for your website to stand out from the crowd, appeal to your target audience, and rank well on Google, it’s important to ensure that you’re producing captivating content.