Hello and Happy Tuesday!
This week in Internet marketing, we’ve gathered some of the best and most interesting articles from across the web. We’re looking at tips for ranking locally in 2017, as well as key elements of effective AdWords ads, and how to generate leads with Facebook. We’re also looking at tips for driving blog engagement, and how to address common user questions on your website.
Local SEO -- 14 Actionable Tips to Rank Higher Locally in 2017
Optimizing for local SEO is crucial to improving your organic ranking and driving local traffic. This article outlines some tips you can use to rank locally in 2017. Target long-distance customers through Facebook and Google advertising, and encourage customers to "check-in" on social media while at your location. Build or earn backlinks through guestblogging, commenting and interviews, to name a few methods. Drive referrals by encouraging customers to leave reviews on your Google My Business (GMB) listing, and make sure your business is listed accurately in local directories. Lastly, ensure your listings and landing pages are well designed with clear call-to-actions (CTAs).
Three Foolproof Steps to Excellent AdWords Ads
There are several simple tactics you can use to drive conversions on your ads. Optimizing your ad rotation will ensure that the best ad is served in the right context -- driving conversions and clicks -- and be sure to take into account CTR, impressions, CPC and position. Additionally, enable three to five ads per group to boost your chances of conversion. Lastly, be sure to use relevant ad extensions. Ad extensions increase clicks and provide valuable information to the user. All of the above tips will help you to create customized ads that drive results.
How to Turn Cold Facebook Traffic into Red Hot Leads
Facebook leads are "cold" -- meaning we don't know the user's intention on the site. Identify your ideal customer by creating a buyer persona, and use Facebook's targeting capabilities to zero in on this user. Determine at which stage of the buyer's journey your ideal customer is, and use content to educate them on your product or service. Lastly, retarget users who have visited your website, landing page or Facebook content to turn your leads from cold to warm.
10 Advanced Strategies for Driving Business Blog Engagement
Driving engagement on your business blog will require you to implement several tactics. Conduct research to understand the type of content your audience is looking for, and use this information to create blog topics -- including how-to's and listicles. Make your headlines compelling, and use keywords and emotional language to draw in readers. Write content about industry trends and use only relevant, valuable internal and external links. Additionally, be sure to promote your content on social media.
7 Questions Your Customers Ask, and How Your Website Must Answer
All users have questions when they enter your website -- and this article explains how you can provide answers with little contact. Create a unique value proposition on your website to show why you deserve a customer's business, and include customer testimonials and how long you've been in business. Write content about your products or services that highlight the benefits and value to the user to show what makes you different from the competition. Ensure your contact information is easily accessible, and create clear call-to-actions (CTAs). Elicit a sense of trust in the user by listing your industry recognition and creating an "about us" page, for example.
Check out these additional articles for more Internet marketing news!
Recent Google Changes: SEO Tactics that Move the Needle in 2017
