Simple SEO Strategies for Growing Your Business

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There is definitely no doubt about the fact that every business needs a thought-out SEO strategy, so the only question about it is whether you are willing to spend time or money on it? Speaking from personal experience, the latter option usually proves itself more beneficial than the first one, mostly due to the fact that not all of us are marketing gurus.

On the other hand, even if you are a marketing genius – and especially if you are, you already know that SEO can be quite time-consuming, which makes hiring someone to handle it for you all the more compelling!

However, whether you choose to take up SEO on yourself or you decide to a white label digital marketing agency to do it for you, you should still learn more about some of these simple SEO strategies that will help you grow your business!

StrategyDriven Online Marketing and Website Development Article | SEO | Search Engine Optimization
 
That is why we prepared some tips regarding the whole process of search engine optimization, both what to and what not to do in order to grow your business!

Your vision of SEO

The first important thing regarding SEO is how you see it. What this means is that thinking of SEO as a tactic is a mistake most beginners tend to make, because the truth is quite different. SEO is actually more of a strategy that you have to plan out long before you take it up. So, it will take a lot more than just a few weeks to get your business to the top of Google.

Additionally, a lot of people tend to think that SEO is essentially a combination of titles and meta descriptions. Whatsmore, you have to understand that SEO “trends” tend to change from one year to another.

A few years back, search engine optimization was almost synonymous to keywords. Had you asked an SEO expert to give you some tips on the subject in 2014, they would have probably told you that your keyword density is something that will either make you or break you. However, as of 2018, this trend has changed.

Startups such as Yelp and Airbnb made sure to understand that these changes occur all the time, and to have a concrete strategy to drive their traffic through search and this is what brought their success about!

Now, lots of people tend to think that they can take up this task on their own. Don’t get me wrong, you don’t have to be an expert on the subject in order to create a good SEO strategy, but merely doing some reading and trying to implement what you read into the strategy just isn’t going to cut it.

Knowing what your audience wants is of extreme importance!

At the end of the day, your audience is the most important variable in this equation. This is why you have to get to know your target audience and walk a mile in their shoes. What is it that they need? How will your product/service help them further on? Is there something that your competition can offer them that you can’t?

As you already know, 71 percent of consumers tend to discover new products/services through a search engine, and this search influences about 75 percent of total purchases.

Now, although keywords are not as important as they used to be, they still play a part in the whole process that is SEO. You will still have to do a proper keyword research that will help you in creating valuable content that your audience will appreciate, and that will encourage them to become one of your consumers!

Focus on your links’ quality, not quantity!

A few years back, Google’s algorithm was quite favorable of sites with lots of links, and it wasn’t all that important whether those links were valid and actually useful, content-wise. However, times have changed! Links are still as important as the used to be, but the focus has shifted from their quantity to their quality. The only thing you can do now regarding your links is to look for those that will be engaging and valuable to your audience!

StrategyDriven Online Marketing and Website Development Article | SEO | Search Engine Optimization
 
Other things that you have to focus on as well are – your website’s structure (get it as organized and informative as you can!), your social media platforms, and mobile users! All three are of extreme importance for growing your business and are something you cannot succeed without.

Using these simple strategies, you can take your business from being one of the countless startups to becoming a household name, you just have to play your cards right! However, if you would rather play it safe and hire a great digital marketing agency to do this (and more!) for you, visit White Light Digital Marketing for more information!

How To Get Your First Clients As A Freelancer

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StrategyDriven Online Marketing and Website Development Article | Entrepreneurship | Freelancer
 
If you’re just getting started as a new freelancer, even if you’ve run other freelance businesses, one of the first things you’re probably focusing on is how to get your first paying clients.

Although it’s going to take some work and effort on your part to get yourself out there and find those initial clients and certainly isn’t easy or something you can expect to happen overnight, if you’re staying focused on the right strategies and not trying everything all at once, then you can definitely make the process of getting clients a simple one.

In this post, we’re going to give you some actionable tips and strategies that you can use to start getting your first paying clients as a freelancer so that you can start building a freedom-focused business that allows you to help people and build a life and business on your terms.

Decide who you want to work with:

In order to be able to get clients, you have to know who your clients are that you want to be working with. The ability to choose your clients is one of the main benefits of freelancing instead of working in-house where your employer will already have the clients in place and you just have to do the work. If you’re not sure what kinds of clients you want, or how to identify them, then doing an ideal client avatar exercise is something that can really help you gain more clarity around this. It will help you identify the traits you want to have in your ideal clients, the type of budgets they may have available for the project, and also what industry they work in. There are many types of ideal client avatar exercises available that you can fill out for free online, so it’s best to take a look at a few different ones to see which one best suits you to help you come up with the answers you need.

Determine your positioning:

To make the process of attracting your ideal clients easier, then it’s important to define how you’re going to position yourself in front of them. For example, do you want to attract and work with only larger companies as opposed to small businesses? Do you want to charge high-end prices for premium work or do you like the idea of offering a more tiered pricing that would allow clients with various budgets to work with you? The other thing to think about when it comes to positioning your freelance services is whether you consider yourself to be a specialist or a generalist. Whilst both have good and bad points, it’s something that you’ll need to be clear about because it’s going to be something that will help you set yourself apart when it comes to pitching and offering your services to clients. For example, do you have strong data visualisation examples in your portfolio that you can show clients because this is something you specialise in or are you someone who has a wide variety of different examples of all kinds of copywriting you’ve done as a more general copywriter?

Create prices and packages:

If you want to get clients to pay for your freelance services, then you have to determine what those prices are ahead of time so that when you send out proposals you can come up fees that reflect your prices and not just something you’ve plucked out of the air after being asked what your prices are. Being able to offer your clients different packages according to their needs is also something that you should have in place before even looking for clients because this will help you keep your earnings in line with your goals and stay organized when it comes to looking for clients because you’ll know how many you can work with at any one time.

Be proactive in reaching out:

Even if you have the most beautiful and most expensive website on the planet, clients aren’t just going to come flocking through the door to work with you, so you’re going to have to put yourself out there if you want clients to hire you. This will involve things like creating content for your website and blog, posting on social media, reaching out to clients you want to work with and letting them know about your offers and services. Of course not every client will hire you, and you’ll probably get more rejection emails than you will replies from people wishing to work with you, but you need to keep going and stay proactive in your search because this is really the only way to build your business.

How to Market Yourself as a Freelancer

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StrategyDriven Online Marketing and Website Development Article | FreelancerIf you have a talent in a particular industry and you have the determination required to work for yourself successfully, then there are plentiful opportunities in the freelance sector at the moment. Freelancing has several advantages over setting up a business, because it requires a far lower level of investment and you don’t have to employ anyone else. All you need are the skills, computer facilities, and the will to succeed.

There are many jobs that lend themselves to freelancing; in fact, there are very few specialties that don’t have some kind of online application. For example, even the most practical, hands-on jobs such as construction, teaching, and medicine, all need web-based services such as training and consulting. If you have the urge to go it alone, there’s very little holding you back – but the critical difference between success and failure will be your ability to market yourself effectively.

Why marketing matters for freelancers

You may consider marketing to be more appropriate for a small business than a freelance enterprise, especially if you have good contacts and can start off with some ready-made clients. While it’s always advantageous to have a couple of clients on your books before you take the plunge into full-time freelancing, there are a couple of points you should bear in mind.

Firstly, if you’re planning to take clients with you from your present job, you could be heading for trouble. Somewhere in your employment contract, it will probably say something along the lines of employees aren’t permitted to poach clients from the business if they leave for a period of six months or so. You may not have such a clause, but it’s still considered underhand to take contacts with you if you leave a business.

Whether you have such a clause or not, you may feel that there’s very little your previous employer could do anyway once you’ve left, but regardless of whether they seek to claim damages against you, which they could well do in some instances, they do have the power to sully your reputation. Businesses live or die on their reputation, and if you become known in the industry as someone who can’t be trusted, your future will be bleak.

Furthermore, you can’t rely on the handful of clients you start with to keep you going or generate new business for you. To build up a sound, stable business, you need to master the art of marketing yourself.

You are the product

In a business, you’re selling a service or a product, and while you would do well to include yourself as a valuable part of the package, you wouldn’t necessarily be the focus. However, if you’re a freelancer, you need to be selling yourself – in effect, you are the product. The only difference between you and all the thousands of other bookkeepers, writers, tutors, or whatever you specialize in, is yourself. All the other freelancers in your sector will be offering broadly similar services, so the only way you can stand out from the crowd is to promote the benefits you offer potential clients.

Some people have no problem with this at all, and happily talk themselves up; others find it hard to sell themselves and promote their abilities. Being over-confident can be off-putting, as you can come across as arrogant; but failing to market yourself as one of the best in your field isn’t likely to impress prospective customers. A middle ground is usually the best approach, showing confidence in your skills without being too full of yourself. If you do struggle with self-confidence, it doesn’t mean you can’t succeed as a freelancer, but you’ll need to put a concerted effort into learning how to present yourself in your marketing.

Marketing tools for freelancers

Many freelancers underestimate the importance of having a website. If you think it’s a bit over the top to create a website just to promote yourself, think again. A website impresses potential clients and reinforces the idea that you’re a serious, committed expert in your field. You can use the website to provide full details of the services you offer, host a portfolio of previous work, and display customer testimonials. It’s a good platform to introduce yourself and help clients get to know you as a person so they make a connection with you, and it’s invaluable for being found in web searches.

If you’re not sure how to create an effective website, find out more about using a design service to create the optimum site, and compare the pros and cons of using a website builder compared to a design service. Your site doesn’t need to be expensive or complicated, just well designed, easy to use, full of relevant information, and updated regularly. In addition to your website, listings in directories not only make your business easier to find, but improve your rankings in search engine results lists too.

Social media can also be a powerful tool if used regularly, but don’t overwhelm yourself by signing up to every possible platform. Have a look at the usage statistics for each one and select one or two to start with. You want to get the hang of posting regularly and managing your accounts effectively without having too many different ones to worry about. Once you get accustomed to writing a daily FaceBook post, or tweeting a few times a day, you can always expand onto other platforms. You should also look at specialist websites and publications that focus on your field of expertise, as a presence in these will be perfect for reaching your target customers.

Many people make a very decent living from going freelance, and have a better quality of life working for themselves. Some go on to establish a fully-fledged business based on their freelancing, but you can follow whichever path appeals most to you. The important thing to remember is that you need to sell yourself, and take the task of marketing yourself very seriously if you want to bring in the right clients.

5 Business Tips to Help Orthodontists Get More Clients

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StrategyDriven Online Marketing and Website Development Article, 5 Business Tips to Help Orthodontists Get More Clients

Whether you are a new orthodontist opening a dental office or want to increase the number of patients you see, implementing new marketing strategies will boost your revenue and growth. With so many dental clinics popping up, it is also an excellent way for dental specialists to stand out from the competition. Here are five business tips that will help orthodontists get more clients.

1. Build a Visually Pleasing and Informative Website

Did you know that about 90 percent of consumers visit websites before going to a local business? It is the best indicator as to why businesses need to pay attention to the aesthetics and engagement of their websites. Most especially in the healthcare industry, there is not enough consideration placed on website aesthetics even when it is the most significant avenue businesses have to convert their website traffic into patient sales.

A great example of such a website built for patients is Baum Orthodontics as the website is aesthetically pleasing and provides patient tabs that make navigation accessible.

2. Use Strategic SEO to Rank on SERP

When Google updated its search engine results page (SERP) algorithms, search engine optimization (SEO) was no longer an easy process as there are now more than 200 factors that web pages are scored. Optimizing pages using a variety of keywords is now a critical component to ranking which depends on authoritative backlinks, content variables, keyword clustering, user experience and page load speed. A local SEO strategy will also promote conversion rate optimization, which will boost your traffic in your local area.

3. Use Google My Business

As you are a local business, you must use Google My Business as Google Maps only displays the top three businesses in one-mile radius as there is a push for mobile accessibility. You want to claim your free listing and use location-specific keywords that show location like city or neighborhood dentist, long-tail SEO services like ophthalmology or specialty service and contact information that target customers searching for services.

4. Use Word-of-Mouth Advertising

Word-of-mouth marketing is one of the most influential advertising tools available whether it is from your patients or from comments on your social media page. Nine out of 10 consumers will trust a recommendation from a friend or family over another form of advertising. Their testimony will also convert a customer faster because of experience, which is something you would not be able to do in just one conversation. Set up a patient referral program to build your clientele as it will convert to sales quickly.

5. Use Pay-per-Click Internet Advertising

Pay-per-click advertising, such as Google AdWords, is a valuable tool that allows your keyword specific ads to appear on the same page as organic search results which helps if your page is not ranking because of SEO. You also do not have to buy the ads but rather pay a click-through-rate when a potential customer clicks on your advertisement.

Many of these marketing tips are affordable and easy to implement in-house. Even if you must hire a website or SEO specialist, the new patient return-on-investment potential is worth the investment.

5 Powerful Ways to Generate More Business Leads

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StrategyDriven Online Marketing and Website Development Article, 5 Powerful Ways to Generate More Business Leads

Never undervalue the power of promotion when it comes to selling a product. You could have the best item on the market, but it doesn’t mean a thing if your target audience doesn’t know about it.

To generate a substantial revenue year after year, you need people to take notice of your brand and product. Carve a place for your brand in an industry by checking out the five powerful ways to generate more business leads.

1. Publish & Optimize Your Content

Experienced digital marketers will be the first people to tell you about the importance of high-quality content on your website, as it can serve as a superb source of web traffic, which can consequently result in more leads.

To drive visitors to your site, you must regularly publish informative, entertaining copy that is unique to your competitors. You also must optimize your content with stunning images, insightful videos, and professional infographics, which will increase your readership, share count, and backlinks to your website.

2. Apply for Tenders

Amplify your profitability by applying for tenders to secure a bid to supply a company with your products or services. Whatever industry you are in, the experts at Executive Compass can help you to produce winning tenders to receive large or small contracts, which, in turn, can help your business grow at a rapid rate.

3. Use Email Marketing

Engage your subscribers with an effective email marketing campaign. It can help you to connect with past customers and those interested in your brand, so it is a viable way to generate leads.

Ensure a subscriber opens your newsletter by writing a compelling subject line that makes them want to find out more about what’s inside. Also, don’t forget to feature a call-to-action button to convert a subscriber into a customer, as it can help to guide them to the checkout.

4. Focus on Direct Engagement

Rather than talking to the masses, which can make your customers feel like just another number on your database, you should focus on direct engagement. While FAQs can be an effective way to answer a potential customer’s questions, it lacks the personal touch.

Give your demographic a reason to want to buy from your brand by focusing on direct engagement tactics, such as a live chat facility, forum, and help center. Make sure you regularly have friendly and welcoming customer service representatives available to answer their questions, which could lead to more leads and a positive reputation in your industry.

5. Market Your Brand Via LinkedIn

LinkedIn is more than a social platform to connect with your past and current colleagues. It provides a space to strike up relationships with new clients, as you can personally reach out to business owners, directors, and managers in a friendly, laidback manner.

Not only should you communicate directly with busy professionals, but you also should regularly publish exceptional content on the platform to engage LinkedIn members and establish your business as a thought leader, which can lead to potential customers and clients reaching out to your company.