Author: Savannah Welna

Site Speed And SEO: 2 Seconds of Load Time Can Cost You Your Sale

Posted by | Jul 24, 2017 | , | 0 |

Site Speed and SEO- How does it affect search rankings? Google has admitted to valuing site loading speed. While they did not directly say it affects search rankings, they did say are aimed at a quicker internet in this blog post. They released an extremely helpful tool found here that allows users to simply enter their site’s url and Google in turn offers suggestions on how to improve site speed. Sometime in the year 2018, Google will most certainly factor mobile loading speed into your site’s SEO score. A Factor In Search Rankings While not a major ranking factor used by Google (Google uses over 200 factors), it is still an important aspect in user experience which is vital in web success. Additionally, it is known that mobile sites are indeed penalized for slower loading times. Remember that the mobile audience is a generally makes up the majority of site traffic. Speed Is Essential in E-Commerce The American culture of “must have it now” is well exemplified on the web. Google found that delaying search results for less than half a second actually resulted in fewer searches performed. More than 50% of online shoppers say that slow site speed will drive them to a competitor’s site. Radware also found that a two second load time resulted in an abandonment rate up to 87%! What’s The Hold Up? Many things...

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Off-Page SEO: Building Links (Should) Mimic Authentic Human Interaction

Posted by | May 25, 2017 | | 0 |

If you aren’t familiar with the term link-building- it refers to the off page SEO tactic involving external sites linking back to your site. Link building has greatly evolved since the 90’s-remember completely useless link directories? As Google’s spam team continues to improve their algorithm, website owners must continue to keep up with the SEO rules. Fortunately, the ideology behind link building is actually getting easier to understand and in some ways easier to  implement.   Link building should mimic how you would interact with others in person. Let me explain.   Traditional link building practices included submitting your link to a directory, spamming comments on blogs with a link back to your website, article directories and so on and so forth. All these traditional link building practices have something in common: They would be highly inappropriate in a social situation. Let’s take spammy blog comments with links back to their site.   You’re at somebody’s fourth of July party where everybody is having a good time. The host is well liked (reputable website), everybody is enjoying the activities (solid content), and overall everybody is networking very naturally in conversation (comments). Now imagine somebody barging in and saying “WOW REALLY GREAT PARTY. HOW ABOUT EVERYBODY COME TO MY HOUSE! (links back to their website)” This person’s behavior lends them no credibility and certainly nobody will follow (click on their...

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WordPress Security- Keeping Hackers Out

Posted by | Mar 20, 2017 | | 2 |

When it Comes to WordPress Security, Preventative Action Is Better Than “Too Late” Action Regardless of platform, websites are constantly under attack. While WordPress is considered quite secure, there are still things that can be done to prevent attacks. WordPress security doesn’t have to be complicated and a few basic steps can save a lot of headache. Login: Admin Password: Password (or admin) Creating a complex password and a unique username is a necessity and part of the basics of wordpress security. We use Wordfence to monitor our sites and it is alarming how many hackers try logging in with “admin” and “password.” It is shocking how very few people take password complexity seriously. Having a poor username and password is basically like shutting the door to your house but not really locking it. Your website appears secure, but really the lock on the door is so common, many people could break in. Read more about complex passwords here. This doesn’t apply to just your website, either. Reusing passwords and having weak passwords gives the same faulty lock situation to bank accounts and email accounts. Password management can become tricky. If you need help, check out Dashlane. They also tell you what passwords could have been compromised and what platforms have had password leaks (such as the Yahoo leak). Also, Dashlane rates the strength of your passwords. The Yahoo breach...

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Repeat After Me: Stop Repeating Keywords

Posted by | Feb 15, 2017 | | 0 |

Well, don’t stop entirely- just don’t make it the golden rule of search engine optimization. If you aren’t familiar, keyword optimization is where you make sure X amount of a keyword appears in the text on page X amount of times in ratio to the amount of words on the page. (Google will penalize you for keyword stuffing). Google has advanced from these tactics and while keyword optimization is still important, it should be a secondary focus rather than a primary focus. Answer Questions First Why are people going to go to your site? For example, let’s say that you are selling fitness classes. For this instance, let’s use Oula Fitness. It isn’t well known and people are searching it out because it is a semi-new and upcoming class. What would your audience search? Would your site answer the questions? For example: Search in Google “What Is Oula” Notice the answer card at the very top. Their website provides quality content by answering questions that people need to know before investing in their product. Further down you can see other questions people are asking. If you click on them, Oula’s web page is shown again and again: At this point, customers are pretty likely to click on the Oula site for more information because they have already been given quality content. Oula’s website delivered answers to the search query-...

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Posting To Facebook- Creating Engaging Posts

Posted by | Dec 15, 2016 | | 0 |

Last week we talked about how often to post to Facebook. While still important, the quality of the posts (just like the quality of content on a website) still remains as the most crucial factor in publishing. Page insights will change drastically once you start publishing creative and engaging posts. Because of the unique nature of the multitude of Facebook pages, there are an innumerable amount of pointers and tips to ensure quality posting. Here are just a few to help get you started. Write With A Purpose Think about what you seek to accomplish with each post. Are you seeking to spread general information? Use a catchy first sentence. Perhaps you are seeking to advertise a limited time sale event. This point, while simple, is overlooked. Don’t post just to post. Writing with a purpose also means having a clear call to action. News stories might ask you to click on a link to read more. Clothing stores will use pictures and a link directly to the product advertised. Other posts include a call to action that involves basic post interaction. Write Less Think about the vast majority of Facebook users. Generally they are quickly scrolling through their feed, waiting for an elevator or burning time during lunch. You have that split second of your post scrolling up their screen to catch their attention. Posts with large bodies...

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