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Blog – South Florida Website Marketing
General SEO posts Uncategorized Web design service Website design

South Florida SEO: Improve your SEO with imagery.

jeffdoesseo@gmail.com
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By using pictures and images in a blog post you can greatly improve your South Florida SEO marketing.

*Author’s note: In this article, I often refer to Google – however, please note that ‘Google’ in this case refers to search engines as a whole. Because Google has become the most popular and well-known engine, most South Florida SEO and digital marketing experts use Google when discussing SEO and search-engines. This is because nearly all search engines use similar methods when determining search engine ranking. 

So you may be asking: what makes me such a South Florida SEO pro?

I have worked as a professional photographer for over thirty years. Since the age of thirteen, I have loved taking pictures. Just a few years after the start of the internet boom, I launched my first website.

Starting out, I knew nothing about search engines, SEO or digital marketing, and my first website was little more than an online brochure. The site featured a Flash Animation which did nothing to drive search traffic, but it looked cool. At the time, I felt that it made me look quite cutting-edge and hip.

Several years later as SEO rose to prominence, I decided that I needed my own blog. Even in the early days, blogs served as great platforms for online portfolios. It was the perfect way to showcase my latest photography. Without a blog, I was forced to reach out to my website creator, paying him to add or remove pictures. It was a time consuming and expensive procedure, which left me with little control over my own site.  Eventually, I realized that by having an image gallery and blog, I could change images on the fly and create SEO-friendly content.

I have found that including a visual element makes reading the article more pleasurable. 

Most online marketing experts know that the written word gets Google’s attention. However, most are not interested in reading content that contains nothing but walls of text. If done correctly, adding imagery in the form of pictures, videos and info-graphics can increase your website ranking in a variety of ways.

Info-graphic used in an article on South Florida SEO
ABOVE: This info-graphic was used to drive home the difference between a home inspector and a home appraiser. By including graphics such as this, long lines of text are broken up with thought provoking graphics. Furthermore, reader is more likely to read the full article when it includes a visual mixed in with the text.

As a South Florida SEO student I remember my teacher telling us: “Sometimes, you may have clients with products or services that are not very exciting or even interesting. It is your job to make them exciting, or at least interesting.”

In marketing school, we were given many exercises which required us to transform the dull and boring into the fun and intriguing. Time and time again, the sure-fire method to achieve this was through the use of images, videos and graphics. Visual aids grab the reader’s attention and can be very thought-provoking as well. When done effectively, they can elicit an emotional response from your readers. Sales expert and author Tom Hopkins once said: “People buy emotionally, then defend the sale with logic.” In the case of a webpage, it is imagery that provides that emotional element.

It’s not just enough to add imagery, though—you must know how to incorporate it effectively. For all the emotion that images can provide, computers themselves are quite technical. The process must be completed in a way search engines can understand. Knowledge of file types and keywords is crucial.

Search engines do not understand what (dji_0238.jpg) or (img_0054.jpg) means. When a photo is taken, the camera decides how the image file should be named. This process is often predetermined by the camera’s manufacturer. For instance, a photo taken with a Nikon could be named, img.1234.jpg by default. Photos shot via my Canon 5D Mark 4 are named 5D4_1234.jpg or JSK_1234 because I programmed the device specifically to create this file name.

Screen grab of Canon jpg files for an article on SEO picture use
This computer screen grab shows jpg thumbnails as processed from a Canon 5D Mark 4 camera. While a photographer or graphic designer can tell what type of camera produced these images, file names like this won’t help SEO ranking.

The point is, a series of letters and numbers may be the language spoken by your camera, but Google will not understand it. By manually changing the file name on an image, you can give meaning to the file.

Screen grab for an article on
ABOVE: This image shows how I named this image file. I also included a © copyright symbol in the file name. This tells everyone that I own this image and it’s not to be used by anyone else with out my approval.

Also, if you own your images, consider adding a © copyright symbol to your file name. This alerts viewers that you own the rights to the image.  As a South Florida SEO expert and photographer, I copyright all of my image files.  Additionally, you should never pull images of another companies website and use them on your site unless you have permission.  The copyright laws are strict and when enforced the penalties could be costly.  If you need a marketing image your best options are to purchase the usage rights from the image supplier, or hire a photographer and make sure the photographer gives you full usage rights.

When renaming your image files, I have found that SEO results are best when short, relevant file names are used. According to many other experts, Google relies on your image or picture file name to index and rank the images on your website.

How to Change Your File Names 

On an Apple device, changing your file name is easy. Simply click on the file name until it is highlighted, then enter return. On a PC, the easiest method is to right-click the file and select the ‘rename’ option.

So now that you know the file name should be changed, the question remains: to what?

Image filenames should be short, unique and relevant to your webpage’s content. In the case of my website, I use an SEO program to scan my content and check all file names. If a duplicate file name is added by mistake, the program issues a warning.

Duplicate file name warning for SEO article
As a South Florida SEO expert, I am a big fan of WordPress websites. This is because WordPress is open source. Open source means that other companies can make helpful programs that attach to a WordPress site to make it work better. These programs are known as plugins.  Plugins help websites function better.  The information window above is from a plugin that warns of duplicate image file names.  Only WordPress websites are open source.  Could you imagine checking hundreds or thousands of image file names looking for duplicates?  

 

Some website software will warn you if you add a image with a duplicate file name.  Duplicate file names are a problem for search engines.    →

 

 

 

 

Relevant file names are quite useful for digital marketing beyond the bounds of Google’s algorithm. Many other search engines also read file names and rank them accordingly. Most search engines cannot determine the content of a photo, but by including alt text or alt tags, search engines can read your photograph or graphics description.

I say ‘most’ because currently, Google cannot recognize image content. However, rumor has it that Google is working on image-recognition technology. In the future, Google and other search platforms may evolve and develop the ability to determine the meaning of an image.

Alt tags and alt text are also known as title attributes and were first incorporated into online imagery to help the blind determine what was being shown in the image. For the blind, computer screen readers or text-reading software could be used to translate text into speech. When vision-impaired readers would come upon an image, the words in title attributes would describe the image.

At some point, Google decided to incorporate all title attributes into their search algorithm. Only Google knows the extent to which title attributes influence search results. However, from my own experience, I know that images containing title attributes tend to find placement ahead of images with no such tags or text.

Incorporating Alt Tags and Text Into Your Website 

In a fashion similar to file names, alt tags and text should be relevant to the image, and also contain necessary keywords. One easy rule is to write your alt text as if you are describing the image to someone who cannot see it. Relevant keywords aids in the SEO aspect as well. In addition, when Google reads alt text, it compares the text to the text on the webpage, so the content must match up.

Mr Google can't tell what the photo shows, However, by reading the alt text the image in the photo is explained
Since Google can’t determine what is shown in a picture or image, it’s the alt tags that explain the image to google.

If you are adding an image about headshot photography, the alt text should include words related to both the surrounding text and the image itself. As a headshot photographer, you would not want your alt text to read: ‘Best headshot photographer in Miami’. You should also avoid using the same alt text for every image. For example, every image should not include the same alt text that reads ‘Palm Beach Headshot Photographer’. This would be considered keyword stuffing and could earn a penalty against your site. A prime example of alt text could be

“‘Headshot of Susan Smith, Accountant at Miami Tax Company”, or “Picture of Susan Smith Article for Tax Law.”

Below are some images with examples of good and bad alt texts.

An example of a bad alt tag would be, “Jeff Kolodny Photography”. a good alt tag would be “Bride and groom walking on Fort Lauderdale beach”.
This turtle image taken in Barbados is to help teach people success with South Florida SEO
An example of a bad alt tag would be, “Underwater Photography”. Good alt text would be “Sea turtle photographed in Barbados”

Google also uses alt text to determine how images appear in Google Image search results. This means that in a search, your article images could also appear in Google Images. I am always amazed to see how many of my images appear on Google Images.

SEO in Relation to Image Size. Don’t slow down your website by using images that use too much memory.

When your website appears in a search result, your website must open the very second your search result link is clicked. Most who click on search results have very little patience. If someone clicks on the website and is left waiting more than two or three seconds, chances are high they will simply move on to another search result. In addition to losing the viewer, Google will record this as a ‘bounce’. Each bounce gets added to your overall bounce rate: a metric used by Google to dictate whether or not a viewer liked your content. The reality may be that the viewer never saw your webpage, but Google doesn’t care. The algorithm only knows that visitors went to your page, and then left right away.

So, what causes these delays? One of the main reasons why a webpage does not open quickly is the size of an image file. The larger the file, the more time it takes for a website to open. Images on a website should be sized to use the least amount of memory possible. On my website, images are sized below 900kb. In Photoshop, a full-sized image is only 1,000 pixels or less.

There are other reasons why a website may load too slowly. These include the speed of the hosting company or the speed of the viewer’s internet service. Such issues are out of your control, but I have found that image size is all-too-often the culprit.

Let’s Recap

  • Adding imagery to your website or blog page is a great way to make your content more engaging. Imagery will also increase your website’s search ranking. However, the practice works best when images are correctly formatted and include all necessary information.
  • It is almost a given that image file names will not be correctly formatted by default. Even images purchased from a stock agency usually use the agency’s name as the file name. Because of this, image files should always be re-named.
  • All images on a blog or website should include alt tags and alt texts, otherwise known as title attributes. Title attributes allow search engines and image readers to know what is being shown in the image.
  • The image file size is critical to website loading speed. If a site loads too slowly, it may be the result of your images using too much memory. This will reduce the effectiveness of your SEO performance.

I hope you found this article on website imagery helpful.  As both a photographer and a South Florida SEO expert, I have found that using the correct alt tags and file names Is critical to SEO success.   I have found that my success in SEO and Digital marketing has led to additional photography assignments.  For my South Florida SEO clients helping their websites appear on page one is my priority. To learn more about my SEO journey check out my about Jeff page here.   If you found this blog post helpful, leave a comment.  If you need help with your websites digital marketing, call me at (561) 737-5561.  Jeff

General SEO posts

Why, it takes more than a fancy website to get visitors. | Tips from a Boca Raton SEO

jeffdoesseo@gmail.com
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A website could be either a online brochure, or a marketing vehicle that pulls in new potential clients like a magnet.

As someone who works as a Boca Raton SEO expert, I often work with business owners who already have websites.   While some of these websites are top notch, one thing is missing. “Visitors and Leads”  When talking with these business owners, I have heard many stories regarding their struggles. Most of the time getting visitors to their website it their biggest issue.  Their lack of inquiries conveys their website is not doing it’s job.   Some business owners have tried pay-per-click, and found that while they get clicks, they don’t get many calls.  One client told me,  a caller, which originated from his pay-per-click campaign, started asked questions that indicated he was not aware what type of business he was calling.   As the business owner. he was annoyed. Then he asked the caller, how did you find me?  The caller said, online, I just clicked on your ad and got your phone number.  After hearing that, my client responded, great and I paid for this click.  Did you actually look at my website to see what my company does? or did you just click and dial the phone number that appeared?   This is one of the problems with Pay – Per -Click. (PPC)  While running a PPC campaign could be useful, if done incorrectly, the advertiser could pay big bucks that result in no business. Betson , Bets10

Choosing the right website platform and website designer at the start is critical for online success.  As a Boca Raton SEO expert we can help 

When it’s time so make a new website, planning correctly is the most important step.  Before choosing a website designer it’s important to view portfolios and look for amazing ideas and designs.   Once your website is finished  & you can’t believe how awesome your new website looks, the next order of business is to get viewers, or visitors. During the design process you, along with the help of your designer, should make sure your site conveys everything that is great about your product, service, business.   By sharing your new website with friends, business contacts and your current clients.  You will get lot’s of feedback. Once everyone who has seen your website thinks it’s perfect.  All you need to work on getting visitors to your website.     The only question now is…  How do you get new visitors?    Sure some potential customers will find your website as a result of your advertising, other will stumble on your new website through your social media marketing.  You could try e-mail marketing, and you could also attend networking events and hand out business cards.

Boca Raton SEO expert
When you hire me as a Boca Raton SEO professional, I’ll work with you by keeping you updated and on top of your website’s ranking progress.

Working as a Boca Raton SEO and digital marketing person, I have picked up new clients using all of these methods.  There is no question that human contact fulfills a marketing niche that no piece of printed or online media could ever replace.  However, human contact marketing has some drawbacks as well.  First, you need to get in front of people, and doing so will require lots of time and some money.  Going to a networking group requires, driving, or in some cases, flying, possibly a hotel stay.  In addition, meeting people requires an introduction as well as giving your elevator pitch, relationship building in which you learn about your potential client and they learn about yourself and your business.  Then they need to determine if they even have a need for your services.

One way to reach a wide range of potential website viewers is by joining a networking group and speaking or giving lectures.  If your service or product is something that many attendees need or may want, you can introduce yourself through networking.  Hopefully after a lecture, you can collect some business cards.  In addition, by doing a lecture, the organization holding the event, may advertise your talk and link to your website.

The bottom line is no matter how you slice it, getting people to your website requires work, money and time, this is why your website needs to look great and also do a great job selling your product or service.

What is the website marketing funnel and how does it work?

If you have never heard of the “website funnel” and you have a website, you should learn something about this term.  If you look online you will find the term “funnel” named a variety of different ways, I have seen this concept called “The website conversion funnel”  “The marketing funnel”,  “The sales funnel” “The website traffic funnel” While all these terms are unique & valid, the common denominator is that somehow visitors enter your funnel.   This concept is also referred to as, “top of the funnel”.  I’m not going to get into all the aspects of the funnel concept.  However, one thing about the funnel rings true, if no one enters your SEO funnel, they won’t know your business exist, and your website won’t be able to fulfill its function of building awareness, educating visitors, creating desire, and giving them a way to make contact.

BELOW:  Before your website could function as a sales tool potential clients or (visitors / viewers) must first find your website.  

Your website should be both attractive looking, and sales savvy.

When someone visits your website, their first though should be, this website looks attractive.  Then, they should quickly determine, if the website will provide the information they are seeking.   In addition your website should be easy to navigate, easy to read, and answer any questions that the visitor may have.  In addition your website should work quickly, if someone goes to your website, clicks on a button (Or Link) that function should happen fast.  If a visitor to your website finds themselves waiting, and waiting and nothing happens, they will leave your website and move on to the next.  It’s like someone calling a company on the phone,  having the phone ring and ring with no answer,  after, 6 -7 or 9 rings chances are the person calling will hang up, and call another company.   The reaction time of your website is based on several different factors such as, the speed of your hosting company, the image size of your photos and other graphics.  The way your website was created is also a factor when it comes to site speed.

There is a big difference between a website designer and a Boca Raton SEO marketing person.

When someone does an online search, they are asking a question.  For example, if someone searches for “Best Photographer in South Florida” They are asking the question…  Who does Google think is the best photographer?  As a result of this question being asked, Google (and other search engines) will return results based on over 200 different factors.  It’s the job of your website with the help of your SEO person,  to convey to Google and other search engines, that your website is the best resource, with the highest authority to provide the best answer.  The website that achieves this in the best possible way gets the highest ranking.   As a successful Boca Raton based SEO marketing person, I am skilled at conveying to Google and other search engines that my client is an authority in their industry.   With this said, it’s important to understand that your website has two different functions.  One is to entice, sell and educate the viewer or visitor, the other function is to convince Google and other search engines that your website has the most authority and gives the best answers.  Because your website needs to achieve both functions, the success of your website is dependent on experts who possess two completely different skills sets.  The programmer needs to know how to make a website so that it functions correctly, The SEO marketing expert, need to produce content, include backlinks to worthy websites, and get other worthy websites to link back to your website.  On skill is technical and other is social.

A website designer or programmer is skilled at constructing a website.  A website marketing or Boca Raton SEO person knows what is needed achieve online success.

The best way to achieve website success, is to work with both the SEO website marketing expert and the programmer / designer together.  Both skills must blend together before you can have online success.   If you design a website without the help of a SEO or website marketing person, chances are you will find that you will need to make programing changes later.  Most of the people with existing websites who hire us to market their South Florida website, need some form programing changes.

As a Boca Raton SEO website and marketing person, I maintain an ongoing working relationship with my clients.  This is necessary when it comes to achieving marketing success.   What does this relationship look like?  In the case with my company, South Florida Website Marketing, we are always writing new content in the form of articles and blog posts.  This content is based on our client’s current projects and successes.  For example, if our client gets a wonderful review for a great successful job, we share that success online and link to anyone who will help up increase our ranking.   If our client gives a talk or shares their experience at a meeting, it’s the website marketing SEO person who gets that helpful content online in the form of a blog post or a social media post.   When my clients create a new product, or has a new success, they contact me as their SEO marketing person to share that that success or new product on their website.  I also reach out to other website owners in related industries as a way to build valuable connections.  This hands-on approach to SEO is much deeper than simply adding keywords or changing programing.  A website programmer isn’t going to write an article, post pictures about a new product or service, or reach out to other businesses in a related market.

Why you should contact a website marketing or Boca Raton SEO expert before you make a new website.

When someone decides to make a website, they contact someone who is skilled at designing and constructing a website, or they may try to create a website themselves using an online website builder.   At this point the person who is hiring the designer, or making a DIY site usually has an idea regarding the content that should be included in the websites design.  For the person who wants to build a website themselves there are online website builders such as wix.com,  name some.  These online website builders are popular because they promise that they are easy to use and anyone can make their own website.  In many cases this is true.   However, there are many reasons why you should not use one of these online website builders.   Having used one myself, I learned first hand, what it is like to build a website, spend years marketing it, only to learn that I used the wrong platform and start over.

If you are serious about your business and your website, I believe using a website builder is a really bad idea.  I’m not going to dive into all the reasons why it’s such a bad idea, however here are a few reasons.  Website builders are really bad for SEO because you can’t use a SEO tool such as Yoast, or Rank Math or any of the other awesome SEO and Social Media tools available.  You don’t own your platform, you only have the website builder for support, Once you start with an online builder you are stuck with them.  Let’s consider this example.  You build a website with a website builder, when it is finished it looks great.  Then you share your site with everyone, years go by and you decide you want to get serious about your websites SEO.  So you decide, you want to add one of the awesome website tools available to market you website.  This is when you learn that you can only use the tools available from the online website builder you chose.  The problem is, now your website has build an online following.  If you decide to move your site, you will loose all your followers and the back-links.  Let’s say for some reason you have a problem with your website hosting, too bad, you are stuck with the website builder you started with.  In addition many businesses decide they want to do e–mail marketing, with an online website builder, your can only use the e-mail marketing platforms the website builder allows.  What if the website builder goes out of business?   These reasons are only the tip of the iceberg.  Sure, they look ok, are cheap, easy to use, but over the years, you may regret this choice.

My personal experience with a website builder.

Many years ago, I created a photography website using an online builder.  My website looked nice, It had a blog so that I could add additional content, and over they years my website build a following, attracted back-links and ranked higher online.   Then one day I realized changes were needed.  I wanted potential clients to see my best work on the home page and not necessarily my latest work.  I also wanted potential clients to have the option of finding images from a specific venue easily.   I couldn’t add SEO tracking and my website used Flash technology with was not SEO friendly.

In other words I needed a new website.  I hoped, I could simply transfer my old content to a new website format and make the needed changes.  Painfully, I realized that I couldn’t.  I had no choice but to make a new website.  Since I didn’t want to loose the website ranking from my old outdated website, I decided to create an additional website.  I did this using WordPress, which is the platform most people should use.   The day I realized just how much better my new website looked and functioned, I decided to pull the plug on my old site.  I tried to salvage the high ranking from the old site by having my hosting company create a 301 redirect.   The redirect worked, but Google and the other search engines, didn’t give my website the ranking I was hoping for.  They bottom line, start with the best platform, and hire or consult with a SEO marketing person before you construct a new website.  Don’t take my word for the reasons not to use a website builder, read here.

What does a Boca Raton SEO expert do?
When you hire a SEO marketing person you should expect a collaborative working relation. As a Boca Raton SEO professional I am always on the look out for new and creative marketing strategies. For example, a nice thank you message, left on voice mail, could be converted to text and used in a blog post. (make sure you get client permission first)
The bottom line from a Boca Raton SEO and website marketing expert.

Making an attractive looking website is great if all you desire is an online brochure.  However, if you expect your website to pull in organic traffic and new visitors, your website also needs to be created for that function as well.  If you are making a new website or would like to update your current website for online marketing call us for a free website evaluation.  We could be reached at (561) 737-5561  Our e-mail address is jeffdoesseo@gmail.com

General SEO posts

SEO West Palm Beach | An interesting comparison.

jeffdoesseo@gmail.com
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As someone who works doing SEO in West Palm Beach I am always thinking about SEO and Digital Marketing.  Recently, I thought about this comparison between SEO and the Stock Market.

Like many other people, I own some stocks.  Am I a stock expert? I can’t say that I am.    However, since I do own some stocks, I have spent a fairly good amount of time trying to educate myself in the area of the stock market and investing.  While in the car, or riding my bike, I often listen to stock podcasts, stock investing audio books, I to educate myself as much as possible with the time I have available.  I also research my investments, and do my best to learn what to do, and what not to do in the world of investing.

Stockmarket and SEO charts.
Looking at a SEO stats graph is similar to looking at a stock chart. In addition to both looking similar the have more in common than just looking the same.

If you’re looking for someone to help you with SEO in the West Palm Beach area” or “If you’re looking for someone who does great SEO in West Palm Beach call me at 561 737-5561 I love watching my clients stats go up over time.

As a SEO West Palm Beach expert, I spend countless hours studying the art and science of SEO.   I must admit, I know much more about SEO then the stock market.  I also own and operate a photography business.   As a photographer, I studied digital marketing as a way of booking more jobs.  When I started my journey as an SEO expert, I applied everything I was learned to my photography website.  I also checked my stats every day to see what kind of progress I was making.  For the first few months my keyword and site visits climbed, and I was thrilled to watch my ranking grow.  Then one day, everything came crashing down.  I had no idea why.  That’s when anxiety set in.   If your are reading this, chances are you are a SEO or marketing expert who pays close attention to your website stats.  While checking my SEO stats I kept thinking, this is like looking at my stock investment charts.    When viewing both my stock charts and my SEO charts, one factor rings true.   Viewing your SEO charts and your stock charts both play havoc with your nerves.

As a South Florida based digital marketing expert, I am thrilled when my clients website stats go up.  When they decline it’s upsetting.  However, peaks and valleys are a fact of life.

Speaking about Peaks and Valleys, here is a good read. Peaks and Valleys the book

SEO West Palm Beach
Watching your SEO stats and your stock market investments could be like riding a roller coaster. However, if you do everything right, you will be successful in the long term.

As a stock market investor, I’m thrilled when my stock picks climb and reach new highs.  Watching the value of my investments grow is not only thrilling; it also produces the sense that I actually know what I’m doing.  When a stock falls it’s a disappointment that leaves me wondering if I had any business purchasing that particular stock in the first place.  That’s when the “What was I thinking?”  Thoughts begin.   One example is my purchase of B&G Foods (BGS).  One day I noticed that BGS was selling for 24.46 a new low off it’s high of 51.00 I researched this stock and found for following:  The company makes money, it pays a nice dividend, sells a product that everyone needs.  Given that information, I made my purchase.  Then it crashed all the way down to 16.  Ouch, that hurt.  Did I sell, no now it’s back up to 29.20, so I made money, I also collected that dividend, thank you.  If you take a step back and look at BGS’s long-term chart you can see it’s consistently climbing.

As a SEO West Palm Beach, I get that same thrill when I watch my keyword and visitor-ranking climb.  As I watch my keyword ranking climb from 1500 to 2000 or more, I get that sense of; hey I really know what I’m doing.  Then one day, for no good reason, my ranking of 2000 keywords drops to 1600.  As I think, what?   Then I just stare at my Ubersuggest or SEMrush stats and think, they must be wrong.   Actually they are correct.  Just like the stock market, sometimes keyword rankings drop for what seem like no good reason.  Your content could be perfectly written, with all the right outbound links, perfect use of keywords and no duplicate content.  There is that state of anxiety again, along with a dose of, what did I do wrong?  The reality is, you may not have done anything wrong.  Maybe Google changed their algorithm again, maybe your ranking changed as a result of other competing websites. It’s also possible your hosting company made a change.

SEO Expert in West Palm Beach, Florida
Success in SEO website marketing doesn’t happen over night. Just like your stock portfolio, studying the market, being consistent, and keeping your cool, all play a part in online success

In many cases, I did nothing wrong, what I have learned over time is, if I wait it out, my website stats will return to normal or even grow higher, that is if I keep adding high quality content.    This doesn’t mean I don’t take action, when my SEO stats drop.   I certainly do, because there is always a chance that I did make a mistake.  I just don’t panic.  Instead of freaking out, I simply check my past work for potential mistakes.  I go back and check my latest blog posts for potential issues, such as, too many keywords?  Did Google penalize me for keyword stuffing?  How about bogus backlinks?  I also use Yoast to check my content making sure my writing and SEO is correct.  I also realize that my drop in stats could be simply a matter of being out done by your competition, the solution add more content.

There are many reasons why your SEO stats could drop.  Some factors are completely out of your control.  A drop in ranking is reason for concern but not panic.  This is a time to check for possible SEO mistakes. 

Just like my SEO stats it’s easy to freaking out a bit when I see my stock portfolio take a dive.    There I am asking that it question again, how can this happen?  The company I own stock in makes money, has a great product, and even pays a dividend.  How could it crash?  Just like SEO, a stock taking a dive could have nothing to do with anything major.  Maybe, its just investors taking profits?  Maybe it’s a piece of disturbing news that really amounts to nothing long term.  Just like managing your website’s SEO, freaking, out when one of your stock picks takes a hit is not a time to panic.  Every stock investor will tell you, a down stock doesn’t necessarily mean, sell, it may just be a buying opportunity.  If I freaked out every time one of my stocks dipped, my nerves would be shot.

SEO and Stock investing follow the same formula, slow and steady.  I always say, nothing in SEO is fast, you can’t write a piece of content for a high volume keyword and expect to be on page one organically over night.  Getting a piece of content on page one, takes time along with consistent website content updates.  The same holds true for the stock market, although there are some lucky stocks that do increase dramatically in a matter of hours.  Then again, many crash back down to earth days later.  I remember listening to an investment podcast in which the stock expert said; watching your stock portfolio grow is like watching grass grow.  You can’t actually see it grow.  Then years later you are amazed that your portfolio grew so much, of course that is, if you choose good high quality stocks and stay diversified.

Here is an interesting article in how you can use SEO skills to win at Stocks. Using SEO to win at Stocks

Building equity online is as valuable as a high performing stock that pays a dividend.

Think about this, if you own equity in a high quality stock that posts earnings and pays a dividend, you will receive a continual quarterly payment.  This is money you receive for simply owning this investment.  For the investor working to build up this equity took lots of work and dedication, at one point the money invested results in a financial return that is ongoing.  This principle also applies to SEO.  Here is an example,  A client hired me to manage their website.  I was required to fix the problems on their website that prevented them from ranking online. Next I started the process of adding content and promoting their website.  For the first two months nothing happened.  Then after another month, they moved to position  70 (Page 7)  as tracked by  SEMrush and Google Search Console.  After another two months of adding more content and promoting their site, they moved up to page 3.  It took another 2 months for them to hit page one.  However, now they are staying on page one with little effort.  Because they have built some domain score equity, their website is now having an easier time ranking new keywords.  Their latest long-tail keyword phrase landed a page one ranking after only two months.  Of course a page one ranking is dependent on the keywords volume and difficulty.  My point is, just like building an investment  which pays a dividend on a regular basis,  bulding a high domain score also pays a dividend of sorts in the way of online traffic.  

Working as a SEO West Palm beach expert, I’m always studying my craft.  Just like learning about the stock market, learning about SEO or Digital Marketing in general requires a never-ending learning approach.  There is always more to learn.  In addition the world of SEO changes often.   In the future we voice search, and photo recognition will become more mainstream.  Just like continuously learning about the stock market, always studying SEO on a regular basis is required for success online.

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