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Sep
14
How Exactly Do Search Engines Work?
Posted by Meredith B on 14 September 2020 09:49 am

We know we open an internet search page, type in what we’re looking for, and hope we get what we’re looking for. But what is actually going on? Many consumers don’t actually know how search engines work. And even more just click on the first thing that pops up, which is usually an ad.

how search engines work

When you type a query into a search engine, all relevant pages are identified and given to you in a set of search engine results. This relevant data is driven by more than what you just typed in, other information is used such as:

  • Your location
  • Language
  • Previous search engine history
  • Which type of device is being used (mobile, desktop)

The websites that are being returned to you are also determined by Google algorithms which can be made up by all kinds of different factors. These factors can include:

  • The relevant keywords or phrases used on a page of a website that could be included in your search.
  • The intended search, yes, Google usually knows what you intended to search for.
  • What’s new; Google is always looking for freshness. What’s the latest movie, or what’s the latest release on Netflix. Google knows those types of searches matter, so they will rank higher.
  • Search engines also reward high quality content. They’re looking for experts in the field, and other things like content that can be trusted. This can come in the form of quality backlinks and how well the site is optimized.
  • Websites that rank higher are also websites that are usable. They need to be speedy, mobile friendly, and they will typically be located in close proximity to you. They’re not going to send you halfway around the world to a pizza place.

How search engines work should matter to you, because you’re trying to reach consumers and rank higher on search engine results pages. You need to be creating content for users, not search engines like Google or Bing, because ultimately, users drive exactly how search engines work!

The post How Exactly Do Search Engines Work? appeared first on Webtivity Marketing & Design.


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Mar
10
5 Ways to Handle Online Reviews to Win Customers
Posted by Didier Bizimungu on 10 March 2017 12:04 pm

Why do online reviews matter?

online reviews importance to SEOYou already know that online reviews are feedback left by past customers on websites, but why should you even pay attention to them? There are hundreds of reasons why online reviews make a powerful online marketing tool. Most important of all is customer relationship management. Client satisfaction is the cornerstone of the success of any business venture regardless of its size.

Before online reviews there were testimonials, an affidavit of a business’s quality of service.  In today’s fast paced internet world most people (91%) regularly or occasionally read online reviews. Online reviews have become the new word-of-mouth communication tool for customers among each other.

Search engines that cater to these very same customers have noticed how much emphasis users place on reviews. Therefore, they have enacted algorithm changes to the way they present search results to favor better reviewed websites. Online reviews are invaluable to Search Engine Optimization, especially to small businesses.

Top 5 best online review websites

If you are a small local business, like Webtivity!, you don’t have a huge amount of resources to begin with. Let your friendly local web design marketing company make mastering your online reviews game a whole lot easier. Here is a list of the top five online review websites you should be focusing most of your efforts on:

  • Google – Head on over to Google My Business and claim your profile if you haven’t already done so. Google the biggest search engine on earth now includes your business’s ranking within search engine result pages.
  • Facebook – Facebook has its own review section for your business’s Facebook page. This ranking is now included in the Google Business Pack as well.
  • Yelp – Yelp is the next contender. It receives over 145 million unique visitors on a monthly basis!
  • Yellow Pages – This old classic is still favored by millions as their go-to business research landing page. This fact does not look to be changing, as they are position themselves as an online marketing service provider.
  • Bing Places – Microsoft’s answer to Google My Business this powerful review engine is not to be ignored. This is the second most popular search engine after Google, and yes, it does indeed include ratings as part of its rankings calculation.

How can I ask customers to leave online reviews?

asking for online reviewsYou understand how important online reviews are to your local business’s success, but how do you get or encourage clients to leave those reviews? There are several ways to encourage clients to leave reviews.

The easiest approach is after a sale is made or a service is provided. This is when the customer has your business fresh in their minds; they understand the benefit your business has provided so they are more likely to make the effort to leave a review. Strike while the iron is hot so to speak.

To acquire reviews indirectly, businesses have employed feedback cards, QR codes, emails, and even phone calls to encourage clients to leave reviews. When suggesting to a client to leave a review, remember to focus on one or two of the major sites we previously mentioned where you need reviews the most.

How do I track online reviews?

Now that your business has started receiving reviews how do you keep track of all the various review sites? There are various solutions out there but they cost money. If you currently have a search engine optimization partner managing your digital marketing efforts, give Webtivity a look (hint shameless plug).

If you are more of the do-it-yourself kind of person, look into setting up a Google Alert on your branded name. For example for us that would be “Webtivity Marketing and Designs”.  You’ll be notified any time your business is mentioned online.

Another nifty online tool for review management is Social Mention. They will track a variety of social media platforms for mentions of your branded name as mentioned above. It is free and it allows you to set up email alerts for specific keywords.

It bears mentioning that none of these tools beat regular manual checking of your listings on the review sites we mentioned earlier.

How do I handle negative reviews?

how do I handle negative online reviewsJust like positive reviews, you should strive to respond to each and every negative review. There are several guidelines you should follow however to ensure you do not make an already bad situation worse. You will only serve to alienate the customer and anyone else who reads that review.

Do not write anything argumentative or even defensive. Instead seek to resolve the customer’s issue as fast and as directly as possible. Reach out with a message offering to help solve the difficulty this client had with your product or service.

If the issue is resolved, ask the client to update their review, most happy clients will. If they do not respond your response should act as a great signal to potential customers that you care about client satisfaction.

Finally, bury negative reviews with positive ones. Redouble your efforts to acquire more reviews to balance out the negative reviews. Most clients looking for reviews will only pay attention to the final business review standing.

3 biggest mistakes small businesses make with online reviews

  • Not being responsive – The easiest way to lose potential clients, and subsequently search engine rankings, is by not being responsive to your online review platforms. Strive to have a 100% score on thanking all reviewers, as well as asking them for more feedback. In other words, reviews represent a unique opportunity to directly engage your clientele.
  • Combative responses – Even worse than being non-responsive, is responding in a negative and combative manner. This signals to users that whoever is managing this business is not a mature individual. A lack of tact can ruin any business.
  • Self or fraudulent reviews – This is the biggest no-no since no-nos were invented. You should never engage in this unethical practice. Review platforms have gotten sophisticated enough to be able to track false reviews. This earns a negative mark for your business and sinks your already floundering reputation even lower.

If I leave you with one thing…

Engage, engage, and engage. Please do not disregard the online review marketplace as a non-issue in your marketing efforts. Make sure your business is taking advantage of this free source of direct client to business engagement opportunity.

If you are ready to make the first step give us a call at (941) 753-7574 or schedule a quick conversation with Tim!

For more facts about online reviews check out this awesome infrographic from our friends over at invespcro:

The importance of online customer reviews

 

Infographic by- Invesp

The post 5 Ways to Handle Online Reviews to Win Customers appeared first on .


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Jan
24
Recommendation Engines
Posted by Troy Newport on 24 January 2013 08:33 am

Helpful? or Diversity Suppressor?

Search engines and social platforms have been stridently moving toward a “recommendation engine” model over the past several years.  That means they track past behavior and try to figure out what information to serve to you based on that past behavior.  In other words, instead of giving you a ‘true’ set of results based on their algorithm, you’re provided with a set of results based on what they think you want because of what you and others have done in the past.

How do you feel about that?

In order to provide recommendations based on your past behavior, that means Google, Facebook, and other platforms using this model must store data about your past online behavior.  Searches you’ve done, websites you’ve visited, how long you’ve stayed there, etc.  Privacy advocates aren’t too happy about that, but the companies in question promise the data is stored without identifiable information attached. 

But beyond privacy, what do you think about the fact that results are based on your past behavior?  This model assumes that your tastes will never evolve, and assumes they can predict what you would like. 

I don’t know about you, but I have a diverse set of tastes.  When I go my favorite restaurant (we’ll call this restaurant ‘Google’) I may have a favorite menu item, but I may want to try different things on the menu just for the sake of trying something new.  But if the restaurant staff immediately serves me Two Friends Panang every time I walk through the door, I won’t have a chance to be exposed to other things on their menu.  Other things I may like better.

Even worse, what if my favorite waitress (we’ll call her ‘Facebook’) forced me to eat what she wanted me to eat every time I came to the restaurant?  I’m pretty sure I would build up some resentment over time.  I don’t like people making decisions for me. 

So while I understand the need for fancy algorithms to aid us in accessing the volumes of information we seek every day, do we need all these “personalization” algorithms?  And anyway, can you fancy schmancy programmers really guess what I want?  Am I that predictable?  When I log onto iTunes and see the ridiculous suggestions displayed by their Genius, the answer is a resounding “no”.

 


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