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​Web Design & SEO Blog

Is Your Website At Risk?

7/9/2017

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Google announces next phase for mobile
​friendly website ranking!

For about the last 2 years Google has been silently changing the way have been ranking sites. Well, silent to the majority of the worlds' population, but if you're in Web Design or SEO and you don't know about it, you're living under a rock! With the increased use of smartphones and tablets came the increase of Google searches from these devices. This, couple with the fact that more searches are now done from mobile than desktop PC's, Google decided to rethink it's ranking practices. Google is just like every other smart company, they are constantly trying to improve the experience for their consumer, and adapting their core product in order to do so! Who is Google's consumer? Well there are many Google products, but mainly their Search Engine. Google processes 40,000 searches per second, 3.5 BILLION per day, and 1.2 TRILLION a year. So, with that many customers, you want to make sure your product gives them the best experience possible.   

So why the change?

The answer to that question should be pretty obvious! If you have 40,000 searches per second, and now close to 60% (about 24,000) of those are from a mobile device, you gotta make a change! So they started giving websites that are mobile friendly a higher ranking. This is a nice way of saying that if your site is not mobile friendly you got pushed down the ranks. This has been dubbed in the SEO space as Mobilegeddon!

So now, the next phase of Mobilegeddon! Google is call this phase "mobile-first indexing." With this update, they will be using a mobile versions of sites first, which is obvious why they named it as such. Currently they are still using desktop versions of sites to rank sites and supplementing it with mobile versions found and bumping them up accordingly!  

Don't believe me?  I get it, I mean who am I? To read all about it check out the full article from Forbes magazine by clicking here, or click on the image below this post! 

One thing is clear, if you don't know if your site is mobile friendly, you can test it yourself! Click on this link Google Mobile Friendly Test, enter your sites URL (example: yoursitename.com) and click the "Run Test" button! Typically, if your site was built before 2010, chances are it is not mobile friendly, but more importantly, even if it is, before this coming update you should have an SEO professional make sure your site is ready. Dropping in rank means losing sales, and we know how much business owners hate losing sales. 

Thanks for reading, and if you need SEO or Web Design, make sure you go to any page and fill out the contact form or call 864-621-8068.
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SEO In Spartanburg- What To Look For & What To Stay Away From!

7/7/2017

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I hear it all the time when speaking to new prospective clients! They are leery of hiring an SEO company because they have been burned in the past. You know what I mean? They promise you page 1 ranking, take your money every month, but you may see minimal movement in your ranks! You call them and ask them to add or change something, but you never get to speak with the person doing the work, and it takes days or weeks to see the changes! I had a large SEO company call me once, before I learned SEO, He told me he would get me page 1 ranking, I was sold! I paid that company for almost an entire year, and never got page 1! When I called and told them I was cancelling the service,the conversation went like this:

ME: You told me you'd get me page 1 ranking!

THEM: No we didn't!

ME: Excuse me? Yes you did, that's why I bought! 

THEM: We would never promise you page 1!

ME: Well you did, you said whatever would get you the sale! I'm done! Cancel me effective immediately!

THEM: Well, we can give you a discounted rate for 3 months if you stay!

ME: Why would I stay with a company that just told me a bold faced lie? Cancel it now!

Sound Familiar? So how do you avoid this same situation? I'm going to give you a few pointers on what to look for and what to stay away from!



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TIPS

  • Look for an SEO company that is relatively small, but still knows what they're are doing! This will keep the relationship to a more personal business relationship, you won't be a number lost in the crowd.
  • Go to their website, Google their business, do some due diligence to see if you can find evidence that backs up what they tell you!
  • Look for someone that is willing to take the time to educate you on the process and why they do each task. If they can educate you on the process, it will help you determine if they know what they are talking about! So, even if it bores the daylights out of you, go along, it will help you in the long run. 
  • Look at where they rank in their market. I mean if they know SEO, shouldn't they be ranking?
  • Be very cautious if they PROMISE #1 in the map! Granted this can be done, but they don't own Google, and they can't control what Google does! 
  • Be very cautious if they give you a short time-frame for ranking! SEO is not a fast process! There are black hat SEO methods that tend to have short term results or could get you penalized by Google, but will boost you rather quickly, and there are white hat SEO methods that tend to have long term results! A good rule of thumb is a 3-6 month window to see results. Depending on different variables such as niche, amount of competition, population of the market, etc., you may not be #1 in the map, but you should see consistent forward progress. Remember, slow & steady wins the race. I know as a business owner, you want that ROI (return on investment), but when it comes to SEO, patience is a virtue.
  • Be cautious if they are a fast talker, are rushing you off the phone or are just anxious to get the credit card information.
  • Finally, be cautious if the company or the person representing the company offers a very low price for service. The things that need to be done incur expenses! If they are offering you SEO service for $150-$250/mo., they either don't know what they are doing, or they will not get you the results! Expect a realistic price of $750+/mo. Remember, you get what you pay for!
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So, I hope this post was helpful! If you need SEO or Web Design for you business in Spartanburg or anywhere for that matter, call Carpe DM Products, you'll be glad you did!
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What To Look For In A Web Designer

6/19/2017

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So you've made the decision to begin the process of having a website built? Before you jump in, take a while to sit down and take some notes about what you really need in a web designer.

Communication: There are a lot of aspects that need to be discussed before, during and after the site build! You need to discuss the feel of the site that you want, color scheme, font  selection, etc. You need to agree on how the designer will secure the images needed, will they be purchased, or will the client furnish images. There are many more things that have to be decided, so you need to have a designer that is a great communicator and is able to make themselves available when needed! If they won't return phone calls or it takes a week to answer an e-mail, you will get frustrated and more importantly, the project will not remain on schedule.

Functionality:  While every business wants a site that is beautiful and is an accurate representation of their business, the primary function of a website is to advertise your business and drive sales. Having a designer that knows SEO is a must. There is a lot of SEO that needs to be done during the build! Alt tags, Title tags, meta descriptions, keyword placement in the content, etc. If you hire a designer that has no clue about these things, you will have a site that will not be seen by your prospective customers,  or anyone else for that matter. You will then find yourself hiring an SEO person that will have to go in and fix all of that, costing you additional money and potential sales.

Knowledgeable: There are certain trends and requirements that should be know by the designer as well. For instance, they should know that ANY site built in today's market should be mobile friendly. 60% of all searches are done from a mobile device such as a tablet or mobile phone. Google has begun to give sites that are mobile friendly a higher rank in the results and this pushes non-compliant sites down in the ranks. If you designer does not know things like this, your site will be at a great disadvantage from the beginning and could cost you money to have it fixed or even require a rebuild.

Time Manager: Staying on schedule for a project is crucial because you're spending money on the site and the sooner you get it launched and begin ranking it, the sooner you can get a return on that money! If your builder has no sense of urgency about getting the site done correctly and staying on schedule, you're losing money! If, at the beginning of the process, you ask to see examples of work, or ask for some other deliverable to gauge speed of deliverance, and you don't get it by the agreed upon time, it's a good indication that they lack the time management skills to keep the project on schedule!
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There are many variables to take into consideration, and this is by no means a comprehensive list, but it should get your mind moving in the right direction.

If you have any questions about your upcoming design or SEO needs, please give Carpe DM a call, I'd be glad to help!
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#spartanburgwebdesign
#spartanburgseo
#carpedmproducts  

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Are you an SEO Hopper?

5/12/2017

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I see it all the time! Some business owners are so hungry for business that they won't get out of their own way and stick with a plan, or worse, are reluctant to move forward. They just know that they have to do something and the flight or fight reaction kicks in. Look, I get it, you have to have money coming in so that you can stay in business. If the person doing your SEO promised you page 1 immediately or ever, they did themselves and more importantly, you a great disservice! If you have someone that knows SEO well, you could very well get on page 1, but in very few instances will it be quickly! This is what creates the SEO hopper! They want the ranking NOW, and they will move from company to company trying to make that happen! This results in very little movement, and a LOT of wasted money, and time!

One of the biggest mistakes an SEO company can do is NOT set realistic expectations for their prospective client. This is because they are focused on one thing, closing the deal! If closing the deal means promising that you'll have customers lined up to the moon, that's what their promising you! Personally, I would rather be up front with you and ensure you that what I do works, but in a lot of cases, and due to a lot of variables, it likely will take 3 to 6 months to rank your site.  Now, with that being said, if the SEO company gets right to work, you should see some movement in your ranking in a few weeks. 

Results Based SEO

It is my firm belief that results will ensure your client retention. As I said earlier in this post, setting realistic expectations up front will also help with client retention.  But alas, inevitably you will have the antsy client that, although you told them it would take time, they want faster results.

It is because of this that if I have a client that has used several SEO companies in the past, I will propose a results based plan. I start them out at one rate, then as their site ranks for a keyword or phrase, the rate goes up to the next pre-defined rate, then again with the next keyword, and so forth until we reach the final pre-determined rate. This does a couple of things. It helps to ensure the client that you're going to work harder to get to the next level of income. It helps boost the clients confidence that you know what you're doing because you wouldn't make the offer if you didn't think you could deliver. And it incentivizes the SEO company to actually perform. 
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Now this plan, in all honesty, is completely tilted in the clients favor. Most of the work and expense of SEO is done on the front end of the campaign, which is why I don't do this all the time ( I gotta eat)! But, I will propose this to a prospective client that is on the fence or reluctant to believe that I will deliver. 
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If You Are A Hopper

​This paragraph it directed to you, the Hopper! When you are shopping for an SEO company, please make sure you find one that will educate you on the process. Not the technical stuff that will bore you to sleep, but a step by step plan for ranking your site. If they can't give you or won't give you some details as to what they plan to do, beware! If they promise you page 1 in a couple of weeks, beware! We cannot control Google, and some niche businesses take more time to rank than others.  If they set the expectations and give you a reasonable gameplan, and you make a deal, give them time to deliver. 
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Hop To It!

If you like what I've said in this article and you want to hire your LAST SEO person, hop on over to any page on my website and fill out the form, or better yet, call 864-621-8068. I would love to chat with you about what you're trying to accomplish for your business! I look for clients that are serious about building and maintaining growth and I want to be their SEO person! Long term results come from long term business relationships!
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#spartanburgwebdesign
#seospartanburg
#carpedmproducts
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Google gods: What Does Google Want In Regards to SEO?

5/8/2017

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When figuring out what it takes to rank a website, you have to take into consideration who is the standard. Everybody knows that Google is the search king! So when you want to rank a site, you have to ask yourself what is Google's ultimate goal? Google's goal is to satisfy their customers, just like every business. 
Who is their customer? Well, anybody that has ever conducted a search using Google! Pretty close to everybody on the planet!
 
So, what's their plan? Google wants to give searchers (their customers) what every other business wants to give their customers; the best experience possible! The way they do that is to give them the absolute best information on the internet for the search topic. 

How do they do that? Glad you asked! They constantly crawl the internet for information. They use that information to form the search results. They put the best results at the top of the list, which in Google's case is in the map section and on page one of the organic listings (listngs below the map).
So now ask yourself, what gets you to the top of that list? 

Well, we said Google wants information! So, if you have the most information in your field, who do you think will be at the top?
But information is not enough. The information has to be relevant to the topic searched. Luckily people won't search for underwater basket weaving if they need a plumber, so that makes it a little easier. 

What does Google look at?

Google looks at hundreds of criteria when ranking a site. But, there are 3 main things that business owners and SEO analysts need to consider.
1. Content - The best way to become relevant is to show Google you are the authority on your topic. The more informative your site is, the higher it will rank. If your competitor has little content on their site, this is an easy fix. If not, keep adding content until you have more!
2. Citations - This is simply putting your business information on directories throughout the internet. The more times Google finds your business info, the more relevant your site becomes.
3. Backlinks - Backlinks are like votes for your website. However, you need to be careful and make sure the backlink comes from a relevant site and the more noteable the site, the better. (for example, if your site is for home construction, you'll want links from sites that have to do with this topic. A backlink from a bakery site has no relevance to home construction). Now, all links don't have the same power! Think about this, if you're running for some local office, and you get endorsed by Jim Bob, nobody cares. However, if you get endorsed by the mayor, suddenly eyes start looking at you! Backlinks are the same way, if you get a backlink on Home Depot's site and you're a home builder, how powerful is that? This was just used as an example, so don't go running to Home Depot asking for a link, they'll send you to the fence department or they'll just look at you funny!

This is just a few of the things and a big over-simplification of the SEO process, but it should give you a better understanding of why your website is not ranking or what to work on if you're a budding SEO person. 

Make sure to share this if you found the information helpful! 
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Introducing Carpe DM Products Blog

5/6/2017

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Web Design & Seo Blog Spartanburg
In my ongoing effort to bring value to my clients, future clients and provide general knowledge about web design and SEO, I would like to introduce to you Carpe DM's Blog! I will write about a variety of topics, share articles about Web Design, SEO and Internet Marketing and share tips on how to improve your business's online presence! If at any time you would like to have me share information on a specific topic related to Web Design or SEO, please feel free to fill out a contact form on any of the other pages of this site or simply comment and I will gladly do my best to comply! Thanks for supporting Carpe DM Products, and don't forget to visit us on Facebook, Twitter & LinkedIn.
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    Mike Hall

    Owner: Mike Hall
    Carpe DM Products Web Designer
    SEO Specialist

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