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5 Local SEO Strategies For Your Business

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In the age of instant information and smartphones in every pocket, Local SEO rose to become one of the more powerful tools for businesses of all sizes. Everyone sees and understands the importance of Maps Listings and “Near Me” searches… but we still get a lot of questions concerning where to start and what “Local” SEO means.

Some of the best strategies for Local SEO are things that any business owner can get started on. Many of these things are possible to work on from the comfort of your home or office but can still feel daunting without an introduction. That’s why the team at Efferent Media put together these five strategies to get you started.

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Filed Under: SEO

Top Healthcare Digital Marketing Tips for 2021

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The past year was difficult for many. Yet here at Efferent Media, our healthcare clients had a good year, unlike many of their competitors. As circumstances change for 2021, here are marketing tips to make it the best year yet for your healthcare practice.

1. Social media is more important than ever.

Prospective patients want to get a sense of your practice before they visit. Due to COVID, showing your safety procedures is beneficial. If your healthcare practice focuses on cosmetic conditions such as hair loss, cosmetic dentistry, etc. they want to see before-and-after photos and videos.

However, healthcare social media has challenges and pitfalls. It should be neither boring nor make unreasonable claims. Repetition is another trap. Instead… it needs to be authentic, have a welcoming and authoritative tone, and convey a sense of the experience patients will receive.

2. Invest in high-quality content.

Prospective patients have questions. In fact, a Becker Hospital Review study found that 72 percent of people research healthcare-related questions online – with 87 percent researching a specific condition. Answering those topics with clear and well-written content positions you as an authority, gives them confidence in choosing you, and helps to pre-sell your services. Good quality content supports your website’s SEO and your social media campaigns.

3. Use attractive visuals

The phrase “a picture is worth a thousand words” is true. The popularity of Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok has only strengthened that. Include photos of your office – it sets expectations and makes you more accessible.

Make sure even your written content is visually appealing by using bullet points, lists, and shorter paragraphs where it makes sense. Break up written content with relevant, compelling images.

4. Have a well-designed website

User experience is a Google ranking factor as of 2021. A clean, logical, attractive layout will both appeal to your clients and improve your site’s traffic and retention.

5. Multi-channel marketing is a must

Now, more than ever, a comprehensive marketing strategy is important. When crafted properly, one aspect can support the others and draw in the right patients that are primed for your services.

6. Ensure a good online reputation

People want the right healthcare practice that listens and takes care of its patients. Testimonials provide proof of that and build trust. Monitoring your ratings on Google My Business, ZocDoc, etc. and addressing poor responses is essential to instill confidence in your prospects.

In fact, negative reviews give your business a chance to shine if you handle it well. Obviously, you don’t want negative reviews… but hiding them is a mistake. Showing that you listen and respond appropriately to disputes attracts new customers, and readers can tell when a complaint is unreasonable.

Reviews are also a ranking factor for Google. That ties into our last tip.

7. Focus on local SEO

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, people are sticking closer to home. Even without lockdowns and travel restrictions, people are more interested in finding what they want and need closer to home, traveling less, and knowing more about the places they patronize. While “near me” results are always important, focusing on your local SEO and ensuring it is optimized for the latest Google updates will position you better in this environment.

Efferent Media Are the Medical Marketing Experts

If you have a medical, healthcare or wellness business, Efferent Media has the experience you need to grow your business and fill your appointment list. Whether it’s a HIPAA-compliant website design, lead generation campaign, or a full marketing plan, our team at Efferent Media will tailor each of our services for you and your business. Contact us today and have the website your business deserves.

2021 Google Algorithm Updates and Their Impact

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Google has rolled out an unusual number of algorithm updates during the past few months, with alarming regularity. Beginning in September, updates were issued every month, ranging from minor to significant. Since August, many glitches have also caused headaches for search engine optimization specialists, site owners, and developers. Let’s look at the last six months of Google updates and what they mean for your website.

Summary of Recent Google Updates and Glitches

• September 2020

September saw several significant Google issues. On September 2-3, significant fluctuations in local search results occurred. On September 15, a substantial amount of SERP volatility pointed to a possible algorithm update. On September 23, signs of another algorithm update appeared. On September 30, pages that were previously indexed began dropping out of the index. On October 1, via a series of Tweets from their Search Liaison account, Google confirmed the indexing outages that affected mobile-indexing and canonical issues occurred on September 23.

• October 2020

On October 14-15, Google experienced further indexing issues due to “infrastructure changes.” Although not an algorithm update, the indexing issue led to increased traffic fluctuations and impacted keyword rankings.

• November 2020

Several algorithm updates resulted in significant ranking and traffic volatility and fluctuation. From November 4th-11th, increased SERP fluctuations occurred. On November 17th and 18th, considerable ranking and traffic spikes appeared, indicating a significant ranking algorithm update. On Monday the 23rd, indications of yet another algorithm update with notable keyword and traffic spikes occurred.

• December 2020

A core algorithm update began rolling out on December 3 and was fully rolled out on December 16. Unlike other updates, this one came in separate, distinct waves – with the second wave landing December 11. In terms of impact, it was the most substantial algorithm update since the May 2020 update.

The December update resulted in website traffic and keyword rankings undergoing extreme fluctuations. Ranking and traffic movement were seen in virtually every industry. The algorithm’s release immediately before a more stressful-than-usual holiday shopping season was unexpected and seen by many industry professionals as poorly timed.

• January 2021

A Google algorithm update was detected on January 7th and 8th. Another minor update was noticed on January 12, and a third small algorithm update was noted on January 26-27th. While none were as weighty as the December update, organic traffic and rankings were subject to more fluctuations.

• February 2021

While fewer Google algorithm updates happened in February, they were still significant. The first update occurred February 7th-9th, causing massive shifts in organic search visits (from 30-40%).

The Google passage ranking update rolled out on February 10. This update meant that Google’s algorithm will now rank individual passages of text within long-form content. The third algorithm update occurred on February 17. Unusually, direct traffic was impacted as well as organic rankings and searches. Both traffic sources experienced fluctuations of up to 30%.

So What Do These Updates All Mean?

As this post was written, a considerable Google update occurred on March 10. Google announced in May 2020 that, due to the increasing importance of user experience, as of 2021 page experience will become a website ranking factor. The introduction of Core Web Vitals also occurred in May 2020 to provide site owners with experience metrics to integrate user experience into the core algorithm.

What does this mean? Why is Google introducing significant updates to their algorithm every month when previously major updates occurred one to three times per year? As Google usually is less than forthcoming when even confirming an update (much less the reasons behind it), the following is speculative not conclusive.

  1. Google is trying to correct errors impacting other tools. Since the algorithm is updated on a continuous rolling basis, new updates may be affecting other Google tools negatively and their engineers are attempting to correct them. The October 2020 mobile-indexing and canonicalization bug is a prime example of a tool issue that needed to be resolved.
  2. Google is introducing new features and updates too closely. Passage indexing was announced in October 2020. Subtopic ranking began in November 2020. The massive core update dropped in December 2020. Is it possible that Google’s algorithm is having an issue integrating so many new indexing sub-programs? Not likely, but always possible.
  3. Is Google trying to keep up with RankBrain? RankBrain is Google’s machine-learning artificial intelligence at the heart of processing and providing the most relevant search results. RankBrain is one of the top three most important ranking factors in Google’s search algorithm (out of approximately 200 ranking factors).
     
    Google’s engineers admitted in March 2016 that they don’t fully understand how RankBrain works, less than six months after their October 2015 announcement confirming its existence and integration into the core algorithm. Is it possible that the machine-learning AI has moved even further along in its evolution to a point where Google’s engineers are struggling to keep up? It’s a concerning and somewhat alarming possibility that Google’s custom Tensor Processing Unit combined with the AI has evolved beyond Google’s engineers to do anything but play catch up.
  4. Everything is focused on the big experience update. This update is unusual already as Google announced it well in advance of its release and introduced a suite of metrics to help website owners improve their sites before the update occurred. Is Google playing hardball now to get search engine professionals and developers motivated to make potentially costly and extensive changes in anticipation of the May 2021 update and semi future-proof their sites? While Google’s Ad revenue increases in direct response to lower quality scores, it’s possible that Google is assisting site owners because they are feeling pressure from other ad networks, including Facebook and Apple.

Time will tell what the result of this continuing series of algorithm updates is. Until then, as a site owner, all you can do is continue to improve on-page and off-page search engine ranking factors. Improvements can include:

  • Publishing relevant and authoritative content.
  • Improving your link profile.
  • Enhancing user experience factors such as page load speed.

We are the Search Engine Optimization Experts

The Google-certified SEO specialists at Efferent Marketing can help your site prepare for upcoming Google updates. Our team stays current with all of Google’s announced updates, and we develop comprehensive strategies so that algorithm-induced changes are minimal.

If your site was negatively impacted by a Google update or was assessed a penalty, we can assist in site recovery. Contact Efferent Media today for a website audit and assessment by calling (631) 867-0900 or email us at info@efferent.media.

5 Tips for Spring Cleaning Your Digital Marketing Efforts

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With spring right around the corner, scheduling some spring cleaning for your digital marketing is just as crucial as sprucing up your house. Digital marketing encompasses many techniques and strategies to increase your product’s visibility or services, across a wide array of channels.

Many online guides offer conflicting advice for increasing traffic, which can be overwhelming and confusing. Luckily, we have created a condensed, informative list of ways to polish up your marketing efforts.

How Can I “Spring Clean” My Marketing?

  1. Be Specific When Targeting Consumers

    2. Data is the most crucial element to pay attention to when trying to increase conversions, and according to Emarsys.com, data should influence every decision that a digital marketing team makes. When reading and interpreting your data, use it to find ways to tailor the marketing experience that your consumers have.

    Platforms, such as Google Analytics, allow you to organize your audience by creating audience segments. Data makes it possible to develop more specific marketing for an audience segment based on their purchase history, demographics, and even the channel they found you through. Based on this information, you can make product recommendations for similar products… driving increased conversions.

  2. Make Customer Service a Priority

    3. If you are serious about increasing traffic to your website through digital marketing, you must focus on excellent customer service. When customers are treated well and feel comfortable shopping with your company, they are more likely to become repeat customers.

    A vital element of customer service is communication, which includes responding to customer questions and concerns. According to VoyMedia.com, including a chatbot on your website provides an added way to address any issues or hesitation that consumers may have. The more information you give your consumers, the more confident they will be and the more likely they are to purchase your product or service.

  3. Ensure That Your Website is Mobile-Friendly

    4. BroadbandSearch.net reports that mobile traffic has continuously surpassed desktop traffic on the Internet since 2016. The growth of mobile traffic means that having a website optimized for both desktop users and mobile users is essential for your company or risk high bounce rates for mobile users. Ways to improve the mobile experience include having slightly different website layouts for mobile and desktop and modifying your mobile website to decrease clutter and improve site speed.

    A responsive website design would be the best option to ensure an optimal user experience. If your customers can easily navigate your website and find what they’re searching for, this positive user experience improves the chances of completing a purchase.

  4. Update Your Website Regularly

    5. According to Forbes.com, a key to improving your digital marketing efforts is to update your website often. Improvements can include regularly adding new products to your website or uploading unique content that your audience can find useful.

    Regular blog posts, tutorials, FAQs, and other informative content can answer important customer questions and help improve your website rankings for desired search terms. However, be sure not to sacrifice the quality of your content by keyword stuffing. Only incorporate target search terms when it makes sense, so your audience receives the intended message.

  5. Increase Your Social Media Presence

    6. A strong social media presence is another overlooked but critical element for reaching your target audience. PopUpSmart.com states that using social networks is a great way to grow and maintain your brand’s popularity by connecting with existing and prospective customers.

    Depending on the platform you choose; you can provide product tutorial videos, answer questions, notify your audience of giveaways, and more. It will boost audience trust in your brand and your authority within your industry. These are both likely to increase conversions.

Final Takeaways

Many methods are available to attract more attention to your products and increase conversion. Gaining insight on your audience will unlock new ways to enhance your digital marketing efforts, such as targeting audience segments based on demographics and behavior.

Customers are the backbone of your business, so keep customer service in mind to bring in repeat customers. Additionally, attract new customers on social media and retain them by having an optimal website for mobile phones and computers. Lastly, keep your website fresh with updated information, content, and keywords.

Let Efferent Media Help You Spring Clean Your Site

If you are looking to spruce up your website or spring clean your marketing efforts this year, look no further than Efferent Media. Our staff includes experts in content writing, SEO, SEM, Social Media Management, and more. To get started maximizing your site’s potential, contact Efferent today.

Headquarters

145 E Sunrise Highway

Suite #1

Lindenhurst, NY 11757
(631) 920-3150

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