Astute Networks

10 Common SEO Mistakes to Avoid

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Now more than ever, it’s essential that companies have a strong internet and social media presence if they want to see their brand grow. However, there are certain online marketing mistakes that companies continue to make. If you want your brand to grow this year, then consider these 10 common SEO mistakes to avoid.

1. Spamming Social Media

It’s time for this, once and for all, to stop being a common habit of online marketers. Social media platforms are for producing content of value that organically attracts an audience. Spamming people with your ads is a fast way to destroy your credibility.

2. Not Focusing on Localized SEO

If you own a moving company in Atlanta, GA, then it doesn’t matter if you’re the first search result for a man in Texas who searches “cheap local movers”. If you’re a local business, you need localized SEO, period.

3. Using Garbage Links

Sure, outgoing links are essential for raising your search engine rankings. But to really create top-tier optimization, you should focus on relevant and quality links, not just dozens upon dozens of mostly useless links.

4. Terrible Content

There’s nothing more disappointing than when an otherwise great business has a poor excuse of a blog. If you’re just posting gibberish that’s chock full of keywords, you’re doing nothing for your search rankings. Remember, search engines are hip to these “black hat” methods nowadays. If you can’t craft great articles, then hire a writer.

5. Using Flash, Graphics and Excess Code


Sure, it looks pretty. However, most search engines read Javascript and other codes as a blank page, which does nothing to raise your rankings. If you must use flash and multimedia, do it in a strategic way where there is also plain, keyword-dense text present.

6. Failing to Research Your Keywords

Keyword optimization isn’t just about relevancy, it’s about tapping into keywords that have high rates of searches and relatively low competition. Your company might brew the world’s best craft beer, but you’re never going to overtake Miller or Bud when people search for “pilsner.” You might have a shot at “organic local pilsner,” however.

7. Plagiarizing or Using Spun Content


In a quest to raise rankings fast, many companies either plagiarize content or they use spun content, which is technically original but is downright incoherent. To harken back to our point about terrible content, never forget that at the end of the day, content is king in the SEO game. If your content stinks, this needs to be a top priority.

8. Not Diversifying Social Media

What works on Twitter doesn’t always work on Facebook. What works on Facebook doesn’t always work on Instagram. You can’t blast the same content across all social media platforms. You need to diversify your strategies for these different platforms.

9. Talking At Your Audience

The rise of social media has changed how SEO operates. People don’t want to be spoken to, they want to be spoken with and brands need to be aware of this. Your Facebook posts should spark conversations. Your blog posts should invite people to comment.

10. Buying or Selling Links

This worked during the dawn of SEO, where to phrase it hyperbolically, you could essentially get away with murder and still make a buck. In the social media era, where consumers are more savvy, this doesn’t work anymore. It’s time to put an end to this practice.

If you can avoid these common errors, your SEO will be effective and help your company to grow in an ever-evolving digital marketplace.

5 Tips to Effectively Manage Your Online Reputation

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Effectively Manage Your Online ReputationYou invest years building your business, missing family events choosing to build the business and secure your family’s future.  You’ve reached the point where you can stop and take a breath.  Wait a minute…what’s that sound?  It’s your phone NOT ringing.  Customers have stopped calling and you have no idea why?

One day a customer says to you “hey, I love your product/service, I can’t understand all the negative reviews”.  You’re left flabbergasted, after all you’ve worked really hard to provide excellent customer service.  The old adage is true, it only takes a few negative reviews to take away what you’ve spent years building.

Local Reviews are Your Reputation

It doesn’t matter what type of business you’re in, be it a plumber or a plastic surgeon what people say about you online matters.  Recent studies done by Nielson indicate that 66% of consumers trust online reviews to make purchasing decisions.

Maintaining Your Reputation is a Marketing Priority

Developing a quality 5-star reputation needs to be the biggest focus of your marketing campaign.  Why?  All other efforts, SEO, social marketing, PPC campaigns or more traditional advertising mean nothing if you have a 2-star reputation.  Customers won’t buy from you if they don’t trust you.

How Do You Take Control of Your Reputation?

You need to play an active role in what people read about you online and protect your reputation.  Here are some tips to bear in mind:

  1. Variety is key.  There is more to online reviews than just Yelp, Google and Facebook also give customers the opportunity to rate your business and you need to pay attention to all of them.
  2. Timing is everything. Is that 5-star review from 2008 or from last week?  Recent reviews are viewed more favorably by customers and search engines so it is in your best interest to encourage reviews.  Add links to your Yelp profile on your website, put signature links on email to allow customers to review you on Facebook or Google.
  3. Resist the temptation to game the system. It’s tempting to put up some glowing reviews of your own or to buy them online.  Don’t do it, you will pay for it later.  It’s unethical and this could happen.
  4. Good or bad, be gracious. Try and respond to all reviews the good the bad and the ugly.  Good reviews merit a thank you.  Bad reviews, well every business gets the customer from hell but you still have to deal with them like an adult.  Offer to make things right even if it is not your fault a little goodwill goes along way.
  5. Is your service everything it could be? Do customer service check-ups from time to time.

Your online reputation is critical to your business success, so put a plan in place to make sure it stays positive.  Working with a digital marketing company can help you make sure that you get the five stars that you deserve.

How YouTube Can Boost Local Marketing

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How YouTube Can Boost Local MarketingOne of the most underutilized tools for local business marketing is hands down YouTube.  For the past few years we’ve watched as both search and shopping have moved from desktop devices over to mobile.  What may come as a surprise is that many customers go to YouTube before they start shopping.  YouTube is where more and more local business are finding customers.  As the second largest search engine after Google, small businesses can no longer afford to ignore the potential YouTube offers.

YouTube and Mobile Devices

With over 60% of YouTube’s videos being watched from a mobile device, it’s fair to say that mobile and YouTube go hand in hand.  Don’t forget that EVERY mobile device has a YouTube application embedded in its software right out of the box so YouTube is always there.  Another reason video is viewed so often on mobile is that videos are often shared on social sites and people check social media accounts from mobile devices.

Videos are often watched when someone has spare time, during commutes to and from work, waiting in line, and on lunch breaks.  Video isn’t just for entertainment anymore people often use video for research and to find out information.

If your target demographic is millenials then you really need to pay attention, according to research viewers between 18 and 34 watch more YouTube than any single cable network.  Before you dismiss this information, here’s a local chiropractor whose YouTube Channel managed to generate more than half a million viewers and a local camera store than has almost 200,000 subscribers.  Could your business benefit from that kind of reach?

YouTube is “How to” Heaven

You have probably heard someone jokingly say that they were a graduate of YouTube University, all that means is that whatever skill they became a little bit proficient at they first learned on YouTube.  There is no other place on the internet where you can learn ‘How to’ quite like YouTube.  Whatever business you’re in you have the potential to teach somebody something.

That’s doesn’t mean you are giving away your services for free, on the contrary.  Here’s a real world example; imagine you’re a plumber, make a video showing how to fix a leaky faucet provides information the viewer wants but fixing leaky faucets are a minuscule portion of what you do. Here’s an example of just that:

To reach your target audience create videos that address commonly asked questions in your field.  Still stuck for topics?  Take a look at the FAQs section of your website all those questions you provide answers to could easily be translated into video.

Video is cheaper and easier to make now than it ever has been, in fact a good portion of videos on YouTube were made with mobile phones.  You can’t afford to ignore YouTube anymore.  Make sure your business stands out in your videos, include pertinent information such as your logo, address and phone number.