Why are local citations important for Perth SEO? Because they let customers in your local area know exactly who you are, where you are and what you have to offer.

They’re the figurative arrow on the online map that points qualified leads in the direction of your business.

But what exactly is a local citation?

What role do they play in SEO in the year 2020?

And how can local citations be beneficial for your Perth business?

What Is A Local Citation in SEO?

Simply put, a local citation (in SEO parlance) is any online mention of your company name, business address or business phone number.

For this reason, they’re also sometimes referred to as NAP (Name/Address/Phone) data.

Back in the olden days when someone wanted to find a local plumber/dry-cleaner/bakery/accountant, they typically used their community phone directory. This great big book (which took up an inordinate amount of space by your landline phone) contained the name, address and contact details for every business in the area. If you weren’t in the phone book, you basically didn’t exist.

These days, people rarely use a physical business directory, but we are constantly searching online business directories.

We search for local cafes, local tradespeople, local barbers and local mechanics.

Whether it’s through a Google listing, an online Whitepages listing or a platform with industry-specific listings, more and more of us are looking online for local businesses.

Will Local Citations Work for SEO in Perth?

Local citations have become increasingly important over the last few years as a greater number of people started using online searches to find local businesses.

In the two years from 2015 through to 2017, Google reported a 150% increase in searches containing the qualifier ‘near me’.

But local citations go beyond just serving as an online phone book. When it comes to SEO and achieving organic search engine rankings, local citations can have a big impact. Why? Because search engines use local citations to help determine if a business can be trusted.

For example, if the only online presence your business has is your company website, then search engines will be less likely to give you a first-page ranking. But if, in addition to your website, you also have a Google My Business listing, as well as listings in several other online directories, well, now those same search engines will feel more confident that you are a legitimate business.

If you’re a Perth business looking to attract a homegrown customer-base, then local citations will work for you in two major ways:

1. Make Your Business Details Easier to Find Online: They’ll help people to find critical information about your business online, including your contact details, website, opening hours and even recent customer reviews.
2. Improve Your Search Engine Rankings: As part of a well-rounded SEO strategy, local citations will help to boost your search engine rankings. This makes it easier for qualified leads in your area to be directed straight to your website.

How Important Are Local Citations to an SEO Marketing Strategy?

Search engine rankings are determined using an extremely intricate algorithm. While this algorithm evaluates online listings in many different ways, there are essentially three questions that it is seeking to answer:

1. Authority: Does this website have authority?
2. Relevance: Is this website relevant to the search term?
3. Usefulness: Is this website going to be useful to the searcher?

Local citations can assist in answering all three of these questions because they will establish your business has authority, prove your relevance and demonstrate usefulness. Because of this, building local citations for your business should be part of a well-researched local SEO strategy.

1. Local Citations Establish Authority: Local citations make it easier for search engines to verify that your business is a trustworthy source of information.
2. Local Citations Prove Relevance: Local citations show that your business offers the kinds of services/products that the searcher is looking for.
3. Local Citations Demonstrate Usefulness: NAP data demonstrates that you are in the searchers’ local area, so your website will be useful to the searcher.

Which Local Citations Will Improve SEO?

There are multiple options available when it comes to incorporating local citations into your online marketing SEO plan. However, not all local citations will offer comparable benefits, and some could have a negative impact on your Google rankings.

These are just some of the reasons why it’s so important to work with a local SEO expert when determining which local citations to invest in.

• Google My Business Listing: This is one of the most valuable local citations that you can take advantage of – and best of all, it’s completely free! Google My Business is a free online business listing that is offered by Google and that is synced to Google Search and Google Maps. It allows you to include all your relevant business details, plus add photos and take online reviews from customers. A verified Google My Business listing is viewed as a major plus when it comes to establishing search engine rankings.
• Link Building Local Citations: Backlinks have long been established as a great way to improve SEO and this definitely includes local backlinks. Listing your business with relevant and trustworthy online directories (industry-specific, if possible) will deliver backlinks directly to your website across multiple platforms. The key here is to focus on legitimate directories, as these will have more influence with Google and other search engines. You may be able to gain more backlinks by using low-quality directories but being associated with spam websites will actually do more harm than good in terms of SEO. For the best results, be discerning.

Net Search is proud to offer a range of proven SEO techniques that can help to build your business’ local citations.

To discuss what more you could be doing to target a local audience, why not contact Net Search and speak to one of our experienced team members.

The post Why Local Citations Are Important for Perth SEO appeared first on Net Search.

But what kind of return you’ll make on that investment can be impacted by many things.

Some business owners assume that this is a simple job that can be done by anyone (even an in-house staff member, thereby cutting costs).

Others may feel that a short-term marketing campaign involving traditional media (print, radio or television) may produce a quicker surge in sales. Some get so hung up on the start-up costs involved in SEO that they forget to calculate the benefits and potential ROI.

In this article, we’re going to examine why SEO is an investment for your business. And not just any investment – a long-term investment that, when implemented correctly, has the potential to keep paying dividends for many years to come.

Is It Worth Paying for SEO?

It is theoretically possible to undertake your own successful SEO strategy in the same way that it’s theoretically possible for a bride to single-handedly cater her own wedding.

But it’s going to involve a lot of stress, a lot of time, a lot of energy and you’re still likely to end up disappointed with the results.

Why is that so often the case?

Because optimising your business website for improved search engine rankings is an incredibly complex process.

When done correctly it combines industry experience with technological savvy and marketing finesse. It’s based on extensive research and the correct interpretation of relevant data. It involves, not just knowing how to do something, but understanding best-practise implementation and how this can have an impact on your ranking results.

And finally, it requires a clear appreciation for the difference between black hat and white hat SEO strategies, and a firm commitment to avoiding those murky grey areas which always promise quick results but more often results in sharp penalisations.

Why Does My Business Need SEO?

According to a recent study by Ahrefs (based on over 1 billion websites), 90.63% of webpages receive no traffic from Google.

This is a staggering figure.

Even though there are an estimated 5.8 billion Google searches completed every day there are literally hundreds of millions of websites that won’t ever show up in a first-page search result.

What is the single biggest reason these pages are wasting away in a digital no-mans land? They haven’t been optimised for search engine rankings.

You can have an expertly designed and beautifully presented website, but if it doesn’t have SEO then it’s highly likely that not many people will ever see it.

Top shelf SEO goes far beyond just adding content or achieving a few good backlinks. It involves the backend programming, the wording of the text, the volume of information, the layout, the images, the overall user-friendliness and a whole host of other intricate elements.

Only when all these facets have been optimised by an experienced professional can you start to expect improved search engine rankings.

Why Is SEO An Investment for Your Business?

Many business owners are surprised to discover that, compared to other forms of marketing, SEO is surprisingly affordable.

Despite this, some may still struggle with the idea of investing in SEO because you don’t receive an immediate tangible result – it’s not a print ad you can see or a radio jingle you can hear.

But this doesn’t mean that SEO can’t deliver measurable results. When you invest in SEO you’re investing in:

1. A Long-Term Digital Marketing Strategy:
   A digital marketing strategy should have as its foundation a well-designed SEO framework that has been tailor-made for the business. It begins with an evaluation of your existing online presence, followed by extensive industry research and data interpretation. The purpose of this initial investigation is to determine what areas of your website need upgrading and in what direction your SEO strategy should be heading. From this point, your SEO agency can start to actively work on making improvements. Unlike a 6-week Google Ads campaign, which delivers fast results for a limited amount of time, with SEO your website will start to see a steady and continuous rise in search engine rankings. And the higher your ranking, the more qualified leads you will achieve.
2. Ongoing Maintenance and Fine-Tuning:
   SEO shouldn’t be viewed as a static concept – search engines are continually adjusting their algorithms and making changes to how they view incoming search queries. To stay up to date with these modifications, SEO needs to be monitored and periodically fine-tuned. This may include regular audits and industry market research, keyword analysis and even an examination of what your chief competitors are doing online. There will also be ongoing on-page and off-page optimisation, with regular reports showing exactly what has already happened and what should be happening next.
3. The Knowledge and Skill of Experienced Professionals:
   If you were taken to court on false charges, what would you do? Would you, A) try and represent yourself, B) hire the cheapest lawyer you could find or C) hire a lawyer who had the knowledge, skill and experience necessary to win your case? There’s no doubt that option ‘C’ is the preferred choice. The same is true when it comes to investing in SEO for your business. You can try and do it yourself. You can go for the cheapest option. Or you can choose an SEO agency that has the necessary skills, industry experience and technological insight to deliver the best possible outcome for your business.

Why Choose Net Search for Your Business SEO?

When you invest in Net Search SEO services, you’re investing in a company with over ten years of experience in helping Perth businesses achieve their SEO goals.

You’re investing in a team dedicated to clear communication, measurable results and in-house transparency.

And you’re investing in an SEO agency with a proven track record of delivering promised outcomes.

To learn more about why Net Search is such a solid investment, why not review some of our recent case studies or contact our office on Ph: 1300 717 588 or via email: info@netsearch.com.au.

The post Why SEO Is an Investment for Your Business appeared first on Net Search.

After ten years of helping Perth businesses to implement Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) strategies, Net Search has heard and answered just about every question you can imagine relating to SEO!

And while we still get the occasional atypical question, we find many Perth businesses that are considering SEO are just looking for simple answers to these 7 common questions:

1. Will SEO work for my business?
2. Does every business need SEO?
3. What will SEO do for my business?
4. Is it worth hiring an SEO agency?
5. What services will a good SEO agency offer?
6. What SEO ‘red flags’ should I be wary of?
7. How long does SEO take to start working?

Despite the wealth of information now available about SEO, these important questions often get overlooked in online tutorials or explained in such detail that you’re left more confused than when you started.

So, to provide some clarity for Perth business owners, Net Search has put together simple answers to all 7 of these important questions.

Will SEO Work for My Business?

Yes. Regardless of what kind of business you’re running, if you have an online presence then SEO can definitely work for you. But (and this is an important ‘but’) only when it’s correctly implemented and kept up to date.

Because SEO tactics are constantly adapting to keep up with the latest algorithm changes, an unmonitored SEO strategy can quickly become outdated.

But with a well-planned and carefully monitored SEO campaign, your business will enjoy a consistent boost of organic website traffic, which will result in an ever-increasing number of qualified leads.

Does Every Business Need SEO?

Yes, if they want to succeed and grow in an age of technology. It’s reported that approximately 93% of online consumers begin by using a search engine, but according to varying estimates, 71-92% of these users will never go beyond the first page of search results.

So, if your business isn’t showing up on the first page, the chance of a potential customer even seeing your listing is less than 8%. The chances of them actually clicking through to your website is even smaller.

A study by German tech company Sistrix found that the average click-through rate for a #1 Google ranking is about 28%, but that this falls to just 2.5% by the time you scroll down to the #10 listing.

3. What Will SEO Do for My Business? A solid SEO strategy works on several different levels, improving the online visibility of your business while simultaneously enhancing the user experience. It does this by:

• Making your website easier to find:
  A website that has been optimised will rank higher with search engines, making it easier for the customer to find your business.
• Making your website more user friendly:
  Websites rank higher when they contain useful information that is easy to navigate through. The more engaging the content, the better the user experience.
• Making your website more appealing to locals:
  SEO uses location citations to appeal directly to a local audience. This means that when people in your local area are searching for the products or services you offer, they’re more likely to be directed straight to your business.

Is It Worth Hiring an SEO Agency?

If you want long-term and measurable results, then ‘yes’.

Theoretically, you can attempt to optimise your business website without hiring a professional, but there’s a reason why most local businesses will choose to work with a Perth SEO agency.

SEO is a highly complex industry that is constantly evolving. A DIY SEO strategy will require a lot of time, money and effort and is likely to only deliver sub-par results.

Most marketing managers quickly realise that working with an SEO agency is a more cost-effective and advantageous option.

What Services Will A Good SEO Agency Offer?

A comprehensive SEO service should always begin with an in-depth assessment of your current online presence and any previously implemented SEO strategies.

Thorough research will be carried out to determine which keywords are most likely to generate results with your target audience and in your particular industry.

This will then be followed by recommendations on how the existing process can be improved, both in terms of backend programming and online content.

Once the initial phase has been implemented, a good SEO agency will deliver regular reports showing how your website is ranking and will make continual minor adjustments, as needed.

Clear and honest communication is a vital factor and should be evident right throughout this process.

What SEO ‘Red Flags’ Should I Be Wary Of?

The internet is littered with online SEO agencies offering ambitious SEO promises for what seems like a pittance.

This is where the adage “if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is” becomes relevant.

There are many underhanded SEO tactics that unscrupulous businesses will offer to unsuspecting clients, things such as:

• Meta keyword stuffing (using so many keywords the text no longer makes sense)
• Hidden keywords (overuse of keywords that are disguised the same colour as the background)
• Link farms (bulk purchasing vast quantities of links)
• Deceptive headlines (using headings that aren’t related to the content available)
• Copying content from your competitors (AKA, plagiarism)

What many businesses may not be aware of is that search engines are actively on the lookout for these kinds of SEO tactics and will heavily penalise any website that they catch engaging in them. Put simply, it’s never worth the risk.

How Long Does SEO Take to Start Working?

 Remember that SEO is a marathon, not a sprint, so you’re unlikely to see a sudden sharp peak in sales. Rather, the goal is to see a steady and continuous rise in website traffic.

How long this takes will depend on if you have a new or existing website, whether or not you’ve previously used SEO tactics and what kind of content you already have available that can be published on your website.

The best way to get an accurate estimate of timing is to talk with an experienced SEO agency.

If you have additional questions relating to SEO then the team at Net Search would love to hear from you. Our experienced account managers would be happy to talk you through the entire SEO process and explain exactly how beneficial SEO could be for your Perth business.

The post 7 Common SEO Questions from Perth Businesses appeared first on Net Search.

Mark Twain may not have been familiar with the intricacies of Search Engine Optimisation, but he definitely understood how important choosing the right word could be.

In terms of online marketing, this has never been more true than it is today.

Choosing the right keywords for your SEO campaign could mean the difference between success and failure, so it’s worth taking the time to investigate which keywords will deliver the greatest results.

How should you choose the right keywords for your SEO campaign?

Essentially, the decision needs to be based on an expert interpretation of the most relevant and up-to-date data…oh, and an understanding of the difference between plural and singular keywords.

Plural Vs. Singular Keywords – What’s the Big Deal?

Car vs. cars. Accountant vs. accountants. Computer vs. computers. Why is this an important thing to know about SEO and online marketing, and how is it relevant to Google?

While the words are almost identical, experienced SEO agencies will be aware of a significant difference that will be crucial to the outcome of your SEO marketing strategy. Let’s go back to “accountant vs. accountants”. Imagine you’re the marketing manager of an accounting firm in Perth and you want to improve the search engine rankings for your website. Logically, you’d be looking to target keywords that are most relevant to your business, so you decide to use the keyword “Perth accountant”.

But because you don’t want to be guilty of “keyword stuffing” (overusing that keyword to the point where it no longer makes sense) you also decide to use some synonyms of that keyword.

You finally settle on “Perth accountant” and “Perth accountants” in an attempt to achieve higher rankings for several new landing pages. But once the campaign is launched you start to notice something very strange. Google isn’t treating these keywords in the same way. While one is ranking on the first page, the other seems to be doing almost nothing and you are ranked on the fifth page.

The big question is: why?

Why Does Google Rank Plural Keywords Differently to Singular Keywords?

Using synonyms and related keywords has long been considered best practice when it comes to implementing an SEO strategy, so why would Google be treating these words so differently?

After all, they mean almost the exact same thing. This burning question was finally answered by John Mueller, the Senior Webmaster Trends Analyst at Google after it was raised during a Google Hangouts Session.

While Google has a lot of complex algorithms at play during any given search, Mueller clarified that the difference between a singular keyword and a plural keyword relates to the perceived intent of the searcher.

Google registers the slight difference in the search term and, as a result, “might think that one or the other of these pages makes more sense to show”.

While Mueller acknowledged that singular and plural keywords are “synonyms, more or less” he also emphasised that Google will recognise that the objective of the search is often different based on whether the searcher uses a plural or a singular search term.

“If you’re looking for a plural, maybe you’re looking more for like a list or a comparison page or maybe a category page of different kinds of these items,” he explains. Google identifies this as a distinguishing difference and this “can result in slightly different results being shown for one or the other.”

What’s the Intent Behind A Singular Search Term Vs. A Plural?

While it’s difficult to definitively say what the intent is behind each and every unique Google search, the search engine has adopted some strategies that help it to respond more accurately to different queries.

• Plural Keywords: If a searcher is using the plural form of a word then Google will assume that they’re looking to make comparisons. For example, the person conducting the search has used the term “accountants”. Google thinks that perhaps they want to see different local accounting businesses and they’re getting ready to choose an accountant. Based on these assumptions, Google will direct them towards the accounting business websites that it deems most relevant to this purpose.
• Singular Keywords: When the singular search term is used then Google will think that the searcher is after more information on a broader level. So, changing the search term from “accountants” to just “accountant” will result in fewer accounting businesses being listed and more information about the topic in general (what is an accountant, how to become an accountant etc.).

If you’re an accounting business and you’re trying to drive traffic towards your website, then in this instance the singular keyword is going to be of less value and you are less likely to rank high for it.

So, Which Keyword Should You Be Using? Singular or Plural?

Based on the above, you may think that plural keywords are always the way to go, but don’t forget that someone searching for more general information now may still be planning to eventually make a purchase.

The key is to choose relevant keywords (plural or singular) for specifically targeted pages and tailor the content based on the perceived intent of the user.

For example, the plural keyword may be used to direct more web traffic towards the catalogue pages of your website, while the singular search term can be used to draw attention to the more general content contained in your online blog.

In this way, regardless of whether the searcher uses a singular keyword or a plural, they’re still going to end up on your website.

If you’re going to accurately determine which keywords will result in the highest ROI, then you need an experienced team who have consistently delivered measurable SEO results for other businesses. Operating for over 10 years in the Perth SEO industry, Net Search not only knows exactly what works but, more importantly, we know exactly how to implement it for you.

The post Singular VS Plural Keywords – Which is Right For You? appeared first on Net Search.

Which will deliver the highest return on investment?

Should you just focus on one and not the other?

Or is a combined approach the best option for long-term results?

What Marketing Options are Available?

Online marketing will play a crucial role in the ongoing success of any business, so it makes sense to gain a basic understanding of what your options are and how they are most likely to have an impact on your online presence.

When implementing an online marketing strategy, the goal is to boost your website traffic, thereby generating more business leads, which will then naturally increase sales. But the details of that marketing strategy may be many and varied and will heavily depend on the unique needs of your business and what future growth targets you’re aiming for.

The easiest way to drive more traffic to your website is for it to appear at the top of search engine rankings – someone searches for keywords related to your business, your business is the first listing that comes up and, as a result, your business in the first one they click on. Simple.

With this goal in mind, most online marketing strategies will focus on using either Search Engine Optimisation (commonly referred to as SEO) or a targeted Google Ads campaign.

Both options can result in your business achieving improved search engine rankings, but in terms of execution (how they do it), they are actually very different.

What are Google Ads?

When you complete a Google search you may notice that the first four listings will have the word ‘Ad’ next to them. Unlike organic listings (the websites that naturally achieve higher rankings because they are relevant and trustworthy), these top four ‘Ads’ are (surprise, surprise) paid advertisements, also known as Google Ads.

How does a Google Ad campaign work?

Well, suppose you run a cabinetmaking business in Perth. Your target audience is people in the Perth area who are searching for cabinetmaking ideas or services. So, you run a campaign through Google that focuses on the key search term ‘cabinetmaking Perth’.

For the duration of the campaign, whenever someone searches Google using those keywords, your Google Ad will be one of the first listings to appear.

Google Ads operate on a pay-per-click (PPC) basis, meaning that you will only be charged once a searcher actually clicks on your ad and proceeds through to your website.

The amount you pay depends on how competitive your industry is.

Some low competition niches only cost 30 cents a click while other competitive industries cost as high as $30-$50 per click. T

he viability of Google Ads really depends on how expensive your competitors are making it. Most of the time it is viable and still delivers a good return on investment however in some situations it has become so expensive that it is no longer worth investing in.

What is SEO Marketing?

Rather than just a quick return on investment strategy like Google Ads, Search Engine Optimisation is a slower strategy that focuses on the overall improvement of your business’ online presence you can achieve higher organic search rankings. Instead of paying to be at the top, SEO will help you qualify for a rightfully deserved place at the top. It involves a long-term strategy that is designed to enhance the overall visibility and content on your website, leading to an improved user experience (and a higher likelihood of making a sale).

The amount of work required for your SEO campaign is determined by the level of competition there is for the search terms you want your website to rank for. The more competitive the market, the more work needed to deliver results.

Google uses an incredibly complex algorithm to decide which of the billions of available websites should be included in a list of search results. At the heart of this algorithm are three basic questions which will be asked of every website: Is it useful? Is it relevant? Does it have authority?

An SEO strategy is designed to help your business answer ‘yes’ to these questions. For this reason, SEO could be referred to as a multi-pronged approach to online marketing, because it will focus on every facet of your online presence, making continual improvements for optimal results.

How Do Google Ads Compare to SEO?

When comparing Google Ads with SEO it’s important to look at the long-term numbers, not just the short-term. Essentially, a Google Ads campaign will involve a short-term investment with some immediate results. You’ll likely see a measurable increase in website traffic as soon as your Google Ad campaign begins. But, on the downside, this initial burst of success will disappear as soon as the campaign is over.

In contrast, SEO is more of a marathon than a sprint. It takes time to successfully implement a tailored SEO campaign as it involves so many different elements. But while the results may be a bit slower off the mark, the long-term results may be priceless.

With an expertly designed SEO strategy, you should start to see a gradual increase in search rankings that continues to grow and improve with time. And because SEO focuses so strongly on improving the user experience (making your online brand more useful, more relevant and more convincing) it typically leads to a much higher conversion rate.

Google Ads:

• Costs are pay-per-click
• Achieves short-term goals
• Delivers quick results
• Focuses on Google
• Targets a wider range of keywords
• Return on investment is easy to calculate

SEO:

• Costs nothing for organic search rankings
• Achieves long-term goals
• Delivers slow and steady results
• Focuses on all search engines
• Targets a select group of focus keywords
• Return on investment is usually greater

SEO Vs Google Ads – How Do You Choose the Right Marketing for Your Business?

Deciding whether to focus on Google Ads or SEO will depend on a range of factors including your current online positioning, what industry you’re in, how quickly you need a return on investment, what your marketing budget is and what your long-term business goals are.

Ultimately, most businesses will benefit greatly from incorporating both methods into their online marketing strategy. But considering the long-term payoff of SEO and the clear preference online users are showing for organic listings, SEO consistently delivers the highest marketing return on investment.

If you’ve got additional questions regarding Google Ads or you’re looking for a solid SEO plan that is tailored to your business, then contact the experienced professionals at Net Search today. We can help you to optimise your business’ online presence using a smart marketing strategy that delivers measurable and long-term results.

The post SEO Vs Google Ads appeared first on Net Search.