The Digital Revolution: From Static Billboards to Dynamic Digital Display Billboards

In the ever-evolving world of advertising, the traditional static billboard has undergone a transformative shift, giving way to the rise of digital billboards. With their dynamic and attention-grabbing displays, digital billboards have captured the imagination of advertisers and the interest of audiences worldwide. In this article, we will explore the technological advancements that have made digital billboards more accessible and cost-effective, resulting in their widespread adoption in cities around the world.

The Digital Revolution: From Static Billboards to Dynamic Digital Display Billboards

Some Key Benefits of Marketing with Digital Billboards

1. Technological Advancements Driving the Transition

The shift from static billboards to digital displays can be attributed to several key technological advancements. Firstly, the development of high-resolution LED and LCD screens has significantly improved the visual quality of digital billboards. These advancements enable vibrant and eye-catching content that stands out in urban landscapes.

2. Improved Flexibility and Creative Possibilities

Digital billboards offer unparalleled flexibility and creative possibilities. Unlike static billboards, which are fixed in their content, digital displays allow for dynamic and customizable advertising campaigns. Advertisers can easily update content remotely, allowing for timely promotions, real-time information, and creative flexibility.

3. Cost-effectiveness and Reduced Operational Costs

Technological advancements have also led to cost reductions in digital billboard deployment and operation. The decreasing costs of LED and LCD screens, combined with energy-efficient components, have made digital billboards more affordable to install and maintain. Additionally, the elimination of printing costs and manual installation processes associated with traditional billboards further contributes to cost savings.

4. Targeted Advertising Capabilities

One of the major advantages of digital billboards is their ability to deliver targeted advertisements. Like PPC Adwords Marketing and Management, advanced software and connectivity, advertisers can tailor their content to specific demographics, locations, or even specific times of day. This targeted approach ensures that advertisements reach the right audience, maximizing the impact and return on investment.

5. Real-time Content Updates and Interactivity

Digital billboards enable real-time content updates, allowing advertisers to react quickly to changing circumstances, events, or promotions. This capability ensures that the displayed content remains relevant and engaging to viewers. Moreover, digital billboards can incorporate interactive elements, such as touchscreens or QR codes, which encourage audience engagement and provide a more immersive experience.

6. Environmental Friendliness

Digital billboards offer environmental benefits compared to traditional billboards. The elimination of paper-based advertisements reduces the use of natural resources and decreases waste. Furthermore, the energy-efficient LED and LCD technologies used in digital billboards consume less electricity, making them a more sustainable advertising option.

The Numbers Don’t Lie, Below Is the Hard Data About Dynamic Digital Billboards

The transition from static billboards to digital billboard displays has brought about significant improvements and benefits. Here are some statistical improvements that showcase the effectiveness of digital billboard displays:

Increased Audience Attention: According to a study by the Outdoor Advertising Association of America (OAAA), digital billboards have been found to capture 83% more attention compared to traditional static billboards. The dynamic and vibrant nature of digital displays attracts and engages viewers.

Improved Brand Recall and Recognition: Research conducted by the Traffic Audit Bureau for Media Measurement (TAB) revealed that digital billboards have a 52% higher brand recall rate compared to static billboards. The dynamic content and eye-catching visuals leave a lasting impression on viewers, increasing brand recognition.

Enhanced Advertising ROI: Digital billboard displays have shown to provide a higher return on investment (ROI) for advertisers. The OAAA reports that digital billboards have been found to generate an average revenue increase of 5-10%, showcasing the revenue-boosting potential of this medium.

Consumer Engagement and Influence: Digital billboard displays have proven to be highly effective in engaging consumers. In a study by Arbitron, it was found that 63% of respondents recalled seeing a digital billboard advertisement within the past month, and 41% reported taking action after seeing an ad, such as visiting a website or making a purchase.

Effectiveness in Driving Sales: The TAB conducted a study that revealed a positive correlation between digital billboard advertising and sales. In the study, 40% of participants reported visiting a store within a week of seeing a digital billboard, highlighting the influence of digital displays on consumer behavior.

Dynamic and Timely Advertising: Digital billboard displays allow for real-time content updates and scheduling flexibility. Research by OAAA indicates that 53% of viewers find digital billboard ads to be more interesting than static ads, as they offer relevant and up-to-date information.

Environmental Impact: Digital billboard displays have environmental advantages over traditional static billboards. With no printing or paper waste, digital displays reduce the ecological footprint associated with traditional billboards.

These statistics demonstrate the clear improvements that digital billboard displays offer over static billboards. The dynamic content, increased audience attention, improved brand recall, enhanced consumer engagement, and potential for higher ROI make digital displays a compelling choice for advertisers looking to maximize their advertising impact in today’s digital age.

Conclusion

The shift from traditional static billboards to dynamic digital displays represents a significant evolution in the advertising industry. Technological advancements have played a crucial role in making digital billboards more accessible, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly. The flexibility, creativity, and targeted advertising capabilities of digital billboards have captivated advertisers and revolutionized the way brands communicate with their audiences. As technology continues to advance, we can expect further innovations in the realm of digital billboards, cementing their position as a powerful and dynamic advertising medium in cities around the world.

Benefits of Online Reputation Management & Marketing Software

Reputation Marketing

Benefits of Online Reputation Management & Marketing Software

You’ve spent years building your business. You’ve invested time, sweat, and tears. You’ve missed family time, the kids growing up, but the work is steady and everything is good. Then one day traffic stops, calls aren’t coming in as consistently and you see a slow down turn in your business, but you can’t understand why.

In your mind, nothing has changed excellent service and your existing customers love working with you, but your business is declining. Eventually, you learn from an existing customer or new visitor that your company has some very negative reviews posted online. Imagine the sinking feeling when you realize that your online reputation is being compromised and you have no clue why, other than, it’s really killing your business.

Unfortunately, this is the reality for hundreds, and probably thousands, of businesses across the country.

Local Business Reviews = Online & Offline Reputation

It doesn’t matter what service you provide, if you’re a dentist, a spa, a carpet cleaner, or a window washer. What people say about your business online is becoming one of the most important factors from strangers when making purchasing decisions, people trust online reviews.

Because 72% of buyers trust reviews as much as personal recommendations. (Bright Local)
Reputation marketing has proven to increase business by 19% by increasing ½ star Yelp rating online. (University of California, Berkeley)
97% of consumers aged 18-34 read online reviews to judge a local business. (Local Consumer Review Survey)
92% of consumers now read online reviews for local business. (Local Consumer Review Survey)

Improving Your Reputation is Your #1 Marketing Priority

Your number one marketing priority should be developing a 5-star online reputation. Why? All your other marketing efforts, whether they be online such as SEO, social media, PPC, or offline such as direct mail, magazines, radio, or TV, will ultimately lead the consumer to learn more about you online. That’s where they make their buying decision, a poor or non-existent reputation drives them away to your competitor with good reviews and a strong reputation.

Although the importance now is very high and getting even more important every day, most companies don’t have any reputation management or marketing in place. Monitoring these review sites and creating an ongoing strategy is basically a full time job that, not too many have an in depth knowledge of reputation marketing. But there are easy ways to plug into your reputation without having to hire someone to run that aspect of your business.

Reputation management & marketing software allows businesses to better manage their reputation online by eliminating mugshot sites, astroturfing review sites, censoring negative complaints and optimizing content to meet SEO standards in order to influence results. For better reputation management website should be Google mobile friendly and search engine friendly. Reputation management is not about social media monitoring only. It impacts business and sales on the larger scale. It is vital for every larger as well as smaller scale business. Businesses are built upon public perception; it is a constant effort that businesses should make.

There are certain situations during which reputation management becomes very important:

Networking
Business Deals
Acquiring client attention
Hiring & Recruitment
Onboarding of new clients
Starting up a new business or new daughter company

Years ago, there was no sign of reputation management. It was so because the internet was a massive world. Now everything revolves around the internet. Internet presence is inevitable. Reputation management is about using the medium of the internet for building better public reputation and awareness. To shape credibility and develop an authority in any industry for a business requires patience and determination. The growth of the internet and social platforms has made managing the reputation of any organization an even more challenging and time-consuming task.

The Mechanism of Reputation Management

As mentioned, reputation management software allows businesses to better manage their reputation online by eliminating mugshot sites, astroturfing review sites, censoring negative complaints and optimizing content to meet SEO standards in order to influence results. Today, a business’s reputation is often solely based on the overall outlook of search results that populate on the first or second page of search engines. The growth of the internet has led to two spheres of reputation management; online and offline reputation management. Reputation management requires website optimization and having a mobile friendly website, SEO friendly website and mobile-friendly website design as well.

Online Reputation Management

The Online Reputation Management (ORM) is an essential component of any business as it influences customer perception and buying habits. With such intense online competition, customers have become more and more skeptical when it comes to purchasing items from unknown websites or channels. Reviews, testimonials, certification, and awards all add to an organizations reputation and credibility. Consumer behavior has evolved over time with the accessibility and ease of the internet. Customers can now find information on pricing, quality and customer experience by simply conducting a quick search on Google and other search engines. This lack of trust makes referrals and reviews so much more important as most customers trust reviews as much as personal recommendations. There is no doubt that customer feedback is one of the fastest and most effective ways for any organization to build a successful and positive online image. This article looks at why reputation management is becoming an essential component of running a successful online business.

Negative Reputation

Negative reputation hits the business due to negative remarks and complaints that appear about the business on the internet. A negative reputation can influence the business and its sales in the long run. Negative comments just do not appear on social media but also on search engine results. Search engine results are more impactful than social media comments. They damage the reputation on the larger scale.

Reputation Management Strategy

The internet has become a marketplace for information of all types. The race to provide the most comprehensive and relevant information has become very important for businesses in order to maintain a positive reputation. Online businesses have realized the importance of having a reputation management strategy to take advantage of consumers shifting decision-making process. These reputation management strategies include ways to build and maintain trust and reputation through reviews, recommendations, testimonials and fresh industry-specific content. Managing a business’s reputation appropriately is vital for its sustainability and continuity. Mobile friendly website design and search engine friendly website give a good outcome for reputation management, as it is more attractive for the customers

Tactics of Reputation Management – The three Rs

Recuperation – It comes into play when the internet has already bulked up negatives reviews and comments about the business. Recuperation relies on digital optimization for the company through SEO that targets the positive side of the business. Website optimization is also a part of recuperation. For better results focus

Rebuilding – When the damage has occurred, the prime focus should be on rebuilding the image and reputation of the business. There are different platforms that can be utilized for rebuilding the reputation. Some of the very crucial platforms for rebuilding reputation are social media; article, blogs, press publications and website that have SEO friendly web design, Google-friendly website design and are search engine friendly.

Repairing – To repair the damage that has been done, a proper strategy should be developed.
Repair should be done in an aggressive manner. Competitor websites should be analyzed and monitored closely. The focus should be on completely mending the perception of the public regarding the business.

Increased Employee Loyalty

Every other week, numerous employers sign up on employer branding websites and tools. It also provides a platform for competitive analysis. When potential candidates are looking for jobs the reputation of a company is often one of their top priorities. Applicants are likely to look up company name on websites such as Glassdoor in order to get a perception of what the business or organization is about and how they have treated employees in the past. Any successful business is built around its employees and the best employees only go to the organization they feel are ethical, reputable and credible. A reputation management strategy is not only in place for customers but also for the current and future employees. Maintaining a positive reputation will help in the acquisition of the best talent that is a direct competitive advantage for any business.

Business Promotion

The smartest businesses utilize their most loyal customers by leveraging them as brand ambassadors to promote the business. This is an extremely effective reputation management strategy as these are real customers that are more credible and relatable than any influencer or celebrity when it comes to recommendations and reviews. Studies have shown that a customer advocacy strategy is one of the best strategies for an online business to build credibility and stand out from the competition. Customer advocacy strategy incorporates the following steps to build a positive business reputation.

It encourages regular customers to share their experiences online
Offer discounts and special promotions to customers who share positive feedback
Opens a channel for customers to voice their opinions and needs

Builds Trust, Transparency, and Credibility

The process of building trust is not an easy one. In such a competitive market where customers are presented with so many options, it is hard to sustain trust and loyalty. The core principle of reputation management is to develop an honest reputation, which is the key to building consumer trust. With the internet providing so many different outlets for sharing experiences, it is likely that customers are going to talk about the business’s products and services. Opinion, reviews, recommendations, and rumors spread fast and customers are quietly & easily influenced by this kind of information whether it is accurate or not. Reputation management is not about controlling what customers say but rather it is about ensuring that the business has visibility and control over how customers are talking about the business. This involves monitoring review websites and social media platforms to get a clear perception of customer expectations and experiences. Online reviews are perhaps the greatest tool that businesses have at their disposal for building a reputation and influencing new visitors positively throughout their purchase journey.

Customer Insight & Feedback

Reputation management is so much more than just maintaining the business’s credibility and image. If done correctly reputation management also allows a business to learn from customers in order to improve products and services. When a company focuses on meeting and exceeding customer expectations it inherently begins to build a strong positive reputation in the industry. Customer feedback, opinions, and suggestions provide a business with extensive market insight in to what their customer expectations are, and the best way to deliver on these expectations. Appropriately acting upon customer feedback helps improve customer experience and service/product quality. More importantly, customers feel that their feedback and opinions truly matter to the organization that undoubtedly helps in building trust and loyalty.

A well-executed reputation management strategy will help any business improve its reputation both online and offline. Without the element of consumer trust, confidence, and loyalty, no business is able to succeed in the long-run. However, developing and formulating a reputation management strategy is challenging if one is unaware of all the elements that this entails. Businesses often depend on specialized services and software to manage, enhance and maintain a positive reputation. These software services offer a wide variety of features that are tailored towards maintaining a positive outlook of the company on all search engines and social platforms.

How Many Reviews Matter?

The positive reviews have become one of the most important ways for businesses to capture customers online especially in the service industry. Word to mouth marketing has always been the most effective way to gain more customers. Market research suggests that 92% of customers today base purchase decisions on recommendations and reviews that they find online. That is a staggering number and signifies just how important reviews have become in terms of influencing sales. Latest studies show that a business needs between 6-10 reviews to be trusted, and a consumer will read at least 10 reviews before making a decision.

How to Manage Reviews

Online reputation management tools and software come in all shapes and sizes. These services are designed to delve deep into the world of search results, reviews, social platforms, and forums. Reputation management software not only pushes out negative reviews but also helps in shifting negative comments to positive ones through follow-ups and engagement. Responding to customer reviews or feedback whether it is positive or negative demonstrates that the business cares about what the customer’s think and this goes a long way in building consumer loyalty and trust. A fully detailed dashboard allows all relevant information to be presented on one-page saving time and many headaches. The software can also be integrated into a business’s existing POS system that helps automate the process of accelerating the rate of reviews left by customers. This makes the process of gaining new reviews for the business on Google and other social platforms a breeze thus, improving the business’s reputation and bottom line. A steady flow of new reviews and recommendations are sure told the way to boost local SEO ranking for the business that helps in gaining a competitive advantage over competitors and improving a business’s online searchability.

If negative reviews or false rumors are issues, affecting the business’s reputation than the need for accurate reputation management becomes greater than ever. Automatic review alerts on any platform allow a business to respond to negative comments or feedback immediately to try to negate the issue before it is expedited. Negative comments should be treated as constructive criticism and customers leaving this kind of feedback should be immediately contacted to apologize for any mistakes or inconvenience caused while also offering a satisfactory solution. In this manner, a business can preserve and defend its online reputation and safeguard against false rumors or foul play. Some reputation management software allows multiple posts to be sent out at once on multiple social channels with additional features that can also schedule posts ahead of time.

Conclusion

There are custom-made software and services for small businesses, brands and agencies empowering businesses to better manage online reviews and reputation. The use of having a reputation management & marketing software or service not only helps in engaging with customers but also offers great insight into consumer behavior, buying habits and company perception. The keys to having a smooth management of reputation online are to have a Google mobile friendly and search engine friendly website. To make website mobile friendly and have an accurate website optimization for your reputation management & marketing, a highly rated reputation management service should be hired.

The Beginner’s Guide to SEO Ready & Mobile Friendly Websites

SEO Ready & Mobile Friendly Websites

The Beginner’s Guide to SEO Ready & Mobile Friendly Websites

In an age where more than 50 percent of web traffic comes from smartphone devices, Mobile-Friendly Websites have become somewhat a necessity. Gone are the days when making a responsive website was just an extra feature you added to your online business – it has now become absolutely compulsory. Without a website that does not respond to the device it is being accessed on, any online business would suffer immensely.

A recent shift in Google’s indexing policies, which have now taken a mobile-first stance, has also reshaped the way businesses looked at their Local SEO campaigns. Now, for your website to be ranked high in the Google Index, you don’t just need the right density of the right keywords but your website needs to be mobile-friendly as well.

Mobile Friendly Websites –What is All the Fuss About?

In the past one decade, with the exponential increase in the number of smartphone users across the globe, mobile-friendly web design has gotten into vogue. The whole point of having a website for any business to increase the scope of their business by attracting more clients than ever. But with more and more people accessing the internet through smartphones, normal websites have become somewhat obsolete.

A business website’s success and effectiveness is heavily reliant upon a steady flow of web traffic. If the flow and the volume of web traffic is affected in anyway, it has a direct and adverse impact on the business. That is why it is extremely significant for businesses to sustain and increase the volume and quality of web traffic that comes towards their websites.

With a greater majority of internet users using smartphones to surf through the internet, it is only practical for a business to adapt accordingly. The basic characteristic of a successful and impactful business website is providing an excellent user experience. Therefore, in order to maximize the utility of any business website, it is imperative to go the extra mile to enhance the user experience. Business makes website mobile friendly in order to provide a smoother experience to users visiting their site via smartphones or other hand-held devices. To increase the volume of their sales, businesses around the world employ different strategies and techniques to drive more clients. Investing in mobile-friendly websites is one of such endeavors business need to undergo to increase the scope of their clientele.

Understanding Mobile-Friendly Websites

In layman terms, mobile friendliness of a website means that all the information on it (text, images, infographics and even videos) is accessible easily on all types of devices, especially smartphones. In more technical terms, mobile friendly websites involve using all the extraordinary features of smartphones to provide a smooth and highly satisfying experience to users while they are on the go.

It’s important to keep in mind that not all websites are not created equal – some are more responsive and attractive than others. According to statista, a whopping 55% of the organic traffic for search engines originated from smartphone devices. Before we move on anything else let’s just get something straight:

A normal website cannot be accessed across different devices.
Mobile-friendly websites are responsive and can be accessed from any device.
Every website, in the contemporary digital world, needs to be at least mobile friendly.

In short, a mobile friendly website design works uniformly across all platforms and devices. It requires minimal tweaking such as removing flash animations or drop-down menus; anything that could potentially hinder the users experiencing the site through a smartphone. It essentially involves keeping all your content and design the same while removing any usability concerns for smartphone users.

Responsive Websites vs. Mobile-Friendliness – Is There a Difference?

Generally, people tend to confuse the two as the same thing thinking that there is no difference. That is not that case. A mobile-friendly website provides a uniform and consistent user experience across all devices. But it does not have extra features and functionality like responsive websites. On the other hand, responsive websites have dynamic content and navigation options which provide an extraordinarily smooth experience to the users, across all types of devices. Let’s delve into details to further investigate the differences between the two.

What is a Responsive Website?

The term ‘Responsive website’ refers to a website which ‘responds’ to screen-size its being view upon or the device it is being accessed through. In the digital age we are currently living in, there are a plethora of devices which people can use to access the internet. If a website were to remain static and not respond to different screen-size, not every user would be able to experience it fully.

That’s where responsive websites come in. These ingeniously developed websites are Google mobile friendly and provide an extremely smooth user experience to all visitors regardless of the device they are using to access the website. Be it an oversized monitor screen or small screen of an iPhone 4, a responsive website possesses the capability to adapt accordingly. The fonts, graphics and even the navigation within the website adjusts accordingly to ensure that the user has no difficulty in experiencing the contents of the website.

Are All Responsive Websites Equally Responsive?

No. Not all websites are equally responsive. A great deal of effort and planning goes behind curating the perfect and extremely responsive website. From the fonts to graphics, and even how users navigate on the website differently on different devices; all these aspects factor in while gauging the responsiveness of a website. Let’s have a detailed insight into some key characteristics of a truly responsive website:

Flexible content – As opposed to content on a desktop only website, the content on a responsive site has the ability to dynamically change according to the screen size.
Adjustable Graphics –With a desktop site, you have greater leeway to incorporate any size or form of graphics. But while developing a responsive or mobile-friendly website, you have got to keep in mind, the file size of every image or any other graphical design you include on your website.
Font Size –You cannot simply have a uniform font size for both the desktop version and mobile version of your site.

Mobile Friendly vs. Fully Responsive – Which One Should You Opt For?

Having trouble deciding between a basic mobile-friendly website and a highly responsive website for your business? Faced by this, there are certain aspects you can consider while making your decision. If mobile traffic constitutes less than 30% of your total web traffic, you might be fine with just a mobile-friendly website. But if more 30% of your entire web traffic originates from hand-held smartphones devices, you might benefit from the added functionality of a highly-responsive website.

The reason why a lot of people opt for mobile friendly websites is the effort that goes behind creating a responsive website. To make a mobile-friendly website, all you have to do is slightly tweak your existing site and you are good to go!

But to create a truly responsive website, you need to rethink your entire web content and structure. From the graphics to the outlay, you will have to develop a lot of new content to satiate the requirements of a responsive website. Therefore, it’s often better to simply adjust your website slightly to make it mobile-friendly rather than rethinking your entire process.

Although in case a vast majority of your web audience comes through smartphones, you might have a daunting challenge ahead of you. Rather than simply settling for mobile-friendly site, you would have to opt for a fully-responsive website. After all, a smooth user-experience is vital for any online business which wants to improve its engagement and conversation rat

Still can’t make up your mind? Let’s cut down the pros and cons of both to help to realize which options suit you better.

Mobile Friendly Websites –Pros & Cons

Uniform and static content across all devices and platforms.
Minor tweaking required.
Enhances user experience immediately to a considerable extent.

Fully Responsive Websites –Pros & Cons

Highly adaptable, dynamic content which would evolve and change according to the screen it is being viewed
Requires a complete overhaul of your existing website and its contents. Requires you to rethink your content and produce several different version of it.
Provides the most extraordinary and smooth user experience, far better than a site which is simply mobile friendly.

How Can You Make Your Website Mobile Friendly?

Making your business site mobile-friendly can be quite simple and easy. You can either acquire the services of a professional web designer or utilize a website building platform which provides mobile-friendly templates. If the only thing that is stopping you from making your website friendlier for smartphone users is the lack of knowledge and expertise how to do it; hire an expert to do it for you.

There are a variety of ways and methods to make website mobile friendly. Here are some of the ways you can make your website mobile friendly:

Use Larger Fonts – Make use of fonts that offer greater readability on smaller screens and don’t waste the user’s time.
Avoid Flash – Not only does using Flash on your website reduce its SEO ranking but it also worsens user experience.
Image Compression – Reduce the size of all your images and graphics by compressing them. This allows for all media on your website to be easily accessed on smartphones with limited bandwidth and screen size.
Extensive Testing – Test your website by accessing it frequently from different devices. It would allow you to experience your website as a user and identify any issues they might be facing.
Use Bigger Buttons – If your website has buttons which the user is required to press in order to make a sale or navigate to a different page –make them bigger. If the buttons are tiny, it would be nearly impossible for smartphone users to click on them.

These are such some of minor tweaks and changes you can perform in order to make your website more accessible to smartphone users. But either you do it yourself or hire a professional agency to do it for you, the time to make your website mobile was yesterday. So, don’t further delay the process to make your site accessible for all users, regardless of the devices they are viewing your website through.

Final Words

If there is one thing which is evident from what we have discussed so far is that having just a desktop version of your website isn’t enough. In the contemporary digital environment, it has become absolutely necessary for businesses to make their websites either mobile-friendly or fully responsive. Going for a mobile friendly website or a responsive website are the only two viable options if you wish your business to remain competitive. SEO & Mobile Friendly Websites are not just necessary for a better user experience but will also play a positive role in the SEO and Reputation Marketing of your business. If you have already made your website mobile-friendly, you are good to go. But if you still haven’t adapted to the rapidly changing web traffic trends, then you can expect to lose a significant portion of your web traffic soon! Make your website mobile friendly now to stay in the game and beat your competition.

Local SEO & Organic SEO – What’s the Difference?

Local SEO Marketing

Local SEO & Organic SEO – What’s the Difference?

If you are reading this article, you probably already familiar with what SEO is all about. Short for Search Engine Optimization, SEO is essentially the process through web traffic for a website is increased by making sure that the site ranks high on the Google’s search index. Because when people search for something, they are more likely to click on websites that show up highest on search engine results. Now there are different ways to optimize your website’s search engine rankings. You can either opt for organic search engine optimization or specified local search engine optimization. It all depends upon what your business goals and objectives are. But let’s take a step back and understand what search engine optimization is and how does it affect a business’s online presence.

If a person is actively marketing their online business, they’ve probably come across both search engine friendly terms knows as Organic and Local Ranking SEO. However, people often get confused by differentiating the difference between these two. They both start with a search. Let’s try to understand the differences between the two in a more elaborate manner.

What is a local search?

The basic difference between local and organic search is the geographical aspects that local search has. For example, if a person is looking for a location, the search engine will categories this as a local intent. In short, the search engine will do whatever it takes to give the user what they want.

Here’s how local search works:

So if a person came home from a long day of work and don’t feel like cooking dinner, so what do they do now? They Google for “sushi delivery new york”. So now, Google will show them three to four pizza points in their local area on below the ads on the first page. Even if a person just Google the word “Pizza” Google will automatically assume they are seeking for a nearby pizza restaurant. Anyhow, if a person looks pass these local results, they will be able to see these so-called organic search results. Now, these will be the search results that the engine will return on those search who are considered as local intent.

Defining Organic Search Results

When there is no local intent in a search, that’s when an organic search happens. This means that the user is seeking information rather than a precise location. For example, a guy comes home, tired from work and think to himself “instead of ordering pizza they will just make something” so they go with “pizza recipe” instead of pizza location. Now the search engine will show all the convenient ways to make a pizza instead of a location. Now the question remains, how the search engine decide which location aka local search or recipe aka organic search is better and more convenient for that specific situation.

Who Should Rank in Local vs. Organic search?

A business that has a physical office in a specific location will definitely want to be ranked above during local searches. Local businesses have to show up in local searches, as the searchers are often looking for a location to go for either a specific service or a product. However, if a person only wants their business to come up only through a certain search term, they may want to be ranked high in organic search. For instance, if a person is selling electronic supplies online but have no physical address or location and they want to be seen in organic searches. Is this case, if they choose to target a location it can end in potential client loss.

How Do Local SEO and Organic SEO Affect Each Other?

Even though organic and local SEO works in different ways, they are a few practices that can help both of them. For example, every time a person claims their business page on directories such as Bing, Yelp, Google, they will be adding a link leading back to their website. Such local quotation aka name of a business, number and location address, are there to guide local SEO letting the search engine know where that specific business is located. This will generate a link back to your site, also known as “link building”. Local on-site SEO approaches like blog writing and posting, adding the business address to update a page are few effective strategies for use in organic SEO.

Understanding Organic SEO

The most common type of search engine optimization is organic SEO. As the name itself defines it as organic and pure, this SEO method involves obtaining a higher position on search engine results without investing money. In other words, organic SEO refers to the practice of improving your website’s ranking within algorithm-driven results in an unpaid way.

It’s the most generally employed practice by digital marketers to use relevant keywords, making it search-engine friendly. It does not necessarily include a local element, as most businesses running organic SEO campaigns are based online only. Although for brick & mortar businesses, who wish to garner sales through the digital world, there’s a different type of organic SEO called local SEO. There’s a slight difference between organic and local SEO. The former deals with working a search engine’s algorithm to get a website higher on the search results. While the latter involves the incorporation of local destination or business location while selecting keywords.

In simpler words, organic SEO merely involves attempts to rank your website higher through relevant keywords, regardless of the locality. On the other hand, Local SEO incorporates a local aspect to it. By including localized content, a business can easily generate leads from areas nearby its physical location. As opposed to digital online businesses which target a global audience, most brick & mortar businesses tend to look to attract users within their operation area. For instance, a San Francisco based pizza restaurant would be more interested in attracting people who can actually order their pizza. Therefore, their digital marketing would not be looking to target a global audience. Instead, their digital marketing endeavors would be focused on the local market within the city.

Understanding Local SEO

As mentioned earlier, local SEO essentially refers to a dynamic and an effective method used by brick & mortar businesses to market themselves online. It is the most reliable technique for established businesses to generate sales through the internet. Without having to invest hefty amounts of their valuable resources in investing in online advertisements, businesses can benefit from organic SEO marketing.

There are a plethora of methods and strategies businesses employ while running their local SEO campaigns. From ensuring that the business’s site is ranked high on search engines (Google/Yahoo) to adding your brand to popular business directories such as Yelp. Here are some of many Local SEO strategies a business could employ to generate traffic and turn them into leads:

Incorporating keywords which include the areas where the business operates in.
Developing an SEO friendly website design which incorporates relevant keywords.
Posting positive and SEO-optimized reviews relevant online forums and platforms.
Adding the business to online listings and directories such as Foursquare, Yellowbook, Superpages, Google/Bing listings for businesses.

How Can You Use Local SEO for Your Business?

Using Local SEO to boost your business’s sales is quite simple and straight-forward. If you have a basic understanding of how major search engine to rank websites, it can’t get easier. But most businesses tend to leave nothing to chance and acquire the services of professional digital marketing professionals. Going through the most important things you need to do to fully utilize local SEO for your business will help you decide whether you need professional help or not. Here are a few of the actions you would need to take to reap benefits from local SEO:

Website Optimization

Your website’s content and design need to be in-line with your business marketing objectives. If your objective is to benefit from local SEO and attract more local clients then you must invest in website localization. Essentially, the localization of your website means incorporating the name of your local area, city or region throughout the site. A business which operates in more than one location, separate web pages for different locations could be created. Furthermore, sharing and posting relevant articles or local news regarding local events can expedite the website localization process.

Build Citations

Apart from website optimization, it is equally important for you to get your business website featured on all major business directories. Citations serve a dual purpose; they help you increase your search rankings while helping potential customers to find you online easily.

Backlinks

Another way to augment your local SEO campaign is to procure backlinks from reputable websites relevant to your business. For instance, a restaurant could benefit from an organic backlink from a food blog. Similarly, a backlink from a tech blog would be extremely relevant for a technology-based business. This would help your business become more visible in the local searches.

Optimize business reviews and ratings

Lastly and most importantly, Reputation Management & Marketing is the final key to the buyers decision making, you must optimize the reviews and ratings your business gets online. Honest and original reviews by actual clients are the most powerful marketing tools for any business. People tend to take the word of other customers and their experiences with your business over anything else. Encourage your existing clients to provide you with honest and positive feedback online. Devise a mechanism which reaches outs to clients and asks them for reviews and rating online.

Do You Need Professional SEO Services for Your Business?

Many businesses utilize the expertise of digital marketing professionals and SEO experts to empower their marketing campaigns. While some businesses attempt to optimize their websites themselves but due to their lack of information their efforts often go in vain. Therefore, it makes more sense to acquire the assistance of professionals who keep an eye on the latest SEO trends. Furthermore, an SEO expert is also more aware of the criteria of popular search engines such as Google, Yahoo and Bing use to rank websites. From recognizing the most relevant keywords to helping your optimize and localize your website, a professional digital marketing service can augment your marketing efforts.

Final Words

Organic SEO is a great way to increase the scope of your business without wasting a considerable amount of your valuable resources. Especially, local organic SEO is a dynamic and cost-effective way for small and medium-sized businesses to attract more clients. By investing in our RankFirst Solution and our SEO friendly websites, which is search engine friendly and is localized, small and medium-sized businesses can benefit immensely. So, if you are small or medium sized owner and want to increase your sales in a cost-effective way, local SEO optimized website is your best bet! Empower your business with a search engine friendly website, and make the most out of local SEO!