If you have a website on the internet, it is difficult if you don’t know the importance of SEO. For most website owners, SEO or search engine optimisation is the most searched and talked about topic. After all, if you want to rank high on search engines, you need to ensure that you have a smart SEO strategy in place.

So, if you want to make a mark on the internet, it is vital to get your SEO strategy right. Formulating a robust SEO strategy is an uphill task (not an impossible one), but what makes things more complicated is the myths that surround the world of SEO.

Yes, there are many SEO myths and misconceptions that are floating around, which makes your job even more difficult. Hence, if you want to formulate an effective SEO strategy, you need to know some of the SEO myths that are floating around.

But before getting into SEO myths and misconceptions, let us try to understand the meaning of SEO.

What is SEO?

According to Neil Patel, “SEO stands for search engine optimisation. Which is the art of ranking high on a search engine in the unpaid section, also known as the organic listings.”

SEO is the process of optimising your website or online content so that the search engines throw it up as the top result when people search for a particular keyword.

Top SEO myths you need to know

In case you want to do well in the online landscape, you have to get your SEO strategy right. And, to do that without a problem, it is important that you steer clear of SEO myths. Here are the top SEO myths that you need to know:

Search engine optimisation or SEO is a scam – It is a myth that SEO is a scam, and that SEO consultants charge astronomical fees for doing absolutely nothing for your web presence.

What you need to be careful about are the dodgy SEO companies that promise you instant success and sure-shot ranking positions. For example, if an SEO company is charging you peanuts and assures you of a top spot on Google, then you need to be wary of it because this certainly is a scam.

There are no easy quick-fix solutions for SEO. It is a long-drawn process, and you need to be patient. If somebody promises you instant success and guaranteed results, it should be a red flag for you.

You need to react quickly to every algorithm update for more success – Another SEO myth that is floating around is that you need to react quickly to algorithm updates, or else it gets difficult for you to stay ahead.

Search engines continuously work to improve their search algorithms. Google approximately alters its search algorithms 500 times every year. But you don’t have to worry about all of them; you should only be concerned about the major algorithm updates.

And, when there is a major update, you don’t need to rush in with changes. You first need to wait and watch how it impacts your website, and then change your SEO strategy if there is a dip in your rankings. If your SEO strategy is right, then it is highly unlikely that an update will have an impact on your website.

You also need to remember that if there is any major algorithm update that is going to impact your rankings, the concerned company will surely announce what you need to do to adhere o those guidelines. Hence, it is prudent to wait for some time and check on reliable sites what and how you need to proceed ahead after an update is announced. You can visit Google Webmaster Central Blog to keep yourself current on all the latest web news.

SEO is a one-time exercise – This is another SEO myth that can have a far-reaching effect on your web presence. SEO is never a one-time exercise; you have to keep working on it to stay at the top of the SEO game. If you want a steady inflow of organic traffic, you need to work on your SEO strategy continuously.

You need to keep working on your SEO strategy because you should keep publishing new pages, work on your outdated content, and keep abreast with the competition and the ever-evolving search algorithms, and link degradation, among others.

There are many things you need to work on to maintain your top ranking in the search results. And, doing it once will not help you stay at the top for long.

Optimising for Google will cover you up for all the sites – It is another myth that has no basis at all. If you optimise for Google, how can you be sure about other search engines? It is true – Google has the major share of the search market, but if you want to target 100% of web traffic, then you need to optimise for at least the top three search engines.

Bing is another search engine that you can target because its share is improving steadily. For example, backlinks for Bing are not all as important as is the case with Google. Bing ranks your site on the parameters like user engagement, click-through rates, social signals, keyword domains, and page authority. Things are slightly different for Bing than what it is for Google.

Hence, if you are interested in targeting 100% of web traffic, you need to target the top three search engines, which means you cannot avoid Google.

Don’t bother about link building as it is a thing of the past – Another myth that has no basis. Link building is certainly not dead, and you need to do it naturally to do well on the search results.

Don’t forget that search engines use link authority and anchor text signals in their search engine algorithms. Also, you need to remember that white hat link-building is not a thing of the past and is considered a safe and time-tested practice.

What you need to avoid is unfair means of getting the links. Every natural link is sure to add more value to your SEO efforts.

Content is the only king – There is no doubt that content is the king, but it is certainly not the only thing that can assure you of a top spot in the search engine rankings. Creating high-quality content is essential if you want to improve your search engine rankings, but there are other parameters as well.

It is important to publish timely, relevant, original, and well-researched content to rank high on the search engines, but you also need to ensure that other website factors like quality backlinks, responsive web design, and excellent user experience are some other factors that also contribute to your ranking.

Hence, it is vital to create high-quality content, but also make sure that your website as a whole is optimised for better results.

Google dislikes SEO – It is another myth that has no basis. On the contrary, Google states that SEO can “potentially improve your site and save time”, SEO agencies “provide useful services”, and Google advises “if you’re thinking about hiring an SEO, the earlier the better.”

There is no doubt that Google seems to encourage SEO, but what it dislikes is the manipulative SEO practices, which you need to avoid to climb the search engine rankings. If your SEO efforts are only aimed at tricking the search engine, it is sure to penalise your site. White hat SEO practices can surely improve your search engine rankings and Google does not dislike them.

H1 tags improve your search rankings – When it comes to SEO practice, using H1 tags is a must. It is another myth that has no basis. H1 tags do not contribute to SEO rankings directly.

H1 tags are important because they make your content more organised for the viewers and help web developers to design your website, but it does not contribute to SEO rankings directly.

According to experts, it does not matter whether you use H1 or H2 tags. What is significant is whether your page contains useful and relevant information for your viewers or not.

H1 tags were an important SEO factor a few years back, but today they are part of the basic best practices that do not influence your search engine rankings.

SEO is nothing but all tricks – It is another falsely propagated myth. SEO is all tricks only for those who try to manipulate it. But if you do SEO legitimately, then there is more to it than just tricks. If you follow SEO best practices, you are sure to improve the browsing experience and content organisation.

If you follow SEO best practices, it can make your content more discoverable, improves accessibility, structure your data, optimises social sharing standards, improves website performance like page speed, helps search engines to categorise and serve your content to the right audience, and share content with the right audience, among others.

All these actions are important for page ranking. When you follow SEO best practices, you optimise your web content, which can improve your search engine rankings significantly.

Social activity has no impact on SEO – It is true that Google does not use metrics like Facebook shares or Twitter followers for ranking purposes directly.

But you need to understand that successful social activity can have major secondary effects on your overall SEO efforts. Social activity helps you on two SEO fronts – search engine discovery and indexation and content distribution that leads to links and shares.

With successful social activity, you can reach your target audience easily, improve user engagement, increase visits, and improve traffic. Also, the more your content is shared and linked, the better it is for your SEO efforts. These are the secondary effects that can improve your search engine rankings. Hence, never overlook social activity.

If your SEO efforts are not giving you the desired results, you can get in touch with vStacks Software Solutions now. We have been in the business of SEO for a long time, and we know what it takes to improve your site’s search engine rankings.

With the internet connecting people like never before, companies must think seriously about their online reputation. It is not wise for any business to compromise on its reputation.

Online reputation was always crucial for businesses of all sizes and makes. However, after the pandemic, online connectivity has increased manifold. Things are no more the same as they were before the pandemic.

Most people these days rely on online reviews to gauge a business. It is only after going through several reviews that people make up their minds to buy a product or service.

That is why reputation management is more important than ever before. Whether you manage your online reputation yourself or hire a review management services company, you need to manage your reputation smartly to tide over the competition.

So, what should you do?

Let us walk you through why reputation management is important – the effect of COVID-19 on online reputation, why you should not get emotional, and how to find if a bad review is fake.

The effect of COVID-19 on online reputation

The pandemic has changed many things. During the time when people were forced to stay indoors, most of us relied on what we read on the internet. That is what has made all the difference. Now most of us have got into a habit of reading online reviews before making a purchase.
A Trustpilot survey found that 33.6 percent of consumers increased checking online reviews of products and services during the lockdown. According to Giles Robertson, lecturer in digital marketing at the University of Bedfordshire, the reputation you build online for your company during the pandemic will have a lasting impact on consumers.
“People will remember the good actions, as they did for brands who advertised through the wars, like Watermans, Bovril, and Sunlight Soap. Even if your activities make a loss and you don’t have products to sell, supporting and entertaining your customers can ensure the brand comes out of the crisis stronger and more loved,” says Giles Robertson.
According to research by BrightLocal, 84% of customers these days trust online reviews and treat them at par with a personal recommendation.
Even in the case of negative feedback, it’s about how effectively a company reacts. You need to respond to the negative comments quickly so as to settle the issue. When you quickly address the issue, it helps pacify your customers.

Don’t get emotional

It is no secret that getting positive reviews can increase your sales substantially, while negative online comments may have the opposite effect. Every business, big and small can get negative reviews, but it is crucial to deal with them properly to keep your reputation intact.

However, it is crucial to know that all negative reviews might not come from genuine customers. With competition increasing by the day, you can get fake reviews from your competitors. Also, there are occasions when customers irresponsibly and unjustly post a negative review to harm a business.

If you are getting such reviews, don’t get emotional. Tackle the problem maturely.

It is not unusual to feel annoyed when someone is trying to dent your reputation. But you need to understand that if you respond emotionally, it can complicate the situation further, which is not in your interest. However, not reacting emotionally does not mean that you should sit on the negative review and do nothing about it. If a negative review stays on the internet for long, it can cause a lot of damage. Remember, the longer it stays there, the more people view it, and the more it can damage your reputation.

It is vital to note that over 86% of the netizens have a habit of reading reviews. If you don’t take remedial action promptly, most of your consumers and prospects might read the review and form an adverse opinion about your brand and business.

So, what should you do about it?

The perfect remedial action, of course, would be to get the comment removed. However, if you cannot get it removed, the best thing is to respond to it promptly and positively. Responding to it quickly and positively can have a positive effect on your potential customers.

It is crucial to respond to reviews appropriately because that is the only way you can let your customers and prospects know your side of the story. That is how you can defend your brand. It is also the right way to identify and tackle fake reviews for your potential customers.

If you receive too many negative reviews all of a sudden, don’t get bogged down. It might be difficult to respond to each one of them separately. Hence, you can draft a polite response, without sounding accusatory, and seek suggestions on how to get things right.

Could a bad review be fake?

You need to manage your reputation properly, especially on Google. Make it a habit to respond to reviews, both positive as well as negative. It is crucial to understand that reviews not just help your local SEO rankings, but are also potential leads.

But unjust comments like fake reviews can perturb anyone. For example, if you get a review from a person who has never done business with you, then it is a fake negative review. But all bad reviews are not fake.

So, the important thing is to ask yourself this question – could a bad review be fake?

As mentioned above, no need to get emotional about a negative review because there are ways to remove it. If a review violates Google’s policies for leaving reviews, and you flag the issue, then it can be promptly removed.

However, if you get a genuine negative review, you should tackle the issue maturely. If your legitimate customers had a poor experience, you need to address their concerns. What you should do is – respond to their review on Google. You can also call up the customer and try to listen to his or her concern, and assure prompt remedial action.

But if you come across a review that you think is fake, then here is how you can check its authenticity:

If they are your customers, they should be present somewhere in your CRM or point of sale software. But if they are not there, then chances are that they are not your customers.

Check if you have any record of them contacting your customer service. If they haven’t contacted as yet, suggest contacting customer service politely by giving them the contact details.

Are there specific details like the name of the employee who interacted with them? People can forget the name of the employee, but it is unlikely that you would not remember the name of the person who annoyed you so much.

If you start getting too many negative reviews all of a sudden, someone (competitor or spammer) might be after you.

In case someone suggests your competitor in his or her review, then it is a clear indication that your competitor is behind the review.

It is possible to get rid of fake negative reviews, here is how you can do it:

In case you get a fake negative review, you can go to the review on Google Maps and flag it as inappropriate. But before flagging a review as inappropriate, ensure that it is fake. Don’t make it a habit to flag all negative reviews because Google can penalise you for frequent inappropriate referrals.

If your competitor is behind your negative reviews, you can speak to them to stop the activity or take them to the local Chamber of Commerce.

However, there is another way of tackling negative reviews, and that is to get positive reviews in hordes. Make sure to ask your customers to leave positive reviews. It can help you in more ways than one.

If you want a reliable review management services company that can effectively manage your online reputation, then you should get in touch with vStacks Software Solutions, Dubai. We are a digital marketing company, and we know how to manage your online reputation positively.

As a marketer, you must find ways and methods to reach your audience. Marketers have many marketing channels available to convey their messages to their audience. However, to get the best ROI, you must select the right marketing channels. And one channel that marketers cannot ignore is email marketing. Email marketing, without a doubt, is one of the most effective marketing channels because it delivers a high return on investments.

If you thought email marketing was down and dusted, you are wrong. It is a channel that has yielded great results in the past, and it continues to do so even today. It is unwise to ignore email marketing.

But if you are not getting the desired results from your email marketing campaigns, then you might just have to tweak your strategy. That is exactly what we plan to address in this article – email marketing mistakes you need to avoid to make your campaigns more successful.

Apart from segmenting your customers, focusing on mobile users, adding a call to action, being professional in your messages, you also need to focus on these three things – let your recipients contact you, avoid spamming at all costs, and follow the rules when sending emails.

Let us take them up one by one.

Let your recipients contact you

If your prospects and customers don’t know from whom they are receiving the email, then it is difficult for your email marketing campaign to be successful.
Hence, if you are using email addresses like no-reply@ or DoNotReply@, you should stop doing it because your customers don’t appreciate it. It is crucial to understand that if your open rates are low and you are using these email addresses, then this could be one of the reasons why you are not getting the desired results.
It is the sender’s name that prompts people to open the email.
Make sure you send emails from an address that allows your recipients to contact you. Don’t send emails from addresses like no-reply@ or DoNotReply@. You should always let your recipients contact you.
You not only need to send emails from an address that your customers can respond to, but you should also ensure that your email displays your phone numbers and your social media profile links so that your customers can contact you as and when the need arises.
For example, in case you are the CEO of a large business house, then you are surely not the one who sends out emails to clients. But as the CEO of the company, people do recognise your name. Regardless of who sends out the mail in your company, it is crucial to understand that the email should have a recognisable name.
It is important, therefore, to understand that whenever you send out an email, it should be from a person within your company. Doing this can give you an edge over others.

Avoid spamming at all costs

Email marketing can give you great results, but you should never overdo it. Overdoing here means sending too many emails to your customers. When people subscribe to your emails, they expect you to be responsible. Sending them emails one after the other does not augur well for your email marketing campaign.
As it is, an office going person receives too many emails every day. People unsubscribe from email lists mainly because they start getting too many messages.
Always think from your customer’s perspective. If you get annoyed when you receive junk emails, it can also frustrate your customers.
You would certainly not want to annoy your customers. That is why you should avoid spamming at all costs.
Your newsletters should add value to your customers. People should look forward to receiving your emails. However, if you start sending them too many irrelevant messages, your messages lose relevance. You need to understand that when people sign up to receive your emails, it means they have some amount of interest in your content. Give them a breather and don’t annoy them.
You also need to be realistic. It is important to understand that people don’t shop all the time, and they can also not visit your website twice a day.
When it comes to email promotions, you should limit it to one per week.
It is a good idea to ask your customers about the communication frequency and the type of messages they want to receive upfront at the time of the sign up. You can segment them accordingly to cater to their needs.

You also need inventory management software

Inventory management is a crucial aspect of the e-commerce business. You need to know when you run out of stock so that your customers have a smooth experience on your site. Inventory management software helps you track your inventory across your store and website.

There are a few features that you need to consider when selecting inventory management software. Find out if there is any limit on the number of products you can manage with the software. You also need to check how well it syncs with your website and your storefront. After all, it is difficult to manage two programs. Also, check out the reporting features it offers. Find out if you will get information in advance about your inventory.

Also, you need customer relationship management software

Managing customers is extremely crucial in the e-commerce business. With customer relationship management software, you can store all the information about your customers like their name, address, phone number, email IDs, and purchase history in one place. These are crucial and invaluable information that can facilitate new sales. A CRM system helps you to know what your customers want and when they need it. When you know your customers well, it helps you to fine-tune your marketing efforts. And, a CRM system helps you on that front.

Follow the rules when sending emails

It is also vital to know that you need to follow the rules when sending out emails. It is legally binding on businesses to take prior permission of the subscribers before sending out email messages to them. Sending unsolicited emails is morally and ethically wrong.
Creating, designing, and running a successful email marketing campaign is not as easy as you may think. You need professionals to get the best results. If you are looking for a reliable and professional email marketing company, you can contact vStacks Software Solutions.

A lot has changed in the last few decades – from the way we communicate and interact to how we shop – things are not the same as they used to be. Digitisation has changed most of how we live our lives these days. It is not necessary to physically go out to the market to shop for stuff you need in your day-to-day lives. We can sit at home and order pretty much anything from the cool confines of our homes.

Thanks to the e-commerce platforms, you can now shop from wherever you want and buy what you desire.

E-commerce has been a growing vertical for quite some time now. Many brands, big and small, have added digital platforms to serve their online customers. This has made e-commerce an extremely competitive vertical.

That is why if you are thinking of taking your business online, you are in the right place. Let us, therefore, take you through why your business needs an online platform, how to transition to your e-commerce solution, and why an e-commerce solution needs to be secure.

Digital buying is on the rise

Digital buying is on the rise for quite some time now. However, the coronavirus pandemic has necessitated many consumers to switch to digital modes of buying to keep themselves safe. The lockdown in many countries forced the consumers to form new habits, and the pattern is likely to continue even after the pandemic subsides.

With the brick-and-mortar shops closed for business, sales took a severe beating during the pandemic. Though the restrictions have eased, digital habits will have a long-lasting impact on physical retail sales, which is unlikely to return to pre-pandemic levels any time soon.

The device that will benefit the most from the growth in e-commerce sales is mobile. By 2024, m-commerce will account for one-fifth of total retail sales.

How to transition to your e-commerce solution?

The number of digital buyers is increasing at a rapid pace.

In today’s times, if you don’t have an online presence, you are missing big time on opportunities. Hence, if you want to sell online, it is crucial to know how to move in the right direction.

Here is what you will need to transition your business online:

You should have a decent website

Without a doubt, you need a decent website to start your online journey. Though you can sell your products on Amazon and Facebook, it is always a good idea to have a website of your own if you are planning to make inroads in the online arena. Your website will be the face of your organisation; hence, it is crucial to have a great site.

Your website has to do a lot of hard work – it needs to display the products, tempt potential customers to browse your site, and provide all the relevant information your customers might need to buy the product; hence, you need to focus more on your website.

You also need a reliable hosting provider. When selecting a hosting provider, make sure the vendor you opt for can handle a large amount of traffic. You cannot afford to lose your customers because of hosting issues.

While you are on your website, make sure you focus a bit on its design. You need to ensure that your website is easy to use and reflects your brand’s image. It is also crucial to make your website mobile-friendly as many people these days use their mobiles to shop.

You need shopping cart software

To make sure that your customers complete their purchases, you must have shopping cart software. With shopping cart software in place, your customers can add items to their cart. Once your customers add items to their cart, they can process their transactions.

You have a lot many options to choose from for your shopping cart software. But make sure the one you choose is easy to install on your website. It is also crucial to select one that your customers can use easily. The software should also accept multiple payment types.

Select the shopping cart software very carefully. It is an important decision to make because it plays a crucial role in your online journey.

You also need inventory management software

Inventory management is a crucial aspect of the e-commerce business. You need to know when you run out of stock so that your customers have a smooth experience on your site. Inventory management software helps you track your inventory across your store and website.

There are a few features that you need to consider when selecting inventory management software. Find out if there is any limit on the number of products you can manage with the software. You also need to check how well it syncs with your website and your storefront. After all, it is difficult to manage two programs. Also, check out the reporting features it offers. Find out if you will get information in advance about your inventory.

Also, you need customer relationship management software

Managing customers is extremely crucial in the e-commerce business. With customer relationship management software, you can store all the information about your customers like their name, address, phone number, email IDs, and purchase history in one place. These are crucial and invaluable information that can facilitate new sales. A CRM system helps you to know what your customers want and when they need it. When you know your customers well, it helps you to fine-tune your marketing efforts. And, a CRM system helps you on that front.

Don’t forget social media

Irrespective of how great your website looks; you need to spread the word around so that people start coming to your website. That is where you need to tap social media correctly. Make sure you have an account on all the major social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. You can leverage these platforms to promote your online store so that people start coming to your site. But it is difficult to manage social media accounts single-handedly. You can use social media management tools that allow you to schedule your posts in advance, manage multiple accounts from one place, and track all your customer’s interactions.

Do opt for split testing

When you opt for split testing, you know what will work for you and things that won’t have a great impact on your business. In split testing, you create two almost similar versions of your website and display one of them to each visitor randomly. You can find out which page is performing better. Split testing helps you to make the right decisions.

An e-commerce solution needs to be secure

Security is an important aspect of the e-commerce business. When someone comes to shop on your e-commerce platform, they put in a lot of personal details on the site. And, unless you offer foolproof security, your customer’s data is at risk. With data theft on the rise, it is crucial to keep your customer’s data safe from the prying eyes.

Besides financial implications, a data breach can harm your reputation in a big way. Your loyal customers will stop buying from your site if they have had a bad experience in the past. Hence, if you are thinking of taking your business online, you need to put in place all the security measures that help keep your customer’s data safe and secure from the prying eyes,

That is why an e-commerce solution needs to be secure.

Digitisation has a big role to play in an economy these days. E-commerce and other facets of the digital economy have two main factors, namely digital data and digital platforms. Digital data is a new economic resource to create value. That is why it is crucial to control data strategically because it helps transform them into digital intelligence.

E-commerce businesses can also benefit a lot from data. E-commerce businesses can offer better services to their customers if they properly use the data they collect from them.

In developed countries, the majority of the population now shops online. However, that is not the case in developing countries. With limited digital preparedness, many developing countries lag in online commerce.

To boost trust among online consumers, it is crucial to strengthen the protection of users. It is also important to strengthen cybersecurity infrastructure. On the supply end, the problems that are creating bottlenecks include SMEs’ lack of familiarity with e-commerce and the constant transport and logistics challenges. If you don’t take the necessary precautions to protect the users, the e-commerce business can suffer a lot.

The loopholes in the local ecosystem and low technological capability make it difficult for digital platforms to do well in developing countries. That is why they have to adopt a slew of business-model innovations to meet their bottom line.

Digital platforms might need someone who can act as an intermediary to facilitate data entry, collect cash payments on delivery, run a call centre to meet the calling needs, etc.

Many a time, digital platforms need to create physical supply-chain and logistics services like distribution channels, warehouses, payment points, delivery vehicles, and drivers. Often, they also have to invest in IT infrastructure, management, and business skills.

If you do the e-commerce business the right way, you can grow exponentially as an organisation. But to do the business properly, you need the right platform. Unless you get the right e-commerce platform, it is tough to make a mark in the online arena.

If you plan to start your e-commerce store, you should contact vStacks Software Solutions, Dubai. We are a software development organisation, and we know what it takes to develop an e-commerce platform. We can not only build the platform for your online business, but we can host it and give it the right thrust it needs to reach your target audience as we also specialise in digital marketing.

Most businesses today have a website. But a website alone cannot do you any good. To reap the full benefits of the online revolution, you need to make sure that your website ranks well on search engines like Google. However, with competition on the internet growing fast, your website needs a smart SEO strategy to rank well on search engines. But it is crucial to understand that your SEO strategy cannot become smart unless you do proper keyword research. You cannot rank well on search engines if you don’t know what keywords are crucial to your business.

So, what is keyword research?

The process of finding the search words or phrases that people enter on search engines is called keyword research. When you know what search terms people use to get to where they want to go, it helps you to come up with a relevant content strategy, which, in turn, helps you achieve your overall online marketing goals.

Whether you do your SEO on your own or hire an SEO services company, it is vital to know your SEO keywords to rank well on search engines.

So, what should you do to get found with SEO keywords?

To make things clear, let us take you through how to get started with keyword research, discovering new keywords, and picking the best keywords for your brand.

Getting started with keyword research

Things in the online world change thick and fast like your SEO strategy due to changing Google Algorithm. But one thing that has more or less remained consistent over the years is keyword research. However, the way of doing keyword research has certainly changed over time.

Keyword research is important because it lets you know the topics people are looking for on the internet. And, when you do it correctly, you get to know the popular topics among your audience. Proper keyword research allows you to know the terms or keywords that are getting high volumes of searches every month. When you know the high-volume keywords, you can design your content accordingly, and then you can use that content to target those keywords.

When it comes to keyword research, knowing the user intent behind the keyword is extremely important because it is the intent that helps you rank well on search engines like Google. You also need to keep in mind that carrying only the keyword on your webpage is not sufficient – your content needs to address the search intent of the user. Since the intent is extremely important for your ranking, you need to make sure that you interpret the targeted keywords correctly.

If you want to crosscheck the user’s intent in a keyword, you should key it in a search engine and check the results it throws up.

So, how should you go about doing keyword research? Here is how to get started with keyword research:

Start by listing down important and relevant topics keeping in mind the things you know about your business. Create a list of topics for which you want to rank. List down 5 – 10 topics that you think are relevant for your business. Based on these topics, you can zero-in on the relevant keywords for your business. While selecting the topics, think from your audience’s perspective. Think of what your audience would be looking for the most and select topics on those lines. For example, if you are a blogger, some of the topics that you might want to pick up are:

Blogging

SEO

Email marketing

Marketing analytics

Email marketing

Lead generation

You can find out the search volume for each topic, which will help you to streamline your content strategy. Depending on the relevance of each topic, you can create sub-topics and start generating the relevant content.

Next, pick up relevant keywords for each topic. While selecting keywords, think from the perspective of your audience – what they would be searching for and what they want. You should select keywords or phrases for which you want to rank for in the SERPs. For example, if you are an ERP software development company, then some of the keywords that you can think of are:

How to use ERP software?

What is ERP software?

How to find the best ERP software?

How to find out if you need ERP software?

These are some of the phrases that your audience might look for when looking for an ERP solution. You can take the help of tools to find out which keywords would help you rank well.

Don’t forget to take into account the keywords that are already driving traffic to your website. Take the help of Google Analytics to find out your going keywords. Repeat this exercise for all your topics so that you come with a final list of keywords that would help you rank well.

As a marketer, your primary job is to reach out to your customers and prospects effectively. Whether you use traditional marketing methods or Internet marketing methods, the goal is to reach, attract and convert as many potential customers as possible. There are many ways to reach out to your customers effectively when we talk of internet marketing. And social media is by far one of the most effective ways to reach your audience.

You can miss out on opportunities if you don’t use social media to your advantage.

Yes, social media marketing or SMM is extremely crucial these days to promote your brand, engage with your existing customers, and attract potential clients. If you follow the right steps, SMM can give you great results. It can surely increase the visibility of your company and help you get noticed.

You can do SMM yourself or hire a social media marketing services company to do the needful for your brand and company. Regardless of the route you take, it is vital to understand a few things about social media marketing so that you can use it properly to propel your brand.

Let us, therefore, find out what is social media marketing, how it can help your business, and how to choose the best SMM platforms for marketing.

An overview of social media marketing

Social media marketing is by far the most effective way to reach your customers and prospects for businesses, both big and small. When you use social media platforms in the right manner, it can help you connect with your audience, enhance brand awareness, increase your sales, and bring more traffic to your website. What you need to do is publish high-quality content on your social media profiles, connect and engage with your followers, run social media ads, and finally analyse your results.

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and Snapchat are some of the major social media platforms that businesses need to factor in to promote their company.

Here is an overview of the social media marketing that will help you understand why you need it:

Earlier SMM was all about publishing content. Businesses use to share their content to increase traffic coming to their website and improve sales. But social media marketing has evolved over the years.

These days social media is used for various other reasons as well. Businesses use social media for social listening and engagement, where companies monitor social media to know what people are saying about their brand. Businesses also use social media to analyse their performance on social media in terms of reach, engagement, and sales, which is known as social media analytics. Also, businesses use social media to reach their specific target audience, which is known as social media advertising. And, when you work on all these aspects, it is referred to as social media management.

But to get the best result from your social media activities, you need to ensure that you do it in a structured way.

To start with, you need to have a social media strategy in place. Without a robust social media strategy, it is highly unlikely that you will get the desired results. And, a good social media strategy starts with understanding and setting your goals and objectives. Then, you need to pick up the social media platforms that you think you need for your business. Finally, decide on the type of content you need to attract your audience – do you need to put out educational or entertainment content, will it be in the form of a link, image, or video, and how often do you need to fine-tune your content strategy.

To get good results, you need to make sure that your presence on social media is consistent. You need to publish your content, be it a blog post, social media post/s, image, or video, regularly and consistently on the social media platforms you use. Hence, if you want to reach out to your audience regularly, you need to plan well in advance what you would publish on these platforms. Timing and frequency are also important if you want to get good results from your social media activities. You need to post at the right time and be consistent with your efforts. There are social media scheduling tools that can help you post your content without any delay.

Listening and engagement are also extremely important social media aspects that you should never ignore. Social media is an interactive medium. It is crucial to listen to what people are saying about your brand and engage with them so that you send out a message that you are receptive to the needs of your customers and prospects. That is why it is vital to monitor social media conversations that are happening about your brand. If you don’t engage with your customers and prospects, it will not go down well with them.

It is vital to assess your social media marketing performance periodically so that you can fine-tune your strategy as and when required. That is why social media analytics is extremely crucial to the success of your strategy. Most social media platforms provide this information. But you can also take the help of other social media analytics tools to get a more in-depth analysis.

If you have the resources and want to take your SMM to the next level, then you need to consider social media advertising. Advertising on social media allows you to reach a wider audience. You can create groups and target your audience based on their interests, demographics, buying patterns, and behaviours.

What can social media marketing do for your business?

It is important to understand what can social media marketing do for your business. If you are a search marketer, you might think of how social media would help your cause. But as a search marketer, it is important to know that there is a close relationship between SMM and search. Social media and search have a close relationship because social media keeps discovering new content and discovery is at the heart of search activity. Also, social media can help you get links, which can support your SEO efforts. It means social media marketing can have a positive effect on your website ranking on search engines like Google. Further, people these days also search social media sites to find social media content. Moreover, social connections can make some search results more relevant, which could either be within a social media network or at the level of a search engine.

Social media marketing can do a lot more for your business, and some of them are:

SMM can boost your website traffic.

Social media marketing can improve your conversions.

SMM can enhance your brand awareness.

Social media marketing can create an identity for your brand and improve the brand association.

SMM can improve your interaction and engagement with your audience.

How to choose the best social media platforms for marketing?

If you want to get good results for your SMM activities, you need to select social media platforms carefully. You should select platforms that complement your business. It is important to understand that each platform has a unique user base and environment. Hence, you should devise different strategies for different social media platforms.

Here is an overview that can help you to choose the best social media platforms for marketing:

Facebook

Since Facebook has a casual and friendly environment, you need an active SMM strategy to do well on this platform. To start with Facebook, you can create a Facebook Business Fan Page. Also, since the visual part plays the main role on Facebook, you need to pay a lot of attention to the layout.

Also, since Facebook is a casual and friendly platform, you should ensure that your content is light and friendly. But you need to understand that organic reach on Facebook is not all that great; hence you should consider Facebook advertising. Facebook advertising can impact your organic Facebook presence positively.

Pinterest