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How To Start A FAQ Page

How To Start A FAQ Page That Attracts Target Audience With 17+ Examples.

How To Start A FAQ Page That Attracts Target Audience With 17+ Examples.

If you are looking for creative ways on how to start a FAQ page that actually help your customers then you have come to the right place. The sad truth is that most FAQ pages are dreadful.

Unlike sales pages – FAQ pages do not offer any direct return on investment and that is majority of people end up slapping their FAQ section together as an afterthought which is a huge mistake.

In fact a good FAQ page is an eye catching valuable asset. A great FAQ page acts as a self-service portal that guides your customers to the answers they need.

As a result you decrease the burden of your customer support team as they will be dealing with fewer incoming customer support tickets which mean your business will be able to provide better customer support as you focus more on pressing issues. 

Start A FAQ Page

Well, it does not stop there – a great FAQ page can improve your website’s organic traffic and navigation plus it is potentially a critical moment in the conversion funnel.

Since a view or glance at your FAQ page means a visitor is indicating that they are interested in knowing more about the details of your product and/or service.

Therefore if you have been ignoring or neglecting your FAQ page then now is the time to start a FAQ page that is fresh or give it the attention it deserves.

Table of Content

Below are the content on How To Start A FAQ Page That Attracts Target Audience With 17+ Examples.

Click on any of them to get directly to your preferred section or you can scroll down slowly and read from the start.

Without any further delay – let us dive in and learn how you can create and craft a watertight FAQ page to bring in more sales and increase your customer satisfaction at the same time.

What is a FAQ Page?

A FAQ page also known as Frequently Asked Question page is a part of your website that provides answers to common questions, alleviate concerns and overcome objections.

It is a space where customers can search through into the finer details of your product and/or service away from your sales focused landing pages and homepage.

At Best-Digital Marketing – our FAQ pages help our users and customers to get the most from our services. It is a one stop shop for the most common questions that keep popping into our customer’s minds.

Apart from being a simple troubleshooting area for your customer’s problems – your FAQ section becomes a powerful tool that can:

  • Boost sales by comforting your customer’s pre-purchase fears and concerns.
  • Reducing customer support ticket by providing customers the ability to self-serve and find the answer to their problems on their own.
  • Drive in more organic traffic by improving your site’s search visibility.
  • Give your customers a more enjoyable overall experience.

Now you can see why a good FAQ page has buckets of potential. It is a lot more than just a place for customers to check your returns policy but also how to go about creating an exceptional FAQ page.

How To Start An Effective FAQ Page?

Creating an FAQ page might seem like a walk in the park but if you just jump in without a plan then you will end up with inadequate results.

Starting a FAQ page is not rocket science. By adding a few simple tips on what you should include in your FAQ – you can elevate your FAQ page to amazing heights.

They are in no order of importance since all of them are equally important in their own remits:

1. Include Real Frequently Asked Questions

This one seems obvious but you would be surprised at the number of FAQ sections that do not adhere to this simple principle.

There is nothing worse than visiting a FAQ section to find a bunch of patronising questions designed to showcase how wonderful the company is. Do not do that.

Try to go through your ticketing system and interrogate your customer support team to determine the actual issues your customers are struggling or having issues with. 

Frequently Asked Questions - FAQ SEO

Your social media channels can also be a useful source of customer frustrations and do not be afraid to ask your target audience about what their problems or issues they are struggling with.

If you are just starting out then it is ok to look at your competitor websites to see what problems might pop up in the future and this will save you a lot of time and effort.

Once you have done your research – try and figure out what type of queries keep popping up continuously over and over. 

Put them into a spreadsheet and rank them by importance and these will form the basis of your FAQ page.

2. Keep it Simple & Organised

Potential customers and visitors come to your FAQ page because they want short, sharp answers for questions related to your business.

Therefore keep your solutions brief and to the point, cut down any technical jargons and difficult words and break-up longer answers into easy to consume paragraphs.

Instead of stuffing as many answers as possible onto a single page – think about breaking up your FAQ section into eye scan able sections.

Keep It Simple And Organised

Categorising common questions helps users quickly find what they are looking for. Use topics like Billing, Returns, Delivery or After Sales to point users to the relevant section for advice instead of having them to contact you.

Do whatever it takes to simplify your FAQ page and your users will appreciate your efforts.

3. Make it Searchable

Have you ever landed on an FAQ page only to be forced to scroll through hundreds of irrelevant questions to find what you are looking for?

 It is definitely not the best way to spend 10 minutes.

Make It Searchable

Therefore take the pain out of the process and let your customers pop a query or keyword into a search bar to get the answers they need in a couple of seconds.

4. Optimise For SEO

In addition to lowering the friction for a visitor to make a purchase – your FAQ section can also help you to create a more search-engine friendly website.

By linking each of your questions to a separate page – you will help Google to show your answers to everyone who is looking for them.

Optimise For SEO

Even if customers or visitors are not searching directly for your business – they might be looking for help with a problem you can solve. A correctly keyword optimised FAQ page can lead them right to your door.

5. Update Regularly

We will have to say this – an outdated FAQ page is worse than not having an FAQ page at all.

Therefore commit to updating your FAQ section on a regular basis. Once every quarter is good or whenever you roll-out a new feature, product or update.

Update Regularly

And as time goes by you will find that some questions become more popular than others and will need to be moved to be more visible. Other times – some questions will become redundant and needs to be removed.

Regular editing and additions are essential to give your customers the best user experience possible.

Using a Knowledge Base to Create Your FAQ Page

At this point – you may be thinking – these are amazing FAQ sections but my current website is not capable of producing such great designs.

Well do not panic – you do not need to overhaul your entire site or hire an expensive developer but you can use a knowledge base to power your FAQ section. Using a customer service knowledge base can provide you with a number of benefits over a traditional FAQ page.

For a start – knowledge base software will easily let you build a FAQ-style page without the need to use any code. You will find it easier to organise and categorise your FAQs easier than ever. 

In addition to that it will allow you to fully customise and brand your FAQ section so your users know where they are instantly.

Knowledge Base To Create FAQ Page

It also allows you to create and link to in-depth articles within your FAQ. This is especially valuable for keeping your FAQ clutter-free if you have got a product that requires more complex answers. 

You can even do cool things like troubleshooting multiple answers based on a user’s interaction. Quality knowledge base software equips you with the tools to analyse how users are interacting with your FAQ content which is awesome because solid analytics is essential if you want to know how to adjust and improve.

Last but not least using knowledge base software will let you create an easy searchable database of answers thus allowing your users to find exactly what they are looking for.

So if you are sick of messing about with your current FAQ section and want to dip your toe into the uber-powerful world of knowledge-based FAQ then get in touch with us today to help you create an effective FAQ page.

Some Great FAQ Page Examples

Now let us look at 17+ great examples of FAQ page/resources as well as why they are so effective.

They are in no order of importance since all of them are equally important in their own merits, designs and applicability.

1. Nintendo

The Nintendo Online FAQs are bold, functional and simple in approach. The content is not cluttered and easy to skim read. There are straight forward visual added to help the user too.

Nintendo

2. Days Out Guide

Days Out Guide’s FAQs resource incorporates tags to make the most out of single-click functionality for all device access to information. The balance between text, images and interactive features works great.

Days Out Guide

3. Amazon Web Services

Amazon Web Services’ FAQs are functional, easy to skim through and categorised for use. There are no frills here and in some cases – it is better to get straight to the point.

Amazon Web Services

4. Dropbox

Dropbox Help Centre brings fun to the FAQ area with the choice of images used and encourages the user to experience the site through self-discovery.

Dropbox

5. TUI

TUI FAQs are in a grid format, include depth of topical coverage and reflect the volumes of information available on the site.

The resource is quite pretty by design and it works. It also has a retro feel to it.

TUI

6. Whats App

The FAQ resource for WhatsApp is bright, easy to use and categorised effectively for quick desktop or mobile use.

Whats App

7. Wikipedia

Wikipedia’s help centre is a great example of an old-school style FAQ page.

It is text heavy, blocked into key topic areas and has extensive access to all the key support areas you could ever need.

Wikipedia

8. Microsoft

Microsoft’s FAQs section employs accordion/expandable div functionality to enable a more effective mobile-first experience and to support quick top-level access to information without excessive scrolling. It is simple to use and definitely mobile-friendly.

Miscrosoft

9. Twitter – Now Known As X

Twitter’s FAQ made the list as it includes some amazing personalisation, easy to use search functionality and it looks great – something that only a few FAQ pages ever achieve.

Twitter - Now As X

10. YouTube

YouTube’s FAQ page is fresh, clean, simple to use and provides access to the most commonly asked help topics.

YouTube FAQ

11. McDonald’s

The McDonald’s FAQ page feels informal, sociable and encourages people to share their FAQ experience (a rarity).

Mc Donalds FAQ

12. Pinterest

Pinterest’s Help Centre takes simplicity to the next level. The design and information provided are clearly prioritised for the mobile user combining simple visual and textual triggers.

Pinterest FAQ

13. UCAS

The FAQs section of UCAS  is simple, scaled back and concise.

It also includes a useful prompt to ask if the information was useful and to gather user feedback for improving the resource.

UCAS FAQ

14. World First

World First’s FAQs provides a single-click content segmentation – plus view all capabilities which place functionality and usability of the resource first – an important part of an effective frequently asked questions resource.

World First FAQ

15. Free Spirit

The Free Spirit FAQ page combines useful information navigational features with interactive content to empower the user to progress through the site and help them make buying decisions faster.

Free Spirit FAQ

16. Silicone Engineering

Silicone Engineering’s FAQs help demystify a traditionally complex industry.

The combination of quick links, ask the expert and deeper content answers work well for the user regardless of time availability or device used.

Silicon Engineering FAQ

17. Transpack

The Transpack Product Help Centre acts as both an FAQ resource as well as a guides roll-up resource.

It means that users can access top-level information as well as buying guides, measurement information and a whole host of other insights normally only accessible through blogs.

Transpack FAQ

18. Fat Face

The Fat Face FAQs resource is a nice example of a bigger brand getting it right.

The help centre focuses on the users first with the topics covered pertaining to the products offered. It manages to keep the feel personal and helpful.

Fat Face FAQ

19. Airtable

Airtable’s Help Centre is simple, fun driven and provides useful information on how to use the FAQ section.

Airtable FAQ

20. Pretty Little Thing

Pretty Little Thing’s FAQ page tells you about their audience and immediately position the design and content accordingly. The FAQ also appears to be well thought and enticing to interact with.

Pretty Little Thing FAQ

21. Barclays Bank

Barclays Help FAQ  certainly does what it says – Contact Centre with Tools/Guide Resource that bring lots of information-rich segmented guides and financial tools into a single place.

Often making complex and dry financial topics straightforward and accessible is not an easy task but this section has does it well.

Barclays Bank FAQ

Conclusion

Having a great FAQ page can literally be the difference between a happy customer and a frustrated one.

Too many businesses relegate their FAQ page to a last-minute effort and keep it away in a dark corner of their website with a few inadequate details about opening hours and return policies.

This does not do any favours for anyone but when creating a great FAQ page think about:

  • Including real FAQs that your customers actually ask you
  • Keeping things simple & organised
  • Making your FAQ page searchable
  • Optimising it for SEO
  • Updating it every quarter
Start A FAQ Page

Treating your FAQ section like a valuable asset lets you educate your customers, creates trust in your potential target audiences and reduces unnecessary customer support teams’ time and request.

And if you are looking to take your FAQ game to the next level then powering it with knowledge base software will give you a step up on your competitors.

Now with that said and done – there is nothing left to do but go forth and give your customers the answers they need. Good luck and all the best.

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How To Start A FAQ Page That Attracts Target Audience With 17+ Examples.

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12+ Effective Offline Marketing Ideas For Any Business To Be Successful

12+ Effective Offline Marketing Ideas For Any Business To Be Successful.

12+ Effective Offline Marketing Ideas For Any Business To Be Successful.

Digital marketing is a necessary component of any marketing strategy for any business.

Search ads, online and curated content and social media posts are all inexpensive and effective ways to increase and ramp up your digital marketing efforts.

offline marketing ideas or offline marketing best practices

However the importance of having a digital strategy does not remove or cancel out the effectiveness of traditional offline marketing ideas or offline marketing best practices

What Is Offline Marketing?

Offline marketing is any advertising or promotional practice that leverages traditional offline media.

This includes channels such as radio, billboards, advertising promotional boards, television, print and in-person events.

More than ever – modern-day offline marketing methods, tactics or best practices are built to support or supplement online marketing efforts.

Why Is Offline Marketing Still Viable?

Online and digital marketing is a necessary component to stay competitive. In reality – the best digital marketing strategies connect and combine offline and digital campaigns together.

These multichannel campaigns provide greater brand exposure, connect your messaging between your business and target audience and can potentially drive a greater return on investment – ROI.

offline marketing ROI

It allows you to utilise single campaign initiatives across multiple channels – this means that you get more opportunities to use content copy, images and promotional material for your offline marketing ideas.

Offline Marketing Ideas or Offline Marketing Best Practices For Any Business

The best digital marketing strategies combine both online and offline plans, tactics, methods, ideas and best practices to elevate your brand and exposure to your target audience.

If you are looking for innovative, tried and true, traditional marketing initiatives then here are 12+ of the best offline marketing ideas or best practices to start you off.

They are in no order of importance since all of them are equally important in their own ways to maximise offline marketing ideas or best practices.

1. Business Cards

Investing in well-made business cards is one of the most effective ways to get your business out there. Set your brand apart by choosing a unique design that reflects your brand values and creativity.

Always ensure that everyone who is anyone in your company has a business card to give away because you never know when they will need to share your business details with a prospective client.

As with all print designs, weigh what you want against what it costs. There are plenty of affordable business template card generators out there.

However if you have something special in mind or you want to have the opportunity to pick and feel a specific type of business card paper then you might want to look for a local designer and print store.

business card

Keep in mind that your business card is an extension of your brand therefore it would be helpful if you are consistent.

Do not use a different logo, font style or colours other than the ones you use on your website or on the rest of your online and offline marketing materials.

How to make your business cards stand out:

  • Use a unique material.
  • Change the orientation from landscape to portrait.
  • Use coloured cardboard instead of the usual white.
  • Create texture through technique.
  • Try a different shape or dimension.
  • Stay on brand.

2. Create Flyers And Pamphlets

Another way to get your brand message out to your target market is to give away printed marketing material.

Printing flyers may seem like an old method but that does not mean it does not get results especially if you are heading to a trade show, seminar or trying to gain some visibility in your local area or event.

flyers - pamphlets - brochure

Go the extra mile and innovate beyond the standard template.

There are a lot of creative ways you can get your target audience’s attention by using flyers and pamphlets so make sure yours are practical for reading, keeping and saving.

Here is a guide to making great flyers with some beautiful examples.

Fast tips to make flyers and pamphlets worth keeping:

  • Print out informative infographics and turn them into flyers.
  • Make sure to include your contact details and information.
  • Add discount coupons at the bottom of your flyers.

3. Publish A Book

Your business is most likely to be passionate about the knowledge it provides and is probably already sharing valuable information with its customers.

Now you can share your business’ expertise with a larger target audience by publishing it as a book. Try turning your blog and helpful information into a brief pamphlet or book.

You can even promote it as an e-book and this kind of offline marketing best practices will allow others to see into the resource and helpfulness of your business and it may draw their attention back to your business. 

e-book and books

The great thing about publishing a book today is that you can actually self-publish through Kindle and Amazon or just make it available on your website as a free download in exchange for an email address.

You could even make physical print versions available as limited-time offers for your most loyal customers or as a direct-to-consumer marketing initiative.

Quick plans to publish a book that resonates:

  • Include a product ad page somewhere in the book.
  • Focus on a niche topic important to your target audience.
  • Utilise pieces of your book on other marketing platforms.

4. Rebrand or Upgrade

Consistently perfecting your brand will allow for a stronger company voice and ultimately speak out towards the credibility of your business. 

Even something as simple as changing the look of your business will keep you looking fresh, impressive and relevant. A little change can go a long way.

Consider a sleeker packaging for your products, integrate fresh colours for your brand, logos and a strong voice. Brand yourself in a way that puts your best foot forward that engages with customers and target audience.

upgrade - rebrand - update

Take a look at what has worked for your business and re-envision aspects that could be tailored to a more impressive all-around brand. 

Swift tips for an effective rebrand:

  • Utilise focus groups and surveys to test concepts before a full rebrand.
  • Focus on developing a brand that showcases your company mission.
  • When launching new products or services consider additional branding.

5. Offer Coupons / Discounts

There is no better way to strengthen brand loyalty and get your message out by throwing a sale.

By offering loyalty programs, special discounts, coupons and more you are making customers feel privileged while boosting leads and sales.

Advertise your incentives and you will also get the attention of prospective customers who have never heard of you before giving you increased offline marketing ideas.

coupons - discounts

You can even offer free trial periods to prove to your customers just how great your products and/or services are in order to convince them to do business with you.

Effective ideas to give away great discounts:

  • Pick out a specific demographic – for instance like freshmen, mums or newlyweds and give them their own sale week.
  • Partner with other stores in your area to offer discounts that work together – for instance some movie theatres offer discounts on dinner at a local restaurant if you show your ticket stub. 

6. Send Seasonal Cards and Gifts

Do you love the holidays? Send out cards and small gifts to customers and use special occasions and milestones to make your presence known plus you do not have to spend a lot of money celebrating with your customers.

seasonal cards - gifts

A well-designed, well-thought-out, personalised greeting or small token can show customers that you care and that they are valued to your brand.

Great plans to make the holidays memorable for customers:

  • A few weeks before the holidays – you can give away a coupon book that your customers can use for their holiday shopping at your store.
  • Offer unique discounts for every holiday in your calendar – make it easy for customers to remember your store signs by printed reminders on their receipts.
  • Send out Happy Anniversary cards with special discounts to your customers on your store anniversary.

7. Cross Promotion with Other Business

Cross-promotion is a set of actions aimed at promoting products from different brands with similar target audiences that are not in competition.

It helps promote your products and services, generate leads, boost sales and establish brand awareness.

Consider working with other brands with whom you can relate and stand for similar values and business model. You can work together to co-develop products or co-sponsor events as well as develop exclusive bundle.

Brands that have common interests and audiences that do not compete with each other can cooperate for mutual benefit. Cross-promotion is a convenient and profitable way to promote products.

cross promotion

Cross-promotion became popular during the financial crisis because it is quick and effective. If a partnership is built right – it can help double your target audience.

During this collaboration – businesses exchange knowledge and ideas, give advice and mention each other in articles on their websites, social media pages and in emails while developing their promotional programs.

Effective tips for building effective partnerships for cross-promotion:

  • Identify potential partners that share your company values and goals.
  • Diagnose product or service gaps that can be filled through a promotional partnership.
  • Focus on brand or product cross-promotions that reverberate with your customers.

8. Create Community Engagement

A great way to get your name out in the open and be a responsible business is to get involved in the community. Now our first thought would be to sponsor a non-profit organisation but you can also promote volunteer work amongst your business.

Here at Best-Digital Marketing – we try to engage in various forms of community service and encourage our employees to be part of the process every step of the way.

Find ways to engage in and help support your community through donations, volunteer work and joining organisations that also support local people and businesses.

This is a great way to execute offline marketing ideas for your business, brand, product and services.

building a community

Being engaged in your community will help spread the knowledge of your business as well as getting involved with your community.

Amazing plans for effective community engagement:

  • Carefully consider which organisations and services you provide to ensure it lines up with your company values.

  • Involve your employees in deciding on which organisations or initiatives you want to support.

  • Go beyond sponsorships and donations by holding events and developing service projects.

9. Create Your Own Events

When setting out into the community – cross-promoting with different companies, launching a new book, creating your own events within the community or streaming virtually can be a great way to market your business.

One major benefit of planning an event is that it serves as an outreach and networking initiative.

You will get a chance to engage with both customers and potential partners while also supporting your community by hosting local events.

guest speaking - speaking at event

You can hand out your new business cards, utilise event-specific promotions and even make new flyers and pamphlets or book publications exclusive to that event.

Explore new ways to create unique and valuable experiences and leverage live streaming to make your in-person event a valuable digital initiative.

Great offline marketing ideas to create a buzz-worthy event:

  • Combine traditional and digital marketing to get more out of each event.
  • Start with smaller venues – see what works and grow from there.
  • Focus on your company goals and provide huge value for your potential customers and partners.
  • Create event-exclusive promotions, products and publications.

10. Promote Press Releases

There is no need to gather an in-house PR team for your business when all you need is to create a good relationship with relevant media agencies to get favourable coverage from the local journalists in your area.

Go out of your way to get to know them and show them what your brand is all about. Get your brand story ready and make sure that it is newsworthy.

press release - news

Therefore this strategy of offline marketing is good with genuine PR and great marketing which leads to creating relationships with reporters and others who can help spread good news about your business.

Quick tips to get extra PR power:

  • Invite the press over for an official meet and greet and/or remote tour of your business.
  • Look into offline publications that your target market is most likely to read and get familiar with their publication protocols – If it makes sense for your business.
  • Invite public officials to your office or a remote meeting – to comment about an important issue that pertains to your business.

11. Succeed With Networking

You can network your way to success even with a small business. There are countless opportunities to build a business network in your local town or area so make sure that you attend all relevant business activities in your area.

Look for your area’s chamber of commerce, a Toastmaster’s club, Rotary or other professional associations since most of these meetings or events will be held remotely.

networking

Therefore even if you are not a fan of networking you can get to know other business owners and industry professionals from the comfort of your own home.

Effective ideas to create a strong business network:

  • If your area does not have a business group then round up some interested business owners and meet up to start a small networking club.
  • Practice your speech about your business so you are never caught off guard.
  • Do not forget to bring your business cards for any events everywhere.

12. Participate In Trade Exhibitions

Attending and participating in trade exhibitions or shows is another way to get more exposure for your business whether you are displaying or selling – you will be able to generate quality leads in just a few short days.

trade exhibition - trade shows - events

Make sure that your promotional materials are well suited to your objectives so that you do not waste valuable time or resources especially for virtual events – so be sure to prepare to showcase your products or business accordingly.

Great offline marketing ideas or tips to make the most out of trade exhibitions or shows:

  • Give away free product samples or discount codes for every lead you collect.
  • Be a speaker or offer a workshop at the conference – a built-in way to captive your target audience.
  • Have a gimmick so that your target market will flock to your booth.
  • Follow up with everyone who gives you their contact information within a week of the conference/show/exhibition.

13. Offer Free Workshops

As an expert in your chosen field – there are numerous opportunities where you can help people and at the same time get airtime for your business.

Try becoming a guest at a local radio show or morning TV show and offer consumer advice that is related to your brand and industry.

See if you can get a regular column in your newspaper or other relevant publication and be genuine to offer some valuable information to potential customers.

free workshop - seminar

If you use your platform to deliver a hard sales pitch then you are wasting an opportunity to build real relationships and connections with peers and potential customers.

Quick plans to be the expert:

  • Have a section for useful tips on your flyers and pamphlets.
  • Look for opportunities to share your skills and insights on a wider community level.
  • Hold a free consultation day at your business – make it valuable, interesting and actionable.

14. Showcase Your Brand

If you want to be more visible in your community – there are a few ways to help people start to recognise your brand.

One way is to outfit your team with quality clothing that features your brand. It is a great source of advertising and a good investment for your team.

showcase brand - product -services

Another way would be sponsoring or volunteering for a good cause in your area. Most sponsorship opportunities come with some promotion such as brand awareness opportunities.

And should you do decide to volunteer then wear that branded shirt or T-shirt.

Great ideas to make your business more visible:

  • Look for causes that are in line with your mission when you are thinking about volunteering or sponsorship opportunities.
  • Think of your business logo as an investment that shines a light on the quality of your brand or services.

15. Refine Your Business Pitch

One major way to help market your offline marketing best practices is to refine your business pitch.

This is whether you are sponsoring an event, doing community service or reaching out to potential partners – it is absolutely crucial that you represent your business’ ideas by being honest, straightforward and compelling

If you have already started developing your pitch when writing your business plan then it is important that you continue to revisit and refine it.

refine business pitch

Having a solid business pitch can mean the difference between attracting customers, investors and affiliates or losing them completely.

Knowing the ins and outs of your business and speaking confidently about it will immensely benefit any of your other offline marketing efforts.

Any Offline Marketing Initiatives Should Support Your Overall Business Plan

Before diving into executing any of these offline marketing ideas or best practices or methods – always ensure they support your overall business plan by establishing business goals and metrics to determine your return on investment – ROI.

And if you are looking for a simpler way to keep track of your planning and business financials then you should research for great business planning software where you can easily update and maintain your business plan, forecast financials and get immediate insight to make the right decisions including marketing initiatives.

There is no difference utilising a traditional business plan or a planning tool however it is important to utilise it when developing new marketing initiatives.

By doing so – you can avoid costly mistakes and ensure any changes you make will make sense for your overall business plan.

online marketing - offline marketing -initiatives

Although there are so many aspects to offline marketing ideas or best practices – they all have similar themes – revolving around outreach, involvement and being a confident advocate for your business.

Putting effort into social media and search marketing as well as offline marketing ideas or tactics will give your business the push it needs to rise to the top.

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12+ Effective Offline Marketing Ideas For Any Business To Be Successful.

9+ Essential Guides To Increase Search Visibility For Businesses Online

9+ Essential Guides To Increase Search Visibility For Businesses Online.

9+ Essential Guides To Increase Search Visibility For Businesses Online.

Well done – you have done it! You have put time, effort and resources into getting your business up and running online. But where are your customers?

They should be flocking to your new website and buzzing to contact you based on your online presence? If you are not seeing the results you hoped for then you may be lacking search visibility.

Search visibility is absolutely important if you want to make sure your customers and target audiences are actually finding you online.

search visibility - seo visibility - search engine visibility

In this article – we will help you build your search visibility and get more customers by uncovering the following:

  • What is search visibility?
  • How is search visibility calculated?
  • How can I check my search visibility score?
  • What is good search visibility?
  • Why is search visibility important?
  • How do you improve search visibility?

By the time you reach the end of this article – you will have everything you need to elevate your business to a whole new level in the digital marketing world.

What Is Search Visibility?

If you were looking for a business or a company online – how would you go about it?

The chances are that you do not have their homepage URL memorised hence you are off to the search engines like Google, Bing or Yahoo to look them up.

In short – search visibility also known as search engine visibility or SEO visibility is a way to gauge how easy it is for people to find your business on search engines.

google ranking seo

Search visibility is the purpose behind Search Engine Optimisation – SEO.

SEO is all the marketing tactics you implement to appease the search engine algorithms so that they may show your business organically for free on the search engine results page – SERP.

How Is Search Visibility Calculated?

When it comes to Google – no expert is entirely sure exactly what goes into your search visibility calculation or how each factor impacts your score.  

However in general – search visibility is a percentage based on the following:

1. How You Rank For Your Targeted Keywords

This means if you did show for the right keywords then you have targeted your keywords through your web content and how high up were you on the SERP?

For instance – the first organic result ranks number one and so on.

choose the right keywords for any business

2. Estimated Number Of Impressions

The search engine’s way of asking – of all the times you could be showing organically for your keywords – how often did someone actually see your listing on the SERP?

Impressions only count if they are seen by the user or enquirer therefore you first need to rank in order to gain any impression.

3. Expected Click Through Rate – CTR For Your Keywords

This is the search engine’s estimation of how often someone clicks on your organic result.

It is one thing to rank and get an impression but the final leg of the search visibility race is pulling in that free click.

choose keywords that work on your products - services

For instance – if your search visibility score is 0% – this means none of your pages rank high on the SERPs – the top 50 spots.

If your search visibility score is 100% then you own all the ranking positions for your keywords.

Although this score is pretty much impossible but we will get into the search visibility score you should target for further on.

How Can I Check My Search Visibility Score?

Just imagine how complex the calculation gets since you have to measure different keywords, terms and keyword phrases all with different levels of ranks, impressions and clicks. Yes – a massive Headache!

Fortunately – the math is done for us by the search engines. You can check your search visibility score using free tools like Google Search Console or paid platforms like Ahrefs.

Ahrefs Rank Tracker

What Is Good Search Visibility For Your Small Business?

The best part is there is no real benchmark guide for search visibility because it varies by industry and individual cases.

What we do know is that Google, Bing, and other search giants run a tight ship.

In fact – research have found that it is rare to see a business with a search visibility score above 40%.

So if you start off with a score of 10% then your business is still doing pretty amazing.

Our recommendation would be – to have an open mind about starting low, track your performance as you go and as you improve over time – you will have a better idea of what is realistic for your specific business.

Why Is Search Visibility Important?

Other than making sure people actually see your business on the search engines – search visibility plays a major role in the success of your business both on and offline.

why is search visibility important

Have a look at these statistics that explain why search visibility is important for any business:

  • 61% of businesses say improving SEO and growing their organic presence is their number one marketing priority.
  • Nearly 90% of consumers search online before making a purchase either online or in-store.
  • On average- organic search contributes up to 53% of a business’s overall website traffic.
  • 75% of searchers never move on to the second page of search results.

When you focus on search visibility – not only are you ensuring your presence on the SERP to keep up with the competition but more importantly to rank higher and catch those target audiences with shortened patience and an ever-changing search results page.

Why Did My Search Visibility Drop?

If there is a drop in search visibility then it could be the result of a number of factors making it a bit difficult to diagnose but here are a few possible causes:

  • Your ranking has dropped.
  • An algorithm change occurred in the search engines.
  • You added or removed some targeted keywords from a Campaign.
  • You migrated to a new domain – including migrating from HTTP to HTTPS
  • You changed, added or removed a search engine from a Campaign.

Essential Guides To Improve Search Visibility

Now you know why you must increase the search engine visibility for your business. And with so many factors playing into your search visibility – it can be daunting to know where to begin.

We have prioritised these essential tips to guide you through the process. They are in no order of importance since all of them are equally important to ensure maximum search visibility for your business.

1. Start With SEO

There is no secret that SEO plays the most major role in your search visibility. You do not have to be an SEO expert to get a head start on optimisation for your web content that will catch the attention of the search engines’ algorithms.

Here are a few things a platform like Google or Bing would look for when it comes to your SEO performance:

  • Your website is mobile-friendly or responsive.
  • You have the relevant keywords on your web pages.
  • Your webpages load at a speedy rate for a great user experience—regardless of the device used by them.
  • You have high quality images and/or engaging videos that also load fast.
  • You are a reputable business.

There are plenty of free online keyword research tools that will help identify what words you should include on your pages but we will get into that later.

According to Google announcement that – their page experience signals in ranking was rolled out in May 2021. The new page experience signals combine Core Web Vitals with their existing search signals including mobile-friendliness, HTTPS-security, and intrusive interstitial guidelines.

Core Web Vitals

To start off – try a free landing page analyser to get insights on aspects like load time and mobile friendliness.

Next thing to do is to check that your images and/or videos are not blurry or buffering too long and make a note that smaller the file size the faster it will load.

As far as your website being reputable – that will be a SEO component called domain authority. In order to build domain authority – you need to keep consistent, accurate information flowing on your website with reputable sources linked.

2. Create Keyword Rich Web Content

When you have blog posts, articles, landing pages, studies, guides, FAQs and more positioned around your core keywords then this helps build your domain authority and provides more opportunities for search engines to index your site on the results pages for relevant searches.

This also projects your business as thought leader which can help you rank for terms outside of just your direct products and services.

identify primary secondary semantic keywords

Conduct a thorough keyword research and be sure to include popular keywords on all your website’s pages—from your homepage to the contact page.

Do not go crazy or force these keywords since that would be known as keyword stuffing which will hurt rather than help your search visibility.

choose keywords that work on your products - services

Since Google crawls your site for relevancy to searches therefore try to include your keywords naturally as part of your web content to help give your search visibility a leg up.

A good way to start is by publishing one blog article per week that is centred on an individual target keyword. Each blog’s keyword can connect back to your business’s overall purpose.

For example – if your business does kitchen remodelling then you might write a blog centred on replacing sinks – the next one installing new kitchen tops etc.

3. Build A Social Media Presence

If people can find you on social media then they will expect to find you on the search engines as well.

Social media is a great way to connect to new target audience since you can post for free.

conversion from social media

You may be able to access new customers who may not be active on search engines but find you on social media to later look you up on a search engine.

If everyone knew your brand name off the top of their head that would be too easy hence that is why leveraging social media posts to spark organic searches later is another hack for increasing your search visibility.

4. Create Your Google My Business – GMB Listing

Search visibility goes beyond the plain, old search results. You can also have organic listings pop up on map views or in the local business listing sections.

Setting up and optimising your Google My Business- GMB profile will allow you to show on these additional listings hence boosting your visibility.

Google my business - GMB

We know that 64% of consumers use Google My Business to find contact details for a local business therefore getting listed here increases your chances of pulling in those high-value leads.

It is free, easy and only takes a few minutes to get going on Google My Business.

5. Add Schema To Your Content

Schema allows the users and search engines to have a better understanding of what your page is about thus giving Google a great relevancy signal.

When Google fully understands your page and its contents then it will be able to match that page to the appropriate queries. 

Adding schema to your pages is a simple way to increase search visibility and click through rates – CTR.

The FAQ schema presents answers to questions directly on the SERP which draws the user’s eye and the clicks. 

6. Structure Your Content Appropriately 

Having users to stay on your website longer can translate to higher rankings because of the relevancy factor therefore it is important to have a logical structure to your content.

Consumers do not want to stay on a page that is not pleasing to the eye or where information cannot be found easily. 

use header and sub header

To offer a good user experience – always structure your content with the appropriate H1 and H2 headings that give a page a clear format. Consider adding anchor text or a navigation menu to make it easier to navigate a long webpage. 

Although these tweaks would not have a direct impact on your search visibility but it would have an impact on how the user behaves on your site.

This is a huge trigger for Google and other search engines about which site deserve the higher ranking for a query.

7. Improve Mobile Readability

Despite of a strong push toward delivering an immense mobile and device friendly experience, marketers are still creating text as if the user is reading it on a desktop.

We set it in small fonts, there are insufficient spaces between lines and we write sentences that are too long. All of these things make the content look uninviting on a small screen.

use readable fonts

And in the age of social media presence where content is constantly being shared across mobile devices – it is imperative your content is optimised to be mobile and device friendly

Given how much importance Google puts on the mobile UX, improving mobile optimisation can only benefit your rankings.

device and mobile friendly

Here are some ideas on how to do it:

  • Increase the legibility of your content. Set it up so that users do not have to pinch to read it and ensure they can scroll and still get the gist of the information.
  • Improve mobile page speed.
  • And display all content without hiding any information behind accordions or other scripts.

8. Create Links And Earn Backlinks

Backlinks are a great way to demonstrate your authority and increase your search visibility. Backlinks are an indicator that other web pages find your site valuable enough to link to it.

Although earning backlinks is outside of your direct control because it is up to the discretion of another website’s SEO or editor but there are ways to monitor mentions of your brand online that can clue you in on backlink opportunities. 

Google Alerts allows you to monitor key phrases that appear on the web and will notify you when that phrase or name has been mentioned.

get links with other businesses

If you set up an alert for your brand name – you can easily monitor when people write about your company.

If there is a mention but no link attached then you can reach out to the editor and ask for a link back to your site.

This simple gesture can go a long way in demonstrating your authority on a topic and driving your online search visibility

Another way to ensure backlinks is by creating high-quality, authoritative content. Others will start to see the value of your work and link to your site. There are ways to tweak your content to demonstrate your authority.

9. Optimise Your Images

More goes into content than text. Multimedia is useful to break up long blocks of text and it helps to explain a concept in another way which provides value to the user.

Images are great additions to any web page but it is also important to optimise them. When you upload an image – make sure to pay attention to the names and formats of the image. Some content management systems will use the image name as the alt text by default.

Alt text is a detailed description of a picture that is useful for those with visual impairments and search engines that are trying to learn all they can about a page.

write alt text

This small tweak will give your site a relevance boost. If your CMS does not use the file name as the alt text then ensure to add this on.

Adding a caption under your image can also provide value since it is another place to add a detailed explanation of the image to provide context to the user.

File format is important to ensure the page can load the images correctly. Large files can slow down page load times which can increase bounce rate if consumers have to wait too long.

10. Manage Online Reviews

90% of people read reviews before making a decision to buy or purchase plus reviews account for about 15% of the method Google uses to rank local businesses.

Therefore you want to be encouraging your customers to leave reviews and manage your reviews as they flow in either positive or negative.

negative or positive reviews

First you could offer a referral program to encourage reviews. Next consumers spend nearly 50% more with businesses that respond to their reviews.

Therefore to grow and respond to your online reviews will help boost your search visibility efficiently.

11. Run A PPC Campaign

It is no secret that PPC works hand in hand with SEO and when you run a PPC campaign you are ensuring that your business shows up on the SERP via a paid ad.

From here consumers will see your business then search your brand name or look for that same search later on.

ppc campaign optimisation

The odds are that your target audience is not going to convert right away off the first search they do. This is because consumers need to see information about a business at least seven times before taking any action.

Therefore as you try and grow your SEO visibility – running a PPC campaign can act as a safeguard to ensure you show one way or another for every search thus increasing your overall search visibility.

12. Take Your Search Visibility Initiatives Offline

Do you like the idea above then you want to spark an interest that starts an offline and eventually moves onto SERPs.  

Leverage print ads to increase your brand awareness so that consumers will search for you later.

building a community

Another low-cost idea is to host events or partake in planned events in your community to get your name out to the public and onto SERPs’.

Diving head first into offline marketing tactics will trigger people to search for you later thus growing your search visibility.

Get Started With Your Increased Search Visibility And Be Seen On Search Engine Report Pages.

The beauty of search visibility is that you can take these low-cost ideas to yield increased ROI and you will be driving traffic to your website for free through organic listings.

Search visibility is not about a nice to have marketing tactic but a need to have for many small businesses and business owners in today’s world.

Now let’s get started and put these essential guides to the test and see your search visibility increase and reap the results on Search Engine Report Pages SERPs’.

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Brilliant Strategies & Sustainable Way of Doing Business With Green Marketing

Brilliant Strategies & Sustainable Way of Doing Business With Green Marketing.

Brilliant Strategies & Sustainable Way of Doing Business With Green Marketing.

It is a well-established fact that the world needs to act on environmental protection now. The awareness about sustainability and environment friendly products is on the rise.

Both governments and common consumers are moving towards eco-friendly behaviour. Businesses also need to pull up their socks and enter the green marketing arena.

green marketing

This is essential not just to do their parts towards sustainability but also to stay relevant in the ever changing market.

The consumer demands are leaning towards green products and services and there is no way businesses can thrive while ignoring social and environmental responsibilities.

What Is Green Marketing?

By definition – green marketing is promoting a product or service by highlighting its eco-friendly features and attributes.

The green element may be in the actual product or the raw materials used in producing the product or the packaging materials or even the way the business is operating.

For instance – if you are an e-commerce business then you can use recycled materials while packaging the products for shipment or delivery to customers. If you are a restaurant owner then you can promote your water usage efficiency and the selection of organic vegetables and groceries used in your recipes.

green marketing strategies

Even if your product or service does not directly contribute to environmental sustainability – you can still leverage the green marketing strategy by bringing small changes in the way you run your business.

You can email invoices to your customers instead of sending a hard copy thereby saving paper usage. You can also avoid using elevators and air-conditioners in your office to bring a small change on the impact of environmental sustainability.

The scope of making a business eco-friendly is so vast and huge that we could create a whole quiz book and that would be an interesting exercise in itself.

5 Effective Green Marketing Strategies

As consumers become more environmentally conscious there is an increase in demand for brands to also convert to being eco-conscious.

The consequences of global warming have become more obvious and the result of this is the increasing demand for eco friendly products, influencing businesses to implement green strategies in an attempt to meet consumer demands.

As companies try to rebrand themselves as green or environmentally friendly – they risk potential accusations of greenwashing.

green washing

What Is Greenwashing?

Greenwashing is the practice of using marketing tactics to create a false impression or misleading claims about being environmentally responsible.

When it comes to green marketing – you need to be more careful. Businesses need to develop permissible and effectual green marketing tactics that circumvent the risk of greenwashing.

Here are some of the most effective green marketing strategies. They are in no order of importance since all of them are equally important in their own merits:

  1. Green Positioning

Green positioning intends to build brand associations by delivering information on environmentally sound product attributes.

Eco-friendly products will not be commercially successful if green branding attributes are not effectively communicated.

green positioning

Just like brand positioning – there are two types of green positioning – functional and emotional related to the impact on consumer perceptions of a brand.

  1. Green Packaging

Another effective strategy for green marketing is – green packaging. Businesses can leverage eco-friendly packaging to help draw in new eco-conscious customers.

Green packaging is the use of materials and manufacturing methods for the packaging of goods that has a low impact on both energy consumption and the environment.

green packaging

Biodegradable packaging provides customers with a visible symbol of the company’s commitment to going green. Unsustainable packaging has the potential to stop clients from buying sustainable products.

  1. Green Design

In most cases – businesses end up greenwashing because their products and services cannot be classified as green to start with.

One of the most important green marketing strategies is to design green products and services from the beginning.

green design

This means implementing green strategies during the planning and designing stages of your products so they become more eco-friendly.

Green designing is the creation of products that are energy-efficient, flexible to use, comfortable and designed for a long life or to reuse.

Green designing is usually associated with construction since it offers a powerful alternative to the conventional building – by using fewer precious natural resources and it increases the health and safety of occupants.

  1. Green Pricing

In the case of renewable energy – green pricing is a service through which customers can support a greater level of investment by their electric utility in renewable energy technologies.

green pricing

Green pricing allows electricity customers to express their willingness to pay for renewable energy development.

It allows consumers to actively participate in sustainability as they become aware of their choice to invest in something that will allow them to save money and resources in the future.

  1. Green Disposal

Green disposal takes into consideration every aspect of a product’s life cycle – from production to disposal and everything must be sustainable.

Green disposal is the recycling of old products or used materials as unsustainable disposal practices can be hazardous to the environment and human health.

Green disposal has influenced the creation of food recycling programs and machines that break food waste down.

green disposal

Authentic and legitimate green marketing is the way forward. As much as greenwashing might seem inexpensive and convenient – it can cost a company its hard-earned reputation and potentially its value and profits.

In the long run – green companies enjoy more profits and can establish a reputation for being trustworthy and eco-friendly.

Examples Of Green Marketing

We have researched and prepared a few examples of socially responsible brands that protect the environment, produce recyclable goods, oppose animal testing and advocate sustainable ways of production.

Boden

Universal brands like Boden have to pay attention to the sourcing and supply chain since they significantly influence our environment.

That is why the company follows through when it comes to sustainability and uses sustainable and organic cotton to manufacture clothes.

Timberland

One of the world’s most recognisable apparel brands – Timberland uses stories about the environment to promote its products.

Timberland says that if they put two comparable products side-by-side – one from Timberland and one from a competitor – most customers will choose Timberland as if it is made with some sort of green element.

By launching its Timberloop product take-back program – Timberland joins an increasing number of clothing manufacturers that are prolonging the life of their products.

Used Timberland footwear, apparel and accessories can now be returned for a second chance at life. When returned – they will either be disassembled and the pieces recycled or repurposed into new products or they will be repaired and sold on a special website.

Timberland is expanding and testing new materials in order to create and implement a green marketing strategy.

All product categories will be subject to environmental regulations – TEPS in the near future and the company plans to use only organic and renewable materials.

TOMS

TOMS – a brand famous and popular for its comfortable shoes – uses its business to improve lives and not harm the environment.

If you visit the business website – you can see that TOMS has been trying to expand sustainable practices in key areas of their business by using Earth-friendly materials like sustainable cotton, reducing waste and energy use over the past five years.

Moreover the brand’s team provides their customers with packaging made from recycled materials.

The Body Shop

The famous cosmetics brand – The Body Shop fights cruelty by campaigning against animal testing and selling 100% vegetarian products.

This brand is considered the first international cosmetics company to champion a cruelty-free policy.

World Wildlife Fund – WWF

The World Wildlife Fund – WWF is one of the most prominent instances of businesses that have gone green.

The reduction of carbon dioxide emissions and the promotion of efficient recycling practices are the primary focuses of this initiative. An innovative rainwater collection system is one of the company’s many eco-friendly initiatives which have been quite successful.

The decrease in staff flights is another example of an environmentally responsible business practice that has been included in WWF’s sustainable strategy.

The business recognises that encouraging customers to travel by means other than automobiles such as trains and ships is an effective form of environmentally conscious marketing.

Avocado Mattress

Avocado –  a brand of eco-friendly mattresses is committed to using organic materials to produce pillows, mattresses and bedding.

The team maintains such practices to safeguard their customers’ health and protect our planet from adverse impacts.

Green Toys

Green Toys assumes that to raise a happy and healthy child – you should provide a healthy environment.

This makes everybody think about our Earth and how we take care of it.

Green Toys are safe for kids and the environment as they are made from 100% recyclable materials.

Love Beauty and Planet

Unilever is a multinational consumer goods company that has many brands and Love Beauty and Planet is one of them.

The brand was created to make customers and the planet more beautiful. The company assumes that the beauty industry and its impact on the environment are inseparable and design their bottles for shampoos, hand creams and other products from recycled plastic.

Green marketing includes progressive ideas that are necessary for our planet due to air and water pollution, animal cruelty and other environmental problems.

By going green – your brand enables people to live better, conscious and responsible lives.

Benefits Of Green Marketing

Green marketing – environmentally friendly products can be a win-win for any business.

The benefits of green products include helping your business stand out in a competitive market and also reduce the pressure humanity places on the environment.

There are numerous advantages of green marketing for every business irrespective of the industry and audience.

World-wide consumers are becoming aware and awaken. Green marketing will help you attract those consumers who want to contribute to a good cause.

It will help you in positioning your product as a superior brand compared to other competitors. Even if your services are very similar to that of your competitors – you can differentiate yourself through your sustainability initiatives.

Your products are manufactured in ways that save energy, reduce your carbon footprint or trim your use of natural resources. This is often cost-effective so it is a win aside from the marketing.

☑ Sustainability – your products will require fewer resources to work, such as a washing machine or toilet that uses minimal water.

Products made from recycled materials referred to as post-consumer or post-industrial. For instances – construction companies can make gypsum board from a by-product of coal power plants.

Your products are recyclable.

Your products are low-toxicity – cleaners, lubricants or solvents that pose a reduced threat if customers get them on their hands or breathe the fumes.

The products are biodegradable – breaking down rather than enduring for decades or centuries.

Consumers tend to be more loyal to brands that fulfil a functional need and bring a mental satisfaction. Eco-friendliness is a definite recipe for giving consumers a sense of pride and gratification while they spend on their daily needs.

More and more consumers are ready to pay a premium price for green products irrespective of the cost of production increases due to eco-friendly practices – you can charge your consumers more and tap the enthusiasm in the market to your advantage.

☑ Initiatives such as collecting the packaging materials back, cutting down on energy consumption, reusing or recycling it, emailing invoices and much more can actually save you money.

If you are a business start-up looking for funding for your business then green marketing can definitely make a difference in the way your company is perceived by potential investors. In fact – it is difficult for companies who do not have a sustainability quotient in their business – to get any investment at all.

Tips To Get Green Marketing Right

While green marketing sounds so simple – it is important to get it right the first time.

Remember – consumer memory is strong and if you get caught in a bad PR stance then it will be very difficult to set it straight again.

Here are a few tips to help you sail through the waves of green marketing.

1. While eco-friendliness of a business builds consumer loyalty then lack of it destroys your brand image.

If you are doing green marketing without actually following sustainable practices in your business then the damage will be even more devastating.

The act of falsely promoting a product or service as green is called green-washing. It is wise to stay away from this malpractice if you do not want to risk your reputation.

2. Along with sharing information about why your product is green – you can also inspire consumers to go green in other ways.

While you can educate your customer that the act of buying your product itself is a contribution to sustainability – you can also share knowledge about other ways of protecting the environment.

For example – while telling the users that your product is manufactured with minimum amount of water – you can also share with them some tips to save water in their daily activities. The Turn Off the Faucet campaign by Colgate is a good example of building a deep relationship with consumers through green marketing.

3. One efficient way of doing green marketing is to show how much carbon emission the consumer has reduced by choosing to buy your product rather than your competitor’s.

For example – say you are running an online platform that connects people who commute daily by cars and encourage them to car-pool. Every time a user shares a ride with another user – you can congratulate him/her by calculating the number of carbon emissions he/she just saved.

4. You can also ask the consumer to explicitly donate to an environmental cause that your business is working on.

This comes under corporate social responsibility which is mandatory for businesses in most of the countries.

Once you decide the issue that you want to work on then create an awareness among your consumers about it and every time they buy a product from you – you can give them an option of donating a meagre amount as little as one pound towards that cause.

5. In green marketing – it is crucial to get the numbers right. Quantify the impact of your green initiatives and trumpet it on your website and social media pages and make sure to add some lush green images to your mix.

Best-Digital Marketing – Your Partner In Green Marketing.

Best-Digital Marketing provides you ample green marketing solutions that will pull the right kind of target audience to your platform.

By hosting your website with our web hosting service – you can leverage the power of cloud computing and reduce the carbon footprint since we use 100% renewable electricity from natural reliable sources like the sun, wind and sea.

When it comes to website design – Best-Digital Marketing offers you a host of services suitable for green marketing with nature and scenery themes – you can give your website the eco-look.

green marketing

Through online payment integrations, digital billing and e-newsletters – we have and are cutting down more on paper consumption therefore reducing deforestation.

We hope you have received some inspiration from the green marketing examples and ideas that we discussed here so do not delay – Launch your  website today and make your business truly green with Best-Digital Marketing.

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How To Use Google Maps Marketing Strategy To Increase Sales And Customers

How To Use Google Maps Marketing Strategy To Increase Sales And Customers

How To Use Google Maps Marketing Strategy To Increase Sales And Customers

There is no surprise or you may not be shocked that – out of all the mapping apps out there like MapQuest, Apple Maps and others – Google Maps remains supreme and not just by a small margin but a majority landslide.

google maps marketing strategy

With so much popularity – you would be wise to think about how Google Maps marketing strategy could help your business grow by increasing sales and customers.

In a stiff competition like this – you will also need to give some thought to the best ways to achieve maximum visibility in your local search results.

To assist you on both fronts – we have written this article to help you with your Google Maps marketing strategy.

What is Google My Business – GMB?

Google My Business – GMB is a free tool for business owners or managers to manage and optimise their business’ profiles on Google Maps.

A Google My Business profile typically includes your business’ name, location, and hours of operation. The image below is an example of a typical Google My Business profile.

Google my business - GMB

When you claim your business using a Google My Business profile, you can optimise your Google Maps presence by ensuring that customers have access to the most relevant and up-to-date information.

You can also use your profile to interact with customers when they leave reviews, ask any questions and track Google Maps Ads insights to understand how customers interact with your profile.

Google Maps Ads

Although marketing on Google Maps is free – using local search ads can boost your business’ visibility in Google Maps search results.

Using these ads will bring your business listing to the top of search queries for keywords relevant to your business.

Google Maps ads use location targeting so they will only show up for location-relevant searches. These ads usually appear in desktop and mobile searches.

google maps ads

When you create ads for your business – you can track their performance to get a sense of how customers respond to your ads and take further actions like using your address to get Google Maps directions or click on the listed phone number to call you.

How Can Google Maps Marketing Strategy Serve Your Business?

At the core of this form of marketing is Google My Business – GMB. By creating and strategically strengthen up this online business profile – you can enjoy several benefits which include:

  • Additional visibility if you rank well in Google Maps results or even better in Google’s Local 3-Pack which shows potential customers the three most relevant local businesses and it is free advertising.
  • The potential for more sales since you will have more visibility on your business.
  • Differentiation from competitors if your profile ranks above theirs then it has a higher rating from customers and is more polished and professional.
  • More engagement with potential customers via more visits to your website, inquiries, etc..
  • Increased trust and credibility since it is clear at a glance that you care about your online reputation and more importantly about the experiences customers have with you.

In simple words – your Google My Business profile is like a 24/7 marketing and salesperson for your business but for it to be a good – there are some things you have to do.

The Basics of a Google Maps Marketing Strategy

To have any chance of ranking higher in Google Maps results – you must adhere to the following important criteria.

They are all equally important to ensure you get the best chance of ranking in Google Maps:

1. Claim Your Business In Google My Business Profile

Whether you already have a GMB profile or are planning to create one then be sure that you claim and verify your listing.

Verification is a simple process and can be done by mail, phone or various other methods.

No matter how you choose to do it – it will give you maximum control over your profile and the results it gets for your business.

claimed vs unclaimed

2. Add Your Location Data

In Google My Business there are two types of location data you need to add. The first is your exact physical location such as a full postal service approved address.

If you do not have a physical location where customers can visit you – you can easily hide your address from the public whilst still making the information available to Google so you are eligible to be shown in search results.

add location data

The second type of location data encompasses the areas you serve – always specify the cities, counties and/or countries you service customers in to boost your chances of being shown to people in those areas.

3. Provide Key Business Information

Besides your address and services areas – you also want to provide other crucial information such as your full business name, phone number, website, and up-to-date business hours.

This is a good idea when you are trying to rank better in search results and it is also a great foundation for good user experience – UX.

name address phone number - NAP

And good UX is absolutely essential if you want to tip the scales in your favour and motivate more potential customers to contact your business that will lead to more queries, communication and sales.

4. Select the Most Relevant Categories

Categorising your business gives you more contexts to what you have to offer. This way when consumers search for a local business like yours – Google will understands that your profile is relevant and is more likely to display it to potential customers.

When choosing from Google’s list of categories – just be sure to select only those that are closely related to what you do otherwise you may find that your GMB profile gets views but not much action because it is not what people are looking for. It is important that your profile gets seen by the right people.

More Opportunities To Stand Out In Search With Google Maps Marketing Strategy

Up to now, we have covered the basics and must-dos for any Google Maps marketing strategy.

The following methods are just as important for your strategy as the previous four since these will provide opportunities to stand out from your competition.

1. Eye- Catching Introduction

The introduction of your GMB profile is simply an opportunity to explain what you offer but in reality it is much more. It is your opportunity to:

  • Make a memorable first impression since Google Maps only shows a short snippet of the introduction in its results and this snippet has to be eye-catching enough to get people to click to learn more about your business.
  • Highlight the value of what you provide instead of just listing what you provide.
  • Show case what makes your business different and offer better than your competitors.

If you can do all of the above then you will automatically have an advantage over your competitor by providing what potential customers want to know.

2. Get Reviews From Your Customers

Both the number of customer reviews you have on Google and your overall rating can impact your business’s visibility in Google search results.

Therefore always encourage your customers to leave ratings and reviews even if you have to make this request an official part of your process.

As the positive reviews flow in – the chances of dominating Google Maps and enjoying all the benefits that come with it will also rise.

negative or positive reviews

Having negative reviews should not hinder your business since if you can respond calmly and positively to your customers then Google will see it that you are a business that care about your customers and may even increase your ranking.

Note: Never ever resort to paying for 5-star reviews or any other shady tactics to make your business look better in the eyes of Google and potential customers.

This is not ethical and professional since it will always come back to bite you later which will result in undoing the positive results from your Google Maps marketing efforts.

3. Add Photos, Photos & More Photos

Google reported that businesses with photos added to GMB profiles get 42% more requests for directions on Google Maps and 35% more visits to their websites than those with no pictures. Those statistics speak for themselves.

photos and more photos

If you hope to get meaningful results then sharing photos of your products or services, past projects, team and physical location is a must.

And it is also great to encourage customers to submit their photos as well since this will build credibility and trust with potential customers for your business.

4. Build High Quality Links

Another key factor that determines your position in search results is prominence which encompasses all the information available about your business online and how well you are doing in terms of search engine optimisation.

Building high-quality links and citations from relevant websites to yours is a top way to boost your Google Maps rankings and even earn a shot at being featured in Google’s Local 3-Pack.

get links with other businesses

So look out and create opportunities to earn mentions and backlinks to your site from:

  • Local websites and blogs.
  • Sites those are relevant to your industry specifically.
  • Popular online directories such as Foursquare.
  • Business directories specific to your location, service areas and/or your industry.

This will help you progress, build authority and signal relevance to Google which can lead to more visibility in local search results thus leading to increase in sales and customers.

5. Spend Some Cash on Google Maps Ads

Although it can be a slow start but earning a good ranking in Google Maps results is purely through organic efforts and is often an attainable goal.

local search ads

However if you have money to spend then you may want to couple your organic efforts with paid Google Maps ads. This will position your business front and centre in search results for keywords relating to your business and location.

It can provide a quick boost of visibility and traffic while you implement the other methods above and wait for them to start taking effect.

Google Maps: A Prime Tool for Local Marketing

When it comes to online marketing presence, using local marketing tools can make a measurable difference for your business especially for Google My Business and Google Maps.

You can get your business in front of potential target audience, encourage and enjoy more interactions with your audience which means more sales opportunities and increase customer base.

To enjoy these benefits – you will need to claim and optimise your profile, making sure to include all relevant business information like name, address and phone number – NAP, a captivating introduction to your business and high quality photos.

And also encourage and reply to customer reviews, building quality links to your website and investing in paid Google Maps ads when you have the budget to do so.

If you do these things then you will be well on your way to gaining more visibility, credibility and accountability in Google Maps search results.

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How To Optimise Your Video SEO Strategy

How To Optimise Your Video SEO Strategy

How To Optimise Your Video SEO Strategy

While more consumers are embracing video content, research shows that marketers are struggling to keep up. In fact – 59% of marketers still consider video content creation the most challenging content to make.

So how do you optimise your videos for search engines quickly and effectively? Video SEO is constantly evolving and staying current on video optimisation best practices is absolutely essential.

optimise Video SEO strategy

Today – YouTube’s algorithm tries to match each viewer to the videos he or she is most likely to watch and enjoy. With more than 500 hours of video content uploaded every minute, this is quite a challenge.

In this post – you will learn how YouTube’s algorithm works and find actionable advice on video SEO best practices in order to give you a step-by-step guide to optimise your videos SEO strategy.

How Does YouTube’s Search Algorithm Work?

YouTube’s search and discovery systems tackle this task by sorting through loads of videos to find the most relevant and useful results to a user’s search query.

YouTube’s algorithm then follows the audience by paying attention to things like:

  • What they watch.
  • What they do not watch.
  • How much time they spend watching.
  • Their likes and dislikes.
  • Not interested feedback.
factors affecting video seo

Stop using the old tips, tools and tricks that you learned some time back and get up-to-date in your understanding of how YouTube’s search and discovery system works?

These are in no order or importance since all of them are equally important in your video SEO optimisation strategy.

1. Choosing The Right Hosting Platform

Choosing the right hosting platform for your videos matters more than you may think. When you base your SEO strategy around video content marketing, each video acts as an anchor that draws in search engine traffic.

If your website goes offline then it could be disastrous for your revenue since the average unplanned website outage costs businesses between £4,327 and £6,429.

choose the right hosting platform

Therefore you should choose your host carefully. The right hosting platform for your business will depend on two main things:

  • the length and size of your video and
  • your website host since not all hosts support embedded videos from all platforms.

For the best results always use a widely adopted hosting platform like YouTube, Vimeo, Wistia or Daily Motion.

If your video is small then you may opt to host it in-house but make sure you test it before pushing publish to ensure it loads quickly.

2. YouTube Search

Like Google’s search engine – searches on YouTube strive to surface the most relevant results according to specific keyword definition queries.

Videos are ranked based on a variety of factors including how well the title, description and video content match the viewer’s query.

Beyond this – YouTube also look at which videos that have received the most watch time and engagement for a particular query.

Youtube search

Want to know which keywords and search terms to target for video SEO? In simple words – YouTube search results are not a list of the most-viewed videos for a given query.

Keyword search tools can give you lots of options but you need to select just a small subset of them for your newest video and your selection should help your target audience find the videos they want to watch and also maximise their long-term engagement and video satisfaction.

3. Titles and Thumbnails

Titles and thumbnails on a video are usually the first things viewers see when browsing on YouTube. They help viewers decide whether to watch your videos and build anticipation – if they accurately represent what is in your video.

YouTube will know if viewers are enjoying your content if they click on your video and stay to watch most or all the way through.

However if your video titles and thumbnails do not deliver on their promise then viewers will leave immediately and this can limit your discoverability on YouTube.

The longer you can keep people watching your content on YouTube – the more your content may get surfaced.

Here are some tips for optimising your video titles:

  • Write titles that spark curiosity and include keywords.
  • Keep titles concise up to 60 characters – with the most important information upfront.
  • Save episode numbers and branding towards the end.
  • Check that your titles do not get cut off in suggested videos, search results and mobile.

Thumbnails are usually the first thing viewers see when they find one of your videos and 90% of the best-performing videos on YouTube have custom thumbnails.

When you customise your thumbnails – be sure you have a strong, vibrant image that looks great large and small and conveys key information about your video.

You can always apply the rule of thirds – to compose interesting and dynamic images then overlay them with your branding and/or descriptive text.

video titles and thumbnails

Always make sure to use a font that is easy to read on screen when adding text and think about how it can be eye-catching and age-appropriate for your target audience.

Here are some guides for optimising your thumbnails:

  • Think about your thumbnail before you shoot so you can capture several options.
  • Align any text to the left  since YouTube put buttons on the right-hand side
  • Use bright colours to grab viewer’s attention
  • Make a high resolution thumbnail and keep it under the 2MB limit.
  • Specifications: 1280 x 720 pixels – 16:9 ratio as a .JPG, .GIF, .BMP or .PNG.
  • Zoom in and out of your thumbnail to see if it looks good small and large.
  • See if your thumbnail would stand out among other thumbnails.

4. Suggested Videos

Suggested videos are a personalised collection of videos that an individual viewer may be interested in watching next, based on his or her prior activity.

These videos are shown to viewers on the right side of the watch page under Up next below the video on the mobile app and as the next video in auto play.

YouTube researchers have found viewers tend to watch more videos when they see recommendations from a variety of channels hence the Suggested Videos. Recommendations are ranked to maximise engagement for the viewer.

Signals that contribute to these recommendations include:

  • Videos that viewers watch along with the current video or videos that are related topically. These could be videos from the same channel or from a different channel.
  • Videos from a viewer’s past watch history.

You can see which videos bring viewers to your channel from Suggested Videos in the Traffic sources report in YouTube Analytics by clicking on the Suggested videos box.

YouTube Suggested Videos

Here are some tips for optimising your videos for Suggested Videos:

  • Make strong calls to action to encourage viewers to watch another video in your series.
  • Long endings may delay viewers from watching more so be mindful of how your videos end.
  • Use playlists, links, cards and end screens to suggest the next video to watch.
  • Develop a series of videos that are connected organically.
  • Make videos relating to popular formats on YouTube such as challenges or lists.

Last but not least – you can expect Google to roll out Related Topics for Videos on YouTube fairly soon.

5. Front Page Or Home

Front Page or Home is what viewers see first when they visit YouTube.com or open the YouTube app. It is their personal primetime destination – a place where viewers can discover the most relevant, personalised recommendations.

It is a great place for your videos to be found by non-subscribers since over 200 million different videos appear on Front Page or Home each day for viewers around the world.

When a viewer visits Front Page or HomeYouTube displays videos from their subscriptions, videos watched by similar viewers and new videos.

YouTube Home Page

The selections of videos are based on:

  • Performance: How well the video has engaged and satisfied similar viewers among other factors.
  • The viewer’s watch and search history: How often the viewer watches a channel or topic and how many times YouTube has already shown each video to the viewer.

It is worth noting that subscribers watch more from their subscriptions via Home than through the Subscriptions tab.

Here are some tips for optimising your videos for YouTube’s Home Screen:

  • Upload new videos on a consistent basis to give your target audience an expectation of what is coming as new content.
  • Keep viewers engaged for longer and encourage them to come back for more via a long video or several short ones. The longer you keep viewers watching the more your content is likely to get surfaced.
  • Consistency – when you create something that is working for your target audience then do it again. YouTube surfaces more content that your viewers like so do not be afraid to experiment but be mindful. Observe feedback from your target audience and give them time to adjust.
  • By going to your YouTube Analytics Traffic Sources report – you can see how often your channel appears on Home –globally by clicking the Browse features box and looking at the stats for Home.

6. Cards and End Screens

Cards and end screens encourage your viewers to take an action. Cards are preformatted notifications that you can set up to promote your brand and other videos on your channel.

Once they are set up – a small teaser or rectangular box will appear in the top right corner of the video to give your viewers a preview of the message.

If fans tap or click the teaser – the card associated with the video appears below the player on mobile devices in portrait mode or along the right side of your video on desktops. If they do not – it disappears from their view.

Cards work well when they are:-

  • in conjunction with scripted call to action or
  • relevant to your video content.

So if you mention a specific video or a piece of product then you could try adding a card at that exact moment.

cards and end screens

Here are some tips for optimising your cards:

  • Use cards and scripted calls to action to link to other videos, playlists, associated websites, to prompt your audience to buy a product or support your crowdfunding campaign.
  • Use cards in older videos to highlight your most recent uploads or to promote product or fundraising campaigns.
  • Use up to five cards per video.
  • Use cards to cross-promote other creators and credit collaborators in your video.

End screens are also a powerful tool that can help extend watch time on your channel by directing viewers to something next at the end of your videos.

You can add them to the last 5-20 seconds of a video and they appear on both desktop and mobile.

Here are some tips for optimising end screens:

  • Use end screens to promote up to four different elements: a video or playlist, encourage viewers to subscribe, cross-promote another channel and link to approved websites.
  • Consider leaving space at the end of your video for your end screen elements to sit.
  • Do not use card teasers and branding watermarks during an end screen because both are suppressed.

7. Include Video Transcripts And/Or Closed Captions – CC

Did you know that 83% of consumers watch videos on mute and it is true. Research from Verizon shows that 80% of people are more likely to watch a video in full if it has captions.

Therefore if you want to keep this traffic then you will need to add closed captions to your video and should also include something else like a video transcription.

add transcripts and or closed captions

Adding a video transcription and a closed caption to your video will help your web page rank better as Google’s crawlers will scan the text for keywords and rank the page accordingly.

They will also help you attract more voice search traffic and make your content accessible to people who cannot listen to videos.

To add a transcript and closed captions to a video – simply use a transcription tool or manually insert them yourself.

8. Video Likes and Dislikes

Likes and dislikes are among the hundreds of signals that YouTube considers for ranking. Their recommendation system learns from whether or not viewers are choosing to watch a video.

The system learns how much of the video the viewer watches and if they are satisfied. Your overall video performance is decided by a combination of these factors.

Typical Audience Retention Data learns how YouTube Analytics now reports key moments in audience retention to help you understand what is working and what is not.

YouTube like dislikes share comment save

You now understand why many YouTube creators ask viewers to like their video, post comments, share the video on their social networks and subscribe to their channel.

All of these are forms of viewer engagement and satisfaction – they are all signals that YouTube considers for ranking.

9. Supplement Your Video With Good Website SEO

While video SEO is an excellent strategy in itself, search engines would not rank your videos unless the rest of your website is search-engine friendly which means that you need to optimise your website by:

  • Checking your website is not blocking crawlers with a robots.txt file
  • Using keywords in your web page title tags and meta descriptions so search engines can understand the page contents
  • Optimising your images so search engines can index them correctly via naming your images – social media strategy rather than IMG392848.
  • Ensure your website loads in three seconds or less as faster websites rank better
  • Launching a sitemap
  • Minimising page redirects
  • Installing an SSL certificate
  • Using a mobile-friendly theme
  • Targeting keywords relevant to your niche
videos with good website SEO

If you want to ensure your website’s SEO follows best practices then you should also double-check that you are not making any technical SEO mistakes.

10. Video Uploads and Playlists

Regular publishing schedule can draw viewers back to your channel to watch more videos and by using playlists – this can help them easily find more of what they like on your channel.

To stay on top of viewers’ minds – many creators find that setting a routine publishing schedule will help viewers know when to expect their next release. It is like anticipating when the next episode of your favourite show is coming out next.

Subscribers can find your new uploads in their subscriptions feed and can opt-in to mobile or email notifications based on their interests.

YouTube video uploads and playlists

11. Measure Your Performance

If you want to succeed with video SEO strategy long-term then you will need to measure the performance of your videos so you can adjust your strategy accordingly. This means you will need to track metrics like:

  • Watch time – the total amount of time people spend watching your video.
  • Average view duration – how long the average viewer spends on your video.
  • Viewer demographics – what gender your viewers are and where they live.
  • Conversion rate – how many people buy your product or service after watching your video by using link tracking software.
  • Bounce rate – how many people leave your website after only viewing a single video or page.
measure your performance

Stay Ahead of Video Optimisation Developments

Video SEO has changed dramatically over the years hence use these guides to optimise your videos for search and discovery as quickly as possible.

Marketers have forecasted that millions of YouTube viewers will watch the platform’s content on connected TV – CTV devices in the near future.

Now YouTube viewers have pivoted to TV screens as their method of choice for watching content – a trend that is experiencing significant growth during the height of the pandemic.

connected TV - CTV device

Using a TV clicker to tap out each letter of your target term on your CTV can be long winded and painful.

Maybe the integration of voice search will make this easier in the future or maybe getting found on Home or Suggested Videos and Related Topics will make YouTube Search a relic of the past.

Watch this space!!!

Get Started with Video SEO Strategy Now

If there was ever a time to add videos to your digital marketing strategy – that time is now. Research shows that online videos will account for 82% of internet traffic in the future and rising.

If you want to win some of that traffic then you will need to start producing videos now with our Video SEO services.

Now that you have learned how to use video SEO to your advantage – there is only one question left to answer: how can we help you incorporate video into your video SEO strategy?

video seo services include

At Best-Digital Marketing, we utilise video SEO best practices and techniques to get you the results you want so call us today on 07794 113 607 or for a customised video SEO plan pricing.

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and select the package that suits your business needs.

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For more information about our Video Production Services and how we can help you with your Business needs:-

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How To Optimise Your Video SEO Strategy?