Nov 30, 2022
Small Business Saturday Odd Dog Tracker!
Our Commitment Being a small business, we know the importance of every customer we have the pleasure of working with. That’s why we support Small Business Saturday and have taken a pledge to make a better effort to support the business in our community! You can read more about that over here: Seattle Small Business Saturday 2022. Our Odd Doggers have taken the pledge (see below) and they’ve now been set free into the world to continue responsible purchasing. To help keep us on track and because we love a good game, we’ve set up a point system w/ a grand prize for the winner (a free day of PTO to use towards volunteering)! Did someone say grand prize??? Don’t forget, you too can participate and win a puppy party for your small business! More information about how to participate here: Seattle Small Business Saturday 2022. Odd Dog Tracker Odd Dogger Pledge Digital Interaction Purchases In-Person Appreciation Support Organization Other Total Bridget, Holly, Maddie 2 11 25 7 4 6 55 Sophia, Danielle, Madison 2 9 27 3 3 4 48 Talia, Bart, Jenny 2 6 20 1 5 6 40 Ryota, Bryce 2 3 6 1 - 4 16 John, Joe, Adam 2 9 23 4 3 2 43 The Pledge
Read moreNov 18, 2022
Seattle Small Business Saturday 2022
Join us in supporting Small Business Saturday this holiday season. Show your support for small businesses & enter for a chance to win a puppy party for your business!
Read moreSep 21, 2022
How to Get the Interview and Land the Job at a Digital Marketing Agency
Whether you have recently decided you want to get into digital marketing or have been in the industry for years, the following advice will apply. In fact, it will apply to just about any job interview. Hold up. Why even listen to this advice? Who are we? As an agency with almost 15 years of history, we have done A LOT of interviews. The following advice is based on what makes a resume stand out to us, what makes a candidate stand out from other candidates, and what we look for in our team members. This isn’t a guarantee this will work at any agency, though my guess is if executed well, 80% of you would at least get an interview. We’ll break this into two sections: Getting the Interview Landing the Job Step 1: Getting the Interview Make your resume stand out Agencies receive a huge amount of resumes. It’s too many for us to actually read through. You need to give some extra effort to make sure your resume stands out from the rest and gets the attention of the hiring manager. As an agency named “Odd Dog”, I can tell you that anyone who applies and also sends in a resume for their dog gets passed around the office via Slack. Research the company you’re applying for and find a way to appeal to the PEOPLE who are hiring. It’ll be different based on the company and your unique style. Don’t have all the experience or knowledge they are looking for? Use Google and YouTube to study the fields you lack. Even take a short class on Skillshare or Udemy. This will at the minimum give you talking points and the ability to speak with confidence about the subject matter. One of our Odd Dogs noticed many jobs within the marketing industry were looking for knowledge of HTML and CSS, but he didn’t have any. Can you guess what he did to bolster himself? He studied HTML and CSS to better market himself for these positions. *Bonus – Think about the knowledge you already have in the marketing world. How can you apply that to market yourself? For example, if they are asking to see your knowledge of SEO, what keywords do you have on your resume? Write a custom cover letter Cover letters aren’t dead, they’re actually more important than ever. They’re a chance for you to show you are more interested in the job than the 100s of people who clicked “submit resume” on LinkedIn. Research the company, READ THE WEBSITE, browse the blog, check out their social media, look up the hiring managers on LinkedIn…THEN write your cover letter. Tell them why you’re interested in the role, and why you are a great candidate. Use the opportunity to let them get to know you a small bit. Pro tip: Pay special attention to their “values” if they have them published. If not, make that a question if you get the interview. Submitting Your Resume If they have a way in which they have asked for the resume to be submitted, do that first. Then: Try to submit your resume another way to help you stand out. Be careful, you want to come across as being excited about the opportunity and professional… Not annoying. Find the LinkedIn of the hiring manager and send them a message that you applied and are excited about the opportunity. This leverages a professional, business-oriented social network with a message that is short, to the point, and conveys your enthusiasm for the role. Can’t find them on LinkedIn? See if you can find their email and send a short email with the same message. Better yet, send a handwritten note via snail mail along with a personal anecdote of some sort. A photo of your dog, mention a spelling error on their website, a personal story that relates to something you saw on their website, etc. Do not look them up on Facebook, or Instagram, tweet at them, call them, or randomly show up at the office. *cringe! I think you get the point by now. Find a way to stand out in a professional way that helps them get to know you as a person and a professional. Again, DO NOT randomly show up in person I had a candidate do this once and it was super awkward. The candidate showed up with their resume in hand and just started talking. I wanted to be polite, but the timing was terrible and I had pressing items to be paying attention to at the moment. This person was never called back. Side note: If you ever cold-call someone, ALWAYS ask the question “Is this a good time?” upfront and allow them the chance to say no. I don’t care what smooth-talking sales seminar you attended that says otherwise, starting a conversation off by trapping someone against their will is not a successful relationship-building strategy. Following Up There have been cases where we posted jobs because we needed the help, then were slow to follow up with people because we were so slammed trying to do all the work that we need help doing. It can be a vicious cycle. If you feel the desire to follow up, that’s totally fine. Just be sure to do it with the respect that they are probably hiring because they are extremely busy. You want to be the source of help and peace of mind, not a nag that is demanding their attention. My advice here is to use some humor to lighten the touch. Something like: “Hello, While I don’t want to come across as overly excited about the job you posted and I applied for, I am. I thought I’d follow up to see if you had a chance to review my resume as I would love nothing more than the opportunity to support your team and make your lives easier. If you have no recollection of who I am, here are some quick links for you: Cover Letter Resume My favorite YouTube video The Sub-Reddit you’ll wonder how you ever lived without (#dogsbeingderps) If you don’t mind, I’ll keep checking in every couple of weeks or so. Until then, I’ll just keep waiting over here like: Sincerely, Jon Doe” Step 2: Landing the Job You successfully go through the sea of resumes and landed an interview. Things are looking good! Now you’re past the “paper” part of the process and into the “face-to-face”. Research the company and match the vibe Know who you are interviewing for. Deep dive into the company’s website, social channels, and LinkedIn profiles even more than you did for your cover letter. Learn about its values and the tone it sets. Informational interviews/calls with current employees are also great ways to do this! Just remember those boundaries from part one. Are they fun? Serious? Numbers-oriented? Heavy on the creative? When you understand more about the company and culture, you can match that tone and show up to your interview already fitting right in! This doesn’t mean you cannot be yourself, far from it! It means you can show up and really speak to how your unique self can fit right in with the company you are interviewing for. Research the People It’s okay to LinkedIn stalk the people who you will be interviewing with. See if you have any contacts in common, where they went to school, types of roles they have held, posts they have published lately, etc. You will need to walk a fine line in how you use this information. You don’t want to say too much and sound like a stalker. A question like: “I saw on LinkedIn that you worked for ACME company before this role. How do you feel your experience at ACME has helped you to succeed at this company?” Shows an appropriate level of research and application to the company/role at hand. (vs. I saw on Facebook that you went to the lavender festival with your ex and her family. Was that awkward ?) Prepare some standard answers At an interview, you should of course be expected to be asked questions. Make sure you have some well-thought-out answers at the ready. You should always know your answers to the following: When you would be able to start? (HINT: Always give your existing employer 2-weeks notice if possible. It shows your new employer that you would show them the same respect.) How long you would want to consider an offer? Any specific requests or accommodations? Maybe you have upcoming travel plans you would want to make them aware of and approve upfront. Along with some standard interview questions that can be repurposed into stories if they aren’t specifically asked: What is your proudest professional accomplishment? What do you feel are your strengths/weaknesses? How have you gone above and beyond in a previous role? Prepare some questions of your own The best candidates are the ones that ask the best questions. To really set yourself apart, ask questions that help you understand the motivation & strategy around where the company is headed and how you can help support this vision. Remember, you are interviewing them as well! What key goals are you trying to accomplish as a company? How can this role best support your goals? What are the top traits/skills for this role that you feel are critical to success? What is the biggest pain point you are currently trying to solve? What are the biggest challenges that someone in this position would face? What does success look like for this role? What is the biggest pain point you are looking to solve with this hire? The secret to success here is asking questions that get them to tell you what they want to hear in the interview. It’s a classic sales tactic: Ask them what they want, LISTEN, then say “Yes, I can deliver that”. Identify what the company wants After a couple of years in my first job, I asked my boss what it was in my interview that gave him the confidence to hire me. I’ll never forget his response: “You know, you came in here talking about the big-picture ideas and creativity you can add to the role. All of which you currently deliver on and are highly valuable. But to be honest, what I really wanted to hear at the time was that you would work hard and do all the stuff I needed done but didn’t want to do myself.” I didn’t do a good job of asking what they needed, instead, I interviewed for what I wanted. Ideally, there is a match of company needs & candidate wants, but business isn’t always ideal. The person who gets hired is the one who is more than willing to do what the company needs. Listen and DO NOT Interrupt In the actual interview, do as much listening as you can. If you are listening, you are learning, which you can then apply when it’s your turn to speak. When you do speak, wait until the other person has finished talking. This sounds small, but it’s a sign of how respectful you will be when you communicate with clients and co-workers. Follow-Up This is a big step that almost 95% of applicants do not do. You can really set yourself apart with a simple thank you email or handwritten card. It shows an appreciation and respect for the time the company took to interview you. We had one applicant who taped a thank you card to our door the evening after the interview that we saw the next morning. Guess what, he got the job. As a company, we want to know that you are as excited about joining the team as we are about adding you to it. Send that thank you email/note right away, don’t try to play it cool and wait 24-48 hours. Waiting for a day or two after the interview can lead to the interviewer forgetting about you and what stood out to them. After all, when a company is hiring, you aren’t the only person they are interviewing. Stand out and break from the mold. Be sure to personalize the follow-up as well, it shows an additional level of care and that you aren’t just using a boilerplate. You can also use the follow-up to add color to any topics you wish you did better on. (We all feel this way after an interview) We had a candidate follow up recently with an email that went a bit deeper on a specific question that was asked where the candidate didn’t feel their answer was adequate. They included a bit more color, along with a few links for further reading on the topic. This shows personal awareness, a desire to do well, attention to detail, independent research, and a commitment to get things right. It’s less about the specific answer, and more about the traits you exhibit when answering. There you have it! Your sure-fire way to interview and land the job at a marketing agency. Now, go get ‘em, tiger! Want to work at Odd Dog? See if we are hiring!
Read moreAug 30, 2022
How to determine what Google Analytics Direct / None traffic is from – 2022
“Direct/None” traffic is a traffic source listed in Google Analytics that defines most traffic that does not come from a public website and does not have any Google Tracking URL parameters defined. Some examples of this are: Someone clicked a link in a piece of desktop software Someone clicked a link in a PDF document...
Read moreJul 6, 2022
Are One Page Websites a Good Idea?
One-page websites may seem like an easy solution to have something up there for your business and many services and website builder templates offer them. But do they do more harm than good? Are they worth it? What’s the advantage of having multiple pages if you feel like you can say it all with just one? This is more than just a question of aesthetics. Adopting one design or another could impact your search engine rankings. Find out if one-page websites are a good idea with our list of the pros and cons. What is a Single-Page Website? First off, let’s break down what we mean by a one-page design. A single-page website also called a one-page website, compiles all of your brand’s information and CTAs on a single page using a minimalistic design. Users continue to scroll down the page to read content about your business and its products or services. A single-page application (SPA) might be used, which shows a menu at the top of the page. Users can click on different links in the menu to move further down the page. This differs from a multi-page website, which has additional pages and navigation buttons to help a user move to different places on the site. Who Uses Single-Page Websites? Any business or brand can use a single-page website. And many do. But these are generally more successful when the focus is limited. For example, some common uses for one-page websites include: Website for an app Website for an event Website for a single product There are tons of one-page websites on the web. Businesses choose them because they’re simple and can be quick to launch or have a very specific message they want to convey and may not need to rely on SEO to drive traffic. Some examples of one-page websites we love: Every Last Drop Cook Collective Seth Hampton Portfolio Pros of Using One-Page Websites There are absolutely some benefits to this approach. These include: Flawless Mobile Experience Google announced in 2019 it was moving toward a mobile-first indexing strategy. So, a website that performs well on mobile devices should be a priority for your business. One of the biggest advantages of a one-page website design is that these types of sites are fast-loading, easy to navigate, and simple to convert to mobile. Specific Audience Targeting If you’re looking to target a specific audience and provide a certain type of user experience, a one-page website might be a good option. This type of site makes it easier to control your visitor’s behavior on the site and direct their activity versus having them click through different pages. It’s important to note that the purpose of your website must be simple. If there are too many details crammed onto a single page, your visitors can quickly get confused or turned off. Higher Page Authority A website’s page authority is mostly determined by the number and quality of the backlinks it is able to get. Higher page authority translates to better search engine rankings. There is a slight advantage for one-page websites because every backlink points to the main URL. In other words, you don’t have to worry about getting links to the other pages on your site. Easy Build and Maintenance Since one-page websites are smaller, they are easier to build and maintain in theory. Most have a simple design and user interface. But that also means your site may be lacking some of the features of larger sites. Cons of Using One-Page Websites Unfortunately, single-page websites have a lot of limitations. Some of the disadvantages of choosing this type of website include: Limited Keyword Targeting Because one-page websites are often designed around a single, narrow concept, they have limited keyword targeting. This means they are going to limit your ability to rank for a variety of relevant keywords your target audience might use to find you. Multi-page websites give you the opportunity to target different keyword phrases throughout your content to attract a broader audience. If organic search rankings are a priority for your business, a multi-page website will be a better choice. Limited Content Details Another disadvantage of one-page websites is the content you publish on them isn’t going to be as specific as what you can put on a multi-page site. Every customer is unique, and some will have different questions and concerns than others. When you have unlimited space, you can devote separate pages to different topics to help guide the customer journey. Limited Advanced SEO Strategies One-page websites also limit your advanced SEO options. For example, you will be unable to leverage something called siloing with a single-page website. This refers to structuring a website’s content into various areas of interest so you demonstrate authority on those topics. With a single page, it’s impossible to cover every topic that might relate to your industry or product. But traditional, multi-page websites, make this type of organization simple. And it can help you rank well in the search engines for these targeted keywords. Limited Scalability Finally, it’s going to be tough to grow your brand with a single-page website. Since this type of single has a narrow focus, there is a limited ability to scale. In short, this type of site isn’t appropriate for a business that requires varied and complex content. If you own a small business you hope to expand in the future (doesn’t everyone?), it’s a good idea to think about the scalability of your digital marketing strategies. Connect With Us to Discuss Your Digital Marketing Goals Bottom line – one-page websites aren’t going to give you as many SEO benefits as multi-page ones. But the type of website you choose will depend on your particular needs and business goals. Once you’ve decided on the type of website to build and launch, find out what the next steps should be regarding your new website. If you still have questions about how to get the most out of your digital marketing efforts, we’d be happy to help! Drop us a line, and let’s connect.
Read moreJun 23, 2022
So you’ve just launched a new website. Now what?
Well, first off, congratulations! Whether you built your website yourself or hired someone to do it for you, launching a new website for your business is a big milestone and it’s OK to take a moment to celebrate! Once your website is launched, you may wonder what your next steps should be and we’re here to help. In this post, we will be going over some tips and strategies to implement after your website has gone live. We will not be covering a pre-launch checklist, which is also vitally important! If you have questions about what to do before your site goes live, please let us know – we will cover that extremely important topic in a later blog post. Ok, let’s say your website just went live. The lever is switched and all systems are a go! Now what? Announce it! This may seem obvious, but let people know you have a new website. Share on LinkedIn, social media, newsletters, and any and every way you communicate with your audience. If your web designer or agency shared news about the launch on their social channels, share their post as well! Maybe even shout out some of the features of what makes your new website so dang awesome to give people a reason to click over. Like, “Ordering is so much easier on our new website!” or “Have you seen our gallery page dedicated to puppies?” (note to self, create gallery page of puppies…) Other than it’s new and shiny, give people a reason to check it out! Create a content plan Don’t let your home on the internet stay inactive – SEO takes time to build, so continue to create helpful and relevant content on your website. We know new website content can be tough for a lot of business owners to keep on top of. Creating new content doesn’t have to be challenging and even one blog post a month can be enough. If you need a hand with content creation, drop us a line! Some ideas to help get your wheels turning: Create a post for each of your most commonly asked questions Highlight any new releases or new product features as they are released Share about your company culture, behind the scenes Share some industry insights or opinions Get involved with local organizations by volunteering or sponsoring and write about it Watch out for broken links Even if your web developer made sure to redirect any pages that may no longer exist from your old site to your new one, sometimes pages may be missed. Any page that external links point to that is broken is doubly bad as your website will lose all of that SEO juice coming from those other websites. Ahrefs offers a broken link checker for free. This will include both links going out to other sites and links coming into yours. While the links coming to your website are the most important, you don’t want any outbound links broken either. Just a good practice to keep an eye on after a new launch. In addition to links going in and out, you’ll want to make sure all internal links are also working correctly. This is where you get to CLICK ALL THE BUTTONS! Monitor your rankings Your organic search rankings are likely to fall a bit when launching a new website. These should bounce back pretty quickly though, so if you notice that rankings have yet to rebound after a few weeks, there may be a bigger issue. Something may have been missed during site launch, or your new website may not have the same level of SEO optimization. If that’s the case, you may need to call in the experts! Back it up! Make sure your website is backed up regularly. Some hosting platforms, like WP Engine, will do this automatically. Make sure you know if your website is being backed up, or how to back it up anytime you need to make changes or plug-in/theme updates. If you stay on top of your website with updates, link checks, new content, and backups, it will take great care of you for years to come! Questions? Drop us a line!
Read moreMay 19, 2022
Odd Dog Movie Recommendations | 2022
Odd Dog Movie Recommendations We’re not all work-work-work over here at Odd Dog! What’s that saying? All work and no play make Jack something, something… When not working, we do love a great movie! We recently asked a bunch of Odd Dogs for their movie recommendations. Maybe their favorite movie. Or maybe a movie they felt was underrated and needed more attention. What we got was a beautiful hodgepodge of action, romance, drama, and 70’s animation. Perfectly Odd Dog! Bart – Top Gun A top-tier soundtrack, fighter jets, our favorite Scientologist, and an iconic beach volleyball scene. Alexa play “Highway to the Dangerzone” because I am talking about Top Gun. Top Gun is by no means a cinematic masterpiece. BUT DID I MENTION FIGHTER JETS? If it is on TV, I know what I am doing for the next couple of hours. This IMDB review from user Artdoag2 sums up what makes Top Gun so great: “I can’t believe the reviews I have read about Top Gun being technically inaccurate, not enough character development, an overall simple and childish plot… gimme a freegin’ break! This film was made to look cool, sound cool, and define cool. Yeah, okay, the MiG-28s are really F-5 Tigers; I’ve read the ‘goofs’ section before. And Tom Cruise’s height. And about ‘Maverick going supersonic – I’ll be there in 30 seconds,’ and the laws of physics preventing him from covering 200 or so miles from the carrier in that time. Whatever! So what!” I was around 8 or 9 the first time I watched Top Gun. As a kid obsessed with planes, this was the Coolest. Movie. Ever. Physics, who needs them! Additionally, the viewing of Top Gun is the right of passage to becoming accepted as the youngest brother in the Drees family. To this day, my brothers and I will still lob Top Gun quotes at each other over dinner. At times, you may even hear us harmonizing to the Kenny Loggins classic “Playing With The Boys“. Even now, each time I watch Top Gun I get something new from it. Following my last viewing, I attempted to grow a Goose-esque mustache. Top Gun is a classic film, there is no doubt about it. However, it is the movie’s unique mix of cool 80’s nostalgia, iconic soundtrack, and legendary cast that make it a cult classic. Also, did I mention fighter jets? Ryota – Age of Adaline Some call me the best movie critic in Seattle, most don’t, but I have an underrated movie for you. Have you ever heard of Age of Adaline, didn’t think so. The 2015 movie was directed by Lee Toland Krieger and it features Blake Lively, Michiel Huisman, and Harrison Ford. I am not one to enjoy romance films but this one was different. I thought the cinematography was wonderful and the plot was great, it even made me cry a little bit. I have recommended this movie to all of my movie friends and it is a must-watch! Spoilers: Want to know more about the movie? In short, the main character played by Blake Lively, Adaline crashes her car during a snowstorm. All hope is lost, but lightning strikes and it suddenly revives her. Since that moment, Adaline is physically 29 years old and doesn’t change. As you can imagine, this creates some issues. You get a little taste of her ups and downs as she lives through the decades. She ends up meeting Ellis, played by Michiel Huisman, and a conflict arises as the relationship builds. That seems like a good cliff hangover… Happy watching! John – Shawshank Redemption It’s a weekend afternoon, raining outside, nothing to do. You’re thumbing through the channels on your TV, you inevitably run into two stations: TBS and TNT. I guarantee one of them will be playing this particular movie. I think we all know the movie I’m talking about… a little voice should be whispering in your head right now “Zihuatanejo”. You see the familiar face of Andy Dufresne (who knew it was spelled like that???) and you’re instantly taken to a rooftop, sippin’ on some suds w/ your best buds chatting about tax evasion. I’m talking about The Shawshank Redemption. It doesn’t matter where in the movie it’s at when I see it on tv, I’m watching it. Could I buy/rent this movie and watch it commercial-free from the beginning? Sure could, but this specific movie is meant to be watched commercially interrupted. Somehow the story perfectly intertwines itself w/ advertisements. It’s as if the Dorito and Shaquille O’Neal car insurance commercials complement Morgan Freemans’ effortless smooth vocal cord remedies to the point where two become one, and frankly, I don’t want to live in a world where they don’t coexist in perfect harmony. “Andy crawled to freedom through five hundred yards of shit smelling foulness I can’t even imagine”… and I’ll happily watch him crawl through it 500 more times… commercials interrupted. Talia – Atonement Do you love watching horrible, terrible, sad movies that make you cry — all to make you feel alive again? Me, too! That’s why I’m recommending my absolute favorite movie: the 2007 Oscar-nominated film Atonement. Adapted from the beautifully written book of the same name by Ian McEwan, Atonement follows a wealthy British family around the time of WWII (the perfect setting for total heartbreak) and tells a story of youth, regret, love, loss, and, most notably, atonement, from the perspective of three vivid characters: Briony Tallis, the naive and aspirational baby of the family; Celia Tallis, the intelligent and self-assured eldest daughter; and Robbie Turner, the thoughtful son of their hired help who, as they grow older, garners the interest of both of the Tallis daughters. Directed by Joe Wright (who also did the 2005 version of Pride & Prejudice and is the master of period pieces starring Kiera Knightley), Atonement truly does everything right in my eyes. The cinematography and costume design are stunning and memorable, the score is a piano-driven masterpiece that yanks on every last string of your heart, and the acting is phenomenal; I can’t believe I haven’t even mentioned that it stars Kiera Knightley, James McAvoy, and a young Saoirse Ronan (whom I adore as an actress). If you’re looking for a beautiful tragedy to watch on a rainy day, there is no better choice than Atonement. Warning, though: you’ll come out of it hating a 13-year-old like you’ve never hated a child before. This also feels like an appropriate time to plug one of my favorite apps, Letterboxd. Everyone at Odd Dog has heard this plug before, but Letterboxd is a place for rating and logging movies, compiling a “watchlist” to refer back to when you don’t know what to watch, and determining which platforms movies are currently available on. Would recommend it to anyone who loves a good flick! Danielle – The Point I’m going to take you back. So far back, in fact, you can watch this whole film on YouTube complete with the amazing Harry Nilsson soundtrack. I’m referring to the 1971 classic animated movie, “The Point”. Fun fact, The Point was the first animated film made for television. Take that Charlie Brown! The Point starts with a father reading a story to his son who of course has no interest in being read to, but of course, gets into the story – very Princess Bride-esque. The story being read takes us to the land of Point, where everything has a point. Even the people, right on top of their heads. That is until little Oblieo was born, who was born without a point. Poor Oblio gets banished and we get to follow along his adventure through the Pointless Forrest, complete with Harry Nilsson songs to aid the narration. If you think you haven’t heard of Harry Nilsson, you’re probably wrong as he not only sang his own songs but also was a songwriter back in the day for many big names you have heard of. Check out his music on Spotify here! While the original recording was narrated by Harry Nilsson himself on his album, The Point, Dustin Hoffman recorded the narration for the television release, and it was later re-recorded with Alan Thicke in the 90s. The home video release was then recorded with Ringo Star as the narrator. (which is my personal favorite!) Something about Harry’s voice, this 70’s style of animation, and the lessons on perception and acceptance The Point teaches you makes this one of my top favorite films of all time!
Read moreApr 20, 2022
Ultimate Guide To Google Business Profile 2022
If you are new here, welcome! This is a comprehensive guide to using Google Business Profiles in 2022. (formally known as Google My Business) We’ve done our best to provide you with relevant and up-to-date information and actionable steps you can take to make your Google Business Profile stand out and hopefully get your business in front of new customers! There is a lot to take in from this post. If at any time you have questions or want some help with your local listings, we’d love to talk! Here’s what we will be covering, so you can skip around as needed. The Big 2022 Updates What is Google Business? What businesses qualify for a Google Business Listing? My business doesn’t have an address, can I still use Google Business? What businesses don’t qualify for a Google Business listing? Is Google Business free? Does my business need a Google Business Profile? GETTING STARTED: Claiming and Verifying. OPTIMIZE YOUR LISTING: Filling out the details CATEGORIES HOURS PHONE NUMBER WEBSITE URL APPOINTMENT URL PRODUCTS SERVICES ATTRIBUTES BUSINESS DESCRIPTION OPENING DATE MESSAGES PHOTOS VIDEO GOOGLE WEBSITE USERS OTHER FEATURES GBP Store Code Questions and Answers Google Business Posts Managing your GBP Reviews Reading your Insights MULTIPLE LOCATIONS WHAT ELSE TO KNOW AND CONCLUSION 1) The Big 2022 Updates So many updates for 2022! Buckle up! First off – Google my Business is now called Google Business Profile. Google is migrating business profile management out of the Google My Business app and directly into Google Search and Google Maps. What does this mean for business owners exactly? How you interact with your business profile will change. Instead of going to your backend dashboard to manage your account, you can manage your profile directly from the search or maps pages. The existing Google My Business web-based dashboard has been renamed “Business Profile Manager.” As of now, you will also be able to manage your business from here, but also from the search results page and maps. If you manage multiple locations or are an agency that manages locations for clients, you will still use the Business Profile Manager much the same, but will not be able to manage your business directly from the search results page. So, what does this look like in practice? If you have one business you are managing, now you can search for your business in Google, and as long as you are signed in to a Google account that manages that business profile you will see this along the top of your search result page: From here, you can select “edit profile” to pull up the menu of information to edit. This is where you can edit your business information, update your hours (including adjusting for the holidays), edit or add products or services, and add photos. When you select “Promote” you can check on your performance, run ads, add photos, ask for reviews, share an update, offer, or event. (This was formerly known as “Posts.”) And the “Customers” tab will allow you to view and respond to reviews, view your call history, view and respond to messages (if you have messenger set up), and view and respond to any questions customers may have asked. While the management of Google Business Profile has changed, many of the features are still intact. Let’s get into those, shall we? 2. What is Google Business Profile? Google Business Profile is a free tool for local business owners which allows you to be more accessible in Google Maps and on Google Search in your local area. With a Google Business Profile listing, you’ll not only get your business in front of more potential customers, but you will also be able to learn how those customers interact with your business with your Insights, what kind of information they are searching for, collect reviews, and provide searchers with answers to your most asked questions before they visit your website. 3. What businesses qualify for a Google Business Profile Listing? Any business with a physical location OR any business which visits a physical location, like a customer’s home or business place, can qualify for a Google Business Profile. From Google, “In order to qualify for a Business Profile on Google, a business must make in-person contact with customers during its stated hours.” 4. My Business doesn’t have an address, can I still use Google Business Profile? Absolutely! If your business doesn’t have a storefront or office people visit, you can create your business as a service area business. A service area business listing will allow you to set a radius of the area you provide services to without requiring a physical address. 5. What Businesses Don’t Qualify for a Google Business Profile? Businesses that don’t have a physical location or don’t service their customers at their locations do not qualify for a listing. Some examples include, strictly e-commerce businesses, rental properties, and any digital businesses with a 100% online presence. Business Profiles on Google can only be created for businesses that either have a physical location customers can visit, or travel to visit customers where they are. 6. Is a Google Business Profile Free? YES! At this time a Google Business Profile and all of its features are free. There is some speculation Google will one day add a “pay-to-play” option, but at this time it is completely free. 7. Does my Business need a Google Business Profile? If your business qualifies, then yes, your business needs a Google Business Profile. Not only will the listing allow you to leverage Google Maps and search results, but by claiming and verifying your listing, you will also have control over the information listed on your page. Anyone can add a business listing on Google, and if you have control over your listing, you will also have control over the description, hours, address, contact info, and more. It’s a very important piece of digital real estate your business needs to claim GETTING STARTED: How to Claim and Verify Your Google Business Profile If you are brand new to Google Business, you may not have a listing yet, or not even know if one exists. Here are the steps to take to find out. Search for your business on Google Maps to find your business. If it is not claimed, claim it and verify it with a phone call or postcard. It can be claimed if you see the text “Claim this business.” Here is an easy video to walk you through: What if you found your business listing, it’s been verified, but you don’t have access? Maybe someone else claimed it years ago with an email account you no longer have access to. It happens and it can be a pain to reclaim your account. However, it is worth the slight headache to get access back to the original account. DO NOT create a new account without trying to get access first! When your location appears to be owned by another account, you should have the option to “Request Ownership.” When you do this, Google will send an email to the current owner’s email on the account. Be patient, this may take a few days. See Google’s step-by-step on requesting ownership here. What if you found duplicate listings of your business? Sometimes Google listings can be created because of a slightly different address or business name. You want to make sure there is no confusion about which listing is the correct one. Data confusion is something you want to avoid as it can impact your rankings. Cleaning up duplicate listings can be time-consuming and a real headache, which is why we never recommend creating a new listing without trying to reclaim it first (see above). But, if you do find yourself in this predicament, follow these steps to try to clean up your listings. If you can claim the duplicate, do so. Google will alert you of the duplicate once you have more than one listing in your account. Then follow these next steps: Sign in to your Business Profile Manager. In your “Account summary,” click Duplicate locations. Click on the location you want to remove. Click “Delete this listing.” See Google’s step-by-step here. What if you can’t claim the duplicate listing? You can request ownership using the steps above, once claimed, delete it, or if that’s not possible, report the listing as a duplicate. The report feature takes some time, and may even require several attempts to get the listing removed. To report a duplicate location on Google Maps: Open Google Maps. Find the location you want to report. Click Suggest an edit. Mark the location as “Place is permanently closed or has never existed.” Select “Duplicate” as the reason. Click Submit. See Google’s step-by-step here. What if you own a service-area business? If you are a service area business and serve your customers at locations that are not your office, you can specify as such on your Google Business Profile. When you set up your account, you will be able to answer the question, “Do you want to add a location that customers can visit, like a store or an office?” If you are a service area business, answer “No.” You will then be prompted to add the areas your business serves. You can add several cities and zip codes, or skip this step entirely. Note: this will impact how you are shown in local results. OK, now that you have your one and only Google listing claimed and verified, let’s move on! OPTIMIZE YOUR LISTING: Filling out the details NOTE: If you were recently verified or added to a Business Profile as an owner or manager, it might take 14 days before you get options to manage the profile directly on Google. In the meantime, you can use Business Profile Manager. How we manage our listings is one of the big changes from Google My Business to Google Business Profile we talked about at the beginning of this post. You can now edit your information right from the search page. See this walk-through from Google on how to access your profile easily and the kind of actions you can take from the search results page. Don’t skip out on this, be as complete as possible. Google will offer a lot of options to fill in details about your business and physical location. A quick note about your business name – Your business name should be the name you operate under. It can be tempting to add things like your location and keywords into the name however it is against Google’s guidelines and your account may be suspended. Let’s take a deeper look at all of those options, many of which are being updated often. CATEGORIES Entering your business category will not only help searchers find you, but it will also change the options you have in your Google Business Profile listing. For example, If you own a restaurant, the option to add a link to a menu will become available. If you own a hotel, you may have access to the booking feature. As of December 2020, there are nearly 4000 Google Business Profile categories, which are frequently updated by Google! While Google allows you to select up to ten categories for your business, only one can be your primary category which will be given preference over all others in Google’s search algorithm. Tips for choosing your businesses categories: For your primary category, choose the one that closest represents your business. If people search for that category, you would want your business to be found. For the secondary categories, don’t feel like you have to use up all ten. You should only select the categories which best describe your business. Make sure you are not including amenities in your categories. You may own a restaurant with a bar, but bar as a category doesn’t really describe your business. It’s an amenity within your business. (We’ll get into amenities soon!) HOURS Regular hours: Enter your regular hours first. More hours: You will also now have an option to add hours for specific services or specials. For example, happy hours, brunch hours, delivery availability hours, etc. Special hours: This is where you can add any shortened or close dates and times for holidays, special events, or anything else with a date where you know your opening times will be impacted. This section is especially helpful during holidays when searchers will want to know your business’s availability. PHONE NUMBER This needs to be your primary business number. If you use tracking phone numbers at all, do not include them here. Google uses this information to confirm your NAP (Name, Address, and Phone number) details, so you want this number to match all other listings of your business. Also, make sure it’s a local number. If you have an 800 number you prefer people to use, consider getting a local number that gets routed to the 800 number. Even if you are a local company, 800 numbers tend to scare people off. If you have more than one main phone number, up to two can be added. (no fax lines should be entered here) WEBSITE This is where you want to add your businesses’ website URL. If you have more than one location, add the specific location page from your website to this URL space here versus sending everyone to your home page. We prefer to use a website tracking URL on Google Business Profiles. It makes tracking traffic coming from your listing more accurate and easier to find under “campaigns” in your Google Analytics. We always want to see how many times our website link is clicked on in our listing vs. clicked in the organic results. Yes, it’s nitpicky, but it’s what we do! Example: /?utm_source=google&utm_medium=local&utm_campaign=googlelocal You can create one here with Google Campaign URL Builder. While you will still be able to see Local results in your Google Analytics Dashboard, with a tracking URL you will be able to compare specific clicks to your home page from your knowledge panel. APPOINTMENT URL If you use a booking website to take appointments or reservations, you can add a URL that links to your system here. Depending on the booking software you use, you may even be able to integrate your booking directly into your page. See Google’s supported scheduling partners here. PRODUCTS Depending on your business, you may be able to add products to your Google listing. Not all business categories qualify for product listings, however many do, so it’s worth filling out if you have this section available to you. Even if you don’t sell online, it’s a great way to showcase some of your best physical and digital products. How to add a product to your Google My Business listing: (via desktop) In your web dashboard, go to the “Products” tab and click Add and then Add product. Upload a photo. Name the product. Select Product category. If necessary, click the Down arrow and select “Create a new category.” (Optional) Set a price range or a fixed price. (Optional) Create a description. (Optional) Add a button like “Buy” or “Learn more.” Click Save. SERVICES Services will allow you to break down the individual services you offer. While Google will make some suggestions based on your business, you will also be able to add your own and even include a price. Adding specific services will not help you rank for those keywords in search, however, they will help your potential customers find more information about what you offer. ATTRIBUTES Google Business Profile attributes are probably the section that changes the most frequently. 2020 brought us timely attributes like health and safety which includes items like “mask required” and “staff wears masks,” “curb-side pick up available,” and “online classes.” Attributes can be added by the business and can also be suggested by users. Make sure you are checking in on your listing often to ensure your business is being listed correctly. Some attributes you have available within your profile will depend on the type of business you are. Including as many as are relevant will help your customers find answers to any questions and also give them a better idea of what to expect from your business. Some examples of good attributes to use, “wheelchair accessibility” if you have a physical location, “cash only” if you don’t accept credit cards, and “LGBTQ-Friendly” if your business is a safe and open space for the LGBTQ community and allies. Ownership and leadership is another type of attribute Google has added within the last few years. “Woman-led” and “Veteran-led” were both added in 2018. And, “Black-Owned Business” is a new attribute Google added in 2020. If you are a black-owned business, adding this attribute will help make your listing more visible to those who are seeking to support your business. BUSINESS DESCRIPTION Use this space to share a bit about your business. When did you open? Who do you serve? What sets your business apart from all the others? Have some fun here and encourage people to find out more about you. Don’t keyword stuff here! Make your business description read like normal, human language. Jamming in keywords here won’t help your rankings. OPENING DATE Add the month and year you opened your business here. MESSAGES Messaging will allow customers to contact you directly through your Google Business Profile. This feature used to be only available via SMS and third-party apps, but now it is incorporated much like Facebook Messenger as a messaging feature from right within your Google Business Profile. When you enable the messaging feature, a “Message” box will appear on your page when viewed in Google Maps. At this time, it does not seem to appear on desktop searches. If you do activate this feature, please read the guidelines closely! The guidelines include a 24-hour recommended response time. So if you do plan on using Google Messaging, make sure you are prepared to respond promptly to all messages otherwise you may be banned from using this feature entirely. PHOTOS There are three types of photos you can upload to your Google Business Profiles. Logo: Your logo should be square in dimension, have high resolution, and be between 10KB and 5MB in file size. Adding a logo will ensure your branding is represented and recognizable to those searching for your business. Format: JPG or PNG Size: Between 10 KB and 5 MB Google Business Profile Photo Size: 250 x 250 pixels (min 120 x 120; max 5200 x 5300) Minimum resolution: 250 px tall, 250 px wide Cover Photo: Adding a cover photo signals to Google that this is the image you would like people to see first in your listing. A good cover photo is high-quality and is a great way to introduce people to your business. Format: JPG or PNG Size: Between 10 KB and 5 MB Google Business Profile Cover Photo Size: 1080 x 608 pixels (min 480 x 270; max 2120 x 1192) Minimum resolution: 250 px tall, 250 px wide NOTE: Even when you’ve added a logo and cover image, Google will still mix around your photos and you cannot control the order in which they are displayed. Other Images: When adding photos to your Google Business Profile, try to add images searchers would want to see from your business. What does the outside of your building look like? Are you difficult to find? Photos of the outside can help people find your business. Google’s Street View isn’t updated frequently and won’t depict the outside of your business as accurately as you could. What does the inside look like? Is there ample seating? A waiting area? What about your products or services? If you sell physical products, how are they displayed on-site? Sell food and or drinks? Take images of popular items on your menu. Within your Google Business Profile, you can specify what images are from the inside or outside as well as photos of your team, photos of your work, and even specific photos of food and drink for restaurants. Include several for each category you can. Customers will also be allowed to add images of your business and will appear under the “by customer” tab on your listing. It’s a good idea to keep track of these to ensure they are all relevant and not random images that are not related to your business. It’s also a great idea to encourage customers to add images during their visit. VIDEO Video is still an incredibly underutilized feature! If you are able to add one or two short fun videos to your page, I guarantee you will have a leg up on most, if not all, of your competitors! Do videos help with your rankings? Not necessarily. But Google likes it when you use their stuff. And the more interaction your Business profile receives, the more credit Google will give your business listing. Win-win! Make sure your videos meet the following requirements: Duration: Up to 30 seconds long File size: Up to 75 MB Resolution: 720p or higher GOOGLE WEBSITE What is a Google website? Google has provided business owners with an easy way for businesses to create a free mobile-optimized website. There are a limited number of themes and design options to choose from, and you will not get a custom domain. Google websites are a quick and easy way to create an online presence for your business IF you don’t already have a website, HOWEVER, we strongly encourage you to get a website you fully own and have more customization at your disposal. Need help with your website? Let’s chat! USERS The user’s section is where you can add other managers to your Google Business Profile. This way you can ensure you retain ownership while giving editing access to your team. OTHER FEATURES Google Store Code When you were filling out your profile, you may have been prompted to add a store code. Store codes are unique identifiers and are not viewable to the public. Store codes are required for bulk uploads of multiple locations and are handy to have if you are managing many listings from one account. Even if you are only managing one location, a store code is recommended. From Google: “Any unique identifier can be a store code. A store code can be anything from the name of a place to a random number, as long as it stays the same to refer to that location. Include your brand name in your store code to avoid confusion between spreadsheets (for separate business or personal accounts). For example, if Google had 100 locations, they might be named “GOOG1”, “GOOG2”, “GOOG3″” Questions and Answers The questions and answers section in your Google Business Profile operates much like a forum. Anyone can ask a question here and anyone can answer it. Answers can be “upvoted” and if an answer gets enough upvotes will be placed as the primary answer. Questions can also be upvoted, and if they receive more than three upvotes, can show right in your profile without being clicked on for the questions and answer section. So, how do you monitor and respond to questions? In your Google Business Profile dashboard, make sure you check the box that says “Questions and Answers” to be alerted when someone asks a new question. To answer questions, you will either go to your public-facing profile on your desktop or the Google Maps app on your Android device. You can easily get to your public profile from your dashboard by going to “Info” and then selecting “view on search” on the right-hand side of the screen. NOTE: Answers are cut off after 440 characters so you will want to make your answer short and to the point. PRO TIP: You can also ask your own questions. It is allowed by Google and even encouraged! It’s a good idea to add a few frequently asked questions and then answer them yourself. Keep an eye on the answers as someone can answer the questions you’ve asked as well and you will want to make sure yours stays as the primary answer. Google Business Profile Posts Google Business Profile Posts are a way to add updates, events, and sales. Posts are currently still available on the backend of your dashboard, as well as in the new front-end interface. Think of them much like a social media post. Posts appear in your profile and allow users to see anything special you have to share right from the search results page. How to add posts under the new front end set up for 2022. Under the “Promote” option you will have the following options: In the “Add Update” you will be able to include a call to action like, “Book”, “Order online”, “Buy”, “Learn more”, “Sign up”, and “Call now”. Posts can be a great way to get additional eyes on a blog post, a sale or promotion you have going on, or to encourage phone calls. Some tips to get the most use out of posts: Images appear in a 4:3 ratio – so keep this in mind when adding an image here. You can crop your image once you upload it, just make sure to preview your post before you publish it to see how it will appear. Only the first 100 characters of text will show in the knowledge panel, so make them count. Posts only last for 7 days, so post often if you can. There are a few exceptions to the 7-day expiration rule. Events and offers will not expire until the event or the offer is completed. You can have up to 10 posts at once, however, only the most recent two will be shown without the searcher clicking on a see more action. Managing Your Google Reviews Your Google reviews are important! In addition to asking your customers to leave reviews, you will also want to make sure you are responding to them in a timely manner. To respond to new reviews, select the “Reviews” tab in your dashboard and then go to the tab “Haven’t replied.” Here you can thank customers for leaving those five-star reviews, and respond to any concerns left by those who may have left a not favorable review. In the case of bad reviews, it’s always a good idea to respond publicly and then try to remedy the issue or concern privately with your customer. “How to respond to negative Google reviews” If you need help asking for reviews, we have a treasure trove of posts and a FREE app for you to use. NOTE: From the Google Business support page, businesses should “interact with customers by responding to reviews that they leave about your business. Responding to reviews shows that you value your customers and the feedback that they leave about your business.” And “high-quality, positive reviews from your customers will improve your business’s visibility and increase the likelihood that a potential customer will visit your location.” What does this mean? Responding to reviews WILL help improve your ranking in Google! Reading Your Insights If you’ve logged in recently, you may have noticed this message from Google: Google is drastically changing the insights function for all Google Business profiles. The new version to be rolled out in a few months at the time of this post (April 2022) will have a slightly different look and will prioritize different metrics. By selecting the tab at the top, your results will be broken down into categories that will depend on your business type and Business profile functions. Example: If you are a restaurant that provides a link to food orders, you will see a “Food Orders” option. If you are a hotel, you will see a “Bookings” option, etc. There are other insights Google provides and it can be overwhelming. We recommend just being mindful of the trends. Paying attention to the most common actions people are taking on your profile, and adding a tracking URL (mentioned above) so you can track what happens when people land on your website from your Google Business listing. MANAGING MULTIPLE GOOGLE BUSINESS PROFILES Do you manage more than one business location, this next section is for you! If you have under ten locations, the process will look much like the above for each location. You will need to claim or create and then verify each location. Do this from the same primary Google Account, so your one account will retain ownership of all locations. From your Business Profile Manager, go to the “Add Business” drop-down and select, “Add Single Business.” You can always add managers to these locations if someone else will need to be updating information for each listing. If you have OVER ten locations, you will want to apply the bulk upload process. NOTE: This only works if all locations are the same business and not if you own several different businesses that are not related. From the “Add Business” drop-down select, “Import Businesses.” From here you will want to download the template. The sample spreadsheet can be helpful to use as a reference. You will want to make sure you fill in all required fields for each location. Here is where the store codes will come in really handy as well. For more information about each of the columns on the bulk spreadsheet, see the Google resource guide here. If any required fields are missing or filled out incorrectly, it will return errors, so make sure you are taking your time and filling all information as completely as you can. Yes, this process can be a bit tedious, however, once uploaded, the verification process should be much faster and not require postcards sent to each location. If you are managing quite a few locations, Location Groups may be something you want to implement. Location Groups allow you to group locations by area, manager, or whatever makes sense to you. By grouping your locations you can customize management permissions and make it easier for managers to edit their listings within their group vs having access to all locations. WHAT ELSE TO KNOW AND CONCLUSION Google Business Profile is a product that is constantly evolving. The features that are available for your business will change and update regularly. We learned how agile Google had to be in 2020 when it started adding COVID-19 updates. Lastly, it is important you are logging in and checking your Google Business Profile regularly. Not only can users suggest changes to your information, but Google has also now started pulling data from sites like Yelp and other third-party apps and automatically updating business information. Make sure you are checking your information often to ensure it is correct. Whew! We hope you have found this Ultimate Guide a valuable resource. Google Business Profile is one of the most important tools you can use for your business and can be incredibly powerful if you know how to use it. If you have any questions about your listing or need help making the best use of your Google Business Profile, drop us a line!
Read moreApr 14, 2022
5 Reasons You Should Run Google Ads in 2022
What are Google Ads? Yes, we are inundated by advertising everywhere we look. And search engines are no exception. Google Ads are the paid search results at the top and bottom of most search result pages and on many partner networks in other forms, such as display ads. Odd Dog has seen some amazing success with a variety of budgets using Google Ads. LEARN ABOUT OUR APPROACH TO GOOGLE ADS 5 Reasons You Should Run Google Ads If you want to advertise your business online, you have a ton of options. Here are just five reasons why you should consider running Google Ads as part of your digital marketing strategy. Targeting on the World’s Largest Search Engine Did you know that “Google” is now an actual word defined in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary? The company and the process of obtaining information via the world’s largest search engine are that big of a deal! Want to find a restaurant near you that serves bao buns? Google it. Need a pest control company for your business fast? Google it. Google now handles a staggering 5 billion searches like this each day, and your business can use Google ads to target people who are already looking for your product or service. Capture Searcher’s Intent Searchers’ intent is what Google has been honing in on for decades. Not just what you are searching for, but understanding why you are searching it, where you are searching from, and even providing results from a smashed keyboard search… “Did you mean…?” “Showing results for…” Google has begun placing a lot of emphasis on intent because of its goal to deliver the best experience possible. One of the biggest differences between the people you’ll reach through Google Ads and other types of online campaigns is their intent. They are actively searching for a solution to a problem you are solving in your business. Low-Cost Way to Capture Leads One of the drawbacks of relying solely on SEO for your search engine results is it can take months and significant resources before you achieve any noticeable results. The first page of Google is highly competitive, so it takes strategic planning to claim your spot in the organic search results and keep it. Google Ads is an entirely different experience. You can set up a campaign and begin capturing leads within hours. As soon as your ads are approved, they will immediately begin appearing in Google search results and on partner websites, giving you a low-cost way to drive traffic and capture leads for your business. Top-of-Funnel Messaging When most people think of Google Ads, they picture the ads at the top of the search results. But Google Ads offer your business enough versatility that they can also be used for top-of-funnel messaging. Specifically, you can use them to build brand awareness. By targeting Google’s Ad display network, you can have your business’s ads shown to people who are part of your target audience, have visited a particular website in the past, or meet some other criteria. So, if you sell kayaks and accessories, your ads can display on outdoors and other relevant websites or any site after a person has visited one of these sites. With consistent views, your brand will stay top of mind, and the customer may choose you when they are ready to purchase. Clear Measurement and Results No matter what type of digital marketing strategy you choose, it can be challenging to effectively quantify the impact of your efforts. Perhaps one of the most rewarding aspects of Google Ads is the data you receive about nearly every parameter of the process. Not only can you track impressions, (the number of people who see your ad) and clicks (the number of people who click on your ad) but you can also track phone calls, emails, form completions, app installs, and more. Before you invest too much capital in a campaign, you’ll be able to quickly see patterns emerge, telling you if you’re on the right track or if you should make some adjustments. You can do split testing to determine the best images and copy, and use data to help narrow your target audience to get the best results. Why Use Google Ads in 2022? If you’re asking yourself, “Why should we use Google Ads?” right now, a better question is, “Why not?” The network has features for businesses of all types and sizes – optimized to accommodate all different budgets and advertising goals Just about every target audience you can imagine is using Google to find products and services. So why wouldn’t you leverage this service to see what new business you can generate? If you have any questions about using Google Ads to advance your digital marketing strategy, give us a shout!
Read moreMar 15, 2022
Odd Dog Recommends – Top SEO tips for 2022
Search engine optimization is an ever-changing beast and it can be difficult to stay on top of every algorithm change that is made. In 2022, SEO is still a vitally important part of your digital marketing strategy, but it doesn’t have to be daunting or scary. In many ways, it’s even gotten a bit easier for businesses to rank when they follow a few simple guidelines. Here is what some of us Odd Dogs recommend to make sure you are on top of your SEO in 2022. If you still aren’t sure how to apply any of these tips, or just need some help, drop us a line! Danielle’s Tip: Write For People, Not For Search Engines. As search engines get more sophisticated, they are able to determine searchers’ intent easier than before and don’t rely on keyword stuffing as much as they used to. Search engines like Google have been rewarding sites that lose the fluff filler text and prioritize providing quick answers to questions. Bonus: People like it better too! Ryota’s Tip: Get those Google reviews! Why are Google reviews important? Not only do prospective customers see your star rating, Google factors your review count and review score into the local pack ranking. Google My Business, also known as Google Business Profile, seems to be growing in importance year after year and reviews are a great way to stay on top. Make sure to ask happy customers to leave an honest review! If you want to make asking for reviews easier, check out our Odd Dog Review App! Sondre’s Tip: Answer Relevant FAQs & Add FAQ Schema Are there frequently asked questions related to the topic of your content? Write clear and concise answers to these questions and add FAQ Schema to maximize your search visibility potential and the value to the end-user. High-quality content with FAQ Schema may be rewarded by being featured in the “People also ask” box: Bart’s Tip: Holistic Link Building At this point, it is common knowledge that you need links to rank in SEO. Therefore logic would dictate that the more links the merrier, no matter where they come from. This has led to the emergence of backlinking services popping up and filling up your inbox promising links in droves. However, as with a lot of things in life, when it comes to links, quality is greater than quantity. Links are weighted by domain authority. When building a backlink strategy I recommend checking local charities, museums, animal shelters, farmers markets, youth programs, or other non-profit organizations for link opportunities. Often nonprofits have high domain authority and if you are going to spend money on backlinks, it might as well go to a good cause! The only time when Odd Dog approves of duplicate content in SEO. Jenny’s Tip: Optimizing Citations Citations are a critical part of local SEO and are a core strategy to improving your off-page website representation. You may ask yourself, “what is a citation?” Citations are any online mentions of your business’ name, address, and phone number (NAP information). The NAP information of your business is typically mentioned on online directories, websites, social media platforms, and maps. By having accurate, up-to-date citations on your business or multiple businesses, people will be more likely to discover your services and drive phone, foot, and online traffic. Also, If citations are managed on a regular basis, they will help your business rank accurately on Google Maps. Check out our blog post to learn more about citation research! Holly’s Tip (Lead Designer at Odd Dog) SEO’s Influence on Design. Create Clear and Engaging H1s, Titles & Leading Content. Many people can be surprised by the way design and SEO can influence each other in many ways. In our view, they are mutually reinforcing, impacting, and relying on each other to reach powerful results. One of the easiest tips I often see clients overlook is within the content, keywords, and headlines. You should use your H1s and headlines to guide users through your content, providing a map of what to expect from each page or section. They should also help to facilitate the clear communication of your company’s mission and vision. These can often be short and simple solutions, but they can take time to develop. Researching top keywords in your industry while working with a copywriter to create content that entices your potential customers to learn more about your business is a great place to start! By finding a compromise between concise and clear SEO-driven content and content that also expresses your brand, you can create a stronger connection with your audience, an increase in leads, and a better overall user experience. Talia’s Tip: Don’t Underestimate the Power of Your Primary Category! A big new update from late 2021? Google My Business is now Google Business Profile. And, while the name is different (and the acronym is now indisputably more difficult to say), one thing has remained the same: selecting the most effective primary category for your business is critical for supporting local rankings. The primary category you choose to list your business not only significantly impacts how high up in map search results you’ll appear, but also the GBP features fields available to your business; this is especially notable heading into 2022 as Google continues to roll out new fields available only to specific business categories, like products, menus, and a variety of highlights & attributes. Select the category that most accurately and specifically matches your services to encourage your listing to appear higher and among relevant competitors. Bonus points if you add on a few relevant additional categories (and I mean actually relevant, or beware the negative impacts of category confusion). Courtney’s Tip: Think Like Your Users, Be Their Last Click It’s easy to get caught up in the many elements that make up strong SEO. When it comes down to it, your audience should be front of mind; they are the main factor in driving your digital success. If you provide answers to the questions your users are searching for, they won’t need to search further. As the last click, for any given topic, your users will be able to trust you the next time they search up a question and see your website populate in their results. A great user experience brings your audience back to you as a trusted resource over and over again, making it much more likely that you will not only rank at the top but that you will build a strong community of users to support your business. Bridget’s Tip: Prioritize Mobile-Friendly Website Optimizations With the majority of internet usage steadily moving away from desktop computers to mobile devices (surely only helped by the recent glow-up of the QR code ), you’ll want to be sure your website is optimized and ready for mobile visitors. While an impressive 68% of global website visits took place on mobile devices in 2020, users spent roughly twice as much time browsing on desktop computers than mobile devices. What does this tell us? We’re eager to visit websites from our phones but likely have a better user experience on desktops, and thus spend more time on the page. It’s your time to shine! Optimize your website for mobile devices and keep users around longer. Here are a few ideas for your consideration: Communicate information clearly and concisely – No need to lollygag with wordiness, get to the point! Give users the information (or products) they came for with as few clicks as possible. Embrace the sticky header – Give users a convenient way to navigate to different pages of your site without scrolling back to the top of the page. Add helpful CTAs throughout your website – This gives people an easy way to take action swiftly, and drives more conversions for you! Shorten that contact form – No need to gather all that information right now, stick to the most important fields and get the rest in a follow-up conversation. Consider your audience – Targeting an older demographic that may be less cellphone-savvy? Add a simple “Click to Call” banner at the top of the page and give them a quick and easy way to reach out with questions. We can’t wait to see what you do! There you have it! The insider tips from our very own Odd Dogs! How are you going to implement these tips into your SEO strategy in 2022? Are you still feeling a bit lost or have some questions about how to apply these tips to your business? Drop us a line – we’re always happy to help!
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