For a few months now, Google has had the Core Web Vitals algorithm update looming over us. Originally set to launch in May, now pushed back to mid-June, this update is going to change the Google ranking algorithm to factor in a website’s core web vitals. What are core web vitals, you ask? These are metrics defined by Google that identify on-page experience for users.
The three aspects of core web vitals are load time (LCP), interactivity (FID), and visual stability (CLS). Core web vitals are broken down into Mobile and Desktop experience so rankings for both desktop and mobile could be affected.
Who Does The Update Affect?
The best way to think of the core web vitals on your site is to ask yourself: is my website loading slowly? If you answered yes, then the update could affect your site. That is not to say that all of the other ranking factors are no longer valuable in the Google Algorithm. If your site has amazing content, high-quality backlinks, but loads slowly then it’s likely that you won’t see drastic drops in rankings overnight. Core web vitals is just going to be yet another factor in the cog that is the Google Algorithm. Google stated:
“A good page experience doesn’t override having great, relevant content. However, in cases where there are multiple pages that have similar content, page experience becomes much more important for visibility in Search.”
How to Prepare for Core Web Vitals
Once you’ve identified that your website is loading a bit slow, the next question to ask yourself is: what is slowing down my site? Google Search Console has a core web vitals tool that shows you if there are any glaring page experience offenders.
“Pages that receive a score of “good” on Core Web Vitals are achieving an aspirational level of user experience, and might get a boost in the page experience component of ranking, provided other components of the page experience signal (HTTPS, mobile-friendliness, etc) are deemed OK.”
If you have some pages that receive the grade of ‘needs improvement’ and ‘poor’ then there are improvements you can work towards. None of these issues can be fixed overnight, but more so worked towards. In the meantime of improving your page experience, it’s a great idea to look at what other ways your site can improve. SEO fundamentals are always going to be important when getting your website to rank.
Still have questions? The experts at Mason Interactive can help answer any questions. Contact us to get started.
In the beginning of December there was another Google core algorithm update, which would make that the third (and hopefully final) major algorithm update of 2020.
Here’s What We Know
Google is notoriously elusive when it comes to their algorithm updates. They usually announce them with little information on what they actually mean. Because of that, we monitor the SERPs and industry articles on the days preceding the Google announcement.
Source: Search Engine Roundtable
We know that there was a huge spike in ranking fluctuation on December 4th, 2020. Things seemed to have leveled out since then, but Google has reported that the update is still rolling out as of 12/10/20. Search Engine Land has put together some data on how the update has affected major industries.
Source: Search Engine Land
Stay Calm & Stick to Best Practices
In these times when rankings appear to be fluctuating, it’s important to stay calm and not make any drastic changes. Google is never going to change the fundamentals of their algorithm, so it’s safe to say that if you stick to their best practices, your website will be okay. Here are some tips on how to follow best practices:
Have quality content that is updated regularly
Run site audits regularly and fix any major site health issues
Keep E-A-T in mind (expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness)
Look at your website from a user’s perspective, not from a search engine’s perspective
Contact our SEO experts to schedule a free consultation and to learn more about SEO best practices.
A lot that goes into a successful SEO campaign. At times, keeping up with the ever-changing search engine algorithms and SEO best practices can be overwhelming. While some practices can be effective, some can significantly damage your search ranking.
We listed five of the most common SEO mistakes you should avoid when starting an SEO campaign.
1. Choosing the Wrong Keywords & Keyword Stuffing
Choosing the right keywords for your SEO campaign is extremely important. This basically dictates what you will appear for in search engine results pages (SERPs). For example, if your company sells “digital marketing services” you do not want to optimize for keywords like “traditional advertising” or “print advertising services”. Users searching for those keywords are not looking for digital marketing and will likely result in a bounce. You want to make sure that your services line up with a users’ search intent, so when they click on your result they find what they are looking for.
Keyword stuffing is another issue that occurs often. Google is a very intelligent machine and knows when something looks “spammy”. Stuffing a bunch of keywords into your copy will NOT increase your rankings. Google ranks websites based on the QUALITY and LENGTH of content. Pick a few high-value keywords and place them strategically throughout your content to maximize your SEO efforts.
Understandably, it requires a lot of effort to create original content for each part of your website. Some may be tempted to copy content from one page to another and think they have a better chance of ranking for incorporated keywords. However, duplicate content has the opposite effect. Google penalizes sites that have duplicate content, so be sure to create unique content for each page on your site.
3. Titles & Metas are Heavily Overlooked
Meta titles and descriptions are what the SEO world likes to call “low-hanging fruit”. These bits of HTML code help Google understand what your pages are about. Making sure that your titles and descriptions are up-to-date with high-value keywords that correspond to your pages is a very easy way to make sure you stay in Google’s good graces. Meta descriptions should try to be kept under 160 characters while meta titles should be kept under 60 characters, with the most high-value keywords towards the beginning.
4. Quality over Quantity When it Comes to Links
Is having external links in your site’s content important? Yes. Does that mean you should load up your content with external links? No. The quality of external links is more important than the quantity. You want to have links that lead to credible and authoritative sites. In addition to the quality of the link, you want to pay attention to the anchor text used for the external link. Avoid using “click here” or similar call to actions, because this wastes precious SEO opportunities. If you are linking out to a digital marketing agency’s SEO page, the anchor text should be “SEO services”.
5. Ignoring Your Site’s Mobile Experience
Mobile speed is not just a Google ranking factor, it is also a user experience (UX) issue. When a user visits your site on their mobile device, they are likely to leave your site if it is taking too long to load. This can result in a drop in traffic and leads, which can be easily prevented. Google provides a free Pagespeed Insights tool where you can check your mobile and desktop speed, and even see Google’s recommendations for improving your score.
Making sure that you take these five strategies into consideration when building an SEO campaign will severely impact the effectiveness of your campaign. Contact us for more information on how to build the best SEO strategy for your business or schedule a free marketing analysis with one of our digital marketing experts to see how we can help you.
Here at Mason Interactive, we embrace close collaboration between our team of digital marketing specialists. Even virtually, we host regular happy hours and company outings to maintain our company culture. This is especially important when onboarding new employees virtually.
Marissa Bavaro, an SEO Manager, was our first team member to be welcomed to the Mason family virtually earlier this Summer. Let’s learn a little bit more about Marissa and how she is enjoying Mason so far.
Who is Marissa Bavaro?
Where do you live and how long have you been at Mason?
I live in Long Island, NY and I joined Mason as an SEO Manager a few months ago.
What is your favorite thing about Mason?
I am loving how close-knit everyone is. Of course, we all have our own responsibilities, but we work together as a team and there is always someone ready and willing to help you if you need it.
Do you have any hobbies, pets, etc.?
I just got a new kitten named Mochi! She’s already the love of my life but besides her, my hobbies include pretty much anything creative: baking, painting, candle making, and crocheting. I love working with my hands to create something useful and beautiful!
What does a typical work day look like for you?
I start my morning with the 9:15 all-hands zoom call where we all go over the plan for the day. I then either get straight to work on client’s websites, or I have a zoom meeting with Team Rocket (the SEO team) to go over priorities. My days consist of client meetings and then focusing on getting client work done. We round that all off with another all-hands zoom meeting at 5:15 to close out the day.
What are your must-have WFH essentials?
I have a desk in my bedroom where I sit sometimes, but I like to move around a lot during the day. I get the best lighting in my kitchen so I like to take client calls from there when I can. Coffee and seltzer are also very much essential to my everyday life. I would not be able to function without Dunkin and carbonated water.
Do you have a specific WFH “vibe”?
I love working from home, I am a total homebody, but I do miss the social aspect of being in the office. Nothing beats my 2 second commute from my bed to my desk though. Fall scented candles are definitely a big part of my WFH vibe, mainly anything that smells like marshmallows. Throw in a good podcast or Charlie XCX’s new album and I am ready to get stuff done.
What do you think the biggest change has been for you since quarantine?
The biggest changes for me since quarantine are starting my job here at Mason and getting Mochi. Both changes that I’m very grateful for! Back in August when we had a mild hurricane, most of us lost power at home. It was difficult to deal with working from home and not having power *at home*. Normally, I would just go to a Starbucks to get my work done, but due to the pandemic, that couldn’t really happen. Nevertheless, we figured it out as a team!
Nice to Meet You, Marissa!
Mason Interactive’s digital marketing webinar series continued with a webinar titled: The Secrets of SEO for eCommerce. Webinar hosts Jenna Vaccaro, Director of SEO, and Brook Shepard, Founder & CEO of Mason Interactive, explored how search engine optimization can be used to attract more shoppers to an online store, and gave tips on SEO best practices.
In short, the webinar covered the SEO fundamentals every eCommerce business owner and marketing professional can learn from. Watch the webinar replay or continue reading for the key highlights.
What is SEO and Why it Matters
Search Engine Optimization is the scientific art of optimizing a website around specific keywords in order to rank higher in search results, such as Google. The science behind SEO is to understand Google’s algorithm and to use those indicators for optimization. This is combined with creativity (art) that goes into content, images, and messaging.
When talking about digital marketing, businesses are more inclined to invest in advertising because of the immediate results. SEO is often underestimated as a marketing channel, however, looking at analytics of any eCommerce store, organic traffic is usually the best converting channel.
“What we see with our clients in general is that people are willing to spend money on advertising but not so much on SEO”, says Brook. “Our recommendation is to make SEO a priority – it converts better and is cost-efficient-, alongside media buying. With the Holiday season coming up, there is still time to get ready and double down on SEO”, he continues.
Search Engine Results Pages (SERP) have evolved over time, and while the user experience has improved, SEO professionals are faced with more complexity and increased competition over the highest ranking positions.
Getting on top of the SERP is important because the higher a website ranks, the more searchers will click on the website, and the more sales the website will generate. Jenna used recent statistics to speak to the importance of SERP and shockingly, only 4.8% of searchers make it to the second page of search results, and only 1.1% to the third. This may make you wonder where does all the traffic go? 32.5% of traffic goes to the top result, 17.6% to the second result, and less than 5% goes to the sixth result.
How is SEO Different for eCommerce
eCommerce SEO has a similar idea than any traditional website; show up on search results and provide relevant content to the user searching for a keyword. For example, a business that sells black shoes should have their pages optimized for black shoes because a user is searching for that and they intend to buy black shoes.
“You want to say to the user that you have the product they are searching for, and you have optimized this page accordingly because you knew they wanted to buy this product.”
Jenna Vaccaro
Furthermore, businesses can help visitors make purchase decisions through vivid product descriptions and beautiful, eye-catching photography, and plenty of reviews. When done right eCommerce SEO is a free source of high converting organic traffic.
Most Common SEO Myths Uncovered
On the next section, Jenna shed light on a few common SEO misconceptions and explained why they are fiction.
Myth 1: “I did a lot of upfront SEO work on my site when it launched, so I never have to do anything again.”
You are certainly off to a good start if you invested on SEO when your site was first launched. However, SEO is ever-changing and should be treated as a marathon, not as a sprint. Focus on keeping your site healthy and aligned with the best possible optimization at all times. You may decide to scale back on SEO because it is a low season for you, and as a result, your competitors take over your position on SERP. Keep up with your competitors and the latest algorithm changes to maintain your rankings.
“Many clients come to us to take the next step. They have already done a fair amount of optimization, and they want to focus on a specific area such as conversion rate optimization or local SEO. After all, SEO provides various opportunities with hundreds of thousands keywords”, Jenna shared.
Myth 2: “I need to post long-form content every day in order to rank high.”
Content length can contribute to SEO ranking, as does the quality of content. However, a multitude of other factors contribute to consistently maintaining a high rank, including:
Topic relevance. It’s important to produce useful content that speaks directly to your product, is fresh, and provides value to the reader. A good starting point is to look at aspirational brands, what they do and what content they produce.
Natural backlinks. Creating shareable content should be the main objective. If your content is compelling, readers will want to share it naturally, and link back to your content.
Page speed and user experience. Ensure that your site is easy to navigate and your pages load fast. A frustrated user will leave your site and go to your competitor.
Mobile friendliness. The browsing experience should be the same on mobile as it is on desktop. Make sure that buttons and links are spaced out and easy to click with a thumb (especially add to cart button!).
Myth 3: “It’s 2020. SEO is dead.”
While the digital marketing space grows through paid media, many marketers believe SEO has reached the end of its lifespan. Search engine optimization may have changed and evolved, but it certainly is not dead nor dying. In 2019, 65% of eCommerce sessions were generated through search traffic and 33% were generated through organic search. As long as the search engines exist, consumers will continue looking for products online, and if an ad is not there, the first thing the searcher will click is the top organic result.
Top Areas of Focus for eCommerce SEO
Jenna broke down the content into key takeaways starting with the very first step of every successful SEO campaign; keyword research. Every website owner should compile a list of keywords that fit their brand, optimize their website based on those keywords, and consider how to rank above competitors.
Moreover, businesses that focus on creating good quality content generate more natural backlinks and rank higher. Building astrong internal link structure is equally important to boost authority of singular pages. For example, if you write a blog article that mentions a tote bag, link that back to the page where you sell tote bags.
Ongoing technical updates and regular audits, Jenna emphasized, are needed to ensure the website is running smooth and fast. An audit will uncover broken links and orphan pages (pages that don’t link anywhere), among other areas that have an impact on the SEO ranking and user experience. Not sure how to conduct an audit? Contact us for a free SEO audit.
Finally, it’s essential to continuously analyze the data and measure success. Use the data to evaluate what you can do to get more users to click and to buy. Be aware of what page people are dropping off of, why the conversion rate is low, do you have unnecessary content or problems with the user experience. At Mason Interactive we know that performance drives the strategy and we look at the data weekly, biweekly, and monthly.
“Yes, you want to know how many keywords you rank for and how many users come to your site. But you also want to know what to do with that.”
Jenna Vaccaro
If you are interested in learning more about your website’s SEO performance, sign up for a free consultation with our SEO experts.
One of the most common questions we get from prospective clients is “What is the difference between Paid Media and SEO?” To answer this question simply, Paid Media is when you pay for your position on SERP (Search Engine Ranking Page) or other media channels. SEO, or search engine optimization, is the process of increasing the quality and quantity of traffic to your site and ranking on SERP organically.
For emerging brands, or brands who are looking to partner with a digital marketing agency for the first time, jumping into too much at once can be daunting, or sometimes even impossible due to limited budgets. In this article, we have highlighted the main benefits of each service, Paid Media and SEO, to help you decide which service (or both) is the best fit for your business.
Renting Your Apartment or Owning Your Home?
We use a special analogy when making a distinction between Paid Media and SEO. Paid Media services are very similar to renting your apartment. You are paying monthly for a great location and easy access to everything you need. However, as soon as you stop paying your rent, you get kicked out and can no longer enjoy that perfect location.
SEO services are similar to buying your home. Yes, you do have to save up for a little while, and take care of a few monthly responsibilities to keep up with, like mortgage payments and electric bills. However, you own this home, and no one can kick you out.
Paid Media is a temporary location, and you can only stay at the top of SERP if you are paying every-time someone clicks on your ad – whether they buy your products or services, or not. Once you stop paying for your top spot, you no longer show up for any searches. SEO is more of a long-term effort, however once you have secured your spot on SERP, you will maintain your position even if you stop making optimizations for a few months.
Is Paid Media What Your Business Needs?
Paid Media has a lot of positive benefits. The number one reason why most people use it is because of the instant results they get. As soon as you start paying for your ads, you will get eyeballs and clicks (learn more about Pay-Per-Click Marketing).
Paid Media gives you more control, and immediate results.
Audience targeting and control are other great benefits of using Paid Media. You can control who sees your ads and when, in what geographic area, and what keywords your ad shows up for. Having the control over when your ads are showing and who sees your ads is a major advantage.
Scalability is very important, especially in today’s world. Unexpected events arise and sometimes, you have to scale back marketing efforts to move funds to other areas. Paid Media is great for being able to scale your spending, and whether you have a sizable budget or not, you are most likely to see results.
SEO Has its Pros, Too
SEO is a great option for businesses that are looking to get more exposure. There are a few different aspects to SEO, including onsite optimization, offsite optimization, and technical SEO. All of these different aspects will help with your organic strategy and improve rankings on SERP so new customers can discover your product or service.
SEO is a great option if you are looking to get more exposure.
Many searchers know that the top three results on SERP are always going to be paid ads. If you don’t know, all paid advertisements on Google search results page have a little “Ad” icon next to the result. Knowing this, they usually scroll right past them to the first organic result. In doing so, these searchers are aware that your site is credible in the eyes of Google, and credibility goes a long way. When searching on any search engine, most people know that sites on the first page of organic search results are the most credible and trustworthy.
When it comes to budget, SEO is often more cost effective than Paid Media. You are not going to pay every-time someone clicks on your ad, you are just paying for the work that has to get done; no hidden fees or additional funds required.
The Leaky Bucket
Yet another analogy – The Leaky Bucket. This is something we use to describe lead flow. If you focus all of your marketing efforts into one specific area of marketing, it could slow or even stop the leads coming in. For example, you decide to move all of your marketing efforts to Remarketing. Now, whatever leads you have in your bucket are being remarketed to; and that is how it should be. However, when you are focusing only on remarketing and ignore customer acquisition, you now have no new leads filling up your bucket. There always needs to be a balance between acquisition and remarketing so you can fill your bucket up and remarket to them later.
What’s the Verdict?
To wrap everything up, both Paid Media and SEO have their pros and cons. Ultimately, the goal would be to use both of these strategies together and hand-in-hand, but that is not always a possibility due to budget and resource limitations.
Brands who are looking to focus on new customer discovery should focus more on SEO, whereas Paid Media works best for those who want to be able to fine-tune who they market to. If you are looking to start a marketing campaign and don’t know which strategy would be best for your business, contact us today or schedule a Free Marketing Analysis!
