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What is Link Building?: What You Need to Know

Posted on by avintivmstg

Whether you’re brand new to link building or you’ve been doing it for a while, you will find value in this article. We will go over why link building is important, what to look for and what to stay away from when kicking off a link building campaign.

The SEO landscape is always evolving especially link building. The importance of building high-quality links has never been greater. If you don’t know what you’re doing, building poor-quality links can actually hurt you more than helping you.

The need to understand and fully implement a white-hat strategy has never been more important. If you want to thrive online for many years to come, it is definitely worth slowing down and fully understanding what link building is and how it can benefit your business.

Don’t get overwhelmed by all of this information. We’ve broken it up in bite-size chunks for you to easily understand everything there is to know about link building.

 

What is Link Building?

Link building is an action that happens offsite when another website links back to your website. Link building is a form of off-page SEO. A link is another way for users to navigate between pages and sites on the internet.

All business owners should be very interested in building links back to their websites as it drives referral traffic and increases the authority of the site. If you ask any SEO specialist, mastering the art of building high-quality links is one of the hardest parts of their job.

 

Why is link building important?

Link building is extremely important as Google uses it as a major factor in how it ranks web pages. Google stated: “In general, webmasters can improve the rank of their sites by increasing the number of high-quality sites that link to their pages.”

Building high-quality links are one of the hardest aspects of SEO for any SEO specialist or SEO agency. With that said, to do high-quality links in volume, the costs associated are going to be much higher than what your competitors might be spending on SEO. When building links the correct way, it separates you from your competition in Google’s eyes.

There are many other benefits to link building that you will see later in this article.

 

The importance of links to Google and other search engines

There are ways in which Google and other search engines use links:

  1. To discover web pages
  2. To help determine how well a page should or shouldn’t rank in their search results

Google can extract the content of your pages and add it to their indexes once their search engines have crawled your site’s pages on the web. Once that is completed, Google will decide if they feel a page is of high enough quality to be ranked for relevant keywords. Google even made a short video to explain the process, called ‘How Search Works.’

As you’ll start to learn, Google and other search engines don’t just look at the content of each page, they look at the number of quality links pointing to that specific page from external websites. They also factor in the quality and authority of those external websites. The higher quality websites that link to yours, the more likely you are to rank well in search results.

In the late 1990s, one of Google’s founders, Larry Page, invented a way to measure the quality of a page based in part on the number of links pointing to it. PageRank took off and what a metric used as part of the overall ranking algorithm Google used.

The theory of a link being seen as a vote of confidence or authority was a huge hit. It wasn’t much longer before people discovered how to manipulate PageRank and certain search results for the keywords of their choice. Google was forced to continue updating its algorithm much more regularly to actively try to fight what was happening. They focused on filtering out websites that truly didn’t deserve to rank.

In turn, this is what led Google to begin to discredit a number of link building techniques that were previously accepted. One example is the Penguin update, which decreased the search engine rankings of websites that violated Google’s Webmaster Guidelines or the use of black-hat SEO.

Google continues to enhance its algorithm to make it fair game to the over 1.94 billion websites there are in 2019.

What is a follow link?

As we’ve previously discussed, getting inbound links from authority websites provides an SEO boost. These links are hyperlinks that are pointing to a specific page on your website. The more links the better in Google’s eyes, as long as they are high-quality links.

Google looks at your website like you’re throwing a party. Is it 100 random strangers showing up that aren’t well-known or is it 300 well-known celebrities showing up to the party? Google watches your inbound links the same way.

As we previously mentioned, Google created a metric called PageRank to calculate the link points. In other words, link points are known as “link juice.” Hyperlinks allow link juice to flow through your site. The bigger and more reputable the site, the bigger SEO boost you get.

Follow links are links that Google counts as points or “link juice.” This boosts the page rank of the linked-to sites which helps increase the search results.

 

What are No-follow Links?

A no-follow link is a link tells Google to not count it as a point, so it doesn’t boost the PageRank.

A no-follow link is created with the no-follow link HTML tag, which looks like this:

<a href=”https://www.website.com/” rel=”nofollow”>Link Text</a>

A no-follow tag is a way that allows your site to tell search engines “Don’t follow links on this page” or to not follow this specific link. A link can have more than one relationship (rel attributes). These two attributes help Google define the relationship a link has with a page that it points to.

Here are a couple of examples:

  • Forum posts
  • Blog comments
  • Certain blog sites
  • Wiki Pages
  • Paid links
  • Comments
  • Anything involving what Google calls “untrusted content”

The importance of links for your business

As you’ve read through this article, link building is very important to grow your business online. Every day, Google gets smarter and SEO begins to get harder. It is important to begin building high-quality backlinks so you’re not getting left in the dust from your competition.

Online Authority

The more link juice that you have, the higher your website will rank for the keywords of your choice. When your website ranks higher int he SERPs, you have a much higher chance of turning much higher traffic into paying customers.

Brand Building

High-quality link building can help grow your brand online and as more people see your logo pop up, you will start to be seen as an authority in your niche. You can dive into content creation, which will help build your brand as an authority for the topics that you’re discussing. Those articles can then be used in a link building outreach campaign that should help bring high-quality links to your website.

More Visibility

The higher your website ranks in the SERPs, the more visibility your website has. The majority of visitors don’t go past the first page of Google, which shows the importance of ranking as high as you can for select keywords. More visibility equals more traffic which will equal more conversions as long as your website follows the standard UI & UX guidelines.

White-hat Strategies vs Black-hat Strategies 

Black hat SEO refers to strategies and techniques that are used to get higher search rankings by doing short cuts that go against search engine rules. Black hat SEO focuses solely on search engines with no human element. 

What hat SEO refers to strategies and techniques that target a human audience as opposed to just a search engine, which is what Google wants you to do.

What is a bad link?

Google has majorly cracked down over the years ever since people started to manipulate PageRank and certain search results for the keywords of their choice. Google actually created a list of poor link building tactics that they won’t tolerate anymore. 

Google won’t tolerate manipulative links that provide a site zero value, just to try to trick Google’s algorithms. Don’t get tricked into buying links that have nothing to do with your site or industry. As long as you stay away from links that are purposely meant for manipulation, you should be in the clear.

What is a good link?

Google and other search engines want to see links that provide value to the internet. The last thing Google wants to do is send you to a site or a page that you weren’t wanting to go to and end up giving you a poor experience. Create links that are relevant and trustworthy. The Search Engine Journal released an article that detailed characteristics of a quality link.

10 Tips for Link Building

  1. Build quality relationships
  2. Ask for backlinks
  3. Create quality content on your blog
  4. Write good guest posts for other companies
  5. Discover your competitor’s backlinks
  6. Create and launch infographics
  7. Make your way on a “top” or “best of” list for your industry
  8. Hire a PR firm to get you more local press
  9. Look for pages that mention your competitors but not you
  10. Mention influencers or other companies in your posts 

 

Sign up for our FREE SEO audit so see where your SEO is currently at.

The Ultimate Guide to Meta Descriptions

Posted on by avintivmstg

A meta description is a snippet of up to 155 characters that summarize a page’s content for that exact page. Search engines show the description in the search results when a user is searching for a specific word or phrase. For that reason, optimizing your meta description is crucial for your on-page SEO success.

Search engines determine the page’s topic and the audience that will find value through your meta description. More importantly, the descriptions explain what users will find on the page.

When writing meta descriptions, keep in mind quality is still king (or queen). A very well written meta description can generate higher rankings in the search results, which will create a higher click-through rate for the user.

We recommend keeping your description between 165 and 175 characters long.

Meta Description, on-page SEO, Scottsdale SEO agency, Avintiv Media

Add in your brand’s name, a keyword or two and what users will find on the page. This could be the first interaction visitors will have with your brand. Make it a great experience.

 

How to create the right meta description

1. Include a call to action

Just like any type of marketing or advertising, action-oriented language is key. A meta description tells the reader exactly what they can do if they click the link. You can try out starting your meta descriptions with words like “Discovery,” “Learn,” or “Shop,” and list what they’ll get if they click.

2. Containing the focus keyword

Google will be way more inclined to use your meta description in the search results if the keyword being searched matches a part of the text in your meta description. 

3. Unique to page content

One thing you don’t want to do is copy someone else’s meta description. Odds are if you’re the one taking it, their website is ranking higher than yours which puts you at a loss, to begin with. You want to focus on the user experience instead of winning at the ranking game. You want to make sure that each of your pages has a unique meta description to give the user a phenomenal experience. After all, this could be the first time they’re interacting with your brand. 

4. Up to 155 characters

We recommend keeping your meta description under 155 characters. First, you should focus on the message that you want to convey. Keep it short and to the point while making sure you have your focus keyword listed in it. After you create your new meta description, show a couple of friends or team members to see if they get the point off the first glance. If not, then it’s time to go back to the drawing board.

5. Make it specific and relevant 

People searching online are pretty seasoned by now. They’ve seen meta titles and descriptions showing up in search results for quite some time now. If you use a generic meta description, you won’t stand out at all. Users are wanting a site that cares about their user’s experience. Using descriptive words to connect with your target audience is key to having a high click-through rate.

6. Provide a solution or benefit

When writing content or creating new pages, you should always aim to provide a solution or benefit. Your meta descriptions are no different. Make sure you tell the searcher what to expect if they decide to click on your link. The last thing you want is an increase in your website’s bounce rate.

You can list the clear benefit of clicking the link and what they could potentially get in return for doing so. Valuable content is a huge benefit in a marketplace of so much noise nowadays.

If you’d like assessing how your meta descriptions are, contact us for a FREE SEO Audit.

The Ultimate Guide to Meta Titles

Posted on by avintivmstg

A meta title or title tag is an HTML element that specifies the content of a web page. SERPs display title tags as the clickable headline for a given search result. Meta titles are both helpful to search engines and users. An internet user needs a website title so they can see an accurate description of what the page’s content entails before clicking on it. Search engines need a title to determine the relevancy of a web page, so it can show the user the content they’re looking for.

Title tags have a drastic impact on your search rankings and are visible to the average user searching Google. The words will appear at the top of each tab in your browser for both organic results and paid ads.

The title tag explains what the page is about. Google and other search engines look at the title tag and compare that to the rest of the content on the page.

on-page SEO, Scottsdale SEO Agency, Avintiv Media, Title Tag, Meta Title

If you’re working inside of WordPress, we highly recommend the Yoast SEO plugin. The SEO plugin allows you to create a custom title tag within each page very easily. Make sure to keep your title tags descriptive and short.

Think of this as you standing outside next to your competitors with billboards in your hands. What would yours’ say about your webpage versus your competition? Make sure to add in your relevant keywords and location if you’re a local business.

 

Why are Meta Titles Important?

1. SERPs Rankings

One of the biggest reasons you want to spend some time choosing the right meta title is two-fold. First, you want to make sure the SERPs are ranking you correctly but second, you want the title to be clearly relevant to what they’re searching for. You can rank high but have no conversions because your title doesn’t match what the user is searching for.

2. Social Networks

When posting your phenomenally written blog or web page on social media, you want to make sure that it’s a title people will want to click on. This is the same as searching online. You have a split second to capture someone’s time on social media before they scroll right past your post. Make your title catchy but relevant to what they may be wanting to see.

3. Web Browsers

Your title tag will show up at the top of your web browser. More than likely, your user has many tabs opened up at the top of their website browser. A good way to make sure they don’t accidentally close the browser window is by clearly listing what the title is.

 

How do I write a good Meta Title?

1. Write unique titles for every page

Just as your website has unique pages, your title needs to be unique to that page as well. Your title should reflect exactly what’s on that specific page. You want your title to catch the user’s eye but also to make sure that search engines know what that specific page is all about. Make the title super easy to read so there is no confusion for the user or a search engine.

 

2. Watch your title length

Each search engine has its own number of characters they’ll display in the title tag. Google and other popular search engines will usually display 50-60 characters for a title tag in the search results before cutting it off. You should have for right around 50 characters.

Make sure that your most important keyword is toward the beginning of the title. Avoid using ALL CAPS for your titles as it makes it harder for search engines to read.

If your brand name is smaller, you can always add a “| brand name” at the end of your title to get more brand authority.

 

3. Use your target keyword but don’t overdo it

Yes, it’s true that keywords in your title help you rank higher in the SERPs. There is a right way of adding keywords into a title and the wrong way of doing it. You want to make sure that you’re only adding in keywords that have to do with that specific page. It wouldn’t look good if you ranked for a keyword that has nothing to do with that specific page.

It’s a great opportunity for you to rank higher when you include the main keyword(s) of that page since Google’s algorithm uses the title tag as one of the main ways it determines what the page is about.

This helps Google determine how relevant that specific page is to what the user is searching for. This is another reason you don’t want to add too many keywords in the title so Google doesn’t get confused about what the page is truly about.

 

4. Put important keywords first

Just like anything else in life, you have a split second to catch a user’s attention. Adding keywords closer to the beginning of your title tag may have more impact on them clicking the title and also search rankings.

Research has shown, people may scan little as the first two words of a headline to tell if it’s worth reading or not.

Good example: Buy CBD Oil | CBD Hemp Oil | Pure CBD Oil | Goat Grass CBD


Bad example: Brand Name | Major Product Category – Minor Product Category – Name of Product

 

5. Write with your customers in mind

As you now know, title tags are very important to SEO and search rankings. Also, remember that it is even more important to get users to click on the title. Make sure you think about the user experience when you’re creating title tags and meta.

 

6. Leverage your brand

If you’re trying to get your brand more well-known, it’s smart to add your brand name or site title to your title tag. We recommend putting your brand name or site title at the end of your title.

Learn more about Meta Tags or if you’d like us to take a look at your SEO, contact us for a FREE SEO Audit today!

The Ultimate Guide to Meta Tags

Posted on by avintivmstg

One of the most important aspects of your on-page SEO is meta tags. Meta tags are snippets of text that describe a page’s content to search engines and crawlers. 

Meta tags provide more relevance syncing between your content and a search query searching for similar content. You will get higher rankings if the relevance of your meta tag matches the user’s satisfaction.

These are common meta tags that should be on every page of your website. It’s a small list but they pack a lot of power for your basic SEO needs.

Canonical Tags

A canonical tag is a way of telling Google and other search engines that a specific URL on your site represents the master copy of a certain page. Using the canonical tag prevents issues caused by content appearing on multiple URLs.

If you have a page with multiple URLs or different pages with similar content, search engines might see those pages as duplicate versions of the same page.

Example: you might type in “www.google.com” or “https://google.com” and it’ll point to the same page. Google sees “www” and “https://” as duplicate versions of the same page so you need to make sure you identify which is the original source page.

For this exact reason, it’s important to include a canonical tag, which tells Google to disregard other content other than this page. This is especially important for your homepage.

Robots Meta Tags

The robots meta tag is an HTML tag that gives instructions to web crawlers to either index or no-index a web page. If you don’t specify a robot meta tag, search engines will choose the default index.

Here are a couple of common robot meta tags

  • Follow – The search engine crawler will follow all links on the web page
  • Index – The search engine crawler will index the whole web page
  • Nofollow – Stops Googlebot from following links on this page.
  • Noindex – Stops the page from being indexed.
  • Nosnippet – Stops a text snippet or video preview from being shown in the search results.

There are many reasons you could use robots meta tag. You could input the “nofollow” rule if your web page has a comments section. Due to how many spam comments can come in, you can eliminate search engines from following any links left in the comments section.

The most popular attribute used is the “noindex” tag. A lot of developers use the “noindex” tag when they are developing a brand new website on a development server and they want to make sure Google doesn’t index the site too early.

You can also use a “noindex” tag if you have gated content that you don’t want users to be able to find through search engines.

Title Tags

The most important meta tag we’ll be discussing is your title tags. These tags have a drastic impact on your search rankings and are visible to the average user searching Google. The words will appear at the top of each tab in your browser for both organic results and paid ads.

The title tag explains what the page is about. Google and other search engines look at the title tag and compare that to the rest of the content on the page.

Meta tag, Meta Tags, meta title, On-page SEO, avintiv media, scottsdale SEO agency

If you’re working inside of WordPress, we highly recommend the Yoast SEO plugin. The SEO plugin allows you to create a custom title tag within each page very easily. Make sure to keep your title tags descriptive and short.

Think of this as you standing outside next to your competitors with billboards in your hands. What would yours’ say about your webpage versus your competition? Make sure to add in your relevant keywords and location if you’re a local business.

 

 

Meta Descriptions

Search engines determine the page’s topic and the audience that will find value through your meta description. More importantly, the meta descriptions explain what users will find on the page.

When writing meta descriptions, keep in mind quality is still king (or queen). A very well written meta description can generate higher rankings in the search results, which will create a higher click-through rate for the user.

We recommend keeping your description between 165 and 175 characters long.

Meta tag, Meta Tags, meta description, On-page SEO, avintiv media, scottsdale SEO agency

Add in your brand’s name, a keyword or two and what users will find on the page. This could be the first interaction visitorsTitle will have with your brand. Make it a great experience.

 

Heading Tags

Heading tags are a necessity for any success with on-page SEO. Your landing pages and blog pages should include multiple heading tags, ranging from the H1 to the H6. The most important heading tag is H1.

The H1 heading is usually the page title or name of the page or post. On a category page, your H1 would be the name of that category. On a product page, your H1 would be the name of that product.

Meta tag, Meta Tags, h headings, On-page SEO, avintiv media, scottsdale SEO agency

As you write your content, you can also use the H2 and H3 headings to introduce different sections of your page or content. An H2 heading is like a chapter in a book. The section you’re reading now is an H3 heading since it’s a sub-section of a chapter (H2).

It’s extremely rare for most content to get ‘deep’ enough to need the use of H4 tags and beyond unless you’re writing extremely long or really technical content.

If you’d like assessing how your meta descriptions are, contact us for a FREE SEO Audit.

How Our Cannabis Client Grew 2000% in One Year Through SEO & UI/UX

Posted on by avintivmstg

It’s no secret that the cannabis and CBD industry has been growing at light speed for the last couple of years. Both cannabis and CBD are mainstream where every day people are talking about the health benefits and are curious about learning more about them.

In fact, the cannabis industry is projected to hit $66.3 billion by 2025 and the CBD industry is growing to all new heights as well. The CBD industry is expected to reach $22 billion by 2022.

With those times of numbers with a big fat “B” behind them, you know there are a lot of people trying to rush into a goldmine and make a huge profit.

In this article, we’re going to talk about how our client, 3Win Corp, decided to skip the gold and sell shovels to all the gold miners like back in the 1800s during the gold rush.

Who is 3Win Corp?

3Win Corp is a wholesale CCELL® distributor, in 29 states in the US and 5 foreign countries. The company originated in 2015, growing from 6 employees to 38 employees within the last 12 months, with over 50 in 2019.

Their main clients are dispensaries, research labs, and extraction facilities. 3Win Corp is one of only four distributors worldwide that can sell and distribute CCELL® products, known for being the industry standard.

 

Selling Shovels in the Gold Cannabis Rush

Ever since the cannabis boom, everyone is trying to get in somehow. The majority of business owners and investors try to break into the industry by owning dispensaries, growing cannabis, or launching cannabis products.

Not 3Win Corp. They noticed a need in the market. Marijuana and CBD aren’t going anywhere and they knew that. Instead of offering the actual product itself, they offer the highest-quality accessories.

3Win Corp offers CCELL® products that are known for being the industry standard in vape technology. The vaping market is estimated to reach almost 55 million adults who vape by 2021. That’s a lot of people who need high-quality products to go with their marijuana and CBD products.

The Cannabis Market is Cut-throat Competitive

In 2018 alone, the cannabis industry had over $10 billion in investments that went towards marketing, advertising, and R&D. Some might think that the marijuana industry is a bunch of “hipsters” or people that just like to smoke pot. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Everyone is wanting a piece of this pie.

With that said, it has gotten more and more difficult to grow your cannabis brand over the years. Major investors and funding have got involved, which has made the playing field a bit unfair unless you have some massive firepower behind you.

This is one thing that 3Win Corp has ran into as the majority of its competitors are doing over $100 million per year in revenue and have major funding. They knew that they had to put forth more marketing firepower to saturate the market. They’ve since done just that but first, we’ll go into what they were dealing with.

Poor UI/UX/CX – Lack of Clarity and Consistency

3Win Corp was experiencing slower growth and loss of revenue. They had a website, but it wasn’t converting. Call-to-actions on the site were poorly displayed, and the customer experience was lacking – the site was not leading to an increase in sales. 

The site did not highlight 3Win Corp’s phenomenal product offerings and capabilities. This made it nearly impossible to close deals unless they were in person, resulting in high costs for travel and print collateral. The sales team was frustrated with the sales process, and customers were frustrated with the lack of clarity and accessibility of 3Win Corp’s product offering.

Poor Search Engine Visibility

3Win Corp had little no SEO work done prior to working with Avintiv Media. With how many laws and regulations hinder how the cannabis and CBD industries advertise their brand, SEO and content creation have become the most important tactic in growing these types of brands.

3Win Corp was resting close to the 26th page of Google for every keyword that they wanted to rank for, which put them very far behind their competition.

Extremely Slow Load Times

3Win Corp had a landing page with not much usability or functionality. The older website experienced extremely slow load times which made it harder to grow the business. Due to slow load times, visitors would leave before engaging with the site leading to little to no conversions. 

Slow load times were hurting 3Win’s Google rankings and increased bounce rates exponentially. Google now expects every website that wants to rank to have their website built properly with an amazing customer experience.

Over 47% of users expect a website page to load in two seconds or less. Even worse, over 40% of users won’t wait more than three seconds before leaving the site. Everything is customer-centric and to win in a competitive market, you must focus on the customer and not the competition.

The Solution – How 3Win Corp Grew 2000% in 2018

Custom UI/UX Design and Development

3Win Corp knew they needed a higher converting website and reached out to a couple of agencies, but the others didn’t play the part of what they were looking for. 3Win Corp stated, “When we reached out to Avintiv Media, we knew it was a no brainer with how professional you guys are and the experience you gave.”

3Win Corp, Web Design, Web Development, Award winning web developers, cannabis website, CBD website, Avintiv Media, UI/UX

What Avintiv Media Created:

  • Custom UI/UX Design & Development
  • Customer experience-centric UI/UX
  • Brand awareness and consistency built into the user interface and experience
  • Mobile-first and device responsive design
  • Conversion focused on engaging CTA’s built with clarity and consistency
  • Easy navigability, mobile-friendly and clean functionality
  • Built each page with on-page SEO enhancements
  • Website currently gets over a 92% rating with Google

“We get so many compliments on our website and brand, which gives more confidence to the employees and people that work with 3Win Corp.”

SEO Strategy and Implementation

We implemented SEO initiatives, strategies and campaigns focused on Google algorithms and visibility growth. 3Win Corp’s competition has invested heavily in SEO so there was a lot of catching up to do.

3Win Corp, SEO, on-page SEO, off-page SEO, Cannabis SEO, CBD SEO, marijuana SEO, digital marketing, Avintiv Media

What Avintiv Media created:

  • Competitive research & strategy
  • 12 month SEO campaign
  • Rebuilt Google Analytics with campaigns and goals
  • Completed National keyword research
  • Completed over 300 On-Page SEO enhancements
  • Completed over 200 Off-Page SEO enhancements
  • Had a campaign strategy of 50+ primary keywords
  • Had a campaign strategy of 30+ secondary keywords

What Were the Results?

3Win Corp now has a convertible website and ranks on page 1 of Google for many of their targeted keywords. 

3Win has experienced consistent growth and the ability to build out entirely new teams for customer service as a result of steady traffic flow and lead generation. 

3Win Corp has experienced 8x growth in hiring employees since our campaign launch. In 2018, they increased 35% in sales, getting 8+ new leads per day, and their website traffic has gone up 2,000%.

As you can see, 3Win Corp experienced crazy amounts of growth in 2018. We can’t wait to share what we’re up to for 2019-2020 as it’s MUCH BIGGER!

If you’d like to see how Avintiv Media can help your brand become an industry dominator, reach out to us.

The 3 Biggest SEO Trends for 2019

Posted on by avintivmstg

Seems like you can’t leave your computer to see how dinner’s coming along without Google pushing out a new algorithm.  Just this year, for example, we had 2 big core updates.  Before that, we had Pirate, Pigeon, Panda, and Hummingbird among a long list of others.  That makes it hard for even the most seasoned of SEO pro’s—and for newbies, it’s like running through a minefield.

Above all, site developers need to know what’s new, and what’s going to impact how their companies appear in search results.  To simplify matters (if only a little), here are 3 of the biggest SEO trends for 2019:

1.  THE RAPID RISE OF VOICE SEARCH

“OK, Google.”  You hear it more and more these days.  The preeminence of voice search is rapidly changing the way people get information from the search engine, and that means site developers need to change the way they respond.

As Forbes notes, “The number of people who use voice assistants is actually growing year by year, at a very rapid rate; for example, 35.6 million Americans use a voice-activated device at least once a month, and one in six Americans now own smart speakers.  While it’s true that the world of search engines and SEO is constantly changing and evolving, the increase in voice search usage is one of the biggest changes yet. That’s because it’s something completely different and it requires a completely different optimization strategy.”

What does this mean for your SEO strategy?  Well, to begin, it means delivering content that conforms to the more natural language queries typical of voice search.  And it means providing more concise responses—the average voice search response is delivered in just 29 words.

2.  MOBILE-FIRST INDEXING:  SPEED COUNTS

It’s only been a year since Google announced that 60% of all searches were now on mobile devices—and quickly followed that announcement by rolling out its mobile-first algorithm—but it’s already having an impact on search results.  For one thing, sites that aren’t fully responsive will soon feel the sting, moving closer to the back of the pack (if they haven’t already). For another, it means that load time is more important than ever.

Said differently, Google is clearly convinced that speed is among the most important factor in mobile searches and mobile user experience.  Add to that nugget the fact that (according to Big Commerce) a delay of just one second in page load time cuts conversions by 7% and page views by 11% (do the math:  for a store that makes $50,000 a day, that’s about $1 million in lost sales per year), and it’s clear site developers will be doing everything possible to speed up mobile site load times.

3.  BLOCKCHAIN TECH MEETS SEO

When you hear “blockchain,” you probably think Bitcoin and cryptocurrency in general—but understanding blockchain technology is also increasingly important for SEO.  That’s because Blockchain can verify that users are who they say they are in online transactions with 100% accuracy. 

Augmenting their sites with a ramped-up ability to record the identities of site visitors—or spot which visitors have added value to key content—is something that’s grabbing the attention of search engines and site developers alike.  It’s one of the reasons, for example, Microsoft among other industry giants is already working with blockchain identity systems (like Blockstack Labs and ConsenSys) to enhance its apps and services.

CONCLUSION

Admittedly, search engine optimization is not for the faint of heart.  It can be both confusing and frustrating, even for those relatively well versed in its nuances—and the stakes couldn’t be higher.  If you don’t have the in-house talent to keep pace with the rapid change and need for immediate response inherent in the SEO universe, your best bet is to partner with SEO experts who can give you the advice and guidance you need to stay at the front of the pack.

To learn more about the ways we can take your SEO and digital marketing to the next level, contact us.  Better still, get your free SEO audit today.

Avintiv Media Wins Top Automotive Web Designer Award

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Top Automotive Web Designers, Top Web Designers, Web Designers, Avintiv Media, Award winning agency

Located in Scottsdale, AZ, Avintiv Media is an award-winning agency specializing in solving problems for high-end clients. Our team is composed of hustlers, visionaries, creators, and designers that are highly skilled in web design, branding and SEO services. Being a boutique agency allows us to form close-knit relationships between our teams and clients. We are proud to announce our hard work has paid off and we have been named a Top Automotive Web Designers for 2019.

Clutch is a B2B platform dedicated to connecting prospective buyers with the leading firms in a wide variety of locations and industries.  On Clutch, buyers can view verified customer reviews and a carefully crafted rating based on an analysis of industry data. Additionally, Clutch features industry rankings of top firms for buyers to peruse. We are proud to have a 5-star Clutch rating thanks to our client’s participation in the interview process.

Along with our Clutch listing, Avintiv has been featured on Clutch sister sites, The Manifest and Visual Objects. The Manifest team’s research has contributed to creating a business news style reviews platform. Likewise, Visual Objects focuses on the creative work of B2B agencies by posting a portfolio of past work on each profile.

Each and every employee at Avintiv Media is proud to be named a leader among web design firms.

“This award allows us to showcase the hard work and out-of-the-box type thinking that we infuse into every project we work on. So many of our clients have had bad experiences before working with us, so awards like this, allow us to work with so many grateful clients.” -Jon Boles, CEO of Avintiv Media.

If your company is looking for a dedicated and collaborative partner to work with you on your next project, let’s get in touch today!

How to Start and Market Your CBD Brand

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With the boom of the cannabis industry over the last couple of years, it’s no surprise that an easier go-to-market solution has emerged and is BOOMING. Cannabidiol (CBD) is the new craze and everyone wants in. Even if you already own a CBD brand, keep reading to learn how to start and market your CBD brand correctly.

Starting and marketing your CBD brand is not as easy of a task as it was two to three years ago. The market is extremely saturated and there are some extremely big players in the game now with unlimited funding. CBD is officially mainstream in the entrepreneur and investor world, which makes everyone want to join the bandwagon.

We’ve been waiting for our 80yr old grandparents to give us a call saying how they are launching a CBD brand. All jokes aside, it seems like everyone is wanting a piece of the pie. How big is the CBD pie?

What is CBD?

Before we dive into how big the CBD market is, we want those of you that don’t know what CBD is. 

CBD is short for Cannabidiol. CBD is one of over 100 known compounds found in the cannabis Sativa plant. This compound is found in both THC-rich strains of marijuana and also hemp. These plants are both classified as cannabis but the difference is that hemp produces only small amounts of THC, which are less than 0.3%. The compound carries much higher amounts as CBD, which is non-psychoactive eliminating the “high” feeling that THC has.

How Big is the CBD Industry?

Before we dive into how to start and market your CBD brand, you need to know how big the industry as a whole is. 

Brightfield states that the market for hemp-derived CBD products was around $591 million for 2018, and speculated to grow to $22-23 billion by 2022. Yes, that is a B for billion!

Below is a chart of the industry’s growth and future sales forecasting.

• 2014 – $108 million industry

• 2017 – $190 million industry

• 2018 – $591 million industry

• 2022 – $22 billion industry

CBD, CBD Growth, CBD Market, CBD Industry, Grow CBD Brand

Is CBD Legal?

Everyone wants to know, “Is CBD legal?” If you’re growing industrial hemp with the sole purpose of extracting high-quality CBD, that sole purpose is currently backed by the federal government. In December 2018, the 2018 farm bill was enacted. Among many of its other provisions, it removed hemp (not cannabis) from the list of prohibited substances. Hemp is now a legal agricultural commodity, and so are the products made from it. 

Some individual states have taken a much different stance on this and have chosen to ban CBD products which is key for anyone who has an eCommerce CBD store. You can always see which states CBD is legal.

CBD is still available to purchase and consume across the majority of the United States and in most places products still appear to be available, although some cities have banned the sale of food containing CBD. “CBD cannot be lawfully added to food or be labeled a dietary supplement,” was stated by the FDA with their public hearing on May 31st, 2019.

How much THC can your CBD have to be Legal?

Hemp and certain forms of CBD are federally legal, but you need to understand what aspects to look for when purchasing a CBD product. Many CBD brands that start decide to work with white-label CBD manufacturers because they don’t have the necessary capital to go to some of the larger manufacturing companies. Do your homework before deciding to work with a white-label manufacturer.

For CBD to be considered legal, the industrial hemp must contain .03% or less of THC. Any more and the plant is classified as marijuana and has many different laws that will drastically affect you and your customers.

There is still much confusion between CBD vs THC, which leaves a lot of questions for the general public. Federal agencies have started enforcing 0.3% or less THC policy much harder, which will keep the public much more well informed and safe.

Start Your CBD Brand

After reading the above information, you now realize how much work you have in front of you. At Avintiv, we are very data and research-driven. Everything we’ve done with building and scaling over 200 successful brands, starts with research and strategy.

This information will help new start-up CBD brands and CBD brands that have hit a plateau. We highly recommend building a brief business plan or investor pitch deck that you can use as a roadmap towards success. 

 

CBD Business Plan

Writing a business plan is a good idea even if you never plan on getting a loan from a bank or bringing on investors. You are able to use this business plan as a road map and allows you to benchmark your progress to see how on or off track you are. We won’t go over all aspects of a business plan today. We will point out the key factors to focus on.

Market Analysis – The market analysis will give you a break down of the CBD market, what segments there are, and what type of consumers your company will be marketing to.

Competitive Analysis – You must research and present a clear comparison of your business to your direct and indirect competitors. You need to know your strengths and weaknesses between your business and the competition.

Products and Services – What type of CBD products will your brand carry? Are you launching CBD oil, edibles, topicals, cosmetics or vapes? What will differentiate you from the competition?

Marketing Plan – Your marketing budget must clearly explain how you’re going to reach your ideal customers to hit your sales forecasts. You must clearly define how it’s going to be done and what your marketing budget is.

Sales Strategy – This portion of your business plan explains how you’re going to be selling your CBD. Are you only selling on your eCommerce website or do you have national CBD wholesalers or retail accounts?

Funding – From personal experience, Avintiv Media is currently growing many CBD brands, and the average monthly marketing budget is $10,000 – $20,000. You need to list out how you are going to fund your CBD brand. Whether that’s personal cash infusion by the owner or going for funding.

Sales Forecasts – You must create a realistic sales benchmark of what your business can do in sales over the next 3-5 years. Break the first year down to monthly sales goals and then do years 2-5 by year. This will help you determine if you’re on or off track from your goals.

 

Grow and Market Your CBD Brand

Growing your CBD brand in 2019-2020 is going to be much harder than it was years ago. The market is flooded with new CBD brands every single day, so what is going to set you apart from the competition? We’re going to go over how we’ve been able to grow our CBD clients.

Branding for Your CBD Brand 

Branding is and will be one of the most important aspects of your CBD brand. This part is often overlooked as many business owners want to rush to market. They care more about Instagram, influencer marketing, and getting sales. Don’t fall victim to this or you won’t stand a chance with how competitive the CBD market is right now.

 

Company Naming

A lot of business owners pick a company name that they like for some reason and it never becomes a massive company because the owner was thinking about themselves versus the customer. When picking a company name, ask yourself these questions:

  1. Can I build a $100 million brand with this type of name?
  2. Will customers know exactly what we do when they hear the name?
  3. Does this name clash or interfere with any other CBD brand? (hire a lawyer for this)
  4. Is this a name that our company can build a community or tribe of customers around?

Logo and Brand Styleguide

Developing a logo and brand style guide is much more in-depth as this but for this article’s purposes, we are going to go in order with how our creative team decides on branding direction for our CBD clients.

  1. What is this brand’s ideal target market (customers)?
  2. What type of color scheme is this market used to?
  3. What are other major brands these customers buy from?
  4. What does our brand want to look like? Create a storyboard of brands, colors, and styles your company represents.
  5. What does our brand not want to look like? Create a storyboard of brands, colors, and styles that your company doesn’t want to represent.
  6. Hire an agency or freelancer to help begin the logo sketch phase
  7. Have them finalize 3 variations of logos to choose from (black and white – no color)
  8. Choose the top logo direction
  9. The agency or freelancer will then take your market research and decide on the 3 top color schemes to go with
  10. They will then present your main logo in 3 different color options to go with
  11. Once that is completed, the agency or freelancer should create your brand style guide so everything you do moving forward matches your branding 100%

You can even see how our creative team did a full rebranding for Avintiv Media and what went into the process.

CBD Product Design & Packaging

We won’t go into detail on how to develop your CBD product design or packaging as there are far too many steps to list in this article. Just know that this is by far one of the most important aspects of where your money should be going. If you want to win in the CBD game, it’s going to be the companies that products look better, feel better, and gives the customer a far greater experience.

Here are some examples of recent products we’ve designed in the CBD market.

CBD Branding, CBD Marketing, Goat Grass CBD, Product Design, Packaging, Branding, Avintiv Media

Marketing Your CBD Brand

SEO

Anyone who’s been in the Cannabis or CBD industry knows the trouble everyone has run into with properly being able to advertise or market their brand. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is by far going to be one of the best investments you can make for your marketing plan.

You will want to have an agency that are experts at SEO as the CBD market is a completely different ball game when it comes to SEO versus many other industries.

Things you’ll want to add into your SEO campaign

Read more to find out How much should SEO cost?

Content

Just like SEO, content creation for the CBD industry is extremely important. For one, not everyone knows what CBD is just yet and people are wanting to learn more about CBD before investing in it.

Writing content around your ideal customers and your keywords that were chosen from your SEO strategy will help you choose what articles to write.

If you’re a CBD brand, you should be launching 2-4 blogs per week of at least 750 words. Below are things to make sure you do:

  1. Install Yoast SEO for WordPress
  2. Make sure your blog has an A+ readability score
  3. Add in your keywords throughout the blog
  4. Carefully choose what your Meta Title should be
  5. Carefully choose what your Meta Description should be
  6. Make sure your slug is done correctly 
  7. Make sure you internally link 2-4 times throughout your blog
  8. Make sure you link external sites 1-2 times throughout your blog

Social Media

Social media has been the craze over the last 5-10 years but it has gotten extremely pricey to play on the advertising end of social media. For today’s purposes, we’re going to focus on posting organically on Instagram with 0 paid ads.

Tips for social media content:

  1. Thinking of your ideal customers, decide on what types of pictures or posts they will want to see
  2. Think of the verbiage or messaging your ideal customers will want to see
  3. Create a grid mockup over posts that all flow well with each other from an aesthetic standpoint (See below)
  4. Use a social media scheduler like Hootsuite to preschedule all of your future posts
  5. Make sure to engage with everyone that DM’s you or comments on your posts

Example of Instagram Grid that we did for our client, Goat Grass CBD.

Goat Grass CBD, Instagram Marketing, CBD Marketing, Instagram Grid, Instagram CBD, Avintiv Media

Advertising

As Facebook and Google start to loosen up with CBD advertising, there are still other ways to advertise your CBD brand.

A number of our CBD clients hire Avintiv to run retargeting ads for their online CBD stores. Below is just one of the options that’s available to advertise for the CBD industry.

Avintiv has access to a private display network that uses artificial intelligence to

aggressively optimize for click-through rate and conversion using a number of different

data signals that generate excellent results. On average our CTRs range from 1-3%

and up to as high as 8% (No this is not a typo). We offer this in the form of standard

display advertising, site retargeting or a blend depending on how much traffic the site

has.

We can run as many creatives as you like and can track conversions from the campaign as well.

This is helpful for tracking ROI.

Below are some examples of display advertising creatives that we’ve created.

CBD Branding, CBD Marketing, Goat Grass CBD, Retargeting Ads, Branding, Advertising, CBD Avintiv Media

CBD Branding, CBD Marketing, Goat Grass CBD, Retargeting Ads, Branding, Advertising, CBD Avintiv Media

In Conclusion

As you’ve read through our article, we hope you’ve learned how to start and grow your CBD. As you can see, there is a lot of information that you need to know before launching and growing your CBD brand. The days of quickly getting to market and making a million dollars are long gone.

If you’re interested in seeing how Avintiv Media can assist you with growth, feel free to reach out to us on our contact page.

How Much Should SEO Cost?

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Page one ranking guaranteed! SEO services starting at $500 per month! We’ll optimize your site in 24 hours! If these taglines remind you of cut-rate used car dealerships or late night weight loss infomercials, you have good instincts. You need to cut through the BS and really ask yourself, “how much should SEO cost?”

While you can absolutely compare “before” and “after” SEO results, there is no magic pill to boost your website rankings. Effective optimization is a customized, multi-phase process, and honest SEO cost estimates reflect reality-based strategies.

Keep that in mind as you read on. 

There’s no cookie-cutter template for determining the cost of SEO, but when you’re shopping for a search engine optimization firm, these are the points to keep in mind when you’re accepting proposals: 

Important Factors That Positively Impact SEO

1. Website architecture

Search engine optimization begins with responsive, fast-loading websites and user-friendly navigation. Outdated servers, media-heavy sites, and cumbersome coding aren’t as easy to remedy when a site has hundreds of product pages or content assets. Clients in a position to take advantage of our free SEO audits are often ready for a top-down website overhaul, though our comprehensive analytics often reveal opportunities to streamline existing properties until our clients are ready to invest in a redesign. 

2. Management practices and preferences

Prior site management factors into pricing. We encounter more than a few clients who have assigned their digital marketing managers with the task of in-house updates and SEO management. Digital marketing and content managers are experts in their own field and often rely on the elementary and often incorrect advice of popular SEO “gurus”.

We respect the desire to manage websites in-house—for some businesses, it’s a necessity. If that sounds like you, you’ll want an SEO firm prepared to help you establish SEO best practices for continuity and performance, with scheduled audits and evaluations for course corrections. 

3. Relevant keyword research

Who’s your intended audience, and how will your SEO strategy predict their query habits? Is your brand competing for high-volume keywords, or targeting a local niche? Do your keywords attract qualified leads or traffic that will increase your bounce rate? 

Dynamic keyword research, integration, and reporting demands time, skill, and intimate knowledge of the customer’s audience and goals. SEO is less about competing for high-value keywords than it is about understanding your user’s search intent. That requires your SEO team to understand your market as well as you do.

4. Technical page optimization

Do your page titles, URLs, and schema send the right signals to search engines? Can search engine crawlers understand each page’s purpose when the on-page content is limited to alt text? After all, crawlers can’t “see” images or videos so metadata and page descriptions must advocate for your page’s value and relevance.

Snippet-savvy site descriptions help Google decide that your content aligns with user queries, and URLs and titles containing your prime keywords induce a better click-through rate. Your SEO consultant should identify and test technical page optimization techniques not just for SERP placement, but for traffic quality and conversion rates. 

5. User-valued, optimized content

It’s true: Quality content reinforces your brand’s legitimate use of keywords. But more important, content that’s useful to your audience keeps them engaged and draws them through the sales funnel. Longer dwell times improve SEO, as does content your audience shares on social media or their own sites. Blogs, infographics, and video generate legitimate, quality backlinks while elevating your brand as an industry authority. 

Content isn’t about stuffing keywords. We believe quality transcends quantity, and we connect our clients with creators who adapt to your brand character, speak to your buyer persona, and write with the skill and knowledge you’d be proud to present as your own. 

6. Backlinks and off-site authority 

How often is your brand referenced by other authoritative sources? On-site content generates backlinks, but we can help you identify and use off-site opportunities to generate domain and brand authority. Engage your audience on third-party review sites, update your Google My Business posts, and exchange guest posts with strategic partners and high-profile industry bloggers. Genuine, organic backlink acquisition takes time and effort, but it scores higher with search engines than do purchased backlinks or other “black hat” cheats. 

7. SEO analytics, reporting, and interpretation

Any SEO—or do-it-yourself site operator—can generate traffic and conversion reports. There are excellent keyword research tools available to anyone willing to pay the subscription costs. Even free plug-ins can provide useful insight into SEO success, but context is key. Your SEO success isn’t measured by charts and graphs alone. SEO strategies include A/B testing, industry-specific conversion experiments, and benchmarks set to monitor visitor behavior during cross-channel campaigns. 

Who you are and what you do influences your SEO strategy

We at Avintiv Media service clients in a variety of industries, tailoring our services accordingly. Our approach for optimizing a regional luxury auto dealership website will barely resemble our recommendations for a national organic skincare line, and both would very much differ from an eCommerce CBD brand. Site structure, content, keywords, and local SEO emphasis all differ among the three, as do customer intent and behavior. 

Think of us as your strategic partners. Like you, we’re not cheap; we’re experts in our field delivering measurable results. Quotes for our average cost of SEO reflect our dedication to your business’ growth and market agility, and we encourage you to regard the cost of SEO in terms of value rather than price. Contact us for a FREE SEO audit. 

Once we know more about you and where you stand, we can tailor your SEO roadmap to help you achieve your goals. See how our Cannabis/CBD client grew 2000% in under a year or how our Supplement eCommerce client increased organic traffic by 600%.

6 Reasons Why You Should Invest in SEO

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Search engine optimization (SEO) is the core of digital marketing. Still, the question is asked, “Why should you invest in SEO?” Over 93% of online experiences are happening every day due to search. More and more brand experiences begin with a simple query through search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo.

By not optimizing for search engines, you will lose relevant traffic from over two trillion searches launched every year on Google alone. To help, we’ve offered six ways to assist you in deciding if you need to invest in SEO.

6 Reasons for Deciding to Invest in SEO

Remember that keyword searches are about focused, intent-driven browsing. Your content should be clear, comfortable, and just right for the user when you optimize for intents. Likewise, considering an investment in search engine optimization forces you to consider all elements of your investment strategy. Here are six reasons to get started.

1. You need to save on advertising

Many businesses devote much of their marketing budget to advertising, but those dollars may be more sustainable when invested in SEO. If you need to save money on advertising, try allocating resources to SEO instead to increase your visibility. An increase in visibility will translate into more customers.

2. You need to increase conversions and lower bounce rates

I’m sure you’ve run into your fair share of aggressive ad campaigns that don’t bring you that laser-focused target customer that you had hoped for. Organic traffic from SEO brings in much higher quality traffic than unpredictable ad campaigns. At a much lower cost as well. 

It may be time to invest in contextual, long-tail keywords in your search engine optimization and content creation strategy. As you do so, express yourself in an evergreen, future-proof voice so that all users who find your content experience value in your content.

3. You need more customers

A search result page usually contains under 10 positively-matched links. To make sure Google will place your site in one of these top spots, you may want to invest in helpful, search-optimized content instead of ads and social. Most users will not look beyond these first ten results when choosing a solution, so make sure you’re among the top picks.

4. You need to establish authority, trust, and loyalty

Most searches seek expert, authoritative, and trustworthy information. This is another reason to invest in well-researched, optimized content and use only phrases matching target intents. A good SEO strategy will demand that you create content that increases trust among your target customer and feeds the customer’s journey. 

5. You want to grow your brand

Searchers often seek specific, highly relevant information, so you can increase the discovery and enjoyment of your site by optimizing to answer common queries. SEO can help solidify your brand platform by structuring your copy and taking advantage of query trends, giving you a competitive advantage and a USP. 

Search engine optimization will require you to consider what a user is after when they say [best pizza near me] and structure your content to match. Brands are built on a sound approach to search engine optimization.

6. You need to create relationships and increase your rank

Search engines will better find and rank your content with links from those who found your site useful. Investing in smart SEO strategies for building links can help your content get found by potential advocates and increase its rank.

You’ve now seen 6 examples of reasons that an investment in SEO would make sense for you. If you want happier customers that value your online brand, we recommend you consider launching an SEO campaign.

To play devil’s advocate, we offer two ways for you to evaluate whether now is a good time to invest in SEO or not.

Key Questions to Ask Before Investing in SEO

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Optimized search is about getting the user intent right the first time. It may be keyword-rich, focused, local, and just right for you, but does it delight your users? Search optimization encourages you to push the value envelope and make three considerations.

1. Do I have a budget for an intelligent SEO strategy?

By cutting spending in ad categories and prioritizing your position for top search queries, you may find you have some budget for search engine optimization. But, if your aim is to dominate the niche and top spot, consider giving your budget a much-needed boost. 

2. Will my SEO feature a thoughtful, evergreen strategy?

On the search for the right answer or product for them, users want speed as well as human and helpful information. If your aim is to delight people with value while saving money on ad spend, bounces, and conversions, you should investigate your content with a professional and invest in SEO. 

3. Do I have fair, measurable expectations of SEO?

If you know you want to make a connection with the problems, and passions that your users suggest with their queries, your next step is to consider if you can accept the positives and negatives of an SEO strategy. If you are able to appreciate that SEO will require smart investment, patience, and careful metrics, this makes it more likely that an SEO investment is the right choice for your business. 

 


If you are saying yes to these two important questions, you may very well be ready to invest in SEO and optimized content. Get a FREE SEO audit from Avintiv Media to learn more.