Frequently Asked Questions

Search Engine Optimization ( SEO) is the act of improving your website to organically rank higher on Google and other search engines. There is a ton of competition for businesses to attract customers online, just like in the offline world, so it is imperative that your website be seen as an authority on the products and services you provide. Search engines use algorithms to determine which websites hold the most relevant results, and those websites are ranked highest among the search results. With a strategy-first SEO plan, you can stay competitive and relevant by improving how Google values your information online.

Here are some additional details about SEO:

• Quality and relevance of content: The content on your website should be high-quality and relevant to the keywords that you are targeting. This means that the content should be well-written, informative, and engaging.
• Use of keywords: Keywords are the words and phrases that people use when they search for information online. When you use keywords on your website, you are telling search engines what your website is about. This helps search engines to rank your website higher in the SERPs for relevant searches.
• Structure of your website: The structure of your website is also important for SEO. Your website should be easy to navigate and it should be clear what information is available on each page.

If you are not sure how to improve your website’s SEO, Ziplocal can help you. Our SEO experts can help you to identify the keywords that you should target, improve the quality and relevance of your content, and optimize the structure of your website.

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Organic search refers to the natural search results that appear when someone looks for your brand, products/services or business on a search engine. These results are not paid advertisements but are based on the search engine’s ranking algorithm. In other words, they show up because they are considered relevant and optimized for search engine optimization (SEO). So, organic search doesn’t involve any paid traffic or listings, but rather focuses on showcasing the most relevant content and web pages.

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Local SEO is all about getting your business noticed in the area where it operates. It helps people find products or services near them when they search. You can recognize local SEO by keywords like “near me” or city/state names in the search. Local results also show a map with relevant businesses. To appear in local searches, you need a managed and verified Google My Business profile. Optimizing your webpage is crucial for better results. It’s important to note that local SEO has limitations in terms of reach, but it’s an essential part of any SEO strategy.

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Local SEO is specifically intended to help connect businesses to customers nearby. The technical answer to this is question is that it varies. If you have steep competition in your market the reach can be limited where as if you are providing more of a niche or specialized product or service your reach can be expanded. Each business has unique circumstances therefore ZipLocal uses a strategy first approach to ensure results.

On-page SEO aims to enhance your website to boost its visibility on search engine results pages (SERPs) and attract more relevant visitors. It involves various techniques such as incorporating catchy headlines, informative titles, descriptive alt text for images, internal linking, engaging meta descriptions, and appealing imagery across all your published content. By implementing these strategies, you can optimize your website to improve its search engine rankings and attract a targeted audience.

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Off-page SEO involves activities and strategies conducted outside of your website to improve its search engine rankings and visibility. It focuses on building external signals that enhance your website’s authority and credibility in the eyes of search engines. Common techniques include getting quality backlinks from reputable websites, using social media for marketing, managing online reputation, blogging, and engaging in relevant forums or communities. These efforts boost your website’s online reputation, authority, and help it rank higher in search results, attracting more organic traffic.

PPC involves paying a search engine to promote your ad at the top of search results. In the “Pay-Per-Click” model,  you pay only when your ad gets clicked on. A main benefit of PPC is that it can start driving traffic to your website almost instantly while SEO is more of a long game approach. The traffic that you get through SEO will be free (no paying per click) but a lot more time and work is necessary to optimize your online presence and ensure you’re ranking for organic search queries. PPC also does not carry the same “reputation building” effect as traditional SEO as your ads are only relevent while the ads are active.

Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising is a digital advertising model in which advertisers pay a fee each time their ad is clicked by a user. It is a way for businesses to drive targeted traffic to their websites or landing pages and potentially generate conversions.

The process of PPC advertising typically involves the following steps:

1. Advertiser creates a campaign: The advertiser sets up a PPC campaign on a chosen platform, such as Google Ads or Bing Ads. They define their advertising goals, target audience, and budget.
2. Keyword research: The advertiser conducts keyword research to identify relevant keywords or phrases that users might search for when looking for products or services similar to what they offer.
3. Ad creation: The advertiser creates compelling and relevant ads that will be displayed to users when their search query matches the chosen keywords. These ads usually consist of a headline, description, and a display URL.
4. Bidding: The advertiser sets a maximum bid amount, indicating the maximum amount they are willing to pay for a click on their ad. This bid amount determines the ad’s position in the search results or other advertising placements.
5. Ad auction and placement: When a user searches for a keyword related to the advertiser’s chosen keywords, an ad auction takes place. The search engine evaluates various factors like bid amount, ad quality, and relevance to determine which ads will be displayed and in what order.
6. Ad display and user interaction: If the advertiser’s ad is selected, it is displayed to the user in the search results or on relevant websites. If the user finds the ad compelling and relevant, they may click on it to visit the advertiser’s website or landing page.
7. Cost per click (CPC): The advertiser is charged the cost per click, which is the amount they bid or the minimum necessary to outrank competitors, whichever is lower. The accumulated costs depend on the number of clicks received.
8. Conversion tracking and optimization: To measure the effectiveness of the PPC campaign, the advertiser tracks conversions, such as purchases or sign-ups. This data helps them optimize their campaigns by adjusting bids, targeting, or ad copy to improve the return on investment (ROI).

PPC advertising provides businesses with a targeted and measurable way to reach potential customers, as they only pay when someone clicks on their ads. It offers flexibility, control, and the ability to track and refine campaigns to achieve desired results. Ziplocal can help you make the most of your PPC campaigns.

SEO and paid marketing both work best when they work in tandem. Having campaigns set up is a good way to see which works best for your business so you can allocate more marketing resources to the most effective and ROI-driven practice. Paid marketing also provides the benefit of a shorter amount of time needed to see results but also comes with the downside of generally a higher cost per conversion.