When it arrived on the market, many people dismissed TikTok as another Vine and assumed that it would soon meet the same unfortunate end. Instead, the platform has seen massive growth. Today, it’s one of the most popular social media platforms, with more than 500 million active monthly users.
Since 2017, the platform has seen exponential growth, which exploded after it acquired Musical.ly. What really makes TikTok unique, however, is that it’s an app for everyone.
What Is TikTok?
A video editing platform, a social network, a tool for creators? TikTok is many things, but very few people thought it would ever apply to business marketing. However, today big brands like The Washington Post and Chipotle are already finding ways to incorporate TikTok into their marketing strategies.
Yes, TikTok can help you expand and market your brand as a business. It’s also a useful tool if you’re a creator, or online marketing and advertiser. There’s very little you won’t find on TikTok, and if you’re not taking advantage of the platform yet, you’re missing out on a massive audience.
There’s a lot you can do on TikTok, and if you want to stay ahead of your competitors, it’s an excellent tool to include in your online marketing strategy.
Source: Flickr
Why Use TikTok for Marketing?
On TikTok, content is king. Unlike other content platforms, it doesn’t matter how many followers you have. It doesn’t matter if you’re a new account or have been around for years. Even a brand-new account may create a video that can go viral.
Many brands are getting massive returns for very little investment. Take the Washington Post, for example. In less than a year, the Post managed to rack up 400,000 followers. In the process, they attracted a new, young, and vibrant audience with their content.
There are very few limits on this platform, and, with a little effort, you can turn TikTok into one of the most powerful marketing platforms you have. Launch your music or bring your online reviews to the future. There’s no end to what you can accomplish.
Paid Advertising on TikTok
Source: Flickr
Like other social media platforms, TikTok allows users to create paid advertising. There are a few different options available, much like Instagram advertising:
● TopView
● In-Feed Ads
● Branded Hashtag Challenges
● Brand Takeovers
With In-Feed Ads, there’s a clear Sponsored label, so that users know that it’s paid content. You can also include a call-to-action, inviting people to learn more, shop now, or download something.
With TikTok, there are so many ways to advertise, both paid and free. However, if you’re leaning more towards the former, you need to be aware of the costs.
A minimum budget of $500 is required for self-service ad campaigns, for example, with ad groups costing a minimum of $20. On the high end, though, costs can go up between $25,000 and $150,000.
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If you’re interested in paid advertising, you’ll need to visit the TikTok Ads page and sign up there as well. The process for that is quite different from manually advertising your small business for free, which is what we’ll be covering below.
The Algorithm That Makes TikTok Unique
How often have you found that you just don’t hit your audiences with social media platforms? How many content marketers have talked about Google or YouTube’s algorithms? These things are very real, and they can make it incredibly challenging to get your new content noticed.
That’s not how TikTok works. In fact, no one knows how TikTok works. It’s been incredibly secretive with its For You page algorithm, but there’s no denying that it works.
For one, it seems to be very performance-based. When you release your video, TikTok shows it to a few different users, usually close to your geolocation. If these users interact favorably with your content, TikTok will show it to more users.
Instead of judging your whole profile, the algorithm seems to decide on a per-video basis. It also appears to account for rewatches, shares, comments, video completions, etc.
The more people seem to enjoy what you’ve created, the more TikTok will spread it around. That’s why you can get a viral video on the platform, even if you have no followers at all.
Using TikTok for Beginners
Step 1: Download the App and Sign Up.
The TikTok app is available on the App Store and Google Play. Search for TikTok and download the app. The application will guide you through the incredibly easy registration steps.
Alternatively, sign up using your Facebook, Gmail, or Twitter account.
Source: Flickr
Step 2: Create Your Profile
Once you’ve signed in, TikTok will immediately start showing you videos. Don’t get side-tracked! Instead, tap on the icon in the lower-right corner that looks like a little person. That will take you to your profile, which you need to set up.
First, select an image to use for your profile. If you’re a brand, you can use your logo or an image that personifies your brand. For example, if you’re an ice cream boutique, you can have a picture of someone enjoying your product.
Add a username and your bio information. You can also link your Instagram or YouTube page to your profile. This is useful for businesses, especially if you’re already using any of those platforms to advertise.
Step 3: Explore and Experience
If you want to know what’s popular now, you need to explore TikTok. You can also experiment a little with the different video tools before you make your own. Basically, take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with TikTok, and the kind of content people and businesses like yours create.
Step 4: Camera Mode
Now it’s time to start creating your content. First, tap the button to enter the camera mode. You can even flip the camera to use either the front or back view. You’ll also notice a few extra icons on the right side of the screen:
● Speed: Speed up or slow down your recording
● Beauty: Add an AR filter that’ll smooth out your skin and hide blemishes
● Filters: Add a color filter
● Timer: Set up a countdown to take hands-free shots
● Flash: Turn flash on or off
You can also add music to your video, which is highly recommended. If you’ve recorded a video outside of the app, you can choose to upload it instead of recording a new one.
There’s also another effects button, where you can add one of many, many AR and effect filters. TikTok has an extensive amount of these, so have fun exploring them!
Source: Flickr
Step 5: Video Time!
Once you’re ready, you can record your video. Record it all at once or record it in pieces to make it more interesting. You can fit in different shots by holding the record button, letting go, and then pressing it again when you’re ready for the next shot.
Make stop-motion videos, add exciting scene changes, or just have fun with it. Remember, though, that making a video too long or too short can have an impact on your views. While 15 seconds is considered to be the appropriate length of TikTok video, you can go higher than 60 seconds.
Step 6: Edit and Caption
Now that you have your video, it’s time to add music, filters, effects, stickers, overlays, and more. Once you’re happy with the result, tap next. You can add a caption, hashtags, and even tag other accounts.
You can also adjust the privacy settings, allow, or turn off comments, or encourage duets. Save it to drafts or post it and share your creation with the TikTok world.
Source: Flickr
Duets, Challenges, and Live Videos
These are some of the most popular video types on TikTok. Why? Because it allows users to interact, have fun, and create content together without ever having met.
Even if you’re a business, allowing other creators to make ‘duet’ videos with your content is a fantastic way to foster interaction. Participating in challenges is also an excellent way to get your brand noticed.
Finally, live videos are an excellent way for people to interact with you. Have a Q&A, or share a bit of their office day.
Final Tips
Here are a few essential tips you should keep in mind when marketing on TikTok:
● Don’t shy away from special effects and music. TikTok users are not your LinkedIn professionals. They want to see the fun, exciting side of your business. Show it
● Humor is a good thing. Don’t be afraid to make a few jokes. Just don’t take things too far
● Participate in challenges, do duets, and include relevant hashtags
● Remember to look at what your competitors and other brands are doing. You might just be inspired
Take Away
Whether you’re a business owner, marketer, or freelancer, you should be using TikTok to advertise your brand. You don’t always need to go for paid advertising, either. While it’s a great option, just interacting through the application is an excellent way to promote your brand.
TikTok is easy to use, and by using it the right way, you can get your business in front of a massive audience, fast. Explore humor or give away a little free information. In the end, it’s worth it.
Invited Guest Writer:
Wendy Dessler is a super-connector who helps businesses find their audience online through outreach, partnerships, and networking. She frequently writes about the latest advancements in digital marketing and focuses her efforts on developing customized blogger outreach plans depending on the industry and competition.
Social proof, primarily in the form of things like ratings, reviews, and testimonials, has a major impact on a company’s success. In fact, 88 percent of consumers say that they trust user reviews as much as they trust personal recommendations.
Gathering social proof for your business isn’t just about boosting your ego and improving your reputation. It can also help you to increase conversions and see more business growth.
Read on to learn more about the importance of social proof. You’ll also find some examples that will teach you how to leverage social proof to grow your business.
What Is Social Proof in Digital Marketing?
The term “social proof” refers to the idea that folks are more likely to follow the actions that lots of people have already taken. In short, people are more inclined to behave in a specific way because they’ve seen other people doing the same thing.
For example, if you’ve seen that lots of people are eating in one restaurant and another is totally empty, you’ll assume that the full one serves better food and provides a better experience, right? You’ll also be more likely to visit that restaurant yourself.
You can see how social proof matters in an in-person setting. It’s even more important in the online world, though.
When people are shopping online, it’s harder for them to differentiate between products. When they’re able to see reviews and ratings from past customers, though, they can have an easier time deciding which product will work better for them. In general, the more positive reviews and ratings one product has, the more likely it is to be a good fit.
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When a business is able to gather more social proof, it’s more likely to convert leads into customers and make more sales. If you have lots of positive reviews on your site or a good reputation on social media, for example, people will feel more inclined to buy what you’re selling because they’ll feel that they can trust you.
Social proof can also trigger an emotional response in potential customers. When they see that others have had a good experience with your product or service, they may have more positive feelings toward it. This, in turn, can influence them to make a purchase and become a paying customer when they were originally on the fence.
Social Proof Examples to Increase Conversions
There are lots of ways that businesses can leverage social proof to increase conversions. Here are some effective examples to keep in mind if you’re looking for inspiration:
1. User Ratings
When you’re shopping for just about anything online, you’ll be able to find user ratings for that product letting you know what other people think of it.
User ratings are a powerful form of social proof used by small businesses and major brands like Amazon. People generally trust the accuracy of these ratings and will be more inclined to buy a product that has a 4- or 5-star rating compared to one that has a 1- or 2-star rating.
The number of user ratings a product has played an important role in increasing conversions, too. After all, if a product has just one or two 5-star ratings, that information isn’t going to be as impactful as a product that has 1,000 5-star ratings.
Customer testimonials are another good example of social proof in action. Testimonials provide more insights into the experience other people have had with a particular product or service. It helps to personalize things and allows shoppers to see themselves reflected back to them.
Customer testimonials are especially powerful when they include images of the person who wrote the testimonial. Sharing a photo further personalizes the remarks and increases the level of trust another shopper will have in the company.
OptinMonster does a great job of using customer testimonials (with pictures) to showcase the benefits of their product and convince others to try it out.
3. Numbers
Numbers don’t lie, and there are lots of ways that you can use numbers to provide social proof and convince others to check out what your business has to offer. Remember the example of a crowded restaurant? Well, you can create a similar effect online when you leverage numbers in the proper way.
For example, when the company CB Insights invites visitors to sign up for its email newsletter, the pop-up lets you know that over 500,000 people have already signed up. If someone sees that half a million people are interested in what this business has to say, they’ll likely be more inclined to think that maybe they should sign up for the newsletter as well.
Have you ever been shopping online and see a pop-up showing that someone has just purchased the product that you’re looking at? Does it get you more interested in making a purchase yourself?
This is an example of live updates, a type of social proof, increasing conversions. Live updates show that other people are actively buying the products or services that a business is selling. They prove that the product or service is popular, and they can even ignite a sense of FOMO (fear of missing out) that encourages other people to go ahead and pull the trigger while they still have a chance.
The supplement company Legion Athletics uses this tactic with great success. The pop-ups show how popular certain products are and pique people’s interest, but they don’t feel intrusive.
Social media is an incredible marketing tool for businesses of all sizes. It’s especially helpful when it comes to gathering and displaying social proof.
There are lots of ways that you can use social media to increase conversions. Collecting reviews on your Facebook page is a great example, as is sharing customer testimonials and Facebook and other platforms.
You can also use buttons on your website to combine the power of social media with the power of virtual crowds. If you feature buttons that show how many people are following you on certain platforms (as ShoutMeLoud does on their home page), people might be more inclined to hit the follow button themselves.
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6. Case Studies
Case studies are a step up from testimonials. They provide more insights into a person’s experience working with a particular brand, and they dive deeper into what the brand did to help the person see specific results.
Case studies, like these ones shown on Weekdone’s website, are backed up with data, which makes them harder to refute. They help shoppers get a better sense of what they’ll experience if they decide to work with your business.
Trust icons are the logos of other businesses that are using a particular product or service. If lots of recognizable brands are pairing with your company, that’s going to get people interested in checking out what you have to offer and making a purchase for themselves.
Zendesk features a large collection of trust icons on its website. When you scroll down on the homepage, you can see that major brands like OpenTable, Uber, and Slack use Zendesk. Doesn’t this make you more curious about trying it for yourself?
8. Media Mentions
Another way to use social proof to your advantage is to showcase media mentions. Has your business been mentioned in any news outlets recently? If so, list those on your website with links so people can check them out and see what’s been said about your products or services.
The clean beauty brand, BeautyCounter, shares on the homepage of its website the fact that it’s been recognized as an innovative company by Fast Company. This boosts the brand’s credibility and gets more people interested in buying their products.
9. Celebrity Endorsements
Celebrity endorsements are very powerful. People trust their favorite celebrities and are always eager to buy the products that they promote, whether they’re paid to do so or if their endorsements come naturally.
The clothing brand Everlane, for example, saw a major influx in sales after Angelina Jolie and Olivia Munn were both photographed carrying a bag from their online store.
10. Customer Showcase
An endorsement from a celebrity is great, but showcasing customers using your products in the wild is also an effective way to leverage social proof.
When people post photos of themselves on social media wearing an item of clothing you sell or using your product in another way, share that photo on your website or social media platforms. You can even incorporate a hashtag on social, the way the shoe brand Rothy’s does with #rothysinthewild.
This helps people see what you’re selling in action and can create that sense of FOMO that we talked about earlier. All of this can lead to more conversions and a better bottom line for your business.
Start Gathering Social Proof Today
As you can see, there are lots of ways that you can use social proof to increase conversions and grow your business. Keep the examples listed above in mind as you start gathering social proof.
If you need help collecting social proof, Trustmary is here to help. From gathering a variety of reviews to automating the review management process, we’ve got everything you need to increase conversions and take your company to the next level.
Book a meeting today to learn more about what Trustmary can do for you.
Some people may still consider that SEO does not apply to eCommerce and Google will simply pick them up and bring them organic traffic.
Unfortunately, that is more than unrealistic.
Nowadays you need to invest heavily in eCommerce SEO. You have to make sure your website shows up for the right search queries, so you can have a consistent flow of potential buyers.
Furthermore, if all your competitors are optimizing their sites and you’re doing nothing, they’re going to take ALL your traffic, which could eventually put you out of business.
To help you get started, this article will do a schematic presentation of the basic elements of eCommerce SEO, from an SEO audit to keyword research, on-page SEO strategies, and simple link-building tactics.
Let’s go!
What Is E-commerce SEO & Why Does Your Store Need It?
E-commerce SEO is the process of getting your online store to show up in search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo.
By boosting your site’s visibility in organic search results, you can ensure a consistent flow of qualified traffic to your site. This way, you can have tens, hundreds, and even thousands of interested prospects and customers coming every day, and consequently, a solid base to grow your business and increase revenue.
The 4 Pillars of E-commerce SEO
To optimize your e-commerce site correctly, you need to follow the 4 pillars of e-commerce SEO in the correct order.
First of all, you have to proceed to an SEO Audit.
SEO Audit
Why Do You Need Regular E-commerce Site Audits?
Failing to build the correct SEO foundation is like building a house without a blueprint.
Before we jump into any strategies, you need to undergo an SEO audit to make sure your e-commerce site doesn’t have any on-site problems. You should also undergo regular site audits to eliminate any new issues that arise and ensure the site is always optimized to its highest potential.
Most Common Site Problems
Some common examples of site issues are:
– Search engines have difficulties in crawling your website
– There are a lot of duplicate content
– There is very little content
– Your website has a range of technical issues like cannibalization or poor site structure
To see whether your e-commerce store has any of these common problems, you can run it through an SEO audit tool.
SEO Auditing Tools
One tool that we have found to be very useful is Screaming Frog.
The Screaming Frog SEO Spider is a website crawler that lets you analyse and audit technical and onsite SEO. You can begin downloading and crawling 500 URLs for free!
Alternatively, you can use SEMRush or Ahrefs’s onsite audit tool as well. While these tools are all-in-one complete SEO suites, their auditing feature can help you identify any site problems as well.
Keyword Research
Why Keywords Are Critical
Keyword research is the most important aspect of eCommerce on-page SEO.
Keywords bring qualified organic search traffic to your store. Get these words right and you can bring in lots of traffic and consequently revenue.
Unlike normal keyword research, there are additional factors you need to consider if you want to bring qualified buyers to your Ecommerce site.
4 Main characteristics of Your Keywords
Search Volume:
You must choose keywords that have a decent search volume.
A decent search volume can vary among different niches. There are niches where an average keyword search volume (that is considered high) will have over 10,000 monthly searches, whereas 1,000 monthly searches is a large volume for others.
The best way to find out is to take other high-traffic keywords as a benchmark.
2. Intent
You should always aim to attract qualified traffic. These are visitors coming from the right stage of the sales funnel. These are often prospects who are at the purchasing stage in their customer journey.
There may be fewer people at this stage, however, these people have high conversion rates because they are generally ready to buy.
To understand the power of intent, have a look at this example:
– If you attracted 10,000 people with a 0.5% conversion rate, whose average order value is $20, you would bring in $1,000 in revenue
– If you attracted 2,000 visitors with a 5% conversion rate, with an average order value of $20, your revenue increases to $2,000.
That’s why you need to focus on attracting qualified traffic with keywords that have the right intent. These keywords use terms like discount, free shipping, buy now, deal, coupon, etc.
3. Relevance
To attract the right audience, you also need to make sure the keywords are relevant to your ecommerce store.
To pick relevant keywords, think of what you can offer that matches the keywords. For example, if you sell men’s shorts online, a relevant keyword could be “affordable male shorts.”
You should only optimize your pages for keywords relevant to your ecommerce site.
If you’re not sure whether the keyword is relevant, you can look at the top 10 results for a keyword and see if the 10 organic positions are similar to your website.
4. Competition
Finally, you should pick keywords that you can realistically rank for.
For example, if you want to rank for the keyword “cheap headphones” you’d have to compete against Amazon, CNET and Wired. These are big sites with high levels of authority.
Instead of going up against these giants, you should attack the longer tail, lower competition search keywords first.
Keyword Research Tools
Here are 3 keyword research tools highly recommended by e-commerce SEO experts:
– Ahrefs: A top, extremely comprehensive SEO tool, leader of the market. They have the keywords explorer tool which can offer you thousands of keyword ideas.
– SEMRush: A great all-in-one SEO suite that has an easy-to-use and intuitive user interface.
– My Free Keyword Research Template: A template created to give you a complete keyword research strategy based on what is working for your competitors.
When it comes to on-page ecommerce SEO, you’ll face unique challenges you don’t often come across when you’re optimizing a regular website.
Let’s begin by looking at what on-page SEO is.
What Is On-Page SEO?
On-page SEO is the process of optimizing your website, content, and code to help your store rank higher in the SERPs.
E-commerce On-Page SEO Checklist
Here’s a quick checklist that lists the different on-page SEO factors that impact an e-commerce site and how you can optimize them.
Title Tags: Add a target keyword in the title tag.
2. Meta Descriptions: Include additional keywords in the description to attract clicks.
3. Headings and Subheadings (H1, H2, etc.): Use heading breaks to make it easier for users to scan and consume content. Use the product name as the heading to avoid cannibalization issues.
Source: Tesco
4. Images: Optimize all filenames and add relevant alt-tags. Add LSI keywords to each alt-tag and other variations to hit as many long-tail keywords as possible. Lower the size of the pictures for faster load times.
5. Schema Data: Integrate microdata and rich snippets to stand out and draw more qualified traffic.
6. Internal Links: Add internal links via product recommendations.
eCommerce link building is similar to classic link building for any other site.
The more high-quality links you have, the more it can increase your store’s domain authority and search engine rankings. However, unlike regular websites, e-commerce stores need links that point to every section (including category and product pages.)
Below are 2 link-building strategies that can help you get started.
Competitor Analysis
Instead of spending thousands of dollars and hours formulating a link-building strategy, just steal your competitor’s strategy and replicate their process.
Here’s how to start:
Gather the first 10 organic results for a keyword you want to rank for and write down the URLs on an Excel document.
Use Ahrefs to find all the backlinks that are pointing to all your competitors.
3. Analyse every link from each competitor by sorting them by domain rating, starting with the more valuable links first.
Guest Posting
Guest posting is also another great ecommerce link building technique because it helps you:
– Build genuine relationships with industry bloggers
– Boost website exposure
To get started, you can:
Begin prospecting your industry
Source: MatthewWoodward.co.uk
After you find a list of websites (using the technique above) that are interested in guest posts, create an Excel sheet that lists all these sites.
2. Qualify your prospects:
Analyze the sites based on set qualifiers like Domain Authority (DA), Trust Flow (TF), number of referring link domains, placement of content, niche relevance, and quality of content.
3. Outreach:
Take each website on the list, find the contact information (name and email address) of the person you want to contact. Alternatively, you can use a tool like Ninja Outreach.
After connecting with the blog manager, create an article outline for approval.
4. Create content:
Once your article is approved, focus on creating in-depth amazing content.
5. Build relationships with bloggers and webmasters:
Continue this process to build strong relationships and expand your online network.
If you want to learn more about other simple link-building strategies, make sure you read E-commerce SEO: The Ultimate Guide.
Conclusion
Investing in eCommerce SEO will be one of the best things you can do for your business.
Not only can you generate a consistent flow of potential buyers, but it will make a profound impact and change your business forever.
You can start by building a solid foundation for your Ecommerce store with an SEO audit.
And then work on keyword research, optimize your on-page SEO, and engage in link-building strategies.
What are you waiting for?
Get started today with SEO for e-commerce to build future wealth.
Invited guest writer:
Matthew Woodward is an award-winning blogger who publishes detailed case studies and tutorials in the internet marketing and SEO niche. He started his blog in 2012 and has been able to assist thousands of online businesses to achieve great results. You may reach him via his Youtube channel, LinkedIn or Facebook.
The Google Search Console is a set of tools that website owners should familiarize themselves with if they want to be highly successful. It’s designed specifically to help track your website’s performance.
The term ‘Google Search Console’ might not ring any bells for you, but you still might already have some idea of what it is because it was once known as Google Webmaster Tools or GWT for short.
This system has been around for a while as a way for everyone from app developers to online business owners to Search Engine Optimizers (SEOs) to keep on top of how well their site is performing and what they can improve.
In 2015, GWT changed its name to Google Search Console because it became clear that it was a valuable service for a larger audience than just webmasters and its popularity has basically skyrocketed since then.
The service is free and allows people to check out massive amounts of data concerning their website such as how many people are visiting, what kind of demographics are attracted and the channels used to reach the site, the keywords that the respective site ranks for, etc.
This information is extremely important because it offers the base to optimize the content to better suit the type of visitors attracted. Do that and they’re more than likely to keep coming and their number to increase.
You can also see what pieces of content are most popular, so you can focus more on that type of topics or type of content and not waste valuable time and effort on content that isn’t actually getting the job done.
Source: Youtube
Sounds like a great service, right? So, let’s take a look at how to use Google Search Console and how you would make these tools work in your favour:
Your Website Verification
The first thing that you need to do is make an account and then get your site verified, so the Console can access the data needed to generate useful reports for you.
This is a relatively straightforward process. When you get to the homepage, the option to enter a URL under the tab ‘Domain’ will be right in front of your eyes. Enter the link of your website’s homepage.
If you have a https website include it in the URL that you are making the account for. It has to be the exact URL, in order for GSC to be able to find it and subsequently verify it.
There are several different methods through which you can verify a site and you will see them listed after you’ve entered your URL. The first option and the one that’s recommended by GSC is the HTML file method.
This one is as simple as downloading the HTML file that the Console provides and then uploading it to your site. You must leave the file there after verification if you want the site to remain verified.
You can also verify using your Google Analytics account if you have one, a Google Tag Manager account or through the Domain Name Provider.
So, now let’s take a look at some of the main features that Console has and how you can take profit of them. When you select status on your site’s page you’ll be able to access a number of other subheadings and we’ll talk about them individually now:
Performance
There’s a number of different metrics through which GSC will help you gauge the overall performance and the traffic that your website is getting. When you click the Performance tab, you’ll see four main sections.
The first displays the Total Clicks section. Here you’ll be able to see the total number of clicks that your website has gotten after showing up in search results on Google. Through this you can get a sense of how your site stands among similar ones.
This is influenced quite a bit by the position your site occupies on the results page. It’s relevant information to keep an eye on how your site is moving up in search results.
The next section is entitled Total Impressions. It is more specific. And will show you how well your site ranks for the main keywords. So, you will see a number after each keyword your site ranks for and this is the number of times your site shows up for that keyword.
Then there is the Average CTR. CTR stands for Click Through Rate and it refers to how many viewers have clicked through to your site after seeing it in the search results. Obviously, this provides information if your site pops up in the Google’s search results for the main keywords you need your site to rank for.
The fourth section under this subheading is Average Position. Here you have to select a period of time and you can observe which was the average ranking position of your site for a specific keyword during the chosen period.
Source: YouTube
Index Coverage
The Index Coverage tab keeps track of how many pages from your site are stored in Google’s Index. And concerning the ones that aren’t indexed, this tab will indicate which are the issues preventing them from indexing.
Index Coverage page is frequently updated with notifications when Google finds new problems that impede them to index your site properly. Most of the times it happens because there’s an error on page or a broken code or something of that nature.
Here you can visualize insights regarding such errors, details that allows you to understand them better and what caused them and solutions on how to fix them.
You’ll be given a list of URLs which are not showing up in the index and once you’ve addressed the reason why they’re not showing up you can then mark said URL as fixed so that it can be tested by Google again and hopefully indexed.
AMP
AMP stands for Accelerated Mobile Pages. The goal behind the AMP service is to make your web pages fast and easily accessible on every device. It’s not just about being easily accessible on phones or tablets.
AMP will ensure that your site reacts well and has an appealing look both on laptop and desktop screens. A site benefiting from this service has increased chances to get more repeated clicks.
GSC has the ability to keep an eye on AMP pages for you and check whether or not there are any errors or anything that’s preventing your pages from being as fast and attractive as AMP are expected to be.
Being able to track, analyze and make ensure your site is user-friendly is of paramount importance for each site owner.
Sitemaps
A sitemap is a really useful feature to have. As the name suggests, it’s a map that shows all important and relevant pages on your site and how you can access them. You should create one for your site to enable Google to identify all your content.
Once you’ve made the sitemap, you just need to add it to GSC. There will be a bar under the respective tab named ‘Create new site map’ and here you just insert your site’s URL and Google shouldn’t struggle to find anything it needs.
Job Postings
Not everyone is interested in this particular section of their GSC because not everybody will be using their site to post job listings. But GSC will be able to track how well these postings are doing and if you need to alter anything to improve their performance.
Again, this isn’t something that GSC is really known for, but if you are running a small business and you are actively hiring, this is a very useful feature, previewed with elements like collaboration tools and invoice generators.
Links
On the links section of the Console, you can see how many backlinks your site gained from other related sites. You will also be able to check the number of links that are coming from a specific site if there are more than one.
You can see if there are anchor texts which are commonly used to link to your site, and you can then utilize these anchor texts to your advantage when working on the Search Engine Optimization (SEO) of your site.
The Google Search Console is a truly useful service and there’s plenty more for you to explore and discover when you’ve got yours up and running. The amount of services offered here are numerous and there are new improvements and add-ons scheduled all the time.
We haven’t covered things like Mobile Usability and Manual Actions nor have we discussed the drawbacks of the service because there are a couple of these also. But overall, it’s well worth it and you will observe the benefits when you’ll be an active user of the Google Search Console.
Search Engine Optimization commonly referred to as “SEO,” is one of the most effective strategies to help your website climb in organic rankings. How to improve SEO rankings is a constant concern of most marketers and business owners and most often translates into requirements to consider, and often reconsider the content you currently have on your website.
While the copy on your website is the most crucial aspect of SEO, you also need to consider your visual content. Visual images also count towards the overall effectiveness of your SEO strategy to help drive more traffic to your website, positively contribute to your quality score as well as page ranking, and in turn, increase the profit revenue of your business.
Here are the top ten ways in which your content can help improve the SEO of your website:
Using graphics and visuals that tell a story about your business is still one of the most popular ways to attract ideal customers and clients to your online platforms and, ultimately, your website. This will continue throughout 2023 as more people than ever are much more likely to stop and consume visuals and graphics with text than ever before.
Social media has a role to play in this online behavior since providing an audience with snippets of information with striking and colorful backgrounds encourages people to stop and pay attention while scrolling through hundreds of pieces of content per day.
Using this to your advantage when creating visual content for your website and social media platforms is a great way to provide value to your ideal audience, and also create organic engagement with your brand or business.
Your website should be designed in a way where information about how your business works or what you do is easily consumable in short and easy-to-understand sentences.
2. Consider the Roots of Your Business
As a business owner, blogger, or brand, you will want to consider the roots of your website. Why did you decide to start a website, to begin with? Did this root from a specific passion that you have about something?
Whether your website is to sell your products or services online, or a blog to write about topics that you are passionate about, your written copy and your visual imagery should come from a place of authenticity.
The only way your content can improve SEO and enhance rankings is if your content is founded on honesty, transparency, and dedication. People are no longer searching for perfectly tailored messages that sell to them continually.
Quite the contrary, studies show that people or consumers are more likely to choose websites, businesses, or brands that give them high-quality, valuable information without nagging them to purchase something.
This is exactly where the imagery you use will help support the copy on your website even more. For example, if you are writing a blog about the eco-friendly Bluetooth light bulbs that your online store sells, explain with factual information why these light bulbs are better than traditional incandescent light bulbs.
But always take it a step further.
With your visual content, you can show your audience exactly how to install your eco-friendly Bluetooth light bulbs. Show them how easy they are to use. Give a short step-by-step tutorial using pictures or a video clip on how to use them throughout their home. Even provide proof in pictures of the savings you can expect when switching to your light bulbs over traditional brands.
Using a well-thought, yet simple well-optimized model like this can attract potential customers because they are not being hassled to purchase. They are simply informed with factual details about something that will enrich their lives in the long run, not drain it along with their money.
Moving on to strictly how a picture or an image can help improve SEO, “Snap and Search” is the key phrase to understanding this search option. Search engines like Google or Bing allow for a desired item in a picture to be searched in order to find similar items. In Google, you have to access the “Images” section to be able to make a search based on an image.
This means that if you decide you really like that jacket you found on social media that someone is wearing and you want to figure out how much it costs and where you can purchase one exactly like it, all you would need to do is copy the image and paste it into your search bar.
From here, the search engine will find images and products that are most closely related to what you are looking for.
Therefore, the visual imagery you use on your website could be the deciding factor in whether a potential customer chooses you over a competitor. If your products are photographed beautifully with great lighting and presented in a few different settings to help your potential customer visualize if the item is going to work for them, your chances of selling your products are optimal.
Whereas if you decide you want to sell jackets on your online store, and only have one picture that is dimly lit or difficult to see, you will likely lose customers.
4. The Technical Side to Improve SEO Rankings
Remember, all the technical aspects of SEO still apply to images on your website. Even if you have the greatest, professionally shoot images of your products on your site, you still want to make sure you are doing the basics and the on-page SEO.
These basics include having an updated sitemap, using title tags for each image, and also using optimized “alt text” throughout your site’s content. Ensuring that your images have the highest quality and your copy is concise will easily help you become more “trustworthy” in the eyes of search engines.
5. Discover Features
Along with the “Snap and Search” search model, there is another search feature on more established search engines that will only feature very high-resolution images. The difference between these two features is that with Snap and Search, you can drop an image right into the search bar, and an entire catalog of images will appear that pertain to your search.
However, keep in mind this catalog will include highly relevant images, images that are low quality or pixelated, and sometimes search results that have nothing to do with what you are looking for. This can be an advantage to you if your website has professional high-quality photography because your images will stand out from the pictures that are not appealing enough or are too low quality.
With the new “Discover” feature, you will only find high-resolution, high-quality images that match your image search. This is great for consumers looking for products without having to dig through thousands of pictures that are unappealing to the eye. However, for business owners, you will need to make the quality of your images a significant priority to be considered in the “Discover” feature.
6. Load Time
People typically use their mobile devices much more frequently to search, shop, and scroll through websites daily. This is mainly due to convenience, and because mobile phones and tablets are fast! That being said, your website also needs to be fast.
It takes a person less than five seconds to click off a website that is taking too long to load.
“Too long to load” is now considered under five seconds, possibly even under 2 seconds in 2023. Making sure “your website is fast” is an understatement!
Images slow your website down, so don’t forget to compress your image files and optimize them for quick page speed load times.
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7. Get Creative
Think up creative ways to explain your message visually using infographics. With the help of infographics, you can create detailed stories using bright and colorful illustrations that people enjoy looking at.
A great example of using an infographic is to explain how your business works. Breaking down your business into bite-sized pieces and pairing each snippet of information with an illustration that also shows what you mean is a fantastic way to keep people engaged.
To avoid overwhelming your website visitors with too much clutter, it is helpful to break down your content ideas into their respective “buckets.” Digital marketers are familiar with this process as it helps to categorize ideas into formats that will make the most sense to potential customers when consumed.
Ideas like long-form step-by-step tutorials on how to use products you are selling might make the most sense in the blog section of your website. While a business that sells only one product can place a long-form step-by-step tutorial video introducing their featured product on the home page.
This allows the potential customer to understand whether your website has a bunch of cool products and engaging videos for each, or simply one really cool product that breaks down every aspect from how it was created to how it is used in a combination of content styles.
9. Improve SEO on Google Has a Power Word – Backlinks
While this point is not strictly about visual content, it is still crucial for your SEO strategy.
To keep it simple, backlinks are necessary for search engines to take your website more seriously. The more connections or backlinks you have with other blogs and reputable websites, the higher you will appear in search rankings due to your trustworthiness.
If you create a blog that lists someone else’s products that are complementary to yours, you can ask the owner of that product to link to your website as a way to promote each other. This simple transaction can help search engines view your site as more reputable than others that have zero backlinks. Amazon, for example, has hundreds of thousands of backlinks from other websites linking to their product pages.
Invest In Your Business
Your Content Strategy Doesn’t Deliver the Expected Results?
With all these tips, you will have to remain diligent in continuing to create high-quality content for your potential customers! The more you continue to put out valuable information, beautiful images, and well-thought-out content, the higher your website will rank over time. These tips will not increase your rankings overnight, but with determination and consistency, you can begin to see a difference in the months or years to come!
Invited Guest Writer:
Devin Schumacher is an internet entrepreneur and digital marketing consultant. Currently acting as CEO of SERP Co, a full-service digital marketing agency, Devin also advises & mentors numerous marketing consultants, agencies & local businesses as the head of SERP University – a place for learning cutting-edge digital marketing strategies, free. You can connect with him on Twitter or on LinkedIn.
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