While it is possible to create and implement your own digital marketing strategy. If you don’t have the necessary experience or resources to run it correctly, you should invest in an agency that specialises in it.

Some signs you may need to bring in the experts include:

• You’re unfamiliar with terms like long-tail keywords
• You’re unfamiliar with Google Analytics
• You don’t know the difference between SEO, SEM, and PPC, and how they all relate
• You’re not up to date on social media trends
• You’re unfamiliar with technical SEO
• You’ve never used AdWords, and are unfamiliar with PPC campaigns
• You don’t have a content marketing strategy

It’s not just a case of being in business longer; that means your digital marketing is stronger. It’s a fact that strong SEO campaigns can quickly help your competition outranking you online. It also counts even if you have been on the top of the first page of Google before. Listed are just a few reasons why your competition may rank higher, also if their site seems worse than yours.

1. Their site is more relevant, matching user intent better
   • Understanding which questions users are asking, or what Keywords they are searching for on Google, your competition can tailor the content of their site to the intent of the user. Making it more relevant to the keyword searched, satisfying both their customers and Google.
2. Their site is more prominent online
   • It’s much more than what content is on your site. Social profiles on sites like Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and industry-specific directories increase your impressions. Like listing your business’ information on directories like Yelp, gets it seen more across the web. Thus building a strong profile of links pointing to your site, both of which help visibility within the search engines.
3. Users and Google like their site more
   • Not only does your content need to be easy to read and your website simple to navigate for your customers, but Google needs to be able to do the very same. If either one cannot find the information they need in a timely manner. Both your human and the robotic audience will favour other sites. That is were site speed becomes a ranking factor.

If you get your business listed in the Google Maps Pack (All three listing visible areas), you have essentially hit SEO gold. Here at Mustang Marketing, this is what we suggest is needed to get one of those prominent spots:

1. The Optimal Location: A significant component of the map pack is the physical location of your business. The closer you are to a town, a city or that of the searcher. The more likely your listing is to show on a Google Map search. Although you can’t change your business location, you can optimised keywords in content, titles and categories of your website.
2. Google My Business Profile: Always make sure that your Google My Business profile is optimised and that you have the exact information for your NAP (name, address, and phone number) on both your website and your Google profile. Think about adding images of your products, concepts, or services you provide. Always include informative descriptions and keyword phrases in your content to optimise your business profile. By building high authority links that point to your Google, My Business profile can also increase your chances of ranking.
3. Build Citations: Building new high authority listing profiles increases the strength of your website, and also your brand name. The more high DA (Domain Authority) links that you have pointing back to your webpage, the better. Try to include reviews from previous customers. Don’t forget to gradually update directories that are most applicable to your service or industry, including:

• Yelp
• Yellow Pages
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Medium

Search engine optimisation (SEO) is not a magic wand that will, with a simple wave of the hand, magically land your business website at the top of search engine results.

If it were that simple, everyone could do it. There are many layers of knowledge involved when executing an effective SEO strategy. Google, the world’s foremost search engine, uses more than 200 separate ranking factors to decide where a web page will place in its results. Search engine optimisation is an involved, multi-level process, not a single action, which requires expert knowledge and proper management to deliver positive results for your business.

Since a properly executed search engine optimisation strategy involves much more than making a few adjustments to your site, or adding a few keywords and phrases to your existing content. There is no definitive answer to the question of how long it takes before you will see results.

Google’s constantly changing algorithms and other industry changes require the services of a knowledgeable SEO company to keep your website up to date, competitive in your industry and bringing in new business. A reputable SEO firm will tell you that it normally takes a minimum of between four and six months to see positive results from a solid SEO strategy that has been properly implemented and managed.

At the end of the day, a professional SEO firm will focus on all the factors that will help increase your business over the long haul and manage those issues effectively. Search engine optimisation is a full-time endeavour requiring dedicated individuals with the training, knowledge, and expertise to make the internet work for you.

With the right SEO company working on your behalf, you will have a team of experts with the technical resources, tools, and information it takes to improve not only your position in search results but your bottom line, as well.

What has your experience been with Pay Per Click (PPC) in the past? It may have been the case that your campaign ended with little or no results and a loss of money. Unfortunately, many business owners have experienced this in the early days when they used PPC. Due to a mix of relatively new advertising mediums and inexperienced marketers, causing many people to turn their back on paid search advertising.

Today’s Pay Per Click environment is very different from the early days.  The paid search extends much further than just Google Search reach and engagement. Into social media, Ad campaigns and Influencer marketing.

Online content has become far more entertaining than just a simple text advertisement. Paid advertising can deliver in many forms of multimedia advertisements; such as images, Text messages, Video, Blog and much more.

The wizardry starts when you combine the power of Google’s big data with the new forms of advertising. Through big data, you can target peoples, income, search habits, frequently visited sites, interests, and more. Paid search becomes more than just far targeting simple Keywords and search advertisements.

Now you can make finely tailored segmented campaigns that are structured to reach people on a more personal level.  Targeting their needs, wants, desires and interests and using the data from clients commonly visited search history to give a clearer picture of where to advertise and when. So as they flow in and out of Google, they continue to see your advertising message.

We suggest you consider giving PPC a second chance; you’ll be glad that you did.