New Google My Business Insights Allows Photos to be Compared to Competitors

Google My Business has recently  implemented a new metric to the insights section of the Google My Business dashboard. Now you can see how often people are comparing your photos in comparison to your competitors.  The change is documents in Google’s help center which you can review here.

Data can be differentiated by 3 separate time period.  You can view for the past 7 days, 30 days and finally by a 90 day period.  You can also find out how you performed on a specific day by pointing towards the specific date you are looking for.  As you can see the blue line represents your business photo views, and the red line represents views for businesses similar to you. It then gives you an analysis of how well you do in comparison to your closest competitors.

To get access to the Google My Business and in card view you would have to click on manage business and then at the top click on the insights tab. You would thereafter scroll down towards the photos section for insights.

Going forward, this will be another metric SEO professionals would take into consideration and monitor for their clients.  Further trials and testing will have to be performed in order to determine how to optimize small business photos in the future.

If you need help optimizing your photos, Falcon Consulting & Marketing can assist your business.  We are a digital marketing agency located in New York City assisting businesses one at a time.

https://falconconsultingandmarketing.com/new-google-business-insights-allows-photos-compared-competitors/

Visit us at www.falconconsultingandmarketing.com

What is the Correct Amount of Times to Post on Social Media?

Many businesses decide early on that they want to develop their brand by themselves and want to post as much as possible online via social media.   Also, most are aware that your social media presence affects your ongoing SEO campaigns.   The ability to post at the right time and the frequency is important.  If you post too much, you may agitate some of your followers and you might lose them as a follower.  If you post sparingly, followers might believe that you are not engaged to your customers drawing a direct correlation from your posting frequency.

Every social media platform is different and are should be handled accordingly.  One of the main focus of your postings should be to anticipate what your followers are looking for and post pursuant to that guideline.  With all that said, here is what we at Falcon Consulting & Marketinghave come up with the optimal amount of posts per day via several different social media platforms.:

Frequency of Facebook posts:  6- 10 times per week

Best Time: You should at least post once per day.  If you do not have the capability to do so or your business is of a technical nature than you should post at least twice per week.  The most advantageous days to post are Thursdays and Fridays between 1-3 p.m.

Frequency of Twitter tweets:  2-4 times per day

Best Time: From our research it appears that 2-4 times per day works the best for most companies.  It is always best to attempt to tweet at least once per day to show your audience that you are engaged if you do not have the time to invest in long thoughtful tweets during the day.  The most beneficial time to tweet like in Facebook is between 1-3 p.m.

Frequency of Instagram Posts: Once per day is sufficient

Best Time: We have found that once per day is sufficient in Instagram.  The only difference is the best time period to post is between 3-6 p.m.

Frequency of Pinterest Pins: 6-10 pins per day

Best Time: Some of our clients love Pinterest.  Enough that they pin 20-30 posts per day.  Although it is great to show the engage it is certainly not necessary.  Pins of between 6-10 per day we find to be the sweet spot.  The best period to post is between 5-10 p.m.

Here at Falcon Consulting & Marketing, we have come to these conclusions through trial and error with many businesses we have worked with over the years.  We have found that certain businesses need customization in their social media engagement more than others as well.  If you need help with your social media engagement and are looking to build your brand online we can help.  We are a NYC based digital marketing agency that assists businesses one at a time.  Contact us at 855-445-9530 for a free consultation.

http://falconconsultingandmarketing.com/efficient-number-times-post-social-media/

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PPC Campaigns for NYC Interior Designers and Decorators

The easiest way to get your message out in online marketing is with PPC advertsing.  Pay per click (PPC) advertising is an effective marketing tool that works well for most businesses.  We have received plenty of questions whether PPC campaigns can work for interior design and decorators.

Generally PPC works for all businesses but we have decided to tackle this question specifically for interior designers and decorators.  Here is what we at Falcon Consulting & Marketing has come up with about PPC:

Recently all Ads are beginning to blend in and look like organic links

PPCs ads are not so easy to distinguish from organic results on a mobile device as well in desktop.  The difference is pretty much indistinguishable with the new twerks to the searches.  The old way of having outlined PPC ads were bright and obvious.  Some users are reluctant to click on paid ads because of the truthfulness of ads in general or I have also been told that some did not want to click on paid ads because they know that the end-company pays for the clicks and therefore would dismiss the ad altogether.  Users prefer clicking on searches that look more professional and trust them more as well.  Organic links are clicked on significantly more than ads.  As a matter of fact, research was done in 2011 indicating that organic links were clicked on 94% of the time.  That is why it is advantagous that PPC blends into organic searches now.  When you type in “NYC interior designers” the ads will fully blend in and will look natural.

Here what we believe Interior Designers and Decorators need to focus on when launching their overall campaign:

The ability to have a strategy is very important when launching a PPC campaign.  It is easy to spend your entire budget pretty quickly if you are not using the appropriate keywords.  Because Pay Per Click should be monitored, you should always review what is not working with you and revise your keywords accordingly.  Proper management is necessary to minimize losses in the beginning months because there is some trial and error when picking keywords at times.

Try to set a budget that is manageable but also is a fair amount to see success.  Under-budgeting your campaign will not give you enough room to breathe.  It will also not give you the opportunity to see what is working.  Having a budget that is set but not overly excessive in the beginning will give you enough leeway to find out what is working.  Also, if you spend too much when you are starting can lead you to lose confidence and terminate your PPC altogether.  You shouldn’t give up so easily.  Using a professional digital marketing agency to guide you through all the early steps will help you tremendously as well.  They will also be able to test certain keywords while minimizing losses for you.

Hiring a digital marketing agency will only further assist you in attaining your goals both professionally and financially.  If you are interested in starting a PPC campaign you can contact Falcon Consulting & Marketing.  We are an industry leader in managing Pay Per Click campaigns in all areas of business.  We are a New York City digital marketing company assisting businesses one at a time.

https://falconconsultingandmarketing.com/ppc-campaigns-nyc-interior-decorators/

Visit us at www.falconconsultingandmarketing.com

Transparency in Digital Marketing for Law Firms

Most digital marketing agencies that concentrate on law firms prefer to treat their clients like uninformed toddlers.  They also like to bewildered their attorneys about the entire process.  Meaning that they go out of their way to make it seem difficult to comprehend what is needed in order to increase rankings and visibility online.  Considering that most clients are only interested in generating more revenue and attorneys have little time to want to learn the technical aspect of SEO and SEM work, the agencies want firms to just give up and allow them to do whatever is needed to increase visibility.  Here at Falcon Consulting & Marketing that is not our policy.  We appreciate when our clients are as thoroughly educated and understand what they are investing in.  That way the client understands what it entails to initiate an online marketing campaign and be informed of the process if they decide to shop around for another digital marketing agency in the future.

At Falcon Consulting & Marketing, we believe in a total transparent environment. What this means is that we share an openness with the work being performed on the law firm’s marketing campaign with the our attorneys. We take advice from our lawyers on what is important to them and market their firm accordingly.  Below are three items you should look for from your digital marketing agency:

What is Your Strategy?

You should always ask what is their process in increasing the firm’s visibility.  What are the agency’s use of content marketing, link-building and Web 2.0?   What is the expectation of increasing rankings and how are they going to maintain the website’s status.  Do they use local SEO tactics and should you be concerned with issues that may penalize the website?  Also you should ask for work that was done previously.  That would give you an idea of what to expect in the future.

Monthly Reporting

Law firms are interested in results.  In order to get results one must do the work to get there.  You should always ask for monthly reports to see what is being performed on a monthly basis.  Also, you should have access to Google Analytics.  Google Analytics allows you to track many metrics. You can monitor the effectiveness of your online marketing strategies, onsite content, user experience, and device functionality.

Monthly meetings (in person 0r virtual)

Once you get the report from your internet marketing specialists, it is time to decipher it.  You will want the agency to break it down to you in a non-technical way.  An agency pursuing transparency will schedule regular review calls depending on your availability. They will update on changes in the industry and how it will affect your marketing campaign.  Also, a competent SEO professional will give you feedback on what should improve and their overall plan on getting the results you hired them for.  They should also discuss with you where the firm is heading.  An example would be incorporating additional content marketing should you decide to enter into a new field of law or would like to fully concentrate on an existing one.

Internet marketing doesn’t have to be a technically frightening endeavor.  You should always seek clarity and made part of the process with your online marketing agency.  If you are interested in growing your practice and see how you can generate more revenue for your firm then Falcon Consulting & Marketing is the digital marketing agency for you.  We are a NYC digital marketing agency assisting businesses one at a time.    Call 855-445-9530 for a free consultation for your law firm.

https://falconconsultingandmarketing.com/informing-attorney-clients-seo/

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Google Switching to Mobile First Indexing

In a decision that some have expected for some time, Google has decided to experiment with Mobile first indexing which will lead to the eventual permanence of indexing with Mobile websites first.  As we have reported recently, 75% of internet searches will be by mobile by 2017.  This change in Google’s policy is only a reflection of practicality as mobile usage will continue to dominate internet searches with the advent of smartphone, tablets and other mobile devices.

So what does this switch mean to the SEO professional or business owner revising their own sites? Google will now index mobile content first and use the information derived in the main factor on how to rank its results.  This is irrespective of whether you’re on desktop or mobile.  Also, if you’re not mobile-friendly initially, that will have an impact even on how you appear for desktop searchers.

Google has said that if you do not have a mobile site that it is fine but they will rank your site only according to your desktop version.  That means at the end of the day you will not get the benefit of having mobile but they will crawl your site just like how they have been in the past.

Here are some recommendations that Google has offered in order to prepare for the mobile shift:

“If you have a responsive site or a dynamic serving site where the primary content and markup is equivalent across mobile and desktop, you shouldn’t have to change anything.

If you have a site configuration where the primary content and markup is different across mobile and desktop, you should consider making some changes to your site.

• Make sure to serve structured markup for both the desktop and mobile version.
  Sites can verify the equivalence of their structured markup across desktop and mobile by typing the URLs of both versions into the Structured Data Testing Tool and comparing the output.
  When adding structured data to a mobile site, avoid adding large amounts of markup that isn’t relevant to the specific information content of each document.
• Use the robots.txt testing tool to verify that your mobile version is accessible to Googlebot.
• Sites do not have to make changes to their canonical links; we’ll continue to use these links as guides to serve the appropriate results to a user searching on desktop or mobile.”

For the complete announcement you can read it here.  It is not clear when Google will make the change and they will make an announcement in the Webmasters Central Blog when the time is upon us.  Until then, it is  a prudent idea to use Google’s recommendations and prepare for the changes as it is uncertain how it will affect SEO projects in the future.

https://falconconsultingandmarketing.com/google-switching-mobile-first-indexing/

Visit us at www.falconconsultingandmarketing.com

When is the Right Time to Revise Your Website?

Most small businesses like to start on a positive note and invest on a creative website when they are starting up their business.  The problem becomes after being in business for a few months or years there is a need for updates to your site.  With technological changes and updates to your plugins it is really hard to keep everything fresh and up to date for your visitors.  Also, with certain changes with Google Penguin and the advent of Mobile first indexing, it is important to keep current with trends in the SEO industry.  Making adjustments and revisions is one of the essential parts of your online marketing campaign.  Many small businesses either ignore this or try to do it themselves which only dismantles any positive gains you have received in your rankings in the past.  Falcon Consulting & Marketing’s staff has a few tips to help you avoid common pitfalls:

Content that is common and general-  Using generic content and photographs will not set your company apart.  You should attempt when you can to hire creative artists to help you with designs.  If you are comfortable using animation there are plenty of companies out there that will allow you to create a 90 second to 2 minute presentation that you can build onto your site or put on Youtube.  Also, it is a good idea depending on your marketing budget to use photographers that are knowledgeable of your business niche.  They will understand what you are looking for and how certain characteristics in their photos attracts more visitors to your site.  It’s a great idea to sit down and brainstorm ideas with your creative partners as they may shed light on certain items that may have slipped you.  Remember that is why they are in the business they are in and you should use them as a resource.  The same would apply if you are using professional writers or have one on staff.

Simplify your website brand- There are times when a website designer or owner wants to brighten up their website and use many colors and themes. This happens often as owners see many different themes in the mark up stage and instead of deciding on just one, they decide to incorporate a few.  That is never a good idea with a website as it confuses the visitor.  The best idea is to try to use one logo, theme and color palette.  That way it is easier to the eye and the visitor will be less reluctant to click through and navigate your website for more content.

Your website is not mobile friendly- A recent report suggests by 2017 75% of all visitors will be by mobile.  We all know that most people are looking at their smartphones and navigating to businesses in that manner.  Mobile friendly sites are becoming the norm not just because they are easy to navigate on your phone but also because the search engines are factoring this in when determining rankings.  Your SEO (Search Engine Optimization) strategy may be in jeopardy without it.  Having your online presence become mobile friendly is a logical choice with respect to your ROI.  Also, depending on the company you choose, making your present website mobile friendly is inexpensive.

If you think you are in need of revisions to your website and would like to have experienced professionals assist you in the process, Falcon Consulting and Marketing can assist you today! We provide a free complimentary consultation and will come up with a plan that fits your company’s needs.  We are a New York City based digital marketing agency assisting businesses one client at a time.

https://falconconsultingandmarketing.com/right-time-revise-website/

Visit us at www.falconconsultingandmarketing.com

Bing and Google to Increase Sitemaps to 50 MB

Bing and Google jointly announced that they are increasing the size limit of sitemaps to 50 MB from 10 MB it is currently limited to.  The change only impacts the sitemap file size. It does not affect the restriction on the amount of URLs that can be contained in a sitemap, which is currently confined to 50,000.

In the announcement , Microsoft stated the following:

“While most sitemaps are under this 10 MB file limit, these days, our systems occasionally encounter sitemaps exceeding this limit. Most often this is caused when sitemap files list very long URLs or if they have attributes listing long extra URLs (as alternate language URLs, Image URLs, etc), which inflates the size of the sitemap file.

To address these evolving needs, we are happy to announce that we are increasing sitemaps file and index size from 10 MB to 50MB (52,428,800 bytes).”

For those unfamiliar with what are sitemaps, they are the way webmasters inform search engines about pages on their sites that are available for crawling.  Sitemaps are considered a key component in SEO  (Search Engine Optimization) strategies for some time as it allows for search engines to index sites more easily.

https://falconconsultingandmarketing.com/bing-google-increase-sitemaps-50-mb/

Visit us at www.falconconsultingandmarketing.com