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SEO -Search Engine Optimization

If your website does not have a high ranking with Google, Bing, Yahoo and the other search engines, it’s effectively invisible to potential customers. SEO optimization will drive motivated visitors – people who are searching for your product or service. The goal of the search engines is to quickly and efficiently help internet users find what they’re looking for. Those websites ranked the highest are considered by the search engines to provide the best answers to the user’s search query.

Our job is to ensure that the search engines have all of the information needed to direct motivated visitors to your website. Every time someone searches for your product or service, our goal is to have your website appear as high as possible in the search results. We want visitors to click on your website, not on your competitor’s.

Our SEO Services Include:

Keyword Research

The importance of keyword research is often underestimated. There are many factors involved in achieving a top search engine ranking, but keyword research is the foundation of the SEO process. The better you understand your customers, the more of an edge you will have over competitors. There’s a lot more involved in choosing the best keywords than simply plugging keywords chosen in a quick brainstorming session into Google Keyword Planner.

Relying on any keyword research tool too heavily can cripple a website’s goal of achieving high search engine rankings. Effective keyword research is a multi-step process.

  • First, a niche market or markets must be identified.
  • Next, thoroughly analyze the customer demographics. Define a typical customer. What motivates a buying decision?
  • Finally, choose keywords or keyword phrases that prospective customers are most likely to use.

If the keyword research is not executed thoroughly with human insight, much potential business will be lost. Keyword research is not a one-time project. When conditions change, ineffective keywords need to be replaced with better choices.

SEO Analysis

An SEO Analysis looks at your website much as a search engine does. The analysis will identify strengths and weaknesses, identifying areas needing improvement. The website’s architecture, content and linking structure will be examined. Social media accounts and the overall authority of the website on the internet will be reviewed. Recommendations for improving the website will be part of a detailed SEO Analysis.

Analytics

Google Analytics is the most commonly-used tool for tracking, measuring and testing a website’s performance, but other tools are also used. Analytics provide a wealth of information, including where traffic is coming from and which keywords were used. A/B testing can be performed on web page variations to see which works the best.

No website’s performance will remain unchanged over time. Search engines’ algorithms change, rewarding or penalizing a website’s ranking. Customer behavior also evolves. In order to become or remain successful, a website must adapt to the ever-changing demands of the internet. Analytics provides insight into what is working, what needs changing or updating and is a key factor in successful marketing campaigns.

Quality Link Building

Some of the worst website offenses in the past involved quick and dirty link building schemes. Legitimate link building techniques are known as “white hat” or “natural.” “Black hat” techniques are just the opposite, violating Google’s Webmaster Guidelines. Black hat techniques were used to quickly increase a website’s search engine ranking by adding large numbers of irrelevant or spam links to a website. Google’s Penguin and Panda algorithm updates severely penalized sites using this black hat method with huge losses of traffic.

No reputable SEO firm will recommend or use any black hat link building methods.

Building quality links, however, remains a critical component of website optimization. High-quality links, such as from recognized authorities in the field, government sources or educational institutions, are considered natural links and improve a website’s authority and trust. This has a positive affect on the website’s search engine ranking. A poor quality website will not attract or retain high-quality links.

Google’s overall policy on links is relatively clear. Google’s stated goal is to emphasize a good “user experience.” As a corollary, websites providing natural or high-quality links will benefit and and sites with unnatural or poor quality links will be penalized. However, link building is tricky. It takes experience and time to accumulate worthwhile links. Trying to manipulate the system is never advisable and will ultimately result in a Google penalty. Understanding and remaining compliant with Google’s Webmaster Guidelines is essential.

So, with all the possible repercussions, why do links matter?

  • Links point to content, which is and will continue to be all-important. If there are no other websites pointing to the content on your website, another website with poorer but optimized content and high-quality links could achieve a higher ranking.
  • Links are used by Google to find, categorize, index and rate websites and website pages.
  • Visualize a thermostat. Each quality link increases the temperature of the website by a degree while each unnatural link lowers the temperature. As a website accumulates great links, the temperature will finally reach the hot zone. This will help to send the website to the top of the search engine results page.

Local Search Marketing

Local search is much more than simply adding a city name to a keyword. When the website is optimized appropriately, targeted traffic will be driven to the website. Research has shown that local visitors are very motivated consumers.

  • Local search marketing is set to explode in 2017, pushed by the fact that mobile devices now account for more than half of all computing.
  • Location data (name, address, and phone number) is increasingly important and must be consistent and accurate. Large publishers like Apple spread this data to customers wherever they happen to be.
  • Google has indicated that it will be spending a lot of effort and money on local searches.
  • Businesses have discovered that apps such as Snapchat are very useful when included in marketing campaigns, inviting consumer response.
  • Consumers love mobile wallets and will save offers to them. Applications are diverse, ranging from coupons to loyalty programs to mass transit.
  • Google is still the dominant search engine, but Facebook and Apple continue to encroach upon Google’s territory. Facebook is positioning itself to become increasingly important to local search.

Website Content Creation and Optimization

Content is still king. Relevant, informative and useful high-quality content is essential for a high ranking in Google and the other search engines in 2016. Poor or outdated content will contribute to a lower ranking and less traffic. Content marketing provides useful information to prospects and current customers, building trust and enhancing the brand. Interactive content is becoming increasingly popular with consumers.

Quality content offers many benefits in addition to boosting search engine ranking.

  • Business decision-makers and consumers as a whole prefer to receive information from a series of articles rather than from an advertisement.
  • Most consumers tend to believe that those organizations providing useful custom content are interested in building a good relationship.
  • Videos are increasingly popular. Over half of all consumers feel that video content is the most trustworthy.
  • Videos provide a positive image of the company for 71% of consumers.
  • Content marketing is extremely cost-effective, costing 62% less than traditional outbound marketing.
  • Whatever your niche, strive to be seen as an expert in your field.
  • B2B organizations are heavily into content marketing. A survey released by the Content Marketing Institute revealed that 86% of B2B companies have implemented content marketing into their strategic marketing plan.

Meta Tag and Alt Tag Optimization

Meta tags are used to give information about the page to the search engines and are usually placed in the <head> element of the HTML page. Visitors to the page do not see meta tags.  A meta tag should be relevant, descriptive and accurate about the page’s topic or subject.

Google has said that meta tags don’t help with page ranking. If meta tags are used improperly, Google could penalize a website. However, this is unlikely when the tags are descriptive and useful.

Alt tags should be used for all images on the website for two reasons:

  • Those who are blind or visually handicapped should be able to use the website. Alt tags permit screen readers to read the description of the image.
  • The search engines are also unable to read images, so alt tags allows the content on the page to be counted for page ranking purposes. Optimize alt tags by including keywords within the descriptions.

Hyperlinking Optimization

A hyperlink, or more commonly link, has two parts:

  • The URL to which the link points (www.mydomain.com);
  • The anchor text which the user sees (“click here“) or the URL, if no anchor text is used. Anchor text looks professional and aids the search engine in understanding the relevance of the target page, which helps raise the website’s ranking.

In the example above, “click here” is commonly used on web pages, but is not a good choice for anchor text. It contains no information about the page being linked to. To optimize the anchor text, use the subject of the target page, such as “Schedule an emergency plumbing service call.”

Optimizing hyperlinks is a small step, but effectively optimizing a website or page is like most large projects. Many small steps make up the whole.

Social Bookmarking

Millions of users share their favorite websites every day. Social bookmarking websites allow users to store and organize their favorite web pages with keywords and to search through the top picks of others. Having your website listed on the social bookmarking websites can be very useful for website promotions as it will drive quality traffic to your website. Social bookmarking websites may not send a lot of traffic to your website, but each visitor will have already demonstrated a strong interest in the topic.

Effective SEO is the key to a high ranking in the search engines and a significant boost for your business. What’s your SEO score? Get a Free Site Audit today and find out!

Building websites + relationships since 2016

Client Reviews

Becky Kilimnik
Becky Kilimnik
Ryan of VT Web Marketing is a joy to work with. He's very courteous, helpful, and informative. I recently reached out to him for support and he spent nearly an hour with me on the phone, walking through everything step by step. For me, customer support is everything, and this company has that in spades. Highly recommend!
Marilyn Konopka
Marilyn Konopka
I had the pleasure of working with Ryan, Larissa, and Joe at VT Web Marketing for our WordPress website, specifically for The Stowe Basketry Festival. Their work was nothing short of exceptional, showcasing their expertise in WordPress and delivering outstanding customer support. VT Web Marketing created a captivating and user-friendly website that perfectly captured the essence of our festival. Their attention to detail and seamless integration of our branding elements impressed us immensely, resulting in a visually stunning website. What truly set them apart was their exceptional customer support. Throughout the project, their team displayed utmost professionalism, promptly addressing any concerns or questions we had. They went above and beyond to ensure that our website not only looked amazing but also functioned flawlessly. Their expertise in WordPress optimization strategies helped us achieve significant online visibility. The enhanced SEO techniques implemented by VT Web Marketing boosted our festival's online presence, attracting a wider audience and contributing to its overall success. I highly recommend VT Web Marketing for their top-notch WordPress services and excellent customer support. They are experts in creating impactful online experiences that drive results. Kudos to the team for their outstanding work!
Jenna Baird
Jenna Baird
I am absolutely thrilled with the exceptional service provided by Ryan and the talented team at VT Web Marketing. They transformed our Shopify website for Baird Farm, a maple syrup producer and retailer, with their impeccable attention to detail, cost-effectiveness, responsiveness, and top-notch quality work. VT Web Marketing demonstrated remarkable cost-effectiveness, delivering outstanding results without straining our budget. Their pricing structure was competitive and offered excellent value for our investment. Ryan and his team's attention to detail was truly impressive. They meticulously examined every aspect of our website and flawlessly executed the project. The team's responsiveness was outstanding. They kept us updated throughout the process and promptly addressed any questions or concerns we had. Their commitment to providing exceptional customer service was evident in their timely communication. The quality of work delivered by VT Web Marketing surpassed all expectations. Our website now beautifully showcases Baird Farm's essence. The design is captivating, the functionality seamless, and the overall user experience exceptional. The advanced features implemented have significantly boosted our online presence and sales. I highly recommend VT Web Marketing to anyone in need of a reliable and skilled team to transform their Shopify website. Ryan and his team's cost-effectiveness, attention to detail, responsiveness, and quality work were outstanding. Our experience with them was fantastic, and we eagerly anticipate future projects with VT Web Marketing. Five stars all the way!
Pascale Savard
Pascale Savard
I have had the pleasure of working with Ryan at VT Web Marketing in Stowe, Vermont on a number of web design and development projects. He and his team always go the extra mile to provide outstanding customer service and knowledge in WordPress. They've been able to provide a high return on investment for our projects by always adapting the latest and greatest features and trends. I highly recommend Ryan and the team at VT Web Marketing for all your website needs. Pascale Savard, VP Board of Directors, Special Events and Marketing, Green Mountain Adaptive Sports.
Peter Lawrence Band
Peter Lawrence Band
Ryan, Is a great person to work with. He helped me transferrer and host the bands web site. Vt Web marketing is flexible and really wants your business to thrive. This is a rare quality these days. You wont go wrong with theses cats.
Alex Cal
Alex Cal
The person I told to was very helpful give me prices and ideas a little more expensive than I have thought The person I talked to on the phone's knowledge will stay me their way be their way sorry don't remember his name
simpl man
simpl man
Very knowledgeable and willing to help.
Kelli Millick
Kelli Millick
We've been working with VT Web Marketing for the past 5 years. First, they did a beautiful job on our website and were sure to include all of the information we needed to get out to the public. Since then, they've been very responsive to addressing any questions or support we've needed. They always take our ideas and drafts and make them come alive. The whole VT Web Marketing team has been wonderful to work with.
Patrick Quimby
Patrick Quimby
Ryan and John and team are very knowledgeable and helped me with my website, and the updates that need to happen to remain competent in this market...thank you! Best, patrick
Monica L Morrissey
Monica L Morrissey
I appreciate the quick service. I called and needed some immediate assistance for my website. They phoned me back within 20 minutes and had the work completed within 2 hours. Amazing! I am so grateful for their work and great service! If you have any website needs, this company is the one you want!