Everyone knows the feeling of waiting for a website to load. On average, if a site takes more than 3 seconds to load, users will start to abandon the site and move on to something else. Optimizing your website can increase conversion rates and improve search engine rankings because fast sites drive faster indexing and faster loading times will improve your site’s user experience and also make it easier for Googlebot to crawl your pages.

Page speed is an important factor for all these reasons although it’s not the most important. Many websites rank well on Google but still load slow. The website may be large or have a lot of content, or could have a faulty design. A simple analogy is to think of the internet as a freeway. If there are too many cars on the road, it’s going to take longer to get where you’re going. So if your website has too many files or those files are very large in size it’s going to take longer for the site to load.

Google has created a tool called Pagespeed Insights that you can use to check your site speed. You can type in the name of your website address into this tool and it will show you how fast or slow your website is. The pagespeed insight tool has received criticism because it is not fully accurate when it comes to measuring pagespeed. The tool can show that a website is very slow even when it is not, and websites will be rated poorly if they aren’t fully optimized even for optimizations that don’t make much difference when it comes to load time. I prefer using the GTMetrix pagespeed tool which also shows the pagespeed insights score within it.

So should you optimize your site? While site speed is important, it’s not the most important factor when it comes to success on google. There are many other factors that affect your ranking on google and if you want to pick and choose what aspects to focus on improving, I would recommend focusing on site quality, content quality and backlinks. Unless you have excessive loading issues.

In conclusion, it’s important to have a fast website but there are many other factors that determine rankings and success. It’s also important to have a stable site, which may include having an SSL certificate, caching plugins, CDN, responsive design, and secure hosting.
As the popularity of the internet continues to grow exponentially each year, website speed is still not the most important factor when it comes to success or ranking on Google but it is still something website owners should keep in mind.

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1. Look at the SERP (Search Engine Results Page): One of the best ways to get an idea of how likely your website is to rank for specific terms on Google is by assessing the websites that Google is currently ranking for those terms. If Google is ranking websites that are similar to yours in terms of context and metrics than you have a good chance of ranking. Although if Google is ranking websites that are not very similar to yours than it’s a sign that it will be difficult for you to rank. For example if you are a painting contractor and you are trying to target a keyword that has a bunch of other contractors ranking for it that’s a good sign, but if the keyword your targeting has a bunch of paint manufactures rankings for it, than you should probably rethink it. Personally the tool that I use and recommend for keyword research is KWFinder by Mangools. Using this tool you can easily assess the websites ranking on the first page for a given search term and see all their metrics in one easy spot as well as find other similar terms.
   
   
2. Don’t be afraid to niche down: When conducting keyword research it can be frustrating trying to find a term that you can easily compete in, especially if your site is new. Usually general terms will be more competitive and as you niche down the competition will decrease. If you provide multiple services instead of trying to target a keyword that broadly covers all your services you might want to target each service specifically and build out separate pages for all the services. Even if the search volume for each service individually is lower combining all of them can often add up to even more search volume while also dealing with less competition. If you are a local business try to target keywords that include your town’s name, if you live in a big city try targeting keywords that include major intersections in your area.
   
   
3. Look for user intent: It can be easy to get caught up in targeting keywords with the highest search volume but in many cases the highest search volume keyword is not the one that is most likely to convert. For example if you are a painter in Toronto you might be tempted to target a keyword such as “home painting” (90 searches) but this keyword is very general. The people searching for it might be looking for home painting ideas or home painting supplies, it might make more sense for you to target a keyword that shows better search intent such as “professional painters Toronto” (50 search) even though the search volume is lower it is clear that the people searching for it are looking for exactly your services. Usually you can get an idea of how valuable a keyword is by looking at the estimated CPC for that keyword in a Google Ads campaign.

The best way to improve your keyword research is through practice, the more websites you rank on Google the better understanding you will have of how the algorithm works. If you’re looking for a digital marketing agency feel free to reach out to me for help.

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The general answer to this question is one that most business owners hate, which is “it depends”.

Although this answer is dreadful for most since it’s not really an answer there is a reason to it.

SEO is not a guaranteed strategy to generate leads. Like all marketing SEO is a risk and some industries require heavy investment to see any results at all. Other industries are simply not suitable for SEO at all!

So before answering your question regarding the cost of SEO, first you need to see if it’s suitable for your business. I have seen business owners literally spend thousands of dollars on an SEO campaign and get to the first page for many keywords only to realize these keywords have almost no search volume or are being searched by a completely different audience than they wanted to target.

How do you know if SEO will work for you?

One of the easiest ways to get a quick idea of how well SEO will work for your industry is to check the monthly search volume for key search terms that your target market might be using.

You can see how many people are searching for specific keywords using tools like KWFinder by Mangools, although that is a paid tool. If you are looking for a free alternative you can try Uber Suggest although I don’t have much experience with this tool and heard the results can be inconsistent.

Alternatively you can contact an SEO expert such as me to help you see how viable your industry is for SEO.

Generally the search volume you want to see for you industry depends on how much money each customer brings to your business. If you see a search volume of 20/month that does not mean you should expect 20 clients each month. If you are in the first position for that keyword you can expect closer to 1-2 clients/month if it is heavily specific/targeted but this depends heavily on your landing page, website, industry and much more. Many keywords will bring you zero clients even if they have high search volume. If you do not have much experience with SEO I highly recommend you hire an expert to help you determine if SEO can help your business.

Most SEO experts will be incentived to tell you that SEO will help you so you purchase their services so keep this in mind when talking with them and don’t be afraid to ask for stats such as search volume and potential keywords to target.

So how much should you expect to pay?

It can be hard to determine the price because it so heavily depends on your industry and competition but I will provide a general idea for SEO prices in Toronto since that is the market I am most familiar with.

Most small businesses in Toronto will generally have an SEO budget of $1,000-$2,000/month it is common to see SEO specialists go down to $500/month or up to $5,000+/month depending on your industry and size.

SEO is a service based industry so the more you pay generally the more time the agency will put into your website which means you will rank for more terms and rank higher for specific terms.

If you are in a highly competition industry with lots of competition and money in it such as law firms you should expect to pay more. Injury Lawyers can easily get into the 5 digits for their monthly retainer.

Keep in mind Toronto is a big city with a high population which means for most industries by default you will have high competition. On the flip side you will also have high search volume. Some industries that wouldn’t be able to get much results from SEO in small towns can get big results in Toronto due to the high population and high search volume.

I hope this article helped you get a better understanding on how much it costs to hire an expert to do your SEO work. If you still have questions or would like to speak with an expert don’t hesitate to contact me today.

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Being a business owner while also keeping up with the latest Google Trends is hard. Below I’ve listed six quick tips any small business owner can follow to improve their rankings on Google. Before we start, let’s define local SEO. If you already know what local SEO means feel free to skip to the first tip. Local SEO is optimizing your site to appear in the Google results for localized search terms. Let’s say you run a bakery, most likely only people in your area or people visiting your area will be interested in visiting your bakery. Although it would be nice to show up on Google nationally for search terms related to bakeries, the visitors that matter most to you are searching specifically for bakeries in your city or town. The good news for you is local SEO is typically EASIER than worldwide SEO. Local SEO is generally easier than SEO done on a worldwide scale because you are not competing with the whole world but only your localized competitors. If done properly a local business can definitely see growth in popularity and an increase in customers just from having a good online presence and an optimized website. Below we are going to go over a few strategies that almost any business owner can use to increase their presence on Google without breaking the bank.

1. Social Media

I think social media is one of the hardest thing to get right online, many small business owners have a misconception that social media can bring them a lot of traffic in a short period of time. The truth is, social media is one of the most difficult internet marketing strategies for small business to get right and it will not result in lots of traffic overnight. In fact the opposite is usually true, social media generally will not result in much traffic at all unless you are consistent with it over a long period of time and regularly maintain it. Nonetheless having a presence on social media is one of the first steps to making Google more aware of your business. Even if you don’t have the time to regularly post on social media I would still recommend you establish a business presence by creating an account on all the large social media sites. Having an account on all the large social media sites will further strengthen your businesses authority in Google’s Algorithm. Many SEO companies won’t create social media pages for you, so you should be doing this even if you are hiring a SEO company to help boost your rankings. Creating a social media presence for your business won’t result in a flood of new customers overnight. Although if you consistently post on social media you will begin to build a small but loyal fan base that will continually recommend you to their friends and family. Furthermore you will be reminding people about your business and the ways in which it can benefit them. It is important to keep in mind that when people use social media sites they typically are relaxing. Remember to keep your social media posts light hearted and friendly. Optimizing Your Posts for the Facebook Algorithm As backwards as it may seem to many business owners, social media is not the place to constantly be promoting your business. Although it is a great resource to get in front of customers if you are only posting promotional content your post engagement will be low and never get seen by your fans. Facebook’s algorithm is designed to show people content that they enjoy. If you provide valuable information to your customers through social media about the industry you work in and your post engagement is higher more people will see your promotional posts as well. Social Media Reviews Arguably one of the most important parts of social media for any small business is the review section. Make sure you ask all your happy customers to leave your business a review on your Google My Business page as well as on your Facebook page as Google pulls this data and can display it within the search results for your business.

2. Local Directories

Today there are hundreds of directories online where you can list your business for free. Being listed in these directories provides a myriad of benefits, these include: Free Advertising: Many people visit directories such as Yelp to find businesses. Recently I visited Montreal with my brother and the first place he looked when trying to find a restaurant to visit was Yelp. The businesses that had created free Yelp accounts had all just received some free advertising. Those with positive reviews have probably translated that free advertising into paying customers. Better Google My Business ranking: When you are listed in many directories you prove to Google that your business is legitimate and the location listed is accurate. Google compares your information across many sources online to verify that it is valid. Google takes this incredibly seriously as they don’t want to send users to the wrong address. Businesses that are listed in many directories generally rank higher up in Google Maps when people search for them. Better Website Ranking in the Search Results Page: If the directories you are listing your business on link to your website your website receives a backlink. Backlinks are a huge ranking factor in Google’s Algorithm and can have a large impact on how you rank on Google. It is important that your business is listed correctly in all directories so be sure to keep your information consistent. If you are able to add a description you should be adding a unique new description to every single directory. If you are able to add photos to the directories take advantage of this as well as it can increase consumer confidence and help with your rankings as well. The more relevant the directory is to your business the better, for example a directory for bakeries would be great if you owned your own bakery or a directory for businesses located in Toronto would be great if you owned a business in Toronto. The more hyper focused the directory, the better results you will see in terms of your Google ranking increasing. The most common directory listing mistake made by business owners If you are listing your business in many directories it is very important to keep track of it. Create a file with a list of all the directories where your business is listed and the login details. If your business ever relocates to a different address you must update every single directory. This is incredibly important because Google will check your address between many sites and if it is incorrect in some places you will lower the confidence the algorithm has about your location and as a result rank worse in the Google Map results. If Google has any doubt about the validity of your address and is not confident in your address it can affect you greatly. Finding Directories Finding directories to list your business in outside of the large ones (Yelp, Yellowpages.etc) is often a challenge for business owners. I have compiled a list of the top fifteen directories for Canadian businesses on my site. I may make a post about how to find the directories your competitors are using in the future.

3. Network and Connect with other Local Business Owners

This might initially seem like it does not really fit into a list of how to increase your businesses visibility on Google. Although bear with me and I’ll explain. If you have done any research on ranking your business on Google you have probably heard about the importance of backlinks and although directories are a great way to build up your websites backlink profile your site should have a diverse variety of backlinks. Having backlinks from just one source is never a good long term strategy. Another great way to get backlinks is through a partner’s page. A partner’s page is simply a page where you link to other businesses in your area that you want to help promote. In return usually they will also link back to you. This is a great strategy not only because it generates a backlink and increases your sites authority in Google’s Algorithm but because it could also be a secondary source of traffic to your site. I would not recommend having your partners page featured prominently in the header of your site because you do not want to distract your site visitors but having it in the footer is a great place to put it and creates an easy way for you to promote your friends that also own businesses. Creating a partners page on your website can technically be considered Grey Hat SEO or even Black Hat SEO depending on who you are talking to. Although a partners page can be a great way for two businesses to both share traffic, and if you are doing it for the purpose of promoting a business that you believe could genuinely be good for your visitors it is completely white hat. It is only considered black hat or grey hat if you are solely using it to gain backlinks and manipulate the search engine results page.

4. Hyper Localize the Content for Your Site

Instead of just writing general content for your site that would pertain to the world, localize your content and write it with your target audience in mind. Use the words that are commonly used in your community, and mention the city or town that your business is located in… A lot… You want Google to know that you are a local business. For example if you owned a bakery instead of saying: “We bake the best cookies” You could say: “We bake the best cookies in Toronto” Simply adding the city into your phrase just made a huge difference in Google’s Algorithm, you have not only informed Google that your site is relevant to people searching for information about Toronto but you have also inadvertently targeted the keyword “best cookies in Toronto” which gets 210 searches/month within Toronto and is significantly easier to rank for than just “best cookies” where you could be competing on a worldwide scale with large bloggers and recipe sites. Hyper localizing the content on your site is just the obvious thing to do if you own a local business and something that I encourage every business to do.

5. Ask for Reviews

I touched a bit on this earlier but decided to make it its own point because it is very important. One of the first things that consumers do when picking a business to shop at is check reviews online. If you competitor has more reviews than you and they are all positive in many cases the consumer is going to pick his business to shop at. Today even location based businesses like restaurants need to have good reviews online, people will compare the two restaurants across the street from each other on their phones before walking into one. I know this because I have seen it happen. If you are not online and you are not asking every happy customer to leave you a review you are missing out on potential customers. Many costumers might enjoy your services but forget to leave a review, even if you ask them to. One way to try and make the process easier for customers is to add a “review” button on your site that redirects them straight to your Google My Business review page. You could also have a separate button for Facebook or Yelp reviews, so the customer has the option of using their preferred platform. Having many Google reviews will increase your presence for localized Google searches and in Google Maps searches.

6. Start a Blog

Every business should aim to become a leader in their industry, just like how Amazon aims to be the perfect ecommerce platform or Google aims to be the perfect search engine your business should always be striving to become the best. One way that Google looks for leaders in an industry is by looking for those that share information about an industry. Just like we expect an author of a book to be an expert in what he is writing Google expects a business that shares information about their field to be an expert. We have seen repeatedly over the past few years that Google loves content. In the SEO community a popular saying that is often repeated is “Content is king” because we have seen time and time again that just having lots of good relevant unique content can significantly improve the rankings of a site. If you are a local business owner and run a blog that not only keeps your customers up to date but also provides them with valuable good information you will be rewarded. Especially if you are the only business in your area that does this. A blog in many places will set you apart from your competitors in Google’s eyes and truly make you a leader in your industry. One of the biggest mistakes I see made by local businesses repeatedly is not having enough content on their site. A blog is a great way to add content onto your site without having to stuff all your pages with too much information. I hope that you enjoyed this massive 2,000+ word post on 6 things that you can do today to increase your local businesses visibility on Google. If you did enjoy it I would appreciate you sharing it with anyone who might also find it helpful.

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