by admin | Mar 6, 2017 | Baltimore SEO, Uncategorized
Law Firms are Rising Above their Competition, are You?
Attorneys and legal firms around the world receive constant inquiries regarding their services and fees. However, is your office in the right location? This doesn’t apply to your physical location, but your internet location. Are you at the top of the browser bar when clients are in need of quality legal representation?
Ranking Above the Competition
You are associated with an industry that has experienced phenomenal growth over recent years because let’s face it, almost everything requires legal counsel these days. The increase in demand is definitely noticeable and many firms are wondering what they can do to rise above their competition in the industry.
The answer to this question is not an ideal one and is likely to be found in the last place you considered as an attorney. It is important to consider that most people immediately turn to the internet when they are in need of legal counsel or representation. Now the bigger question is, are you there? Not only are you there, but do you or your firm stand out, because potential clients are searching and it’s important that your company name is being returned at the top of their search?
The SEO Key that Opens Doors and Increases Clientele
Just as you can’t afford to lose clients, you can’t afford to ignore the effective use of SEO practices in your business. Now, just as you stop to Google exactly what SEO is and why you should have it, understand that your potential clients do the exact same thing (Google it) when seeking legal counsel. Google and its amazing returns are the foundation of success for businesses located around the world. People trust the internet to provide them with information they seek daily and when searching for an attorney, if you’re not ranked among the top ten, you’re simply not ranked.
Internet searchers generally contact the first five to ten businesses that appear at the top of their internet search. People simply have more trust in those companies that populate first and many have found the services they need within the first few phone calls. Unfortunately, potential clients don’t just click enter and your firm magically appears but there is an SEO key that can change your Google search location for the best.
The Facts
Lawyers value facts because they are what matters most and in this case, facts are extremely important. Search Engine Optimization has the ability to convert your website into a virtual powerhouse that produces millions of dollars in increased annual revenue, as well as increase the number of inquiries received on a daily basis. The only thing you must do is rank high but of course, you have no clue how that’s done. You are an expert in the legal industry and there are experts in the SEO industry that can help you accomplish quality rankings on the internet.
Before you make the call to acquire SEO services, remember a few important facts:
All legal SEO experts aren’t professionals. Inquire about monthly tracking efforts and if they service competitors.
- Inquire about their process and packages. Make certain that the team consists of experts that have delivered quality results at a quality rate.
- Google is an ethical powerhouse that will not tolerate tainted tactics. A reputable SEO firm will understand the rules and guidelines outlined by Google and will acknowledge these rules. Doing otherwise could lead to penalties for your firm.
- The legal industry has the most competitive market online and your firm can be extremely successful if it returns at the top of the search results.
There is a great deal of information to comprehend and understand about SEO. The great news is that you don’t have to know it all. Simply collaborate with an agency or firm that is skilled and has extensive experience in the field and you will begin to see a positive increase in clients and revenue.
If you need help with marketing for your law firm, Virtual Surge, your legal SEO expert, is here to help. Whether you reside in Baltimore or anywhere else in the nation, reach out today to find out about the immediate steps that you can take today to boost your website traffic, improve your SEO, rev up your offline marketing, and ultimately grow your law firm.
by admin | Feb 18, 2017 | Baltimore SEO, Uncategorized
SEO Marketing Plan for 2017
The perception of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) varies among businesses, but one constant remains favorable. It is necessary to utilize effective SEO to stay ahead of the competition.
Just as changes in technology seem to occur at lightning speed, SEO does also. The only way to dominate the SEO challenge is to remain aware of these changes, and implement them in your business. There is more to the process than strategically placing a few keywords throughout website or general content. The new year has just arrived and changes in the industry have already taken place. There are a few trends to keep you in sync with the changes of SEO in 2017.
Super Charge Your Content
Let’s face it! There is a ton of information out there for readers to absorb. It’s important to realize that readers will not waste time reading crappy content. Eliminate the fluff that will cause people to move on to the next article, which happened to be written by the competition. Provide informative content that engages readers and remember to keep it simple. At one time, it was considered best to use long pieces of content, but that is not always necessary. Utilize the smallest amount of space to present the most engaging type of info.
Enhanced User Experience
This is one of the trends that finds its way into each year in one way or another. It is imperative that users have a pleasant experience while visiting websites. Web pages that are adequately equipped to properly handle mobile devices and usually load without lagging or interruption, are primarily favored by Google. Expect an increase of attention to be directed towards the quality of user experience. Web pages that are designed to interact efficiently with mobile devices are among those that Google will favor for providing a quality experience to its users. Web pages that attract the attention of visitors is a great start, but it is important to present quality material to engage them once they log into the page. Extended visit times is another characteristic that Google favors.
Accelerated Mobile Pages
There are a large percentage of web browsers that log into a site from their mobile devices. The worst-case scenario presents itself at the point of log in when the page fails to load or loads slowly. Many times, this occurs because the point of access is a mobile device and the page being visited is not equipped for mobile visitors. This will result in a loss of business for some businesses because the redirected visitor will choose to visit the site of a competitor. Make certain your business page is designed to offer an enhanced experience for those utilizing mobile devices. Google makes known its appreciation for those sites that make mobile access an easy experience. It makes them visible in a carousel, which includes the image of a bolt of lightning to indicate that the site is mobile accessible. Many brands have upgraded their website to accommodate mobile users to enhance their visibility and improve their productivity.
Voice Search
Voice search is by far the new kid on the block, but usage of the feature has increased over the past couple years. This is especially true with teens and older generations. It is a convenient feature that saves time and expedites return of results. More than 50% of teenagers and adults say they find the feature convenient and use it whenever possible. Websites should be optimized for voice search to ensure that there is a clear understanding of the terminology being spoken by users. Aim to optimize the site to accommodate those utilizing voice search as part of a strategy to dominate SEO this year.
Brand Building
Businesses must give attention to the continued development and building of their brand in 2017. Effective branding efforts increase the odds of consumers browsing for your brand specifically. Make certain the brand is visible and highly recognized because of its design and development. Keyword ranking is beneficial but it is not enough. Search engines have improved dramatically at recognizing artificial linking and calculated SEO strategies, including keywords. Execute strategies that diversifies the brand’s online presence.
Social Media Marketing
Simply put, your clients are on social media almost 80% of the day. Brands cannot afford to be absent from the social media platform. Social media sites have become almost as effective as Google, in that they present a variety of options to users when searching for certain categories.
by admin | Nov 23, 2016 | Digital Marketing, Uncategorized
Supercharge Your Digital Marketing Campaign!
The end of the year is upon us and your customers are preparing for the holidays. Time off work, family gatherings, travel and holiday shopping will monopolize most of that time. What else do people do most during this time of the year? They surf the net, research online products, make online purchases and most of all, plan for future purposes. If you want your business to be productive, don’t end the year with the same old routine, launch your 2017 marketing campaign NOW!
The year is nearly over and businesses around the globe are wondering where the time has gone. The numbers are coming in and though some are as projected, there is always room for improvement in profits. As a business, small or large, you are likely doing everything possible to keep up with or outperform the competition. Constant changes in technology are also changing the way people do business. Everyone is taking the digital approach these days before making any type of purchase. Research, shopping and often, the purchase are all conducted online. People rely on digital technology to help them make some of the most important purchases in life. When clients and customers launch their digital apps, surf online or utilize their social networks to ring in the new year, will your company be visible?
No business can afford to lose its footprint on the digital spectrum. That leads to the big question. Now that 2016 is ending, what’s your marketing plan for 2017? Perhaps you are still putting together a marketing team that you trust to develop the best and most creative ideas. Maybe you have plans to devise the plan after the New Year. While these plans may be somewhat effective, they are not contemporary marketing strategies utilized by the competition or other successful businesses. The most beneficial and successful marketing campaigns are developed and launched prior to the end of the year, like RIGHT NOW. This has proven to be the approach that delivers the most profitable results for businesses and will likely do the same for your business. It does not matter if you had a stellar year in 2016. You should not enter into the upcoming year relying on ‘ole faithful. Your primary goal must be to attract your target audience, which will present a significant improvement in your business progressing from good to great. A well-paved highway is no benefit if it is always closed for construction. In other words, your website may get a lot of traffic but if it doesn’t generate sales, it’s not profitable. Digital marketing concepts offer business owners the tools they need to survive and remain ahead of the competition.
Digital marketing is a wise investment for any company but especially when introduced to the business during the end of the year. It sets the standard for what current and potential customers will experience once the new year arrives. If you have not yet launched your digital marketing campaign, here are a few factors you should consider.
1. Digital Marketing Creates Higher Revenue
Quality digital marketing approach will result in substantial profitable advantages for the business in terms of increased revenue. Companies that incorporate digital marketing campaigns into the business before the new year arrives typically experience about 3 times the revenue than projected.
2. Digital Marketing Outperforms Traditional Marketing
The traditional marketing approach is not as effective as the digital concept. Customers and clients have limited time and availability. Therefore, they reach for their mobile devices and log into the internet to help them locate and purchase those items they need. Digital marketing allows businesses of all sizes to have a significant online presence that can be immediately observed by the target audience. An extremely high percentage of the most successful businesses have shifted completely from traditional to digital marketing and experienced positive results by doing so.
3. Digital Marketing Prepares Your Business for What Customers Expect
For your business to not only strive but survive in the world, timely preparation is a must. The blueprint of business is a global platform of intertwined gadgets, appliances, smart devices and more that have been designed to effectively coexist with the internet. Digital marketing links you to this platform and permits you to act as a magnet to your target audience.
Shoppers like to be informed and prepared before making a purchase of any size and the internet is their tool of choice for proper preparation. Almost 75% of your potential customers already have plans to make purchases in the new year. Launching a quality marketing campaign now, will ensure that you are visible as they research, as well as when they buy. A successful business plans to succeed by executing effective marketing campaigns.
Are you prepared to succeed in 2017 or will you be busy planning a campaign, while your target audience is shopping with the competition? We specialize in driving traffic to your website to get more business and to rise above your competitors in the search engines. We use the most up-to-date tactics to help our clients surge up in search engine rankings. If you are ready to effortlessly rise above your competition, contact Virtual Surge to get your FREE SEO video analysis. We do all of the work and are offering extreme discounts for those who are ready to begin taking their business to a new level with SEO services by January 1, 2017!
Virtual Surge 443-840-8444
Or go to the Discovery Form to get your FREE, no obligation, video analysis.
by admin | Aug 22, 2016 | Uncategorized, Wi-Fi Marketing
Social Wi-Fi Services in Baltimore – What You Need to Know
Customers have always been relatively clear about what they look for in a business. Many consumers share common desires when shopping such as, great customer service, quality products or services and let’s not forget the most important of them all…free Wi-Fi
As a business owner, numbers are clearly a large part of your business plan. Let’s visit a few extremely important numbers to make certain you are exactly where you need to be in the expanding social circle of consumers.
- 79% of consumers say that complimentary Wi-Fi makes a huge difference in their choices surrounding restaurants, shopping establishments and other retail decisions.
- Almost 75% of shoppers utilizing their smartphones to assist with shopping and almost 90% of those who use their smartphone to research local information make purchases within a day.
- Almost 80% of customers remain loyal and frequently return to businesses that offer free Wi-Fi
- 82% of adults in America access the internet wirelessly from their laptop, tablet, smartphone or other mobile device
The above numbers provide an inside look at what businesses gain by offering free Wi-Fi for their customers. One of the easiest and most beneficial ways to provide this service is via social hotspots. Social media is always trending and once your customers accesses your free Wi-Fi via their social media page, your business is trending all over the world.
Benefits of Social Hotspots
There are multiple benefits provided by linking up with mobile hotspot services and launching free Wi-Fi from your business. Businesses experience phenomenal growth of their customer database and are also able to engage with customers on an entirely different level. Strategic connections that are established through retarget advertising campaigns all while giving customers access to a secure and private internet connection are the foundation of these benefits.
Increased Interaction with Your Customers
- Promote offers, events and publish advertising banners for the business to be streamed during customer log-in.
- Make offers to customers involving vouchers, promotions, videos and coupons.
- Consider cross-promoting to other advertisers as an extra stream of revenue for the business. Allow their ads to stream across your landing page for customers to see.
Increase Customer Database
- First-time and returning visitors will instantly be included on the email marketing database from Facebook.
- Communicate via email to visitors and capitalize your email marketing and advertising campaigns.
- Social hotspots allow businesses to obtain valid email addresses of the customers, as well as gain an inside look at the Facebook Social Graph, which provides age, gender and hometown. It is beneficial in that businesses can capture quality valuable demographic data while observing engagement as it occurs.
The Social Connect
It’s really simple to get started and have your customers connected to your social hotspot via their social media pages. In very little time business owners will experience an increased number of leads that assist in business growth and sales increase.
- Log-In: Customer connects to Free Wi-Fi connection via their laptop, smartphone or tablet.
- Social Activity: Customer is immediately routed to a landing page that requests that they log-in via Twitter, Google, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn or Email to be connected to the free Wi-Fi of the business.
- Interact: Customer is invited to ‘Share’ and ‘Like’ the Facebook business page prior to being directed to in store deals and promotions.
- Get Connected: Customers are free to enjoy the Free-Wi-Fi made possible by logging in to the business hotspot and the business enjoys the benefits gained by acquiring quality data that can be utilized to engage customers and develop marketing campaigns for future use.
The Sensible Business Solution
Social Wi-Fi hotspots are a dynamic way to cater to the demands of most consumers in the world today. Consumers want free access to Wi-Fi and with this method, businesses can provide them with secure access, while actually gaining great benefits for their business in return.
Be the connection your customers need and they’ll keep coming back!
by admin | Jun 14, 2016 | Recent News, Uncategorized
Google’s Second Mobile Algorithm Update Could Change the Ranking System for Websites without Mobile Optimization
As of May 12, 2016, if your website isn’t optimized for mobile access, you could be experiencing major disadvantages in client acquisition and website traffic. The second version of Google’s mobile-friendly update has been fully rolled out and is designed to increase the effect of the mobile friendly ranking signal. According to Google, those sites that are already mobile-friendly, are not impacted by the update.
Google’s algorithm is a page-by-page signal. Therefore, it required a certain length of time for Google to assess each page and took some time to roll out completely.
In addition to mobile optimization for improved SERP rankings, having a mobile-optimized website will assist with paid search strategies also. Paid search ads will supply customers with a “Mobile Friendly” seal if the website is optimized, permitting consumers the opportunity to enjoy an enhanced user experience. Consumers are likely to click until they find websites that offer a user-friendly interface.
If you are a business owner, mobile optimization is a vital part of the productivity of your business. Why is this, you ask? Websites provide a visual experience for customers, it’s imperative that your site appears as professional and viewer friendly as possible. Without a mobile-friendly site, mobile device visitors can’t access your website.
There are additional advantages of optimizing your website for mobile devices.
1. Instant Access
Mobile devices are extremely portable and many people utilize them to surf websites at any time and from any place. If a website is mobile-optimized, consumers can easily access the site and gain a clear perspective on what the company offers.
2. Offline Integration
How much knowledge do you have about QR codes? These can assist you with integration of offline media. It is increasing in popularity by measures of making offline advertising for companies and businesses. As a result, it can be scanned and translated into information such as the url or email address of a website. Insertion of these codes into ads aides in directing traffic to websites. It provides instant communication with offline users around the globe.
3. Improved SEO
It was 2015 that Google announced its new algorithm favors mobile-responsive websites and the very next year, 2016, an update was performed. Google has a prepared mobile-friendly seal set up that prompts users as to whether or not a site is mobile compatible. As an end result, users typically will not click on a website link that appears in a Google search, but isn’t optimized for mobile devices. Keep in mind, more than 70% of web surfers are browsing from their mobile device.
4. Boosts Productivity
Mobile optimization does more than enhance user engagement, it also has a positive impact on the bottom line. Website visitors are more than 50% more likely to conduct business with an online retailer that has a mobile site. Potential or existing clients are less likely to conduct online business transactions via a site that isn’t optimized for mobile usage due to concerns of validity of the transaction or accuracy in the overall process.
Google’s Mobile Ranking System
The initial reaction to Google’s announcement of a mobile ranking system was consumed with mixed indicators of the unknown. Businesses that were properly optimized for mobile felt safe but wasn’t exactly sure what Google would utilize as standard system of ranking. While those businesses that weren’t optimized, were unclear as to which direction to take in order to gain the proper optimization of their site and not miss out on the opportunity to become ranked.
The launch of Google’s second Algorithm update is a strong indication that Google is beginning to focus strongly on the ranking of mobile sites, which puts those sites that aren’t optimized for mobile access at jeopardy of not being ranked at all in the near future.
If you are among the few businesses that have yet to optimize your website for mobile use, it’s simple to start the process.
The initiative required to develop a mobile-friendly website depends on a few factors, developer resources, business model and level of expertise. On an extremely basic implementation level, transforming an existing desktop site to mobile compatibility involves extracting current elements of content from the desktop site and organizing it to relate to a mobile-friendly design pattern.
Be advised! Google’s next mobile update is expected to include page speed. If you would like to learn more about mobile optimization for your website or would like assistance with making your website mobile friendly or to have quicker page load speed, contact Shannon McCraw at Virtual Surge. 443-840-8444
Just as you can’t afford to lose clients, you can’t afford to ignore the effective use of SEO practices in your business. Now, just as you stop to Google exactly what SEO is and why you should have it, understand that your potential clients do the exact same thing (Google it) when seeking legal counsel. Google and its amazing returns are the foundation of success for businesses located around the world. People trust the internet to provide them with information they seek daily and when searching for an attorney, if you’re not ranked among the top ten, you’re simply not ranked.
