In April 2020 the UK government announced they would be introducing a new tax on large multi-national enterprises operating within the digital economy with a turnover of over £500m in the UK market. This will be a 2% tax applied to revenues on search engines, social media services and online marketplaces. With this impacting a range of enterprises from search engines such as Google through to social media platforms such as Facebook, it is sure to be wide reaching.

When Does This Come Into Effect?

As of 1st April 2020 this digital tax came into effect. Platforms such as Google have recently announced that they will be passing this cost onto their clients. As of November 2020 they will be charging an additional fee for ads served on their platforms such as Google and YouTube. Some platforms such as Amazon have also announced they will be passing this additional cost onto clients, other platforms are expected to follow suit.

How Will This Impact Me?

If you are operating within one of these platforms this cost will unfortunately be passed across to you. If you serve ads on search engine platforms such as Google and YouTube this will come into effect from November 2020. As other platforms are expected to follow suit this may also be the case across other advertising platforms. If you would like more information, the following links can explain in more detail:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/introduction-of-the-digital-services-tax/digital-services-tax 

https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/9750227

Efficient Google Ad Campaigns

With the addition of this digital tax, it is now more important than ever to make sure your Google Ads are being properly managed. Campaigns run incorrectly can soon get inefficient and expensive, you need to make sure you are getting a return on your investment! Are you running Google Ads and suffering from a lack of optimisation and poor return on investment? Perhaps you are interested in running some but don’t know where to start? If this applies to you, get in contact with the PPC experts here at USdigital and tap into the potential of Google Ads.

The post Digital Services Tax – Will This Impact Me? appeared first on USdigital.

Always Look On The Bright Side of SEO…

• Shopping from home and browsing the internet is at its peak. Many are self-isolating and digital content is exploding at present.
• The future is, and will be, online marketing. The period we are in is a glimpse into our future. More people working from home, with technology still coming on leaps and bounds to bring VR reality into our life without the need to leave the house for an immersive shopping experience. Take a look at Amazon now, one of the worlds biggest enterprises. They certainly aren’t freezing up, in fact they have just opened up 100,000 new jobs to deal with the surge of online activity.
• The competition might be thinner during the pandemic as many are weary and hesitant to act, trying their best to cut their costs. This is a great time to take advantage of that and gain a competitive edge not just for now but also when things turn back to reality and a natural uptake across all industries sets in.

What Should I Do About SEO During Lockdown?

We are in a time of panic as businesses across the country adopt new ways to cope with the lockdown, and it’s easy to stop a service that you are paying money for on a monthly basis. With SEO we NEED to look at the bigger picture because unlike PPC you can’t just turn an SEO service off without having significant consequences down the line.

Our advice is that if you can sustain your SEO activity at this time then we highly recommend you do so.

Why Should I Keep SEO During Lockdown?

SEO takes time to build up and establish, in most cases this is months or even years. It’s all about gaining that trust with Google, showing them that you are an authority in your specific sector. You will have spent money each month on getting your site ranking well for keywords, and in return capitalising on traffic and in term direct business enquiries.

If you stop SEO, then 3 or 4 months down the line your rankings will start to fall, and so will your traffic and your leads, impacting the work that has been done to get you where you are today.

Keeping a competitive edge, good momentum and stabilisation of your rankings at this important time is crucial. Once COVID-19 has passed you will not only be in a strong position, but there is a good chance you will be in an even better position due to competitors who chose to cease SEO work.

What Should I Do About PPC During Lockdown?

PPC is easy to switch on and off at the drop of a hat, you can simply pause and start with no consequences, other than immediate and controlled traffic losses aligned with the spend cut. So, we recommend that if your businesses are suffering during these difficult times then pausing PPC is a good and quick way to save money. However, if you are in an industry whereby your services are unaffected or adaptable, then there should be no change to your PPC strategy unless you notice any downturn in leads.

At USdigital we are ready to adapt to any situation that gets thrown at us, and it is that very proactive stance that allows us to see the benefits to implement into your digital strategy. We have been around nearly half a century and we are still here today.

We hope that you all stay safe and well, and should you need to discuss any concerns with us, please get in touch.

The post COVID-19: Now Is The Time to Lockdown Your SEO appeared first on USdigital.

Google My Business (GMB) is a Google tool that lets you manage how your business appears on Google Search and Maps. The listing includes your business name, logo, phone number, location, opening hours, photos, reviews and pre-set call to action buttons. These listings also allow you to monitor and replying to customer reviews and learning where and how people are searching for you.

How will Google My Business benefit our business?

GMB is one of the best online tools for marketing your business in the local area. Providing a customer with an instant preview of your business and important information without them having to open your website. The listings also give the customer instant access to your business’s physical location via directions with Google Maps.

These listings can also be linked up to Google Search Advertising so they display the distance from the user to the location and the option to go to Google Maps for directions.

Claiming and Verifying Your Google My Business Listing

Google requires verification to prove that a genuine representative of the business has control of the listing. Until the listing has been verified no changes to the listing will go live. There are 4 main way to verify a Google My Business listing; by postcard, by phone, by email and via Google Search Console.

By Postcard – Google will send by post a postcard to the exact street address on the business listing. This postcard should arrive with 4 days of being requested. If the postcard doesn’t arrive another may have to be requested. When the postcard arrives, it will contain a 5-digit verification code. This will need to be entered on the Google My Business page to verify the listing.

By Phone – Some businesses will have the option to verify by phone, this is an automated phone call to the number on the Business listing, a 5-digit verification code will be read out which will need to be entered on the Google My Business page to verify the listing.

By Email – A limited number of businesses can be verified by email. This involves an email being sent to a designated email address associated with the business with the same domain as the business website. The email will contain a 5-digit verification code as well as a direct verification link.

Via Google Search Console – This option will be available if you are setting up/claiming the Google My Business listing using a Google account that is associated with the Google Search Console account for the business’s website.

Location Information

The info section of a Google My Business profile provides a section where you can add important business details to make your listing stand out on both Search and Maps.

Here you can set your business name, the address (including map pin configuration), serviceable areas, phone number, website address, opening times/hours, a description of your business, up to 3 phone numbers, and store codes (which are unique ID’s for each business in your account).

All this information will show on Google Search and Maps once the listing has been verified (as mentioned above).

Google Reviews

Reviews are a massive part of reputation management, and in 2019/2020 they are a powerful tool in building a brand, building trust and increasing word-of-mouth recommendations. Reviews also tie into SEO, and Google’s ranking signals.

How Do I Get Reviews?

There are many ways of gaining reviews, from sending out an email to your customer base and asking for a review to adding a section to your email signature.

Not everyone is motivated enough to leave a review though and you will often find that those who have had a good experience will just get on with things whereas those who haven’t will be quick to share their voice.

This is important to address as a company could have 5 negatives and 1 positive but doesn’t necessarily mean they are poor company. However, if you see these kinds of one sided stats it’s enough to put you off the company in question.

Sometimes an incentive is needed to get those that have had a positive experience to come back and leave a review. Whether that’s a discount off their next item or a gift card. Just be mindful that a gift card could be costly and soon amount up.

What About Negative Reviews?

It’s important to reply to both negative and positive feedback – every brand is bound to receive some criticism or negative feedback, it’s only natural.

What helps businesses stand out is the way they deal with the negatives, and it all comes down to turning that negative into a positive in the best way you can. For fake reviews (which we talk about below) its best to reply publicly and call them out, this can be done by checking your client/customer orders to cross-reference names and orders.

For genuinely negative reviews, you need to act in a positive way to sort the issue.

What About Fake Reviews?

If you spot a fake review you can contact Google and request that it be removed. However, it is worth bearing in mind that this can often be a drawn out process and unless the review in question goes against their policies then they won’t remove it.  You can read about how to flag a review and the process that Google takes here.

Some key stats taken from a Duct Tape Marketing study show that:

• To gain 1-3 spot in the search results, you’ll need an average of 472% more reviews than those ranked 4-6.
• The first three businesses ranked are much more likely to have Google reviews than those outside of the top three.
• More than six times out of ten, the top listing will be the business with the most Google reviews.
• Businesses ranked 1-3 have an average of around eight reviews.

Google My Business Photos

Photos are a great way to show off your business to potential customers. Google states the businesses with photos receive 42% more requests for directions on Google Maps than businesses without. Google My Business Listing allow up to upload a profile photo, cover image, gallery images and as well as videos. The general public can also upload photos to your business listing to share their experiences of your service/location.

Local SEO Benefits

Google My Business has two main benefits to local SEO the first is the listing itself and its placement within the Search and in Maps. The placement is determined by how optimised a listing is and how good the reviews are, and the second is Google Posts which is an area within the GMB dashboard (as discussed further below).

Google My Business posts are a great way to improve your overall local SEO strategy, by creating 100 – 300 word posts, with image or video clips that can help generate clicks. They expire after 7 days so are ideally placed for any promotions, discounts, events, sales and time sensitive content.

With each post you get a CTA button, the higher click through rates are from this to your site the more it shows Google that people are interested in your content.

This is one of Google’s behavioural ranking signals so it’s worth taking note if you want to push your local SEO.

Google My Business Posts

Google posts allow business to share messages directly with their customers which show up in the local panel on Google Search and on Google Maps. Posts provide an opportunity for your business to showcase more than just the standard contact details. These can be used to highlight your latest news article or blog, promote an upcoming event or promote a special offer.

Posts can consist of up to 300 words and an image, there is also a call-to-action button which can be set as one of the following; Learn More, Reserve, Sign up, Buy or Get offer.

The posts will then stay viewable on the listing for 7 days, after that they are archived under a link so they are still accessible but not instantly viewable.

Google My Business Insights

Google provides reports on what activity your business listing has received including information on keyword searches your appeared in, how customers search for your business, where customers view your business on Google (Search or Maps), Customer actions (visit website, request directions, phone call, Phone calls made, photos viewed.

This is a really handy tool for keeping on top how your listing is performing and how your customers are engaging with your company.

Dave Alexander

PPC Account Manager at US Digital with a passion in Digital Marketing. Specialising in PPC and all things Google.

The post Google My Business: What Is It and Why Your Business Needs It appeared first on USdigital.

Back then things were a lot easier, a lot more simple. Websites in particular were coded in HTML and CSS, and really that was all an SEO would need to learn.

In 2019 websites have moved into the modern era and with more websites using interactive features, the need for JavaScript has soared. It’s not just used by Developers anymore, SEO’s need to also embrace it and move with the times.

So first let’s explore the differences between HTML, CSS and JavaScript. The standout point is that HTML and CSS isn’t that hard to read for a search engine crawler, they can read it directly. However, with JavaScript its not all that straight-forward, as the crawler has to analyse the DOM (Document Object Model) before they go on to render a website.

Think of it like this: HTML = Structure, CSS = Appearance, JavaScript = Dynamics

The DOM is what Google is using to analyse and understand web-pages. When a web page is loaded, the browser creates a Document Object Model of the page, which is an object oriented representation of an HTML document, that acts as an interface between JavaScript and the document itself and allows the creation of dynamic web pages:

> JavaScript can add, change, and remove all of the HTML elements and attributes in the page.

>JavaScript can change all of the CSS styles in the page.

>JavaScript can react to all the existing events in the page.

>JavaScript can create new events within the page.

Why Do I Need To Be Concerned SEO Wise?

There are three reasons to be concerned about JavaScript on your site:

> Crawlability: Google bot’s ability to crawl your site.

> Obtainability: Google bot’s ability to access information and parse your content.

> Perceived site latency: Rendering Path (see below).

Types of JavaScript Rendering

Server Side Rendering (SSR) 

Essentially all of your resources are housed on the server, so when a page is requested by a visitor the HTML is first rendered, while the JavaScript along with CSS is downloaded and then presented under a final render.

Client Side Rendering (CSR) 

Bringing us into modern times is JavaScript that uses a Framework (see below) and is executed within the browser. The bot or visitor will request the source code and then make a second request for a JavaScript file which will contain all the HTML code formatted in JavaScript strings.

JavaScript Frameworks

There are 9 core frameworks, which include the likes of Vue, Polymer and Meteor, with perhaps Angular being the largely most popular framework for single page applications.

How To Improve Site Latency: Page Speed Insights

Page Speed Insights is a great way to fine tune your website’s load time, and gain insight into areas of improvement. One of the biggest issues to come across is the render-blocking JavaScript issue, and here are three potential solutions:

> Inline: Add the JavaScript in the HTML document.
> Async: Make JavaScript asynchronous (i.e., add “async” attribute to HTML tag).
> Defer: By placing JavaScript lower within the HTML.

One thing to take into account, and it will pay to work closely with the web development team here, is to understand that scripts must be arranged in order of precedence. I spoke to our senior web developer Andy Clarke who delved deeper into this section below.

Removing Render Blocking Scripts and Styles

When either a script or a stylesheet is loading, by default, it is render blocking. This means that it will block the any content being rendered to the screen while that script or stylesheet loads.

In order to provide a better user experience and improve perceived loading time of the webpage, all of the content above the fold should be loaded (and rendered!) as fast as possible. As already mentioned, this is extremely important for the SEO value of a page. As we know, rankings are weighted on loading speeds but there is also weight in providing Search Engines with the same experience as website visitors. By rendering the above the fold content faster it will really help boost you in the SERPs.

One of ways to mitigate render blocking behaviour is to either load scripts ‘async’ or ‘defer’ them.

You will need to decide whether it is important that the script loads before or after the HTML on the page. If the JavaScript is adding in some additional UI/UX functionality then it is probably a good candidate to be loaded async or deferred. If the JavaScript is connecting to an API to retrieve data or content which is essential for what is displayed on the page, then you may block the rendering on purpose, or load it async.

It is also important to note that the order in which these scripts are loaded is important. For instance, scripts to display above the fold content should not be deferred. Also scripts which reply on another script should be loaded after the dependency has loaded.

Async

This property will execute the script asynchronously (at the same time) as the page renders.

To use it, simply add the async property to the tag:
<script src="async-demo.js" async></script>

This essentially equates to async="true". If you were to use async in XHTML it would need to appear as async="async".

Defer

This property will defer the execution of a script until all of the content on the page has loaded and rendered. In other words, it will wait until everything is done and on the page and then run the script. It is also good practice to put these scripts after all other scripts.

The syntax is very similar to async.

<script src="defer-demo.js" defer></script>

This essentially equates to defer="true". If you were to use defer in XHTML it would need to appear as defer="defer".

CSS

I’ll be brief here, as this post is primarily about how JavaScript is important in SEO. To achieve the same can be a little tricker with stylesheets, but a common workaround is to inline all essential CSS for above the fold content, and then load the stylesheet using media queries (CSS Tricks featured an awesome guest post by Ben Edwards about this).

Ilya Grigorik published a great post about render blocking CSS and summed it up brilliantly:

• By default, CSS is treated as a render blocking resource.
• Media types and media queries allow us to mark some CSS resources as non-render blocking.
• The browser downloads all CSS resources, regardless of blocking or non-blocking behavior.

Ilya Grigorik

Andy Clarke

Frontend Developer at US Digital.

The post Why JavaScript Is a Fundamental Part of SEO appeared first on USdigital.

Google Penguin certainly got the SEO forums fired up and over the weeks and months after Penguin touched down; we saw the full extent of the update.  When Penguin first launched in April 2012, it affected more than 3 percent of search results.

The algorithm update was rolled out to improve the quality of search for the user, targeting spammy websites that had poor link profiles or had engaged in manipulative link building practices. In the years before this update SEO’s counted largely on keyword-text based links and the sheer volume of links to help them climb the rankings to gain higher positions.

The SERPS were miss-match of poor landing pages (doorway pages) and spam sites ranking in prominent positions because there was nothing in place to measure quality – nothing significant anyway.

After April 2012 we entered a new age of search, an age where content became king, and the quality of content became a much stronger ranking signal. Those that had spent time writing unique, interesting and noteworthy content would be seen as a genuine, authoritative website – triggering other ranking signals such as social shares and earned links.

Google tightened up the search algorithm to provide users with a better experience, allowing them to find the best results that relate to their search query. In the years following the initial Penguin release we saw numerous data refresh versions roll-out, and of course Penguin 4, the final Penguin update in which we saw Penguin become a part of the core algorithm.

The post Google Penguin Turns 7 Years Old Today appeared first on USdigital.

Over the year we learnt a few SEO trends to adopt moving into 2019. Some are the same trends we have seen for years, whilst some SEO trends look at new angles to add to your SEO strategy.

We will look at the main 4 areas where you should be investing your time for 2019.

Technical SEO

A word that is becoming more common is Technical SEO, and as websites constantly become more complex with how they are built, what they can achieve and how a user can interact and engage, it means more effort and time needs to be spent on the technical aspects of SEO.

Site Speed is a big focal point, and Google are recognising this. If your site is slow to load then it’s not a great user experience, and therefore you can’t expect Google to reward you with good placements in the SERPS.

The go to tool to check your site speed is the PageSpeed Insights tool hosted by Google. This will not only show you the score your site is handed with, but it will show you how you can improve your site load time.

Other technical SEO pointers to pay close attention to are: Apply SSL, reduce 404’s, eliminate duplicate content, optimise for mobile-first indexing, look at featured snippets.

Create Great Content

This is an oldie, but it still serves a very important purpose. Content must answer a query, it must get users to the page, but it must also engage the user and get them to perform a desired action on the site.

With great content you will often find that other important SEO elements follow naturally, such as earned links to the page, an increase in expertise, authority, and trustworthiness (EAT). You cannot underestimate the importance of content marketing.

Essentially, don’t post just for the sake of posting, your content needs to be good enough to make an impact. Even if that means you invest your time into one post each month that is properly researched and constructed. This one post will pay off and check all the other associated boxes.

Media Types

Put simply, are you audience likely to be more responsive to video, audio, images or text?

Users are simply looking to find an answer to something, and with busy lifestyles they want to find that answer in the most effective and simplest way. Whether that is to cook a certain recipe, or listen to an interview.

Voice Search

Still in its infancy in the great scheme of things, its worth keeping a close eye on voice search, as the technology behind it improves and becomes more accessible. With this, voice search will become more mainstream.

The post What Can We Expect From SEO in 2019? appeared first on USdigital.

1. Testing

You will need a test server so that you can fully test the site, and confirm that the redirects work properly, and all links are present and correct. Doing it live without the use of a test server is a disaster waiting to happen.

2. Migration

There will be a temporary dip in traffic during a site transition, so it’s ideal to do a domain move when traffic is slow and not during peak times.

3. Crawling

Screaming Frog is a handy tool to have at your disposal and allows you to scan through your website to check any crawl errors such as broken external/internal and image links.

This tool should be used before and then after the move, and it’s important to check for any current redirections that are in place to avoid a chain of redirected links.

4. URL Mapping

You should have a spreadsheet that lists every old URL and every new URL, to help you with this a sitemap of the old site can be a benefit. Keep all the old pages on the new site.

The general rule of thumb is to keep the URL structure the same, as the ultimate aim of the game here is to have Google see the site as identical and not a new site. Plus you are then able to edit the .htaccess file to easily redirect from your old pages to the new ones. This puts less load on your server than naming the redirects one by one, and it makes the process of setting up the redirects much less painful.

5. Internal Links

The links on your new site should point to the new site, not the old one.

It may sound like a tedious task but you can do this quite easily via the database by doing a search and replace. If you are running a WordPress site there are also plugins that can help you replace internal links at the click of a button.

6. Canonicalizing

Verify that canonicalization on the new site references the new site and not the old. Canonicalizing to the old site can be devastating, as it may prevent the new site from being indexed.

Since URL parameters create duplicate content, always canonicalize to the parameter-free URL. This should also, in theory, take care of duplicate content issues.

7. 404 Page

A custom 404 page allows users to easily navigate your site and find something useful if they land on a page that no longer exists.

8. Google Search Console

Don’t forget to add your new domain to Google Search Console. Submit both the old and new sitemaps to solidify the message that the old site has been redirected to the new one.

Then, submit a change of address in the Google Search Console.

9. Links

Find out which of your links are the most authoritative and get in contact with them to let them know about the new domain, and advise on them updating their links. Make it easy for them by referencing the pages where your link is present.

10. Google Ads & Social Media

Lastly, if you have any paid campaigns running, whether that is through Google Ads or Facebook Ads, make sure you update the destination URLs to display the new site URL. Also, don’t forget to point all your social media, blog profiles, email signatures to the new domain.

The post How to Migrate to a New Domain and Keep Your SEO appeared first on USdigital.