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February 22, 2021 By adamriemer 1 Comment

How to Easily Rank for Big Search Terms in Google

keywords with low search volumes can bring lots of traffic and sales

This post will teach you one of my favorite SEO tips.  I use this for clients and affiliates that want to show up for highly competitive phrases who also cannot compete against big brands with more authority.

This strategy is not going after low hanging fruit, it is about using the search interface in a smart way.  The phrases I present normally show 20 to 50 searches, but each has the potential to bring in thousands of visitors.  Let’s dive in.

The term water pump has an estimated 74,000 monthly searches.  Well water pump has 12,100.

Both are great terms and product based which means they can result in direct sales and revenue.  If you’re a company like Home Depot, Ace or Lowe’s then you’re likely able to optimize pretty easily for this phrase.

If you’re a smaller or local retailer it is going to be tricky, but you can do it.

Here’s how! [Read more…] about How to Easily Rank for Big Search Terms in Google

Filed Under: SEO

February 8, 2021 By adamriemer 1 Comment

WordPress SEO – Settings, Strategy & More

wordpress seo

WordPress SEO is easy!  You simply start with the basics, create a plan and test so you can prove if the concepts apply to other posts, pages and categories.  Once you find what works for your website, stick to it and grow it.

This guide will walk you through the basics like how to make your site visible to advanced topics like schema (with tons of bonus tips and hints).  It also contains easy explanations of how you can proactively optimize your WordPress website for SEO and shares private strategies I use with my paying clients.

Go get some coffee cause this is a long one and lets jump in!

How to do WordPress SEO:

  1. Update your code – Don’t get nervous, this is easy!
  2. Check your settings
  3. Clear out the excess
  4. Content Strategy
  5. Comments
  6. Schema
  7. Other

(The links below are affiliate links and I’ll earn a commission if you shop through them.  If any are direct links and the company launches an affiliate program, I’ll turn them into affiliate links because I am a business and want to make money. And guess what?  There’s no additional cost to you and in some cases you may save because I am an ambassador for the company.  An even better reason to shop through my links.)

Update your code

Speed and performance is one of the easiest things you can do with WordPress SEO. And good news, WordPress makes it easy to have a lightning fast website.

Depending on your host (I use this one for myself and some of my clients) security is easy as well.

Here is where to start for both WordPress speed and security:

  • PHP – Many themes and databases you buy have not been updated to the latest version. Download a PHP testing plugin from the repository (repository is a fancy word the plugins search).There are free plugins that will automatically tell if you have the most current version.  If you don’t have a recent version of PHP then you only need a quick and easy update.  If you’re not a programmer try writing to your host, they may do it for you for free.  Or you can go to any consulting site like GetCredo, Upwork or Fiverr and find someone to do it for less than $100.
  • Security – In addition to your host, make sure you check the notes in the top of your WordPress dashboard when you login to make sure your theme and your WordPress version, and all of your active plugins are up to date.  Many times the updates are to fix security holes.Backup your current site and then click update. Once updated you’re likely more secure.
  • Servers – Once your site grows, reach out to your host for a dedicated server.  Moving to a dedicated server from shared may provide some SEO value trust wise (this is debatable) and it can also help with speed and performance.I found this with the client in this Small business SEO case study about a local company beating national corporations. The server the site was on could not handle modern PHP which slowed the site down speed wise and the server was about to die.  We wrote to the company’s host and they moved the site to an updated server within an hour.  It was a quick and easy win.

I’ll get to some more speed wins below.  Many are plug and play.  But we have a few other things to do first, like checking our WordPress settings.

Check your settings

These are boring to think about but your settings are just as important as your copy and site performance.  If you don’t have your settings done correctly for your needs; you may waste your crawl budget, hurt the amount of authority your internal links can pass to important pages and you’ll make it harder for your website to show up in the search engines. [Read more…] about WordPress SEO – Settings, Strategy & More

Filed Under: Blogging, SEO

January 18, 2021 By adamriemer 2 Comments

Case Study – A Small Business Beats Big Brands in SEO on Shopify

how to optimize a shopify website for Google SEO

In this case study you will learn some of the common SEO issues that come with a Shopify store and how we addressed them to help our client rank.  It is full of actionable items with some massive bonus tips.

The client in the screen shots below is a smaller brand without many backlinks and has a two person marketing team with no developer.

The company is in a highly competitive retail niche and competing for big brand terms (think phrases like “t-shirt” or “clothing” where you’re up against Macy’s, Calvin Klein and Hanes).  Unlike tshirt, the terms here have lower search volumes.  This makes it even more competitive.

Here’s how we helped them beat the big brands.

Note: This is year two on the project and I’m comparing year two to year 1.  SEO is not a quick one and done or lets fix it and hope it sticks channel.  

How to do SEO for Shopify sites:

  1. Fix the Shopify SEO issues
  2. Add content
    1. PDP
    2. Categories
    3. Internal links
  3.  Find ambassadors
  4. Tech SEO

shopify SEO strategy and optimization

Fix the Shopify SEO Issues

Shopify is currently my recommended shopping cart for ecommerce stores.  The app store makes it affordable to have the whistles and bells of big brands without the big budget.

When combined with the reasonably good checkout process and excessive amount of affordable developers, you can build an awesome store as a small or mid-size company with ease.

But just because it is a good shopping cart platform does not mean it is marketing or SEO friendly.  The good news is the majority of Shopify SEO issues are known and can be remedied.

The biggest issue is that you don’t get access to your own code base making it really hard to speed up your site and optimize it. But don’t let that deter you, having Shopify host your ecommerce store has benefits like accessing their security systems and having them watch so that your servers and your store stays online.

Here are the big known Shopify SEO issues:

[Read more…] about Case Study – A Small Business Beats Big Brands in SEO on Shopify

Filed Under: SEO

January 11, 2021 By adamriemer Leave a Comment

SEO Case Study – Small Business Beats International Corporation

how small business and companies can beat large companies in SEO

If you’re a small business and you think you cannot compete with the big corporations in SEO, think again!

The case study below is a project I did for a friend’s company which is a small and local business in a very competitive niche with national and multi-national players. This company is not local to me and I won’t say which market or markets they are in.  This is at their request.

The traffic in the screen shot below might not be massive, but this company is up against a Google algorithm specific to high trust and authority (not E-A-T, E-A-T is a concept and not an algorithm with factors and signals).

Each conversion is worth $20,000 to $200,000 in revenue annually, and the users normally stay for multiple years. This makes it high value and really expensive to advertise for.

Needless to say all channels are saturated and there is big money involved making it really hard for small and local businesses to compete.

So how did we beat the big players?

  1. I scrapped the entire site
  2. We deleted more than 3,000 pages of copy
  3. The company used their resources like friends to build trust
  4. No backlinks were built, we did PR work
  5. Schema and site structure were added
  6. We kept each other accountable even when there was no time

So here’s the results YOY for 2019 and 2020.  Remember, they are a local company in one or a couple markets and they are competing with the big players.  There is also a limited amount of customers and users that exist in each market.

small business SEO case study

Please note that:

  • Only the old lead form path is listed here for conversions.
  • There are multiple new lead options based on the theme of the page the incoming traffic hits.
  • The bounce rate started lowering later in the year when we upgraded the PHP and speed up the site.
  • The pages per session lowering is a good thing. We added in lead forms and CTAs to the more important pages making it easier for leads to contact us. Less searching the site for contact information means easier conversions and more money, even if there are less pageviews.

Step 1 – Scrap the Entire Site

The very first thing I did was delete the entire site (after backing up all of the copy and pages of course).  The old site was built with outdated code, it lacked structure and had no solid calls to action. Only a button that leads the visitor to a form and a phone number to call.  It also featured giant rotating hero images.  This was the first thing to go!

Pro-tip: Giant hero images on the homepage kill conversions and can be incredibly bad for SEO.  If you have these on [Read more…] about SEO Case Study – Small Business Beats International Corporation

Filed Under: SEO

November 16, 2020 By adamriemer Leave a Comment

How to Create a Gift Guide With SEO, Marketing & Monetization Tips.

gift guides

Ready to create a gift guide for your blog, YouTube channel or a newsletter?  Then I’m ready to help!

The post below is something I sent to the partners for some of the companies that hired me as their affiliate manager to help them grow their traffic and make money. Instead of keeping the strategies private for our partners, I wanted to share them with you because everyone can benefit.

But before we jump in I’d like to note that gift guides are not just for the holidays. People search year round for gift ideas and this type of content is the perfect way to get that traffic.

Below you will learn how to create high quality gift guides, discover themes you can use (with their current estimated monthly search volumes), and talking points for how to pick the right modifiers for SEO.

I’ve also included some bonus tips like in the “Christmas Gifts for Wife” where I share good examples of how modifiers can make a difference in both traffic and conversions and “Yoga Gifts” where I share a big hint as to how to find better themes for your gift guides.

The post has three sections:

  1. Marketing Tips and Strategies
  2. SEO Tips
  3. Gift Guide Examples & How to Build Them

Gift Guide Marketing Tips and Strategies

There’s a ton of competition out there so you need to stand out.  Here are some marketing tips to keep in mind while creating your gift guide.

Please remember I share some of the best gift guide marketing tips in the theme sections below, so make sure you reach through each.

  • Use an odd number in your title tag. Odd numbers normally stand out better than even numbers.
    • If everyone showing up in Google already uses a 7, 11 or 15, try 33 or something larger. The goal is to look unique and attract attention.
  • Change the wording for your H1 tag so that it is for a blog reader and not a search engine searcher.  Title tags and H1 tags serve different purposes.
    • Title tags show up in search engines and are designed to get someone to click to your website.
    • H1 tags are visible on the page itself and should be written to get the user to engage with the content below it.
  • Set the list to be reverse order (ascending). This entices your reader to scroll to find the number 1 gift because it may be assumed that number 1 will be the best.
  • Look at the top ten results in Google for the gift guide theme you are writing about. Next write down the adjectives and numbers being used in title tags and meta descriptions. Now come up with a better adjective and wording mix that is not being used and incorporate these words into your title tag, open graph, rich pins and meta descriptions.
  • Open your guide with unique copy about the benefits to the end user (not just about why you like the gifts). This lets the visitor know they have found a place that lists the gift ideas they are looking for.
    • Bonus tip – Remember, the gift guide is to help them find a gift for someone else, not about you and why you want or like something. The opening is about their needs, the product descriptions are for the person they are buying a gift for!
  • Define why you are the authority on this subject matter in the opening of your guide. This helps build trust with your visitor. Talk about your experience in a situation, any degrees or certifications you have, and other accolades.
  • The Big One!!!  In your copy, talk about how the recipient will enjoy the gift that your reader will purchase. Don’t focus why you personally like the gift. The goal is to get the person to shop for someone else. By helping your reader picture the moment the person receiving the gift opens it, you have pre-sold why the gifts you recommend are the right choice.

Gift Guide SEO Tips

But marketing alone isn’t enough. You need to get people to your gift guide.  SEO and social media optimizations are perfect for this.  Here are some ways to optimize your gift guides to get more traffic!

  • Use proper header tags (H1, H2, H3) for sections and subsections. Header tags tell search engines and users what each section is specifically about.
  • Use UL and OL tags to define that this is a list for the search engines.
  • Make sure all the items on the guide are set in LI tags.
  • Use proper schema on the page when necessary.
  • Add a “best of section” to the top of larger lists that has two links. This helps users quickly locate your top gift recommendations.
    • Make one link your affiliate link so the person can shop and the other an anchor link to read more about the gift idea.
  • Find topics with at least 1,000 estimated monthly searches for the topic. This helps make sure there are people searching for gift ideas in your niche. If there aren’t people searching then you have to build the audience for it which is much harder to do.
  • Use a proper advertising disclosure at the top of your guide and also use proper attributes like “sponsored” and “nofollow” on your links when needed.
  • Write a unique description for every product included in your gift guide. Do not copy and paste from the store’s website or from another website.
  • Create a featured image that is properly named for SEO and has a clear message about the gifts “The 25 best motorcycle gifts for Grandmas in 2020”.
  • Make sure to use proper meta data for the social networks and intent.
    • Facebook has people being entertained and blocks clickbait so creating something engaging that is worth interrupting their fun.
      • Facebook images are also landscape rectangles or squares so make sure to consider this and upload something unique.
    • Pinterest images are vertical and people are specifically looking for ideas and lists.  You’ll want to choose titles and wording that is relevant to these queries vs. being interruptive like on Facebook and use Pinterests ad platform to find high search volumes.
  • Big Bonus Tip – SEO modifiers for gift guides are not just prices, people and occasions.  Think about international delivery and shipping speeds. This is a perfect opportunity for you to stand out and get a conversion.
    • i.e. 25 Birthday Gifts for 5 Year Olds that Ship Free & Overnight.

Now that you have some gift guide marketing tips, lets jump into some example themes with their estimated keyword search volumes. [Read more…] about How to Create a Gift Guide With SEO, Marketing & Monetization Tips.

Filed Under: Affiliate Marketing, Blogging, Monetizing Your Site, SEO

April 9, 2020 By adamriemer 3 Comments

SEO Keywords & Conversions – How an ‘ or – Can Make You Seven Figures!

seo keyword research for conversions

There’s a big difference in following proper English and grammar guidelines, and creating a proper experience for your end users.

A professional writer will write a word to follow guidelines created many years ago.  That is the issue.  There is a set structure which is not updated to meet current usage and regular standards.

Using common spoken versions instead of the “technically correct” versions is one of the ways I help my clients bring in more traffic and increase conversions, but only when it is appropriate.

Google does tend to prefer proper grammar and english, but it isn’t always the best experience for your user base (customers, readers, subscribers, leads, etc…).  That is why situationally we break from branding and corporate guidelines and do what is right for the end users.  By doing this in these situations we can increase traffic and increase conversions.

Finding the right balance should be your goal as a business owner, marketer and content creator.

Below are a few examples with explanations of these.

You can find these same terms and phrases using Google keyword tools as well as your own site search depending on how much traffic your website has.  I have the advantage of having some high volume websites as clients.  These are all based on campaigns and niches I have worked on for various clients in the past, but not the actual data or examples.

(please note I’m not comparing specific apples to specific apples in each example.  But I am keeping it in the family like a red delicious vs. a golden delicious, or a granny smith to a honeycrisp.  They are each to demonstrate a specific technique or SEO and conversion tactic).  

Example 1: Mother’s Day vs. Mothers Day

Mother’s Day is only 31 days away so I’ll start with this.  Browser’s and many writing tools will autocorrect Mothers Day to have an ” ‘ ” symbol before the “s”.  But if you look up the search volumes, the non apostrophe version has more traffic.

If you’re a blogger or content creator who does not have to deal with a branding team, this is an opportunity to capitalize where big brands cannot.

Bonus tip – One thing I’ve also seen in different niches is that the ‘s version can lead to different themes and topics.  Instead of a shopping page or review, a listcicle could be the better experience.  Checkout the double bonus tip in the next section for an even better one!  

Group 1: without the apostrophe

Keyword Volume
mothers day gifts 201000
mothers day gift 74000
mothers day gift ideas 60500
best mothers day gifts 12100
good mothers day gifts 9900

You’ll see “best mothers day gifts” above has 12,100 searches but “best mother’s day gifts” has 6,600.  That’s a big difference in traffic and sales!

Group 2: with the apostrophe

Keyword Volume
best mother’s day gifts 6600
last minute mother’s day gifts 4400
top 10 mother’s day gift ideas 4400
mother’s day delivery gifts 2900

Example 2: Microneedling vs. Micro-needling vs. Micro Needling

The spelling here and also capitalization make a difference.  If your audience uses two words and capitalizes both, using this on your website could make it more relatable to them.  But it might not follow brand standards or trademarks.  The added benefit here is that you’re speaking your customers’ language. [Read more…] about SEO Keywords & Conversions – How an ‘ or – Can Make You Seven Figures!

Filed Under: SEO

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