Four Vital SEO Techniques That Are Often Overlooked

Change is the only constant in the search engine optimization (SEO) game. As new algorithms filter results, communications teams must employ new techniques to adapt and respond. Those who stay informed on the latest SEO trends can be rewarded with the sought-after top spot in Google or Bing’s search results. Those who don’t risk losing ground – to the tune of a few spots or even Page 2 and beyond.

There are a few SEO techniques that will never go out of style. Proper keywords and backlinks will forever be a best practice. Still, there are a few strategies that are often overlooked.

The SEO Breakdown

Most of our suggestions can be completed fairly easily by your in-house communications team, but we’ve added a special “🤓” icon for techniques that may require more expertise.

Before we dive into these strategies, we’ll explain three SEO technical terms to maximize key takeaways:

  • Keywords: These are words and phrases that are entered into search engines like Google to help find a business or organization (i.e., “Top PR firms in N.J.” or “Affordable cities for relocation”).
  • Backlinks: When a webpage links to another website, it’s called a backlink. You can build more backlinks through news coverage, partnerships with other firms and social media promotion of your blog posts. The more links from other websites to your site will improve your search ranking – and demonstrates both reliability and visibility in (often crowded) markets.
  • “Crawling” or “Crawled”: Crawling is the first part of having a search engine (Google, Bing, etc.) recognize your website and rank it in its search results. This occurs when a search engine bot “reads” a web page.

Below, you’ll find Violet PR’s recommended strategies for SEO success.

Our Four Recommended SEO Strategies

1. THINK MOBILE FIRST

people using smartphonesMarketers live by accurate stats and data. Here are a few that SEO experts stand by:

  • Over 230 million U.S. consumers own smartphones.
  • Almost 40% of all e-commerce purchases during the holiday season are made on a smartphone.
  • 79% of smartphone users have made a purchase online using their mobile device in the last 6 months.

Since smartphones have become an essential, everyday tool, these numbers will only increase. That may be why Google announced that the mobile version of your website will now be “crawled” before the desktop version. The future, it seems, is gravitating toward mobile. (That’s not to say you should neglect your desktop version, either, as that remains an effective traffic-driver.)

Aside from using the right keywords, here are a few simple tips to improve your mobile SEO efforts:

  • Organize content into clusters to make your page more scannable
  • Ensure all phone numbers are listed as text in the body and linked (not an image) , so visitors can simply tap-to-call
  • Use more video and pictures. Mobile sites are nearly always viewed on the go, and users aren’t likely to read lengthy blocks of text

robot

2. DON’T BE ROBOTIC

Let’s remember, your site visitors are not robots. They are real people. Reading text that sounds unnatural is off-putting and can make your site seem unprofessional, or at the very least, less desirable.

Yes, keywords are important, but crafting high-quality and engaging content is the key to a successful website. Consider hiring a content team that specializes in developing site copy. That’s because in order to maximize SEO efforts, you’ll want to regularly push out “fresh” and “unique” content, both to engage the user and to be recognized on the latest Google “crawl.” (Steps like these boost one’s domain authority, which essentially is a reflection of how you rank on the web.)

When you begin writing, focus first on the messaging – keep your copy clear and easy to digest. When you’re done, go back and see where keywords fit in. Only incorporate keywords that sound natural; forcing them into your content could backfire when Google crawls the page. It will also make the content appear stale or clearly manufactured.

3. USER EXPERIENCE (UX) IS PRIORITY NO. 1

Your website’s user experience (UX) is more important than an algorithm. When push comes to shove, it doesn’t matter how many keywords you’ve incorporated or the number of alt tags on the site. If your site is difficult to navigate, users will exit quickly – hurting your ranking on Google and drastically reducing your chances of earning new business via your website.

As such, all sites and SEO strategies should provide a pleasant UX, which incorporates everything mentioned above:

  • A secure site
  • Mobile-friendly design
  • Quality, relevant content
  • A distinct visual appeal
  • Pages and text that are timely and updated

authentication failed screen on computer4. EMBRACE HTTPS

These days, website security is absolutely essential. If your site does not have the latest security settings, visitors may be greeted with a pop-up that reads “Warning. The site you are visiting is not secure.” As you can imagine, this is not the ideal outcome for new visitors to a company page. It is also a poor performance indicator – which can be measured as “Time on Page.”

🤓Enter HTTPS.

While nearly everyone is used to seeing “HTTP” in website URLs, many folks are still not familiar with HTTPS. To put it simply:

  • HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) is the code responsible for how your site appears and how webpages should respond when your URL is typed into a browser. It is a great technology, but a bit outdated.
  • HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) is simply a more up-to-date and secure version of HTTP.

Websites should use “HTTPS” in its domain because “HTTP” doesn’t have SSL (secure sockets layer), which encrypts your information so your connections are secured and protected. This improves SEO because secure sites receive higher rankings from search engines.

Primed for SEO Success

SEO is an ongoing marketing (and public relations) effort. Maintaining an updated website and consistently producing new, engaging content is vital to that cause. If you can make a concerted effort to implement the techniques mentioned here, then your website is primed for SEO success. And prepare to be “seen” on those major search engines!

Interested in learning more? Schedule an introduction call with our team at april@violetpr.com.

How to Make Your Crisis Communications an Asset

With everything 2020 has thrown at communities across the U.S. this year, there has never been a better time to check in with your communications team to ensure that your economic development organization (EDO) has a “crisis” plan.

Examples of crises EDOs can face include:

  • When incentives don’t match project performance
  • New laws viewed as unfriendly to business
  • Confidentiality breach with an active project
  • Increased COVID-19 cases
  • Police brutality, lootings or violence in your city

For those that do not have a crisis plan in effect, Violet PR collaborated with Colleen Schwab of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council (GPEC) to design a “10-point crisis communications checklist” catering to economic developers. April Mason, president of Violet PR, and Schwab, senior vice president, marketing and communications at GPEC, recently relayed the information in a webinar for the International Economic Development Council’s (IEDC) Annual Conference, a session moderated by Greg Hitchin, CEcD, director of economic development and tourism at the City of Waynesboro, Va.

Missed the presentation? Here are 10 tips to get your crisis strategy in place.

10 Crisis Communications Tips

1. Anticipate Crises: It’s always easier said than done, but the first step is to anticipate crises. Be prepared with a response plan. That means establishing a media strategy, a point of contact with the press, a spokesperson who has been media trained, and possibly a “crisis team.” Stay atop relevant news and announcements so that your team is “in the know” and establish a communication plan to notify leaders and stakeholders immediately when a crisis occurs.

2. Prepare a Timely Statement: When a crisis occurs, your organization should remain transparent and release a timely statement – ideally within a two-hour timeframe. A delayed statement can allow misinformation and rumors to take hold, or worse, make it seem like your organization is guilty of wrongdoing. Most importantly, make sure the statement directly responds to the situation and addresses next steps.

3. Repetition & Frequency of Message: Aim to over-communicate if possible, as consistent, frequent messaging can create a calmer presence among your key audiences. Make sure your constituents feel informed and that your messaging is clear and up to date. (Think of New York Governor Cuomo’s widely viewed daily COVID-19 updates.)

4. Every Crisis Has a Life Cycle: Remember that a crisis will ultimately resolve itself, though each crisis has its own timeline. The typical stages of a crisis – for you and your target audiences – will look something like this:

life cycle of a crisis

5. Know Your Audience: Make sure your communications efforts are reaching the audience(s) impacted or influenced by the crisis – and tailor your messages accordingly. Here are some audiences to consider:

types of audiences chart

6. Identify Spokespeople: It will not always make sense to have your EDO speak out about a specific crisis. Evaluate if it makes sense to respond as an organization, and if not, identify appropriate spokespeople such as your Mayor, another civic leader, police chief, or task force member. These spokespeople should also be trained/briefed in advance if possible, to avoid potential hiccups.

7. Prepare Your Talking Points: Identify the main message you want to communicate, and bridge back to it in every talking point. Explain what you will do to address the problem; be clear and try not to say “I don’t know” or leave anything open-ended. Express empathy and apologize if necessary.

greater phoenix economic counsel media8. Local Media Strategies: Forging strong relationships with local reporters is crucial so that you are not meeting them for the first time during a crisis. When a crisis arises, keep local journalists in the loop early, and consider offering them “advance” information when possible. Further, ensure there is one point of contact for media in your organization. Ensure that the board is briefed on these protocols to avoid potential “leaks.”

9. National Media Strategies: National reporters – who are often busy covering multiple regions and industries at the same time – require different tactics than local media. For example, don’t “schmooze” or offer a free trip to your community during an interview; instead, answer questions clearly and directly with facts and statistics. Be prepared for the fact that the reporter may not know much, if anything, about your organization or region, so avoid “inside baseball” terms and acronyms.

10. Interview Tips: Prior to the interview, you can ask a broadcast producer the types of questions you should anticipate – you may not get specifics, but you will get a general direction. Review your own talking points, your organization’s mission statement, and practice with anyone that is available. If there is one point you want to make, incorporate it in every answer. Also, do not say “no comment,” as this could be perceived as negative. Instead, pivot your response to what you do know. Remember that everything you say is “on the record” unless you have an agreement in advance (ideally in writing) with the news outlet.

Make Crisis Communications an Asset

No community is too large or too small to have a plan in place – as unexpected crises do not discriminate. Interested in learning more?  You can check out the full slide deck presented during IEDC’s annual conference (“Make Your Crisis Communications an Asset”).