Rich's Web Design of Kernersville, NC

Tomorrow I will be a guardian for the Triad Honor Flight. My veteran is Jim Christy and the plane to DC will be filled with more than 100 veterans as we visit the Iwo Jima Memorial, Air Force Memorial, WWII Memorial, Korean War, Vietnam Veterans & Lincoln Memorials. The Triad Honor Flight started as a dream in 2005. National Honor Flight programs have been responsible for flying nearly 250,000 WWII, Korean, Cold War and Vietnam veterans to our nation’s capitol to experience their memorials. Details can be seen here -> https://triadhonorflight.org

Triad Honor Flights | Triad Honor Flight HONOR. THANK. INSPIRE. We are forever grateful for the sacrifices of our veterans. We can give back in a small way with honoring them on one last mission – taking them to see the memorials in Washington DC. It is a trip that will impact them and the guardians alike. We are so ex...

Review Cards - Have you seen these ***** stars show up on Google search results? They are Google Reviews that people are placing on your business Google my Business page. As you can see below in my email signature, reviews are also an important aspect of YELP, Angie's Lists, Bing and local YellowPages ... but the most effective are reviews placed on Google my Business! https://www.richswebdesign.com/review-cards/

I have started to assist my clients in printing business cards w/ short URLs that direct customers to their own review pages. Vista Print is a very inexpensive and reliable service for these. Go to some of the short URLs in these business cards and see.

For Google Reviews, customers must also have a Google account in order to write a review. Customers need to post the reviews themselves, through their Google+ accounts. Customers can leave ratings without actually writing a review. The rating is just the "stars" without the text of a review. At least in terms of rankings, the number of reviews you have seems to matter more than the quality of those reviews.

Best-practices for requesting reviews - Ask everyone for a review, not just your diehard, happiest customers. Point out as often as possible that you'd like your customers' honest feedback. Don't incentivize - Not only is it against the rules, but makes you look as though you're desperate. Your customers care, not all of them, but that's OK. Many will write a review if you ask and especially if you give them basic instructions as to how.

Place a line on your email signature that guides people for reviews. Where have you seen this before???

Rich's Web Design - July News -

-> Rich's Web Design - July News - 2021 Google’s New Algorithm: Page Experience

Rich's Web Design - June News - Google E-A-T & YMYL | Need FRESH Content?

-> Rich's Web Design - June News - Google E-A-T & YMYL | Need FRESH Content? | SEO Still Important

Rich's Web Design - May News - What To Do to Rank High in Google?

-> Rich's Web Design - May News - What To Do to Rank High in Google?

Set SMART Achievable Goals for 2020 ->

If you have set web site related goals in years past, GREAT!, let’s at least review these goals and see if we need to tweak them for the new year. If you have NOT set your web site related goals, let’s do these together!
SMART Business Goals

Most of the goal parameters below can be gathered from the use of Google Analytics. They will also most likely be adaptable to your monthly reports; This way you can see every month whether we are moving towards your goals. Whether you business goals are web site related or not, goals should always SMART!
Specific – Great goals are well-defined and focused. “Obtain twenty new corporate clients in the Boston market” is more meaningful to mobilize your team than “Get more business.”
Measurable – A goal without a measurable outcome is like a sports competition without a scoreboard or scorekeeper. Numbers are an essential part of business. Put concrete numbers in your goals to know if you’re on track.
Attainable – Far too often, small businesses can set goals beyond reach. Dream big and aim for the stars but keep one foot firmly based in reality.
Relevant – Achievable business goals are based on the current conditions and realities of the business climate.
Time-Based – Business goals and objectives just don’t get done when there’s no time frame tied to the goal-setting process. Whether your business goal is to increase revenue by 20% or find 5 new clients, choose a time-frame to accomplish your goal.
Once your business goals are SMART, break down each goal into a specific set of tasks and activities to accomplish your goals. It’s important to periodically review your goals and make adjustments if necessary. Goal setting for your small business is an essential tool for success. Remember in the end to be SMART.
https://www.richswebdesign.com/january-2020-newsletter-set-smart-achievable-goals/

Does site speed influence SEO?
Understanding Google Search

Does site speed influence SEO? – “Site speed is everything”. Not a day goes by without a new article, white paper, Google representative or SEO expert telling us that optimizing for speed is one of the most important things you can do right now. And they’re right, of course! Site speed influences SEO in many ways. We prepared a small overview of how site speed and SEO go together... https://www.richswebdesign.com/december-2019-newsletter/

December 2019 Newsletter - Does site speed influence SEO? - Understanding Google Searc - Rich's Web Design Does site speed influence SEO? Understanding Google Search Does site speed influence SEO? – “Site speed is everything”. Not a day goes by without a new article, white paper, Google representative or SEO expert telling us that optimizing for speed is one of the most important things you can do ...

RWD – October Newsletter
Site Statistics – What’s Most Important?
In short, it depends on your business, it depends on your site goals! Is your business related to how many people walk into your store? Probably not; It most likely depends on SALES! Is your goal to have as many people CALL or CONTACT your business? Maybe … If so then the more Contact Us forms or phone calls through your site is an important stat. Is there another metric that determines your business success? Let’s dig in a little deeper.

KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) use performance metrics / stats to evaluate the success of a specific activity. A goal is a desired result; the object of your efforts - https://www.richswebdesign.com/october-2019-newsletter-site-statistics-whats-most-important/

October 2019 Newsletter - Site Statistics - What's Most Important? - Rich's Web Design RWD – October Newsletter Site Statistics – What’s Most Important? In short, it depends on your business, it depends on your site goals! Is your business related to how many people walk into your store? Probably not; It most likely depends on SALES! Is your goal to have as many people CALL or C...

Rich's Web Design of Kernersville, NC updated their website address.

Rich's Web Design - Sept. News - Fresh Content - Setting Up a Cont...

-> Rich's Web Design - Sept. News - Fresh Content - Setting Up a Content Calendar

Web Security Month!

Most all of you (RWD’s WordPress clients) are using my ‘Proactive WebSite Security‘ service. This is a month where I outline this service, explaining what we provide, and show how these are ABOVE the industry standards for your own protection.

https://www.richswebdesign.com/july-2019-newsletter-web-security-month/

Security-ProfessionalWordPress Plugin Updates – Most plugins are updated by their creators for security reasons, but also for added features. These must be updated on your site on a regular basis.

Regular Scheduled Backups – All sites are backed-up on a regular basis for protection from any sort of attack or update problems.

Proactive Security Updates – Your site is scanned on a weekly basis to determine if any sort of activity or updates need to be performed.

Performance Optimization – Your site is regularly checked for optimum performance.

Malware prevention / cleanup & Performance Scans – I use the best tools for active protection, including WordFence & GravityScan.

24/7 Uptime Monitoring – If your site, for any reason, is off-line, I am notified.

WordPress web sites are constantly being hacked, or rather are ATTEMPTED to be hacked on a daily basis. WordPress security is all about proactivity. You know what they say, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, especially on the web. Most WP attacks initiate from Russia, China, France, India, Ukraine and the good ol’ USA.

Security is one of the most important aspects of running a website these days, as there truly are a lot of malicious people out there that can and will try to target your website (whether to try and steal your data, use your PC for a DDoS, or a number of other reasons known only to them).

With Proactive WordPress maintenance, I am pledging time to be your client’s website “bodyguard.” If anybody messes with your business, I’m going in there, guns blazing. Otherwise, you’ll sit quietly in the corner, keeping one eye shut and the other on the door.

WordPress-Security

Yes, this is different than regular ‘site maintenance‘, which has been outlined in your contracts. ‘Site maintenance’ has been focused on making changes to content / images on your current pages. Changes prices, changing content, adding fresh news are all examples of your existing ‘site maintenance’ agreement. WordPress Maintenance deals with security, backups, prevention and keeping up with various plugin updates.

I also keep up with the latest News from the WordPress Security network – https://www.richswebdesign.com/wordpress-maintenance-proactive-security-backups-malware-prevention/

Please send me your feedback & questions about this service.

Proactive WordPress Security, Backups, Malware Prevention - Rich's Web Design

Rich's Web Design of Kernersville, NC updated their business hours.

Rich’s Web Design – April 2019 Newsletter - Google My Business – Special Update! – Google my Business (GMB), formerly Google+ or even Google Maps, is a tool for businesses and organizations to manage their online presence across Google, including Search and Maps. For most businesses, it is imperative that this information is accurate and optimized for your location.

Do a search in Google for [Your Business Name + Your City] look on the right side of the SERP (Search Engine Results Page) and see your info! Send me any corrections!

This is also the section where we see ‘WRITE a REVIEW‘.
REVIEWS – Ideally reviews are supposed to be a representation of a customer experience. Simply asking your customers / clients to ‘Write a review of your business’ is the proper and recommended strategy. If Google thinks you are actively soliciting your customer list by incentivizing them or by asking for reviews in bulk, they will be removed.

WHERE to send your customers / clients. Often it is difficult for your customers / clients to find your ‘Google My Business’ listing so directing them is perfectly acceptable. You can include a link to your GMB page in the email signature footer, but a better place is on a simple business card.

Review CardsLong Insurance Services - ReviewCards Review Cards

I have started to assist my clients in printing business cards w/ short URLs that direct customers to their own review pages. Vista Print is a very inexpensive and reliable service for these. Go to some of the short URLs ( for example –http://bit.ly/LIS-Google ) in these business cards and see.

For Google Reviews, customers must also have a Google account in order to write a review. Customers need to post the reviews themselves, through their Google+ accounts. Customers can leave ratings without actually writing a review. The rating is just the “stars” without the text of a review. At least in terms of rankings, the number of reviews you have seems to matter more than the quality of those reviews.

Best-practices for requesting reviews – Ask everyone for a review, not just your die-hard, happiest customers. Point out as often as possible that you’d like your customers’ honest feedback. Your customers care, not all of them, but that’s OK. Many will write a review if you ask and especially if you give them basic instructions as to how.

Rich's Web Design - Feb. Newsletter - Safe Email PracticesProtect yourself from spam, phishing and malware – Viruses are often spread through e-mail. You can greatly reduce the spread of e-mail viruses by using ... Entire article -> http://bit.ly/2Tqun31

web-extract.constantcontact.com

Rich’s Web Design – https://www.richswebdesign.com/richs-web-design-november-2018-newsletter/
This is the ultimate guide to SEO in 2019 – This is NOT a lame “SEO in 2019” predictions post. Instead, you’re going to see tested strategies that are working right now… and will work even better in 2019. So if you’re looking to up your SEO game this year, you’ll love this guide.

1. Google RankBrain: is a machine learning system that helps Google sort their search results. That might sound complicated, but it isn’t. RankBrain simply measures how users interact with the search results and ranks them accordingly.On-Site Time: Google knows how long someone stays on your site. If your site has QUALITY content, visitors stay and Google will notice!

2. Featured Snippets – These are the boxes that show up usually on the right-side of search result pages. They are created by Google and vary widely from search topic to search topic. How do you get your content to appear in the Featured Snippet? The use of organic search terms on your site are key!

Think of the 2-3 sentence description of your business; Is it found on your main page? It should be, as this will be used by Google! Think of these as ‘Paragraph Snippets’.
3. Comprehensive, In-Depth Content Wins – Google’s #1 job is to show their user the BEST result. And in most cases, the “best” result isn’t a piece of keyword-stuffed content. Instead, the best pages cover an entire topic in-depth... https://www.richswebdesign.com/richs-web-design-november-2018-newsletter/

Rich's Web Design - June Newsletter
Google Mobile-First Indexing

After months and months of Google hints, Google is now indexing your MOBILE site first, then your desktop version. Mobile-first indexing means that Googlebot will now use the mobile version of your site for indexing and ranking, to '...better help our (primarily mobile) users find what they're looking for'.

Google's crawling, indexing, and ranking systems have historically used the desktop version of your site's content, which can cause issues for mobile searchers when the desktop version differs from the mobile version.

** 100% of RWD's client sites have been mobile-friendly since April 2015, therefore your mobile and desktop versions are comparable and you should not see any changes in your Google rankings / performance.

What is GDPR? How will it Affect My Site? –
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) (EU) 2016/679 is a regulation in European law on data protection and privacy for all individuals within the European Union. It also addresses the export of personal data outside the EU.

Even if you are NOT in the EU, you need (will be mandated soon) to state exactly how you use and will use any data collected via your web site. Whether you collect customer info from an online purchase, collect email addresses for a monthly newsletter, or even request the customers’ email address via a Contact Us form, you will need to state this. The very best way is on a PRIVACY POLICY page on your site.

Be aware that most of GDPR’s rules are good practice in any event. Adhering to them shows to your customers that you take data security seriously, and it puts you in a good position should state or federal government ever decide to enact similar legislation at home. The GDPR is a good wake-up call to businesses that have long neglected protecting their customers’ data. Yes, CyberSecurity is important!

Clearly state how you will use this information – Clearly state how long you will use this information – Clearly state that a customer’s information can be deleted at anytime, at their request. Let me know if you need my assistance in the creation of your own PRIVACY POLICY page!

RWD Oct. News -> FAQs, Now Imperative for High Rankings & Traffic - 15 Ways to Drive More Traffic!

RWD Oct. News -> FAQs, Now Imperative for High Rankings & Traffic - 15 Ways to Drive More Traffic!

RWD Sept. News -> New Ranking Reports Format, Google Analytics Reports Explained, Top WP ...

RWD Sept. News -> New Ranking Reports Format, Google Analytics Reports Explained, Top WP Plugins

RWD - August Newsletter -> How SEO is Changing via Mobile, Voice & Social | 15+ Items You...

RWD - August Newsletter -> How SEO is Changing via Mobile, Voice & Social | 15+ Items Your WordPress Site Must Include | When Your Rankings Drop

RWD - July Newsletter -> the Real Purpose of Your Web Site? - Local SEO Checkup - 5 Keys ...

RWD - July Newsletter -> the Real Purpose of Your Web Site? - Local SEO Checkup - 5 Keys ...

RWD - June Newsletter -> WordPress - Proactive Security | Inbound Links

RWD - June Newsletter -> WordPress - Proactive Security | Inbound Links

RWD - May Newsletter -> Google Mobile Optimization Factors | ADA Compliant?

RWD - May Newsletter -> Google Mobile Optimization Factors | ADA Compliant?

RWD - April Newsletter -> BRANDING - Is your marketing branding consistent? What is bran...

RWD - April Newsletter -> BRANDING - Is your marketing branding consistent? What is bran...

RWD - March Newsletter -> Chrome & SSL | Security Suggestions

RWD - March Newsletter -> Chrome & SSL | Security Suggestions

RWD - Feb. Newsletter -> Chrome & SSL | How to Rank High | What is TTFB? | Instagram is Big

RWD - Feb. Newsletter -> Chrome & SSL | How to Rank High | What is TTFB? | Instagram is Big

RWD - Jan. Newsletter -> SEO Mistakes to Avoid in 2017 - Effective Email Tactics for Your...

RWD - Jan. Newsletter -> SEO Mistakes to Avoid in 2017 - Effective Email Tactics for Your...

RWD - Dec. Newsletter -> Inbound Links - What Are They? How to Acquire Them?

RWD - Dec. Newsletter -> Inbound Links - What Are They? How to Acquire Them?

RWD - Nov. Monthly Newsletter!

RWD - Nov. Newsletter -> WordPress Maintenance / Security - Password Security - Conversions & Goals

RWD - ICE - In Case of Emergency

RWD - ICE - In Case of Emergency

Selecting Targeted Keywords / Phrases for SEO

As a part of the SEO process, we must come up with list of targeted search phrases that do the following:

Using Targeted Keywords / Phrases in SEO

1. Describe exactly what your business does. If you are a shoe store in Greensboro that focuses on ladies shoes, then one if not our primary search phrase should be ‘Ladies Shoes Greensboro’. Other combinations include ‘Greensboro ladies shoes’, or ‘Ladies Shoes Store Greensboro’.

2. Not generalized, but targeted phrases. Never just focus on ‘Shoes’. It is way too competitive, it includes variations that does not include your specialty (men’s shoes) AND no one is simply going to search for ‘shoes’.

3. Start w/ 12-15 phrases. Ideally these should be 2-3 word phrases, as this is generally the length of most people’s searches. If you have a large online store with many products, yes, your product pages should be very specific – ‘Raebok Crossfit Ladies Running Shoes’. These are called ‘long tail search phrases’ and should be used if you have a large product driven online store.

4. Include your location. If your service related business includes various locations, you should absolutely include your cities / towns in your list of targeted phrases. ‘Landscaping Services Greensboro’, ‘Landscaping Services Raleigh’, ‘Durham Landscaping Services’ would be ideal. Be careful as to which cities / towns / locations / regions you select. Locations that are based on regional names generally do not get as many searches as do cities. For example here in NC, we have the ‘Triad’ area (Greensboro, High Point & Winston-Salem) … we have the ‘Triangle’ (Raleigh, Durham & Chapel Hill). The use of specific cities in searches will generally provide more traffic than regional searches … In other words, ‘Greensboro Landscaping Services’ will have MANY more searches than ‘Triad Landscaping Services’, therefore provide much more traffic for your site.

5. Use online keyword tools for keyword research. There are many tools that are free, some cost a bit. WordStream (http://www.wordstream.com/free-keyword-tools) or LSI (http://lsigraph.com/) and Google’s Keyword Planner? (https://adwords.google.com/KeywordPlanner) are terrific tools. A Google spokesperson has confirmed that users do NOT have to have an active campaign to use Keyword Planner, but things change at Google all of the time.

6. Consider traffic and competitiveness in your keyword selection process. Ideally you want to select search phrases that bring in large numbers of visitors AND are not very competitive. This is the most challenging part of the keyword search process.

7. Study your competitors search phrases. Take the time to research the phrases that your competitors are utilizing. There are online tools, but the easiest way, is to ‘right-click / view source’ and see your competitors META info.

8. Use 1-2 of these targeted search phrases per page. Make sure these are closely related and used throughout your content in a natural manner, not stuffed all over the entire page. Google looks for a natural flow to the way words / phrases are used in web content.

Start by having your client brainstorm and come up with 12-15 phrases that include items 1-4 above. Items 5-7 above are generally geared towards the SEO professional. SEO professionals should know the KW tools, keyword selection and the use these phrases onsite, but the client will help the process out by starting with 1-4 above. Use their expertise of their own business … You do the refinement in selecting the very best TARGETED SEARCH PHRASES!

What are 'LSI keywords'

'Latent Semantic Indexing' are basically keywords that are semantically related to your primary keyword. Contrary to popular belief, they are NOT just synonyms or keywords that are similar in meaning. LSI Keywords are essentially keywords related to the keyword that you search for on search engines such as Google. In a nutshell, they are keywords that are semantically linked to your main keywords.

Use this tool to help you in your keyword research ( http://lsigraph.com/ ) Plug in your company's search phrases and see how many similar phrases will show up.

Search engines like Google are giving more priority to understand what a user needs when searching for a keyword phrase. Google now prefers pages that have well-informed content on a topic rather than pages with thin content that is optimized for a single keyword.

http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?m=1100906415023&ca=914af9e6-906c-4988-b13e-ee60616aad1c

The Importance of FAQs.

Google's increasing importance on natural language interpretations are leading their algorithm into emphasizing answers to questions. In other words, more and more people are searching for answers to questions rather than searching for phrases. What we should now focus on is phrases that answer questions; Your FAQs page is ideal for this very purpose.

Have your company's team brainstorm and come up with phrases that they receive daily from potential customers. What phrases / questions are the most common? What terminology in your industry is most confusing to the general public? What differentiates your business from your competitor? What might people search for that is related to your business?

Try to answer these question in simple terms and include your targeted search phrases where needed. These answers should use natural language, as if you were simply talking to a person asking these questions.

How many FAQs should you include? There is no exact answer, but 15-20 would be a great start. If you need more, great! It is also a good place for new content to be placed on a regular basis. Add a few FAQs every 1-2 months and you will be surprised what great content can be accumulated after 6-10 months.

http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?m=1100906415023&ca=914af9e6-906c-4988-b13e-ee60616aad1c

RWD July Newsletter - for clients and associates!

RWD - July Newsletter -> Do You Need a Redesign? What Questions Should You Be Asking?