The Importance of Local SEO and Why You Should be Investing There

August 21, 2018

More than 50 percent of search queries globally now come from mobile devices. As a result, more and more searchers are looking for local businesses when they’re on the go.

Local SEO can help your business stand out in search results, increasing your chance of being seen by potential customers. In this article you’ll learn about what Local SEO is, why it’s important, and how to use those local ranking factors to rise to the top of organic results.

What is Local SEO?

Local SEO is SEO for location-based searches. This means a physical address or location is a required for a business to show up in a local search as a result. It helps businesses promote their products and services to local customers at the exact time they’re looking for them.

Local SEO strategies range from including your website and business information on your website to claiming your Google My Business listing to creating/claiming your business in various online directories (i.e. Yelp, Yellowpages, HotFrog, etc.)

NOTE: There are some local SEO ranking factors and optimizations tactics that are universal across all types of businesses/ organizations, however, there are also ones that vary based on business type.

Why is Local SEO Important?

Millions of customers conduct local searches every day to find the top local businesses in their area (both services and products). By investing in Local SEO you can help increase your chances of being seen by potential customers.

Highly Targeted and Timely

There are two main reasons why users do local searches, to:

1.) Find a specific business

2.) Find a local service or product at a local store

Local SEO provides potential customers the information that they want (targeted), when they want it (timely), and where they want it (within SERPs), making Local SEO both efficient and extremely cost-effective.

There are also many users who don’t have a specific business in mind when they execute their search for local services and products. Local SEO helps better position your business and promote your services/ product offerings to local customers when they’re looking for your type of business.

Mobile Searches Continue to Grow

According to official Google statements, “more than 50 percent of search queries globally now come from mobile devices, however it could be as high as 60 percent.”

As more and more customers use their mobile phones to find the best local businesses while they’re on the go, showing up in the ‘local 3-pack’ (we’ll talk about this more later) and having relevant business/location information within search results has become even more important.

On average, 61% of people doing a local search on their phone end up calling the business.

It’s a free Source of Advertisement

It’s free to claim your listing on Google My Business, Bing Places for Business, Yahoo Local and hundreds of other online business directories, but that may not be the case forever. While it is a somewhat time consuming process, it’s worth it to reach highly targeted, high converting in-market prospects.

Drop in ‘near me’/ Geographic Modifiers in Searches

“Over the last two years, comparable searches WITHOUT ‘near me’ have grown by 150 percent” – Google, June 2017

This shift towards dropping location modifiers is “because people know and expect Google to deliver results that will be relevant to their location.” They assume that Google now knows when a search has local intent. This further emphasizes the importance of claiming your Google My Business page, and other alike online directory listings.

Rank Higher in Search Engine Results

Have you ever done a google search and seen this (see right). This is known as the “local pack”, it showcases local businesses and stores relevant to the search query/term you entered, in this case it’s “barbershops.”

The goal behind the ‘local pack’ is to provide users with better information about the top local search results (i.e. images, photos, reviews, prices, etc.)

In 2015, Google cut the number of ‘local pack’ results from seven to three. While this change benefited those businesses 1.) with multiple stores across the world 2.) businesses that were already ranking in the first three spots within the ‘local pack’, it made local SEO even more important.

Today, local SEO can help your business appear in Google’s local 3-pack, which is one of the most coveted spots when it comes to search engine results.

“44% of people who performed a local search clicked on a local 3-pack listing, while only 8% chose to load more local results” – MOZ

“95% of smartphone users have used their device to perform local searches, out of which 61% called the business and 59% visited” – Forbes

“70% of mobile users click to call a business directly from Google search results using their mobile phones”
– Search Engine Watch

Adding an SEO company to your marketing team will not only boost your local SEO but also increase your organic search engine rankings for your site. Every small business or multi-location company can benefit greatly from using Local SEO optimization strategies.

“Only about 44% of businesses have claimed their Google My Business listing”
– Local Marketing Institute

Have you claimed your Google My Business? If not, this means you as a business/company have the opportunity to jump ahead of your competition and take advantage of local SEO services and boost your businesses local online presence, before competitors catch on. No matter what type of business you own/work for, from recruiting firms and plumbers to accountants and construction workers, Local SEO can improve business. Set up your company and website for easy sales with Local SEO, opening conversion opportunities to eager customers, helping you make more money.

Why Use Parqa Marketing

Local SEO companies help you to position your business on search engines and other digital marketing platforms/directories so you’re seen by potential customers — on their terms.

Parqa is a Digital Marketing Agency that specializes in SEO, SEM, Local Search Optimization, Marketing Automation, Social Media and Content Marketing. We build strategy to grow your brand and drive leads through a variety of inbound marketing tactics. See how our experts can help your business grow through search engine optimization.

three succulents with phone and notebook on desk

5 Ways to Ramp Up Personal Branding Using LinkedIn

August 16, 2018

Your personal brand is not just what you do or where you work, it’s the way people perceive you as an individual from the brand you build around yourself.

Like it or not, social media is here to stay. It also happens to be the best place to build your personal brand and the single most important way you can set yourself apart in your industry. The greatest part? You are in control of your own personal brand and how you present yourself and engage online with potential clients and customers.

There are a lot of social media channels out there, and it’s important you choose which is the best for your profession. For most industries, the best social media channel for building your personal brand is LinkedIn.

30 Minute How-To Guide: Check out this webinar to learn how you can build your brand on LinkedIn ➢

If you’re looking to get serious about improving your personal brand and are ready to ramp up your efforts, these 5 tips will be critical for seeing results.

1. Complete Your Profile

Set yourself up for success by taking the time to fully complete your profile on LinkedIn. Your profile is the foundation of your personal brand and represents who you are, what you’ve accomplished, and the skills and expertise you possess. The content on your profile dictates how you’re seen professionally.

Update all your information, fill out every relevant section and use keywords in your summary and work experience. Use your LinkedIn profile to add the personality that is hard to convey on a resume.

Pro Tip: When completing your profile, keep your target audience in mind and include examples of your work that position you as a thought leader in your industry.

2. Share Relevant Content

You want to become a known resource for information by sharing what LinkedIn refers to as conversation-worthy updates with your audience. Meaning, when you’re looking for relevant articles, news, and data to share with your network, you’re going to want to make sure that it’s content your audience will find interesting and valuable.

On top of sharing those updates, take advantage of LinkedIn Publisher. When you write and publish an article on this platform, it will be tied to your professional profile. By sharing your knowledge and expertise on this LinkedIn Publisher, it will help to develop and strengthen your personal brand.

Pro Tip: Diversify your content. Make sure you are switching it up by sharing a mix of images, videos, articles, questions, and curating content written by others. Don’t be scared to throw a little personal insight into the mix too, after all, part of building your personal brand is showcasing who you are as a person, not just what you do.

3. Engage – The Right Way.

Improving your personal brand goes beyond optimizing your profile. You must also focus on truly engaging with your audience, and no, that doesn’t mean just clicking the thumbs up on every update you see. It’s communicating back and forth through updates you share and participating in discussions with other individuals to strengthen personal connections. By engaging with your connections through shared content and discussion you can become a trusted source to your audience.

Pro Tip: When engaging through commenting, leave insightful and thoughtful comments. Don’t comment simply for the sake of commenting.

4. Utilize Groups

LinkedIn provides individuals the opportunity to join groups that are specific to their industry and area of expertise. In these groups, people share industry insights, seek advice, and provide feedback for other professionals. Participating in groups allows you to showcase your knowledge around a subject and start to grow relationships with like-minded people. Think outside the box when joining groups.

Ask yourself the following questions when determining which groups to join:

Where are your prospects at?
What are their pain points?
What is your industry expertise?
What are the areas you can use some a little extra knowledge in?

By answering these questions, you will be able to utilize groups to their fullest potential.

Pro Tip: Be aware, there are many groups that aren’t managed or that the community in them are not active. So, when searching for the right groups, explore ones you think will be beneficial then narrow down to a few top key groups to spend your time in.

5. Be Consistent

One of the key components of improving your personal brand is consistency. The more you stick to a plan and make it a priority, the sooner you’ll see connections happening, conversations starting and business increasing. It’s recommended to share content at least 3-4 times a week, engage daily, and utilize publisher at least once a month.

Pro Tip: Make a daily, weekly, and monthly checklist for yourself and set calendar reminders to keep you on track.

Like any goal, improving your personal brand won’t happen overnight, but by using social media to share your expertise, participate in conversations, and become a reliable source of information, you’ll have the opportunity to build valuable relationships, generate more business, and become a thought leader in your industry.

Watch Parqa’s Free 30-Minute Webinar: Growing Your Personal Brand on LinkedIn For Recruiters. LinkedIn is the go-to social network for recruiters, it’s never been more important to make sure your personal brand stands out online. Learn how to grow your business, and gain traction on LinkedIn, in this 30-Minute How-To Guide for Recruiters.

How Your Recruiting Firm Should Approach Competitor Negative Keywords

August 8, 2018

As a recruiting firm, you want to make sure you’re not spending your marketing budget on the wrong keywords or unintentional calls. Recruiting firms using PPC have to really look at the negative keywords they are using, as well as the competitors they are showing up for, to ensure they’re not wasting valuable ad spend on false conversions.

For example, if you’re a staffing firm and you want to show up for the keyword staffing agency near me, you want to make sure you have all the major competitor names in your area as negative keywords.

Related Post: What is SEO? Beyond the Keywords ➢

What are Negative Keywords for Recruiting Firms?

Negative keywords are a type of keyword that prevents your ad from being triggered by a precise word or phrase. When deployed, anyone searching for that precise word or phrase will not be shown in your ads. But if you don’t utilize negative keywords, your ads will show up in inefficient searches.

Let’s use an example of Robert Half, a well-known staffing agency. If someone types in Robert Half staffing as a search term and you have staffing as a broad term in your keyword list you are bidding on, you will show up for that search.

You might be thinking, that’s great, my firm can be positioned to compete with them! But it’s not like that at all.

It has been tested and tested and no matter how many times your upper management “thinks” that your team can steal that lead…the answer is NO. If someone is looking for your competitor with a branded searched, they are almost certainly so deep into the sales funnel that you have little-to-no hope at stealing the lead.

Now I know you are thinking: “Well if the searcher reads the ad copy and URL in my ad they will see that I am not Robert Half.” The trouble is, people don’t pay as much attention to the ad as you WANT to believe they do. A lot of people just click on the first option that pulls up on their phone or desktop after typing in their search query.

Now, I am not saying that ad copy is not important because it definitely is. I’m saying that putting all of your trust, and ad spend, on the low-percentage chance that the searcher diligently reads the ad copy is not a prudent idea.

Related Post: New Site Launch SEO Checklist ➢

The Danger of Neglecting Negative Keywords

So, if your company is using staffing as a general keyword in your keyword list, you would show up for the search term Robert Half staffing. When the searcher inevitably doesn’t catch that you’re not Robert Half, here’s what’s going to happen.

The searcher is going to click to call the agency and your office answers:

“Hello this is ABC Staffing. How can I help you?”

The searcher will rightly be confused and disoriented not to hear Robert Half, and either hang up or ask for Robert Half. Once the searcher clicked call, you lost a good amount of money based on the keyword cost of each click. If you don’t use negative keywords for your competitor names, you will continue to cost yourself money and fail to get the conversions you’re expecting. Not to mention you’ll skew your analytics and metrics in the process, making it difficult to forge a future PPC strategy.

How many Competitor Recruiting Firms Should I Have in my Negative Keyword List?

The more the merrier. Having a large number of competitors in your negative keyword list will get you more accurate conversion data, better click-through rates, and greater return on your ad spend. In the end, every staffing agency monitors marketing budget and specifically paid media/PPC very closely, so you want to make sure you’re optimizing and structuring your campaigns the best you can. Using negative keywords and specifically, competitor negative keywords is a big part of budget savings.

In closing, negative keywords will help you save budget and give you the ability to get in front of the exact client/candidate you are looking for. Make sure you are continually monitoring and adding negative keywords to your list. It’s wise to set aside time to go through your search query reports to see where you are potentially losing money on unneeded clicks.

So, the next time someone tells you that you have an opportunity to increase overall organic visibility on your site, hear them out. Ask them pointed questions about how they plan to drive marketing success.

And if you do find yourself starting a partnership with a marketing agency, here are four ways to build an effective relationship.

10 Tips for Optimizing Your LinkedIn Profile for Recruiters

August 7, 2018

There are over 562 million profiles on LinkedIn, which means there is a lot of competition for eyeballs. There is a vast amount of digital business happening 24-7, and it’s your job to stand out and grab your audience’s attention. Your LinkedIn profile page can be one of the most important assets in your personal brand toolbox—especially in the recruiting world.

Your profile not only represents who you are and what you do but it is also your firm’s brand. To stand out in this always-on professional business network, follow these 10 tips to optimize your LinkedIn profile.

30 Minute How-To Guide: Check out this webinar to learn how you can build your brand on LinkedIn ➢

1. Start with a Solid Value Proposition

Arguably the most important part of telling your story on LinkedIn is to have a strong value proposition. What problems do you solve? What value do you add? How do you make a difference in the lives of your clients and candidates? These questions will help you determine your unique value proposition.

Your unique value proposition is a key differentiator. It’s the key benefit that your personal brand offers. This is “the thing” that will help your audience determine whether you are the most qualified person for the job.

2. Be Authentic

Make sure that your bio is authentic to you and not a cookie-cutter description of what you do. Infuse some emotion into your story by being authentic. An authentic bio speaks to your audience and tells them why you do what you do.

Here is a great example of an authentic and unique LinkedIn summary for a recruiter.

3. Build Out Your Recruiter Summary

Spending time on your recruiter summary will help your profile jump off the page and will help inform your audience what your specific area of expertise is.

Here are some things to think about when writing your summary:

Does your summary communicate to clients that you could be the solution to the problem they’re facing?
Does your summary provide credibility about your abilities?
What differentiates you from other recruiters?

When structuring your summary, try to be concise and only spend 1-2 sentences on each point. You want to convey your story and what makes you unique, but at the same time you don’t want to write a memoir. Try to summarize what you do, your accomplishments, your values and passions, and the differentiators that make you great.

What led you here? (Personable) (Experience)

What you do
Accomplishments
Values / Passions
Differentiators

4. Profile Photo

Your profile photo should be professional and show off your personality. Getting professional headshots is always worth it, but if you can’t make the time, then here are some tips to try at home.

5. Design a Customized LinkedIn Cover Photo

Your cover photo should be unique to your brand. People who view your profile are there to check out you and your firm. The recommended size for your cover photo is 1584px by 396px, if you find that your cover photo is blurry when you upload it, try to make it the maximum size.

Looking for some inspiration, here’s an example of an excellent cover photo:

6. Customize Your URL

Customize your LinkedIn URL to make it easy for people to find you. Find your unique URL in the light-grey box below your name. Click the edit button and revise. For example, an ideal LinkedIn custom URL would be www.linkedin.com/in/yourname

7. Align Your Industry and Location to Your Target Candidates

Be sure you set your location and your industry so that your profile will show up in searches in your area and field of expertise. Include your location and industry in your bio naturally so that anyone who reads your bio can get a sense of your focus and where you offer your services.

8. Include Your Previous Experience

Your previous positions tell your audience that you have experience and that you can deliver on your promises. It tells a story of who you were and who you’ve become. Be sure there aren’t too many major gaps in your history and that it tells a consistent story. These descriptions should be high-level, more than 2,000 characters, and not read like a CV. You should include your accomplishments in this section.

9. Add Your Current Position

If you haven’t already, be sure to end your previous job and add your current firm. If you don’t want to broadcast to everyone that you’ve just started a new position right now, be sure to go into your settings and change your “Account & Settings” options. Select “Privacy & Settings”. You will now see a further set of privacy options to check. The important one is to “Turn Off Your Activity Broadcasts.”

Your position title should be no more than 100 characters. Once you’ve filled in your current position, update it with current responsibilities, and be sure to think about how those responsibilities help your clients and candidates. Once you’ve finished adding in your responsibilities, add in a description about your firm and how you play a role within the firm.

Here’s an example of how you articulate your current position:

10. Update Your Skills & Endorsements

Professional skills tell a lot about a person, they describe what a person’s unique value is to any employer or candidate. Add skills that define your professional role, experiences, and contributions. Make sure that your skills are up-to-date and relevant to your job roles.

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Watch Parqa’s Free 30-Minute Webinar: Growing Your Personal Brand on LinkedIn For Recruiters. LinkedIn is the go-to social network for recruiters, it’s never been more important to make sure your personal brand stands out online. Learn how to grow your business, and gain traction on LinkedIn, in this 30-Minute How-To Guide for Recruiters.

Schema Structured Data: What It Is and How to Implement It on Your Website

July 30, 2018

Structured data is a way for search engines to organize the content in your HTML by providing explicit clues about the meaning of the page using semantic vocabulary.

Google and other search engines created a structured data standard called Schema.org. Google recommends using JSON LD and schema.org.

Here is an example of ATT and Verizon using reviews and price schema:

Schema.org (often called Schema) was launched by Bing, Google and Yahoo! to create and support common schemas. Schemas are a semantic vocabulary of tags (or microdata) that you can add to your HTML source code to improve the way Google reads and represents your page in search engine results pages (SERPs).

For example, here is a JSON-LD structured data snippet that appears on Parqa’s website:

Schema.org markup is becoming more important in voice search, acting as a suggestion that points digital assistants towards the information to correctly answer a voice query. Voice queries depend heavily on implied context, and Schema markup can help give that context to an otherwise unclear page of text.

There are clear advantages of using Schema.org, but actually implementing it can be more challenging. Because of this challenge, only a small number of websites make use of Schema.org. If you use schema markup, you’ll automatically have an advantage over the majority of your competition.

How Do I Add Schema to My Website?

Option 1

Hall Analysis has created the JSON-LD Schema Generator. It allows you to pick from a group of popular types, but instead of outputting microdata, it generates JSON-LD. Google also has a JSON-LD tool. These tools only produce the code and you will have to manually add the html to the individual page’s source code.

Option 2

WP SEO Structure Data Schema is my preferred plugin for WordPress websites. This plugin allows you to insert the information and not only creates the JSON-LD, but also adds the code into the source code.

Testing your Schema Structured Data

Option 1

Use the Google Structured Data Testing Tool. This is the most reliable way of testing your schema markup. However, I have had issues with this tool timing out and not providing any answers.

Option 2

Add Structured Data Testing Tool to your Google Chrome browser. I rely on this tool more than the one provided by Google. One click on the icon and you are provided with the type of schema found on the page with an accordion tab to view what is being pulled and any possible errors.

What Schema Structured Data Should I Use?

Organization Schema Markup (included in WP SEO Structure Data Schema plugin)

The organization schema markup helps enhance your Knowledge Graph entry and website snippet presence. Remember to Insert your logo, social profile links, and corporate contact information.

WebSite Schema Markup (included in WP SEO Structure Data Schema plugin)

The WebSite schema markup helps generate the Sitelinks Search Box feature for brand searches. You need to have an existing site search on your website to enable the Sitelinks Search Box element.

Breadcrumbs Markup (can be implemented through Yoast)

The BreadcrumbList schema allows you generate breadcrumb rich snippets for your pages in the SERPs. This also helps improve the crawlability of your site.

Site Navigation Schema Markup (included in WP SEO Structure Data Schema plugin)

The SiteNavigationElement markup helps produce organic site links.

Schema Product Markup

The Product markups can help product information including price and status information to appear in SERPS.

Schema Article Markup (included in WP SEO Structure Data Schema plugin)

If you are producing articles or blogs, the NewsArticle or BlogPosting schemas are for you.

Recipe Schema Markup (included in WP SEO Structure Data Schema plugin)

Recipe websites leverage Recipe schema markup to enable recipe rich snippets.

Next Steps for your Online Presence

Schema markup is one of those SEO best practices that will be around for a long time. Google is finding you additional avenues to provide the end user with detailed information before they even land on your site. You might as well stay ahead of the curve and have an instant leg up on the competition by implementing schema on your site today.

Why It’s Vital to Keep Your Recruiting Company’s LinkedIn Page Up-To-Date

July 26, 2018

As a recruiting or staffing firm owner, you wear more hats than most. You’re making sure your team is bringing in new searches, staying in touch with quality candidates, filling searches, and nurturing your clients to ensure you have repeat and referral business. This alone is more than enough to keep someone busy. Whether you’re working in the business or on the business, there’s more to it than the fulfillment side of things. There is also the branding side of things.

What is your online presence saying about you?

You and your recruiters are the face to your business. If your company’s culture and your clients’ experience is important to you – and I’m sure it is – then you care deeply about the experience your clients and candidates are receiving when they work with you. If you’ve grown your recruiting agency from the ground up, you better believe the people you hire will need to reflect the work ethic and follow-through you’ve come to be known for.

What If Just One Bad Recruiter Ruined Your Chances for The Search?

Imagine this hypothetical scenario. One of your recruiters was introduced to a potential client lead by someone in their network. They showed up for coffee and were not prepared. No business cards. Not equipped to talk about what services you offer, what niche/market you focus on, and what differentiates you from your competition. It’s not likely they’d make a great impression, and even less likely they’d get a search out of the deal. If they persisted in this mindset…would you keep them? No way.

Well, your online presence is one of your more crucial salespeople. They never sleep, they never go home, and they are always under scrutiny. If you reach out to a potential client and leave them a message or send them an email, what is the first thing they do? They Google you. They want to know if you have credibility, do you know anyone they know, and are you offering something worth their time.

If they search for you on LinkedIn, I hope they see your relevant background, your summary with information relevant to what you are selling them, and possibly even mutual connections. Most recruiting firm owners are on top of their LinkedIn profile. New award? Posted. New search? Posted. Updated services? Posted. But what about your company’s LinkedIn page?

That little thing that you made when you first started the company and updated a few times, and then got busy and you had to prioritize filling a search, hiring another recruiter, or…posting to LinkedIn. We all know what falls to the bottom of the priority list.

How to Make Sure Your Company’s LinkedIn Presence HELPS You

While it’s not the closest item on that list to making you money…it may be closer than you think. Remember that recruiter we referenced above? Think about your company LinkedIn profile as that individual.

Do they dress well? (Do you have a cover photo?)
Do they know the services you offer by market and/or niche? (Does your summary have outdated information or talk so generally in industry jargon that it’s impossible to tell what you DO in the industry… staffing/consulting/search/recruiting/perm/direct hire focus, market where you place talent, industries or roles you specialize in, etc.?)
Do they know if you’ve won awards, if you’re a part of any industry associations, or if you have made specific placements in the areas you “specialize in”? (Are you posting on your LinkedIn about newsworthy information? Do you have a bulleted list of roles you’ve filled…or even more ideal, do you have descriptions like the following: CFO at a $750M manufacturing company.)
Can they hold their own in a conversation with your potential client in the area the client specializes? (Are you writing blogs and posting industry articles about information relevant to your clients’ pain points?)

If you read the whole list above and can say YES to all of them. Then you are in the top 20% of recruiting companies we talk to. You either have hired a marketer to make sure your online presence on LinkedIn is polished, up-to-date, and active – or you have spent HOURS over the years doing it yourself. If you hired a marketer – good job. If even one search came in because the person you reached out to looked up your company on LinkedIn, and it gave them the validation they needed to call you back, then your investment has paid off.

How to Get Back to Selling and Away from Worrying About Your Company’s LinkedIn Presence

If YOU are doing it yourself and it’s working for you, you are a true rock star and should get an award. If you are doing it yourself and wishing you were spending that time building relationships, closing business, and growing your team – we can help.

Parqa was created within a leading executive search and consulting firm (privately owned, 35-person team, 10 practice areas, one of the largest in the Midwest, rapidly growing…now at $16M), so we understand the recruiting business and have been testing recruiting industry marketing best practices for years. We’re a niche digital marketing agency focusing specifically on the recruiting industry.

We can help bring your company’s LinkedIn profile up to speed, help write thought leadership blogs, and manage posting to your company’s social media so you can get back to closing business and growing your team.

Need help getting your online profile worthy of the brand you’ve developed? Let’s have a conversation. It’s never too late to provide your best online sales tool with a little professional development.

How To Inject Some Much-Needed Fun into Your B2B Blog

July 24, 2018

B2B blogs have a terrible tendency to be dry, boring, and informal. Why are most B2B blogs so yawn-inducing?

Some of the blame lays at the feet of B2B business owners, who often become overly concerned about scaring customers away by showcasing personality. Then there’s the content-for-the-sake-of-content mentality that prevails in the industry, where many companies have been falsely told that if they publish blogs consistently, regardless of how aimless or poorly written the content is, they will increase their traffic.

This misguided mindset leads to a whole glut of boring content being published merely to feed the unending appetite of search engines, instead of to achieve the primary goal of content marketing—to educate and inform your existing and potential customers.

The blame game isn’t important but slapping some fun and excitement into your B2B content is. You want your blog content to be insightful and informative, but you also want to keep your readers from falling asleep on their keyboards while they read your stuff.

Watch On-demand: Check out this webinar to learn how you can implement content marketing into your strategy ➢

Here’s some tips for injecting some fun into your B2B blog.

Have a Voice

First and foremost, give your content a voice. What is voice in terms of writing? It’s the distinct personality, style, or point of view that a writing possesses. A strong authorial voice will leap off the screen and capture the attention of your reader.

I commonly hear people say that you can’t make boring topics fun, but it’s simply not true. By applying a unique voice to your writing, you can inject some life and character into any subject, regardless of how interesting or uninteresting you feel it may be.

For example, we can all agree that there is nothing inherently interesting about a person drinking a glass of water, right? To demonstrate the power of voice, here is two messages that have the same literal meaning, but vary greatly due to voice:

Boring Voice: Jill was thirsty, so she drank some water.
Boring

Fun Voice: Jill guzzled water straight from the faucet in a desperate attempt to quench her thirst.

Both sentences describe what is otherwise a boring event of someone drinking some water. The first one gives us a matter-as-fact account that leaves the reader with no questions or interest in learning more.

But in the second example the reader is left with several questions—why is she so thirsty? Why didn’t she use a glass? Why is she drinking yucky faucet water in a post-Brita world?

Deploy First Person

Another common contributor to boring content is third-person POV. Using third person is very standard in business writing, as it separates the person writing the content from the opinions being expressed in the writing. But while third person is safer, it creates distance between the writer and the reader, which often results in dull writing.

Don’t be scared to deploy first-person POV in your B2B content, especially in blogging. First person is more intimate, authentic, and confident than third person. By result, blogs written in the first person will sound more conversational and address the reader more directly.

If for no other reason, write in the first person because your audience is being inundated with third person. If they read five top-of-funnel blogs about a topic, and four of them are written in third person and one is in first, the first-person blog is going to have the inside edge on standing out.

Take Some Chances

B2C brands simply have a more energetic and lively reputation than B2B, which makes it seem like B2C marketing is more fun-filled than B2B. Some of that is a consequence of the end product inherently being more interesting for B2C brands, after all when Don Draper and the copywriters of Sterling Cooper were devising scotch-soaked campaigns on the hit show Mad Men, they were doing so for massive B2C brands like Life Cereal, Kodak, and Chevrolet, not for finance & accounting firms or IT software suppliers.

But B2B brands don’t have to let B2C brands have all the fun. Instead, take note of their courage to try new things and apply that lesson to your content strategy.

Buck the status quo every once and while and take some chances with your content. While a B2B audience is typically a bit more conservative than a B2C one, that doesn’t mean you can’t throw in a pop culture reference every so often or toss some gifs into the equation. By taking some chances in how you write your blogs, you’re going to make the experience more fun to write, and possibly, you’ll identify that it will make your audience more engaged. But you won’t know until you try.

Writing the same boring B2B blogs over and over is no fun for you to write and certainly isn’t fun for your audience to read. Take note of some of the tips I put forth in this blog the next time to sit down to punch up a blog and see if you don’t stumble into a more intriguing blog.

Want to learn more about giving your B2B marketing a boost? Learn how Parqa can transform the way you approach digital marketing.

What would you do if you knew your website was working for you?

Why Develop a Recruiting Agency Website with SEO?

July 20, 2018

I recently had a recruiting firm owner ask me why he needed SEO for his website, since his previous website development firm told him they made his website SEO friendly already. After a little digging, it was easy for me to see what happened to him is what happens to MOST people who hire a development agency and don’t ask specific questions about SEO.

The website was set up well for SEO, as in it had a plugin installed for SEO, but there had not been any SEO tactics applied to the website at all. This is not really the fault of the development firm, as their sweet spot is development (not SEO), nor did they sell it any other way. They know “SEO friendly” doesn’t mean “SEO optimized” …but the business owner didn’t.

Most people don’t.

SEO For Your Website: 101 {That Everyone Wishes They Knew}

When we create a website, we include a full SEO process to ensure your website informs the search engines what you DO and ultimately what you want to rank for. Our SEO Discovery Process includes keyword research, a content map, a technical website audit, and a competitor audit.

Each of these research processes provide valuable insights into what people are searching for, what the search volume is for those particular keywords, what others are doing in your industry that is working well (or not so well), and ultimately what you need to do to your website and online presence to make sure you are represented online in searches.

Watch On-demand: Check out this webinar to learn how you can implement content marketing into your strategy ➢

SEO gets technical pretty quickly, and at the end of the day, a recruiting firm owner’s top priority isn’t diving into the details of digital marketing and search engine optimization. Rather, it’s making sure you’re out there networking, getting new business, filling roles, and managing your team’s success in making placements. And if you’re working ON your business rather than IN your business, you may be thinking more and more about how to get your marketing to work for you.

Why is it important to make sure your website is optimized for SEO?

Story Time: How A Hiring Manager Initial Meeting is Similar to a Google Search

Well, imagine walking into a potential client’s office. You’ve secured a meeting with the hiring manager who has an open role, and you’re going to tell them about your company, your experience, and why you are the best person to fill their role. Let’s say the role is for a CFO. Let’s say you claim to be able to fill any role in any industry, nationwide. That’s your pitch.

Your meeting ends. Let’s say the next person to meet with that hiring manager is a recruiting firm owner right down the street from the company who specializes in placing Accounting & Finance professionals in senior level and C-level roles. That’s all they do. And they do it well. Who do you think is going to get the search?

Now let’s bring it back to your website. If a hiring manager or candidate needs your service (but they don’t know you, and don’t have a good resource, or haven’t had luck with their current partnership), they are going to ask Google.

What do you think they are going to type in? Let’s use the same hiring manager as an example. Do you think she is going to type in “Recruiter”? Not likely. She is probably going to type in something like “Finance Recruiter <My City>” or even “CFO Executive Search <My City>”. Now this could be REALLY good for you, or REALLY bad for you.

If you don’t specialize in that area, it’s not likely your website has content around those keywords, so it’s not likely you are going to rank for that search at all. No chance of being found. (PS, we all know the importance of focusing on a niche industry and/or market is a whole different conversation.)

But let’s say you DO focus on that niche, and you ARE in that city…you should come up in that search! Right? Maybe…if your website has been optimized for content relevant to your niche. If you have no pages on your website that talk about those keywords (e.g., practice area pages, blog articles, job posts, other content), Google may not even know that’s what you do. The key here is that it doesn’t necessarily matter how credible you are, and it doesn’t even matter if you close 95% of the searches you go after—you are going to have a difficult time having those conversations to close those searches if people cannot FIND you online in the first place.

There is Hope to Get Found Online…And We’ve Discovered It!

Don’t worry, there is hope! And it’s not that difficult to attain. Start with a conversation with our team. We’ll review your website to see if you’re set up well for SEO (and thus, see if you are in a position to have Google know what you do, and ultimately get found by people looking for your services). And if you’re not…then join the club. No, really. Most recruiting agency websites…in fact MOST websites in general, are not set up with the technical SEO and the content needed to get found properly online. And it’s easy to fix.

We’ve worked with many companies across the country and have helped improve their website traffic for inbound clients (or candidates), based on their business needs. It’s as critical (more in fact if you think about the potential reach), as training your recruiters on doing their job well. Make your website work for you, not against you.

What would you do if you knew your website was working for you?

woman typing on laptop with succulent on desk

The 3 Steps to Blogging for Business

July 17, 2018

1. Creating Quality Content

The Why of Content?

The goal is to create content that provides informed answers to the questions of your industry. Blogging when done with a purpose, attracts business to you. The elusive, ready-to-chat, qualified leads. When users are searching for content online, they are selecting specific keywords or asking a specific question they would like answered. To do this well, you will need your blogs to be both reflective of your industry experience and understanding of your end customer’s questions.

You are an expert of your field—whether it feels that way every day or not. As the expert, what you identify as industry pain points is a great starting point for creating content that will resonate. But sometimes that expertise can blind you from identifying easy content that does not feel as relevant to your own questions. Remember, you are the expert. Whether you are new to your field of work or a veteran, it is crucial to remember that your reader/customer is not always informed to the same extent you are.

Related Post: How to Create Content That Sticks ➢

Using Google AdWords for Blog Topic Ideas

While your own experience in the industry is a great place to start, there are tools available to help you generate ideas for blog topics. Google AdWords is a tool we recommend for identifying your top performing pages. It also lets you review competitors most successful blogs as well. No, do not just repeat what’s working. Use this as a guide, something that shows you what topics are currently performing well – and vice versa – which topics aren’t resonating with your customer.

Make It Easy for Google to Find Your Blog

Blogging is a phenomenal way to drive traffic. However, the traffic potential of blogging hinges on your focus and understanding of on-page SEO [Search Engine Optimization]. As your customer uses Google to answer their question, Google’s algorithm is determined to find the most highly-relevant content for a specific search. In a competitive market, chances are you aren’t the only company out there with some answers. If you work with Google and prioritize on-page SEO, that is the “secret sauce” that puts you in a good position to rank high and capture organic traffic.

Watch On-demand: Check out this webinar to learn how you can implement content marketing into your strategy ➢

2. Promoting Your Content

Where to Promote?

So great, your blog is answering difficult questions and is optimized for your selected keywords, AND you rank competitively on Google. Still not getting the traffic you like? Where to next?

Social platforms and e-marketing are opportunities to amplify your best content. By getting your brand in front of more people, you’ll increase your leads. Let’s review how LinkedIn and E-Blasts will assist you in driving web traffic that leads to conversions and sales.

Note: LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter can all be utilized as both Paid and Unpaid Advertising platforms.

Unpaid LinkedIn Promotions

This is simply creating a brand online. Whether it’s your own personal page or a company page, there is no charge for posting and sharing with your network. If you are still in the process of growing your own personal brand, look into joining LinkedIn groups as an option to get your activity and content in front of more eyes.

LinkedIn Paid Promotions

If you are looking for a more tailored audience, utilize LinkedIn Ad manager. Narrow your target audience down to the specific demographic that you identify as an ideal customer. There may be trial and error at first and that’s part of the process. LinkedIn provides countless filters that you can alter until you find your target market. This may vary for different content types.

E-Blasting Blogs

We will use that hard-earned list of contacts from trade shows, client happy hours, your local association, etc. You worked on building relationships and paid a premium for these contacts. Set a cadence for a newsletter, compiling all that work you put into your blog into a format that communicates that value to your end-customer.

Blogs answer the questions your prospects are asking. Use this to build rapport and a relationship with your prospect list. Don’t just send another salesy piece of collateral, boasting about your brand, or jamming all your products and services in one email. Blogs allow you to send tangible value to your prospects, answering questions about problems they need answered today.

3. Quantifying Success with Analytics

Google Assistant

Utilize Google as a tool to assist in tracking, and more importantly, identifying your successes and challenges with blogging. Google Analytics is FREE – check out the demo account here. It is a phenomenal tool to help you identify what works, and what might need some more work.

Below is a quick guide to some of the most important website metrics that you can analyze with Google Analytics.

Website Metrics

Page Traffic [or] Blog Traffic: How many people landed on that webpage?

Bounce Rate: Are users getting to your pages then leaving immediately?

Keywords: Does Google Analytics rank your keywords as relevant search terms?

Social Metrics

Impressions: How many people saw your personal or company post on your blog?

CTR [Click-Through-Rate]: Out of all those people that saw it, how many clicked your link?

Engagement: Are people interacting with your social posts? Liking, commenting, sharing on their own accounts? That might seem basic, yet crucial in gaining exposure.

Related Post: Google Analytics 101 ➢

Next Steps

Still trying to make sense of it all? Check out our webinar, where Parqa’s CEO Tony Sorensen outlines “the why” to blogging, content marketing, and how Parqa incorporates an inbound strategy to differentiate their clients.

Schedule a call with a content strategist on the Parqa Digital Marketing team. We’re here to chat, brainstorm startegy and answer any questions you might have on your first steps towards a 2018 Inbound Strategy.

What is SEO? – Beyond the Keywords

June 29, 2018

More times that I can count, I hear people say things like “I don’t need SEO services because my site already has keywords included.” What I love to do is help people learn and understand that SEO isn’t just about the keywords on the page, but about the overall experience search engine crawlers have on the site and, in turn, how consumers see and interact with the site.

It’s true. SEO used to be about things like keyword stuffing, link farms, etc. We all remember the black-hat days of SEO, where a few timely keywords could shoot a page up the rankings. Luckily, today’s search environment is much more sophisticated.

As search engines have evolved and become more knowledgeable on how consumers search as well as what consumers want to see. SEO has become much more about finding the relevant content for the consumer based on the intent of their search, and much less about sleezy tactics that once dominated the industry.

What does that mean for my business?

It means you have more opportunity!

Search engines are evaluating your web pages with a much broader scoring rubric. Think about it like the SAT. If your SEO strategy is focused exclusively on keywords, it would be like only studying for the math portion of the SAT. While you may crush that portion and yield an outstanding math score, you’re going to have your overall score get dramatically dinged when you tank your reading, writing, and language portions of the exam.

Yes, like math, keywords are still important, but so too is the other vital components of SEO like the readability of your content, how easy your site is to navigate, the internal and external linking maps your site is deploying, and the overall user experience your site is providing readers. Each of these areas presents your business with opportunity to increase your organic traffic and capture the eyes of more prospective customers.

So, the next time someone tells you that you have opportunity to increase overall organic visibility on your site, hear them out. Ask them pointed questions about how they plan to drive marketing success.

And if you do find yourself starting a partnership with a marketing agency, here are four ways to build an effective relationship.

Blog

What is Local SEO?

Why is Local SEO Important?

Highly Targeted and Timely

Mobile Searches Continue to Grow

It’s a free Source of Advertisement

Drop in ‘near me’/ Geographic Modifiers in Searches

Rank Higher in Search Engine Results

Why Use Parqa Marketing

1. Complete Your Profile

2. Share Relevant Content

3. Engage – The Right Way.

4. Utilize Groups

5. Be Consistent

What are Negative Keywords for Recruiting Firms?

The Danger of Neglecting Negative Keywords

How many Competitor Recruiting Firms Should I Have in my Negative Keyword List?

1. Start with a Solid Value Proposition

2. Be Authentic

3. Build Out Your Recruiter Summary

4. Profile Photo

5. Design a Customized LinkedIn Cover Photo

6. Customize Your URL

7. Align Your Industry and Location to Your Target Candidates

8. Include Your Previous Experience

9. Add Your Current Position

10. Update Your Skills & Endorsements

Here is an example of ATT and Verizon using reviews and price schema:

How Do I Add Schema to My Website?

Option 1

Option 2

Testing your Schema Structured Data

Option 1

Option 2

What Schema Structured Data Should I Use?

Organization Schema Markup (included in WP SEO Structure Data Schema plugin)

WebSite Schema Markup (included in WP SEO Structure Data Schema plugin)

Breadcrumbs Markup (can be implemented through Yoast)

Site Navigation Schema Markup (included in WP SEO Structure Data Schema plugin)

Schema Product Markup

Schema Article Markup (included in WP SEO Structure Data Schema plugin)

Recipe Schema Markup (included in WP SEO Structure Data Schema plugin)

Next Steps for your Online Presence

What If Just One Bad Recruiter Ruined Your Chances for The Search?

How to Make Sure Your Company’s LinkedIn Presence HELPS You

How to Get Back to Selling and Away from Worrying About Your Company’s LinkedIn Presence

Have a Voice

Deploy First Person

Take Some Chances

SEO For Your Website: 101 {That Everyone Wishes They Knew}

Story Time: How A Hiring Manager Initial Meeting is Similar to a Google Search

There is Hope to Get Found Online…And We’ve Discovered It!

1. Creating Quality Content

The Why of Content?

Using Google AdWords for Blog Topic Ideas

Make It Easy for Google to Find Your Blog

2. Promoting Your Content

Where to Promote?

Unpaid LinkedIn Promotions

LinkedIn Paid Promotions

E-Blasting Blogs

3. Quantifying Success with Analytics

Google Assistant

Website Metrics

Social Metrics

Next Steps

Related Posts

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